Starting 2019 with feeling grateful for the things I have in life. Nothing seems to go right, but I am thankful for family and friends, my dog Georgie, and that I have a place to lay my head at night.
I’m grateful that I get to spend mornings with my grandma having toast and coffee. She’s 95 and is an inspiration for how to live your life and be thankful for everything in it.
I wouldn’t be where I am today without my family. They have stood by me no matter the circumstances. I have a roof over my head and people who love me. I am proud to call them family. We don’t always agree, but we get along and love each other.
I’m thankful for my friend, Pepe. Always working hard towards his goal or pursuing art as his passion. He’s always got a kind word or an encouraging way of looking at things. We’ve been friends for almost 35 years, and I consider him family. We share a passion for writing, creating, and contributing our art to the universe. We share a love of comics, movies, conventions, and Prince.
In all, I have an abundance to be thankful for. I am hopeful for what 2019 will bring too me.
I had a great time at the Long Beach Comic and & Horror Con this weekend. I always enjoy seeing the core group of artists we work with. I say work, because although we have a good time it is work we are doing promoting great book like Tales of Blood and Fire, Comic Book Junkie, and Zombie Tramp. I highly recommend you check them all out. They’re fantastic.
I was honored to be asked along with my friend Pepe Melan to be a part of Comikaze Expo in Los Angeles on November 5th and 6th. To be included with people like comic book legend Stan “The Man” Lee and Elvira, Mistress of the Dark is truly humbling and exciting. I’m looking forward to the show.
I’ll post more information as the event draws near. For now, check our the Comikaze poster created by my friend Pepe and click on it to be taken to the Comikaze Expo site. I hope to see you there.
Comikaze Expo - Los Angeles, November 5th and 6th, 2011
Yesterday was Free Comic Book Day. Pepe Melan and I spent the morning at the local Comic Shop in Lancaster signing comics and talking to comic book fans. It wasn’t as big as last years gathering, but it was still nice to meet so many people like us who love comics. We made a few connections which may result in more news here later.
If you’re a person who reads and is passionate about comics please support your local comic shop. It seems to me they are dying away, especially in the smaller towns like mine.
After the signing we decided to catch the new comic book-based movie, Thor. I went into the theater with a sense of “I hope this movie is good.” I was not disappointed. Anthony Hopkins as Odin was expectedly great. I am willing to over look that the film makers cast other supposedly Nordic gods in the film who were Asian and African-American, It is after all, fantasy and who is to say that an alien culture from another place would not be as diverse as our own here on Earth. To the bitching I’ve seen online I say “It’s a comic book film people, get over it.”
The film is a bit slow in places, but I think it was necessary because it was a big story to tell. My main concern was that the story would be too big and complex for the average non-comic reading moviegoers. To be fair I think Kenneth Branagh pulled this off nicely. The story by J. Michael Straczynski was a good translation of comic to film. Since he was the writer of the comic I think he was the right choice for the film.
The story is spread across three realms or planets Asgard (realm of the gods), Yodenheim (realm of the Frost Giants, and Earth (realm of mortals). The movie skips between them telling a story in each. There is war with the Frost Giants, punishment of arrogance, betrayal, and redemption. I liked the Einstein explanation of travel between the realms.
The acting is decent, as I said Hopkins is perfect as a god-king. The other actors fit their roles as well. I could probably done without the comic relief of Cat Denning, it seemed out of place or maybe added to keep teenagers entertained. I was disappointed with SHIELD, they’re supposed to be an organization that handles super-human threats. I don’t think the portrayal was fair, they had their butts handed to them numerous times in the film. If they are a line of defense for the planet I think we’re in trouble.
I’ve seen other reviews saying the movie is another Dark Knight or as brilliant as Lord of the Rings. I don’t think I would go that far. It was a good film, not sure if I’d see it twice at the theater. If early box office is an indicator I think the movie will be the success it deserves to be. If the upcoming Summer of comic book movies are as well done as Thor we are in for a great bunch of comic-based films.
