ComicCons Aren’t Events, They are Happenings.

It seems like everyone has at least one story where they talk about a thought that sounded great in their head but sounded ridiculous when they said it.  This is a story of something I was positive I knew in my head UNTIL I went to say it.

Before we dive into this story, I should point something out.  Despite my love for all things comics this was the first time that I put any significant thought, or money, into cosplay.  As you can see below, The Winter Soldier was nominated to be my alter ego during ComicCon.  I was told that any costume that contributed to covering up my entire face was preferable.  (I could only assume they meant that too many people recognizing me would cause massive outcries for my autograph and private photo sessions.)

But I digress...

I think you will agree that a ComicCon is not just a place that you go or a thing that you do...it’s a living, breathing organism.  Whether you are there to meet the cast of Sons of Anarchy, to explore the many iterations of “Doctor Who”, to dress up as a character who can snuff a planet with a sneeze, or to spend your child’s college account on all the variations of Spider-Man #700, you are with at least one other like-minded person.  How and why that happened was clear in my head until that fateful moment I was asked to explain it to someone.

picture wavy lines and “time traveling” music to signify that I am thinking back in time....

It was during the above photo session that my daughter and I were queried by a woman with a list of questions that, really, seemed to be one big question.

“Why do people do this type of thing?  There are alot of them right?  I mean, what’s the fascination with people coming here and playing dress-up?  What’s the draw of it all?”

There wasn’t a hint of sarcasm or nastiness in her voice.  She was completely sincere.

Ummmmmmmmmmm...what?  Is this a trick question?  Who are you here with and didn’t they explain any of this to you?  

I mean, I knew the answer but I had never been asked to verbalize it before.  I didn’t know there’d be a pop quiz!  I was never good at those things!  That’s why I cheated all the t.... (never mind all that, stay focused on the story)   Looking back, that probably wasn’t the right thing to tell her.  If I could go back in time to that very second and answer it all over again, this is what I would tell her:

A ComicCon is not an event, it’s a happening.  

It’s a gathering of thousands of people who believe that the time for heroes isn’t over, because it never ended. 

They are filled with individuals who don’t question why you’re different, nor are they bothered if you’re the same, they just want their photo taken together.

Are there alot of ComicCons?  Yes, there are.  But when you look at them close enough you realize that one is merely a continuation of another with a small pilgrimage in between for a change of scenery.

They are happenings where the words “stranger” and “introvert” are never used because there aren’t any there.

They are where there are loud flourishes of creativity through ideas, costumes, pencils, and pens...not through sub-committee meetings and majority votes.

Where a signature adds hundreds of dollars to the value of something already priceless.

Where the Joker and Harley Quinn get along and Bucky is fine with, or without, Cap.

It’s where geeks and nerds are only different because they sit at the top of the food chain.

Yes, if I could speak to that woman again it would be completely different and it would include a “thank you” for reminding me not to take things for granted.


Follow The Comic Whisperer on Social Media!

Facebook:                      The Comic Whisperer
Pintrest:                         The Comic Whisperer
Twitter:                          @comic_whisperer
Website:                        www.comicwhisperer.com

Bad Guys, Your Mom and Semantics

“Reason" according to the dictionary is defined as:

Noun:  a cause, explanation, or justification for an action or event.

“Excuse" according to the dictionary is defined as:

Noun:  a reason or explanation put forward to defend or justify a fault or offense.

“Semantics" according to the dictionary is defined as:

Noun:  the meaning of a word, phrase, sentence, or text.

I was reading the latest “New Suicide Squad” last night and saw something that applies to bad guys, your mom, and comics, not necessarily in that order.  The topic today is the difference between “Reason” and “Excuse”.  Frankly, it’s all just “Semantics”.  But let’s look closer.

If you’ve read the latest “New Suicide Squad” Annual (actually, it’s not just the latest, it’s the first one.) you will see yet another group trying to take over the world.

This time it’s a subset of the League of Assassins.

This particular subset is trying to bring about a change that, let’s say, outlaws the simple things in life such as freedom of speech, the ability to think for yourself, and worst of all...recess!  I do agree with one thing on their agenda and that is more, and better, education.  It’s not fun that it goes all year ‘round for the kids, and there are no summer breaks, and recess isn’t allowed, and....well, you get the idea.  In the midst of it all, however, Harley Quinn does her best to cheer the kids up.

But I digress...

There are the usual panels where people are overworked, and killed, etc.  There are also the usual panels where the people say, “I’m sick of excuses!!” at which point someone usually gets shot as an example to others.  Did you ever notice that no one ever says, “I’m sick of reasons!!”.

I put the definitions up top so you can see the subtle difference.  The “Reason” is justification for an action or event whereas the “Excuse” is to justify a fault of offense.  So let’s take an example.

“I’m sorry sir!  I can no longer work in your iron mine due to the fact that you have not fed me (ever) and I am only allowed 1 hour of sleep a week, sir!  I need water and a Twinkee.”

In my mind this is a pretty good “reason” for being unable to work in an iron mine.  It is not a fault or offense, right?  The person is tired, famished, and needs water and a Twinkee!  But what does the bad guy say?

“No Excuses!  Get back to work or die like the others!"

Now let’s look at this from a different angle.  Would the bad guy really sound like a bad guy if he said, “That’s not a good reason!  Get back to work or die like the others!”.

It IS a good reason!

Can we agree that the famished, tired worker gave a “reason” not an “excuse”?  It really is an issue of semantics.

Excuse, however, is often conveniently used in real life.  If I am late to work for the 17th time in 17 days, and I claim today that it was due to a flat tire, is that an “excuse” or a “reason”?  The flat tire is an action to be justified, but if I’m late to work all the time it could be an “excuse” to justify my ‘fault’ of always being late at work.  See!  It’s semantics!  (Isn’t it nice to know you will always learn something when reading this blog?)

My theory is that “reason” has a much softer sound to it and “excuse” has the hard sounds of the ‘x’ and ‘c’ in it.  It seems in comics and in life semantics kind of fly out the window and become an issue of what sounds better.  It’s my opinion so it must be right.

Think about it, it just wouldn’t be right for your mom to tell you as a child, “There’s no excuse to be afraid of the dark” and for the Red Skull to scream, “I WILL NOT TOLERATE REASONS!”.

Follow The Comic Whisperer on Social Media!

Facebook:                       The Comic Whisperer
Twitter:                           @comic_whisperer
Pinterest:                        The Comic Whisperer
Website:                          www.comicwhisperer.com

A Note of Thanks To The Artists at the Hartford ComicCon

I have always found it remarkable how people don’t understand how truly talented they are.  Everyone reading this has a talent which is admired by someone.  The problem is we are never told how much we are admired and when we are we tend to shrug it off.

Why is it that we would love to be complimented then when we are we say, “Oh, it’s really nothing.” or “Anybody can do what I do”.  It’s an odd trait that we all have.  That trait was never more obvious than at the Hartford ComicCon this past weekend.

It’s no secret to anyone that knows me that I have my own group of favorite artists, writers, etc.  We all do.  But it’s rare to find many of them in one spot on one day and you can meet them all.  This is what happened to me.

With the risk of leaving anyone out my personal favorites are:

Paul Ryan:  Iron Man, Squadron Supreme, Thor and the Thing to name a few
Mark McKenna:  Listed on more than 500 comics and inking over 8,000 pages
Mark Texeira:  Jonah Hex, Ghost Rider, the original Guardians of the Galaxy to name a few
Steve Orlando: Midnighter and Eisner Award Nominated Outlaw Territory to name a few
Kurt Busiek:  Astro City, AutumnLand, Trinity and Avengers to name a few
Chad Hardin:  Harley Quinn, Traveler, The Warlord to name a few
Ray Fawkes:  Batman Eternal, Constantine, Gotham by Midnight to name a few

They are all incredibly talented and I got to meet all of them except Kurt Busiek and Steve Orlando.

The thing that I noticed about all of them, though, was their incredible modesty.  The art that they have created is amazing and all of them were almost surprised at how much of a fan I was.  None of them asked me to pay for the autograph, although two did ask for a small donation to a special cause they were supporting which I gladly donated to.  On top of that several of them did something special for me as a fan.

Mark McKenna was extremely kind and more than willing to sit and talk.  Although he was drawing a custom picture for someone he told me how he much preferred speaking to the fans over drawing custom pics.  Since I did want a custom pic he offered to draw something special and personal if he could draw it at home and I pay a nominal fee (which is well worth it).

Paul Ryan took the time to talk about the cause to which he was taking donations.  He spoke with my son and I like he knew us forever and gladly signed autographs.  Not once did he ever make us feel rushed or that we were just another fan.

Mark Texeira was someone who enjoyed his work and it showed.  He was even surprised at how much we loved his work.  The thing about Mark was that he gave more than you asked for.  He not only signed my comic but he also drew a picture on the comic.  He didn’t stop there, though, he asked for the plastic that we kept our comics in and drew a picture on them!  I now need a plastic sleeve for my plastic sleeves.  He also asked for a modest donation to a cause and I gave him more than he asked for.

Chad Hardin was the first person I got to interact with and he was also incredibly friendly.  Although I did have a Harley Quinn comic for him to sign he was also selling a special Harley Quinn comic of which there were only 1,000 made.  For a nominal fee I bought the comic and he drew a picture of a zombie Joker on the front cover.  For those of you who follow me you know that I asked Neal Adams, at a previous ComicCon, to draw me the world’s only zombie Joker.  It was nothing short of awesome.  But Chad Hardin’s zombie Joker easily matched it.  The Joker he drew looks like it is actually part of the cover.

Ray Fawkes had a funny reaction to us coming to his table.  I was looking all over for him and simply could not find him.  It turns out I must have walked by him and his table 10 times and not seen him.  The reason?  Ray had no backdrop of his work, no fancy signs introducing him like the others had and was very modest.  When I told him we were looking all over for him he said, “For me?” as if he has never done anything worth talking about.  Ray was kind enough to take a picture with me and talk a little about his work.  He told me he was working on a really cool project that was being launched soon but said he couldn’t give any details.  Ray took my award for best dressed artist.

The bottom line is this;  ComicCons all over the world bring together some of the top comic artists together under one roof.  One would think that there would be a lot of big egos all fighting for the right to be the best, but there was no sign of that.  What I found instead were a group of absolute professionals, with a modesty like I’ve never seen.  All acted humble when I complimented them, most were surprised that I like them and their work (who doesn’t?), and all of them went the extra mile to make me feel like I was the only fan they had.  It could not have been a better day.

A note to Steve Orlando and Kurt Busiek, I hope to meet you face to face soon.

Follow The Comic Whisperer on Social Media:

Facebook:  The Comic Whisperer

Twitter:  @comic_whisperer

Instagram:  The Comic Whisperer

Website:  www.comicwhisperer.com

My Controversial Views on The Suicide Squad Movie

I know there has been a great deal of hype about the upcoming Suicide Squad movie including all the hype about Will Smith playing a "white" character.   I happen to have my own strong opinions about this.

First, let me say that I like Will Smith as an actor.  He was awesome in I, Robot and MIB, I also liked him in his more serious roles.  In my opinion Will Smith is a versatile and talented actor.  I have read people trashing him and saying his is nothing more than the Fresh Prince, but I disagree.  I like him very much.

Second, anyone who knows me would not associate me in any way, shape, or form with racism.  Frankly, as a person who has hired many people over his life, I don't look at the color of skin, gender, etc.  Everyone has talent and their race or gender has nothing to do with it.

Third, I am a comic purist.  Someone who believes that comics and their movies, should accurately reflect one another.  My rationale is simple...why make the comics one way and the movies another?  The whole reason that the major comics are getting rid of their multiverses is because it's all getting too damn confusing.  I'm also the one who likes to see a band play a song in concert the way it is on the album (sigh, who remembers albums besides me?).  Some can argue that they already have the album, they want to hear it a different way in concert.  Tomato...um...Tomahto?  (how the heck do you spell Toe-Mah-Toe?).  Anyway, if I read it one way, I don't want to see it another in a movie.  It's really no different from someone who has read an excellent book, then saw the movie, and said, "The book was better."  This is what I say after virtually every Stephen King movie.

With those three things in mind (yes, I started a sentence with a preposition) I write this article.  So, as controversial as it may sound, read on....

I really HATE when they have african-american characters played by caucasians (I don't know what the politically correct nomenclature is for "white" people, so I'm going with caucasian.  If you're insulted, I apologize.  I, myself, am caucasian).  I also HATE when caucasian people are played by  african-american people.  Here's why...

We live in a society where people are offended a little too easily.  Me?  You would have to work hard, plan ahead, and choose the proper wording in order to offend me.  Some others, however, have a hair trigger.  Chances are my statement about what I HATE has offended some people because they think it's a race thing, and I don't like african-americans, however those people are completely off base.

For instance, I really despise the fact that Will Smith is playing Deadshot.  In the comics Deadshot is a caucasian male who hates people of all races, creeds and kinds except himself.  Sure, he and Catman (who did not make the movie despite being in the Suicide Squad since rocks were soft) had what may be construed as a friendship.  That being said, Deadshot would turn on anyone in an instant given the chance.

One could argue that I said when I hire people I don't look at the color of their skin and it doesn't matter, but this is different.  I would cast Will Smith for any number of roles, except for that of a caucasian super hero.  Now, before you cry racist, let me give you a couple more examples.

Would you cast "Black Lightning", which is an awesome character, or "Black Spider", or the "Black Panther" or "The Falcon" as caucasian?  Of course not!  You would have a half dozen humanitarian groups crying about how that's a racist move and it should never have been allowed.  I would be one screaming as well, but simply from a comic purist point of view.  I wouldn't cast a cool character like Amanda Waller with a caucasian woman either.  They are all proud, non-caucasian characters (I only say non-caucasian because I don't want to misrepresent any of the characters and their culture.)

The Suicide Squad has had it's african-american powerhouses like Black Manta or the Bronze Tiger.  Will Smith would be an incredible Black Manta!!

This is not a race thing, it's a purist thing.

Yikes, this is only the first thing I don't like about the upcoming move.

The next is the characters they chose to represent the Suicide Squad:

Harley Quinn?  Perfect!  She's been on the Squad for quite some time.

Deadshot?  Perfect!  He's been on the Squad for quite some time as well.

The Joker?  Um, well, OK.  I love the character, but he looks terrible in the promo picks and he's not really the type to take such a deal from the government.  As he can pretty much escape any time wants, and he has some many sentences his chance of getting out legally is nil, he could care less about doing something dangerous for time off his sentence.

The Enchantress?  Sure, she's been on the squad before, she's a decent pick.

Killer Croc?  Really?  This was a lousy pick and the makeup is even worst.  They have taken an awesome character and turned him into a weakling.  He should TOWER over the other characters and be huge.  But, no, they put terrible makeup on a guy and pushed him out as Killer Croc.  Yuck.

El Diablo?  Sure, he was on the Squad before.  He has a great power set and the makeup appears to be well done.  I agree with this one.

Slipknot?  Debatable.  Sure he was a member of the Squad before, but he's never done well against anyone.  Fighting Firestorm he lost, fighting the Tattoed Man (who is incredibly poor as a villain) he loses his arm and had it replaced with a bionic one, and later on when Deathstroke captures him so the Tattooed Man can kill him (in revenge for killing his son) Slipknot dies.  When your power is making incredibly strong ropes and mastering ropes your bound to get your hide tanned.  Yes, he can be on the team, but there were many better choices available.

Captain Boomerang?  Perfect!  He's been on the Squad and is an on and off member.  Keep him.

Rick Flag?  (or Rick Flagg depending on who you talk too)  Perfect!  He led the Squad in WWII and was the only survivor and then became a member of Task Force X when asked by Harry S Truman.  He's like Captain America without the Super Soldier serum.  Keep him.

Lastly, read my post on Jared Leto as the Joker and how he is being portrayed.  Ugh.

Next thing you know Darkseid will be green, the Black Cat and Wonder Woman will be men, and The Flash will be a woman.  For the movie?  Why not cast Darkseid with Peter Dinklage?  Please, no hate mail on this as it's purely to illustrate a point.  You wouldn't cast a football player as the Jockey in a horse race either.

My point?  Let's just keep it true to the comics.