Comic Book Candy

Image comics newest title Saga can't possibly receive enough hype. The tale of star crossed lovers on the run from warring empires, robot royalty, and increasingly terrifying bounty hunters will not disappoint fans of science fiction / fantasy / space operas / romance / action-adventure / horror / mystery / well-written genre literature. With only two issues released, writer Brian K. Vaughn and artist Fiona Staples have managed to build a more richly realized world of magic and science fiction unlike anything seen in any one comic book, film, or work of literature. It borrows elements from a wide variety of preeminent source materials, from Shakespeare to Star Wars. Even while recognizing the many influences, Saga is easily distinguished as a unique work despite being in the very early stages of its hopefully long serial lifespan. It is tragically romantic, engaging, and often humorous. If you have yet to be sold on picking up the first issue by myself, your local comic shop...

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....

The last day of C2E2 was packed, especially with lots of families. Unlike last year, children aged 12 and under received free entry only on Sunday as opposed to the entire weekend. Lines for sketches from Art Baltazar, Franco, and Katie Cook were wrapped around the corner and filled with young fans for most of the day. Like the rest of the con weekend, I could not do one thing without missing something else of equal appeal. Attending the Chicks Dig Comics panel meant missing the children's costume contest. Considering this panel was probably the highest concentration of talented female creators in one location all weekend (or all con season), it was worth missing the cutest costume contest (but do pass on a link if you find one - I can't find any coverage of this important event from the weekend).  The Chicks Dig Comics panel For those that have yet heard of the recently released anthology, Chicks Dig Comics is a collection of essays from comic book creators and jou...

Saturdays are always the biggest day for conventions, and yet it never fails to surprise me just how crazy this day gets. The ability to shop / walk / and talk at your own pace was replaced by the frantic non-stop atmosphere that is Saturday. Attendance wasn't the only thing that was bigger; late comers to artist alley filled several empty tables, more celebrities made appearances, and with the longest hours, there were more panels than any other day. Like Friday, I could not make it to every panel I wanted, and the sacrifice on Saturday was the Womanthology panel early on. I did make it to  the announcement heavy Marvel: Cup of Joe panel. After making a few (overly long) plugs and announcements, the majority of the time was spent on Q&A, and the people giving answers included Editor in Chief Axel Alonso, writers Jason Aaron, Rick Remender, and Jeph Loeb. To quickly go over the big announcements: Matt Fraction and David Aja will be the creative team behind a new Hawkeye ong...

You're in the right place Though my legs are tired and my wallet is lighter, I've managed to survive a long first day at C2E2. For anyone that is still on the fence about attending this show, let me assure you, it is more than worth the admission price. This would be true even if you only had access to the artist alley. Add to that a wide variety of vendors, panels, and special guests, and you'll be hard pressed to walk away empty handed. Today I spent most of my time wondering the vast artist alley, commissioning sketches, chatting with local creators, and meeting ones from far away. Tomorrow I will be spending just as much time there, but I'll be committing to more purchases. The retail vendors are also just as tempting, and I have several t-shirt, mugs, bags, dresses, and jewelry in mind, not to mention the trades and comic books (I think I'll play the odds and hold out for Sunday discounts on the books). From the looks of it, retailers were not hurting for bu...

You've got your ticket purchased, your flight and hotel booked, and your costume (nearly) made. Comic con season is officially upon us. Whether you're coming from the greater Midwest or the North side of Chicago, there is more to planning a trip to C2E2 than travel logistics. What will you buy? Who will you see? What panels will you attend? Where will you eat? This will be my second year attending C2E2, and my first with an official press pass. Even with three whole days to experience all that this relatively new convention has to offer, it is important to prioritize  in order to get the most out of your weekend. This guide is unique to my own interests and limitations (budget and energy wise), so please take a thorough look at the C2E2 website to make sure you aren't missing out on that special guest or panel made just for you. Make A List Without a doubt, any plans you have before going to a convention will be forgotten upon entering the floor. Sensory overload will be ...

Comic Book Readers by Ruth Orkin, c.1947 (found on Liszka's Soup ) "Girls read comics, not just Manga either. Girls read superhero comics, indie comics, autobiographical comics, historical comics, literary comics, horror comics, romance comics and even just plain terrible comics. Girls are comic fans. They want comics aimed at them, or aimed not at them, or just comics that are good. They want all the same things male comic fans want. They want to be sold to, they want to buy the cold cast porcelain model of Rogue looking badass and put it on their shelf. They want Wonder Woman underwear sets and Wolverine stationery for the new term. Women are just as whimsical, gullible, romantic and fanciful as men. They are capable of grasping the finer points of all the weird freaky made up stuff that we all commonly know to be “ACCEPTED CONTINUITY.”  They will talk about costume changes and characterisation." - Comic book writer and fan Leah Moore Leah Moore knows a...

  This past Wednesday evening Graham Crackers Comics located in the Chicago Loop looked a little different. As one keenly observant male customer opined a little too loudly, "You guys are swimming in estrogen today!" After manager Matt Streets pointed out that the store's first Ladies Night event was about to begin, he sheepishly took his books up to the register and went on his way. Considering the large turn out, it's safe to say this will be the first of a regular monthly event at the local comic shop. As an employee of Graham Crackers Chicago Lakeview location, I served as a store liaison for the event and also helped to moderate the conversation. Comic book creator and recent transplant to Chicago, Hannah Chapman spearheaded the event and organized it along with store manager Matt Streets. Ladies Night served a few purposes; first and foremost, it was a chance to meet and talk comics with other local female fans. Participants were encouraged to bring books they...

Every headline touting a long-lost comic collection found in grandma's attic is sure to give retailers a slight headache. Whenever genuinely rare comics go for big bucks in auction , phone calls to comic shops from consumers with stacks of worthless comics from the 90's and dollar signs in their eyes are bound to follow. It would be a humorous situation if it wasn't such a time consuming (and frequent) occurrence to explain that no, your Death of Superman is worth less than the bag and board you put it in. Modern comic book readers know better than to believe the prevalent myth that comics are a sound monetary investment. Most fans have come to accept that these are a disposable form of entertainment (if you haven't, the sooner you come to terms with this, the less bitter you'll be later on). Recently I've seen more longtime readers  bringing collections in to sell back to the stores they bought them from, mostly siting concerns for space and wanting store cred...

“You have a generation of girls who have grown up with this stuff and view it as a natural part of culture. You’ve had three ‘Spider-Man’ movies and ‘X-Men’ movies since they’ve been growing up. You’ve had ‘Harry Potter’ books and movies. And this generation has gotten it in a more concentrated level than I had as a kid. I might have had a ‘Superman’ movie every few years. But it was still a bit of a learning process.” - Jeff Katz, former Fox movie executive And yet here we are, readership shrinking and no closer to expanding our niche market. Hollywood has been quicker to recognize the mass appeal of various "nerd culture" properties, but the comic book industry itself is taking its time creating products for the growing female market. There are many creators, fans, and retailers that don't treat female readers like an elusive / non-existant unicorn , but when it comes to the big two, the driving force behind production is short term sales. In an interview with Comics A...