Once Upon a Geek

Hey gang - Over 400 of my DragonCon 2008 pictures are now online!  You can view them on my Flickr account, ”Once Upon a Geek”, in the set labeled “DragonCon 2008″.  Or simply visit the site by clicking here.  You can download these to your computer in a variety of sizes; most go as big as 1280×960.  

Additionally, you can view my pictures at THE UNIQUE GEEK photo gallery.  My pictures at THE UNIQUE GEEK max out at 640×480. In addition to my pictures, there are also about 200 other DragonCon photos from my fellow Unique Geek members. 

Enjoy and feel free to post your favorite or least favorite photos!

As usual, I will be attending the upcoming Dragon*Con convention.  If you’re not familiar with it, Dragon*Con is the largest multi-media, popular culture convention focusing on science fiction and fantasy, gaming, comics, literature, art, music, and film in the US.  Dragon*Con 2008 will be held Labor Day weekend (August 29 - September 1, 2008) in Atlanta, GA.

Several of my buddies from THE UNIQUE GEEK will also be there.  We’ve started a Dragon*Con countdown over a THE UNIQUE GEEK website.  The countdown is basically daily lists of things to keep in mind and pictures from Dragon*Con’s past.  Check it out!

And if you’re thinking about going to Dragon*Con, drop me a line! 

If you’re like every other comic book reader in the aughts, you’ve been reading Bill Willingham’s “Fables” from Vertigo. He has managed to create a real masterpiece within the comic book industry. This is a comic that many treasure and won’t soon forget once it’s gone.

Willingham’s done a fantastic job taking these characters of lore, combining them with a compelling story, fantasy elements, and great art. Many of you may not realize that this isn’t the first time Bill Willingham has tackled these concepts. As he honed his craft, he made prior attempts to combine those same great elements. I now proudly present to you the true origin of “Fables”…

Hee hee. Remember those Dungeons and Dragons ads from the back of comic books in the early 80’s? I used to love those ads! Believe it or not, this ad and several others were drawn by Bill Willingham. Personally, I find it really funny that the wizard and the fighter are clearly staring at the girl’s butt in second panel. You can view all of these old D&D ads at Propeller.com.

I was asked to recommend a few DC comics to help a newbie reader get started. With approximately 70 years of comics published out there, it can seem a daunting task to figure out where to begin.  Personally I would recommend you start off with some of the collected editions (typically called graphic novels or trade paperbacks) available through many bookstores and online retailers.  These provide you with a complete story and are often good reads. 

Now, I’m going on the assumption that most people have a basic understanding of the core DC characters from watching the “Super Friends” growing up.  If not, then where have you been living?  There are a few well known DC stories, such as “Crisis on Infinite Earths”, “Infinite Crisis”, and “Countdown”, that I would not recommend to a newbie reader even though these books are high-profile and often discussed.  Given the complexity and continuity involved in those books, I would wait to read them until you are fairly entrenched in the DC mythos. 

I would recommend you start off with one of the team books (such as Kingdom Come or JLA).  That way you can see a variety of characters.  Once you discover a character that you find really interesting, seek out their own title for further adventures.  If you find yourself intrigued by certain characters and want more information immediately, try Wikipedia.  Comic fans are really diligent in keeping the superhero entries up-to-date (just watch out for spoilers).

If you are looking for a good superhero adventure, I would recommend…

• Kingdom Come - A near-future tale of what could happen if superheroes lacked a sense of responsibility.  Includes the Justice League and the next generation of heroes.  A thought provoking story and Alex Ross’s painted artwork is unbelievable.   One of the best superhero comics ever.

• JLA Volume 1: New World Order - This starts writer Grant Morrison’s fantastic run on Justice League.  This league featured the big guns: Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern, Aquaman, and Martian Manhunter.

• Identity Crisis - Best-selling novelist Brad Meltzer’s superhero murder mystery.  Fantastic story featuring a wide variety of DC characters.  This story made it fun to discuss comics again.

• Batman: The Dark Knight Returns - Writer/Artist Frank Miller’s gritty masterpiece that redefined Batman and changed superhero comics forever.

• Batman: Year One - Another Frank Miller gem.  You can see a lot of Batman Begins in this tale

• Batman: Hush Volumes 1 & 2 - A good recent Batman story with amazing artwork by Jim Lee

• Superman/Batman: Public Enemies - This comic has great action, fun superhero bits, and amazing artwork by Ed McGuinness.  And you get two heroes for the price of one.

• Superman: Up, Up and Away - Solid story that kicked off the current run of Superman comics.

• The Death of Superman - While this isn’t the finest literature on the list, it’s decent and worth mentioning because of the impact on the general public and comic publishing afterwards.

• Wonder Woman: Who is Wonder Woman - Allan Heinberg (TVs “Grey’s Anatomy” & Young Avengers) wrote this tale that kicked off the current run of Wonder Woman.  Great art, too!

• Green Lantern: The Sinestro Corps War Volumes 1 & 2 - Runaway hit of 2007!  It features the Green Lantern Corp against their newly-created evil counterparts.  One of the best Green Lantern stories ever told!

• Flash: Born to Run - Writer Mark Waid retells Flash’s origin.  From the 1990’s, but still great stuff!

• Green Arrow: The Longbow Hunters - Writer/Artist Mike Grell made Green Arrow interesting and gritty in the 1980s.

• Green Arrow Volume 1: Quiver - This storyline by big-time Hollywood writer Kevin Smith kicked off the current incarnation of Green Arrow.

If you are looking for mature reader stories that really make you think, I would recommend…

• Watchmen - Soon to be a major motion picture!  This is considered by many to be writer Alan Moore’s masterpiece.  The gritty story deconstructs the super hero concept and contrasts it with real world reactions.  Great stuff.  Can be read again and again.

• Batman: Arkham Asylum - An astounding psychological horror story by writer Grant Morrison and artist Dave McKean.  Batman must enter Arkham Asylum after the inmates have taken control.  Very dark, disturbing, and full of symbolism. 

• Sandman Volume 1: Preludes & Nocturnes - The first story of Morpheus, Lord of Dreams.  This was a landmark series that pushed comic book writing forward.  Very creative, thought-provoking, and still one of the best ongoing series ever.  This particular trade isn’t the strongest of the series, but it sets the stage for the rest.

• Fables Volume 1: Legends in Exile - A fantastic series that takes the fables you heard as a child and gives them a fascinating twist into modern day.  This is the first trade, but the whole series is excellent.

• Hellblazer: Dangerous Habits - Writer Garth Ennis spins an awesome tale of John Constantine after he discovers he’s dying of lung cancer.  Just forget the Keanu Reeves movie and enjoy this fine work.

I hope this helps those new to DC comics.  It’s a fantastic and varied line of titles, and I think they offer something for everyone.

Just a heads-up… I appeared in a recent episode of The Unique Geek podcast with the rest of the usual gang. It can be found here - The Unique Geek Issue #68. In this episode we discuss the legal issues surrounding the rights to Superman, Superboy, and Harry Potter.

Be sure to check out these podcasts and the rest of The Unique Geek podcasts.