The Comic Book Literacy Documentary Blog

Pictures from the Human Rights/Art Workshop

2012-02-19T07:31:00.006-06:00

"In Full Color: A Look At Black History Through Art" is an exhibit currently on display at the Texas Visual Arts Association's gallery in downtown Dallas. Recently there was a workshop for area teachers. During the workshop graphic novel artist and professor of cartoon art Keith Douglas gave teachers ideas on incorporating comic art in their lessons:

Human rights themed artwork from SMU students is on display at the exhibit:

Keith took some time to work with some of the younger participants who are interested in art:

Dallas historian Jesse James Arnold (center) spoke to the crowd and gave an historic perspective:

Comic books from Professor William H. Foster's traveling exhibit are a part of the TVAA exhibit:

Modern day slavery survivor Given Kachepa spoke about his experiences to the crowd:

Some of Keith's art from an upcoming graphic novel on slavery is also a part of the exhibit:

The upcoming graphic novel is als0 a part of a contest for students to submit their work to be published as a part of the book. Check out the TVAA website for more details.

Art!...and so forth...

2012-02-11T16:21:00.005-06:00

Some local hoodlums dressed as Wario and Waluigi (could they really not find Mario & Luigi costumes? Ugh, artists!) were graffito-tagging some "art" on a wall near my office. Here are some pics of the process:

As you could have easily guessed, it's an advertisement for the Vinyl Thoughts Art Show which is happening on a weekday night for some horrible reason which pretty much guarantees that I will not be able to attend.

Anyway, I dig Super Mario Bros. and just thought it looked cool so I'm sharing it with the world.

Upcoming Exhibit & Workshop

2012-01-27T15:03:00.004-06:00

Human Rights/Art Workshop
February 18th 10:00am to 1:00pm
at the TVAA Gallery Suite G-207 in the Plaza of Americas Building
Plaza of the Americas
700 N. Pearl Street
Dallas, Texas

http://echoesofthelostboys.com

The Ultimate Fate of the Starship Pegasus

2012-01-07T10:47:00.002-06:00

Hardcore Trekkies know the unfortunate fate of the fictional Federation Starship Pegasus but unbeknownst to many, a real life Starship Pegasus also lays in ruins as a reminder to travelers of the subtle whims of fate and of how far the stars can be.

Much like Trek's "Great Bird of the Galaxy," this ship was also helmed by a true visionary: Andy Gee, a man who brought his unique vision in for a landing in Italy...Italy, TX.

"I had hoped it would inspire the next kid to grow up and create the warp drive that would take us to meet an alien civilization," said architect and entrepreneur Gee. His vision became a reality when the Starship Pegasus Restaurant opened for business in 2005. Unfortunately two years later the doors were closed and the ship was docked.

As it sits along I-35 in Italy (approximately 45 miles south of Dallas), unkempt weeds scrape the hull and the once lustrous facade fades like starlight at dawn. But this vision of the future shares Star Trek's optimism.

Starship Pegasus Associates Community Enterprises, or S.P.A.C.E, has used the building as a flea market/farmers market but the ultimate rescue for the Pegasus can come from Trek's biggest fan: you!

It's true, the Starship Pegasus is for sale and for the right amount of gold pressed latinum you can own it! You always wanted a novelty, sci-fi themed restaurant haven't you? The make it so!

Superman Returns

2012-01-01T16:52:00.004-06:00

A new year calls for a new fruit snack and these seem to make me slightly giddier than the average super hero fruit snack. Yeah, I know I've said that before but, believe it or not, you don't see a lot of Superman food products these days. The Man of Steel's grocery heyday seems to have peaked in the 1980's. Not even the heavily merchandised "Superman Returns" could muster more than a few candies and a half-assed attempt at cereal.

So it's with great enthusiasm that we celebrate the real return of Superman...in candy form!

You may notice he's wearing his pre-New 52 costume (as known as his real costume). That's not terribly surprising since you would think that Betty Crocker wants people to look at this box and say, "Hey I want some Superman Fruit Snacks!" instead of, "Where are Superman's outer-under pants?"

That old school mentality continues with some of the shapes they picked. Sure, you've got the standard "Superman Standing," "Superman Flying" and "Superman's Face" but take a look at that Lois Lane design:

Is that a Noel Neill-style pillbox hat she's sporting? Well, doesn't that just make the fruit snacks taste that much sweeter? You also get the top of the Daily Planet building for your trouble which I'm all for but I can't help but notice a lack of villains in this selection.

I guess you can't have everything. But, personally, I'm hoping that this meager box of fruit snacks is a harbinger of a new wave of great things to come...and I'm not talking about the new move, I'm talking about the new edible merchandise!

Recipe: Larfleeze's Orange Lantern Cookies

2011-11-28T10:11:00.005-06:00

Last year DC released the Larfleeze Christmas special:

That issue contained a recipe for "Lafleeze's Orange Lantern Cookies." So, like any normal person, I not only made the recipe, I shot video of the process. Enjoy:

Here's the recipe if you'd like to try it our yourself:

Merry Larfmas!

Super Hero Sighting: Veteran's Day Parade

2011-11-15T10:01:00.002-06:00

So last Friday I found a high perch from which to shoot video of the Veteran's Day Parade in downtown Dallas. While there I had a super hero sighting:

I know it's hard to see because of my super cool location but if you squint hard you can see Batman, Green Lantern and (I think) Cyclops from the X-Men. I assume their theme was "Pretend Heroes Saluting Real Heroes!"

They also had a pimped out custom Batmobile following them.

Part of a Balanced Breakfast

2011-11-06T13:23:00.002-06:00

For the longest time cereal boxes came with the much coveted "prize inside." Lately the trend has turned toward having mail-away prizes but thinking "inside the box" has returned with the greatest prizes of all: comic books!

Several General Mills cereals are adding comics to your balanced breakfast as a way to promote literacy. So, of course, I had to run to my nearest grocery store to pick up a couple of boxes. The only ones I could find were Golden Grahams and Cocoa Puffs which was fine with me because I like them both and they are awesome when you mix them together. In fact, I'd say that's much better than eating them separate and if General Mills new what was good for them they'd rush a new shipment of Golden Cocoa Puff Grahams to the stores and send me a check for the idea.

Anyhoo, there are four different mini-comics available but I got the same one in both of my boxes (similar type nonsense has happened to me before). If only my x-ray visions would finally kick in!

The comic is a standard (pre-reboot) Justice League (minus the Martian Manhunter) story where they fight the Shaggy Man and was written by the great Scott Beatty!

Upon completing the story, youngsters are encouraged to go to:

http://biggcerealheroes.com/

and read the second part of the story online for free. I like it. But what I like more is a free cardboard Batman mask!!

Deceptively difficult to cut out, this mask makes the perfect distraction for 32 minutes (30 minutes to cut it out. 2 minutes of running around the house screaming " I'm the Batman!! I'm the !@#$% Batman!)

So thumbs up to General Mills and DC Comics for finding new ways of putting comic book in the hands of new readers.

Happy Halloween 2011

2011-10-28T15:12:00.010-05:00

So the original plan was for my 3 month old daughter to go as Green Lantern for Halloween but she insisted on being every single color of Lantern possible. She also insisted that every costume incorporate a tutu.

So, for your viewing pleasure, here are all nine of my daughter's Halloween costumes (and a reference pic for each corresponding colored Lantern Corp):

Happy Halloween everybody!

When Good Writers Write Bad Dialogue #1 - Stormwatch

2011-10-20T09:17:00.006-05:00

I have a big pet peeve: bad dialogue. That is to say, dialogue that would never, ever be spoken out loud by a real person. And so I've created a new semi-regular feature for the blog:

When Good Writers Write Bad Dialogue
Entry 1 - Stormwatch #2

This is a classic example of "telling" instead of "showing." Image the this type of dialogue in other comics:

"Superman, your powers allow you to look through walls, so you need to look through that wall...etc."

or

"Aquaman, your powers allow you to talk to fish, so you should ask that carp...etc."

Now granted, Jack is not nearly as well known as Supes and Aquaman and his powers do tend to require some explanation. Plus, Paul Cornell is a very talented writer (and the creator of Bernice Summerfield!) so we're willing to let him slide...just this once!

Just Desserts

2011-10-10T11:36:00.004-05:00

Super heroes and Halloween - they go hand in hand. Add in some candy and you've got October's holy trinity. This year the concept was expressed succinctly at the end-cap of my local grocery store. Imagine the look on this beleaguered documentarian's face when I turned down the candy aisle and saw this:

Looks like we've got not one but three separate kinds of bags of branded Marvel Comics candy to give out this year (there's actually 4 types of bags but one was just "candy sticks" and anyone that knows me knows I HATE candy sticks). How will you choose? I think you know the answer to that (spoiler: get them all).

As usual, our featured players include the Marvel Movie Gang™ (minus Wolverine...super cameo in "First Class" though, big guy!). The first bag, like all good bags, is the lollipop bag.

Next up is "Dig'n Dips" a.k.a. "Fun Dip" a.k.a. the greatest candy in the world! Yes, it's essentially just flavored sugar and yes it goes great on/with everything! After a couple of bags of these you'll be able to take on Thor by yourself.

And we end with the grab bag. The secret identities of these various candies may be "Sugar Daddy", Tootsie Rolls and Smarties but they've come dressed up as your favorite super heroes to bring a little extra awesomeness to the Halloween season.

A friend of mine gives out comic books every Halloween. If you can't do that then I recommend giving out these guys.

Green Tea

2011-09-27T15:22:00.004-05:00

Once again I'm a little late to the party but after a few special orders I finally tracked down these bad boys:

The Brisk Green Lantern Green tea was a promotional tie-in with the movie from earlier this summer and features Kenneth Rocafort art (who is currently on the ~~Outsiders~~ Red Hood & the Outlaws title...I'd love to get him to sign a can) with Hal, Sinestro, Kilowog and Tomar Re! (Once again Jack T. Chance and Bzzd get screwed over.)

It may seem odd to some people that I've had these in my grubby little hands since Saturday and, despite having plenty to spare, I've had absolutely no desire to drink one. I'm not a big tea drinker to begin with and the "Mango Dragonfruit" flavor isn't terribly appealing to me.

I really just got them to add to my super hero food collection so I only need one (maybe two). So does anybody want ten cans of Green Lantern tea?

World's Greatest Chip Aisle

2011-09-26T14:10:00.014-05:00

Well the title says it all doesn't it? I stumbled across what may very well be the world's greatest chip aisle. Not because it is stocked with your salty favorites but because it is comprised of some of the most head-scratching sandwich sides since the first tater slice hit hot oil.

The location? Big Lots.

If you are not familiar with BL, it's a close-out store where unpopular, unsold product lines go to die. I've had some great finds there in the past and it consistently maintains its title as my favorite store/grocery museum. On this particular trip it was the chip aisle that really attracted my attention with its unusually high weirdness quotient.

This little beauty caught my eye first:

1. It's close to Halloween and these chips have a "monster" theme.
2. They are in ghost shapes that resemble the Pac-Man ghosts
3. They are ketchup flavored

If that's not a triple threat then I don't know what is.

With my interest piqued I started exploring this aisle of misfit chips and came across some interesting finds. I soon noticed that the "geography" theme was prevalent in the chip world:

Representing the U.S. is "Sweet Hawaiian Onion" "Rocky Mountain Dill Pickle" and New York Deli Kettle Cooked" potato chips. Not to be outdone, Europe is also represented in a somewhat confusing way:

Snyder of Berlin's British Style potato chips represent the hodge-podge, mish-mashed understanding that most American high school students have of Europe (quick hint: one of these places loves to talk about World War II and the other one does not).

Now let's move back to the Western Hemisphere and head south of the border:

I got the distinct impression that the Curly bags were not filled with peanuts but rather some weird peanut/chip hybrid with "Mexican Style" being the most popular flavor. They go good with Happy Joe's Taco Chips. A quick google search informed my that "Happy Joe's" is a pizza chain that is famous for putting taco chips on their pizza...taco chips that you can now enjoy at home. But the pizza/chip connection didn't end there:

On the left are Pepperoni Pizza flavored potato chips from Shearer's, the same company that gave us the Hot Dog flavored potato chips that I mentioned awhile back. On the right are...like...pizza flavored sticks...or something...

And speaking of things that I've mentioned before:

Meat flavored chips are always worth repeating. Which brings us to the ultimate chip flavor...one that was a long time coming:

You like chips. You like beer. Obviously you'd like chips made out of beer.

So the next time I tell you I've discovered the World's Greatest [Fill-in-the-Blank] I expect a lot more reverence and a lot less eye-rolling.

Hooked on Comics Worked for Me

2011-09-24T10:06:00.002-05:00

Josh Elder from Reading With Pictures speaks at CUSP 2010 about comics and reading:

Fish Story

2011-09-23T10:34:00.016-05:00

If I ever became the owner of a dockside tavern that catered to sailors I would name it either "The Pickled Herring" or the "Recurring Case of Scurvy." I assume I'd be really good at it and would eventually own a chain of successful "fisheterias" that would rival fast food restaurant chain "Captain D's."

And much like Captain D's, I would give out educational, nautical themed comic books. Not sure what the hell I'm talking about? Well then check out the "Captain D's Exciting Adventures" freebie comic from 1980:

The comic makes an effort to both maintain the restaurant's nautical (yet anti-pirate) theme and be educational. It tells the story of Captain Samuel Reid, the "Hidden Hero of New Orleans" and goes great with a side of hush puppies and coleslaw.

As Captain D says above, Captain Reid became a national hero by a losing a battle with several British ships and then went on to play a part in designing the America flag. Like many fish eating Americans I've been completely oblivious to the details of this guy's career (and his existence). This was something that Captain D just couldn't abide so Reid's life story has been immortalized in comic book form starting with his birth...

...and leading up to the day he took command of his ship, the General Armstrong:

This thirty year process takes up one page of the comic. That's probably for the best.

The story kicks into ~~high~~ gear though when the good Captain runs afoul of several British warships (which, at the time, was not a good thing).

You're probably assuming that after a lengthy and bloody skirmish Captain Reid figured out some Captain Kirk-esque maneuver to beat the odds and win the battle. Nope. You've seen too many movies. He lost his ship and hid in a monastery:

"Goodbye ship!" Don't feel too bad though. Apparently his pummeling delayed the British long enough for the U.S. to win the Battle of New Orleans thus ending the War of 1812. Look at that! You just learned something from a comic book!

And as Captain D promised, Reid went on to design the American flag...

...which would almost immediately be forgotten due to the cunning machinations of that glory hound Betsy Ross.

Now no promotional,freebie comic from the 70's/80's would be complete without a section of insanely easy puzzles and games. This one is no exception and provides some brain teasers that I can only assume were meant for children with vision impairments:

And with that we say, "Bon Voyage!"

Geek Squad

2011-09-13T11:08:00.006-05:00

I know I'm probably going to sound like John, the owner of Cockamamie's Collectibles Shop, but don't you just love the graphics on this box?

I mean really, it looks like something you'd get at Toys 'R' Us that would be filled with any number of outstanding superhero playthings and whatnot. I mean, look at it...LOOK AT IT, DAMMIT!!!

Marvel's Super Hero Squad finally decided to get serious about superheroing and release some fruit snacks. While this may not be the first time that Thor and Captain America have shared time on a fruits snacks box, I'm pretty sure it's the first SHS foray into the grocery aisles, thereby edging out their DC Super Friend cousins in the "Wow-My-Eight-Year-Old Attention-Span-Really-Groks-These-Super-Sweet-Goodies" category and buries the needle on the "Please-Mom-Can-We-Get-These-O-Meter."

Multi-colored, multi-shaped...yep, it's everything you could want out of your Super Hero Squad Fruit Snacks. It may be hard to tell from the picture below but I assume that's everybody:

What do you mean some of them are blurry? Look, I'm not your mother. Go take your own fruit snack pictures.

Not so easy, is it?

Pie in the Face

2011-08-26T13:41:00.004-05:00

A lot of attention has been given to the old school superhero Hostess Fruit Pie advertisements, but let's not forget that even Archie Comics got into the act. Here's an ad from 1976 that put that stuck up Alexandra in her place:

Going Green

2011-08-20T10:07:00.005-05:00

It looks like those little blue tyrants that run the Green Lantern Corps have been expanding their reach into the Marvel Universe. Check out these screen caps from episode #8, "Some Assembly Required" of the series "Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes."

Looks like the Guardians are attempting to destroy the Marvel economy by flooding it with their own custom funny money. Diabolical!

Claws and Effect

2011-08-12T15:22:00.004-05:00

This is a little frustrating.

While leaving a certain local toy store, I glanced at the claw game on the way out (as I typically do) and was stopped dead in my tracks. I know I'm not ~~usually~~ always prone to exaggeration but it was in this particular claw game where I saw what may be the single greatest Captain America collectible of all time: The Captain America Fuzzy Dice!!!

I had other places to be but it was then and there that I vowed to return the next day and acquire was was rightfully mine.

However, the next day, instead of being greeted by my precious, it was the cold bucket of water that is reality that waited for me. The claw game and been restocked (with crap) and my prize was gone!?!

Or was it? After breathing into a paper bag a solid forty minutes I took another look around the plush ghetto and discovered that the Cap Dice were still there...just moved to a more difficult location.

Now I've mentioned my affinity for various claw/crane games before but what I have not mentioned is that I know the only strategy to win. You see, during college I worked at a laundromat where I spent the better part of each day watching customers play and lose the claw game. There is a trick to it.

In most claw games the claw will lower, then raise and THEN grasp! So usually the only items that can be won are the ones at the very top of the pile.

On the previous day the dice were at the very top but now they were significantly lower. Undeniable proof of the existence of Satan? I think so.

Long story short: I had a finite amount of quarters/patience/interest and did not end up winning the greatest Captain America collectible of all time (This claw game, like many, seem to be rigged for maximum frustration).

Here are the video highlights (including a desperate grasp for a consolation prize):

Oh, I'll return to that toy store...and I'll continue to obsess over this nonsense...don't you worry about that. There will come a day when the Captain America Novelty Dice will fill that gaping hole in my life for probably a good 15 minutes. Afterward I guess I'll toss 'em. (Get it?)

Finger Food

2011-07-31T07:17:00.006-05:00

[Insert blog-starting "Play with your food" joke here]

So, yeah, Marvel Gummy Candy Finger Puppets...my jaw hit the floor at the Dollar Store the other day when I stumbled across these little beauties.

Looks like a pretty straightforward premise:

Insert fingers in puppets
Perform your favorite Tennessee Williams play starring edible finger puppet versions of your favorite Marvel Heroes
Eat the puppets off your fingers one by one as you pretend to be Galactus (Warning: It's not recommended that you consume any part of your actual hand.)

Let's do the roll call:

The Marvel box has the usual "movie gang": Spider-Man, Iron Man, Wolverine and the Hulk. Yep, it's the Marvel Universe's cool kids table. No surprises here.

Although I will compliment them on the sculpts. Sure it's not action figure quality but "gummy" is a difficult medium and these guys look pretty good.

And, of course, not content to just be a part of the "Marvel Heroes" lineup, you-know-who gets his own box. And you might notice his box has the same "Spider Sense Spider-Man" label as those boring Spider-Man Strawberry Licorice Webs from awhile back.

Poses are also a little questionable. The two middle fingers have standard Spidey stances but the one on the index finger looks like he's just standing there and the one on my pinky looks like he's stretching after a good night's sleep. But Spider-Man's an elder statesman in the candy world so he can get away with stuff like that.

But you'd never see Captain America trying to pull that crap.

UPDATE: Check it out: They're on a cake!

The Greatest Day of My Life!!!

2011-07-23T19:40:00.003-05:00

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Morning in America

2011-07-22T14:23:00.008-05:00

Another summer blockbuster, another promotional tie-in. The best kind of tie-ins involve promotional food of some sort and so the Dunkin' Donuts Captain America Coolatta doesn't disappoint.

It looks like Dunkin' Donuts is trying to one up 7-Eleven when it comes to super hero collectible cups because they work thrice (it's a word) as hard and incorporate three different flavors into their Captain America tri-sectioned cup (which is what I'm guessing it's called).

Three flavors, "red," white" and "blue" come with the collectible cup which keeps them separated until you ultimately excrete them! Yum!

They also get extra points for not only offering a Captain America donut with red, white and blue sprinkles but also going to the extra effort of making it in the shape of a star...kind of. So it's kind of reminiscent of the Hulk dount from a few years ago but with a little extra effort thrown in.

But the roughness of the shape is more than made up for with the jelly filling...red like the Red Skull...I guess.

This coincides with the Captain America Super Swirl Flavor and and special Cap & HYDRA Sundaes at Baskin Robbins (and I guess the movie too) but when I went to get some the girl there said she didn't know how to make them. So screw them! They'll have to do without the added publicity of the four people who read this blog (hi, mom)!

And just in case you haven't seen it, here's the super-cool, extended cut of the Captain America Dunkin' Donuts commercial:

Sweeping Changes

2011-07-21T17:19:00.001-05:00

As a bit of a postscript to the "Geo-RoadTrip 2011," from one of my other blogs, we present one last parting gift from the road.

The giant Chimney Sweep Statue greets people on I-135 between Wichita and McPherson, Kansas. He's a striking site that comes out of nowhere while you're in the middle of nowhere. His roguish smile and Dick Van Dyke-esque demeanor conveys a sense of old school chimney sweepery that is sadly missing in our modern world of dirty smoke stacks.

However, as many people do, he started out in a different industry before his career change:

Happy Chef is/was a chain of restaurants in the Midwest that each had Happy Chef statues out front greeting hungry travelers with a smile and a spoon. They also had a button you could push to hear the Happy Chef give you, what I assume was, a happy message.

Sadly most chefs are gone but some have been re-purposed like our friend here. If you're one the road in the middle of Kansas, stop by and say "hi."

FF IRL

2011-07-20T14:42:00.003-05:00

The headquarters of the Fantastic Four are a little less impressive in person.

How to Move A Comic Book Store

2011-07-17T23:42:00.000-05:00

Window Watching

2011-07-09T13:21:00.005-05:00

Today Titan Comics put some of the final touches on their outdoor display. It incorporates giant pictures of Spider-Man, Superman and Batman and here are a few pictures of the process of getting them up:

And here are some shots of the final result:

It's Not Easy Being Green

2011-07-07T13:37:00.004-05:00

After a few close calls, I just haven't been able to track down that Green Lantern Green Tea. So I had to settle for the next best thing: inputting a code online (as I've done so many times before) with the weak expectation of winning a prize.

[SPOILER ALERT: I didn't win]

So after finishing my bag of Doritos and inputting as much of my personal information as they could as for, I was rewarded with this message:

I "won" a "free" Green Lantern "digital" "comic" (man, that's a lot of quotation marks). And here it is for for viewing "pleasure":

Underwhelmed? We all are. No go find me that tea!

Soured

2011-06-26T09:52:00.004-05:00

The Dollar Store usually doesn't disappoint but this time I'm a little nonplussed with my take home. Maybe I have unrealistic expectations but when I look for super hero candy I expect a little more effort. What we have here seems to be your common everyday sour candy with a few well know faces slapped upon the label:

A good portion of the Avengers check in with the "Marvel Heroes Sour Straws" but I can't seem to shake that "generic" feeling. I guess you could justify it by saying the colors correspond to the characters (red=Spider-Man, Green=Hulk, Yellow=Wolverine, Red & Yellow=Iron Man, etc.) but that just seems like a stretch.

It looks like a little more focus was put into the Spider-Man Strawberry Licorice Webs but not much. They're...red! So I guess that's something.

All in all it's not the end of the world or even the worst comic book promotional tie-in I've ever seen but it sets a dangerous precedent for half-assedness. Come on people, we can do better! But only if we demand better!

Peanuts...Naturally

2011-06-21T17:05:00.010-05:00

On a recent road trip I stumbled upon the "Peanuts...Naturally" exhibit at the Sternberg Museum in Hays, KS:

The exhibit shows Charles Schulz's various interpretations of the natural world via the Peanuts comic strip. It also included quite a few interesting Peanuts collectibles from over the years. Check out some pictures:

Check out the Sternberg Museum:

http://sternberg.fhsu.edu/

And the Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center:

http://www.schulzmuseum.org/

The Mystery of the Captain America Fruit Snacks

2011-06-12T13:40:00.004-05:00

Not surprisingly, it took a big budget movie to finally launch Captain America's fruit snack career. Say what you will about Batman, but he's at a point where he can launch a new line of fruit snacks at the drop of a hat. Movie, schmovie.

But Cap is a little newer to the grocery aisles and I say it's about time. His very first foray into the world of dextrose gum and high fructose corn syrup looks a little like this:

Eye-catching packaging and the allure of four different fruit flavors made this thing practically jump off the shelf and into my shopping cart. But the more I delved into the world of Captain America Fruit Snacks, the more I realized this is more than a superfluous grocery item. It's a Da Vinci Code-esque box of clues, riddles and misdirects, most noticeably symbolized by the the maze etched onto Cap's iconic shield. Seems easy enough...or is it?

Well ok, it is fairly easy, as most "back of the box" mazes are, but look towards the bottom:

"Can you help find the missing items?" it says. That's a lot of different stylized A's. Why so many? One assumes that you are supposed to find them there on the back (it's not like they're hidden very well...you can see that shield with wings right there). And the answer key on the inside of the box indicates that as well.

But I'm not content to just accept easy answers. I want long, drawn out, insanely convoluted answers! That's what years of reading comics will do to you.

So I keep going back to the multiple A's. Since when do marketers want multiple logos?!? Since never! So I choose to believe that this is a clue! Not about Captain America: The First Avenger but about next summer's The Avengers!

As always, look to the candy for answers:

Check out who makes a pretty hefty appearance in these co-called "Captain America" Fruit Snacks:

Wha?!? That's Thor! And his hammer! And a lightning bolt which I assume pertains to Thor (god of thunder and all that...). Fifty percent of the gummies are about Thor. Yet he doesn't get double billing on the box. That means something! Something's going on here! But what? Trouble in Avengers Mansion?

I was so worked up by this I ate the entire box. This did not lead to any insights but rather a slightly bloated, nauseous feeling...which I assume also means something. I think it means I need to go lie down.

But I'll be back...

The Single Greatest Thing I've Ever Seen

2011-06-05T08:14:00.003-05:00

The Tribble Claw Machine!

Courtesy of these guys:

http://tribbletoys.com/

Fantasticakes (ugh...sorry for that title)

2011-06-03T08:43:00.003-05:00

The 50th anniversary of the Fantastic Four was recently celebrated in some awesome ways and some horrible ways. One of the more questionable anniversary celebrations came in cake form as one of comics' oldest super teams was immortalized in fondant in an episode of Food Network's Last Cake Standing.

Don't get me wrong, it's not that I don't like cake. (I do. Really.) And it's not even that I don't like Last Cake Standing. It's a great Sunday afternoon distraction while you wait for whatever is coming on HBO later that evening.

The artisans who compete generally produce some amazing confectionery creations but this episode's fare was a little difficult to digest. I guess it's as hard to adapt the Fantastic Four into the medium of cake as it is to adapt them into the medium of film.

If it seems like I was a little disappointed in the FF cakes then, congratulations! You have reading comprehension skills! So instead of taking you through the painstaking process of making crappy Fantastic Four cakes we'll just skip to the end and take a look at the results.

Let's start with "Team Jason" (by the way they split up in teams for this challenge):

Sadly, this is the best of the bunch. It was complimented by the judges for including 5 figures but all I can see is four: Reed, the Super Skrull, a very tiny Ben (barely visible under Reed) and below the Skrull is Sue with this expression:

I choose to believe that she is just really, really surprised about something. I assume the flames are coming from the Skrull but I guess that could be Johnny. Let's see what the judges had to say about Team Jason's second cake.

Holy crap! Is that Tom Brevoort?!? He's one of the judges for this week's competition! That's kind of cool!

Anyway, back to the horrible cakes...I don't know if anyone saw a shoddily sculpted Sliver Surfer flying around but he must have been there somewhere to herald the coming of...Galactus!

It's hard to have that menacing, apocalyptic feeling when the city Galactus is about to eat looks like a set piece from "Cats." Also, hey look, the Silver Surfer IS there! He's not quite as well hidden as the Thing was on the previous cake but but he's definitely easy to miss. Someone get him a red and white striped shirt and a walking stick.

"The Devourer of Worlds" or just a "Grumpy Gus"? It also looks like his funky hat is broken.

So it looks like "Team Richard" (that's the other team) has it all wrapped up, right? They'd have to essentially just puke in a baking pan in order to lose, right? Right?

I really don't mean to be overly harsh. I know making cakes is difficult and so is sculpting. My question is: if you want to do an homage to the Fantastic Four then why not include the Fantastic Four? Sure we all like the Hulk (I assume that's the Hulk...or maybe Shrek) and the Hulk v. Thing fight is very iconic but very often the Hulk is more trouble than he's worth.

In the comics he constantly causes problems and it seems that in the real world he's also a headache. You can see why in this clip:

Oh, Hulk...you minx. Not only are you falling down on the job you are also making unwanted(?) advances on your opponent:

Maybe it was just a good luck kiss. That sounds like something the Hulk would do. I wish the rest of the FF could be here to see this. Well I'm sure they'll all be on the next cake.

Nevermind. It's just the Thing punching Dr. Doom. And it looks like the thing's head is also on top of that black box thing. In a blog entry full of assumptions I'm also just going to assume that that is a very specific comic reference. If it's not, don't tell me. If it is, don't tell me.

Man, Team Richard LOVES the Thing. And they love it when he punches people. Either that or they just don't have a lot of ideas.

Anyhoo, skip to the end and the winner was...Team Jason!

Yea? I guess?

Well, as they say on "The Next Iron Chef," even great chefs can have bad days. I'm hoping that by the FF's next monumental anniversary the world's cake making technology and techniques will have advanced enough to truly do the World's Greatest Comic Magazine justice.

(By the way, all images are property of Food Network)

Comicpalooza Pictures

2011-05-29T16:51:00.005-05:00

Another successful screening, another round of pictures:

Comicpalooza was also home to Busterpalooza:

Plenty of roller derby (which is very hard to photograph, by the way):

Bustin' makes Captain Jack feel good:

Lots of opportunity for kids to beat the hell out of each other:

And finally, Zatanna & Supergirl:

Free Comic Book Day 2011

2011-05-11T16:35:00.000-05:00

We had a very busy Free Comic Book Day this year. Here's a very quick look at some of the fun that happened at Keith's Comics in Dallas:

Necessities

2011-05-09T09:56:00.007-05:00

Your comic book store needs one (or more) of these:

Tell them you'd like a well stocked "kid's section" in the store.

P.S. They don't have to be the newest, hippest issues. The kids won't care.

Houston Screening

2011-05-03T10:00:00.005-05:00

Next Screening:

Saturday May 28th at 11:00
Comicpalooza - Houston, TX
Comicpalooza Film Festival hosted by Splatterfest

Cup Check

2011-03-25T09:12:00.003-05:00

Whosoever holds this Slurpee cup, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of ... Thor

CBL Presents: Free Comic Book Day!

2011-03-24T14:32:00.001-05:00

This is a clip from the "Comic Book Literacy" documentary featuring Free Comic Book Day which will be May 7th this year!

Pictures From Staple!

2011-03-06T14:20:00.005-06:00

We had a great screening at the STAPLE! Independent Media Expo in Austin. Here are some pictures:

James O'Barr, CBL director Todd Kent and Weldon Adams during the post-screening Q & A panel:

James O'Barr signing for a fan:

Superman and Green Lantern were in attendance:

And for some reason there was a masked marching band there:

Dallas Museum of Art Post-Screening Q & A Part 4

2011-03-04T10:42:00.002-06:00

And now here is the 4th and final part of our post-screening Q & A at the Dallas Museum of Art:

Also, click below to read an article about the documentary on the Huffington Post:

Dallas Museum of Art Post-Screening Q & A Part 3

2011-03-03T16:32:00.000-06:00

...And here's part 3 of our post-screening Q & A at the Dallas Museum of Art:

Dallas Museum of Art Post-Screening Q & A Part 2

2011-03-02T10:24:00.000-06:00

This is part 2 of our post-screening Q & A at the Dallas Museum of Art:

Dallas Museum of Art Post-Screening Q & A Part 1

2011-03-01T16:00:00.002-06:00

Here's Part 1 of the post-screening Q & A we had at the Dallas Museum of Art:

Dallas Museum of Art Screening

2011-02-26T17:10:00.006-06:00

We had a great screening today at the Dallas Museum of Art. Afterward we had a discussion with what I consider to be my own personal "Justice League" of comic book commentators:

(from left to right) Scott Hinze (host of Fanboy Radio), James O'Barr (creator, The Crow), Terry Moore (Strangers in Paradise, Echo), comic book historian Weldon Adams, Todd Kent (me) director of Comic Book Literacy, Ethan Nahté (writer/filmmaker), James Disco (Echoes of the Lost Boys of Sudan) and Ben Dunn (Ninja High School)

Magic Rocks with The Thing

2011-02-09T10:40:00.001-06:00

There's nothing like a wholesome, educational activity to help slow down the inevitable onset of insanity that comes from being snowed in for over a week. And since I don't have "Vincent Price's Egg Magic" handy we'll go with the other old standby: Magic Rocks!

Since our usual geologist is unavailable we'll need the help of another rock expert. And who is more intimately familiar with colorful rocks than our old pal The Thing from the Fantastic Four?

So first we're going to remove the contents of the package which include our tiny little display tank, small bag of colorful rocks and a big ol' bag of eye irritating "magic solution."

We mix the solution (I totally got a ton of it in my eye) with water and you know what comes next:

And like any super fun activity, there is plenty of waiting...

Over an hour later:

And another hour (actually a little over an hour):

Over two hours later:

2 - 3 hours later:

Over twelve hours (What? I got sleepy) later:

So what did we learn here? Anyone?

Well, at the very least I don't think you're supposed to put the little rocks so close to the front of the display tank or you'll get the big ugly wall of "magic" that we see on the left side of the tank. Like most scientific experiments we learned more from failure than success.

Other than that...I don't know. Feel free to give it a try yourself though:

Austin Screening

2011-02-02T11:56:00.002-06:00

We'll be screening Saturday March 5th at 4:00 at the STAPLE! Independent Media Expo in Austin, TX.

Immediately after the screening there will be a Q&A session with myself and James O'Barr (The Crow) who appears in the film.

Stuffed

2011-02-01T08:52:00.010-06:00

Time to head to the Watchtower Kitchen!

While tooling around the interwebs one day I stumbled across this recipe for Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies. I'm not sure why it struck such a cord with me but since I had both free time and excessive nervous energy (probably due to a few upcoming local screenings of the film), I felt like I had to make them happen.

If you'd like to play along at home, you don't necessarily have to use the recipe from above and you don't have to use Star Trek Oreos but of course it would be better if you did.

The quick version of the recipe: Just completely envelope your Oreos with your cookie dough:

When I baked mine they came out with a "fried egg" look but that was okay because...

Check it out! The greatest kind of food: something stuffed with something else!

So I give the recipe a thumbs up but I realize there are some Oreo purists that would find this kind of thing sacrilegious:

New Trailer

2011-01-27T16:25:00.001-06:00

Here's a brand new trailer for the documentary:

CBL at the Dallas Museum of Art

2011-01-21T10:39:00.008-06:00

The independent documentary film “Comic Book Literacy” will screen Saturday February 26th at 11:30 A.M. at the Dallas Museum of Art. The film showcases the utilization of comic books to promote literacy and education and features writers, artist and historians who speak on behalf of the often misunderstood medium.

Immediately after the screening there will be a Q & A panel led by Fanboy Radio’s Scott Hinze and featuring the film’s director Todd Kent as well as several comic book creators who appear in the film including:

Ben Dunn (Ninja High School, Marvel Mangaverse)

Terry Moore (Strangers in Paradise, Echo)

James O'Barr (The Crow)

This program is presented in partnership with The Dallas Tennis Association's USTA National Junior Tennis and Learning Program & Needed Influence of the Arts, in connection with their initiative to promote the awareness of a more creative approach for constructive and positive change for underprivileged children in Dallas through sports and the arts.

In December the collaborative efforts of these groups produced the “Catalyst For Positive Change” cartoon art workshop for Dallas inner city children. Images of the artwork will be shown at the screening.

This collaborative effort is also responsible for the upcoming graphic novel “Echoes of the Lost Boys of Sudan” which tells the true story of a group of Sudanese refugees who now reside in North Texas and their harrowing escape from their war torn homeland. This title and corresponding curriculum are featured in the documentary.

The film won “Best Documentary” at the 2010 Phoenix Comicon and is currently touring the country, screening at various film festivals, comic book conventions and literacy events. This film is not yet rated (70 minutes). For more information about the film, upcoming screenings, and updates go to: www.ComicBookLiteracy.com

Special Thanks to the Following: City Square, Junior League of Dallas, T-Bar M and Vickery Meadows Foundation

Vinyl Examination

2011-01-16T07:32:00.004-06:00

Great record selection or greatest record selection?

Road Does Not End

2011-01-11T10:10:00.003-06:00

This is a short film I made a few years ago about legendary artist Stanley Marsh 3, the creator of the world famous Cadillac Ranch located on Route 66 in Amarillo, TX:

Here are some festivals where it screened:

San Antonio Underground Film Festival
Listen With Your Eyes Video
Gulf Coast Film and Video Festival
Tulsa Overground Film Festival
Dallas Video Festival
deadCENTER Film Festival

Fanboy Radio Interview

2010-12-23T17:55:00.002-06:00

Here's an interview from Fanboy Radio I did with James Disco awhile back (around Thanksgiving) about the "Catalyst for Positive Change Workshop":

I'm Cluckin' It

2010-12-20T09:26:00.003-06:00

This morning on the way to the office I saw a chicken walking around in a McDonald's parking lot (as evidenced in this grainy cell phone picture):

Fresh ingredients are typically never found in such close proximity to a McDonalds. In the words of the Double Rainbow Guy, "What does this mean?"

Video: A Catalyst for Positive Change Workshop

2010-12-09T10:48:00.005-06:00

Here's the video we shot from last weekend's Comic Book/Human Rights workshop:

A Catalyst for Positive Change Workshop from Todd Kent on Vimeo.

The workshop was geared toward inner city kids, led by the "Professor of Cartoon Art" Keith Douglas and sponsored by the Dallas Tennis Association's National Junior Tennis & Learning Program, Needed Influence of the Arts and CitySquare.

Artwork created by the children during the workshop will be on display via Power Point presentation during the Dallas premier of the Comic Book Literacy documentary at the Dallas Museum of Art on Feb. 26, 2010.

Pictures from the Workshop

2010-12-04T17:03:00.004-06:00

The Catalyst for Positive Change Workshop was a success! Here are some pictures:

Keith Douglas, the Cartoon Man, drawing caricatures of the kids:

Metroplex kids learning to draw:

Local historian Jesse James Arnold gives his unique perspective:

Using art to educate:

Check back soon for video of the event!

Review: IDW's iPad App

2010-12-03T14:51:00.023-06:00

Unless you've been spending a lot of time lately vegging out in the Fortress of Solitude you've no doubt heard a lot of opinions about the iPad and the role it will play/is playing in the comic book industry. Opinions range from: "The iPad will save the comic book industry!" to "The iPad will destroy the comic book industry!"

I tend to frown on absolutes and/or hysteria. It gets the blood all worked up and that's no good for anybody. The reality is that comic book iPad apps will be just another way to read comics. Some people will like them and some people will hate them and that's that.

But I didn't come here today to debate the merits of a $700 piece of plastic. There are plenty of other denizens of the interwebs that would be happy to do that all day long. Personally, I'd like to narrow the focus a little and take one of these apps for a test drive.

Today's lucky contestant? The IDW iPad app (dun dun duuuuhhh)!

IDW is quickly becoming a favorite publisher of mine. Like Dark Horse Comics did in the past, they built up their line of titles by acquiring licenses to popular properties (Transformers, Star Trek, Angel, True Blood, etc.). I've loved Star Trek for years and IDW has been making some smart decisions with the property. By making the titles project oriented (by releasing mini-series and themed one-shots) instead of locking themselves into an ongoing series, they are keeping the content fresh and avoiding the franchise fatigue that has happened so often in the past.

They've also cultivated talent and published original material. Locke & Key has been one of the best new series (again, a series of mini-series) to come along in years. But this is not meant to be a IDW lovefest. On to the app!

You'll find a lot of similarities with the majority of comic book apps out there. Like many others, this one has three main categories: new, popular and free. They've got a diverse lineup of titles which leads us to our first "pro."

PRO: Browsing List

One tap produces a list of all their titles grouped by property. If you only want to check out their 30 Days of Night titles then 2 taps will get you there (one tap for the list and then a tap on the property). You can also search by typing in the name of the title but I'm lazy with the iPad and I like to keep my taps to a minimum.

But once you're you get there though, I feel IDW stumbles a bit.

CON: Comic grouping (or lack thereof)

Once you get to your franchise of choice you'll find that they have every issue listed alphabetically. So if you search through the issues of Locke & Key you have to scroll to the bottom to find the first mini-series "Welcome to Lovecraft." If you didn't know anything about the series then you might just assume that the first issue listed (at the top) would be the first issue of the story. Each issue contains a summary if you tap it but I think it would still be confusing to new readers. Also I see no reason to list each individual issue. Why not group the issues for each mini-series together?

PRO: Price

The average digital comic (from all publishers) is usually priced at $1.99 and I know a lot of people think that's too much for something that doesn't have that "Wednesday Comic Book Store Smell" but I grudgingly accept it. And IDW seems to use this model as well. However I found several IDW titles for sale in the app store for .99 cents. And I think that's a very good price for a digital comic.

CON: I want more free stuff, dammit!

As I said before, just about every comic book app has a freebies section. IDW's free section is smaller than DC and Marvel's free section (although to be fair, IDW is a smaller company). Also, the other companies update their free section frequently with new issues, back-up stories and previews while IDW's free section has remained relatively unchanged since I first got it.

PRO: Organizing my purchases

The IDW app has a virtual bookshelf (similar to other e-readers) which is searchable and easy to navigate. I also like that you have the option of deleting your purchases and then re-downloading them later for free.

CON: Zooming

When reading a comic you can zoom in on the panel you are reading by giving it the ol' double tap (you can also pinch to zoom like in other apps). Now, in other apps a second double tap will zoom the panel out back to the regular page view. This is a quick and efficient way to zoom in and out while reading. But a second double tap in IDW's app will only zoom in further. And another will take you in even further still. You have zoom back out with your fingers, which isn't a big deal but I prefer the double tap zoom out.

Any other criticisms are minimal and are the same nitpicks I have with every comic app: I wish they'd add new issues quicker, I wish they more titles to choose from, etc.

Although one thing that bugs me is the lack of Doctor Who titles in the app store. I've been interested in checking out their take on the nearly 50 year old franchise but they don't seem to be offered here. But I would imagine that there is some type of freaky rights issue that's preventing it and that if IDW could offer them, they would.

All in all it's a great app and I'm enjoying it. As with all iPad comic book apps, I like the ability to check out new titles for a cheaper price and the ability to carry around a ton of reading material in a very compact space. If you've been interested in trying out some of IDW's titles and have an iPad, I definitely recommend this app.

Links:

IDW Publishing Homepage

A Video Tutorial on the IDW iPad App

A Catalyst for Positive Change Workshop

2010-12-01T09:54:00.004-06:00

A Cartoon/Human Rights Workshop Geared Toward Inner City Kids

The Dallas Tennis Association's National Junior Tennis & Learning Program, Needed Influence of the Arts & City Square is proud to present this workshop lead by the “Professor of Cartoon Art”, Keith Douglas. In addition, local Dallas Historian Jesse Arnold will be a guest speaker. Mr. Douglas will give his insight into an upcoming Modern Day Slavery Graphic Novel. Mr. Arnold a character in the above graphic novel will enlighten the audience as he tells his personal story.

Furthermore, North Texas Filmmaker Todd Kent will be in the audience as we show a Trailer of his Award winning Documentary: Comic Book Literacy. The goal of the Dallas Tennis Association’s NJTL, Needed Influence of the Arts and City Square is to help teach children about important social issues through art.

The children's art drawn at the Catalyst for Positive Change Workshop will kick off our Dallas Premier of the Comic Book Literacy Documentary Film. This event on February 26, 2011 will be held at the Dallas Museum of Art's Horchow Auditorium.

The children who participate in the December 4, 2010 workshop will have their work shown as part of a Power Point Presentation at the Museum during the February Premier. Please join us for this innovative workshop as we inspire the next generation of comic Book Creators & Human Rights Activists.

Time: 10:00 am - 12:30 pm

Date: December 4th, 2010

Location: Roseland Homes Community Center, 3535 Munger, Dallas, TX 75204

John Fischner: Dino Sculptor & Comic Book Consultant

2010-11-16T10:38:00.003-06:00

Here's a quick look at a unique guy we met while shooting the documentary:

Dinosaur sculptor John Fischner talks a little about his work and his participation, as scientific consultant, on Stephen Bissette's "Tyrant" comic book.

Special Event in Miami

2010-11-15T10:30:00.002-06:00

Selected clips from "Comic Book Literacy" will be screened at the 2010 School of Comics and Graphic Novels Day of Education for Teachers and Librarians at the Miami Book Fair on November 18th.

They will be shown between the speaker segments to highlight the key role that comics and graphic novels can play in education.

Click the logos for more information!

Norman vs. The Dos Equis Guy

2010-11-14T12:02:00.008-06:00

It occurred to me that Norman McCay from DC's Kingdom Come kind of looks like the Dos Equis Guy:

That is all. Carry on with your weekend now.

Happy Veterans Day!

2010-11-11T09:07:00.001-06:00

Star Trek: The Undiscovered Cookie

2010-11-03T15:04:00.008-05:00

If I wasn't so tired I'd probably have more to say about these Canadian Star Trek Oreos. What? It's been a long week, even though it's only Wednesday. Maybe I can turn this into one of those blogs that just posts pictures and has very little commentary. That sounds pretty good right about now.

After a fair amount of promotion for this weekend's Las Vegas premiere of the documentary, I've definitely earned a cookie break. Regardless of my work-induced fatigue, French-Canadian sandwich cookies with starships carved into them are more than enough to give me a little pep.

These are from 1994 and on the back of each box there is a "free" (or "gratis" for you French speakers) "3-D Starship Mobile." They are all perforated shapes that you pop out and fold together (or glue together, possibly). Add a little bit of string, hang over the nearest crib and you've got instant entertainment for the next generation, courtesy of The Next Generation.

The Starship Mobiles (and cookie engravings) came in the shape of a Ferengi Marauder (above),

a Borg Cube (insert "Resistance is Futile" pun here),

a Romulan Warbird,

the Enterprise-D and a Klingon Bird of Prey (which is currently cloaked, but it looks cool, you should see it).

Those pesky perforations present a bit of a challenge when trying to keep the boxes in good shape for the sake of posterity. And to be honest these were empty when I got my grubby little hands one them so I'm only guessing (based on the top picture) that the cookies had starship shapes stamped into them.

But surely they did. Can you imagine cracking open a box of Starship Oreos and and just finding a box full of regular, run of the mill oreos!?! Why there'd be anarchy! Or the Canadian equivalent of anarchy.

Do you like links at the end of blog entries? Then you'll love these:

Star Trek Cereal - Star Trek: The Experience Food - Star Trek Candy Bars

Geek Speak Radio Show Interview

2010-10-31T07:31:00.002-05:00

I was interviewed on the Geek Speak Radio Show. Have a listen:

And in other news...Happy Halloween!

The Great Power (and Responsibility) of Perception

2010-10-22T10:58:00.023-05:00

“Comics have always been looked down upon as a ghetto medium.”

(James O'Barr in "Comic Book Literacy")

That is a quote from James O’Barr (“The Crow”) from my documentary “Comic Book Literacy." And it is one of the biggest lessons I learned from my experience producing the film. Well, not necessarily from the producing process but rather the promotional process.

You see, making the movie is only one aspect of filmmaking. Another, almost equally important part, is the promotion of the film. No one can see your movie if they’ve never heard of it. It is during this stage (that I am in currently) that I find myself gaining even more insight into the perception of the medium of comic books. During production I surrounded myself with some of comics’ biggest proponents. I was receiving a constant influx of good cheer, optimistic outlooks and unabashedly boisterous cheerleading for the concept of using comic books for education.

This led to a warm and fuzzy sense of accomplishment and complacency that I began to feel for the medium. Because, hey, we have made it, right? Everyone now loves comics and teachers and librarians are stocking the shelves with everything from The Spirit to Spider-Man as fast as they can. The general public has now accepted Batman and Wolverine as peers to Tom Sawyer and David Copperfield....right? “Mission Accomplished!”

Sadly, no.

Don’t get me wrong. The medium has come a long way from the demonized scapegoat it was in the fifties and the neutered cypher it was in the sixties. Sure, libraries are allowing them shelf space and book clubs are cautiously inviting them over for tea but the beating that the reputation of comic books took in the past has yet to heal completely for the general public.

“The General Public.” That’s a phrase often used by comic book readers. For example, in fanboy circles, the “worth” of a character is routinely gauged by his or her level of recognition by the general public (e.g. people who don’t read comics). Who hasn’t heard the argument that “Character X” is better or more successful that “Character Y” because “Character X” is more well known by the general public?

It hearkens back to the so-called “Grandma Test™.” The more random information your Grandmother knows about a particular comic book character (“Kryptonite hurts Superman” or “Batman drives the Batmobile”), the more relevant the character becomes.

It’s a deeply flawed test of worth but it does call attention to the preoccupation that many comic book readers have with the medium’s significance to the non-comic book reading population. Why do we have this obsession with the opinion of people who have no interest in comics?

Because it is very rare to find a non-comic book reader who has no opinion on comics. Most non-comic book readers have a negative view on a medium with which they have had no first hand experience.

Which leads back to O’Barr’s quote: “Comic books have always been looked down upon as a ghetto medium.”

(Image Courtesy of Life Magazine)

And in many ways they still are. As I said earlier, I’m now in the process of promoting “Comic Book Literacy” and in this Facebooking, Twittering world of ours, one of the best ways to interact with people of similar interests is to post links to relevant content. And there is no shortage of online articles about the use of comics in the classroom.

Many of them, however, begin with the premise that to use a comic book to teach a student is a surprisingly unique concept. And to be fair, in most classrooms, it is. But the tone of incredulity frequently used in these types of articles almost reinforces the negative perception that the general public has of the medium.

“What? Comics used to teach? What an odd idea! Well, I guess even something like comic books can be useful sometimes.”

Do you see how this might undermine the credibility of a struggling medium?

P icture Courtesy of Life Magazine

Now I don’t mean to be overly negative. I’m not forsaking the silver lining because the dark cloud seems so ominous. Comics have come very a long way and their reputation continues to improve day by day. I do truly believe that one day the inclusion of a comic book in a lesson plan won’t so much as raise an eyebrow.

But we must realize that with all the progress we’ve made there is still resistance to the idea of comic books as legitimate literature, much less teaching tools.

Here comes the obligatory question: “So what can I do?”

And here is the obligatory answer: Many libraries and schools accept donations. Donate your comics. Give comics to your kids, your nieces and nephews, the neighborhood kids. Create the next generation of comic book readers and they will become a generation who doesn't have a negative preconception of the medium. It won’t happen overnight but eventually, little by little, public perception will begin to shift and comic books will take their rightful place in the world of literature.

Years ago Fredric Wertham gave comics a black eye and a bloody nose. But all wounds can heal with time.

Butter Off Dead

2010-10-11T14:00:00.014-05:00

As I've said before, the State Fair of Texas is beloved by both man and X-Man alike. Various rides, attractions and carnivalesque tomfoolery abound but the main attraction is of the culinary variety as the Fair is well known as the Fried Food Capital of Texas.

Last year headlines were made and arteries were clogged with the announcement of the addition of Deep Fried Butter to the roster.
I'm no stranger to fried treats that border on the avant-garde but even I have my limits. Luckily, as with any high end entertainment destination, butter enthusiasts have less life-shortening alternatives when it comes to enjoying their favorite freshly churned fat.

Art, anyone?
Every year sculptress Sharon BuMann whips up a new life sized work of art using one of the tastier mediums, butter. This year's work invokes imagery of the yearly Texas/OU grudge match played at the Cotton Bowl which is located, you guessed it, at the State Fair (Fair Park to be exact).
Previous dairy dioramas include this Cadillac-riding cowboy from 2002.
The muse doesn't necessarily have to be home grown either. In 2008 when the Dallas Museum of Natural History hosted the "Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs" exhibit, the butter sculpture had a decidedly Egyptian flavor.

Will this flavorful form spread a Renaissance across the art world? Will those that work in the medium of butter strive for the same legitimacy enjoyed by more "traditional" artists?

I certainly hope so. At the very least, maybe you'll think twice tomorrow morning when preparing your toast.

Hot Wheels

2010-10-10T09:00:00.008-05:00

The TV gods converged at the State Fair of Texas' Auto Show. Trumpets sounded, lightning crashed and the space/time continuum unraveled just a tiny bit. Great Scott, what could cause such metaphor mixing awesomeness, you ask?

It all started with the Double E Monkeemobile, made popular by the Double E 60's supergroup, the Monkees.
I used to love the show when I was a kid and back then I found their work vastly superior to the equally misspelled Beatles who they were spoofing (and on some dark, rainy afternoons I still do...shh...it's ok if the TV gods know this but don't tell the Music gods).
If the Monkees aren't quite badass enough for you then you'll be pleased to see Green Hornet's Black Beauty, which is business in the front...
...and even more business in the back.
Which leads us to the main attraction. I always hate it when "mainstream" writers write articles about comic books and always feel the need to start off with an Adam West-style "Biff" or "Pow" but in this case you'll just have to indulge me:
POW! I'm not going to lie to you, that felt good.
I typically prefer the Micheal Keaton Batmobile but this one is a close second (if not, a tie for first).

I purposely didn't try to find out if these were the actual models from TV or if they are replicas. Fun-spoiling information like that tends to, well, spoil the fun. I think we can all take a reasonable guess though.

I can also use my blissful ignorance to assume that every night these cars compete in a "Wacky Races" type of face off for the further amusement of the TV gods and if a mere mortal were ever to catch a glimpse of such a sight, there would be head-exploding repercussions.

Cup Capes

2010-10-02T16:18:00.017-05:00

I'm probably a little behind on this. Recently the interne t welcomed the arrival of Hostess Green Lantern GloBalls and Flash Cakes. As soon as I heard about them my only mission in life was to obtain them.

For some horrible reason Hostess decided not to sell them in my area so once again I had to turn to eBay for validation. Anyway, a couple of bids later and they are now mine:
Reminiscent of the Hulk Cakes from a few years ago, these dessert treats apparently tie in with the release of Superman/Batman: Apocalypse. How exactly do Green Lantern & Flash tasty treats tie in with that particular DVD? Who knows and who cares?

I'm just happy to finally have some super hero food that features someone other than Supes, Bats or Spidey on it.

Let's start with GL:
As you probably guessed, Green Lanter GloBalls are remarkably similar to the regular Hostess Snoballs: a marshmallow coating covering a cream filled chocolate cake. Except that these are green! Just like the green constructs that Green Lantern creates in order to fight evil. Awesome!

And now for the Flash:
So, here we have modified chocolate cupcakes with red icing and yellow sprinkles. That's more than enough justification for me.

So there you have it. I like to think of this as a giant step forward for second string characters who hope to break into the grocery store genre. If all goes well, hopefully, we will soon see Aquaman Canned Tuna, Plastic Man Pretzels and Booster Gold Potted Meat Food Product.

And that would be a beautiful thing.

Next Screening: Back to San Diego

2010-09-22T15:52:00.004-05:00

We've got another screening coming up in San Diego!
Words Alive and Lestat's Coffee Shop Presents:
The Comic Book Literacy Documentary
Lestat's Coffee Shop
3343 Adams Ave San Diego, CA
October 12, 2010 - 7:00 PM

Thanks to our friends at Words Alive and Lestat's Coffee Shop!

iTuned

2010-09-21T17:07:00.002-05:00

I am now releasing some content via iTunes - Podcast style! Click below for the link:

And remember, each subscriber validates me as a person that much more.

Would You Like Bacon With That?

2010-09-19T08:56:00.004-05:00

I realized that apparently, from time to time, I post pictures of bags of chips with weird flavors (like Hot Dog or Steak, Ribs & Ketchup). So since that's a thing that I do, here are are some bags of bacon flavored chips:
Enjoy!

Recent Press

2010-09-08T10:54:00.005-05:00

We've had some good press lately. Click below for a great review of the film from Four Color Commentary:

Click below for an interview of me from Graphic Novel Reporter:

Coming soon: Info on more upcoming screenings!

Update: NY School Seeking Comics

2010-09-03T09:37:00.013-05:00

Awhile back I posted information we had received from a Schenectady, NY school that was seeking comic book donations. Here is an update we received from Walter Mahoski, a representative from the school:

I received donations of about 3000 comics in just about three weeks which really floored me. Of particular note was the participation of the following people:

- Ron Marz came through with a wonderful collection of comics for young readers, and offered some terrific words of encouragement to me. Later in the year, I hope to have Ron come in to talk to students about writing for comics. Ron is a great guy, and I can't say enough about his positive attitude about our project.

- Don Casey of Paragon Comics, here in Schenectady, contacted me and made an INCREDIBLE donation of about 1500 comics from his stock. Don spent a great deal of time with me, talking about comics and their potential to teach young students. His generosity built more than HALF of our comics collection, and we are SO grateful for his kindness and dedication to our cause.

- Bob Lupe of Aquilonia Comics in Troy, NY also contacted me with an offer of support. He invited me to his shop, and when I got there, he had already hand selected a nice collection of comics for me. He then let me raid his 25¢ bins, and REFUSED TO ACCEPT A PENNY when I tried to pay him for the comics I selected. Bob responded with kindness and enthusiasm and when he heard I was going to start up a comic book club, he extended an invitation to have the club visit his shop, and he would provide all the kids with deep discounts on comics. Bob proved himself to be a generous and concerned neighbor, and a man who understands the potential of comic books to instill a love of reading in children.

- Bob Zaugh of Bongo Comics sent me a box filled with some terrific Simpsons comic books.

- Dark Horse Comics also sent a box of comics.

- I wish I could list all of the people who donated large pieces of their private collections to our school. There were many of them. After reading about our program, a collector from AUSTRALIA sent me a package with a stack of comics inside. That man spent $28 to send them on a long journey to Schenectady, NY.
I have spent the recent weeks pouring over the comics, taking out what was inappropriate for our young students and sending them along to our high school. I had to remove about 800 comics from the collection. The comics I kept were separated into different age levels. Students who receive permission from parents to participate will have access to only the comics we have determined are age appropriate.

At first, we will be simply letting the students borrow comics, take them home, and just read. After a few weeks, we will begin tapping their new found interest in the medium with specially designed lessons and activities, sneaking in English Language Arts teaching without them even knowing it! :)

We will be kicking off Comic Book Month in November, with lots of activities and events. Teachers will spend a half day brainstorming ideas on how to put our comics collection to use in their classrooms.

We are very excited, and again, SO GRATEFUL to all the people and businesses who came through with comic books for us. We are still actively accepting donations, as we expect wear and tear to be high on the comics, and we are certain demand for more material will increase as students fall in love with comic books!

Dallas Comic Con Pictures

2010-08-29T08:34:00.004-05:00

We headed out to the Dallas Comic Con this weekend to promote the documentary and had a great time. Here are some pics:

A semi-naked R2-D2 entertained the crowds:
These happy days are yours and mine:
Hawkgirl smash! And Catwoman does something as well:
Album selections include the Archies, Green Hornet and Popeye:
These guys might have an explanation for the recent Tardis sightings at MIT.

Clip: Echoes of the Lost Boys of Sudan

2010-08-20T14:35:00.004-05:00

Here is a clip from the Comic Book Literacy documentary that features the "Echoes of the Lost Boys" graphic novel which tells the story of young Sudanese refugees.

We mentioned awhile back that we shot an educational event that had a curriculum that was based on this graphic novel and we look forward to doing a follow up on the story soon.

Clobbergate

2010-08-14T09:55:00.014-05:00

I'm not a stranger to, or fan of, McDonalds or Happy Meals in general but of course I always keep an eye out for comic book-ish Happy Meal surprises that I simply can't live without. But when I came across the newest Marvel promotion my enthusiasm ranged from moderate to low.

Not that the somewhat crudely designed figures are horrible, they just did nothing to draw attention to themselves...or so I thought.
The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood has started a letter writing campaign to have these toys removed from the land of the Golden Arches. What's their beef?

A concern that upon laying eyes on the Human Torch figure, kids will immediately douse themselves with gasoline and proceed to "Flame On!" Urban legends state that this may or may not have been a concern before but another FF member is also fanning the flames of controversy.
The catchphrase of a certain ever lovin' blue-eyed Thing is also facing a rocky relationship with the CCFC. According to them, "It's Clobberin' Time" will incite violence within the playground. They fear that drive-by clobberings will run rampant.

Will this lead to a full scale recall? Probably not, although collectors are certainly hoping for one to increase value. (I'm not too invested in the situation since the two I got are going to the nephews.)

You can read more about the story HERE, HERE, HERE and all over the interwebs.

NY School Seeking Comic Book Donations

2010-08-10T09:19:00.006-05:00

I frequently get messages from organizations who are seeking comic book doantions for their educational programs. I also hear from people that would like to donate their comics but don't know of any group that needs them. So from now on I'm posting any and all requests to the blog.

If you have a collection that you would like to donate or if you are working with a group that uses comics for education purposes please send me an e-mail and I'll try to help get the word out.
First up is a request from Schenectady, NY:

Our Comic Books Literacy Initiative began as a curriculum mapping project for my administrative degree. Even though the ELA scores in our school (Van Corlaer Elementary School) have been tops in the Schenectady City School District for two years running, we are still looking for ways to be better. Looking at the data from our scores, we noticed a gap between male and female scores, with the girls scoring higher. My own childhood interest in art and reading was dramatically enhanced by reading comic books, so we have decided to use the natural appeal of comics to children to spark their interest in reading.

Our program will begin with the accumulation of a comics library, followed by teachers brainstorming ways to incorporate them into the reading/writing curriculum in their classrooms at ALL grade levels, K-6. We plan on having students produce their own characters and comics, and will form a comic book club. The club will serve as a place for students to read, discuss, and create comics. Along the way, without them even knowing it, we will be using the dynamic medium of comic book art and writing to boost their reading and writing skills.

We are actively engaged now in seeking donations of comic books and graphic novels that would be appropriate for grades Kindergarten through 6th grades. Anybody interested in making a donation of comic books, posters, or anything that could be of use to our initiative can contact:

Walter Mahoski
Van Corlaer Elementary School
2300 Guilderland Avenue
Schenectady, NY 12306
(518) 370-8270

TOON Books Video

2010-08-09T14:17:00.004-05:00

TOON Books has a snazzy new video on their website. You can see it below:
We featured Art Spiegelman and Françoise Mouly from Toon Books in the documentary and it is great to see that the company is still spreading the word about comics and reading.

Shelf Life

2010-08-03T14:08:00.006-05:00

In the past it wasn't uncommon to see comic books for sale in grocery stores, drug stores or any other place that a family might stop to pick up the various necessities of life. But these days it's rare to see comics for sale anywhere other than a comic book store.

So today it was a pleasant surprise to see comics pop up in an unexpected place.
Right next to a selection of DC and Marvel action figures (check out the cool "Super Friends" versions of Lex Luthor and Sinestro in the pic) was a display packed with comic books! This was at my local Toys R Us.
Batman, Superman, Spider-Man...and for some reason, Nova. Yep, the gang's all here (and Nova). I'd like to see more of this kind of thing. Getting comics back in mainstream stores will help expand the readership and introduce kids to the format.
Also of note (ok, maybe just interesting to me) is the Iron Man Belly Washer. Yea! It's about time Shellhead expanded out of the world of subpar candy. Still waiting on Iron Man Cereal though...

Ridged For Your Pleasure

2010-07-28T12:07:00.005-05:00

Not too long ago we all celebrated America's birthday with a big bag of ~~tasty~~ Hot Dog Flavored Potato Chips. Naively, I assumed that this would be the oddest chip flavor that I would encounter this year.Not so, as a recent trip to the grocery store brought these three little beauties to my world. From left to right: Ketchup Flavored Potato Chips, Steak Flavored Potato Chips and Baby Back Rib Flavored Potato Chips.

Life changing sandwich sides or gut wrenching lunchtime pariahs? You be the judge.

Comic-Con Pictures!

2010-07-25T11:53:00.006-05:00

After a successful screening of the documentary we're back from the San Diego Comic-Con! Here are a few highlights:

You can check out more of our Comic-Con pictures on Flickr!

Comic-Con Screening Info

2010-07-09T08:51:00.005-05:00

Comic Book Literacy will screen at the San Diego Comic-Con:
Friday July 23, 2010 at 4:30 PM
Marriott Hall Room 2
Marriott Hotel & Marina

After the screening there will be a brief Q & A with the film's director Todd Kent

Bad Breath

2010-07-06T12:28:00.028-05:00

Previously, in a dusty, overly-pollinated corner of the Marvel Universe:
That quick recap chronicles a previous adventure that pitted Captain America and his new young asthmatic friends John and Ruth against the "Asthma Monster." When the day was done and the villain was defeated our heroes breathed easier.

As you can see in the last panel as he is being carted away, Scooby Doo-style, the Asthma Monster was just some guy in a mask who wanted to stop the world from breathing. That actually sounds pretty bad when you think about it.

But he was safely locked away never to return...or was he?
"Captain America: Return of the Asthma Monster" (Written by Howard Mackie! Penciled by Mark Bagley!) was a free promotional comic book from 1989 given away in doctor's offices to children who suffered from asthma. The concept was to use Cap and the comic book format to educate kids about the condition in an ass-kicking manner that could only be accomplished by the great Captain America.

The story begins with the Asthma Monster's daring escape from prison with the help of his allergy inducing henchmen (more on them later). As he sprays the warden with a face full allergens from his Aller-Gun he swears vengeance on his easy breathing opponents John and Ruth and especially on the one person he blames most of all for his imprisonment: Captain America!
Meanwhile at the schoolyard, John and Ruth are touting their superior knowledge of all things asthma to their friend Davey. As Davey gasps for breathe he still needs convincing that he does, in fact, have the dreaded disease.

Luckily there is a grown man wearing a mask who hangs around the playground and just happened to overhear the conversation.
Cap calms Davey down just enough to convince him to see a doctor. A starstruck Davey complies but not everyone on the playground is quite so taken with the Star Spangled Avenger. You'll notice a kid in the background with a a kick ass snake tank top:
Sure, she (or possibly he) wants to get a look at Cap but anyone with a shirt that bad ass knows how to play it cool around a celebrity. She keeps her distance and says nothing.

So even though there is a madman on the loose that wants to stop everyone in the world from breathing they all (well, everyone except for the snake shirt girl) head to the doctor's office so Davey can get hooked up with a an inhaler and various asthma pamphlets and promotional comics books.

A few lectures later, Cap realizes he really ought to get John and Ruth home since there's a super villain out there that wants to kill their families. During this process we learn that Cap is a "van guy." We also learn that despite his asthma, John is on the swim team. While it's a great lesson for the asthmatic readers of the comic, would it really have killed John to show a little more enthusiasm?
It takes a special kind of comic to teach kids that it is OK to get in a stranger's van. But it takes an even more special comic to show kids how to deal with home invaders. Which is exactly what Cap and the kids do when they get to John's house.

The house seems eerily deserted until the Asthma Monster jumps from the shadows to blast the gang in the face with his Aller-Gun. Luckily Cap and the kids are ready and quickly unholster their inhalers for quick relief.
You see, the common everyday inhaler is the cure for the Asthma Monster's Super-Allergens. You would think that would render the villain moot but think again. He teleports out of John's kitchen (did I mention he has a teleporter?) to hold his parents hostage. But where?

So Cap decides to do a quick sweep of the house with John and Ruth in tow just to be safe. He also calls in the cavalry in the form of Dr. Franklin, the asthma doctor, to help fight this mass murdering (or at least attempted mass murdering) super villain. I guess he didn't want to bother any of the other Avengers. I mean why bring in the Hulk or Iron Man when you've got Dr. Franklin?

And so out come the villain's henchman. (Remember them from the prison break scene? No? They were there.) They are a foul smelling, throat scratching, asthma attack inducing gauntlet through which the gang must persevere in order to save John's parents.
First up is "Rugburn" the roller skating, smoking allergen. John gets rid of him by smacking him with a dust buster (or possibly a Type 2 Phaser). Next is the "Dust Dragon" allergen from the air vent who gets a face full of shield for his trouble.

Our heroes continue to "Die Hard" their way up to the master bedroom and continue to encounter allergen lackeys like "Feather Boa," "Hairball" and the "Mold Patrol." Cap takes it in stride until he meets the king of the allergen lackeys, "Allergen Al." At this point Cap has had just about enough of this nonsense and starts to take care of business - America-style!
As they finally make it to the master bedroom they find John's parent's being held captive by the Asthma Monster. All it takes is a quick shield throw and a left cross and the incident is over just as quickly as it began.

The Asthma Monster, a.k.a. Daniel Tyler, is taken into the care of Dr. Franklin and in three short months he is completely rehabilitated. No longer does he want to choke people to death and, in an extraordinary leap of logic, he is made coach of the swim team!
OK, so we've had ~~a lot~~ some fun at Cap's expense today but all kidding aside this is a fun, if somewhat heavy handed, example of using the comic book medium to educate. Each of the allergen lackeys is representative of a real life trigger for asthma attacks. By being aware of these triggers and watching Cap and friends fight them in a fantasy world, a child can be more prepared to "fight" off asthma attacks in the real world.

I would imagine that being told that you have asthma would be very frightening for a young child who is unfamiliar with the condition but seeing their favorite superhero (or in this case, Captain America) both suffering from and fighting the disease would be of some comfort and hopefully bring out the child's "fighting spirit" so they can also take on their own Asthma Monster.

I don't see the book winning any Eisner Awards but at least it's a step in the right direction.

Happy 4th of July!

2010-07-02T10:40:00.003-05:00

This holiday weekend why not celebrate our nation's independence with a big bag of hot dog flavored potato chips!Coming Soon: Info on our Comic-Con screening!

Next Screening: Comic-Con!

2010-06-26T10:06:00.003-05:00

We just got the good news! Comic Book Literacy at Comic-Con!!!
Details coming soon!

The Man of Wax

2010-06-25T11:26:00.005-05:00

As I mentioned before, I am in the astoundingly time consuming process of going through my old tapes and pictures taken on various shoots from the last several years.

I stumbled across some pictures of the Superman wax statue and movie costume that were on display at the "Palace of Wax & Ripley's Believe it...or Not!" in Grand Prairie, TX.It's not the best likeness of Christopher Reeve but it's not the worst either.

We took these pictures while shooting a segment for "North Texas Explorer."

Okie Doodling Redux

2010-06-16T09:01:00.003-05:00

We shot part of the documentary in Oklahoma which has been home to a surprising amount of comic book writers and artists like Chester Gould ("Dick Tracy") and Archie Goodwin (legendary editor and both DC and Marvel). Who knew?

The Oklahoma History Center is paying tribute local creators with "The Uncanny Adventures of Okie Cartoonists" exhibit:

For more information:

http://okiecartoonists.org

Next Screening: CBL at KRC!

2010-06-07T11:30:00.004-05:00

You're next chance to catch the Comic Book Literacy documentary will be this Sunday, June 13th at 4:00 PM at the "Kids Read Comics" Free Event in Dearborn, Michigan!
The event has an impressive line up of programming, all of which focuses on using comics to get kids excited about learning! Check out their website for more information:

http://kidsreadcomics.org/

Color Blind

2010-06-06T09:28:00.002-05:00

I found a "fail" in the toy aisle. Good times.
It's always important to read the "ingredients" on the package of what you buy but sometimes it just doesn't help.

A Tribute to Robots: A Robot Tribute

2010-06-05T18:09:00.001-05:00

For some reason Blogger won't let me upload any videos so we're going back to our YouTube roots for a Tribute to Robots.

When you drive around to many, many places in order to shoot video for various documentaries you are bound to run into a robot or two. This video is a loving tribute to many of the robots I have met in my travels.

Look! Up in the Sky! What the Hell is That?

2010-06-03T10:09:00.002-05:00

What if I told you a giant 40-foot-long iguana flew from New York to Texas? Now is that something you might be interested in?

Epic Win

2010-06-02T09:47:00.001-05:00

Cool!

Another Screening This Weekend

2010-05-27T14:19:00.003-05:00

Sorry for the short notice but you have yet another opportunity to see the Comic Book Literacy documentary this Memorial Day weekend!In addition to tomorrow's screening at the Phoenix Comicon Film Festival, you can see the film Sunday. Here are the details:

Karibukai Animation Festival
Puerto Rico Filmotheque
San Juan Puerto Rico
Sunday May 30, 2010 at 4:30 PM

Who's There?

2010-05-23T12:36:00.013-05:00

I've been going through my old video tapes lately. It's a wacky action packed journey through time and space, so appropriately I came across a few shots of a Doctor Who Pinball Machine. Here are some stills from the video:
Believe it or not I got these shots right after shooting a geology segment at Carlsbad Caverns (which coincidentally seems to be larger on the inside).

This beauty resided (and possibly still resides) in the arcade section of the Million Dollar Museum, a popular New Mexico roadside attraction. Made by Midway Games in 1992, the game had a bizarrely extensive storyline and featured the original seven Doctors. But how do you play? Don't ask me, ask the promo video:

And if you still have questions then take it up with the promotional one sheet:

Who knows what I'll find next in my old footage. A Blake's 7 arcade game? A Red Dwarf hula hoop? Stay tuned...

Life Magazine: In Praise of Classic Comics

2010-05-21T17:39:00.003-05:00

Here's a great photo essay from Life Magazine chronicling the early days of comics (and comic readers).

You can also check out the pictures on the Life Magazine website.

Next Screening: Phoenix Comicon!

2010-05-12T09:49:00.003-05:00

Your next chance to catch a screening of Comic Book Literacy will be at the Phoenix Comicon!The documentary is an official selection of the 2010 Phoenix Comicon Film Festival and will screen May 28th at 10:30 AM at the convention.

Free Comic Book Day 2010

2010-05-01T17:07:00.006-05:00

Free Comic Book Day has come once again. I wanted to take in the whole scene so I hit several of my local comic shops.

My first stop was Keith's Comics. The Spidey Statue supervised the distribution of the free goodies while behind him, outside the store, faces were painted.Meanwhile at Zeus Comics and Collectibles, the comics inside were free and the comics outside were almost free. Their annual 25 cent comic sale drew a crowd. Several creators like James O'Barr and Scott Kurtz were inside signing but for some reason the picture I took of them was incredibly dark so it stays off the blog.
And finally at Titan Comics (where you can find me every Wednesday), there was a big crowd hungry for both free and not free comics.
So what's the best way to wash down a hearty helping of free comics? Obviously an Invincible Orange Iron Man Slurpee. You may remember my amusement with the Wolverine Slurpee from last year. Luckily, one year later I am still as easily amused.
Since I already have an Iron Man cup from the first movie, I went the Black Widow route.
The two of us headed home with an armload of new reading material. Hopefully you did too. If not, there's always next year:

http://www.freecomicbookday.com/

Full Spread

2010-04-21T14:09:00.000-05:00

Time for a candy break! I got my hands on some (non-replicated) Star Trek: The Next Generation "Photon Candies" from 1992. Every time I think that the Trek franchise has been woefully negligent in the promotional food department I stumble across a Star Trek Cereal or a Star Trek chocolate bar...and it feels good.As usually, I'm a little hesitant to eat 18 year old candy but after a quick visual inspection they look like your standard jelly bean/jellied candy, but for some reason they went with the "rock" motif (not unlike the Krypton Rock Gum from awhile back).

Also odd is that the two themes ("photon torpedo" and "rock") hardly seem to be two great tastes that taste great together. The packaging suggests that the Enterprise shoots these rock candies the same way they would shoot photon torpedoes. Now I'm no canonista but I don't think even season 1 of TNG would dare attempt such a wacky turn of events.
Like all good candy this came with a mail away offer on the back. For only $7.50 you could have owned your very own combadge and a mere tap would be all you needed to be beamed away from even the most precarious away missions.
If I were prone to negativity I might say this just seems like a previous candy line haphazardly repackaged and slapped with a brand name franchise label in order to make a quick buck. However I choose to see it as a high concept re-imagining of a Star Trek universe where the ships shoot candy rocks at their enemies. Take that Klingons!

Chalk this one up to yet another novelty candy that came and went, leaving more questions than answers.

Fanboy Radio Interview

2010-04-12T13:37:00.003-05:00

I was recently interviewed (along with Josh Elder of "Reading With Pictures") on Fanboy Radio. Click below to hear it!

My First Comic Book

2010-04-10T08:50:00.003-05:00

It may be hard to believe but there was a time when I had never read a comic book. But there is a first time for everything and my first comic was a doozy. 1983 gave the world Dexy's Midnight Runners, Scarface and the so-called Video Game Crash of '83.

But more importantly for me, 1983 was the year I finally got my grubby little hands on the first comic book I ever read: "The Uncanny X-Men at the State Fair of Texas."
Sure it might not be Watchmen or The Dark Knight Returns but it had one thing that those two groundbreaking comics didn't...accessibility.

Now I'm not talking about being bogged down with continuity or mega-crossover nonsense. I'm talking about physical accessibility. This issue came as a free supplement to the (now defunct) Dallas Times Herald newspaper. There's nothing better than having your first comic delivered right to your door.

Another accessible element for a seven year old super hero enthusiast residing in rural Texas was the setting: The State Fair of Texas. Now, I know what a lot of you may be thinking (particularly those of you that don't live in Texas), "State Fair? Sure, we have one of those I think."

No you don't. Not like we do. The State Fair of Texas is more than a party and more than a festival. Here, it's an institution. And to date, it's the only fair visited by the Uncanny X-Men.
By now you may have noticed the giant cowboy statue that seems prevalent. That's "Big Tex," the fair's mascot, goodwill ambassador and, by the end of the story, unofficial X-Man. Every October he is constructed just before the fair begins and a few years ago we shot footage of the process for the TV show "North Texas Explorer." Here's your Big Tex/State Fair crash course:

That little tidbit of information will undoubtedly help you appreciate the majesty that is "The Uncanny X-Men at the State Fair of Texas."

Written by Jim Salicrup (plot) and David Kraft (script), with art by Kerry Gammil & Alan Kupperberg (pencils) and Chic Stone (inks), the story is a pretty basic X-Men tale. Magneto is trying to recruit a young mutant in Dallas and Professor Xavier and the X-Men must race to stop him. So off to the fair they go.
Even though they are in a rush to find the new mutant they seem to find time to hit the fair's highlights including the Auto Show, Hall of State, Age of Steam Museum and a concert performance by Lena Horne. Even at a young age I recall thinking of it as a bit of a hard sell:
As much as the X-Men were plugging the the sights, sounds and tastes of the fair to the reader, Magneto was pushing membership to the Brotherhood to the young mutant Daniel (a.k.a. "Eques"). It seems that Daniel's mutant power allows him to turn halfway into a horse with wings (I forget what that's called).

Magneto's plan to woo the young horse boy involves filling him up with corn dogs and cotton candy and treating him to the Texas/OU game at the Cotton Bowl where the X-Men finally catch up to him.
Their fight spills over into the horse barns where Magneto reveals his true douchey colors and Daniel realizes he's been manipulated by smooth talking and deep fried treats. Daniel joins forces with the X-Men along with another new friend who helps give Magneto the boot.
So while Daniel doesn't immediately sign up for X-duty we can assume that everything works out for him and the fair continued with a minimum of super powered altercations.

So like I said, while it's your standard "race to recruit a new mutant before Magneto does" X-Men story, the best part of reading an older comic like this is the advertisements. Since this had a regional audience in mind most of the ads were for local businesses. To make them more "comic booky," a crudely drawn Spider-Man (or Hulk) was typically crammed into each ad. Here are just a few:
My first comic and I were separated over the last few decades but were recently reunited via eBay. And while the influence of nostalgia has probably colored my perception, I still had a good time rereading it. It's definitely not the best comic book I ever read but it holds a special place in the long box of my heart. And more importantly it was a first step toward developing a love of reading through comics.

Medical Report

2010-03-31T08:17:00.004-05:00

I've been feeling a little under the weather lately.
Last week my appendix burst and I had an emergency operation to remove it. I'm still in the hospital recovering and my body is trying to adjust to an appendix-less world.

I hope to get out of here ASAP for obvious reasons and I still plan to attend the world premiere at C2E2 on the 18th but I'll be moving a little slow (with updates and e-mails) for a while.