Posts

I Met... MICHAEL CHO!

Image
I Met... Michael Cho! The transcription work I have been doing for  Comic Book Creator  magazine may be the closest I ever get to working in the comic book biz.  Even though I have been a comic book reader for decades now, I still have learned a ton as I listen to the interview audio and get the words on the printed page.  One of the recent interviews conducted by Jon B. Cooke for the Eisner-nominated publication was with Michael Cho.  Mr. Cho was recently a guest at the 2023 Cincinnati Comic Expo.  I had him sign the issue of the magazine in which the interview appeared.  I also asked him to sign a copy of Batman: Urban Legends #21, which he talks about in the interview. Other creators I met were Craig Boldman ( Secret Origins #37), Jeff Moy ( Legion of Super-Heroes Secret Files and Origins #1 and #2), Tony Harris ( Starman Secret Files and Origins #1), Anthony Marques ( Batman Audio Adventures Special #1), Bob Hall ( Squadron Supreme trade paperback), Franco Aureliani, Scoot McM
Post a Comment
Read more

I Met... TOM GRUMMETT and MIKE GUSTAVICH!

Image
I Met... Tom Grummett and Mike Gustavich! As much as I enjoyed meeting "Freddy Freeman," the real draw (pun intended) to Fan Expo Cleveland was an appearance by one of my all-time favorite comic book artists, the legendary Tom Grummett.  Grummett was one of the pencillers of the Superman titles during the "Death of Superman" storyline and its sequels in the 1990s.  His artwork appears on the standard cover of The Adventures of Superman #500, which was one of the things I asked him to autograph. The issue is cover dated Early June 1993 and it appeared on the newsstands on April 13, 1993, almost 30 years ago to the date!  It's a significant issue, not just because it's a #500, but it features the first appearances of characters who would become Steel (John Henry Irons) and Superboy (Conner Kent/Kon-El) as well as a Cyborg Superman and The Eradicator.  Grummett is also known for his work on The New Titans , Superboy, and Robin series, as well as other proje
Post a Comment
Read more

I Met... CAPTAIN MARVEL JR.!

Image
I Met Captain Marvel Jr.! It was a bit of a toss up between attending the Cleveland Fan Expo or Lexington (Ky.) Comic and Toy Con.  Cleveland won because of an appearance by one of my all-time favorite artists (more on that in a future post).   Lots of cool celebs in Cleveland, but the most popular are out of my price range.  Zachary Levi, who portrayed Captain Marvel in Shazam!  (2019) and Shazam!: Fury of the Gods (2023) is charging $120 for an autograph and $140 for a photo session.  So I went with the Junior version and much cheaper Jack Dylan Grazer. Jack played Freddy Freeman alongside Zachary Levi's Captain Marvel and Asher Angel's Billy Batson in both Shazam movies.  Adam Brody portrayed the adult/super-powered version of Freddy, whom I will call "Captain Marvel Jr." Freddy first appeared in Whiz Comics #25 (Dec. 1941).  While Captain Marvel Jr. is similar to Captain Marvel, there are a few twists on the concept: Freddy is traditionally disabled as Freddy and
Post a Comment
Read more

I Met... WES MOLEBASH!

Image
I Met... Wes Molebash! A number of years ago, I stumbled upon a Facebook group about Bible journaling, which is a method of Bible study and reading in which you respond to a text in an artistic way on the page itself.  For some, this means adding pre-printed scrapbook embellishments to the margins, or using water colors to create an image on the page, or writing out a verse in a fancy script.  The vast majority of the Bible journalers in the group were (and probably still are) women, so much so that the founder and proprietor of Illustrated Faith addressed the group as "Hey Ladies and Wes..."  Wes was one of the few guys in the group and the only one that posted on a regular basis.  He had a wide-margin Bible and would draw funny cartoons during his lunch break.  His artistic interpretations of characters like Job and the Apostles were drawn with thick black lines (Bible journalers tend to be concerned about ink bleeding throught the thin pages of Bibles) and colored with
Post a Comment
Read more

I Met THE FLASH... and THE FLASH... and THE FLASH'S DAD!

Image
I Met the Flash... and the Flash... and the Flash... and the Flash's Dad! Galaxy Con was recently held at the Columbus Convention Center.  After the wonderful time I had at Fan Boy Expo and the great time we had as a family at Cartoon Crossroads Columbus, I wanted to give this one a try.  I took the boys with me; the girls enjoyed CXC, but were okay with not going to this one.    The most difficult thing was deciding which celebrity I wanted to meet.  There was a Smallville Reunion, the entire cast of Clerks, a handful of actors and writers from the various incarnations of Star Trek, and even a Disney Princess...  In the end, I chose John Wesley Shipp, star of the 1990-1991 television show The Flash.  As seen in the photo, John played scientist Barry Allen as well as the titular super-hero.  The line to meet him was very short, with just one person ahead of us.  When it came time to meet him, Mr. Shipp introduced himself as John.  He was very warm and friendly.  I had him sign my c
Post a Comment
Read more

Presidency & Politics | The Elephant and the Donkey

Image
  The Hawk and The Dove were a DC Comics super-hero team that debuted in Showcase #75 (June 1968).  Ad copy tells their story:  "In 1968 a mysterious voice gifted two teenage brothers, Hank and Don Hall, with superpowers that transformed them into the Hawk and the Dove! The superhero duo embodied the clashing political ideologies of the era, with the Hawk, ever militant, ready to jump into battling evil, and the Dove, a pacifist, refusing to raise a fist.    Fighting for what’s right on different sides of the ideological spectrum, the two clean up crime on the streets of their hometown, face the threat of the Drop Outs gang, take down a group of dangerous escaped convicts, team up with the Teen Titans and attempt to save their father from the wrath of a man he once sent to prison." Two years ago, I put my own spin on the idea with characters that became The Elephant and The Donkey.  Just as their heroic names have evolved a bit, so has their back story:  In their normal iden
Post a Comment
Read more

Introducing... Dr. Eggslap

Image
  Dr. Eggslap is a scientist (both mad and evil) in the Justice Allies universe.  He is not, in fact, a doctor.         Behind the Scenes: When Billy Batson speaks the name of the  ancient wizard Shazam, he transformed into Captain Marvel, who is gifted with the wisdom of S olomon, the strength of H ercules, the stamina of A tlas, the power of Z eus, the courage of A chilles, and the speed of M ercury.  This idea became a motif in the Captain Marvel comic books.  For example, Billy's sister becomes Mary Marvel when she speaks the name of Shazam and is endowed with the grace of Selene, the strength of Hippolyta, the skill of Artemis, the fleetness of Zephyrus, the beauty of Aphrodite, and the wisdom of Minerva.  The villains IBAC and Sabbac have similar names and powers.  In the DC Comics movie Shazam, the villain Dr. Sivana controls the Seven Deadly Sins: Envy, Greed, Gluttony, etc. etc.  I think logically, he should then become Dr. Eggslap.  I suggested this in a sermon as a joke
Post a Comment
Read more