Sunday 23 September 2012

NICE to see you, to see you NICE!!!

Yesterday I spent the day at Kettering's inaugural NICE comic book convention held at Wicksteed Park and organised by the guys who run the Close Encounters comic shops in Bedford and Northampton. It is the first comic convention I have attended since the London Super Comic Con in February and the first show that I have spent time at as a dealer in two years. Brendon, my former business partner and best bud, bought a couple of tables to get rid of some of the comics and graphic novels that he had accumulated over the past year or two and I volunteered to help out on the stall. This led to massive amounts of nostalgia as it had been so long since we had worked together in that capacity and I had always considered us a Dream Team of sorts. I have missed our weekends away at conventions, making money, talking about all things geeky with other nerds and generally having the most fun! All that was missing yesterday was Dan, who was the third amigo during our first couple of years doing cons. What I didn't miss was the stress of having to make sure that we made a certain amount of money to cover the bills and whilst other dealers were stressing about whether or not it was worth the time, money and effort to come, me and Don just had a laugh knowing that nothing major was on the line and that was truly NICE!

NICE was also an amazing opportunity to catch up with so many people that i hadn't seen in a while. Most of my former customers were in attendance, so it was great to see what they were all up to. It was also brilliant knowing that for most of them, their passion for comics was still alive. Almost all of the members from my book club were in attendance and even though I see them all every month, it is always good to be able to spend some extra time with them. They in particular were the backbone of my customer base, for which I will be eternally grateful! Also, making their Kettering town debut were many of the dealers, publishers and small pressers that I have made friends with over the years, so catching up with them was NICE too!



I am a member of a forum called the CON MEN, which is a group of geeks that visit as many Conventions as possible, collecting sketches and autographs and generally having a laugh. It was great to finally be able to meet these fine gentlemen and I must say almost surreal when I arrived at half seven in the morning to find that the queue for the event was made up of at least 90% CON MEN!!! I wore my t-shirt with pride (even though I seemed to be the only one). Amongst this rag tag group of rapscallions was Mat Guy, founder of Con Men and one of my co-hosts on the Hero Talk Podcast. I talk to this guy (pun very much intended) every week, so it was great to finally meet him face to face! I'm looking forward to meeting James and Dean at future events.

The highlight of the weekend for me though was hanging out with my good friend and creative partner Hal Laren and talking to people within the industry who were generous enough to give their time and advice to a couple of upstart creators on the verge of breaking into an industry that we love. A HUGE Thank You has to go to David Hine, Emma Vieceli, Kate Brown, Adi Granov and especially Harry Markos for all of your words of encouragement, advice and help with our future endeavours. Hal and I are ready to shock the world!


The big draw for the show and what was supposed to be the highlight was Alan Moore's first appearance at a comic convention in 22 years. For the cost of donating a graphic novel to the Northamptonshire Libraries, we had the privilege of attending a panel in which Mr Moore would talk about his experiences being a writer and give a Q&A to the fans. Brilliant! I get to do a good deed by donating to a good cause and I get to finally hear one of my heroes speak. This will be great! I had always been a defender of all things Alan Moore. Controversy seems to follow him around, but I always respected his opinions, his convictions and of course, his work. I boycotted Before Watchmen and was in complete agreement that he was screwed over by DC.

And then I heard him speak...

He began by saying that he wasn't there to be a part of the comic side of the convention and that he would be giving us advice about reading and writing, but instead he spoke for an hour and ten minutes about his experiences reading and writing comics. He complained about the "inbreeding" within comics, how creators being comic fans themselves primarily, take too much influence from the comics they loved as children and that this is a bad recipe for good comics, and then he went on to talk about wanting to recreate his childhood memories whilst writing both Superman at the early part of his career and Tom Strong at the latter end. He openly admits to avoiding all comics and the industry on whole, but talks trash about creators whose work he probably hasn't even given the time of day. The his feelings for the industry on whole is like "bitter ashes" he said during his promotion of the appearance at the show itself, though he gleefully spent plenty of time promoting his new Edgar Allen Poe inspired comic, Providence, which is due to be released by Avatar. I entered the talk as an Alan Moore fan boy. I left knowing what an unadulterated hypocrite he is, which makes me sad. Does it make me lose respect for him? Yes. Will it make me lose respect for his work? Not his early stuff at least, but I doubt I will be rushing out to pick up any of his new releases.



The final straw for me was when he began lambasting Stan Lee and attempted to quote Stan in his interview with Jonathan Ross for the Steve Ditko documentary as evidence why Stan wasn't very NICE. I have seen this documentary four or five times and can say with unequivocal doubt that Moore misquoted Lee with his rambling tirade against the industries greatest creator. The people that continue to preach that Jack Kirby did all of the hard work, therefore he is the creator of the Marvel Universe, all need to take a chill pill. Stan came up with the ideas, he is the inventor. Nuff Said! Kirby did a few books, Ditko did a couple, Bill Everett did some, Don Heck did some, Gene Colan too. Stan came up with ALL OF THEM!!! And edited. And wrote them (even if it was only tightening up Jack's "clunky" scripts). And promoted them. And wrote the Bullpen. He was the life and soul of Marvel and it's deep rooted characteristics all belong to Stan. I'm not saying that it wasn't a joint effort, but it damn sure wasn't Jack Kirby and Jack Kirby alone!



All in all I had a very NICE time. It wasn't the biggest or flashiest convention I have ever been too, but it was the most fun I have had at a con in a long time. Even the Alan Moore ending couldn't sour my time spent with some incredible people and I can't wait for NICE 2 next year!

M X

Tuesday 18 September 2012

Hero Talk Episode 18

Hey Dudes and Dudettes! Available now to download onto your new fangled listening devices is Episode 18 of everybody's favourite comic book and geek related podcast - HERO TALK!

I, along with my cohorts James Lundy and Dean Saul (Mat Guy is still chillin on his honeymoon) talk about all things geeky and this episode is no exception as we discuss the upcoming NICE convention in Kettering and Showmasters ENTERTAINMENT MEDIA SHOW in London, we share our love for DREDD 3D and chat about the upcoming climax of AvX, and in Comics of Future Past I talk about the Thunderbolts 15th Anniversary, DC Comics issue #0 month (specifically Swamp Thing #0) and Matt Fractions upcoming relaunch of both Fantastic Four and FF.

Enjoy!

M X

- Subscribe via iTunes entering the following: http://www.heroesandidols.com/htalkpodcast.xml
- Download the mp3 via: www.heroesandidols.com/podcasts/htalkep18.mp3

Monday 17 September 2012

It's not a review. It's just my opinion! #8 - BEASTS OF BURDEN - ANIMAL RITES

I read a lot of graphic novels, more so than floppies. So I have decided to tell you all what I am reading and what I thought about those particular books. I want to stress though that I am not looking to review these books in the style of a critic, or to give them a rating, only to express my opinions as a fan of what I personally thought of what I have read. Please do not let my opinion sway you in any way, as I have always lived by the credo that I will make my own mind up about something and so should you. Plus, they say that critics are people that can't actually create themselves and that aint me.
Finally, this is my actual reading pile. All the books I have bought myself for the purpose of my enjoyment and as I am not tieing myself down to any kind of formulated structure, you may notice that I read whatever takes my fancy, rather than switching characters or publishers etc...

Anyhoo... BEASTS OF BURDEN!





Beasts of Burden - Animal Rites - (w) Evan Dorkin (a) Jill Thompson

I'm an animal lover. I love them because they're better than us. Sure, they don't have bowling alleys, iPads and Spider-Man comics, but they don't go out of their way to fuck each other over and they're cute, especially Cats and Dogs.
I also love Horror. It is my favourite genre within storytelling. It is primal and instinctual and even though I'm not easily scared anymore, when it is done right, it is the best experience in the world.

So you'd imagine that when I heard of this book, published by Dark Horse, a horror story with Cats and Dogs as the protagonists of the story, I would be extremely excited to check it out right? Except I wasn't. I thought it was gimmicky and I let it slip by. Never let it be said that I am not open to the opinions of others or that I am not willing to admit when I am wrong, because my interest was piqued when the hardcover collection, Animal Rites, was released and sold like gangbusters in my shop. So I bought myself a copy and it sat on my shelf and gathered dust. I wasn't avoiding it, I just have hundreds of graphic novels that I haven't read yet and it was just waiting its turn.

Before I even read page one, the first thing I noticed was Jill Thompson's incredible watercolour artwork. It pops off of the page and hits you with a nostalgic feel of a beautifully painted children's story book. Her attention to detail, not just in the realism of how the characters look, but in their facial expressions and the suburban setting they are living in, throws you into the book and carries you along smoothly and easily. It is truly some of the best and most unique art I have ever experienced in comics.

So the first story, which is the introduction to the cast and the world that they live in, is a haunted house story. Classic horror, been done 101 times before. What can be original about that? Well the haunted house in question is a dog house and Jack, the dog whose house it is, and his friends Ace, Rex, Whitey, Pugsley and a stray cat named Orphan, want to get to the bottom of it. Calling for the advice of the Wise Dog, an elder "wise man" of the canine community, together they discover why the house is haunted and what they need to do to exorcise the spirit.
This really sets the tone of the book moving forward as the group have to face off against Witches, Zombie Dogs, Werewolves, Killer Frogs and an army of rats, among other threats.

This book is just wonderful in every possible way you can think of. The characters are incredibly well fleshed out and their interactions with each other are great in a buddy movie sort of style. The horror is genuinely spooky and gives you the urban legend, campfire story vibe from childhood days. The stories are clever and the dialogue doesn't drag, so it is incredibly easy to read and fall into.

I seriously cannot recommend this book enough and I pray that there are more volumes to come of this beautiful world of crazy mysticism among our furry friends.

M X

Friday 14 September 2012

Hero Talk Episode 17

Hey Dudes! I have been AWOL from HERO TALK for a few weeks, but I am back along with my broadcast colleagues James Lundy and Dean Saul for Episode 17!

This week we talk about all things Comics. No agenda, just three geeks doing what they do best, setting the world to rights. We do talk about the passing of Michael Clarke Duncan and the new DREDD 3D movie amongst other topics.

In Comics of Future Past, Dean discusses Batman/Judge Dredd - Judgement on Gotham, Mars Attacks from IDW and Marvel NOW!

- Subscribe via iTunes entering the following: http://www.heroesandidols.com/htalkpodcast.xml
- Download the mp3 via: www.heroesandidols.com/podcasts/htalkep17.mp3

 

Thursday 13 September 2012

It's not a review. It's just my opinion! #7 - FANTASTIC FOUR

I read a lot of graphic novels, more so than floppies. So I have decided to tell you all what I am reading and what I thought about those particular books. I want to stress though that I am not looking to review these books in the style of a critic, or to give them a rating, only to express my opinions as a fan of what I personally thought of what I have read. Please do not let my opinion sway you in any way, as I have always lived by the credo that I will make my own mind up about something and so should you. Plus, they say that critics are people that can't actually create themselves and that aint me.
Finally, this is my actual reading pile. All the books I have bought myself for the purpose of my enjoyment and as I am not tieing myself down to any kind of formulated structure, you may notice that I read whatever takes my fancy, rather than switching characters or publishers etc...

Anyhoo... FANTASTIC FOUR!





The Fantastic Four, along with the Incredible Hulk, was the book that got me into American Super Hero comics as a kid. I remember seeing the Thing on the cover of these comics and thinking to myself how cool this character looked. When I first started reading FF it was the late eighties and I picked up issues in the early #300's. The team at the time consisted of The Thing, the Human Torch, Crystal of the Inhumans and Ms Marvel, soon to become the She-Thing. I think it is because of this reason that I have a love hate relationship with this book. You see, I had never really been exposed to Reed and Sue and even though Sue Storm - The Invisible Woman seemed like a decent character with very cool powers, Mr. Fantastic was lame. I have never been a fan of Reed Richards and I doubt I ever will be, but never let it be said that I am not willing to give a book the benefit of the doubt, so with that in mind I have recently read a good chunk of FF books that reprint issues published 10 years before I began reading.



Fantastic Four Visionaries by Geroge Pérez volume 1 & 2 - (w) Roy Thomas, Len Wein, Roger Slifer, Mark Gruenwald, Ralph Macchio, Marv Wolfman, Peter Gillis, Doug Moench, Tony Matias & George Pérez (a) George Pérez & Tom Sutton

I went into the first volume thinking that the stories inside would be written by George Pérez, but in fact they are a showcase of his artwork. This is both a good and a bad thing. In one hand, you bear witness to a master craftsman, beautifully creating intricate scenes on the page for what can only be described as a visual tour de force. On the other hand, the issues that Pérez did not contribute on are missed out of these volumes and as a reader you find yourself with gaps in the story lines. We are talking about comics from 1977 though and as such, there is more emphasis on single issue story lines and anything missed that may have been relevant is recapped at the beginning of the following issue. It is still a little annoying though.
The stories themselves are swashbuckling tales of high concept sci fi fun. In volume 1, the FF face off against The Crusader, the Thing teams up with the Hulk to form a monster tag-team to take on the remaining members of the FF which concludes with Ben de-powered and returning to human form, we then see the introduction of The Thing suit of armour. An exoskeleton that gives Ben Grimm the visage and power of the ever lovin blue eyed Thing. The battle Luke Cage - Power Man, who is being controlled by the nefarious Puppet Master and get into zany fun when the Impossible Man pops up and invades the Marvel bullpen. The Frightful Four take up residence in the baxter building and with their ranks depleted to only three members, audition other villains (and heroes) to join their gang. Unknown to the rest of the FF, Reed Richards is replaced by an evil counter part from another dimension and finally the team travel to New Salem to rescue Agatha Harkness and Reed and Sue's son Franklin from Agatha's evil Warlock son; Nicholas Scratch.

That's a hell of a lot of story for just one 11 issue volume! Volume 2 is no different with the FF going toe to toe against Klaw, the Molecule Man and The Plunderer, before the team decides to break up and call it a day.

These books are fun and the best thing about them is the glorious art work from Pérez, a grand master of the comic book industry that proven his status time and again, but could these gems, crafted in 1977 be some of his best work ever? The only problems are the gaps in story lines, but it really isn't the end of the world.




The Overthrow of DOOM - (w) Len Wein, Roger Slifer, Keith Pollard, Marv Wolfman & Bill Mantlo (a) George Pérez & Keith Pollard

This book picks up where Pérez Visionaries vol 2 left off, with the FF broken up and gone on their separate ways. The first few issues are more solo adventures than a team book as Johnny tries his hand at becoming a race care driver, The Thing, a former test pilot, offers his services to NASA and Sue Richards heads to Hollywood to try her hand as a movie starlet. All end with disastrous circumstances as trouble seems to follow this heroic band of misfits wherever they go. And what about Reed? Well he has been kidnapped, brainwashed and turned into the super villain known as the Invincible Man, sent on a mission to capture the remaining members. Unbeknownst to him, Doctor Doom is in the background pulling the strings.You see, Doom is about to step down as ruler of Latveria and has hand picked his successor, a clone of himself and now with the Fantastic Four captures, he plans to syphon their super powers into Doom the Second. Things go wrong when Doom Junior defies his "Father" and Victor is forced to kill his creation, leading to an all out battle between Doctor Doom and Mr Fantastic.
This story arc is brilliant. Classic Dr Doom, being the despot that he is, trying to take over the world one piece at a time. Pérez continues to wow with his artwork, as does Keith Pollard who takes over the art duties. This is a very fun book that I would highly recommend, even without reading the previous two books, you can go straight into this.

In Search of Galactus - (w) Marv Wolfman (a) Sal Buscema, John Byrne & Keith Pollard

The Fantastic Four jet off into deep space after the Queen of the planet Xandar finds herself on Earth after being chased by an invading Skrull. The FF agree to accompany her and help in the Xandarians plight against the evil Skrull Empire. The danger lies within the Xandarian living computer, a database of brainwaves of every Xandarian that ever lived and a most frighteningly deadly weapon in the wrong hands. Joining them on their mission is the New Champions, a team led by Nova and comprising of Crime-Buster, Powerhouse, Diamond Head, the Comet, Dr Sun and The Sphinx. Only the Sphinx has a plan of his own and breaks into the Xandarian computer and steals the power for himself. Now, almost indestructable, The Sphinx heads back to Earth, hell bent on destruction and the only being in the universe powerful enough to be able to stop him is Galactus, the eater of worlds. Now the FF need to find Galactus and convince him to help them save Earth before it is too late.
Also guest staring Spider-Man and with an early appearance of Nova, this book is a cosmic saga of epic proportions that is another great Sci Fi romp for the Fantastic Four!


Fantastic Four Visionaries by John Byrne volume 0 - (w) Chris Claremont, Marv Wolfman, Bill Mantlo & John Byrne (a) John Byrne

A teaser volume for the classic run that is John Byrne on the Fantastic Four. A couple of issues of Marvel-Team Up, which see Spidey teaming up with the Human Torch and Ms Marvel to take on the Super Skrull, an issue of Marvel Two-In-One which sees the Thing travel back in time to find himself bitter after only just being transformed into a monster and then they clash in Thing vs. Thing action. The volume rounds off with six issues of the World's Greatest Comics Magazine in which the Fantastic Four do battle with The Frightful Four (with a little help from your Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man), Blastaar, the Futurist and HERBIE the robot, who has been possesed by Dr Sun and is on a mission to destroy the FF.
This is a great, fast read, but it is the rest of the John Byrne run that I am really looking forward to sinking my teeth into.


So have these books changed my mind about Reed Richards? A little, yes. I still think he is a bit of a douche, but I seriously can't hate on these classic ctories from the late seventies/early eighties. These have all been really fun to read and I would most certainly recommend them.


M X



Monday 10 September 2012

Living with depression and anxiety.

I have mental health issues. Sounds dramatic doesn't it. Makes you think of awful afflictions like Alzheimer's Disease or Schizophrenia. Maybe you have an image in your head of someone in a vegetative state. But then maybe there are a good few of you that instantly understand, because believe it or not, 1 in 4 people in the UK have some sort of mental illness.

Mine is a more common affliction of a mixture of depression and anxiety which is no where near as fun as it sounds.
For me it started in the December of 2003. I was working as a temp at Walls and Floors for an employment agency. No contract to start with, but a promise that if I worked hard there would be a full time job at some point. I was there for a good month, cracking on with my work and having a laugh in the process. I was moved into the warehouse and my new job was to pick tiles for orders, including some extremely heavy boxes of tiles that seemed more like slabs. And it was lifting one of those boxes that I put my back out. I couldn't stand without being in pain and as I was no longer of any use to the company, I was let go. With no contract they didn't need to offer me any sick pay whilst I recuperated and so they just booted me out, a couple of weeks before Christmas. This is a cold harsh reality that I have had to live through again very recently and am now quite used to, but at the time I was devastated. I lay on the living room floor whilst recovering, feeling sorry for myself and lost in my own thoughts. This is when depression took over. A complete feeling of helplessness and self pity, angry at the world for putting me in this position, angry at other people who carry on with their lives blissfully unaware of what I was having to deal with and convinced that I had ended up in a hole that I was never going to escape from. Depression sucks you in and holds you in a vice like grip that is so difficult to break free from. I've had people tell me to just cheer up, but it is never that easy. It takes massive amounts of will power and a lot of time. Some people never recover.

Anyway, I began taking medication and visiting a councillor and not long after I landed a new job working for Midland Mainline, selling tickets at the train station. My depression seemed to subside at least for the time being, but I was about to be hit with a dose of anxiety to make up for it. You see, in all of the previous jobs that I had worked, I always found myself working with a friend. Very rarely was I ever in a work environment that I didn't know anybody and in those rare instances I was thrown straight into work and didn't have much time to over think it. But this time I was sent on a training course in Derby where I sat in a room full of strangers and waited whilst the instructors fannied about with their Power Point Presentations. I was out of my depth and way out of my comfort zone.

Right about now there will be a good chunk of you reading this and wondering what all the fuss is about. Sitting in a room with new people is no big deal. Once again, I wish it was that easy...

Suddenly a wave of panic washed over me. I felt sick and the walls felt like they were closing in on me. I had never experienced a panic attack before and was confused by what was happening, which made me panic even more. I had to excuse myself and go to the toilet to throw up. All of a sudden I was stricken with this ailment that I didn't understand and I couldn't shift. Things that I would have previously taken for granted became incredibly hard tasks that would make me panic. Long car rides, sitting in the cinema or theatre or going to a gig, going for a long walk, travelling on the London Underground, attending a Wedding. All of these things sent my anxiety into overdrive and if I knew one of these things was approaching in the near future, I would panic about panicking. It began to completely take over my life...

Until I started the business. Once the shop was up and running my focus was entirely on business and I worried less about my anxiety. There were still occasions that it would flare up, but it began decreasing with every passing month until it hardly bothered me at all. Even when money was drying up and it looked like we were going under, I kept a cool head, not because I wanted to, but because I had to.

Since the close of the business both my depression and anxiety have returned. I have a better grasp on them now and find them easier to control. I may still panic, but I don't panic about panicking. I have to sit on an aisle seat at the cinema, otherwise I feel claustrophobic and I can go days on end without leaving the house because my anxiety leads to agoraphobia and my home is my safe zone, but for most of the time, I have it well under control.

What I want to pass on to you, the reader of this blog, is that all of this isn't a big deal. It is of course a big deal to me personally, but it shouldn't be to anyone else. I don't expect everyone to understand, but I also won't put up with blatant ignorance. It's nothing to be scared of or to feel awkward about. It's just me and I'm dealing with it and will have to continue to deal with it probably for the rest of my life, but it doesn't make me any less of a person. And for those of you out there suffering too, you aren't alone. There are probably quite a few people in your lives that suffer from one form of mental illness too and hide it from the world.

As this is a bit of an unconventional blog for me, I'm going to leave you with some interesting statistics that I found on the Mental Health Foundation website:

  • 1 in 4 people will experience some kind of mental health problem in the course of a year
  • Mixed anxiety and depression is the most common mental disorder in Britain
  • Women are more likely to have been treated for a mental health problem than men
  • About 10% of children have a mental health problem at any one time
  • Depression affects 1 in 5 older people
  • Suicides rates show that British men are three times as likely to die by suicide than British women
  • Self-harm statistics for the UK show one of the highest rates in Europe: 400 per 100,000 population
  • Only 1 in 10 prisoners has no mental disorder

M X