Exhaustion triumphed over me last night. Getting 3 hours of sleep for several days in a row finally caught up with me. I passed out rocking my daughter to sleep last night. I usually write all my posts VERY late at night and schedule them for the next morning.
Come back next week for my recap of Sunday & Monday at DragonCon, some of my favorite pictures, and hopefully some videos too!
Keep it geeky!
The Irredeemable Shag
The good news is that I survived DragonCon. The bad news is that I’m having trouble re-acclimatizing to regular life. After being completely immersed in geekdom for four straight days, it’s a little hard to suddenly be transported from the wild to “civilized” society.
I had a fantastic time! This was definitely one of the best years I’ve had at this convention! Over the next few days I’ll try to cover my madcap adventures at DragonCon 2008. Of the 500 pictures I took, a little over 400 were worth keeping. I should have them uploaded to my Flickr account soon. I also have a couple videos I plan to upload for your viewing enjoyment. A few of my friends that typically attend DragonCon didn’t come this year. Hopefully these blogs will help fill them in and possibly encourage them to attend next year.
With the convention over, I gotta say that if I see one more lame Joker/Joker Nurse costume I’m going to freak out. Apparently dressing like the Joker is the new black. Sheesh.
The flight from Tallahassee to Atlanta went great. I caught up with Serv and we immediately went to Moe’s in the airport. I know, airport Moe’s? Can’t possibly be as good as a regular Moe’s, right? Well, they don’t have Moe’s where Serv lives and he was jonesing for it pretty badly. I’m confident that if he didn’t eat Moe’s within 20 minutes of touching ground in Atlanta he would have suffered some kind of seizure. An alternative may have been to mainline some Chick-Fil-A (which they also don’t have in the great white north), but Moe’s did the trick.
After lunch, we caught up with another friend from THE UNIQUE GEEK, Jon, then we all rode the MARTA from the airport to Peachtree Center. Next we checked into our hotel, room 2222; we referred to it as “Harvey Dent’s room”. Turns out the Executive Lounge we were counting on for meals was closed starting Saturday for renovations. Major suckage. That just resulted in more Chick-Fil-A for Serv, so I guess it all worked out. After rendezvousing with a long-misplaced friend, Race, we headed to registration to pick up our badges. I was thrilled for my friends as I watched them zip through the line and pick up their badges within mere moments. I, however, was lucky enough to wait 45 minutes to get mine! Yay! For some ridiculous reason, every person whose last name starts with “M” showed up at the same time. The slowness of the “M” line was aided by the DragonCon staff member running the line with a broken arm. My friends were kind enough to wait for me, laugh at me, and take pictures.
After a brief visit with Ravenface & his brother Shockwave, I made my way to a comic book related track. This session was an examination of various “don’ts” for comic writers featuring Peter David, Mike Baron, and others. There were some great recommendations as well as anecdotes. Heard a great suggestion to embed Google Image links into your comic scripts to provide the artist with photo reference examples of what you are trying to explain. Neat idea!
After the comics panel, I went hunting for photo opportunities and trolled the dealer’s rooms. During the course of the first day, I took about 175 pictures. Michael Bailey, Race, and I wandered the dealer’s room together looking for ways to spend obscene amounts of money. Then from an unknown artist, I commissioned a sketch of Blue Devil battling Doctor Fate. The sketch isn’t complete yet, but I should get it within a week or so. The pencils he showed me looked awesome! I’ll be sure to post an image of that drawing here when I get it.
I swung by the NeedCoffee.com panel, “They Did WHAT to My Favorite Book/Fandom?” Fun panel with good crowd interaction. I was lucky enough to win a Darth Vader/Luke Skywalker action figure “Father’s Day 2-pack”. Too funny! Around this time we connected with Ron & Holly from THE UNIQUE GEEK and their other siblings.
Finally, after a late-evening run to Chick-Fil-A, we settled in for a night of Chez Geek, booze, and chatting. We don’t get to hang out very often as a group, so we had a fantastic time ripping on each other and enjoying each others company. Sweet, sweet slumber finally overtook us around 3:00am.
Great first day! Wonderful to see friends again and have so much fun! I’m sure I’m forgetting things, so there may be addendums throughout the week. More tomorrow…
Assuming all is well with air travel, I should be in Atlanta by 10:30am!!! Me and 30,000 of my closest friends all weekend long! Check out the DragonCon website for details on the event! Here are a few snapshots of me at previous DragonCons. To see a gazillion (yes, that’s a technical term) DragonCon photos, be sure to visit THE UNIQUE GEEK Photo Gallery by clicking here! Talk to you soon!
Not terribly geeky today, but related to my life right now. Today we have Tropical Storm Fay moving in over our area. While we certainly won’t get it as bad as others have, we should still get lots of rain and wind.
I can’t help but be reminded of Hurricane seasons past. Below are a few humorous bits I’ve collected or have been sent over the past few years related to Florida and Hurricanes. Hope you enjoy. Send me an umbrella if you can.
Just for fun, stop by CNN and watch an animated reenactment of the 2004 Hurricane Season. It’s pretty interesting to watch.
Finally, a few things that Hurricanes have taught us…
On Monday I featured quite a few comic book related t-shirts from my closet. Today I’m finishing up the tour of my wardrobe by showing off my DC comics shirts. Please feel free to share any of your favorite t-shirts you own either by commenting or via e-mail!
A great Superman t-shirt given to me by my family a couple years ago. I really like that the “S” symbol is large. I strongly believe the “S” on a Superman shirt should stretch across the entire chest horizontally. Additionally, I like the “ringer” look of this shirt. A “ringer” t-shirt typically features the jersey shirt fabric in one color, but the ribbing used for the collar and the sleeve bands are of a contrasting color. I wear this one a lot.
A fun classic Superman style shirt I picked up in the 1990’s. I love the squinty 1940’s Superman! The primary image above is the back of the shirt with the insert being the front left hand side.
A present from my friend Ed back in the 1990’s. This shirt came in a cool telephone booth shaped box.
Another gift from the family. Obviously this one was pre-stressed.
This was a clever idea for a shirt. The primary image above is the back of the shirt, with the insert being the front left hand side. I liked the idea of having a Daily Planet staff shirt. The fading on the word “Staff” happened after one wash. I was kind of bummed, but it sort of makes it look cooler.
Okay, what comic book reader in the 1990’s didn’t have a crush on Death? I’m not talking Thanos-style, but the Death character from the Sandman comic. She was absolutely adorable. This 1993 shirt was the first Death shirt and was drawn by Chris Bachalo. It’s still my favorite Death shirt. The fading/stress on this shirt is genuine; I wore it a lot.
Here is another Death shirt. I believe this one was done by Chris Bachalo also.
A great Death shirt from 1995 featuring a line from her first appearance. You can clearly see the Bjork influence on the artwork at the time.
I got this Barry Allen Flash t-shirt from Target just a few months ago. This was a pre-stressed item that looked so classic I had to get it. Interestingly enough, if Target had waited just a few more months this wouldn’t have been “classic”, it would have been “current”.
I got this shirt in the 1990’s specifically because I thought it was awesome they made a Jay Garrick Flash t-shirt. Additionally, this is the only comic book t-shirt I own that’s long sleeve.
A very thoughtful present from my friend Ed. DC has never produced a t-shirt that just focuses on Firestorm, so Ed made me one! The image is taken from a cover during Firestorm’s elemental period. You can see the fading on this shirt is pretty severe. I wore the heck out of it back in the mid-1990s. Once it started fading, it became a frequent nightshirt.
Another present from a friend. This one was a gift a couple years ago from my old college roommate, Serv. You can see the image is a classic version of Aquaman; early 1970’s Super Friends era. I really like the “ringer” look on this one along with the pre-faded image.
Another great classic Aquaman image; this time from the late-1970’s/early 1980’s. The image has a little bit of pre-faded effect which suits it well. This particular shirt was also given to me by Serv last year. So do you think by giving me all these Aquaman shirts that Serv is trying to tell me he’s gay for me?
A white pocket t-shirt from the WB store with an embroidered Aquaman swimming out of the pocket. I got this in the mid-1990s. Fun!
Not truly a T-SHIRT, but still a comic book related SHIRT. This embroidered denim shirt came from the WB store in the mid-1990s and is all kinds of awesome. The top image is obviously the front, with the bottom image being the back. Interesting observation, Aquaman and Green Lantern look all buddy-buddy here. However, did Green Lantern freak out when Aquaman was killed (like he did when Martian Manhunter was killed)? Nope. I’m not even sure Hal has realized that Arthur kicked the bucket. Well… Hal will know for sure soon enough. C’mon “Blackest Night”!
This is a really fun take on superhero t-shirts. This shirt presents the one-page origin of Batman from the earliest days of Detective Comics. If I remember correctly, I got this shirt in a record shop in Atlanta in the mid-1990s.
This is another unusual item (and I know, not a t-shirt). It’s a silk robe featuring the Superman “S” symbol. If you look closely, you can see small versions of the symbol all over the fabric. Then there is the obvious red “S” symbol on the front pocket and backside. The robe is really pretty to look at, but somehow a silk robe just doesn’t scream manly to me. Especially Super-manly. Needless to say I haven’t worn it much. But on my wife it looks hot!
Well there you go, a brief look into Shag’s closet. Don’t forget, share your favorite comic book t-shirts if you’d like!
I bought a new comic book t-shirt this weekend at Kohls and it got me thinking about what to wear to Dragon*Con. I looked through my closet and was amazed at how many comic book t-shirts I had amassed. I mean seriously, these things pile up. Back when I managed a comic book store, you could consider these to be work clothes. Nowadays, I don’t get many chances to wear these t-shirts. So I decided they needed to see the light of day one way or another. Therefore, today and tomorrow you get to stroll through my wardrobe.
Over the past 15 years, I have gotten so many t-shirts that I’ve split them across two days. Today I’ll be showing off my new shirt, Marvel comics shirts, Scud the Disposable Assassin shirts, and Astro City t-shirt. Some designs were purchased pre-faded (or pre-stressed). Unless specifically mentioned, assume any fading occurred naturally with these shirts.
To see the other comic book t-shirts I’ve previously displayed here at ONCE UPON A GEEK, please click here and then scroll down.
Here is my new shirt! The image is of the late-Bronze Age Justice League of America (with a few extras thrown in for good measure). I love the strong white outline on each character; it’s really sharp. Also, it’s nice to have Aquaman, Flash, and Firestorm all on one shirt! This is the second officially-licensed shirt I’m aware of that features Firestorm. Poor Matchhead, he doesn’t get much play.
Cool Marvel Comics t-shirt bought by family a couple years ago. Certain parts are high gloss (like Cap’s shield).
Pre-faded Marvel t-shirt from Target bought by my wife and kids within the past year or so. The faces are very reminiscent of the 1980s corner box images.
“Daredevil Yellow” t-shirt by Tim Sale. I bought this shortly after the series because I’ve always loved Daredevil’s original costume.
Andy Warhol-style Spider-Man shirt. I believe this is Mark Bagley art from his original run on Amazing Spider-Man. I wore the heck out of this shirt in the mid-1990s.
Havok from X-Factor drawn by Joe Quesada. I bought this shirt around the time he was drawing X-Factor, long before his tenure as Editor-in-Chief of Marvel Comics. The faded design on this shirt is genuine. Because I enjoyed Peter David’s run on X-Factor so much, I wore this shirt all the time. Once it started to fade, it became a frequent nightshirt.
Jim Lee Xtinction Agenda shirt. Got this for my birthday around the time this story was published.
Astro City shirt I bought in Colorado on vacation a few years ago.
Fantastic Scud t-shirt I bought back in the 1990’s (when Scud was being published the first time around). Back then you didn’t have internet shopping; you had to order shirts like this via the mail from an ad in the back of the comic book.
Another Scud t-shirt I bought back in the 1990’s. The stress on this shirt is genuine. I did everything I could to get people to read Scud, even promoted it on my own body.
Another Scud t-shirt. The primary image above is the back of the shirt, with the insert being the front left-hand side. This shirt was designed to look similar to the body of the Scud robot. The only downside to this shirt was that it was bright yellow. It takes a brave man to wear a bright yellow shirt.
Drywall, Scud’s sidekick. Great shirt! Very colorful and fun!
This is a fairly unusual one. I got this for attending Diamond Comics 11th Annual Retailers Seminar. It was held in Baltimore in 1994. Diamond Comics distributes the majority of comic books in the United States. That particular year they took us to a Baltimore Orioles game; thus the baseball jerseys. Very cool!
As promised in a previous blog entry, here is my “Tony Was Right” t-shirt! I can’t wait to wear this to Dragon*Con!
There were a few other comic book t-shirts I owned previously that I’ve gotten rid of over the years. A few that spring to mind:
Hope you’ve enjoyed this installment of “Shag’s Closet”. Come back tomorrow for the DC shirts…
While on an eight-hour road trip with my wife, two children, and mother-in-law, this post sprung into my brain fully-formed. It’s an excerpt from a job description for potential married geeks with children.
<<Excerpt>>
JOB DESCRIPTION
Position: Married Geek with Children
Section: Time Commitment
Applicant Prerequisites:
Applicants must be willing to meet the following requirements:
Applicant is expected to give up most available geekery time. Applicant must be willing to sacrifice geek-related activities in exchange for: chasing after children; helping with the dishes; bathing children; tucking children in bed; and all-around household chores. Examples of lost geekery time include:
“Alone Time” Addendum
“Alone Time” definition: The highly unusual instances (nearly mythical) in which the applicant find themselves without children, spousal unit, and/or personal/professional duties to perform. Applicant must accept the only “alone time” they will have for the rest of their lives will most likely occur in one of the following places/circumstances:
<<End Excerpt>>
This excerpt was simply the section on “Time Commitment”. Other sections include, “Financial Impact of Children and Spousal Unit on Available Geekery Funds”, ”It Really is Wonderful to Have Children… Seriously”, and “Conversational Geek”. In the “Conversational Geek” section you’ll learn things like:
If you have any further documentation for this job description, please feel free to share!
It’s FLASH WEEK here at Once Upon a Geek! I’ve been on the road quite a bit in the last two weeks (Tampa, Montgomery, and Nashville). Additionally, at the time this post is published I’ll be on the road to New Orleans. All this driving got me thinking, “Wouldn’t it be great to just run at super-speed to my destination, rather than wasting hours in a car?” Couple that with the recent news about “Flash: Rebirth” (more on that later this week) and I decided to dedicate a week to the fastest man alive!
The Flash is my #5 favorite comic book superhero of all time. I’ve always been fascinated with super-speed. Even as a child, when asked what super power I’d want I always picked super-speed. For me it was the running that attracted me to super-speed; not the ability to assemble a lego set in .04 seconds. Just being able to open up and haul butt at unbelievable speeds sounds so cool to me, even to this day! I still get a buzz when on an airplane as its speeding along the runway just before takeoff. I love that sense of pure acceleration!
I bought the occasional Flash comic book in my youth and enjoyed the episodes of the “Super Friends” that included him, but didn’t really start collecting the Flash comic book on a regular basis until 1992. Mark Waid’s run on the book is what really grabbed me. Ever since then, I’ve loved the characterization of Wally West as the Flash.
Pictured above are some of the various toys I’ve acquired over the years that are Flash related. My personal favorite is the Reverse-Flash figure that was a Toyfare exclusive based upon the Total Justice Flash mold. I came very close to buying the new Professor Zoom figure from Mattel’s DC Universe Infinite Heroes collection. I had it in my hand and was set to buy it, but then I really looked at the molding and paint job and decided it wasn’t worth it to me. So I bought “The Goonies” on DVD instead. I think I came out better with the DVD. Other figures of note above include the DC Direct PVC posed mini-figures from the Flash collection, JLA, and JSA collection. Then you’ve got the Tasmanian Devil as the Flash from some kids happy meal, some DC Direct figures, some Total Justice figures (included the evil hologram Flash from Grant Morrison’s fun on JLA), and more. It’s amazing the things you pick up over time.
More on the Flash to come this week…
And so my daughter’s TRUE education continues this week with a new toy. You may recall a few weeks ago I did a post about my daughter’s new educational toys. Well, this new one goes hand-in-hand with the educational value of those.
I just love these figures! They’re adorable!
Now if they’d only release a Wonder Woman. I’d like my daughter to have some action figures that represent strong female role models. Somehow I doubt they’ll make a Black Canary figure for this line. Fishnets and a thong just don’t scream kid-friendly.
Maybe I’ll see if I can find a Storm figure from the Spider-Man & Friends line.
Hello, my name is the Irredeemable Shag and I’m a closet Yahtzee addict. That’s step one, right?
I can’t speak authoritatively on this, but I don’t believe many people my age play Yahtzee. I think there is a perception that it’s an old person’s game. Maybe I’m wrong, but that’s always been my belief. According to the official Yahtzee history on Hasbro’s web site, about 100 million people play it on a regular basis. Apparently I don’t really know any of these people.
I started playing Yahtzee whenever I would visit my dad. He’s originally from Michigan, where all they do is play card and board games during the winter (my apologies to any Yankees in the audience). One night he busted out the dice and announced I was going to learn how to play Yahtzee. It didn’t take long to grasp the game as it’s really just a form of poker, but with dice.
I rapidly found myself addicted to the game. Perhaps it has something to do with my background in RPGs. There is something satisfying about the tactile sensation of rolling a handful of dice on a table. The clink of the dice in your hand; the sound as they hit the hard table and bounce a bit. It’s like crack to gamers.
It’s a fun game if you have at least two people. You can also buy a handheld electronic game version to play solo (yes, I have one), or find online versions of the game to play solo.
If you haven’t played Yahtzee, give it a try. All you really need is two people and 5d6 (that’s five regular six-sided dice to you non-gamers, like the kind you get in Monopoly). You can find a PDF of the official rules on the Hasbro web site (click here), and you can find a lots of different free score sheets online (click here).
Enjoy! I’ll see you at the twelve-step meetings!
A place for all things geek... Primarily I focus on some of my favorite topics including comic books, Doctor Who, Star Wars (classic and legacy characters), role-playing, 80’s TV shows, and science fiction in general. However, any topic is really fair game. Feel free to comment and let me know what you think. I hope you enjoy!
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