Tag: review

Boston Comic Con 2012 belated report

I’m sorry that this update has gotten delayed, but as Free Comic Book Day and The Avengers approach, I should take a quick look back at the most recent superhero-related event that I attended. On Sunday, 22 April 2012, Janice and I went to the Hynes Convention Center for the Boston Comic Con. On the way, we had a cheap brunch at a nearby pub.

We enjoyed the show, which featured numerous artists, vendors, and fans in costume. I got autographed sketchbooks from Joe Quinones (who illustrated an evocative Green Lantern in DC’s Wednesday Comics), Stephane Roux (stylish artist of Zatanna) and Jill Thompson (the creator of the whimsical Scary Godmother, among other things). I also bought a formidable Wonder Woman print from Renae DeLiz, and I appreciated finding creators from around the world.

As with last year’s convention, I enjoyed seeing and talking with many talented artists. I had met some of them previously, including Scott Ethan Ambruson, Steve Epting, Ed McGuinness, Craig Rousseau, and Bill Sienkiewicz. There were even more comics legends and independent publishers present, some of whom I’ve found or followed through DeviantArt.com.

It was cool to see several others for the first time, such as Cliff Chiang, Erica Henderson, Phil Noto, Marcio Takara, and Mouse Guard‘s David Petersen. They were all friendly, and I would have liked to buy more artwork, but I have only so much money in my wallet and room in my files and walls. I’m especially conscious of this as I continue getting organized after Janice’s and my recent move.

In addition, I chatted with the guys from Bedrock Comics, Newbury Comics, and New England Comics. My regular subscription is now at the Outer Limits, but I’ll be visiting some of these shops for Free Comic Book Day.

While I didn’t find any of the back issues I was looking for, partly because the show floor area was crowded, there were lots of good deals on graphic novels and trade paperbacks. According to some of the exhibitors, the convention was even more crowded earlier, and attendance threatens to outgrow the venue.

In fact, by the time I found the room for the DC Comics panel, it was full. Fortunately, I could catch up on DC’s new “52” continuity from various reports online, which is a must for big media and fan events such as this or especially the annual San Diego Comic Con.

Fans at the Boston Comic Con 2012
Cosplay at the 2012 Boston Comic Con

Janice and I did manage to get good seats for the costume contest. Thanks in part to anime, cosplay is increasingly popular, and I was pleased to see more female fans (and DC characters) represented. Not all of my pictures came out, partly because of a weak camera flash and large, crowded area, but several other photographers more than made up for that. One of my favorites was a man with an excellent homemade Spider-Man outfit and his toddler as Wonder Woman.

Of course, I look forward to reading the intellectual property that all of these conventions, animated TV shows, and live-action movies are built upon! I also look forward to next Monday’s beginning of Jason E.R.‘s “Glassworks” superhero miniseries, using the Cortex-based Marvel Heroic Roleplaying game.

Finally for now, here’s what I’m currently reading:

DC Comics:

Marvel Comics:

Other publishers:

  • Age of Bronze
  • Avatar: the Last Airbender/Legend of Korra
  • Buck Rogers, Flash Gordon
  • Girl Genius
  • Godzilla: Legends
  • Indiana Jones Adventures
  • Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files
  • Rocketeer Adventures
  • The Shadow
  • Sherlock Holmes
  • Sinbad: Rogue of Mars
  • Star Wars: Adventures, Agent of the Empire, Clone Wars, Knight Errant, Old Republic
  • Steampunk Fairy Tales
  • Steed and Mrs. Peel
  • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
  • Warehouse 13
  • Wizard of Oz
  • Zorro Rides Again

Shared by or with David I.S. and my nephews and nieces: 

Spring 2012 genre TV listings

I’ve participated in conversations on EnWorld.org and elsewhere about what television shows we’re currently watching. Before I discuss this season’s best programs, here’s an overview of the schedule.

Note that in some cases, shows that are in the same time slot may not be on during the same months because of cable station counterprogramming. Still, my DVR keeps busy!

One of TV's latest animated superhero shows
Young Justice

Sunday

-11:00 a.m., Disney XD: Ultimate Spider-Man (animated superhero; new) ***

-11:30 a.m., Disney XD: The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes (animated superheroes; canceled?) ***

-8:00 to 11:00 p.m.: Pathfinder/Skype: “the Vanished Lands” (heroic fantasy teleconferencing game) 

And Josh C.’s Spelljammer: “the Show Must Go On” (space fantasy miniseries, using Skype/Google+, an online dice roller, and FATE 3e Legends of Anglerre) 

-9:00 p.m., PBS: Masterpiece: Mystery/Sherlock (Holmes) ***

–Dropped: Once Upon a Time (supernatural drama, **), The Borgias (historical melodrama, **)

–Coming soon: Tron Uprising (computer-animated cyberpunk)

Monday

-6:00 to 10:30 p.m.: FATE 3e “Vortex” (space opera campaign) 

-And Jason E.R.‘s “Glassworks” (superhero miniseries, using Cortex: Marvel Heroic Roleplaying) 

-9:00 p.m., SyFy: Warehouse 13 (supernatural conspiracy) **

-10:00 p.m., SyFy: Alphas (metahuman procedural) **

-10:00 p.m.: ABC: Castle (comedic mystery) ***

–Canceled/dropped: Heroes, The Cape, Lost Girl (metahuman melodramas, **), Terra Nova (time travel, **)

Tuesday

-8:00 p.m., Cartoon: The Looney Tunes Show (animated comedy) ***

-9:00 p.m., USA: White Collar (sleuth/caper) ***

-10:00 p.m., History: Top Shot (marksmanship) **

–Canceled/dropped: No Ordinary Family (metahuman melodrama, **), V (alien conspiracy reboot, **), Memphis Beat (sleuth, ***), Homeland (thriller, ***), Kung-Fu Panda: the Series (animated martial arts comedy, ***)

Wednesday

-7:30 to 8:30 p.m. (not including travel): historical weapons classes at Guard Up! 

-9:00 p.m., TNT: Leverage (do-gooder capers) ***

-10:00 p.m., USA: Psych (comedic sleuths) ***

-10:00 p.m., Science Channel: Ridley Scott’s Prophets of Science Fiction (genre biographies) ***

-10:00 p.m., Food: Man vs. Food Nation **, Cooking: Bitchin’ Kitchen ***

–Canceled/dropped: Reaper (supernatural slacker comedy, **), Eastwick (supernatural soap, **), Flash Forward (conspiracy drama, **), Undercovers (espionage/action; **), Human Target (action; ****), American Horror Story (horror, **), Transformers: Prime/G.I. Joe: Renegades (animated action, **)

Thursday

-9:00 p.m., CBS: Person of Interest (technothriller) ***

-10:00 p.m., NBC: Awake (parapsychology drama; new) ***

–Dropped/canceled: Nikita, Charlie’s Angels (espionage/action) **

Friday

-8:00 p.m., Cartoon: Star Wars: Clone Wars (computer-animated space opera) ****

-9:00 p.m., Fox: Fringe (speculative conspiracy) ****

-9:00 p.m., NBC: Grimm (supernatural procedural) ***

-10:00 p.m., SyFy: Sanctuary (cryptozoology drama) **

-10:00 p.m., Starz:, Spartacus: Vengeance (sword-and-sandals) ***

–Canceled/dropped: Chuck (espionage comedy ***), Batman and the Brave and the Bold (***), Fantastic Four, Wolverine and the X-Men, and Iron Man: Armored Adventures (animated superheroes, *), Stargate Universe (space opera, **), Merlin/Camelot (Arthurian, **), Smallville (metahuman melodrama; ***), Pillars of the Earth (historical miniseries; ***), Sym-Bionic Titan (animated kaiju; ***), Torchwood (speculative conspiracy **), A Gifted Man (supernatural drama), Magic City (Miami noir **)

Saturday

-9:30 a.m., Cartoon: Thundercats (animated) ****

-10:00 a.m., Cartoon: Green Lantern (animated superhero) **

-10:30 a.m., Cartoon: Young Justice (animated superheroes) ***

-10:30 a.m., CW: Phantom Gourmet/NECN: TV Diner (local food) ***

-11:00 a.m., Nickelodeon: Avatar: the Legend of Korra (animated fantasy; new) ***

-9:00 p.m., BBC America: Doctor Who (time travel) ****

-10:00 p.m., BBC America: The Graham Norton Show (talk) **

-11:00 p.m., VH1 Classic: That Metal Show (talk) ***

–Canceled/dropped: Legend of the Seeker (syndicated fantasy, **), Robin Hood (historical action, **), The Super Hero Squad Show (Marvel heroes, **), Being Human (BBC/NBC supernatural melodrama ***)

–Coming soon: Teenaged Mutant Ninja Turtles, How to Train Your Dragon: the Series

Catching up — sheep and pirates

I’m still catching up on work, unpacking, and game notes after the fun reunion with friends from high school and college a few weeks ago. I’ve started writing blog posts about the Boston Comic Con, the current season of genre television, and more, but in the meantime, here’s a quick report on this past weekend.

On Saturday, 28 April 2012, Janice and I went to Gore Place in Waltham, Massachusetts, for the 25th annual Sheepshearing Festival. I was impressed by the size of the event and the number of attendees. We enjoyed the herding dog demonstration, fair food, craft tents, and bluegrass music. Janice and I also took a brief tour of the early 19th century home of one of Massachusetts’ governors.

The next day, we met Thomas K.Y. & Kai-Yin H. for lunch on Waltham’s Moody Street. We ate at Kabab & Tandoor, which is downstairs from an Indian grocer and part of an appetizing food court. We enjoyed the buffet of savory, spicy, and sweet items before going to the Landmark Embassy Cinemas nearby.

We caught a matinee of The Pirates! A Band of Misfits, the latest comedy from Aardman Animation, the studio responsible for Wallace & Gromit, among other things. We enjoyed the movie, which follows a hapless pirate captain (named “Pirate Captain” and voiced by Hugh Grant) in his quest to win the “Pirate of the Year Award.”

Aardman Animation's latest comedy
The Pirates!

Along the way, Pirate Captain and his eccentric crew — even for pirates — meet Charles Darwin (voiced by Martin Freeman, also known as Arthur Dent, Dr. Watson, and Bilbo Baggins) and an entirely unamused Queen Victoria (Imelda Staunton). Also important to the plot are a dodo, a dirigible, and Darwin’s monkey butler.

If this sounds delightfully chaotic, it is. The Pirates! has a lively Anglo-American voice cast, sight gags too numerous to catch in a single viewing, and good use of modern music (the Clash’s “London Calling” is most memorable). The movie, which combines stop-motion and computer animation, also alludes to real-world literature and science of the 19th century.

I enjoyed The Pirates! more than the past few Pirates of the Caribbean flicks, and I recommend the movie to anyone who likes animation, comedy, or swashbuckling and steampunk. The Pirates! is rated PG for some crude humor and slapstick violence, but most of the adult jokes will sail right over children’s heads. I’d give The Pirates! A Band of Misfits an 8.5 out of 10, a B+/A-, or four stars. This coming weekend is the opening of the much-anticipated Avengers live-action movie….

Reunion report

On Friday, 13 April 2012, Janice and I took half a day off from work and drove to Utica, New York. We checked into the Best Western Gateway Adirondack Inn and had a solid dinner at Babe’s, a nearby Italian restaurant. After Janice’s parents arrived, we went to see our niece Laura as Cobweb in an entertaining community college production of Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”

The next morning, Janice, her parents, and I met Janice’s middle sister Shelly and her children Laura and David for breakfast at the Denny’s across from our motel. Janice and I then visited high school chum Damon F.P. at his apartment in Yorktown Heights, N.Y. We got to meet his cat Caesar, and we watched a little of That Metal Show, before going to check in at the Courtyard Tarrytown Greenburgh, where we have stayed before.

The highlight of the weekend for me was an informal reunion that Damon and I have been planning for a few months. Since we didn’t attend Archbishop Stepinac High School‘s official 25th anniversary reunion last year, we organized a gathering with some of our longtime friends in White Plains, N.Y.

Informal high school reunion and friends
Sean F., Frank J.D., Brian D.H., Carlo R., Damon F.P., and Steve M.

Carlo R., who was two years ahead of the Class of 1986, joined us, as did Frank J.D. We hadn’t seen Frank, who was also my first roommate at the State University of New York at Binghamton, in many years, so we were excited to catch up. After checking out the lacrosse game on a field that was much nicer than the one we remembered, we walked the halls of our alma mater.

Janice was patient as we recounted various adolescent misadventures, including a bus riot, assorted teachers who scared us or whom we drove to tears, and the pranks of our classmates. I was thrilled to reconnect with Frank, who was from Yonkers like me and now lives with his family in Connecticut.

We perused old yearbooks together. It’s hard to believe that it has been nearly 30 years since we first met! Carlo reminded me of our shared interest in Doctor Who and our space opera screenplay for “The Zarkonian Bomb,” which later evolved into the short stories of “The Adventures of Jason Delmar” and the “Vortex” role-playing game setting. We also noted the passing of our collaborators Bill B. and Ray C., among others.

Damon and I once sparred over politics, and we’ve been in regular contact — I’ve served as best man at his weddings, and we met other friends at a 40th birthday bash a few years ago. His impressions of our former teachers, including several priests, were hilarious. Frank was just as interested in sports, cuisine, and good times as I remember, and it was like finding a long-lost brother.

From Stepinac, we went to Executive Billiards, where we met classmates Steve M. and Sean F., as well as Brian D.H., who knew Frank at SUNY-B. and was my housemate right after college when we worked at NYPIRG in Queens. Hockey goalie and painter Steve lives near Frank in Connecticut, and Sean, whom we hadn’t seen since high school, lives and works in White Plains. I’ve been away for long enough to find that city’s growth is impressive.

I saw Brian and several other college friends in Manhattan last summer, but it was nice to catch up with him and everyone over friendly games of pool with beer and munchies. Damon, Frank, and I had tracked down a few other Stepinac alumni, but they couldn’t make it. Maybe next time.

All of us but Sean had a late dinner at Hacienda Azteca, a nice Mexican restaurant near the pool hall. Were it not for family obligations and travel plans, we could have talked even later into the evening. We may have matured somewhat, but I was pleased to find that our bonds have changed little. Unlike the promises scrawled into our yearbooks, I expect to stay in touch as our friendships are renewed as adults.

The next morning, Janice and I met Damon, Carlo, and Ron J.K. for brunch. Ron is another Binghamton alumnus and a core member of the “Westchester crew.” Unfortunately, we couldn’t eat at the City Limits Diner as planned because it had suffered a kitchen fire just as we arrived! Fortunately, we found Highridge Bagels 2 nearby.

Janice and I had a smooth drive back to Massachusetts, stopping at Cracker Barrel on the way home. I’ve still got some unpacking to do, but work, various games, and my historical weapons class have kept me busy. I’ll try to review recent genre television, restaurants, and more soon.

John Carter review — I want to go to Mars!

Unfairly maligned sword-and-planet flick
John Carter's a fun sword-and-planet flick

I recently screened Disney’s John Carter with Josh C. & Sara F. I saw the sword-and-planet movie again later with Janice, who was at a technical writing conference in Memphis this past week. She has also been busy with extra shifts as a volunteer at the Dedham animal shelter. All of us enjoyed the adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ “Barsoom” stories.

The movie is framed with scenes of a young Burroughs, played by Spy Kids‘ Daryl Sabara, being summoned to the estate of his late uncle, a world traveler and former Confederate cavalryman. Taylor Kitsch, from Friday Night Lights and X-Men Origins: Wolverine, is the eponymous Capt. Carter, who finds himself mysteriously transported from late 1860s Arizona to an inhabited Mars.

On the desert world, Carter encounters tribes of Tharks, four-armed green men, led by the honorable Tars Tharkas (voice and motion capture of Willem Defoe). Despite his initial reluctance to become involved in another civil war, Carter is soon entangled in the conflict between the city-states of Zodanga and Helium, both of which are populated by humanlike “red” Martians.

After meeting the beautiful scientist and princess Deja Thoris (played by X-Men Origins‘ Lynn Collins), Carter decides to fight Sab Than (Dominic West), the Jeddak (chieftan) of Zodanga, and Thern mystic Matai Shang (Mark Strong). He’s aided by Sola (Samantha Morton), the compassionate daughter of Tars Tharkas, and doglike calot Woola.

If this plot seems familiar, it’s because Burroughs created the template for the “planetary romance,” which led to a century of space operas from Flash Gordon, Buck Rogers, and even Superman to Dune, Star Trek, and Star Wars to Stargate, Farscape, and Avatar. The lost but brave Earth man, the spunky princess and sidekicks, the honorable alien warriors, and the mystic duels have become clichés, but John Carter shows us the vitality of their source.

The actors seem to be enjoying themselves with the interplanetary swashbuckling. The script by Michael Chabon takes itself seriously, but not too seriously, with humor similar to that found in the original Star Wars or another pulp revival, The Mummy. I’m currently reading Chabon’s Pulitzer Prize-winning The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay for former co-worker Ken G.‘s “Escapists” book club.

Even in this age of computer-enhanced visuals, the Tharks’ facial expressions, the fleet-footed Woola and fierce white apes, the crawling city of Zodanga, and the steampunk airships were all impressively designed and rendered. The aliens interacted smoothly with the human actors. Despite the daunting amount of exposition required for such a movie, I thought that director Andrew Stanton, who also directed Pixar’s Wall-E, did a decent job of pacing.

The grand vistas include the rough-and-tumble frontier of the American west, the windswept deserts of Mars, the rain-soaked streets of New York, and soaring structures and ancient ruins of Barsoom. The soundtrack also evokes a lost age of adventure, although it’s not as memorable as the works of John Williams.

I’d give John Carter, which is rated PG-13 for violence, an 8.5 out of 10, four out of five stars, or an A-. Many critics have gleefully pointed out that Disney’s adaptation is somehow subject to the “curse of the Mars movies” and gotten less-than-stellar box office. However, I and other fans feel that many of their criticisms are unfair and typical of mainstream prejudice against genre entertainment.

By contrast, I’ve found video game flick Prince of Persia nearly unwatchable, and a preview image for the upcoming Lone Ranger also stirs doubts about its quality aside from easy parody. I’d love to role-play in a Barsoom game run by Tim M.B., Jason E.R., Brian W., or other scholars of early science fiction, perhaps using GURPS Mars, Savage Worlds, or FATE 3e Spirit of the Century and Starblazer Adventures. I recommend John Carter to anyone who appreciates old-fashioned sword-and-planet fun.