Episode 29: Tyrion The Imp In Drag

We just returned from three days attending Boston Comic Con, meaning that we have spent eight of our last 18 days walking the floor at various comic conventions. That is a physical feat that no one should ever attempt. Co-host Amanda is now on a course of serious painkillers, and Rob is  considering commissioning a Krazy-Straw long enough to allow him to drink beer without having to move at all.

But we survived, and spent some time this evening talking about the experience of Boston Comic Con on its journey from minor convention to regional powerhouse over the past few years, what worked and what could be made better, and the joys of arranging on-site art commissions from artists ranging from the gleefully professional to the simply brilliant and loose.

We also discussed:

• The Superior Foes of Spider-Man #14, written by Nick Spencer with art by Steve Lieber and Rich Ellis, and
• Kick-Ass 3 #8, written by Mark Millar with art by John Romita Jr. (as well as a discussion about the entire Kick-Ass saga and how well it worked)!

And now the disclaimers:

• This show is recorded live to tape. While this means that the show might be a little looser than you are used to, it also means that anything can happen.
• This show contains spoilers. Specifically, if you don’t want to be spoiled on the events of The Superior Foes of Spider-Man or Kick-Ass 3, please tread lightly.
• This show contains adult, explicit language, and is therefore not safe for work. Simon Bisley was able to swear at us with impunity during the convention due to the background noise. Your cubicle does not have that noise. Get some cans.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:27:34 — 72.1MB)

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Enjoy the show, suckers!

Shipping Up To… 2014 Boston Comic Con Initial Guest Lineup Announced

This year’s Boston Comic Con was a hell of a surprise, going from a little con with mostly local talent, held in a hotel basement, in 2009 or so, to selling out two days at the Seaport World Trade Center – one of Boston’s bigger convention halls – with programming and a double handful of A-List talent on the floor to boot. Sure, the convention showed a few growing pains – if you weren’t in line by a certain time it took forever to get into the hall, and for the love of God, they need to stop clearing the programming rooms between each panel – but it was damned impressive nonetheless.

My biggest fear was that it was an anomaly. This year’s convention was supposed to take place in a smaller hall in April and was displaced until August and the Seaport World Trade Center thanks to the Boston Marathon Bombing, which meant a few more high-profile guests signed on either to show support to the city or just because the timing was better. And initially, the word was that the convention was going to move back to April, but instead the organizers announced that they were not only sticking with August, but adding a day, going from Friday, August 8th to Sunday, August 10th, 2014.

Which was a good start… but a better sign is that the convention has already announced their first slate of special guests. And let me tell you: last year’s A-List talent was no one-off fluke.

The Tower Files: The Tower Chronicles #1 Review

The Tower Chronicles, written by Matt Wagner with art by Simon Bisley, is currently on tap to be a three-volume story of four chapters a piece. That means a few things, one of them being that it will likely be an extended period of time before Wagner can put in any concrete work on Mage: The Hero Denied. That’s a problem.

Another thing it means is that, barring cancellation – and considering The Tower Chronicles’s publisher, Legendary Comics, is a relatively new imprint with only Frank Miller’s Holy Terror under its belt so far, that seems pretty unlikely if they want to hold onto the A-List talent they’ve lured to the stable – we’re going to be living with this title for quite a while; with one chapter every two months, this is gonna be a two-year story. Further, on top of the time investment, at eight bucks a whack, you’re looking at a $96 dollar comic story if you decide to take the whole ride from the beginning, as opposed to waiting for the trades, which will almost inevitably be less expensive.

So the question is: is The Tower Chronicles worth the time and cost to jump in this week on the ground floor? Well, that depends on what you already have on your bookshelf.

The Price Of Friendship – Hellblazer Annual #1 Review

Last night I got into an argument with a bottle of vodka and the vodka won. I woke up feeling pretty low, but you know who probably feels worse? Anybody who makes the mistake of palling around with John Constantine, that’s who. This is a fact that we are told goes back as far as Constantine’s childhood in John Constantine: Hellblazer Annual. “Suicide Bridge” takes Constantine back to his old stomping grounds in Liverpool. The mother of a long missing childhood friend is dying and his family would like him to work his mojo to determine what happened to her son, so she can die with some piece of mind. As is typical for Constantine, the search for answers never goes smoothly.

Spoilers after the jump!