Flashback Friday: Heroes Convention 2013 "The Art Edition"

 Yes I am just going to go back a week and savor the vacation this year.  I promise to have pretty artwork as I do.  This year the room was spacious and made the navigating much better.  I really did hate the end of the Convention.  I was at peace and really enjoying the art and people.  I was very good about money this year.  I did get some commissions done.  One was by Mike Maihack from Google + and my following.  He did the awesome comic strip prints of Batgirl and Supergirl.  I love his art and asked him to do a commission in my sketchbook of Huntress.  It was a great addition to my ever growing book of sketches.  I bought his sketchbook and some other prints as well.  He probably thought I was crazy.  I get excited sometimes.


I bought two sketch cover comics.  A Green Lantern and an Aquaman version.  I really went silly with the GL book.  It does not represent continuity at all.  I asked a young lady to have Mogo and the Tardis on the cover.  It was a Mash Up that I figure will be unique in the coming years.  She did a great job and I regret I did not get her picture with the cover like I did the other one.  That one has a headshot of Mera on it the artist is in a pic with the cover.  I picked her because I was watching her do a commission and her displayed work showed a great beauty and a great realism in the way she portrayed her work.  So I have a Throne of Atlantis issue with the gorgeous Mera on the cover.  I just wish I had been able to track down the cosplay Mera and had her pose with it.


I am adding some other prints I picked up.  I love just finding cool prints as I scour the aisles.  Sometimes you get really cool art from people that are just trying to make a living as an artist at Conventions and maybe be discovered.  They are not in the comicbooks, but should be.  Others work for independents or card companies.  There are rare gems out there in the fringes and I love when I find a piece of art that is shining bright.  One day I will be able to display all I have collected.  I have a plan that I want to work on, but that is a future blog post.

I have neglected to report on my goal concerning my T-Shirt on Friday.  I was disappointed with not having a unique shirt last year and was determined to be seen this year.  I accomplished it with my shirt that displays the Internet mash up called by two names, "The Time Job" or "The Tardis Job," based on Firefly and Dr.Who.  I received many compliments and many double takes as I walked around on opening day.  It was cool knowing I had the only version there at HeroesCon.

BDS

Flashback Friday: The Spectacular Spider-Man #196

"The Death of Vermin"

Some background is due on this book.  A man we know has what could best be called an old home place.  The house id now used to store feed and farm items.  The family was cleaning out the place a bit and the man gave me a few comics from the place.  They were in really good condition considering that mice or other stuff could have attacked the books.  This one was part of re-reading those books this week.

Now Vermin is best described as a Rat version of DC's Man-Bat in my opinion.  Different origins, but similar mindsets are shared.  Vermin is a character I read in a few Spidey titles around this period.  Spectacular was not one I collected from the shop so I was not familiar with this story.  The characters I was acquainted with however.  Dr. Kafka is one that would play a role in helping Spidey as he had dealings with disturbed patients.  Here is the seed for her institute that I would read about in AMAZING.  Baron Zemo is the big bad.  He has made people become these hideous experiments, Vermin being one.

Vermin at times is mindless and at other times almost aware.  That is the case here.  We get a great look at Zemo's insanity and need to understand humanity and heroes.  He even takes Spidey's mask and wears it near the end.  The ultimate victory and the "death" are well devised.  It really is a strong finish to what might be a great three part story.  I will probably keep an eye out for issues #194 & #195.

All in all a great read.  Not sure what the status is in the current Marvel U. for Vermin, because I do not purchase any new titles from Marvel.  Vermin might be leading the Avengers the way they have been going recently.  That is why Flashback Fridays are important.  I hope to lead you to a better day of Marvel, where heroes were not so disregarded in their characterization.

BDS  

Flashback Friday: Sleepwalker #5 & #6

      This Friday we look at one of the weirdest characters from Marvel Comics Group ever.  It was early 1991 and someone thought up a character named Sleepwalker.  I have these issues because they were a part of two different "3 for a Buck" bagged comicbooks at a local just a dollar store.  I wanted the other books you could see and got these as part of the bargain.  This creepy guy was only able to appear when his host was asleep.  I I know is the guy.s name, Rick Sheridan, and that he had a dog named Rambo.  Sleepwalker apparently would seek out evil and fight it.

     In the 90's the deal was that a non-mutant book had the required appearance by Spider-Man within the first seven issues.  Mutant books it was a Wolverine appearance.  So, this is the time for Spidey to team up with Sleepwalker.  It is at first the standard fight because we don't understand who were are plot.  It has the major mob wannabe Crimewave.  By the time we get into part two of the story in Issue #6 we will have the Kingpin making an appearance.  It is a good story and has an added heavy dose of Spider-Man snark.

     Sleepwalker has some interesting powers.  He has a sort of telekinetic eye beam power.  He even sews a faux Spidey suit to use as a misdirection near the end of the tale.  Spidey getting constantly blown up, dropped in the river, shot at, or knocked out adds a flavor of humor that just highlights how wacky Sleepwalker is in terms of a superhero.  There is a good deal of action in the book as well.

     This is a great two part story that holds up as a stand alone tale for those who love Spider-Man.  One thing that the creators did well was use the Spider-Man team up to have a hook that might gain some new readers.  The last part of the story has Sleepwalker returning to the apartment of his host and finding an empty bed.  This was a great way to make the most of possible readers that bought the book because Spidey was in it.  They have a way to try and keep these people.  It also was good because at the time the back issues were probably easy to find.  Sleepwalker is one you see around in long boxes at cons and flea markets.  Those that like the odd books might want to seek them out.

BDS

Comicbook Rescue Project: Ultraforce Spider-Man #1B

     I forgot to list this one when I wrote my big Comicbook Rescue Project (CRP) post.  It was in the Living Room where I had laid it down after reading the book.  I have been picking up back issues of Malibu Comics of late as those who read this blog know through the Mantra Mondays posts.  So I saw this one and bought it while at the Flea Market.

     Before I discuss this title I need to make sure you understand that Spider-Man is the Clone Ben Riley and the Green Goblin is whoever that was back then that had taken the mantle and used it as a Good Guy.  So this is not the time period I was loving Spidey in this book.  I also need to get this out of the way.  Spidey's webbing ignores the laws of physics in here as well when it flies down a wall and then makes a 90 degree turn.  What is that about?

     The plot is that a group of some creepy aliens are trying to instigate a war between the two worlds.  A future Prime comes back and convinces Ghoul that he will be dissected and tortured as many itty bitty pieces.  Oh, and Ultraforce has a traitor.  The individual that will kill every Ultra is this new Green Goblin.  Makes no sense I know, but it is what they used as a plot device.  Soon Ultraforce is heading to Marvel Earth to kill the Green Goblin.  Fights occur, misunderstandings explained, team ups, and the distrust is still brewing.  Mucho action to be read in the book.  Especially once you suspend disbelief and just read it as an adventure.

     Not really an ending.  This book had to be part of others that like it probably ended with a  "The End?" tag.  This was all part of Marvel throwing a bone to Malibu fans before just jettisoning the entire line.  I forgot to mention.  The Avengers Black Knight is a member of Ultraforce.  Kooky stuff when Marvel tried to fold these characters into their Universe.  Nice read, but it was not really worth the $3.95 it cost back in the day.

BDS

Flashback Friday: Web of Spider-Man #14 & 15

            These two issues remind us why Spider-Man is the hard luck hero.  He always was having trouble with money.  If it wasn't paying rent or tuition, he was fretting over Aunt May and her bills.  Added here are the added stresses of the grumpy Nathan who has hospital bills that Peter feels guilty about.  Had he been around, Nathan would not be hurt is his thinking.  In earlier issues, well, Peter became a hero in the community.  His apartment gets firebombed.  Once again his secret identity unravels his good fortune and Peter is suspected of being a fraud.  His landlady is threatening to evict him if he can't repair the apartment and all seems lost.

            He does have a solid gold notepad that he pulled out of the trash during a battle with the Beyonder.  Apparently a building was turned to gold and so were the contents.  So Peter has a resource, but is it ethical for him to use it.  A moral dilemma threatens him.  How can he sell it?  Placing this in the back of his mind for a bit he heads to the Daily Bugle to see if he can get an advance on his pictures.  It is a no go as the new city editor nixes the request.  This sends Spidey out on the prowl for some action shots.  Conveniently the aged jewel thief The Black Fox is pulling a heist.  Unfortunately the fight and smoke would frame Spidey.  He does get a spider tracer on the Fox.

            Spider-Man gets a plan to follow the Fox and maybe find a fence to sell the notebook to after he nabs the Fox.  Unfortunately the fence is dead and Spidey thinks the Black Fox has killed the guy.  This is the big cliff hanger as we go into next issue and more intrigue than you as a reader deserve.

            Spidey is after the Black Fox, the Black Fox is after a buyer for the rare gem he stole, the assassin is after Spidey.  What assassin you ask?  Well, the millionaire playboy know as Chance has ask the Foreigner to double or nothing the fee he paid to kill the fence from last issue if he kills Spider-Man.  That is his thing, gambling and taking Chances.  So he ends up fighting Spidey and getting the best of him a few times.  The Black Fox takes a loss from a new buyer and heads to Europe and away from the action.  Chance fails and Peter takes the gold notepad to the guy that The Black Fox sold his gem to in the end.  Peter get s fraction of what the book is worth, but it is enough to pay Nathan's hospital bill.

So he expects to be evicted.  He gets home and finds that Mary Jane Watson has had the apartment remodeled and the bill paid.  She did it because she loved him, but that is jumping ahead in the story a bit.  It does remind us that those who do right and do good do get good done back.  Peter sacrifices himself as Spidey, and often is just scraping by day to day.  The thing is that people who care about him see his need and even though he never asks, the help is given.

This is the way Spider-man should be.  He is a moral person that does what is right.  He gave the money to a guy that really doesn't like him, anonymously paying that hospital bill, even though he knew it meant not having a place to live.  That is what a hero does.  It is a reason I stopped reading Marvel.  I don't feel that sense of right and wrong displayed through the stories I read.

I hope you liked this Flashback Friday.  I know I broke a review rule and told the tale, but much is left off.  It is good to read even after my short take on the two issues.

BDS

Flashback Fridays: Web of Spider-Man #7 v.1

One great thing about having many comics in boxes is that when the trip to the comic shop is not an option, you can still post.  Here is a book I grabbed as I went to the Reading room this week.  I had not gotten it into the box yet.  I have no idea where I picked this one up.  It is a great Hulk cover, no?

If you judged the book by its cover, then you would expect to have a Hulk amok in New York tale.  Not so much.  It is a bizarre set of images where things are off kilter.  Spidey even changes costumes as the panels proceed.  When you see the pale pointy eared guy on the street, well at last it makes sense.  Nightmare is there in the dream.  So Spidey is really in the Nightmare Realm.

Seems Doc Strange trapped an essence of the Hulk in the Realm and it has been hounding Nightmare.  So he somehow senses Spider-Man had fought the Hulk and brings him into the dimension.  Just go with it.  It is a surreal story and it is something that is best seen as a fun romp.  I am just glad the opening scenes have Pete in his costume bottoms and not naked as it seems while walking through a Daily Bugle staffed by Spidey foes.  Peter David is the man responsible.  It is a neat little side trip for a cool old Spider-Man series.

BDS