C2E2 2013: Some comics which were acquired

Manta Dad #1
By Chad Sell
Self-published



Chad Sell's Manta-Man webcomic is a fun goof on superheroes, starring a guy with the semi-useless power of being able to turn into a flying manta ray, and following his adventures as he gets involved with ninjas, monsters, homophobic closet-case rivals, and his supervillain girlfriend who constantly picks fights with him as a form of foreplay. It seems like a fun lark for Sell, allowing him to throw whatever crazy ideas he has onto the page/screen, but as the series has progressed, he has built up an interesting world full of crazy concepts and well-drawn relationships between the characters. And now, with the spinoff/flashback series Manta Dad, he's developing things further, going back to detail the early years of Manta-Man, as he accompanies his Freddie Mercury-like oceanographer father on a sea voyage that involves as much, er, canoodling with his beefcakey documentary crew as it does actual filming of weird sea life. When the kid's shapeshifting abilities are revealed to his father, the two of them end up bonding in a surprisingly touching manner, although the time Manta Dad spends with his son ends up causing some jealousy issues with the rest of the crew, setting the stage for more conflict in future issues. The extra space that a full issue provides (as opposed to the one-strip-at-a-time pace of a webcomic) lets Sell play out the story at a nice pace, resulting in a wonderful slice of nicely-illustrated character work that also includes plenty of snappy dialogue and cool creatures like shadow sharks and robo-whales. Sell is a fairly new talent on the comics scene, but this comic demonstrates that he's improving his skill at an impressive pace, and I'm excited to watch and see as he continues to create quality work.
-----

Solution Squad #1
Written by Jim McClain
Art by Rose McClain
Self-published



It seems mean to complain about a well-meaning comic like this, which stars a team of superheroes who fight crime using math-based powers with the intent of educating the (presumably youthful) reader, but it's just so darn square. The characters and their designs are incredibly generic, the plot is a goofy bit of fluff involving a villain robbing a museum and capturing the heroes in an easily-escapable death trap, and the story is structured in the least imaginative way possible, with an especially hokey introduction to all the characters via a two-page spread that consists of images of each person surrounded by lengthy captions that explain everyone's names, powers, and relationships (a scene which seems especially superfluous given the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe-style profile pages in the back of the issue that provide every possible detail you would ever need to know about each character). That said, it's hard to fault the comic too much, because whatever its shortcomings, it's really sincere, seeming to meet its goal of providing a reasonably entertaining story that educates about simple mathematical concepts (this issue's being the prime number sieve). The art is clean and crisp, and while the characters are generic, there's still an effort made to create a racially-diverse team made up of people that are more than just names and basic traits (the time-traveling "cool guy" from 1984 is a nice touch, providing catch-phrases and attitude but having a reason for seeming kind of dorky). It's probably not going to set the world on fire, but as a cute educational concept, it might be something that kids could be interested in. That's something, right?
-----

Bird Witch #1
By Kat Leyh
Published by Yeti Press



Well this is just charming. It's an all-ages comic about a young girl witch who, while exploring an enchanted forest, makes friends with a tengu, and the two of them cavort around the woods, racing and exploring and showing off their respective magical powers. Kat Leyh's art is gorgeous, consisting of deceptively simple linework and lush colors that really make the setting come to life. As a first chapter, it's wonderful, an enthralling chance to get to know some cute characters as they begin their friendship, with some ominous hints about the magical dangers they might face providing the impetus to seek out future chapters. It's a lovely little book, enough to make Leyh a talent to watch closely. I'll be sure to pick up the other available issues in the series the first chance I get.
-----

Cat-LE Drivers #1 (Free Edition)
By Kevin D. Bandt
Self-published



Whether you're perusing the selection in a comics convention Artist Alley or clicking randomly through some of the thousands of webcomics, you're bound to come across something like this, a comic that's trying to be offensive and edgy, but isn't really all that different from its peers. Kevin D. Bandt's big inspiration for grossing people out here is to center his comic around the idea of eating cat meat (although it's tempered by said meat coming from genetically-modified felines in a future where beef is scarce), which is probably supposed to be horrifying, but it's just about the only unique aspect of his post-apocalyptic story, and everything that surrounds it is highly generic, from people having to cross a wasteland ruled by bandits and vampires, to "badass" heroes with an attitude, to gross villains who swear a lot (using bleeped-out symbols, of course) and sexually harass treat female underlings. The story itself is put together kind of amateurishly as well, beginning with a caption reading "Yesterday" without ever specifying when "today" is supposed to take place, and having characters state their motivation outright (a character suddenly announcing that she used to have a drub problem is especially egregious). Even the title itself is a tortured bit of wordplay, the term "Cat-LE" meant to be pronounced like "cattle" with the "LE" standing for "Luxury Edition". The black-and-white art in the free version of the comic is a bit muddy, but the color pages which can be seen online do look much better, and while the artwork is nothing special, there are occasional panels with some pretty good character art and expressions. Bandt does seem passionate about what he's doing, including an editorial about how the documentary PressPausePlay inspired him to put out a free version of the comic in order to get his ideas out to people, so it's commendable that he's trying to be creative, but he's got a ways to go before he can rise above the massive cluster of mediocrity that is all to easy to get lost in. Here's hoping he doesn't quit before he gets there.
-----

The VIP Room
Written by Amy Chu
Art by Silvio DB and Cabbral
Published by Alpha Girl Comics



This is an interesting little story about three seemingly-unrelated characters who suddenly appear in a dining room, unsure how they got there or what they are supposed to do next. Is this some version of the afterlife? What is their connection, and is there any way to escape? As they converse, they slowly learn enough details about each other to figure out at least a little bit about what is going on, eventually leading to a Twilight Zone-ish reveal that makes for a fairly satisfying ending. It's kind of slight, but it's a neat little riff on the sort of mysterious, possibly supernatural morality tale that that show made famous, and the moody artwork gives it some nice atmosphere. I could do without the one-page epilogue that goes over the top with the premise, almost turning it into a bit of wish-fulfillment comeuppance highly recognizable villain, but overall, it's not a bad little comic.

C2E2 2013: Groo and other sketchy subjects

At any convention I attend, I'm always excited to get some contributions to my Groo sketchbook, and here's what I obtained this year:



Jeff Zwirek drew this nice image of Groo and Rufferto thinking of food; I especially love the body language.



Boulet contributed this detailed image. He wasn't actually familiar with the character or Sergio Aragones; he said the only MAD cartoonist with much of a reputation in France is Harvey Kurtzman. Since the person in front of me had him draw Thor, he said this was his barbarian day. It was a real treat to watch him draw; the way he drew straight to ink was incredible, as if the details were flowing straight out of his imagination and through the pen.



Jason Copland, the artist of Kill All Monsters, drew a more realistic take on the character, although he didn't seem satisfied when he was done, so his partner Michael May later tweeted to show some more sketches he did that he thought turned out better (I'm happy with my version, of course; it's got a nice grittiness to it).



Amy Reeder did this nifty cartoony take on Groo; I especially like the expressive eyebrows.



And K. Lynne, the artist of the webcomic Plume, drew this nice penciled image of the character.

But that's not all of the drawings which I brought home. My daughter also asked several artists to draw her favorite subject: princesses. Here are the results:



Chris Samnee whipped out this Sharpie sketch of a cute, friendly young royal.



Jill Thompson drew Princess Delirium, although she's just a mermaid princess as far as Magnolia is concerned.



Maggie switched things up a bit with Geof Darrow, asking him to draw a doggie for her little sister.



Amy Reeder was happy to draw a princess for Maggie, since they are a favorite subject of hers as well.



Amy Mebberson went to the Disney well with this depiction of Maggie's favorite princess, Cinderella.



Denver Brubaker did a nice, simple sketch of Sleeping Beauty.



Sean Dove drew a really cute Belle.



And Jeremy Bastian finished things off with a nicely detailed little lady.

The one other sketch I ended up with was one I didn't even ask for; Geof Darrow scrawled it self-deprecatingly on the back of the posters for his series Shaolin Cowboy that were being given away at the Dark Horse Booth:



All in all, a pretty nice sampling of good artwork from talented creators. My world has been enriched.

C2E2 2013: Through the eyes of a five-year-old

It's the duty of any nerdy/geeky person to do their best to impart their passions to their offspring, so since Sunday is kids' day at C2E2, I brought along my five-year-old daughter Magnolia, and we had a great time. There was plenty to do for all ages, and whether we were participating in specifically kid-focused activities or taking in comics-related sights that we could both enjoy, we had a great time.

First up was Ben's Bubble Show, a fun display of soapy virtuosity from a professional entertainer who found all manner of neat stuff to do with his medium of choice, blowing bubbles of all different sizes with various implements (but mostly his own hands), creating cool chains and structures of bubbles, and even bringing kids up on stage to envelop them in huge soapy spheres. It was tons of fun to watch, and even though Maggie isn't the type of kid to join the throng of kids near the edge of the stage and leap around frantically, trying to pop any bubbles that floated over their heads, she loved watching the ones who did.



The kids' costume parade was scheduled to appear onstage after the bubble show, but we decided to move on to see what else could be found, so we headed over to Artist's Alley. Maggie was interested in getting people to draw her some pictures, and she wasn't disappointed; several artists drew her subject of choice: princesses. She got some wonderful drawings from Chris Samnee, Jill Thompson, Amy Reeder, Amy Mebberson, Jeremy Bastian, Denver Brubaker, and Sean Dove, and she even asked Geof Darrow to draw a doggie for her little sister. Everyone was incredibly friendly and happy to contribute to her growing appreciation for the art form; nobody wants to disappoint a cute little girl. We also picked up a few children's books, which she found even more engrossing than the artists themselves:



We did catch the end of the costume parade, and we both loved seeing all the cute outfits the kids sported, ranging from toddlers dressed as Wonder Woman to fantastic homemade robots, Transformers, and Martians:



We also stopped by the game room, which contained a huge library of tabletop games that people could check out and play, and we ended up spending a great deal of time playing the physical Angry Birds game, in which one player sets up structures and the other launches bird figures with a catapult to try to knock them down. It was a lot of fun, just one example of the many activities to participate in:



At the end of the day, we took the train home, and it was obvious that my goal of creating a lifelong comics fan has proceeded as planned:



C2E2 is a great convention, whether you're there to find comics or merchandise to buy, meet creators, attend panels, or meet up with like-minded fans, and now I've found that it's a great opportunity to share your passions with your family members. I can't wait to do it again next year. It looks like we'll have material to tide us over until then:

C2E2 2013: This year, it all comes together

This past weekend, I attended the Chicago Comics and Entertainment Expo, and while it looks like it's going to take the better part of a week to recover, any suffering was completely worth it, given the wealth of comics-related experiences that were had over the weekend. As ever, there was more to do and see than was humanly possible, including seeing what comics creators and publishers had to offer; discovering new talents and products; shopping for comics, toys, clothes, art, and most anything else you could think of; attending panel discussions on a variety of subjects; gawking at the eccentrically-attired (the most popular costumes this year seemed to be related to Adventure Time and Doctor Who, and I also spotted a large number of women clad in dresses patterned after Star Wars' R2D2 and Who's TARDIS), playing games of the board or video variety; or just wandering around in awe of everything that was happening. It could have lasted for several more days without exhausting all the possibilities.

Now in its fourth year, C2E2 seems to have settled into a groove, with the organizers having figured out what type of show they want to put on, with an emphasis on comics but the inclusion of nerdery from all across the pop-culture spectrum. The show floor was organized especially well this year, with prominent booths from major publishers and other entertainment companies accessible right inside the entrance, then various retailers grouped together in an intuitive manner (sellers with long-boxes full of comics and graphic novels or tables full of original art were in one section, while purveyors of toys, shirts, and other tchotchkes were in another) and sections like Artist Alley or the autograph tables not shoved too far off to the side. It didn't feel like you had to walk great distances to get from one area to another, but it wasn't overly crowded or prone to bottlenecks either, and everything had an appealing, welcoming feel. For this size of a convention, it definitely seemed like the ideal setup.

There were a couple new sub-sections of the show floor, including "The Block", which featured "lifestyle brands whose products include fashion, collectible designer toys, art and illustration, independent magazine publications, animation, tech, entertainment, and more!" In practice, this made for a more artsy version of the types of Artist Alley booths that sell flashy prints, and also a lot of t-shirts, expensive toys, and stuffed animals. Aside from the Nerd City booth, which featured artists Dave Crosland and Jim Mahfood, this wasn't really my scene, but it was interesting to see a portion of the show floor dedicated to merchandise that wasn't necessarily related to the typical nerd/geek/superhero subject matter.

More interesting, at least to me, was a section of booths dedicated to video games of the "indie" variety. Games made by small teams of developers have been a thriving scene in recent years, so making room to spotlight the endeavors of these talented creators is a great addition to the show. One definite highlight was the fighting game spoof Dive Kick, which pares the often complex mechanics of the genre down to two buttons ("dive" and "kick", of course), involves a bunch of imaginatively cartoony characters, and ends up being a highly enjoyable game to play. There were plenty of other nice-looking games on display, ranging from polished Ipad games like Le Vamp; to labors of love like Organ Trail, Delve Deeper, and Ray's the Dead; to interesting tech demos like Planet's Core. These aren't comics, but as another example of creativity and innovation, they definitely have a place in a show like this.



One definite highlight was meeting the French artist Boulet, who was only at the convention for a couple hours, signing and sketching in the autograph area of the show. He had copies of his 24 hour comic Noirness for sale, and he was happy to chat with everyone who was waiting in line. Watching him draw was a real treat; he didn't do any pencil pre-sketching, but inked directly onto the page, making for a virtuosic display of talent as the images took form. He seemed fascinated by the convention atmosphere, but not in a snooty French way; he was genuinely interested in the other celebrities who were appearing nearby, like an actor who played one of the Power Rangers, or Peter Davison, the Fifth Doctor. He even recognized the performance of the musical episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer that was taking place on a nearby stage. Getting to meet him was a real treat, and I hope C2E2 continues to invite foreign cartoonists in future years, whether from France, Japan, or elsewhere.



As someone who likes my comics conventions to be about comics, I usually avoid celebrity appearances, but I love Patton Oswalt, the comedian, actor, and all-around nerd extraordinaire, so I was excited to attend the Q&A that he did in the convention's huge theater. He fit in well with the show's atmosphere, since he is renowned for his geeky enthusiasm, and he held forth on any number of subjects, from his much-watched scene on a recent episode of Parks and Recreation in which he played a character who filibustered a city council meeting with a description of what he thought the plot of the next Star Wars movie should be (amusingly, while he was parodying the type of pedantic nerd who obsesses over details of comics and sci-fi franchises, he still received a lot of comments correcting the details he got wrong or complaining that he said that Hawkeye wasn't a top-tier member of the Avengers), to his actual hopes that J.J. Abrams will deliver a quality Star Wars sequel. The room was packed with hundreds of people, and Oswalt had them eating out of his hand, demonstrating his shared enthusiasm toward their tastes, mocking the extreme passions that we all have toward the silly things we love, and just generally being hilarious. He was generous and warm with questions from the audience, and he occasionally stopped in mid-sentence to read tweets from fellow comedian Brian Posehn, who was in the audience sending him insulting comments like "This Kenny Baker panel sucks" and "If they add a foot, you can play Puck from Alpha Flight". I especially liked the words of encouragement which he gave the multiple people who asked for advice on how to break into stand-up comedy, acting, or filmmaking; his repeated words of wisdom were to keep doing what they want to do until they get good at it, and eventually success will come. It's inspiring to see someone who is so fiercely intelligent and funny do what he can to encourage those who share his interests. If I'm going to get star-struck by a famous personality, Oswalt is my celebrity of choice.



Of the various panels I attended, I was surprised that my favorite one was "The Chew Panel", a simple hour of chat between John Layman and Rob Guillory, creators of the Image Comics series about a government agent who gets psychic impressions from the food he eats and has adventures in a crazy world in which a bird flu epidemic has made chicken illegal, the FDA and USDA are the most powerful governmental bodies, aliens are meddling with humanity's food supply, and people with other bizarre food-based powers are causing all sorts of problems. It's a highly enjoyable series with a lot of personality, and seeing the creators talk about how it came to be and their methods of working together was not only an enlightening look behind the scenes, but also an inspiring example of a labor of love finding the success it deserves. Layman jumped right into the panel by answering the question that was sure to be asked, revealing that the rumored live action TV adaptation of the series was dead. Showtime had bought the rights to the series (although Layman repeatedly mentioned that he and Guillory never saw any actual money), thinking that it would make a good companion piece to Dexter, but the premise was altered so much by the development process, with the bird flu angle being scrapped, new characters being inserted, and lots of sex being added, that it was nearly unrecognizable. A pilot was shot, but it will probably never see the light of day, and Showtime is no longer interested in doing the series. Layman and Guillory always felt that one of the basic gags of the series, that of the main character being forced to eat disgusting things, just might not work in live action the way it does on paper, coming off as gross and unsettling rather than funny. That said, they are currently working on producing an animated adaptation that they feel would work much better.

But as interesting as an adaptation of the series might be, the comic is quite enjoyable and successful in its original incarnation, and Layman and Guillory related the story of how it came to be. It was an idea that Layman had been wanted to do for years, but it was so weird and kind of gross that he didn't think there was any way it could be successful. After years of trying to find somebody to publish it, he convinced Image to put it out, provided he could find an artist. He ended up being connected with Guillory through a mutual friend, but even then the partnership almost didn't work out due to the latter initially attempting a Vertigo style of artwork, which was darker and less funny than what Layman had in mind. Layman encouraged Guillory to draw in his own preferred style, which ended up being perfect, but even when the series finally came out, neither of them expected it to be successful. They thought that they might be able to do a single arc of five or six issues before getting cancelled, and then maybe get a chance to revive the series later on, but they were an unexpected success, which has allowed them to really do everything they wanted, building the story across more than thirty issues to date, and heading toward a planned conclusion in issue #60. It was fascinating to see how well the two creators seemed to click, with Layman quickly gaining such confidence in Guillory's work that he has become a true collaborator on the series, contributing his own ideas for characters and jokes and adding a huge number of gags and easter eggs in the background of the artwork. They're obviously very passionate about what they do, and they're having such a blast telling the stories they want to tell that one can't help but be inspired.

And, as at any convention, there was much, much more to do and see. One could wander Artist Alley for the entire show, discovering amazing artwork and comics and seeing things like, to name just one example among hundreds, Jill Thompson painting a beautiful picture of Morpheus:



You could wander through the retailer section and stumble across the most impressive collection of original comics art I've ever seen, featuring work from the likes of Jack Kirby, Chris Ware, R. Crumb, Alex Toth, Jim Woodring, Los Bros Hernandez, Johnny Ryan, Daniel Clowes, Seth, Tony Millionaire, Richard Sala, and many other great artists:





You could stumble across a full-scale replica of Speed Racer's car, the Mach 5:



Or see people dressed as Godzilla:



Or the house from Up:



You could find people who were coming up with interesting new ideas around comics and technology, like the graphic novel Anomaly, which was wowing people with an "augmented reality" app that allows one to point their Iphone or Ipad at its pages and see figures appear to jump out of the pages:

You could even see somebody dressed as Pikachu drawing an apparent self-portrait on a giant touch screen, as a promotion for something called Twistory:



There's no end of stuff to do, sights to see, and people to interact with at C2E2. I can't wait until I get to experience it all again next year.

C2E2 2013: This year's swag is overwhelming

I typically come home with a lot of stuff from each convention I attend, whether it's free giveaways, promotional posters or postcards, business cards, or comics that I purchase, but this year's C2E2 seemed to supply even more than I usually end up with. Just check out this haul:



Here's what all of that is:

Back row:
A poster for the graphic novel Anomaly.
A nice pair of Men in Black sunglasses.
A poster for Geof Darrow's Shaolin Cowboy and/or Dark Horse Presents.
A poster for The Losers, using art from the comics series but promoting the movie adaptation.
A poster for the 25th anniversary of Dark Horse manga.
A Hellboy in Hell poster.
A poster for Ryan Browne's God Hates Astronauts, with art by Paolo Rivera. Technically, this was one of the Kickstarter rewards for the book, but I picked it up from him at the convention, so it counts.

Second row:
An issue of Hero Complex magazine.
Giveaway comics from Marvel, Dark Horse, and Archaia.
A preview ashcan comic for Jeffrey Moy's Video Game Gals, promoting a Kickstarter campaign that apparently wasn't successful.
A Dick Tracy head sketch by Jim Brozman, who worked as Dick Locher's assistant when he was drawing the strip, and who also used to work at my local comic book store.
A print for Steve Horton and Michael Dialynas' Amala's Blade.
A print for the graphic novel The Fifth Beatle, by Vivek J. Tiwary, Andrew C. Robinson, and Kyle Baker.
A couple of cute Marvel prints by Skottie Young.
A "bookplate" for God Hates Astronauts, with art by Joe Quinones and Maris Wicks.
Cat Le Drivers #1, by Kevin D. Bandt.
Solution Squad #1, by Jim and Rose McClain.

Third Row:
Burning Building Comix, by Jeff Zwirek.
Wolves of Odin, by Grant Gould.
Halloween Eve, by Brandon Montclare and Amy Reeder.
Hector Plasm: Totentanz, by Benito Cereno and Nate Bellegarde.
Noirness, by Boulet.
Very Near Mint, Volume One, by Justin Peterson.
Auto Correct, a minicomic by Andrew J. Rostan and Biz Knapp, published by Yeti Press.
A print for Husbands, the internet TV series and comic by Brad Bell and Jane Espenson.
An "Itty Bitty Hellboy" print by Art Baltazar and Franco.
Bird Witch, Chapter 1, by Kat Leyh, published by Yeti Press.
Manta Dad, a spinoff of the webcomic Manta Man, by Chad Sell.
Kill All Monsters, Volume 1, by Michael May and Jason Copland.

Bottom row:
Aw Yeah Comics! #1-2, by Art Baltazar and Franco.
The Curse, by Mike Norton.
Green and Bear It, a Muppets children's book by Martha T. Ottersley and Amy Mebberson.
A lanyard promoting Archaia's Hawken.
A Hellboy papercraft model featuring art by Art Baltazar and Franco.
Gertrude the Great, a children's book by Trisa Laughlin and Jill Thompson.
A lanyard promoting Dark Horse manga.
A Star Wars origami kit.
Artist Alley Comics.
A Visit to the Museum of Chinese in America and The VIP Room, both written by Amy Chu, along with a Girls Night Out paper doll.

I think that's everything in the photo, but I've also got a ton of other stuff to sort through and write about, so stay tuned for more blatherings about the stuff I saw and thought worthy of mention!

C2E2 2013: My schedule is fairly open

The fourth annual Chicago Comics and Entertainment Expo is coming up next weekend, and I'll be there, wandering around, buying stuff, badgering creators, seeing what new comics I can find out about, and just generally having a good time. As I try to do every year, here's what I find interesting and might consider checking out among the various programs and panels that are scheduled:

Friday, April 26

12:00 - 2:00: Boulet Sketching -  I really like the French artist Boulet's comics, so it's cool that he's going to be at C2E2, although it looks like he's just doing this autograph/sketching session rather than having a booth. I'm not sure if I'm willing to spring $12 for a sketch, but I wouldn't mind at least stopping by and letting him know I'm a fan.

3:15 - 4:15: Kill Shakespeare: Dramatic Reading - I haven't read any of the Kill Shakespeare series, but it's something that I might check out someday, and this looks like a neat taste, with people acting out scenes and performing music and sound effects. It could be fun.

6:30 - 7:30: Digital First Comics: The New Trend - Digital comics can be an interesting subject, so this could be an interesting panel, featuring Mark Waid and Comixology's John D. Roberts.

6:30 - 7:30: Beer & Comics - I'm not sure what there is to talk about regarding these two subjects, but maybe there will be some free samples?

7:00 - 8:00: Spotlight on Nick Spencer - I haven't been super-impressed by the Nick Spencer comics I've read, but he's one of those rising stars, and it might be interesting to hear him talk. The panel is being moderated by my friend Kiel Phegley, so I might try to make it to show some support.

7:45 - 8:45 - Dredd and Beyond: The Whole Wide World of 2000AD - I'm always interested in reading more 2000AD comics, so this might be an interesting panel, featuring Andy Diggle and Paul Cornell, moderated by Heidi MacDonald.

8:15 - 10:00 - Maniac Screening - I don't usually go to screenings at conventions, but this could be a good way to end the day, seeing a horror movie. It stars Elijah Wood, and it's described as a "gory and brutal first-person remake of William Lustig's 1980 slasher classic". Fun?

Saturday, April 27

11:00 - 12:00 - Comix Chix with Kate Kotler Live - I guess this is a podcast, but it's notable for the participation of Amy Reeder, Jenny Frison, Jill Pantozzi, and Heidi MacDonald, so it could be an interesting discussion of women in comics, and hopefully not just more talking about Fake Geek Girls.

11:30 - 12:30 - The Future of Graphic Novels and Motion Comics: A Look at the Not-So-Distant Future of Interactive Graphic Storytelling - The title and description of this panel are broad enough as to be nearly meaningless, but if this ends up being a discussion of digital comics and the use of technology to tell comics stories, I might be interested. If its about those awful motion comics where art from some existing comic is given limited animation and terrible voice acting, then no thanks.

12:15 - 1:15 - Spotlight on Brian Wood - I like Brian Wood's comics pretty well (although I haven't read a lot of his more recent stuff, like Conan and Star Wars), so this may be worth attending.

12:30 - 1:30 - Patton Oswalt Q&A - I really like Patton Oswalt; he's a hilarious comedian, and he's got some real geek cred, often offering smart commentary on science fiction, comics, and even crime fiction, so this will probably be a good time.

12:45 - 1:45 - Imaginative Sci-Fi Authors of C2E2 - I'm not sure what exactly this panel is about, aside from throwing some creators together and having them chat, but since it features David "Mouse Guard" Peterson, Jeffrey Brown, and Royden "Rust" Lepp, among others, it could be interesting.

2:00 - 3:00 - CBLDF Presents a History of Censorship in Comics - Here's a chance to learn about depressing events, but it's important to know about this sort of thing, and it's probably worth attending, if I have the chance.

4:00 - 5:00 - The Chew Panel - I enjoy Chew quite a bit, so this panel featuring the creators will probably be worth attending.

4:30 - 5:30 - Futuristic Fright: Science Fiction Novelists Imagine Far-Future Worlds - Some sci-fi authors, including John Scalzi, talk about their craft, which will probably be interesting.

5:15 - 6:15 - Dark Horse Spring Fever - One of those publisher "here's what we've got coming out soon" panels, which can be hit and miss, but Eric Powell is going to be included, and I'm sure there will be lots of interesting comics to hear about.

5:15 - 6:15 - Viz Media Panel - I don't know if Viz has been to C2E2 before, so this could be a panel to check out. I am sort of biased about one of their series...

7:00 - 8:00 - Chicago Comics from the Chicago Scene - This one is a can't-miss for me, since I love the Chicago comics scene. It features Tim Seeley, Jeremy Tinder, Paul Hornschemeier, and Jeffrey Brown, and is moderated by Kiel Phegley. I bet it will be great.

7:45 - 8:45 - Husbands: Television and Beyond - I've heard this show and the comics which have been spun off from it are pretty good, so this panel/screening might be worth checking out.

Sunday, April 28

11:00 - 12:00 - Derf Backderf on My Friend Dahmer - My Friend Dahmer was one of the best comics of 2012, so this is a can't-miss panel for me; I imagine it will be fascinating.

12:15 - 1:15 - Exorcising the Spectre of the Fake Geek Girl: Discussing Geek Culture, Gate-Keeping, and Sexism - Ah, here's the panel specifically devoted to the "fake geek girl" nonsense. It might be an interesting discussion (sponsored by some outfit called the "Chicago Nerd Social Club"), but I for one am sick of the entire thing, so I doubt I'll make the point of attending.

1:30 - 2:30 - Archaia Entertainment Presents: Comics Storytelling and the Lost Art of 3D - I guess this is related to an upcoming 3D comic from Archaia, but it's also a survey of the history of 3D comics, and I bet it will be interesting. I'll have to try to make it.

That's everything that caught my eye, but if anybody has anything they think I should check out (including off-site concerts, parties, or other activities), or if you would like to meet up with me at some point and say hi, feel free to drop me a line at mbrady325 at gmail. I'm expecting to have a great time; see you there!