One Piece Is Awesome, Example #39

Throughout the Water Seven arc of Eiichiro Oda's One Piece, Usopp has been having a sort of crisis of confidence, due to having been beaten mercilessly by the Franky Family, which led to him challenging Luffy to a fight over the fate of the Merry Go. He even went so far as to quit the crew, but when he was put into a position where his help was needed, he donned a mask and took on the identity of Sniper King, pretending to be a stronger, braver, and more confident person than he felt like he actually was. But, like everyone on the crew, he has his strengths and talents, and when it comes time for him to step up and save the day, he does so as thrillingly as anyone, as can be seen in this sequence from volume 43, in which the evil, power-hungry Spandam is about to drag Robin away, only to feel the brunt of a sudden, unexpected barrage:







Oda fills this series with moments like this, last-second saves or triumphs where a character steps up and delivers when it counts, but he somehow keeps it from ever feeling contrived. It would be something to marvel at, if I wasn't so busy cheering in excitement along with the characters.

One Piece Is Awesome, Example #38

In One Piece, Eiichiro Oda somehow keeps flexing his imaginative muscles and coming up with crazy powers for the various characters who wander into the purview of the Straw Hat Pirates, and this often presents the opportunity to portray a classic manga reaction panel, in which something wacky is happening and a character's face can be seen to the side of the panel, often freaking out at the ridiculousness of what they are seeing. Here's an example from volume 42, in which Nami is fighting Kalifa, who has the power to create soap bubbles so relaxing that they render her victims incapacitated and unable to move:



Or this moment from volume 43, where Zolo is fighting the square-nosed Kaku, who can turn himself into a giant giraffe:




Those are both kind of hilariously dumb, but the context behind this is that both Kalifa and Kaku recently ate the Devil Fruits that gave them their powers, so they're still figuring out the extent of what they can do, and some of the moves they are workshopping end up being pretty goofy. This keeps from making their threat seem oversold, since they had been sold as rather dangerous, part of an elite group of secret assassins. They're still tough, they've just got plenty of new ways to kill you, and if some of those seem funny, well, at least you'll die laughing.

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:

One Piece Is Awesome, Example #37

The tragic origins of characters in Eiichiro Oda's One Piece are a regular source of genuinely moving emotion, and the flashback detailing Nico Robin's backstory in volume 41 might be the harshest one yet. We had previously learned that her entire island had been destroyed by the world government when she was a child, and while she was the only survivor, she had been branded a criminal, spending the intervening twenty years on the run. The imagination can fills in the expected details, but Oda manages to make it play out for maximum emotional impact through the addition of Robin's mother Olvia, an archaeologist who had left her daughter in the care of an aunt in order to travel the world doing illegal research into the mysteries of the past (this also ties in to the series' ongoing subplots about political and military power, as we learn a little bit about the "100 year void" of missing history, which seems to point to the current world government's annihilation of the previous ruling power and suppression of any information about what they did to gain the stronghold they currently have on the world stage, but that's a subject which will hopefully be explored further in future volumes). Robin's mother returns to the island of Ohara just in time for the Navy to initiate a Buster Call, in which a fleet of warships bombards it into dust for the crimes of studying forbidden archaeological knowledge. Thinking she is protecting Robin, she refuses to admit that she's her mother, giving us an incredibly devastating moment:








It's the worst thing Olvia could have done, and it's enough to wrench one's heart right out. Oda isn't completely heartless though; with the revelation that Robin does have enough archaeological knowledge to make her a target, she is able to have a reunion with her daughter, albeit a short-lived one, but she has resigned herself to her fate along with the rest of Ohara. However, she tells Robin to live, to keep striving for knowledge that can improve the future of the world. Robin does escape, but her home and everyone she has ever known is killed, and as we see in a montage of the subsequent years, she has lived her entire life since then on the run, never able to trust anyone and feeling like the whole world wants her dead for the crime of simply existing. By the time of the present story, it's understandable why she would have finally resigned herself to death, if only as a way to ensure the safety of the Straw Hat Pirates, the only people who have ever accepted her or shown her any kindness. So when Luffy and the rest of the crew realize this, the sign of solidarity they show is one of the most powerful, moving moments the series has yet seen:









Oda had been building to this moment for several volumes by this point, with Robin having apparently betrayed the crew, then seeming to inexplicably choose to die in hopes that they would escape safely, but we know Luffy and crew aren't the type to run away. Instead, they take the awe-inspiring step of taking on the entire force of the world government in order to save a friend, and it's enough to make the reader wipe the tears out of their eyes, stand up, and cheer. That's what shonen manga should be all about, and Oda delivers on that promise like nothing else I've ever seen.

Art What I Like: One Piece Is Awesome, Example #36

As much stirring emotion and awesome action as Eiichiro Oda packs into One Piece, it's still a shonen manga, with a target audience of adolescent boys, which means gross-out jokes make their way into the comic from time to time. However, Oda puts his own weird spin on them, turning them into crazy fighting styles and making them kind of awesome in their own right. Take the introduction of this character from volume 39, a cook who blocks our heroes' progress on the sea train they're fighting their way through:



Yes, that's gross, but it's also hilarious, and it's only the beginning of his disgusting abilities:



By the time he's making a suit of armor composed of ramen, he's just another wacky goofball among all the others that populate this crazy ocean. I love how Oda takes so many concepts and incorporates them into his skewed take on high-seas adventure, and this is just the latest example. I'm sure there will be many, many more to come.

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.