HeroesCon 2016 - Post Mortem

I know it has been about a week, but I wanted to share my thoughts on HeroesCon. This was my twelfth consecutive trip to what is easily my favorite convention. That's because the focus is squarely on comic books.

I had another good time at this convention. However, something was different this time around. I came to a starting revelation that I knew was going to eventually happen. In all my years going to this convention and others, I have now pretty much exhausted my list of comics to search for. What I have always loved about these conventions is the thrill of the chase. I'm always looking for SOMETHING.

Since my friend and I have gone to this for so many years, the convention has become an exercise in routine and structure. I briefly described this in my post last year.

This year we took a different path than what we did last year. Instead of pre-ordering tickets, we simply bought our tickets with cash at the ticket booth. It took us all of two minutes. As you'll see in that post from last year, it took us nearly an HOUR. So this was a major boost.

After our traditional first couple of passes on the show floor, I noticed that a lot of the vendors that I normally see selling recent comics (within the last five years) for cheap were no longer here. Already, my list was in danger. I already dove into my secondary list of comics to buy. We call these my "Desperation" comics. These are comics I buy to just buy something to warrant coming to the convention at all. I know that sounds bad, but these are still comics I want, just not with a degree of urgency because I know I can ALWAYS find these. To recap, within the first day, I've already gone to my secondary list. This was a sign to me that I've now reached the saturation point. I no longer have anything new to chase.

We moved on to artist alley. There are many comic book artists I enjoy in the industry. They come to these shows to supplement their income. I know I'm not doing a good deed, but I want to purchase a print from them to show my appreciation and maybe in a small way, help them out. It can't be easy sitting at a table for eight hours hoping someone will buy art from you and not just window shop. I try to make a point of not looking through someone's art book if I don't intend to buy something.

This year, the artists I bought prints from were Sanford Greene (currently working on the latest iteration of Power Man and Iron Fist) and Veronica Fish (currently working on the new Archie comic). I always comment that I enjoy their work on book X and maybe ask a side question. Everyone I have ever met has been appreciative and friendly. Another reason I love this convention.

I spent the rest of our time at the convention itself, buying gifts for others and picking up art from other vendors that I enjoyed. Specifically, a couple of nice pieces from Will Pigg, Shaun Rosado and Rogan Josh.

One other thing we have stopped doing over the years is going to panels. We used to go to panels to break up our days on the show floor. We didn't do it last year and we didn't do it this year. None of the panels interest me, so this weekend is focused purely on buying.

All in all, we actually spent less time at the convention itself. This time has turned into, "Hey, let's do something cool in Charlotte". It's a very nice city and I have enjoyed it every time I visit.

I want to reiterate that I really enjoyed my time this year and I actually bought the same amount of comics that I have bought the past couple of years. It was just more focused on older comics. As always, I can't wait for next year!

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows

I'll be honest, I was dreading the existence of this movie. After suffering through the last one, I vowed never again. Michael Bay (via producing, not directing) ruined one of my childhood favorite cartoons.

Then I heard that Bebop, Rocksteady, Krang and to a lesser extent, Baxter Stockman would be in this movie. I knew I was doomed. I was going to hate watch this film. Now keep in mind, I am well aware that I am part of the problem with movies like this getting made.

Anyways, back to the movie. Let me just put this out there. This is a terrible movie. It is terribly flawed. I understand they wanted to work in fan favorites, but the ham fisted way they do it is inexcusable. I so badly want to say how they get Bebop and Rocksteady to their mutant forms, but I don't want to ruin this for anyone that hasn't seen it yet. It's really stupid.

There's also a lot of over the top action set pieces. Splinter still looks terrible. Thankfully they limit his involvement in this movie. It was good to see Krang, but he was kind of annoying in this movie. I know I hated on Shredder in the last movie, but he is practically a non factor in this movie.

Now I know it sounds like I hated this movie, but I liked it in spite of itself. There is a greater sense of fun in this movie. You get to see all the Turtles bouncing off each other. Again, they get the characterization of the core group correct. Everyone has their defined roles. Megan Fox's April was less annoying. In fact, I didn't mind her in this movie. It's hard to see Stephen Amell as anything other than Oliver Queen. He did nothing to change that with this movie. He was a breath of fresh air though. Will Arnett got to chew some scenery as Vernon.

What surprised me the most though, was how much I loved Bebop and Rocksteady. For me, they made this movie. The chemistry of their friendship felt real. It's also refreshing to see that they never fought with each other. They were always on the same page. Surprisingly, that's rare to see with henchman characters. With that goofiness, they never really feel like threats, but were fun to watch. So yeah, this was just like the cartoon.

In the end, this movie had enough of the turtle lore. (Technodrome, Krang, Bebop and Rocksteady, Karai). I feel like they might have wasted everything in this movie, but we'll see.

Checking in on my favs

Last year, I wrote a blog post sharing my favorite Marvel characters. As a fun exercise, I thought I would check in to see how they are doing. So let's get to it.

Power Man / Iron Fist - So they both have a netflix series coming up. They also have a brand new comic out. This comic has actually been fantastic and it makes me realize how much I've missed a buddy team up book (excluding Archer and Armstrong). Both characters are receiving a higher profile these past couple of months, so I'd say they are doing well. I'm not completely blind and a cynical Marvel fan. This is only happening because of the netflix shows. I am not complaining though.

Spider-Man - So I haven't read a Peter Parker led Spider-man book in almost a decade. Let me take that back because there was the Ultimate Spider-Man series. I haven't read a Spider-Man headlined book in the 616 universe in almost a decade. With that being said, I have thoroughly enjoyed the adventures of Miles Morales in Ultimate Spider-Man. I was afraid he'd be a pandering, minority version of Spider-Man when he was first created. He has been fleshed out to be a fully three dimensional character. After the Secret Wars saga, he is now a part of the main Marvel Universe. Oh, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention his show stealing turn in the Civil War movie. I'm ready to accept a Peter Parker Spider-Man in my life now.

Wolverine - I haven't read a solo Wolverine book in a long time as well. I did read the wonderful "Wolverine and the X-Men" series a few years ago. With Wolverine still "dead" in the main Marvel Universe, I have taken to reading the series, "All New Wolverine. There is a series called, "Old Man Logan" that I haven't checked out. For now, I'm getting my fix of Logan in the "Extraordinary X-Men" book.

The Thing - Unfortunately, there is not a lot of the Thing going around in Marvel right now. It's been over a year since the Fantastic Four comic was cancelled. He's been relegated to the current Guardians of the Galaxy book. His inclusion on the team makes no sense, but I am just glad he's still out there. My heart continues to wait for a return of the Fantastic Four as a group in the new Marvel Universe.

Black Panther - Much to my pleasure, the profile of the Black Panther has risen recently He currently has a new solo book on the stands. Even better, it's been given a top creative team. I'll do a separate post on this book after a few more issues are in the can. He played an important part in the new Captain America: Civil War movie. He also currently stars in "The Ultimates", which is also on the stands. So yeah, we are getting a lot of Black Panther lately and I couldn't be happier. I'm more pleased that the mainstream is really getting a chance to see him. With a solo movie on the horizon, his star is only going to continue to rise. I just hope Marvel doesn't do anything to ruin that.