Dave Talks Comics - Episode 32

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Dave Talks Comics - Episode 31

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Dave Talks Comics - Episode 30

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Dave Talks Comics - Episode 29

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Dave Talks Comics - Episode 28

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Dave Talks Comics - Episode 27

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Dave Talks Comics - Episode 26

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Dave Talks Comics - Episode 22

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Dave Talks Comics - Episode 21

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Dave Talks Comics - Episode 20

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Dave Talks Comics - Episode 19

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Dave Talks Comics and Cartoons - Episode 6

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Movie Trailers

• True Legend (2011)
• Eega (2012)
• Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame (2010)
• Flying Swords of Dragon Gate (2011)

Dave Talks Comics and Cartoons - Episode 3

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1. Comic Book Conventions
2. Stuff I read: Quantum & Woody 1-4
3. Stuff I read: Krypton Chronicles 1-3
4. Stuff I read: Marvel Two-in-One 7
5. Stuff I Watched: Justice League: Hereafter

BCC2012 Panel: Spotlight on Frank Quitely

Panel: Spotlight on Frank Quitely

(Recorded on Sunday, September 9 at the 2012 Baltimore Comic Con)

José Villarrubia (r) interviews Frank Quitely (l) - Roughly two-thirds of the panel was a discussion between the two artists. The audience got a chance to ask some questions during the last 20 minutes. Both men talked kind of quietly, no pun intended.

Audio (51:44)

Other 2012 Baltimore Comic Con Panels
- Spotlight on Phil LaMarr
- The History of Censorship in Comics
- Tribute to Joe Kubert

BCC2012 Panel: Tribute to Joe Kubert

Panel: Tribute to Joe Kubert
(Recorded on Sunday, September 9 at the 2012 Baltimore Comic Con)

Panelists: Thom Zahler, Tim Truman, Robert Greenberger (moderator), Tom Raney, and Paul Levitz

Three of them (Zahler, Truman, Raney) are alums of the Kubert School. Levitz worked with him going back to the early 70s. Greenberger leads them in a discussion centered around their memories of Kubert, mostly as a teacher and mentor.

Audio (56:44)

Other 2012 Baltimore Comic Con Panels
- Spotlight on Phil LaMarr
- The History of Censorship in Comics

BCC2012 Panel: The History of Censorship in Comics

The History of Censorship in Comics with Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (CBLDF) Deputy Director Alex Cox and Comic Book Author and Historian Fred Van Lente

This was recorded using my iPhone and the audio is less than perfect. It may be necessary to adjust the volume in order to hear everything.

Audio (1:03:26)

2012 Small Press Expo (SPX) - Final Thoughts

I didn't set a budget for myself this year. I spent $100 (which includes $15 for a 2-day pass) and came home with several books. I was tempted but did not buy any sketches this year.

The variety of books and other products available at SPX continues to intrigue me. I love being surprised and there were plenty of them at this year's show. I'm always anxious that all I am going to see at SPX is the same people, selling the same things, giving me the same sales pitch as the year before. There was a little of that but there were also enough new things to excite me.

I made it to 5 panels and I could have gone to more. I recorded all 5 panels on my iPhone and am planning to post the audio here, probably next week. Two of them were a lot of fun. The others were informative but a little more low key. I didn't go to any of the artist spotlight-type panels. Instead I opted for the subject-oriented, discussion-type panels. Overall I was very impressed by the slate of programming for this year's show. Every time I chose one panel over another I was a little sad that I was missing out on the panel I didn't attend.

I bought three books that I came to the show with the intention of perusing and/or buying: Maggie the Mechanic by Jamie Hernandez, District Comics, and Wizzywig by Ed Piskor. Everything else  I bought was new to me.

I didn't see everyone that I thought I would see. I walked around a lot but I didn't hang out in the evenings. Maybe if I had I would have seen more faces that I recognize.

I love that this show is in my backyard.

I continue to be annoyed that SPX and Baltimore Comic Con are so close together on the calendar. I just don't get it. For the third year in a row I went to both and I probably will again next year. If I ever choose to go to just one (and not the other) then SPX will be the one (and not the other).

There's another local convention this coming weekend but I am all conned out for the present. I don't have any plans to go to any conventions for at least 6 months. I've got a ton of books to keep me busy reading until next Spring.

2012 Small Press Expo (SPX) - Day 2

Even though I saw most of what there was to see on the show floor on Day 1, I wandered around, bought a few more books, and took a few pictures. I spent considerably more time in panels than I did perusing the aisles.

District Comics: An Unconventional History of Washington, DC - a collection of comics about my hometown; having lived in the DC area for most of my life it proved impossible to resist buying this book, especially after I picked it up and flipped through it

The Legend of Jow Lung by Sifu Abdur-Rahim and Clay Harris - the first installment of a story set in China in the early 20th century

Wizzywig: Portrait of a Serial Hacker by Ed Piskor - a beautifully bound and packaged story which will hopefully live up to all the great things I have heard about it

I also went to a couple panels. I recorded both of them and will hopefully post the audio of them here in the near future.

Panel: Disney and the Making of Postwar Manga - The Case of New Treasure Island with Ryan Holmberg and Joe McCulloch (moderator)

Panel: Images of America - Real and Imagined with Nick Abadzis, Dean Haspiel, Stan Mack, Ben Towle, and Isaac Cates (moderator)

2012 Small Press Expo (SPX) - Day 1

I arrived at 11:30, the show opened at 11. I spent my first hour-and-a-half wandering the show floor. I was very tentative at first when it came to approaching tables. Eventually I got over my skittishness and started talking to creators.

I didn't have any extremely memorable conversations but I did see some things I liked. I focused on what was on the tables. Many creators looked up but didn't try to say anything to me unless I made eye contact with them. Others were a little more forward. Some gave me a look that made me feel that I wasn't the sort of person with whom they wanted to interact.

I stopped by Jesse Lonergan's table. He had a big stack of original art. It was all part of his dance-themed sketch-a-day project: Dancer a Day. Most of the characters in the sketches were from Marvel and DC comics. He was selling them for $20 a piece. I considered buying one but in the end decided not to. I also decided not to tell him what I thought of his graphic novel, Flower and Fade, that I bought from him last year at SPX. I wasn't real wild about it, in large part because I had a hard time relating to either of the primary characters in the story.

I wanted to go to a panel at 1 PM but I missed the beginning and it was standing room only by the time I got there. Instead I found a seat in the hallway outside the panel room and took stock of what I saw on the show floor and what I wanted to buy. After roughly 20 minutes I went back to the show floor, looked around some more and bought some stuff.

Herman the Manatee Vol. 1 (Gets Hit by a Boat) by Jason Viola - I considered buying the latest volume (Herman the Manatee Has Had Enough) but decided to start at the beginning instead.

Jay's Brain by Jason Viola - anthropomorphic brain = genius idea

Leftovers (1,2,3) by Jason Pittman and Shelly Briggs - Sounded like a neat concept, I liked the look of it, and the price ($8 for the set) didn't seem unreasonable

The Exodus by Jason Pittman - free with the purchase of the Leftovers set

Bee Sting by Matthew D. Smith and Jeremy Massie - Redneck noir, or at least that's the way it was described to me by one of the creators.

Maggie the Mechanic by Jamie Hernandez - I've heard so much about Love and Rockets over the years and finally decided I had to give it a try. It was a toss up between this collection and Heartbreak Soup. I considered buying both but settled on just this one, for now.

In addition to buying stuff I also attended and recorded three panels. I have yet to check the recording to see how they have come out. Provided that they are for the most part intact I will post them here in the near future.

Institution Building and Comics with (l-r) Cheryl Kaminsky, Caitlin McGurk, Tom Hart, Sara Duke, and Tom Spurgeon (moderator)

Drawing Out Childhood - Summoning Childhood Experience with (l-r) MariNoami, Derf Backderf, John Porcellino, Julia Wertz, and Mike Dawson (moderator)

Comics as Children's Literature with (l-r) Renée French, Mark Newgarden, Brian Ralph, Françoise Mouly, and Philip Nel (moderator)

2012 Baltimore Comic Con - Final Thoughts

I am very pleased with my purchases. I spent considerably less than I have at previous cons. I spent roughly $100 on art and $50 on comics. I also came home with considerably less stuff (2 prints, 3 pieces of original art, 3 collected editions) than I have in the past.

Driving in both days, instead of getting a hotel room in Baltimore, saved me at least $240 and didn't really inconvenience me at all. It is a relatively short drive, when there isn't heavy traffic.

I'm undecided on the expanded show room floor. Last year artists alley was incredibly crowded because the aisles were much narrower. In that respect, at least, it was better. Oddly enough it seemed a little too open this year. I'm not sure what to suggest but I'm hoping that they at least tweak the layout of artists alley next year. I'm also curious to hear and read what the artists thought of the new layout.

What I would really like them to do is add big banners hanging from the ceiling like they have at Heroes Con. Those banners at Heroes Con make it much easier to figure out where you are and where artists' tables are located.

So far I've listened to two of the four panels that I recorded. Both turned out ok, not great, but okay. There is a fair amount of ambient noise on them, especially the one that took place in a very large room. I am surprised by how well the microphone on my iPhone picked up voices in all sorts of directions from where I was seated. I will have to try this again in the future.

That's it for Baltimore Comic Con for this year.

Up next: Small Press Expo