SuperSearnold - Comic Book Reviews

Greetings – once again – from your friendly neighborhood Searnold [Shár- Nŭhld]. Today is Saturday, November 1st, 2008. Welcome to my daily comic book review blog - thanks for tuning in. Are you interested in a comic book but not sure you want to shell out the cash? Let me know and I’ll review it for you - letting you know if it’s worth your hard earned money!

Today’s Issue:
Another slight deviation from the world of comic book issues to discuss comic book conventions. Specifically, the Alternative Press Expo (or APE) which is put on by the same people who run San Diego Comic Con.

Premise:
APE was a two day mini-convention held November 1st and 2nd in San Francisco, California. I call it “mini” only in comparison with San Diego Comic Con - there were somewhere around 200 artists with tables displaying their latest comic creations. APE focuses on local, independent, and self publishers.

Awesome Parts:
The vibe at APE was something that is difficult to explain. There was a sense of comradery amongst all of the artists. The auditorium was filled with people who all loved comic books. Not to put down Comic Con, but APE hasn’t been tainted by mass culture, television, or movies. It was intimate enough to have personal conversations with all of the creators. Everyone there was happy to talk to you about their art. It was just a general good time.

Un-Awesome Parts:
Rain rain. Go away. Come again some other day. There was a serious torrential downpour in San Francisco during APE. While this wasn’t the con’s fault, it made leaving the con a very unappealing idea. Wait a minute… maybe somehow it WAS the con’s fault. Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to check out any of the panels. I’m not sure that really counts as an un-awesome part. It was un-awesome for ME. I also didn’t like having to pay $12 for parking. However, there was free admission with your Comic Con badge, so what am I complaining about?

My Recommendation:
If you enjoy art, I think you would enjoy checking out APE. It’s a great place to meet artists of all kinds and see their art. If you enjoy underground comics, you HAVE to check out APE, because it is THE place to be for underground comics. However, don’t come expecting to meet any big names or super stars. Don’t come expecting to find anyone who might want to publish your comic book - as everyone at APE is too small time to be able to afford that. APE is a great place to come and meet artists and self-publishers, but not a place to come if you want to meet the big-whigs of the comic book industry.

I’d like to mention another reason that I went to APE. For those who don’t know, I am the host of a comic book news show: SCCG TV - the hardest hitting news in the universe! We got some GREAT footage for the show at APE and are doing our APE episode from the perspective of Sacramento creators - talking about what it’s like to go out to San Francisco for a convention. Be sure to check out our website if you want more information about APE:
www.myspace.com/SCCGTV

That’s it for today. As always - thanks for reading - see you tomorrow. And don’t forget to let me know if there are any comic books (or conventions) you’d like me to review for you - I take requests!
-Searnold, SuperSearnold@yahoo.com www.myspace.com/SuperSearnold

Greetings from your friendly neighborhood Searnold [Shár- Nŭhld]. Today is Monday, October 27th, 2008. Welcome to my comic book review blog - thanks for tuning in. Are you interested in a comic book but not sure if you want to shell out the cash? Let me know and I’ll review it for you - letting you know if it’s worth your hard earned money!

Today’s Issue:
Well… not so much an “issue” as an event. 24 Hour Comics Day to be exact.

Premise:
So I imagine you’re probably asking yourself “What exactly is 24 Hour Comics Day?” Well random person who mysteriously stumbled upon my comic book review blog - I’m glad you asked. 24 Hour Comics Day is an event held once a year where comic book creators answer the challenge of completing 24 comic book pages in a single 24 hour period. I know what you’re thinking, “That’s crazy! It can’t be done! And all the comics produced in such a manner probably suck!” Well, you aren’t necessarily wrong. But it’s still grand fun and an excellent creative challenge. If you’d like more information, check out the official website at:
http://www.24HourComicsDay.com

Awesome Parts:
I can only talk specifically about the event I attended at Empire’s Comic Vault in Sacramento, California. (Check out their website at http://www.empirescv.com/ ). We started at 9am Saturday October 18th, 2008. Some people brought their computers. Some brought their pencils and papers. Others had all sorts of crazy art equipment (like colors and ink! Who even understands those crazy artists people?) Some of us were writers worried about how ugly our comics would be. Others were artists having a difficult time coming up with a viable story. But we were all there for a common purpose - and what a great purpose it was! The greatest part for me was the comradery between fellow comic book creators. All day the room was filled with so much creative energy it was practically tangible. Also - what better inspiration could you ask for than being trapped inside a comic book store all night? Having free coffee, soda, and pizza was definitely a plus. I finished with a scant hour and a half left to go (though my art is THE worst art you can imagine - not having standards will do that to you.) A few of my friends finished Sunday morning with mere seconds left before 9am. (Tomorrow I’m going to review Jeremy Rathbone’s comic “So I Didn’t Destroy The Universe?”). Overall, it was a grand ol’ time.

Less Than Awesome Parts:
The thing is - for me - anything that might be considered a negative is just part of the experience. Some people might not enjoy the lack of sleep. Others might find the time restriction stifling. Some might not like having to create the entire comic themselves. But I didn’t mind any of that. Part of the comradery was keeping each other going through the hardest parts of the night. The time restriction makes it all that more challenging. It’s like a haiku - creative restrictions often lead to something beautiful that never would have been conceived of in a free form setting. And creating the entire comic book by yourself helps give you a better feeling about what all partners in a comic book creative team go through. In no other situation would I even TRY to have drawn my own comic - so this event helped me get inside an artists’ head better than ever before.

My Recommendation:
I absolutely positively recommend this event to any creative person. The 24 Hour Comics Day website has a listing of all the locations hosting the event. Of course - you’ll have to wait about a year until the next one rolls around. If you don’t fancy yourself a creative type, but are interested in the process of creating a comic book, I still recommend the event. At least at Empire, everyone there was welcoming of anyone who wanted to come in and sit with us. Even if you have no idea what you’re doing this could be an incredibly fun learning experience for you.

That’s all for today. As always - thanks for reading - see you next time. And don’t forget to let me know if there are any comic books (or conventions/ events) that you want me to review for you - I take requests!
-Searnold, SuperSearnold@yahoo.com

Greetings from your friendly neighborhood Searnold [Shár- Nŭhld]. Welcome to my comic book review blog - thanks for tuning in. Today is Sunday, September 29th, 2008.

Today’s Issue:
Is - once again - not even a comic book at all - it’s a comic book convention: Sac Con.

Premise:
Sac Con is Sacramento’s premiere comic, toy, and anime show. It was held at the Scottish Rite Center in downtown Sacramento on Sunday, December 29th, 2008. It’s website is http://www.sacramentocomics.com

The Awesome Parts:
My favorite part about Sac Con is the small press zone. And I’m not just saying that because the small press zone is primarily made up of my friends. The service that Sac Con’s small press zone provides for local comic book creators is invaluable. We have an opportunity every three months to show off our latest work to all of our fans. This enables us to get consistent exposure at an affordable price. I cannot thank Sac Con enough for the opportunities provided by its incredible small press zone. Sac Con also has a great selection of vendors and special guests - including Billy West (Futurama) and Wil Wheaton (Star Trek The Next Generation). My favorite part about the convention were these crazy news guys calling themselves the hardest hitting news show in the universe. They were putting together a video yearbook of the con where everyone could come and say a few words about their con experience in front of the camera - and they collected it all onto a DVD. Oh wait - that was me! I was the one doing that! If you missed the convention, be sure to check out our news coverage of it at http://www.myspace.com/SCCGTV (warning - our news really does hit QUITE hard.) The footage from both Sac Con and From The Land Beyond will be available shortly - as will the Sac Con Video Yearbook, which will be available for purchase on our website. Alright - enough shameless plugging - let’s move on.

The-Less-Than-Awesome-Parts:
If you read my blog yesterday then you know that my biggest critique of From The Land Beyond (Sacramento’s first Sci-Fi and Horror convention) was its small size. Well Sac Con was even smaller. While I appreciate this as small press - as it gives me a chance to spend more time with my fans and not get overlooked due to the presence of a larger company like Marvel - I also recognize that fans would like a chance to see more celebrities and a larger selection of mainstream comic books. I myself was quite upset that Marvel was not present at Wonder Con in 2008. My final thoughts about Sac Con are quite contraversial - so I apologize if I offend you. Sac Con is supposed to be a COMIC BOOK convention, and it has been overrun by Anime/ Manga fans. I myself don’t mind Manga - Fullmetal Alchemist is one of my favorite series (whenever they release the next issue I’m sure you’ll be seeing a review of it right here on my site.) But the proliferation of Manga has made it much more difficult for American comic books to get a foot hold in the marketplace. As a comic book writer myself I find this incredibly annoying. Manga fans have PLENTY of other conventions (such as Sac Anime or Fanime - check out our news coverage at http://www.myspace.com/SCCGTV ) - I just wish that the comic book conventions would remain less tainted by the proliferation of Manga.

My Recommendation:
I can’t not recommend that you go to Sac Con. You should ABSOLUTELY come see me and be a part of our video yearbook. The next Sac Con is December 14th, 2008 - come join us! Of course my biases are showing. Objectively, if you go to cons to meet famous people, Sac Con doesn’t have a lot of those. But if you want to meet up-and-coming comic book talent and become friends with local artists then this is ABSOLUTELY the best place for that.

That’s all for today. As always - thanks for reading - and see you next time. Oh - and don’t forget to check out SCCG TV at http://www.myspace.com/SCCGTV. … … … Do you think that’s enough shameless plugging? Should I do one more? Check out the hardest hitting news show in the universe - SCCG TV, at… no? You get the idea? Okay.
-Searnold

Greetings from your friendly neighborhood Searnold [Shár- Nŭhld]. Welcome to my comic book review blog - thanks for tuning in. Today is Saturday, September 27th, 2008.

Today’s Issue:
Is not a comic book at all but a convention - From The Land Beyond.

Premise:
From The Land Beyond is Sacramento’s first Horror and Sci-Fi convention. It was a 2 day event held Friday September 26th and Saturday September 27th at the Scottish Rite Center in downtown Sacramento, CA. Like all cons, it had vendors, panels, and special guests - including C. Andrew Nelson (Lucasfilm), Sid Haig (House of 1,000 Corpses), Doug Jones (Hellboy II), Richard Hatch (Battlestar Galactica), and Wil Wheaton (Star Trek The Next Generation). From The Land Beyond also had a few sci-fi/ horror themed concerts including performances by Captain A-Hole and Warp 11.

The Awesome Parts:
If you haven’t been to a convention you simply don’t know what you’re missing. There are no better places for fans. I’m part of the hardest hitting news show in the universe - SCCG TV (check us out at http://www.myspace.com/SCCGTV ). We do news coverage of all the conventions, so I know what I’m talking about when I say that From The Land Beyond was a very well put together convention. The guests were hands down the nicest guests that I have ever had a chance to talk to. They took their time to not just do an interview but to talk to us about the show and their personal lives - it was an incredible experience. And there were plenty of opportunities for fans to have similar experiences with these icons of horror and sci-fi culture. There were also plenty of vendors available where attendees could spend their excess cash on sci-fi and horror memorabilia.

The Less-Than-Awesome Parts:
One of the great aspects was also one of the unfortunate aspects - From The Land Beyond was fairly small. There were only a few panels. This was the first con I’ve been to where the vendor floor - already not the largest vendor floor I’ve seen - was not even full. There also weren’t very many attendees. While this provided ample opportunity to spend time with celebrities, it often gave the con a dead feeling. The lack of attendees was most likely due to the fact that this was the first From The Land Beyond - so it hasn’t had a lot of time to gain notoiety. Also unfortunate - Wil Wheaton was only available on Saturday. Finally - I felt that the price for admission ($15 for both days) was a little steep for the small size of the convention. But what am I complaining about - I got in free! (Being press has some GREAT advantages.)

My Recommendation:
I absolutely recommend going to as many conventions as you can afford. As I don’t have a lot of spare cash for buying awesome merchandise, the primary reason that I go to cons is to meet the special guests - so I recommend checking out the guest list before deciding which cons to go to. But if you’re a fan of the sci-fi and horror genres (and you live anywhere near Sacramento) then definitely check out From The Land Beyond next year on September 25-27, 2009. Their website is http://www.fromthelandbeyond.com
And don’t forget that if you missed any conventions, you can check out SCCG’s news coverage at http://www.myspace.com/SCCGTV

That’s it for today. As always - thanks for reading - see you next time.
-Searnold