Cardiff International Comic & Animation Expo...

During last October I went to the one day equivalent of this event, it was pretty damn fun. After the two day version had passed me by for the previous few years it had taken place, it was time to take the opportunity to revel in two full days of hardcore geekery in my home city.

I woke up on the Saturday raring to go. Sadly my friend Dan, who incidentally is the man I call 'The Dealer' (he sells me comics), couldn't attend. That didn't slow me down any, the comic book community are friendly and amiable folk, so I knew I'd find some poor sod whose ear I could bend incessantly about Batman until they cried. An old friend of mine is always part of the brilliant team who staff these events, so there was always him to annoy (whilst you were stood toilet-tending, eh Mike?!) and plug for info about who was where.

As soon I got through the door, collected my wristband and numerous freebies (a copy of Avengers Arena #1 and a novel called 'The Alchemist' among them) and headed to the area we all know and love as Artist Alley. I'd realised a few days before that I have a copy of the blank cover variant of Batman issue #0 and after getting an awesome Spider-Man print at the October event, I knew who I was headed to!
I made straight for the table where a British artist called Lee Bradley (check out his work at http://www.leebradley.com/ ) was sat, he knew to expect me after a twitter chat. As soon as I pulled out my copy of Batman his face lit up, "ah! hello mate, I've been really looking foward to you showing up". We spoke for a few minutes about how Bats is his favourite character to draw, but due to him being known mainly for his work on Transformers comics, he rarely gets asked. He seemed pretty bloody stoked to be doing this sketch.
He asked me what I wanted, "Batman, looking fucking cool and feel free to use your imagination. Just have fun with it, dude". Lee told me to give him a few hours and off I went.

Next stop, another pre-planned one, was the table where a group of local comic writers were selling the 5th issue of their brilliant black and white comic Lou Scannon (http://louscannon.co.uk/blog/). I highly recommend checking this book out, it's great fun, superbly drawn and has a pretty interesting story that keeps you interested for future issues. I picked up the issue after a good chin-wag with the three guys who make the comic, bloody funny guys they are too!
They even remembered me from October, which is either ominous or a compliment, they asked what I thought of the other issues and thanked me for supporting their book. After getting my copies signed, it was time to see what other delights I could find.

On my way to the Lou Scannon table, I spotted these pretty damn freaky things:

These are the bears the maker of a comic called Bearlands had on his table. Issue #1 is called 'Zombie Bears', it tells the story of a loner, roaming a post Zombie apocalyptic world, who happens across a fortified town. He buys his way into the town using the one commodity all bears cannot resist.......HONEY! Once inside, things get interesting.
It's a really cool idea, the adult tone and visceral violence offset by the characters all being teddy bears makes it a gloriously crazy read.  You can buy copies and get more information at  http://www.subversivecomics.com/

Here's the cover of issue #1, which I bought and had signed by the writer, Jeremy Biggs:

Then it was time to head to the next table, one I was massively excited about. Promoting an online only, weekly comic anthology called Aces Weekly (you can find it at http://www.acesweekly.co.uk/home) . Backed by and including art from none other than David Lloyd, the genius behind the artwork in the classic V for Vendetta.
Thankfully, as I arrived, there were no people around the table. Available and happy to chat, David was a welcoming and friendly dude, more than happy to talk at length about his work. Thankfully both old as well as new. He told me what we already knew, but was no less cool to hear from the man himself, that V was inspired by Guy Fawkes and he also mentioned that when used in peaceful protest, he feels quite proud that the image he created is used as a collective face for the people.
For £7 I bought a card with a code for the first volume of Aces Weekly (not read all of it, yet. But so far it's really cool) and one side was blank. So, as I imagine most people who bought one that weekend did, I asked David to do a small sketch of V for me on the back, here it is:

Watching him knock up a sketch like that in what was probably only two minutes was amazing, I wish I could draw like that! Here's a pic of the moment I papped David Lloyd..... (sadly it's a bit blurry)

I also had a quick chat with the dude who was sat with him (whose name I sadly didn't catch) who said from the second volume of Aces Weekly, there will be a story called 'Santa vs The Nazis'. Which was inspired by the true events of the Nazis invading Lapland, the general premise being that the Nazis figure if Santa can deliver presents to the whole world in one night, he can deliver bombs, too.

After some much needed grub, it was time to head back and see what Lee Bradley had in store for me. I'd walked past a few times in the two hours since I handed him my comic and he was busy sketching away on it every time, he put a lot of work into it!
When he passed the finished article to me, I was amazed, my exact words were "fuck me, that's awesome!!" it's even cooler than I'd hoped, this guy is seriously good at what he does.

See for yourselves:

This now has pride of place in a wall mounted comic book frame. It's now one of the prized pieces in my comic collection.

A surprise addition to the day came in meeting the son of an old family friend, Nick Robatto, owner of a company called Rubbertoe (www.rubbertoeprops.com). He's the man responsible for many of the props used in the last few series of Doctor Who, including the Sonic Screwdrivers, parts of the Daleks and most impressively, the current TARDIS console. He had a few replica props with him for sale, I took a pick of the Dalek prop

After some time walking around the tables that people were selling from, where I picked up some back issues of Batman, some Amazing Spider-Man and volume one of Saga for a bargain £5, it was time for a few panels.
I met up with my friend, Mike and we headed to the first panel, which was a comic book based quiz in the style of a radio. Featuring writers for 2000AD and a girl from the north-east asking the questions, it was a really good laugh and a welcome change of pace from the madness of the Expo floor!

To finish off the day in style, we were treated to a screening of a 20 minute Judge Dredd fan film, called Judge Minty. In the Q&A afterwards, they told us that Minty was in an issue of 2000AD in the eighties for only 5 pages, he made such an impact with the writer of the film he felt compelled to write this film around him.
Unfortunately, Mike and I missed the first few minutes of the film, which we were later told was some rather stunning CGI footage of Mega City one, but what we did see was absolutely brilliant. For a film made on a budget of £10,000, the production values were amazing. I'd even go as far as to stay they were indistinguishable from many big budget Hollywood movies.
The tone and mood of the short were akin to that of Dredd, depicting Judge Minty taking the famed 'long walk' that some Judges choose to make when they retire from duty. I thoroughly enjoyed it and thankfully, in the post-movie Q&A, we were told that the whole thing, plus an additional "mood scene" of CCTV footage around the city, will be made available free online late April/early May.
I won't go into any more detail about the movie, it would be a shame to spoil it for people. I highly recommend you keep your eyes peeled for when it is available to watch, it's a fantastic example of how good a fan film can be.

That rounded off day one of the Expo, in pretty fine style. Knackered, but thoroughly full of groovy geek vibes, it was time to head home.

DAY TWO:

The Sunday of the Expo involved me giving my good friend Dave his very first exposure of a comic convention. I was pretty excited to show him how fun these things are and give him a taste of what's to be expected at these events.
A markedly quieter day than Saturday (at times it was difficult to even move on Saturday!), the mood was very chilled out and wonderfully friendly. This day would prove to be a much more laid back and easy going affair.

Dave and I immediately set out to raid the sellers for any and all back issues of comics we collect. I managed to dig out the entire first volume of Batman Inc. for him at £1 an issue, possibly the best bargain of the weekend. I picked up 11 more Amazing Spider-Man issues and off we went.

On the first day, I spotted a guy who had some really amazing digitally drawn prints he was selling, including Optimus Prime holding a Welsh flag (till all are one, mun) which was selling like crazy. The print that caught my eye, however, was one of TMNT in the style of the new TV series.
At £5 per print, it would have been rude to not invest in one. So I picked one up, asked the artist to sign it and so started a pretty interesting conversation.
Turns out the artist, John-Paul Bove (www.wordmongerer.deviantart.com), does a lot of work for IDW. He recently did colours for the TMNT mini-series Fugitoid issue, as well as work on Transformers and Doctor Who comics.
The really interesting part came when he said that the TMNT print he was selling is his test art for a comic he is writing and drawing, based on the new TV show, for release in the UK through Panini. I was pretty surprised when he said there were no plans for a US version or a release of his book over there. But he did mention he was trying to figure something out with IDW.
John-Paul also teased big things coming in the main IDW TMNT book, all he said was one word and that was "rift".
I'm a pretty big fan of that book, so i can't wait to find out where it's headed after that tease. Anyway, here's a pic of the print I bought:



After some food, we headed back to the Expo and proceeded to make one final round of the stalls and tables. I spotted a new Batman hardcover for a bargain price of £10, which ended up in my bag.
We spoke to another artist who was selling A3 prints of some pretty funny Deadpool art he'd done. Dave bought one that was of Deadpool being chased by Batman whilst saying "A billionaire who dresses up as a bat to fight crime?! Now THAT'S my kind of crazy".

By then, things were starting to wind down, so we decided to call it a day. A much less eventful, yet just as fun, day. A good way to ease a friend into the fun of attending cons, I'm pretty sure Dave will be hitting next year's event with me pretty hard, judging from him mentioning about going with £100 to spend!

All in all, an awesome weekend, which is testament to the hard work by the Expo team. They're a small bunch who manage to pull off something brilliantly fun, diverse and immensely gratifying. I can't wait for next year!!!

To finish off, here's a picture of a young lady (if you can call her that, given what she's up to) blowing some dust off Darth Vader's helmet:

and a one of some brilliant Gears of War cosplay.

If you got this far, thanks for reading!

It's been a while...

It's been quite some time since I last posted anything on this blog, so I'd imagine it really is about tine that I did!

The subject matter will, as always, remain the same, hence the title. I'll do my best to post something on here on a semi-regular basis from now on, I doubt anyone gives this blog much more than a passing glance, but it would be nice for there to be a bit more substance for you to speed read and then go about your business feeling no more enlightened than when you started!

I recently attended the wonderful event that is Cardiff Comic Expo, keep an eye on this page for upcoming events: http://www.fantasyevents.org/cicae/ 
It was a brilliant weekend, with lots to tell you about. Including chats with legendary artists (David lloyd of V for Vendetta fame for starters)

So that will be my first post of any substance now I'm back into doing this thing.

Keep an eye out for it in the next few days, there'll be pictures and everything!

Take it easy.

The Marvel vs DC issue...

I've never written an opinion piece like this, I hope it goes okay...

One thing I've noticed that the Avengers movie has reignited is the debate about why Marvel is succeeding with their big screen offerings. DC on the other hand, Dark Knight Trilogy aside, have failed to produce the same level of quality and movies with wide ranging appeal. Let's face it, Superman Returns was far from great and the Green Lantern movie left a lot to be desired.

Personally, I think the root of the problem lies in DC's apparent reluctance to create any kind of fully formed universe across their comic book titles. If you look back at when Marvel introduced the Ultimate Universe and how, across most of the titles, they made sure you knew that what happened in one book had a direct impact on another. From little references in news bulletins on TV, to Nick Fury appearing to link things together, Marvels efforts to create a dynamic and living universe were there for all to see. I've recently re-read the entire three volumes of The Ultimates, the first 100 issues of Ultimate X-men and the first 40 issues of Ultimate Spider-Man, as well as the Ultimate Six series. There are so many references to each other across the titles, from mentions of Iron Man helping a stricken submarine in Ultimate X-men, to Nick Fury appearing in Ultimate Spider-Man and telling Peter Parker that once he hits 18 he belongs to him and will be part of the Ultimates. Whether or not the consistency across the titles as a universe and what Marvel have created across their movies was part of the same train of thought, I do not know. Regardless of that, the Ultimate Universe was a sign that Marvel was willing and able to take on this approach.

Looking to DC's New 52, there is a very obvious lack of consistency in terms of a universe feel. In the titles I read, the only crossing over of Justice League members into another book has been in Batman: The Dark Knight, which is easily the poorest Batman comic. All we had was a pointless cameo from Flash where he got infected with a toxin, then had to run as hard as he could to prevent his body metabolising it. It had no bearing on the story at all, what little story there is in that title! Another example is Hal Jordan, his character is massively different in the Justice League book when compared to the Green Lantern comic. I would have thought the 52 reboot would have been the perfect opportunity to align the comics and create a look and feel that runs throughout all the major titles. There's plenty of scope to play with characters like Batman and Superman etc. due to them appearing in multiple titles, but make the main runs into a universe where one title impacts on another and the foundations are laid for it to be carried into the movies. Apart from that, it would make the DC universe even more fun. I'm not looking to bad mouth DC at all, as I've said in previous posts Batman is my favourite comic and I enjoy all of the 52 books I buy (Dark Knight aside, I'm hoping that won't be terrible forever). They're well written, exciting, sometimes humorous and usually a rewarding read. The fact of the matter is, I want to see the Justice League characters each get a damn good movie and have a Justice League movie get made as a result. When you look at the superheroes it will have involved, if it's handled right, it could be something really special.

When you look at how Marvel have gone about things since around 12(ish) years ago, when the Ultimate universe was created, it seems they've been setting things up. A long-term plan is there to see, from creating the comics, then beginning to release a series of movies that tie-in, then the pay-off with the Avengers. Marvel's stock in terms of cinema attendances and comic sales will only rise from here. If they carry on as they are, they are in for prolonged success and I'm excited to see what they have in store, both in print and on screen. If DC do wish to follow suit and release a Justice League movie in the future, the ball needs to start rolling very soon. Batman will be rebooted after Nolan's trilogy ends, if they're smart they will get things moving with that. But then there's the issue of getting movies for all the other characters made and released. Superman could be tied in with a sequel to the upcoming Man of Steel. You have to feel that the JL characters relationships with each other are rather more complicated than that of the Avengers so it's going to be very tricky to get right. As things stand, I cannot see how DC could get things in place for a JL movie in the next ten years. At current pace they run the risk of the comic book movie trend being dead by the time it comes about, but then their output for the big screen has historically been pedestrian in terms of its regularity.

I speak as a fan. After seeing the wonderful job Marvel and Joss Whedon did with the Avengers, I'm now hungry to see the likes of Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern and Martian Manhunter together in a movie. Marvel has left DC in its wake hugely and they must be loving every second, maybe the added knowledge of Disney is playing a part in how they're going about things, that's a pretty big wealth of talent to draw on when it comes to releasing films. Marvel are now sat with their feet up watching the money roll in, this must be hugely gratifying to them when it is often mentioned that sales of comics are down, as are sales of many things right now.
That being said, since the New 52 was launched, DC titles have regularly filled the top ten selling titles each week, so it's obvious that people enjoy what they're doing in their comics. If that was translated into a series of films leading into a JL movie, it could be absolutely huge. But time is very much of the essence if DC want to ride the coat tails of Marvel and make an absolute behemoth of a money making, as well as a critical, success.

 What they do from here remains to be seen, I just hope they don't fall flat on their face if/when they get things moving.

Review: Batman issues #2 - #8

Well, I did say it would be a while until I posted again. But better late than never, right?

So, now the story has been fully developed and the Night of the Owls event has finally kicked off (big time!), now would be a good time to give my thoughts on the issues leading up to it.
Like I said in my previous post, Batman's in pretty good hands with Scott Snyder, his previous runs with Bats have been nothing short of superb. Black Mirror and The Gates of Gotham will go on to be regarded as classic pieces of story telling in the modern history of the character.

I won't spoil any of the story for you here, I strongly encourage you get involved with this Snyder Batman run, it's going to be a hell of a ride, especially as how he's with the title until about issue #30.
Basically, what Snyder had achieved here is to make Batman appear vulnerable, as well as Bruce. Wayne has discovered that since the 1800's a group called the Court of Owls has been manipulating Gotham, waiting for the right moment to strike and take control of the city. They've already captured Batman once, driven him half insane and even worse, scared him.
This group has now started the assault on Gotham, in awe inspiring fashion. They want to wipe anyone who might stand in their way off the map, it seems they have the means with which to do so as well.
The scale of what faces the Bat family here is bigger than pretty much anything that's gone before, maybe Cataclysm aside. Bruce/Batman has lost control of his city and not only is every figure of importance in the city as risk of being killed by the Court's assassins, called the Talons, every person who he's trained to help with his fight and he himself could face the end of their mission. The palpable sense of danger built up in this book so far is wonderfully realised, you really feel that Batman is fearing for his city and there's a sense of claustrophobia that there as a result. To say that you cannot see a way for this to end well is an understatement, this really does feel that desperate.
We all know Batman and the Bat family will find a way, but how it'll be done is right now a long way from being obvious!

Alongside Snyder's well crafted story, the suspense and feeling around this booked is rounded off and brought home with gorgeous artwork from Greg Capullo. His version of Bruce has shown more fear and emotion than most before, at times he has looked terrified and helpless. Not something you see often, if at all, when it comes to Batman, especially in recent times. Not even when revelations on the scale of Jason Todd's return has he been drawn with such detail and emotion.

Batman has been my favourite comic book for years, but you always know and feel he'll win and defeat his foe at the end of the story. This story is different, you really feel that Batman has his back to the wall and there's even a sense of panic and helplessness about him.
I can't recommend this book enough, events are ten a penny in comic books these days, but this one feels different. This could well end with Batman and Gotham City coming out permanently changed, in a way that's not good for Bats.

If you read comics, check this out. You won't be let down.

Review: Batman issue #1

Batman's first issue of the 'new 52' era gets things going with a bang. Written by Scott Snyder, a guy making a big name for himself in the comic book world, deservedly so too. His previous work on Batman (check out the brilliant Black Mirror story) was a huge hit, for all the right reasons, which isn't always something you can say for big selling comics.
The art behind the title of this blog, is by Greg Capullo, an artist I've been a fan of since his days drawing Spawn, he is perfectly suited to capturing the Batman tone and giving the characters the look and feel you expect from the classic characters in this book.
The issue starts at a fast pace, with Batman being faced by several big name villains. Only to be followed by what appears to be Batman fighting alongside the Joker to take care of them all. Within the space of 5 pages I was already made to double take twice just to be sure of what I was seeing!
This is followed by the familiar rooftop rendezvous between Jim Gordon and Bats, discussing how what just happened was the result of an investigation into a crooked guard at Arkham Asylum who sprang the doors to stop Batman in his tracks. There's a really cool bit of wry humour in this part, the Batman/Gordon dynamic should always be a big part of any Batman book.
The real story at the heart of this new arc takes its first steps when we see Bruce Wayne unveiling his plans for new skyscrapers in Gotham, redeveloping the city's most derelict areas and investing in Gotham's future. Typically, whilst mingling with the masses at the event and talking business, Bruce uses a new toy of his to lip-read Jim Gordon. After finding out what Gordon was saying, Wayne makes his excuses and leaves. Back to being the real him, Batman. The crime scene Batman ends this issue at is a grisly murder, a man stuck to a wall with several throwing knives sticking out of his dead body. Each knife has an owl logo on the hilt, a hint of things to come.
I won't spoil the end of the issue for anyone who reads this. I'll just say that if the issue started with a bang, it ends with a slap in the face. I can assure you the end of this book will leave you open mouthed.

At the time the new 52 was announced I was incredibly sceptical about Batman starting back at issue #1. In Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo DC have put the book in very capable hands. This is genuinely an exciting start to the new era and if you haven't already checked it out, I encourage you to do so. This is Batman at his finest and this is just the start!

My next review will be of issues #2 - #5. No idea when I'll post it, but it'll be before 2013 for sure. This is the first time I've written a real review of anything, I'm sure my shoddy work will improve in time. Hopefully, this will encourage a few people to check this great start to a huge comic reboot.

A good website...

Just a quick mention for a really cool comic book website (to which I am in no way affiliated I hasten to add), check out www.talkingcomicbooks.com even if it's just to check out their weekly podcast. It's a bloody good listen.