Comic Book Candy

It's been two weeks since Chicago's third C2E2 convention ended, which has given me enough time to decompress, edit photos, and reflect on the show as a whole. Though results may vary, it is safe to say the show was a success. With the official number of 41,000 being thrown around, attendance was up from last year, great news for vendors and organizer Reed Pop. I missed the first year of the show where it was held in a far-too-large space at McCormick, and each year since it has been in a different hall. This  year it had the goldilocks room (not too big, not too small) which allowed the layout a little more breathing room. Aisles were much wider, and though there were still bottlenecks of traffic, it was normal convention congestion and not "they underestimated the crowd" congestion. The organizers provided generous space for celebrity signing lines, and though this made sense for a day like Saturday, it made small lines look extra sad during the rest of the show....

So you know your girlfriend / best friend / co-worker reads comics and enjoys various nerd cultural phenomena, but you have no idea what to get them. Sound familiar? It's tough. These are the people that are most likely to buy themselves that highly sought after collectible. They know what they want, and that makes your job as gift giver a tough one. No fear! Here are some suggestions that will have your loved one feeling thankful and hopefully surprised. Enjoy more gift ideas after the jump! Star Trek: The Next Generation - Next Level Blu-Ray The box says it all: "A Taste of TNG in High Definition." This is a perfect gift for several reasons. It will not be released until January, so you know they won't have it, and it's something that not every Trekkie will get for themselves, but they will enjoy nonetheless. This sampler collection contains three classic episodes of Next Gen, the first to be re-mastered for blu-ray. Paramount will surely release a complete se...

Season 8 puts Buffy through the ringer  Buffy the Vampire Slayer #40 Publisher: Dark Horse Writer: Joss Whedon Artist: Georges Jeanty Warning: This review includes ample SPOILERS. There's no pussyfooting around the ramifications of Season 8. I've just finished BTVS #40, the final issue of the ongoing series of comics dubbed Season 8, and I am pretty bummed to see this story come to an end. Since I am a rather late comer to the Buffy franchise, this is the first time that I have finished anything within the Buffyverse without having something to immediately follow. I didn't have to wait months between seasons, or years between the end of the show and the beginning of the comic. I didn't even have to wait long for the first 30 issues of the comic either; I read those in trade paperback and only recently read the comics issue to issue. A few years ago I would have said that I didn't read the comics because I didn't think they could possibly live up...

Buffy!!! Okay, so you kind of need to look the part for this one. But if I had blonde hair right now, I’d totally go as my favorite Slayer. I think the best way to get this costume across is to dress like Buffy during her most stylistically iconic era, that being during seasons 1-3 where she wore skirts and had a French manicure most of the time. Later seasons have her wearing a lot of turtlenecks. And Leather pants. So many leather pants! This is just a loose guideline for how to dress like Buffy:   Mini skirt and white tank top OR A spaghetti strap dress, a red satin one will look very 90’s chic Jean Jacket or skirt length shirt to wear over outfit Boots. Cute ones, preferably leather knee highs Manicured nails Small hoop earrings A big gaudy silver cross necklace C ring from Angel (and these are pretty easy to find at thrift stores seeing how popular they were in the 90’s) Frosty make-up (think pinks and whites) The stake (this is all you really need to make the cos...

  Someone forgot to tell Spidey FCBD is a family friendly event. Any devoted comic book nerd knows about Free Comic Book Day; it's like Christmas for readers. For those who are new to the world of comics, or just missed the many fliers your store probably had posted for months, FCBD is exactly what it sounds like. Every first Saturday in May, vendors (at their own expense) give away free comics. Not just any books, these are titles released exclusively for the event by publishers; they are often kid friendly and are always meant to entice newcomers. In addition to free books, stores often have sweet deals (50% trade paperbacks? yes please!), and as if that wasn't enough, some stores even offer the chance to meet celebs of nerdom! This was my first year as a true participant of FCBD as the past several years were spent behind the counter of a busy comic book store. Though that still allowed me to witness throngs of newbies getting their first taste of comic book goodness, this ...

My efforts to bring you more posts this month are being foiled by the desire to enjoy my recent Christmas and birthday gifts. What better way to yield to these opposing forces than by combining them? Here’s a little snapshot of the nerdiest gifts I received this holiday season: Angel: The Complete Series Having recently begun my new obsession with everything Buffy related, my boyfriend got me the perfect gift – Angel: The Complete Series . Since Angel season 1 starts at the beginning of Buffy season 4 (where we are conveniently up to in Buffy) it’s been great watching the series side by side, as they were originally aired. The crossover action has made this Christmas present the best and most timely gift. Buffy “Feature Length” Episode VHS’s Who else got videos for Christmas…and was happy about it? Technically this was a birthday gift (my 20-something birthday was a few days ago). Check out that sweet videocassette design! Not only was this great because it’s Buffy, but it in...

Two page spreads in comic books smack you across the face, force you to take everything in at once, and if they're really fantastic, can bring forth a Keanu Reeves impersonation with an involuntary "whoa". I love these all consuming visuals, especially cause they are rare. (You'll see more two page ads than artwork.) This secret weapon, part of the writer / artist arsenal, is only used during the most deserving moments of wonderment. At least the most successful ones achieve this, the ones that feel necessary when you turn the page, knowing that it could not have been shown any other way. So here is the first of many to come in a regular focus on two page spreads. I have quite  a few from memory's past, but the first ones to be shown will be from recent memory (the last two years.) Here Be Spoilers!!! Giant Size Astonishing X-Men #1 Writer: Joss Whedon Artist: (that dreamboat) John Cassaday Giant Size Astonishing X-Men 1 from Comic Book Candy on Vime...