Issue #83: MegaCon 2010!

MegaCon 2010 took place at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida from Friday, March 12 - Sunday, March 14, 2010. This was the third time I attended MegaCon, which has so far been the only comic book convention I have been to. Previously I went to MegaCon in 2005 and 2006 with my son, Will, as one of his birthday presents those years. Both times we only went on Saturday because that was my day off. This year was the first time I attended all three days, and I plan on attending all three days in the future. For more about my time at MegaCon, listen to my podcast: Superman Fan Podcast Episoide #118: MegaCon 2010! at http://supermanfanpodcast.mypodcast.com/. In this issue of My Pull List I will list the issues of my comic book collection I got autographed, plus two reviews of comic books by central Florida comic book creators:

Derek Fish: The Wellkeeper Issues #0 & #1 (Half Moose Media) http://www.thewellkeeper.com/.
Wayne Cordova & Harold Jennett: M.I.M.E.S. (Mobile Initiative for Muting Evil Syndicates) (Geek Monkey Comics) http://www.mimescomic.com/.

To view photos I took at MegaCon: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2033083&id=1239968992&l=c6f45bc404.

Comic books I had autographed at MegaCon:

Action Comics issues #643 (homage to Joe Shuster's cover for Superman #1) & #644 (Black & White Superman costume) July / August 1989 (DC), autographed by writer and artist George Perez.

Crisis On Infinite Earths issues #7 (the death of Supergirl) & #8 (the death of the Flash) October / Novenber 1985 (DC), autographed by writer Marv Wolfman & artist George Perez.

Iron Ghost #1, April 2005 (Image), autographed by artist Sergio Cariello.

Jonah Hex #53, May 2010, (DC), autographed by co-writers Jimmy Palmiotti & Justin Gray and artist Billy Tucci.

JSA Classifieds #1, #3 & #4 (featuring Power Girl), September, November & December 2005 (DC), autographed by artist Amanda Conner.

Lone Ranger #1 & #2 (November & December) 2006 (Dynamite Entertainment), autographed byartist Sergio Cariello.

Ministry Of Space trade paperback, 2004, (Image), autographed by colorist Laura Martin.

New Frontier trade paperback vol's. I & II (DC) and Justice League: The New Frontier DVD (Warner Premier), autographed by comic book writer and artist Darwyn Cooke.

The Pro one issue 2007 edition (Image), autographed by artist Amanda Conner.

Planetary vol. 1, 2000, and issue #27, December 2009, (Wildstorm / DC), autographed by colorist Laura Martin.

Supergirl #50, April 2010 (DC), autographed by penciller Jamal Igle.

Comic books I bought by Central Florida comic book creators at MegaCon 2010 and reviewed:

M.I.M.E.S. (Mimes Initiative for Muting Evil Syndicates) #1 Summer 2008, written by Wayne Cordova and drawn by Harold Jennett (Geek Monkey Comics) * * * *

I met writer Wayne Cordova in the green section of artist alley. I had first become aware of him through his Geek Pastor Podcast and eventually friended him on facebook. He is an associate pastor of Crosspoint Church http://www.crosspointlive.com/ in Spring Hill, Florida, which is near Tampa. It was a pleasure to meet him in person, finally, and we had a nice conversation about family, church, podcasting and comics. I was familiar with M.I.M.E.S. from the website linked above. To support a local comic book creator I bought a copy of the title's first issue. A second issue is in the works. Check the comic book's website, or friend Wayne Cordova on facebook, for more information about when that issue will be published. Issue #1 is still available at the website http://mimiescomic.com/.

To be perfectly honest, M.I.M.E.S. would not be the first title I would have picked up off the shelf. I really don't read any all ages or humor titles like Archie, etc. Having said that, I enjoyed this issue very much. It is an all-ages title in the best sense of the word. The color art has a cartoony style similar to Cartoon Network, and the stories were simple enough for young readers to comprehend, yet clever enough for an adult to appreciate and enjoy.The group M.I.M.E.S. is a group of four mimes with distinct superpowers: one can lift heavy pretend objects, another can create invisible boxes and walls, a third is a master of an invisible rope, and the final member holds the invisible book of ultimate knowledge. In other words, if the Fantastic Four were mimes, these could be the superpowers they would have. Sometimes I'm in the mood for something more lighthearted than the usual superhero fare, and if you are too, I would recommend M.I.M.E.S.

The Wellkeeper #0 & #1 written, drawn and lettered by Derek Fish (Half Moose Media) * * * *

I first met Derek Fish at the 24-Hour Comic Book Day event hosted by Acme (http://acme-superstore.com/) in Longwood, Florida back in October. I sat to his left as he inked some of the pages to the second issue, if I recall. I was impressed by the detail and the rich blacks of his art. He described the basic concept of the story, and I could tell that, brief as it was, the concept had been thought out very well. These two issues bore that out. Issue #0, titled Ebele's Tale introduces Zoe, a young girl who has received the abilities of a Wellkeeper from her grandmother, who tells her the legend of the origin of a long line of Wellkeepers. They tap into and protect the life energy of planet Earth, and are always female, passing their powers from one generation to the next. This issue establishes the main character and sets up the world she lives in very well.

Issue #1 is titled On The Run, and that is exactly the situation Zoe finds herself in. She is being pursued by a very unusual creature. Derek does an excellent job of introducing some supporting characters and fleshing them out very quickly, so that they seem very real. He doesn't scrimp on background detail either, but the eye is always drawn to the characters. Derek does what I like in a comic book, action that means something, and which develops the characters in the story. As I read the story I learned about the characters and they became more familiar to me. And they each had a different voice in my head as I read the story, which isn't always easy to do in an average story. In the back of the issue are several pages of development schetches. The Wellkeeper is an above average story, and is scheduled to be published quarterly. Derek has already finished the art for issues 2 and 3 in order to keep his book on schedule, and they were on display at his table. Check out the website http://www.thewellkeeper.com/ for more information on upcoming issues, and Derek Fish is also on facebook.

Next Issue: Catch Up Week #19! For the month of March, 2010.

Send e-mail to mypulllist@gmail.com.

Superman Fan Podcast can be found at http://supermanfanpodcast.mypodcast.com/. Expanded show notes are available at http://supermanfanpodcast.blogspot.com/. Send e-mail about this podcast to supermanfanpodcast@gmail.com.

You can join both the Superman Fan Podcast and My Pull List groups on facebook. Follow both the podcast and blog on twitter @supermanpodcast.

My Pull List Preview #4: Comic Books For The Weeks Of Wednesday, March 3 - 24, 2010!

With the recent MegaCon, it threw me off schedule, as I tried to juggle Superman Fan Podcast, this blog and getting organized for the Con. So, after I go to my locak comic book store: Acme Comics in Longwood, Florida http://acme-superstore.com, I'll have a whole month of comics to catch up on with the next blog entry. But before I review March's comic books, I'll have a blog entry about the comics I had autographed at MegaCon this year, with a review of two independent titles by local artists and writers I bought there as well. More about that later.

Comic books for the week of Wednesday, March 3, 2010:

The Invincible Iron Man #1 (Marvel's Greatest Comics)
Jonah Hex #53 (DC)

Comic books for the week of Wednesday, March 10, 2010:

Action Comics #887 (DC)
Superman: Last Stand Of New Krypton #1 (of 3) (DC)
Powers #3 (Icon / Marvel)

I have picked up these first two weeks of comics this month, but I have waited to read the two Superman titles until I get Adventure Comics #8, which ties into the ongoing World Against Superman storyline. Acme Comics ran out before I got there later that week and had to back order it. I hope it will come in this week so I can catch up on Superman, especially as this story winds down.

Comic books for the week of Wednesday, March 17, 2010:

Supergirl #51 (DC)
Terry Moore's Echo #20

Comic books for the week of Wednesday, March 24, 2010:

Superman #698 (DC)

Next Issue: MegaCon 2010: Autographed Comics & New Comics From MegaCon!

Send e-mail to mypulllist@gmail.com.

Superman Fan Podcast can be found at http://supermanfanpodcast.mypodcast.com/. Expanded show notes are available at http://supermanfanpodcast.blogspot.com/. Send e-mail about this podcast to supermanfanpodcast@gmail.com.

You can join both the Superman Fan Podcast and My Pull List groups on facebook. Follow both the podcast and blog on twitter @supermanpodcast.

Issue #82: Catch Up Week #18: Comic Books For The weeks of Wednesday, February 17, 2010 & Wednesday, February 24, 2010:

Comic books for the week of Wednesday, February 17, 2010:

The Tick #2 (New Series) (New England Comics)
Supergirl #50 (DC)
Invincible #70 (Image)

Comic book for the week of Wednesday, February 24, 2010:

Superman #697 (World Against Superman #29) (DC)

Comic books for the week of Wednesday, February 17, 2010:

The Tick #2 (New Series) (New England Comics)

I have decided not to continue picking up this series. I love the character, but I have a very limited comic book buying budget. And between Last Stand Of New Krypton, War Of The Supermen and Superman: Secret Origin my budget is going to be pretty full. I thought I should note it on this blog. I would recommend it to anyone who loves superhero comic books.

Supergirl #50 (DC) * * * *

Supergirl reached a milestone in this issue, as as a super heroine. She battles Insect Queen, and manages to use her brain as well as her brawn in the battle. The story served as a marker of her growth as a superhero, and a turning point in her personal life. This was the first look I've had at Gangbuster's new costume since he returned to the DCU. My only question about this issue is Kara's response to a close friend at the story's end. It seemed to show she still has a little growing up to do. I don't want to be more specific because I don't want to spoil it for anyone who hasn't read the issue yet. Overall a worthy story for a milestone issue. The story will continue in Last Stand Of New Krypton #1. The back of the issue had a story co-written by the movie Supergirl actress Helen Slater, who was also Lara on Smallville. It was a type of recap of her career to this point, as told through a nes show Greet The Press, hosted by Daily Planet political reporter Ron Troupe. The art, by Cliff Chiang, was different, but I thought it was very good.

Invincible #70 (Image) * * * * *

As the cover suggests, Invincible battles the Seguid invasion of Earth, along with the Guardains of the Galaxy, who first responded to the threat in the previous issue. It is a good back and forth battle, with several turns of the tide during the conflict. Quite a dense fight in a small number of pages. Oliver is really growing up, and we get a lot of character development about him in the one page he appears in the issue. We're left with some questions about the relationship between him and his brother Mark. And we see some of the supporting cast dealing with the battle's aftermath. An excellent issue, as always.

Comic book for the week of Wednesday, February 24, 2010:

Superman #697 (World Against Superman #29) (DC) * * * * *

This issue had a little bit of everything: the Guardian and Mone-El, who got some help from some very special friends, that the Daxamite will become more familiar with later. Again, I can't be more specific without spoiling the issue. I can say that the mystery of what happened to Control at the end of last issue is resolved. And Mon-El and Superboy have a talk at the Kent farm, as the cover suggests. The story leads into Adventure Comics #8. Can't wait to read it!

I'm writing this blog entry on Saturday, March 6, 2010, when I happened to go to my local comic book shop, Acme Comics, in Longwood, FL http://acme-superstore.com/. The issues I got were:

Adventure Comics #7/510 (DC) I had been picking this book up off the shelf, and hadn't put it on my pull list, so the week it was published, it was sold out before I got there. The helpful staff re-ordered it.

Jonah Hex #53 (DC) This is not on my pull list, and will not be on a regular basis. I'd love to get it regularly, but I can't squeeze it into the budget. But next weekend is MegaCon in the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida, and co-writer Jimmy Palmiotti and issue artist Billy Tucci will be guests, and I couldn't resist.

The Invincible Iron Man #1 (Marvel's Greatest Comics) (Marvel) This reprint of the first issue was a freebie.

I will post some blog entries next weekend about my experiences at MegaCon here, and on the Superman Fan Podcast. Stay tuned.

Send e-mail to mypulllist@gmail.com.

Superman Fan Podcast can be found at http://supermanfanpodcast.mypodcast.com/. Expanded show notes are available at http://supermanfanpodcast.blogspot.com/. Send e-mail about this podcast to supermanfanpodcast@gmail.com.

You can join both the Superman Fan Podcast and My Pull List groups on facebook. Follow both the podcast and blog on twitter @supermanpodcast.

My Pull List Preview #3: Comic Books For The Week Of Wednesday, March 3, 2010:

Slim pickings again this week, but that means I still have some of my comic book spending money left over for some upcoming series like the three issue Last Stand Of New Krypton.

Adventure Comics #8/511 (DC)

I'll be going to my local comic book store, Acme Comics http://acme-superstore.com, in Longwood, Florida on Saturday.

Look for my reviews of the comics I listed in Issue #81 http://mypulllist.blogspot.com/2010/02/issue-81-comic-books-for-weeks-of.html, in the next few days in Issue #82.

Send e-mail to mypulllist@gmail.com.

Superman Fan Podcast can be found at http://supermanfanpodcast.mypodcast.com/. Expanded show notes are available at http://supermanfanpodcast.blogspot.com/. Send e-mail about this podcast to supermanfanpodcast@gmail.com.

You can join both the Superman Fan Podcast and My Pull List groups on facebook. Follow both the podcast and blog on twitter @supermanpodcast.