Cons! The Season of Excelsior.

 

     You wake up at 6 am. You hop in the shower because you know that the next time you'll get the chance to clean up will be in another state; another state of mind. On goes the spandex and cape and out the door you fly; somewhat quite literally. The wind nipping at your neck as you race down the highway; or at least until you catch up with the morning commute. You tell yourself that you don't have time for this; you have a meeting with Adam West at 8:30, lunch with Stan Lee at 12 and a date with the pink Power Ranger at 4. That's right, its convention season. And although you may be thinking that Con's have nothing to do with you, you may be surprised that what happens at these cons have a bigger impact on your social life than you give credit.
     A little over a week ago hundreds of thousands of people lined the streets for this years Comic Con in San Diego California. Comic Con is questionably the largest and most popular convention to ever take place on American soil. With a chance to meet so many big names in film and comics, who can pass up the opportunity to meet those that inspire us and create a huge chunk of our pop culture. TV sitcoms like "Breaking Bad," or "The Walking Dead" all have their place amongst the crowds of adoring fans. Big budget filmmakers and even little ones like "Bat in the Sun" even host their own events. It's just a great atmosphere for people to be yourself. Consider that Comic-Con is the E3 of the video game world.

     Cons are such a great release, and although I have only been to a few major ones, I can truthfully say that they can inspire the creative mind. My first major convention was just last year at Dragon Con 2012, held in Atlanta Georgia. At the time, school had just started up again and I was worried I was going to miss something important on the Friday I was going to skip. Luckily, all of my professors were into comics and thought it would be a great adventure for me. They were absolutely right too. Upon my return to class the following Monday, my mind raced with new creative juices, and a motivation that was unparallelled by any other in my class room. I re-visioned my life as a comic book writer and began focusing on "Requiem," which you can read on this blog. For me, that was just the beginning.

     To my regret, I won't be visiting Dragon Con this year though. Although the convention day is nearing quickly, my sadness is already growing. I know there will be other times, and I have plans with friends to visit next year, but there will always be a soft spot for Dragon Con. I fear to say that convention going can become an addiction though. I think it can be argued that there is something in the atmosphere that gives people a super powered 'high' that heightens  your awareness that us nerds aren't alone; that we come in all shapes and sizes. We become inspired by healthy costume making competitions, and we want to have those bragging rights and twit' pics of us with all the celebrities. Many jobs we work can be founded on, "It's all about who ya' know." Fame is a dream fashioned by many, adorned by few. Making an awesome costume and being seen around the world on Youtube is high ranking life goal for some.
     Cons also serve a very important role in the film and TV industry. It is a time when the people can voice their opinions about a much anticipated movie. Although it highly unlikely that one man's idea will change the course of a plot, many of the responses at panels are carefully considered by major industries. If any of you recall the X-Box One reveal announcement at this years E3, you will recall the crowd reactions to the horrific console specs and details. After the word got out, and the Playstation 4 made a much better performance, Microsoft rethought their designs and gave the people what they wanted. Many fanboys and girls usually enjoy the presentations at Cons and don't have anything bad to say because the products are always in the works until their release, which can be years down the road; but until then its fair game to share your opinions.

     Sadly, some feel, and I can sympathize, that the Comic title in Comic Con should be taken out. Even though you will find many cool things at many Comic Con titled conventions, many of these conventions have dropped the ball when it comes to Comics. At Comic Con in San Diego, you won't find many back issues for a dollar. You may be lucky to even find an expensive comic for sale. It seems that what started as a conventions for comics many years ago, is not leaning towards a mass appeal for mainstream media, rather than the small hometown convention. This is one of the reasons I love going to smaller venues, besides the great parking, to pick up items for my personal collection of comics.
     In closing, just know that the next time you sit down to watch a Marvel or DC owned movie, TV series, or even your favorite comic book, know that it was probably revealed at a convention before being placed into your hands. Like it or not, Con goers are all around you; and as scary as that may sound, you may soon be assimilated.

Comic Book League

     Some of you may know already, and for those who are just joining in, that I will be hosting a newly established "Comic Book League" this Fall on Campus. With only one year left at Wright State University, I began to ask myself what kind of legacy I would be leaving behind. My love of comics and interest in basing my profession on them lead to this decision. I understand first hand how hard it is to be a writer without an artist. If you look at any comic book you will notice that there are usually 2 or 3 names on the book; a writer and at least 1 artists. Sadly my school doesn't offer any sort of comic book based classes; and over the past couple of years it became very clear to me that we have such a huge cult following of teachers and staff who actually read comics on a regular basis.

     Luckily, this past month I was invited to speak before an English class and share about the comic book narrative and structure. This event, for me, was a thrill and even a milestone. Other than standing before a class to share in a presentation, I had never before taught of my own free will. So, with this new responsibility of teaching a comic book based organization, I am really challenged to come up with weekly lesson plans, and I still have to find a way to make the class fun. The structure I have chosen is to host a weekly class for one hour each. The first 15 min of each session can be to talk about a certain element that is prevalent in comics and then for the last 45 min it would be to allow students to talk with one another and talk about comic books. Mainly, I want this time to be for writers and artists to talk about their own creations. This organization will serve as not only a place for people to meet and collaborate, but also to just shoot the breeze and talk about what they love the most.

     I really am looking forward to coming up with a lesson plan, but I wanted to share it here with you guys because I open it up to your input. If you have any suggestions or have access to information that may help, I would greatly appreciate it. I am working closely with a friend who holds the Gem City Comic Con in Dayton Ohio each year. We are hoping we might be able to invite some local artists and writers to come and talk at our meetings. Most notable are Mark Waid and Kyle Hotz. Wish us luck guys.

Duels of the Planeswalkers 2014 Video Review MTG

     Hey everyone, I just taught myself how to use some video editing software called "Ezvid," and I wanted to do a video review of the new Magic the Gathering, Duels of the Planeswalkers 2014 game. Included in this video is a pack opening for the promo I received for my purchase of the STEAM version. Please let me know what you think of the video.