Slacker Sunday: NYCC

It's that time of year again... Time to start thinking about New York Comic Con! I know it's like, four months out, but what could a little planning hurt, right? This year is looking like it's going to be the best one so far, with new artists and panels being added every week.

NYCC is October 13th-18th this year, making it 4 days this year, instead of 3. However, Thursday the 13th is for press/exhibitors/whatever only. Luckily for me, I've applied for my press pass, and methinks I will most likely be getting one. I have some big news about that coming up later in the week, but I don't want to give anything away just yet, so I'll let you deal with that teaser for now. Let me just say that the blog is about to get a whole lot cooler.

The only issue I'm having at this point is what to wear. For a fun-loving, nerdy chick like me, it's cosplay all the way. I definitely have my Ms. Marvel costume from last year, which I intend on rocking like a boss, but that leaves me with two more days that I need to come up with something. I like Black Canary, but I feel like that is played out. I love Cassie Hack, but I'll be three months post kid, so I'm not sure if I'll be wanting to bear my midriff quite yet. The Editor had suggested that we go as Lovebunny and Mr. Hell, but I'm not sure if The Editor will be willing to rock that costume all day... Sorry kiddos, got off in my own world there for a minute...

Speaking of cosplay, if there is anyone out there who knows how to sew, or could give me a hand designing/putting together something, it would be absolutely appreciated. I can come up with an idea easily enough, executing the idea can sometimes be difficult though.

Anyhoo, if you're on the East Coast (or if you can afford to fly out from anywhere else), I highly suggest you make your way down to the Jacob Javits Center October 13-16. A three day pass is only $65 and once you see all the con has to offer, you'll see that it's well worth the money. Heck, if you order tickets soon (they go on sale June 15th), you'll even have time to save up for all of the cool things you'll want to buy there!

We'll be discussing this topic in more detail as we get closer to the big show. Until then, you should be thinking about how to get there! Happy Sunday everybody!

For more info on the con, click HERE

Evan T. Speaks!

So, I had the good pleasure of attending the Boston Comic Con (along with The Editor and the Carly One). I enjoyed the heck out of it and it really was a good show. They do a lot of things right and a couple things wrong as they do at every con. I also got to see the con from the eyes of a worker as I was working at my friends booth.

As a con goer Boston seems a little small. As much as I hate to admit it Boston is a major city in the country. This con seems just a little bit bigger than the one they run in Albany. Next to NYCC it's teeny. For a con on the east coast within driving distance of some major cities (Philly and NYC). The con also seems like it might need a few con exclusives. Just saying. Also there seemed to be no advertising in the convention center alerting you that a comic convention was, in fact, going on. It seems like it wouldn't be a bad way of getting some more foot traffic into the con.

I think that the small size of the con lead to one of the things I really liked - a family atmosphere. It was great to see so many kids dressed up at the con. Moms, Dads and children all dressed up was something, I tell ya. Just really super fun stuff and I would love to see that stay at the con.

All of that is from the eyes of the convention goer. There are a few things that you don't get to see, however, unless you are actually working the con. Quick shout out to my boy Andy at Downtown Comics who lets me work his both when he does a con. He is an all around cool cat and if you are ever looking for something geeky give him a look up on ebay (downtowncollector) and send him an email of what you want, he'll take care of you.

When you are at a con and you see weirdo guy with glasses talking to himself, you can totally avoid him. Not so when you work a booth. It is easily the most difficult part of working the booth. Watch "Clerks" and pay attention to the part where they talk about stupid questions they get asked. It's real, people. There are a lot of anti social jack offs in the geek circles and they all come out to the con. Woo hoo. Quick tip, if you are at a con booth, don't feel the need to yell, handle merch like it's got the plague, tell people "This way too expensive" or offer them two dollars for something much, much more expensive. They (the weirdos) have that covered.

I love the con and I love working it. I liked tracking down variants (between 2 and 5 bucks!!) and getting some awesome Marvel universe figs. This con has some awesome cosplay going down as well. My favorite was dressed as the female speedy and vintage silk spectre. She was mockingbird last year. Other awesome costumes included Catwoman, Deadpool and the very nice lady in the booth across from us who dressed as Wonder Woman. Apparently she added something to the costume...Sassy pants!

Boston Con is a perfect con to cut your teeth on before something bigger like NYCC or SDCC. I would wholeheartedly suggest it to everyone. It is a blast and I cannot wait to go again next year. Maybe dressed up as a Space Woman villain? I can only hope...

Boston Con Wrap Up!

Hello everyone! Oh how I have missed you... We had a great time at the Boston Comic Con! I'm going to break it down just as I did with the Albany Con about some likes and dislikes. Evan T. will be chiming in at some point as well, as he was there working the entire weekend, and The Editor and I were only present on Saturday.

The Boston Con honestly, was smaller than I thought it was going to be. However, it seems to be growing by leaps and bounds. That being said there were a lot of great stores there representing (Newbury Comics, Harrisons, Midtown, etc), as well as a lot of independent dealers offloading their stashes. The Editor and I made out VERY well in the comic book department. We found a lot of filler stuff at great prices, as well as a bunch of variant covers at phenomenal prices. When it was all said and done (and the comics were put into the database), the price that the comics were valued at was three times as much as we paid for the books, so we were pretty happy.


I was amazed that we stuck to comics only. I'm such an action figure nerd that I was fully expecting to drop a hefty wad on what I call "accessories". Besides the comics, I got two prints. One of the Hulk, that was adorable, and going to be hung in the Danger Room (AKA nursery), and one super amazing Ms. Marvel print.

For being a smaller con than NYC, the Boston con still had a TON of amazing artists featured. I got my variant cover of "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" signed by J. Scott Campbell, who I give HUGE props to, because he was signing ALL day. I also got my issue of "Sea Bear and Grizzly Shark" signed by Ryan Ottly (who is super awesome), but the crown jewel in my day was getting an issue of "Catwoman" signed by the amazing Adam Hughes. I've been a HUGE fan of Adam's work for quite some time now, and I missed my opportunity to meet him at NYCC, so it was completely amazing to finally get the chance to meet him.

There were a ton of great costumes there as well. My favorite moment of the day was when a guy dressed up like Deadpool went in for a photo op with a four year old dressed like Wolverine. Deadpool guy pulled out his (fake)  guns, and as soon as little Wolvie saw the guns, he automatically stuck out his fingers like he was making a number "3", and started growling and trying to knock the guns out of Deadpools hands. It may have been the cutest thing I have ever seen in my life. Ever.

My only complaint was something that I'm sure happens a lot, but I have been lucky enough to not encounter it until this past weekend. While The Editor and I were standing in like waiting to meet J. Scott Campbell, the line was seemingly going nowhere. I asked The Editor why, and he pointed out the fact that several people in line had stacks of literally DOZENS of copies of comics for the artist to sign. I'm sorry, but that is TOTAL bullshit.

I can completely understand if you're a huge fan, and want to geek out to your favorite artist. I've been there. I've done that. However, when you make it blatantly obvious, by having numerous copies of the same issue, that you are nothing more than some douchebag who is going post the comic on e-bay, you should be reprimanded. Artists are too nice to say anything, so I'm going to. The following is a short letter that all dickheads like that should remember:

Dear Asshat,

I understand that you want to use someones fame to make yourself a quick buck or two, however, there are some of us here that are true fans. That being said, if you could limit your items to ten per person, the rest of us would not want to bust your stupid face in. Most of us would just like to geek out on an extremely talented person, and have that signature in their personal collection, and I promise it will only take one minute TOPS for us to do so. We're trying to respect you, so please try and respect us.

Thanks,

The True Fans

P.S. After having the artist sign 100 items for you, don't try and shake their hand. It only makes you look like an even bigger tool.

So there you go! I'll be back on in the next day or two to discuss a cause that friend of Carly on Comics and proprietor of Downtown comics, Andy LeClair, will be organizing very soon. It's a fantastic cause that is very close to my heart, so I'm hoping to rally a few of you readers to give me a hand helping him out. More on that later in the week!

Boston Comic Con Weekend!

 Hey everyone! Today's post is going to be just like the pre-Albany con post. I'm going to tell you a little bit about what's going on at the Boston Con this weekend, and then when I get back, I'll give you all of the highlights!

Since we'll be gone for the majority of the weekend, there will probably be no posts until Monday. At that point, I'm sure you'll be getting a post from me, and from Evan T. as well. Double dose! Anyhoo, on with the show!

Boston Comic Con Highlights and Excitement:

Artists I'm looking forward to include:

* J. Scott Campbell (Gen 13, Amazing Spiderman, Danger Girl, True Blood)
* Adam Hughes (Catwoman, DC Comics Presents, Power Girl, Wonder Woman)
* Tim Sale (JSA All Stars, Batman: Dark Victory, Batman: The Long Halloween)
* J. G. Jones (Wanted)
* Ryan Ottley (Invincible, Sea Bear and Grizzly Shark)

There are TONS of other artists who will be there as well, these are just the few that I am most excited about.

In addition to artists alley, there will also be a TON of vendors there. There aren't a ton of comics that The Editor and I are looking for, but we'll be digging for sure!

Once again, I'll be sporting my "Super Knocked Up" tee shirt to help with the promotion of the web-series, so if you see me, say HI, and I'll have a prize for you!

I'm kinda bummed out because I cosplayed the hell out of NYCC, and they're totally having Robin meet up, and I can't participate, because I'm the size of a small country at the moment. I'm really looking forward to NYCC, so I can rock Ms. Marvel once again. I love dressing up :-)

I hope you all have a fantastic weekend, and if you're in the Boston area, make sure you pop in and say HI!

The Con will be held at the Hynes Convention Center, and you can click HERE for more info!

Slacker Sunday: Albany Comic Con Wrap Up

Hey everyone! Hopefully you're all having a wonderful, sunny weekend, just like I am. I'm in a great mood because I just got back from Albany Comic Con, and as you all well know, comic cons can cure whatever ails you, so I'm in a fantastic mood!

Some of the Highlights

Jamal Igle- This guy has worked on a TON of comic books, including Iron Man, Supergirl and Wonder Woman. I got to meet him today, and he signed issue #53 of the current Supergirl series for me, which he not only penciled, but also did the cover art. He is a super nice guy. More info on Jamal can be found HERE.

Jeff Burns- Jeff is a local filmmaker, who is currently working on the webseries "Super Knocked Up". I've been corresponding with him for sometime via Facebook, but finally met him face to face for the first time today.  I'm so glad that I'm helping out with this project because Jeff is one of the most sincerely nice guys I've ever met. He gave me a tee shirt, so I got to rock out in my new SKU tee. I'll be rocking it again in Boston in 2 weeks! For more info on "Super Knocked Up", click HERE or just look it up on Facebook!

Cos Players- For some reason, these guys were out in full force today. I love checking out people in costume, because you can see how much effort (or lack of effort) they've put into their work. I bought a Hello Kitty watch from the Upstate NY Cos Player group, and they were certainly dressed to the nines!

COMICS!- I mean, really? What's the use of going to a con if you're not going to buy books? Amiright? The sellers had plenty this go around, including plenty of variants, cheap "filler" books and trades.

The Albany Con is seemingly busting at the seams these days. I remember The Editor and I checking it out for the first time three years ago, and the place was a flipping ghost town. Dare I say that come October, they may need to start looking for a new venue, because the Holiday Inn is just about at capacity.

My only gripe about the con is that I still couldn't find my ungettable get. I've been scouring cons for the past two years trying to find a Wonder Woman Barbie doll, and I can't seem to find one ANYWHERE. I need her so that I can complete the trifecta and have Supergirl, Batgirl and Wonder Woman all standing proudly on display in the Nerdatorium. Oh well, maybe I'll get lucky in Boston...

Albany Comic Con and Why You Should Go

Hey everyone! As previously mentioned a few weeks ago, Con season is almost in full swing! Next Sunday (April 17th) is the Albany Comic Con. This con is local to me, which is why I'm writing about it today. I've been going to the Albany Cons for the past 3 years, and in that three years, the attendance has grown by leaps and bounds!

All of the local shops are there (Earthworld, Aquilonia, Electric City) as well as some private sellers who are there to offload their stash. There are people selling collectibles, tons of comics (both new and vintage) and a variety of different people in cos play. There is even a Star Wars cos play group that attends most of the local cons, so there will be lots of Storm Troopers and even a full size moving R2D2!

There will also be a pretty nice artist alley featuring many artists of both comics past and present. Of that group, I'm most excited to see Joe St. Pierre, who has done a TON of work on X-Men, and Jamal Igle, who has done a lot of work on the new Supergirl series. Usually two of my favorites, Nick and Jackie Taplansky (Nick of one of my favorite zombie stories ever, "Awakening" fame, and his wonderful, amazing, illustrator wife, Jackie) are there, but unfortunately they won't be back up to the Albany Con until the Fall con. Definitely two people you need to check out when they're in the area!

In addition to all of this other fun stuff going on, my friend Jeff Burns will also be there, promoting his new web series "Super knocked Up". It's a fantastic story about what happens when a superhero and a super villian share a one night stand that leads to an "Oops!". Since I'm too preggo to cos-play, I'll be sporting one of the fabulous "Super Knocked Up" tee shirts to help Jeff promote. If you come say "HI!" to me, there might be a sweet button or pen for you :-)

Oh, did I mention we're going to have a few real life super heroes there as well? Local superheroes Kick Ass of Albany, and the Silver Sentinel will definitely be there, so be sure to stop by and say hello to these two great guys who help keep our city safe!

Albany Comic con goes on April 17th at the Holiday Inn on Wolf Road from 10 AM to 4 PM, so pack up the family and come on over! It's only $5 admission!

For more info on Albany Comic Con click HERE

For more information about the web series "Super Knocked Up" click HERE

Upcoming Cons!

It's that time of year again! The time of year when the snow begins to melt, and the smell of nerd is in the air. That's right, it's comic con season! Below I'm going to provide you with a list of upcoming cons. Of course, some of the smaller cons may be left off the list, so be sure to check your local area for cons as well!

Wonder Con April 1-3 in San Francisco, CA

Albany Comic Con  April 17th in Albany, NY (suuuuper small local gig)

Boston Comic Con April 30th to May 1, Boston, MA

E3 Video Game Convention. June 7-9, Los Angeles, CA

Wizard World Philly  June 17-19, Philadelphia, PA

San Diego Comic Con July 21-24, San Diego, CA

Dragon Con September 2-5 in Atlanta, GA

Big Apple Comic Con September 24-25, New York, NY

New York Comic Con  October 13-16, New York, NY

Wizard World Austin November 11-13, Austin, TX

These are just a few of the more notable cons that I know of. As previously stated, there are probably smaller ones that are more local to you, so do your own research and see what pops up near you! If you know of any major ones that I left off, please feel free to shoot me an e-mail and let me know!

Catching up With Superman...er..boy...

Hello! Good evening everyone! I'm on a 3 season Smallville marathon at the moment, and I just keep asking myself "Why did I ever stop watching this?!". I love this show. Seriously. I don't give a shit if I'm half way through season 8 and Kal El hasn't flown yet, and I don't care if Lana Lang is the most irritating character (next to Britta from "Community") on television. Hell, I don't even care that Tom Welling is a sub-par actor. I love this show. I mean, really, where else am I going to get to see Lois Lane, Clark Kent, Jimmy Olsen, Lex Luthor, Aquaman, The Flash, Green Arrow, Doomsday, General Zod, Supergirl, the Legion of Superheroes and the JSA all in one series?! It really is the ultimate DC Nerdgasm. It's a superhero soap opera. You watch these characters progress from teenagers to adults, while dealing not only with everyday teenage drama, but dealing with having to hide secret identities. It's pretty much the ultimate "origins" store ever. That being said, I could certainly do without Lana and Clark's romance. She's such a tease. At the end of season 6 when I thought she was dead, I was the happiest girl in the world. Then she came back. What?! Why? Does anyone even like that character? I mean, I get that guys think that Kristen Kreuk is hot, but she's so irritating to me that I can see past her hotness. Green Arrow and Lois Lane are my two favorite characters on the show, because they don't take any B.S. and they keep Clark's whining to a minimum, which is much appreciated. I also appreciate that the characters wear garments that are the colors of their comic book characters uniforms (eg: Clark and Kara wear red and blue, Green Arrow wears green, The Flash wears red and gold, Aquaman wears green and orange...). What can I say? I'm a sucker for fashion. Anyhoo, I'm going to get back to the marathon. I promised I'd be caught up by Friday, so I could enjoy the rest of the series in real time with the rest of my Smallville loving peeps.

Before I go though, I just need to pimp the North Carolina Comic Con that is going on this weekend. The guys at Ultimate Comics will be there (sadly, I will not), so if you're in the Raleigh area stop by and say "HEY!"

B.O. Bombs and Fart Circles

So, we attended the Albany Comic Con today which is about 1/100th as big as NYCC. It's always a fun time to go, even if you're just planning on stopping by. I've gone to so many Albany Con's now, that I have my favorites that I like to go visit. My two favorites have to be Nick Tapalansky and Jackie Santiago. Most recently, Nick wrote the graphic novel "Awakening", which is a very noir type murder mystery, involving zombies. Nick is an extremely talented author, who is well on his way to making a name for himself. I picked up the second volume of "Awakening" today, and I'm super excited to start reading it. Jackie happens to be Nick's brand new wife! About a year and a half ago, I started digging through Jackie's artwork at one of the cons, and now I have four pieces of her artwork in the Nerdatorium at my house. Her artwork is very distinct, and I would almost call it anime-ish. She creates her own characters, but she also draws her own rendering of different female comic book characters. I have Supergirl, Robin, Ms. Marvel and Catwoman on my wall :-) I couldn't be happier for these two, as they are not only incredibly skilled at what they do, but also two of the nicest people you'll ever meet.

"Awakening"-- Amazing story and cool ass artwork.

I know Evan T. has already made a post about comic con etiquette, however, I feel that I need to reiterate a few of these rules, and introduce you to a couple of con vocabulary words/phrases that you may not know.

I just want to touch on one subject that Evan T. did not know about because he is a boy. I am a girl. I am a nerdy girl. That being said, please do not be an asshole while I am looking through comic boxes. Just because I have my cell phone out, that does not mean that I am finished going though the box. All that means is that I'm looking at my comic book "needs" list PDF on my cell. So take you're ghetto assed notebook filled with chicken scratch and walk away. Do not attempt to rifle through my box while I am still in it, because I am a derby girl, and I will hip check you across the room.

And I'll booty block ya too.

 In addition, PLEASE I am begging you on behalf of the human race, PLEASE for the love of god, WEAR DEODORANT.  A shower once a day, or at very least, once every other day, would also help. I am not joking when I tell you that at one point, a kid next to me had B.O. so bad, that I literally had to walk away and throw up in my mouth a little. I referred to this kid as a B.O. bomb. Unless your B.O. is your defense to my hip check, PLEASE be current on your personal hygiene. Especially if you ever want to get to second base with a girl.

Chickity check yourself.

 My last tip is please, please, PLEASE don't eat super disgusting food before you visit the con. And if you do, pretty, pretty please stop and take a GasX before you get there. Flatulence seems to be an issue at all cons, big or small. I coined the phrase "fart circle" when we were at the NYCC. A fart circle is basically when there is a group of people (usually teenage girls) standing in a group together giggling and releasing SBD's (Silent But Deadly). If you are unfortunate enough to have to walk by, or god forbid, walk THROUGH a fart circle, I feel so sorry for you. You will immediately gag and put your nose into the collar of your shirt. One lone member of a fart circle is a crop duster.

The Google tag on this photo was "business-communications-icebreaker". I call it "corporate fart circle"

I hope you have learned a thing or two today. Please, for the love of god, heed my advice.

Saturday Wrap Up

Hey y'all! It's going to be a very short post, as I am going to the Louis CK show in just a couple of hours and still need to beautify myself.The next week is going to be a blur for me, so if the posts are super short, I hope you understand :-)

So, last night, The Editor, Evan T., Cara M. and myself went down to Ulster, NY, for the #1 haunted hayride in the U.S. It was expensive ($33/each), but totally worth it. They start with a hayride and then take you through four haunted houses and a haunted maze. It's called the Headless Horseman Hayride, and you may have seen it on the Travel Channel. I love the fall, and I especially love Halloween. There's something about hot apple cider and a slice of pumpkin cheesecake that just does wonders for the soul. Generally we go to Salem, MA, every October, but my schedule has been impossible this month, so we figured something closer would be nice. I'm not one to get real scared at haunted houses and the like, but this one was very suspenseful, and completely worth watching Cara M. almost pee herself numerous times. The only complaints were that the lines were outrageous (we had a 10 PM reservation and didn't get on the ride until 11:30 PM), and the obscene amount of "city people" there. Don't get me wrong, I love NYC, but standing in line with a bunch of them when the Yankees are getting eliminated from the playoffs, was not my cup of tea. I posted the 2010 advertisement for the place below!



Last but not least, if you're in the Capital District of New York and you're looking for something to do tomorrow,  the Albany Comic Con is going on at the Hilton on Wolf Road in Colonie. I'll be there along with The Editor and probably Evan T., so make sure you say "HI"!

Comic Con Hints and Tips by Evan T.

Hello All! I just thought I might drop a little article about New York Comic Con. I hope it's good but I will try to make it not quite as good as C-bomb's articles. I don't want to upstage the Chief. What I'm going to be exploring is more of a few helpful hints for people who have never been to a con, especially one of this size (NYCC had 95,000 in attendance this year, up from 77,000 last year)

Comic Con Helpful Hints and Tips

1) Be ready to have your personal space invaded-If you you are going to a comic book convention then you probably know what your brethren nerds and geeks are at their core; a socially awkward, unwashed horde. These people are going to get real close. Real real close. Uncomfortably close. You will be touched, nudged, bumped and out and out pushed. So be prepared. Although confrontation is an immediate reaction, suppress that urge. Getting kicked out of a place you paid good money to get in is silly. Unless you have purchased everything you wanted already. Then knock a mother out.

Chances are, one of these people will accidentally touch your balls.

2) If you see something neat in a booth, Walk Into That Booth-You are going to see a lot of booths that have things you have never seen before. Things you didn't even know existed. Naturally, you will want to stop to observe these nerd nuggets. And as soon as you stop, I have walked right into you. And the guy behind me into me. And so on. All because you couldn't step off two feet. Are you happy? Are you?

There are no stops in Booth City. Move it, or lose it.

3) Bring water-You wouldn't believe how warm you will get stuffed into a building with a few thousand of your friends. You will be dehydrated. The only water there will cost you four dollars. For a bottle of water. Regular water, not some sort of magic water. So why not bring your own and save yourself four bucks?

$4?! You're joking, right?

4) You might be peeing next to Dr. Who and an Imperial Officer (expect the unexpected)-A lot of weird things are going to happen. You will see people dressed as almost everything. You will see people who should never, ever, be in spandex. This will happen. Until they invent brain bleach, you will need to learn to have a short memory to be able to move about normally.

I always have fun at every con I go to. I hope anyone who is reading this will check out NYCC or any local con's they have going on. It really is worth a little bit of your time.

New York Comic Con Post 2

Happy Tuesday everyone! It was a crazy day in the looney bin today (<---what I call the office I work at), got out later than I thought I would and had to mow the lawn, so I'm just going to jump right back into the awesome things about NYCC.

Ultimate Comics Comic Book Shop

These guys are the best. Not only do they have the Ultimate Comics exclusive "Walking Dead" #75 variant cover, they also had a handle of Bacardi under their table. These awesome guys from Durham, North Carolina are just about as nice as they come. They have a great selection, decent prices and will make you feel like one of their own. They have two huge stores located in Chapel Hill and Durham, so if you're in the area, stop by and say hi! But don't forget to tell them that Carly in NY says "Whats up?".

The Crazies. 

I don't have a lot of room to talk here, seeing as I was dressed up as a fictional comic book character and all, but comic cons bring out the crazies. So does NYC. There were so many awesome costumes this year. Rogues, and Venoms, and those stupid Na'vi things, but nothing compared to the crazies on the street. As I was walking down the street in my Ms. Marvel outfit (like I do), this woman looks at me and yells "Look! It's Space Woman! Oooooh Space Woman! You're my favorite!". This prompted my friends to spend the rest of the weekend referring to me as "Space Woman". Evan T. even created an entire origin and biography for "Space Woman". I have amazing friends.

Ben Templesmith

If you don't know who Ben Templesmith is, you should seriously pick up an issue of "30 Days of Night". Ben and co-creator Steve Niles provide and amazing, scary as hell series about vampires (and not the kind that sparkle). Templesmith's artwork is what attracted me to the series to begin with. Everything he creates is dark and gritty, with an edge. It's honestly something I can't put into words. His most recent project is "Wormwood: Gentlemen Corpse", which he wrote and did the artwork for. It's a completely original horror/sci-fi(ish) story, with brilliant artwork. All previous praise aside, here are my top 5 Reasons why Ben Templesmith is awesome:

5) He's Australian. Now boys, I don't know if you know this, but being Australian is an automatic +3 to charisma and +2 to constitution.

4) He's an artist. As someone with minimal artistic ability, I can honestly say I get jealous beyond belief when a person is able to make a career out of creating something astonishing.  I work in a dental office. It's about as far from glamorous as one can get.

3) He's not afraid to admit that he does it for the money. When some super excited, long-winded fan (not myself) approached him and asked him about 3,000 questions, I honestly LOL'ed when the kid asked "So, how involved were you with the whole process of the "Dead Space" video game? Were you happy with the finished product? Blah, blah, blah...", Templesmith, without looking up from the piece he was drawing replied "It was a paycheck."

2) He wears suits. Like, all the time. All boys look better in suits. Period.

1) Because he did this:

I think Ben Templesmith is a good a place as any to say "good evening". Wednesday is D&D night, so there will be a little something special on the blog tomorrow. I'm also hoping that guest author, Evan T.'s account will be activated tomorrow evening, so we can discuss the origin of "Space Woman".

New York Comic Con Post 1

The one thing in the world that is better than Christmas and my birthday combined is New York City Comic Con. It is an eclectic blend of everything awesome and amazing. This year, the wonderful Miss Cara M. got us a free (not gross) hotel room for the entire weekend so we could maximize our enjoyment. Lets take a look at some of the highlights (translate: the first ones I can think of).


Meeting Sana Takeda

So, there I am at the con dressed up like Ms. Marvel, wandering through Artists Alley, and who do I see? Only my FAVORITE artist of the recently concluded Ms. Marvel series! She is an up and coming artist from Japan who does some of the most amazing artwork I've ever seen. She has previously worked for Aspen, Image, and currently Marvel comics. When she saw me in the Ms. Marvel costume, her translator asked me if I would mind taking a picture with her, and I was so blown away that I literally almost cried. When a person that you admire so much asks if SHE can take a picture with YOU, it's a very humbling moment. She signed my two favorite comics, and I commissioned her to draw me a picture. Below is the drawing. Absolutely amazing. She made my entire weekend.

Childrens Hospital

What's that? A panel featuring two of my favorite people on the planet?! Yes, I'll go! The panel was extremely funny, and the way that they dealt with the...how do I put this nicely... weirdos who were allowed to ask questions was great. When asking a panel questions, I don't think people should be allowed to sling their website, ask ridiculous questions, or waste the panel's time. I mean, the way people behaved in the question asking line is the reason nerds get a bad name (eg: MAJOR social awkwardness). Seriously, when you have to declare "I am not a terrorist" to a room full of people, you should be ejected from the building. Same goes when you walk up to a microphone and tell someone that you were "sent from the future to kill them". C'mon people. All that aside, we did get to see some new episodes of "Childrens Hospital", which was ballin'. I also got to meet Rob Hubel, Erin Hayes and Rob Corddry, which was one of the most epic, surreal moments in my life.

Anyhoo, I'm still recovering from lack of sleep, so I will post more tomorrow. Hope you're enjoying so far!