Hey folks Valkor here, writing to you live from the streets of San Francisco. Well not exactly in the streets, that would suck. And not exactly live, because then that means I am there now, when I am home posting all this kewl stuff. But I'd do anything for you guys just to bring you the goods direct from WonderCon; My first comic con ever and so far I am enjoying myself. Last year The NY Comic Con would have been my first, but the whole banning anyone inside left a sour taste in my mouth, so I don't think I'll ever go back. But the WonderCon? Yes… Yes I will return. Oh ya let me also point out this is being done in conjunction with Web Blogger Jay Dub of Supernegro (Because WonderCon cannot be handled by just one person). So If you want more info on the show, just shoot on over to his site and get more Wonder Con info to fulfill your Comic needs. But lets start things off with Day One.
It's actually a slow day for the Con as all the really good stuff doesn't happen until tomorrow (Saturday March 3rd). But that doesn't mean I don't have the goods to get things started. We began the day checking out the exhibits. And if I was still a collector like I was back in the 90's, this would be a heaven. I mean it's like walking into a giant, comic book mall! There's not a comic you couldn't find, from any era that wasn't present at WC. From golden age to modern, it was there. On top of that you have an allotment of action figures from Batman to Transformers, old and new covered. Manga, movies, anime, and so much more, it's crazy to see all this stuff crammed into one spot! What was disappointing was that there wasn't enough vendors from say Marvel, Tokyo pop, or Media Blasters representin. Just those shops. But if you're an avid collector… well you would already know about these cons and wouldn't need any more info from me. But those of the curious who would want to try something new, then you gotta give WC or any comic con a shot. The exhibits were nicely spread out, but since it was the first day and not all that busy, we were able to peruse to each stand with no prob.
But other than checkin the racks for classics, this is also the place to meet old, new, and up and coming artist in this field. Our first meeting was with Sergio Aragones, writer and creater of the Groo the Conqueror comics and he also does stuff for Mad magazine. When I asked how he keeps it fresh, he said "You gotta love what you do" and believe me, truer words have never been spoken. You can pick up, at your favorite book store, his collected works of Groo and also look out for his latest work "Solo", which is a comic that's also biographical, but looks hysterical.
Next meeting was with Imaginism Studios, artist Bobby Chiu and Kei Acedera. Their works were quite simply, beautiful works of CGI art. Hey I can't get all technical with the artsy words, but I do know what I like. And I likes what I see in what they do. I picked up their book "Creatures Sketches', which shows off a variety of beasties not of this earth. Talk about wild and highly imaginative; The Val-man likes the fantasy stuff and and this book feeds my need for anything and everything fantasy. You can read my review of the book [HERE]. Keep up the great works guys.
Next table we hit was Bioroid Studios and there amazing new comic that I hope to see on the stands this year, Zecta. Zecta tells the tale of a civilization on the Planet Centis, whose influence is entirely based on Insects. Zecta will be a 4 issue mini series, but hey we can hope for something full fledged if this takes off. Right now I have the preview book and the artwork looks amazing and the story seems pretty sound. Keep watching TOV for future updates on this one folks, this looks like it will rock.
But now we get on to the wild, wacky and totally way out there of WC. Jay and I had the displeasure of meeting Ex WWF (Now called the WWE) superstar Virgil. For those who don't know him, Virgil was the bodyguard for the Million Dollar Man Ted Debiase back in the day. We were able to chat with him a bit, but walked away disgusted. All this guy talked about was how much money he made, how much money he had, what kind of car he drives, just totally braggin on himself. Egotistical a bit? Dude you're a washed up wrestler, who if given the chance would prostrate yourself back in the ring if you could. But the worst insult of all was when Jay asked to do an interview. Mind you most people we met agreed without question, but this dick had the gall to charge 10 Gs for an interview. Forget the fact that if we both had recorders when we started the conversation and could have easily switched them on prior and we would have had an interview right there. But to charge 10,000 to somebody who's literally a nobody now? To you, "Mr has been" wrestler I tip my giant cup of "Fuck You" to you old timer. Your days are over, get on with your life and stop charging people who show interest in you. If it wasn't for guys like us, you'd wash away into obscurity, with nothing left but your memories, though by talking to you, you don't have much a mind left.
To cap off the night we took in the Comic Con International Independent Film Festival, which showcased the winners of last years screening. Most were so so, but what stood out the most was "Outside" the story set in a post Apocalyptic Future where women are kept inside, never to be let out to do minimal tasks like film editing. And their only means of communication was with each other through a special radio. Well it just so happens that our main character, Debbie, befriends with one of the other women from the outside and from my perspective, falls in love with her. It was…. Hot. The story was fantastic but could use more nudity… What? Then there's Zombie Prom, a comicbook/Grease musical of rebel named Jonny (Spelled without the "H") who falls in love with a goody-goody girl named "Toffee". However Toffee's family doesn't want her to be with Jonny, so they break up and Jonny throws himself into a Nuclear reactor and dies, only to rise from the dead to reclaim his love once for Toffee, only she isn't so quick to take him back. Great music and great laughs, plus with the addition of RuPaul as Ms. Strict, this was by far TOPS.
But don't think this is it folks as there's more show to go. Two days to be exact and I will be covering it all. Look for more surprises, more reviews, more Wonder Con.