Boston Comic Con 2011 report

Cosplaying fans — Some of the Justice League

On Saturday, 30 April 2011, I attended the Boston Comic Con. The show moved from the Westin Boston Waterfront to the larger Hynes Convention Center downtown. There were numerous artists, vendors, and costumed fans, and I’m glad the modest show moved to a larger venue.

Among the artists I spoke with were Frank Cho, who I’ve followed since The Washington Post ran Liberty Meadows; Joe Quinones, whose expressive and retro renditions of Green Lantern were phenomenal in Wednesday Comics; and Stephane Roux, whose work I’m currently enjoying in DC’s Zatanna.

The comic book writers and graphic artists were accessible, the back issues were fairly well organized and priced, and there were also panel discussions. It may not have had the attendance of last month’s Anime Boston, but I hope that events such as the Boston Comic Con and Wizard World’s New England Comic Con continue to grow and prosper.

Hollywood has kept mining comic books and graphic novels for ideas, and I look forward to this week’s opening of Thor, as well as Green Lantern and Captain America: the First Avenger. Janice and I had hoped to get to Dylan Dog: Dead of Night last weekend, but the movie (based on an Italian supernatural horror/comedy title) wasn’t playing anywhere nearby.

I’m less interested in X-Men: First Class and the Spider-Man reboot, since they take more liberties with the continuity established in both the source material and the previous films. They and the planned Fantastic Four, Ghost Rider, and Hulk movies seem more intended for Sony and Fox to hang onto their licenses rather than let them revert to Disney/Marvel control. Other than Chris Nolan’s profitable Batman series, Warner Bros./DC Comics has some catching up to do!

On the animation side, I still recommend Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes and Young Justice, and it’s too bad that the campy Batman and the Brave and the Bold has been canceled, but at least Bruce Timm and company are working on a Green Lantern television series.

Back in print, I’m also looking forward to Free Comic Book Day, which is this Saturday, May 7. I’ve thinned out my monthly “pull list,” or subscription, at New England Comics in Norwood, Massachusetts. I’ve dropped The Avengers, Batman, Batman and Robin, Streets of Gotham, and the proliferating Green Hornet titles, but I’m still reading many others, which I’ll try to review in the coming months.

Rango review and chocolate

On Saturday, 12 March 2011, I screened the computer-animated movie Rango with Janice, Thomas K.Y., Sara F. & Josh C., and their friend Robin. As with the previous weekend’s viewing of Megamind, we were pleasantly surprised and enjoyed the comedic Western more than we expected to.

Rango, the first animated feature from George Lucas’ Industrial Light and Magic, successfully pairs the conventions of the Western with the most scraggly anthropomorphic animals I’ve seen.

As a fan of Watership Down, Redwall, and Mouse Guard, I’m pleased that director Gore Verbinski balanced modern grit, slapstick, and sympathetic characters. As with other cartoons, Rango‘s script and soundtrack include numerous allusions to other movies, from the obvious The Magnificent Seven and Blazing Saddles to the more offbeat Apocalypse Now and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.

The celebrity voice cast acquits itself well, with Johnny Depp channeling Robin Williams and Capt. Jack Sparrow as the eponymous lizard Rango, Isla Fisher as tough gal Beans, Spider-Man 2‘s Alfred Molina as armadillo Roadkill, and Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy‘s Bill Nighy as Rattlesnake Jake.

Rango‘s supporting cast is also strong, including Ned Beatty, Abigail Breslin, Stephen Root, Harry Dean Stanton, Timothy Olyphant, and Ray Winstone. The plot is pretty standard, with former pet Rango finding his calling as sheriff of a desert town called Dirt that’s oppressed by various bad guys. The animation is state of the art, both realistic and cartoony.

Overall, I’d give Rango, which is rated PG for violence, a B+, 8 out of 10, or three stars. That puts it roughly on par with The Illusionist and Megamind. The next movie I hope to see in the theater is Zach Snyder’s hyperstylized Sucker Punch.

After the movie, we went to the Met Burger Bar at Legacy Place in Dedham, Massachusetts. The food and conversation were good, but service was a little slow, and the dining room was noisy. We’ll have to try more restaurants at that outdoors shopping mall.

Although I didn’t make it to the Pax East game convention with Ken G. this past weekend, I did pick up my comic book subscription, among other things, in Norwood, Mass. Janice and also I enjoyed the annual “Death by Chocolate” charity event, which was better organized than last year’s and still tasty.

Catching up — Megamind

This past weekend, I met fellow blogger Thomas K.Y. and role-player Josh C. at Thomas’ condominium in Lexington, Massachusetts. We watched Megamind on DVD. I liked the superhero movie more than I expected.

Although it’s part of a recent glut of computer-animated comedies focusing on villains turned heroes — including the Shrek franchise, Igor, and Despicable Me — Megamind respectfully spoofs comic book conventions and has a sharp script. The film has numerous allusions to its inspiration but still feels fresh, reminding me of one of my favorite Pixar works, The Incredibles.

Megamind also features a strong cast, including Will Ferrell as the self-absorbed titular alien, Brad Pitt as Superman knockoff Metro Man, and Tina Fey as intrepid reporter Roxanne. The supporting cast also has fun, with David Cross as fishy sidekick Minion, Ben Stiller as museum curator/alter ego Bernard, and Jonah Hill as protégé gone wrong Hal Stewart/Titan. I wasn’t distracted by the celebrity voices, but it helped that I watched the film long after any promotional hype.

Unlike the “uncanny valley” of Robert Zemeckis’ animation, the cartoony yet realistic style of Megamind and movies like Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, How to Train Your Dragon and Legend of the Guardians: the Owls of Ga’Hoole doesn’t bother me. Megamind‘s action scenes were well-choreographed, and we’ve come a long way from the original Tron or ReBoot (whose complete series is finally available on DVD).

I’d give Megamind, which is rated PG for language and violence, a solid B+, 8 out of 10, or three stars. Although I’m still a fan of “traditional,” 2-D animation, I do enjoy the best of the new wave, even if I haven’t yet seen Toy Story 3 or Tangled. I hope to screen the anthropomorphic animals in Western comedy Rango this coming weekend.

After lunch at Watch City Brewing Co. on Waltham’s Moody Street, Thomas, Josh, and I watched Alien vs. Ninja, which is just as silly a “B” movie as the title suggests. Janice and I also ate at regular haunts Comella’s, Acapulco’s, and Wild Willy’s this past weekend.

All-Star Superman review

Grant Morrison and Frank Quietly's Superman — All-Star Superman

Just over a week ago, Janice and I watched All-Star Superman, the latest in DC Comics/Warner Brothers’ direct-to-DVD animation line. It’s based on a well-received story by Grant Morrison and Frank Quietly, who respectively also wrote and illustrated runs of the X-Men, Justice League, Doom Patrol, and Batman.

The cartoon adaptation is fairly faithful to the source material, including its concise retelling of Superman’s origin and allusions to the character’s science fiction adventures of the 1950s and 1960s. While I’ve found some of Morrison’s writing to be too densely self-referential, the 12-issue All-Star Superman is much more successful as a timeless tale of our would-be savior than Frank Miller’s over-the-top and incomplete All-Star Batman.

The animation captures some of Quietly’s style, especially in farmboy/reporter Clark Kent’s slouch or Lex Luthor’s egotistical posturing. The action scenes are well-choreographed, and like in Young Justice, the urban landscape of Metropolis is ironically more realistic than its current Marvel animated counterparts.

As usual, Andrea Romano has assembled a strong voice cast, including James Denton as Kal-El/Clark Kent/Superman, Christina Hendricks as Lois Lane, and Ed Asner in the role he was born to play, Daily Planet editor Perry White. Anthony LaPaglia doesn’t have the menacing gravel of Clancy Brown, but he’s a decent Lex Luthor.

I’d give All-Star Superman three stars, a B+, or an 8 out of 10. It’s rated PG for some violence. I like Justice League: the New Frontier, Batman: Gotham Knight, and the Green Arrow short that was packaged with Superman/Batman: Apocalypse more.

I’m also looking forward to Green Lantern: Emerald Knights and Batman: Year One. Miller’s oft-praised Dark Knight Returns would be better as an animated feature than a live-action movie, even though his vision of Gotterdammerung has influenced many Batman depictions in the past 25 years.

Coming soon: Belated Megamind review and Rango!

17 December 2009: Holiday rush and animation

Although I’ve recently posted my roundups of genre entertainment, I had intended to write “Best of 2009” blog posts before year’s end. As usual, however, I’ve fallen behind with holiday correspondence, so I may have to combine them with my looks at the year ahead.

In the past few weeks, I’ve been busy with work, attending local industry events, tackling budgeting, and trying to get ahead with editing assignments. I’ve also been dealing with conflicts in local and remote social/gaming groups. Janice and I easily completed our Christmas shopping and decorating, and we look forward to seeing her folks in Upstate New York next week.

We’ve also been watching various animated specials on television, including old favorites such as A Charlie Brown Christmas and A Claymation Christmas Celebration. Although some recent computer-animated shows such as Shrek the Halls and Flight Before Christmas were mediocre, I was favorably impressed with a few newer specials, like the whimsical Yes, Virginia, the clever Prep and Landing, and the quirky Olive, the Other Reindeer.

The Muppet Christmas: Letters to Santa successfully recaptured some of the humane spirit of the late, great Jim Henson. I have yet to catch Gotta Catch Santa Claus or How the Toys Saved Christmas, but even with ABC Family’s help, there are more specials to watch than time to see them.

Speaking of animation, last weekend, I screened The Princess and the Frog, Disney’s first hand-drawn feature in several years. I liked the New Orleans setting and gender reversals, even as many other reviewers have focused on the fact that this is Disney’s first movie featuring an African-American heroine.

Although the plot, soundtrack, and characters weren’t particularly original (female lead, singing animals, romantic plot), I’m glad that John Lassiter recognizes the value of preserving multiple types of animation in addition to the currently popular CGI. (On a related note, I may try to catch James Cameron’s derivative but apparently spectacular Avatar.)

For example, stop-motion had a bit of a resurgence this year, with the well-received Coraline, 9, and The Fantastic Mr. Fox. I’d give the all-ages Princess and the Frog three out of five stars, 8/10, or a “B” grade, and I hope it’s successful in reviving interest in 2-D
animation in the U.S.