Dallas Comic Con 2013

This weekend I went to Dallas Comic Con 2013 at the Irving Convention Center in Irving, Texas. This is the second Comic Con event I've been to in the last year including Dallas Comic Con: Fan Days back in October. Dallas Comic Con is considered to be one of the largest "Mega-Cons" in the state along with smaller sister event the Sci-Fi Expo under the management of OfficialPix produced by C2 Ventures, Inc. This years' Comic Con was the biggest by far with 25,000 attendees! This years' Dallas Comic Con ran from May 17 to 19. Among the many special media guests included were: William Shatner, Richard Dean Anderson, John Noble, Brent Spiner, LeVar Burton, Gates McFadden, Kevin Conroy, Ernie Hudson, Brandon Routh along with many others! Also in attendance were some great comic book creators, writers and artists such as Jim Steranko, John Romita, Jr., Arthur Suydam, J. David Spurlock and many more! The two biggest disappointments this year was the cancellation of special guest Nathan Fillion and the Art of Akira exhibit. Although the con was incredibly crowded with incredibly long lines, a broken escalator and over priced food, I managed to meet and get autographs from all the guests I planned to this year including: John Noble (Denethor, Lord of the Rings Trilogy), plus Brent Spiner and LeVar Burton (Star Trek: The Next Generation), and also Kevin Conroy (voice of Batman, Batman Animated Series, Arkham Asylum)! The biggest thrill came from when me and my family met LeVar and Brent as we were dressed in our Star Trek uniform shirts, LeVar was overjoyed and took a picture of us on his own phone! I also had the pleasure of meeting comic book artists Jim Steranko and John Romita, Jr.! I was also able to attend several panels including the Kevin Conroy Q&A on Friday, the John Romita, Jr. Q&A on Saturday, and the Star Trek Q&A on Sunday. I love comic cons, the special guests, the vendors, the costumes/cosplay, but unfortunately, there is always the crowd. While I feel the crowd was somewhat manageable, the lines in the morning just to get in seemed so unorganized as we were lined up inside the convention center parking garage for hours! As for things that the con organizers had no control over, they were unavoidable such as the escalator breaking down Saturday afternoon and the convention center café running out of food on Sunday. But thankfully that did little to diminish the whole experience. I hope to return to Comic Con next year and may possibly attend the next Fan Days in October, there is also the Sci-Fi Expo in February.

LINKS: Dallas Comic Con Official Website, Dallas Comic Con on Facebook, Dallas Comic Con on Twitter

Comic Book Review: STAR WARS #1

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...Dark Horse Comics has owned the license to publish Star Wars comics exclusively since 1991. Since that time, there have been almost 100 titles set in the "Expanded Universe" (See The Star Wars Comics Timeline). While there has been a number of recently ongoing titles, not to mention mini-series and one-shots over the years. This year, Dark Horse Comics has released a new ongoing series simply titled "Star Wars"! Issue #1 was released onto the shelves today as it hopes to begin a new era of Star Wars comics. With a fantastic cover art by phenomenal painter Alex Ross with story by Brian Wood, art by Carlos D'Anda, colors by Gabe Eltaeb and letters by Michael Heisler. "In the Shadow of Yavin Part, One of Three" is set after the Battle of Yavin (Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope) and the destruction of the first Death Star. While Luke Skywalker, Princess/Senator Leia Organa and Wedge Antilles are searching the edge of the Outer Rim for a new home for The Rebellion, they encounter a Star Destroyer and a squad of Tie-Fighters. Leia's X-Wing is hit after she shoots down a Tie Interceptor and lands on a planet in the Dominus Sector. Meanwhile, Han Solo and Chewbacca depart from the Rebel Fleet in search of new opportunities. After Leia and her team safely arrive aboard Home One she is given command of a small force known as the "Shadow Council" by Mon Mothma to investigate the possibility of Imperial spies. Meanwhile, in the Kuat System The Emperor, displeased with his failure, orders Darth Vader on a new assignment and is replacing him with Colonel Bircher. This of course does not sit too well with Lord Vader as he ponders the reason for his failure at Yavin, namely: Skywalker! Thus begins a new chapter in the "Expanded Universe" of Star Wars, still going strong even after 35 years! In a recent Interview with Brian Wood on Nerdist.com, he explains how this title “will pretend like its 1977 and [in the character's minds] no other films were ever made or books ever written” and the challenge of  dealing with the fact that "Luke and Leia don’t know they’re siblings, Vader doesn’t know Luke exists, and so on." This title hopes to present a fresh, new start in the world of Star Wars comics which is already so full of popular storylines that takes place either before, between, (i.e. "Shadows of the Empire") or even after the movies that have already been established. As a lifelong Star Wars fan and on-again/off-again Star Wars comic book reader I'm looking forward to this new ongoing series. May The Force be With You!
Also see the Star Wars Blog entry with another interview with Brian Wood.

LINKS: Dark Horse Comics, Star Wars.com

Comic Book Review - Hellboy: In Hell #1

Back in August 2011, to put it simply...Hellboy died! After saving the world from a dragon in Hellboy: The Fury, Nimue's ghost plucked out his heart and of course, he went to Hell (not surprising)! Now he's BACK in "Hellboy: In Hell" #1 from Dark Horse Comics, which hopes to be Hellboy's triumphant return to comics! This new ongoing series also marks the return of creator, writer and artist Mike Mignola (with colors by Dave Stewart) as the artist on Hellboy for the first time since "The Conqueror Worm". Upon arriving "In Hell", or rather in The Abyss, Hellboy is confronted by some demonic, insect-creatures and an old, familiar face, who, of course wants to kick his ass! Guided by a mysterious warlock/spirit, Hellboy is led even further into The Pit. The first chapter of this new series is chock full of Hellboy weirdness, complete with elaborate, hellish scenes courtesy of Mike Mignola with and an odd reference to Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. Hellboy fans and readers have been looking forward to this for over a year. As comic fans know, you can't keep a good character down (i.e. Death of Superman) so it was inevitable that our beloved heavy-handed hero would return. Mike Mignola recently admitted that this will be an ongoing series that hearkens back to the original Hellboy series of which he now has complete control. Most of this story will be comprised of one and two-issue self-contained, story arcs with the first four issues released on a monthly basis. 

"A lot of what the first four issues are about is letting go of all the crap that he was dealing with for the last many years..." - Mike Mignola on Newsarama.com.

As this series progresses, Hellboy will venture deeper and deeper into hell and who knows what (or who?) he will encounter! Next Issue: Pandemonium! Also be sure to read B.P.R.D. - Hell On Earth: The Return of the Master!

Mike Mignola on "Hellboy: In Hell" @New York ComicCon

  Also check out: "Hellboy: A Christmas Underground" HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

 LINKS: Hellboy at Dark Horse Comics.com, Mike Mignola on Facebook, BPRD on Twitter,
Dark Horse Comics on Twitter

COMIC BOOK REVIEW: "HELLBOY: THE FURY"

R.I.P. HELLBOY (1944-2011)

Hellboy is DEAD! After 18 years of being one of Dark Horse Comics' most popular characters, his reign has finally come to an end! When the latest Hellboy storyline "The Fury" (written by Mike Mignola and art by Duncan Fegredo) was released back in June, fans had no idea it would be his last. This Wednesday saw the release of issue #3, the final chapter in "The Fury" and this message from Mike Mignola himself on the Dark Horse Comics website) confirmed the demise of Hellboy.
It has been a busy year for Hellboy, since being lost at sea (see: "The Third Wish") he has been in England along with Alice Monaghan, his new lover. When he was invited by witches of England to be the new king...he of course declined. The witches then reluctantly accepted a new queen, Nimue, who declared herself Goddess of War! Now she has gathered together an unholy army whose purpose is the destruction of all life on Earth! The only one who stands in her way is Hellboy, who has recently discovered he is descended from King Arthur!? While the noble dead have risen from the grave to follow their new king against Nimue's army, Hellboy gave his left eye to Baba Yaga (see: "Darkness Calls") in order to get past Nimue's army and into her tower where she transforms into the Dragon of Ragna Rok!
"The Fury" is the culmination of one of the longest Hellboy storylines ever, only to end with the ultimate battle of good vs. evil and the apocalypse! "The Fury" also marks the return of the Ogdru Jahad and Hecate. "The Fury" is one of the best Hellboy storylines ever and although creator Mike Mignola admitted that the death of Hellboy was inevitable this is not really the end of Hellboy... With the epic final confrontation and demise of Hellboy in "The Fury", fans should not be too discouraged as we eagerly await the return of Big Red in "Hellboy: In Hell" in 2012!