Once Upon a Geek

Out of Office AutoReply: I’m at DragonCon 2010!

Shag — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 10:45:59 +0000

Assuming all went well with air travel, I’ve been in Atlanta since yesterday evening!!! Me and 40,000 of my closest friends all weekend long! DragonCon is the largest multi-media and popular culture convention focusing on science fiction and fantasy, gaming, comics, pop art, designer toys, literature, art, music, and film in the US. It’s the 6th largest convention in the city of Atlanta, has over 500 guests (actors, authors, artists, bands, etc), and offers over 3,500 hours of panels, seminars, demonstrations, and workshops. Check out the DragonCon website for details on the event!

I typically take somewhere between 400 and 600 pictures each year of celebrities, friends, costumes, and generally interesting stuff. Click here to view all my DragonCon photos on Flickr. Also, for some of my favorite DragonCon costumes click here and click here. Finally, you can read about my 2009 DragonCon exploits by clicking here, here, and here.

Talk with you sometime next week. Assuming I make it back home alive.

Greg Brady Curtains for the Final Frontier

Shag — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 10:45:25 +0000

Check out these amazing Greg Brady curtains hanging in the lobby of Microsoft’s Studio D offices in Redmond, Washington. They really take beaded curtains to the Final Frontier.

The piece is called “Mirror Universe” and was created by Devorah Sperber. It features Kirk, Spock, and McCoy in the process of beaming up to the Enterprise. The artwork is composed of semi-translucent beads. Much like the practice of pointillism, this creates the appearance of a solid image when viewed from some distance.

For more information on this amazing work of art, click here. Thanks to my good buddy “Voice of the Red Skull” for sending this my way!

Joker, Lex Luthor, and Winnie-the-Pooh a la Calvin & Hobbes

Shag — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 10:45:30 +0000

Here are a couple brilliant Calvin and Hobbes inspired bits making their way around the interwebs.

This first one comes from the recent Superman/Batman #75 and is by Brian Azzerello and Lee Bermejo. This comic strip is all over the internet, but I first found it on Forbidden Planet International. Click the image below to enlarge.

This next one is called “Hobbes vs Pooh”! The artist did a nice job depicting both Hobbes and Winnie-the-Pooh in a realistic setting. I found this on KallAngo’s Place.

Listen Up: Podcasts in Time and Space!

Shag — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 10:45:48 +0000

I like talking about Doctor Who! Yes I do! In fact, I was fortunate enough to guest-star on two fantastic podcasts discussing Doctor Who recently! Two True Freaks and Better in the Dark both invited me to discuss my favorite show recently and coincidentally both podcasts were released this week!

Here are the details on each podcast. Check them out at the links and take a listen!

TWO TRUE FREAKS

Episode 138 Doctor Who Season Five Throwdown

The very fabric of time and space get stretched to their limits in this epic episode! Chris is joined by Scott “Shag Matthews” Gardner, Hope Mullinax, Mike Poteet and Jose Rivera for a fun filled, informative and PARTY SIZED podcast. It’s a new season with a new Doctor, new companions and new villains as well as some old favorites and not-so-favorites. It’s a show by show roundup of season five filled with music, humor, head-butting and Honeywell’s borderline personality disorder! You might want to kick back, grab some food and a few cold sonic screwdrivers, because this one clocks in at nearly four hours!

“The podcast that’s bigger on the inside!” – Published Star Trek Author Mike Poteet

BETTER IN THE DARK

Episode Eighty-Nine: REVERSING THE NEUTRON FLOW PART THREE: GOODBYE, DAVID, HELLO CRISPI–UH, MATT (Special Guest–Shag)

In Episodes 28 and 31, Tom and Derrick celebrated the anniversary of one of their favorite television series, Doctor Who…since then, enough changes have occurred that The Boys Outta of Brooklyn has enlisted the aid of Views From The Longbox semi-lackey/co-host/Once Upon A Geek typewriter monkey (and perpetual Tom nemesis) Shag to provide an overview of the end of the Tennant era and the inaugural season of the eleventh Doctor, Matt Smith! The trio discuss–and sometimes argue over–such subjects as the magnificence of Donna, Rose vs. Amy, the identity of The Dream Lord, the value of Russell T. Davies’ Whedon-ization of the series, the Skittles Daleks and other juicy topics. Plus, what is The Casey Mulligan Road? What is The Caruso Box, and why is Christopher Eccholson stuck in it? What if Brian Cox and Dougray Scott owned a bar together? Podcasts with bowties are cool, so get to clicking!

I had a real blast recording each of these. I really appreciate them inviting me to appear on their fantastic shows. After listening, drop either podcaster a line and let them know what you thought of the show. Tell them The Irredeemable Shag sent you!

Who You Gonna Call this Halloween? My buddy Robby!

Shag — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 10:45:06 +0000

This October IDW will release Ghostbusters Holiday Special: What in Samhain Just Happened?!, written by Peter David with art by Dan Schoening. Why am I pimping this particular comic you ask? Well, beside the fact that Ghostbusters are cool, my buddy Robby was used as a cover model for this comic!

The cover artist for this book, Nick Runge, wanted some help from hardcore Ghostbusters fans to base the equipment and faces on. He really wanted to get the cover as realistic as possible. Several Ghostbusters fans gathered in full costume to create some photo reference material for the cover artist. My buddy Robby Fuselier of the Tallahassee Ghostbusters was used for Dr. Peter Venkman’s role. Austin Young of the Oklahoma City Ghostbusters and GBTV was chosen to portray Dr. Ray Stantz. While not confirmed, it’s believed that photo reference of Patrick Ewing was the basis for Winston Zeddemore. Kimberly Balevre portrays Janine Melnitz. Finally, Patrick Creel of The Real Tampa Bay Ghostbusters portrays Dr. Egon Spengler. You can read about the entire experience over at the Ghostbusters Fans message board by clicking here.

If you are heading to DragonCon this week, keep your eyes peeled for Robby and his fellow Ghostbusters. Last year his merry band of Ghostbusters won the DragonCon Hall Costume Contest for Best Movie Group.

Be sure to ask your local comic shop to order you a copy of Ghostbusters Holiday Special: What in Samhain Just Happened?! You may be wondering beyond Robby being on the cover, what makes this comic worth buying? Here is the promotional solicitation for this special:

When a media mogul seeks out the Ghostbusters to fix his haunted mansion, the guys decline, assuming it’s a Halloween-themed publicity stunt. However, Janine, angry about her pay, takes the job, claiming she knows as much about ghostbusting as the guys do. She’s soon in over her head, and the Ghostbusters have to race against time to save her before she’s yanked over to the other side forever.

Also, it’s written by Peter David, so you know it’s going to be great. The interior art is by Dan Schoening who is also great (click here for some preview art from this special). If you ever watched The Real Ghostbusters cartoon, then you know that Samhain is an awesome villain! Finally, it’s friggin’ Ghostbusters! You know you love them! C’mon, order it already!

Coolest Piece of Mail I’ve Ever Received at Work

Shag — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 10:45:57 +0000

Yesterday at work I received a promotional brochure through the mail. It’s without a doubt the single coolest piece of mail I’ve ever received at my office. What was the brochure promoting you ask? I have no idea. It was the postage stamp used to mail the piece that made it so cool.

Awesome. Just awesome.

This is part of the U.S. Postal Service’s “Sunday Funnies” commemorative stamps released in July. Other stamps in the collection include: Archie, Dennis the Menace, Beetle Bailey, and Garfield. You can order your own by clicking here.

READING: Micronauts

Shag — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 10:45:58 +0000

If you grew up in the early 1980s, chances are you’ve heard of The Micronauts. Perhaps you played with some of the toys, read some of the comics, or were just aware of their existence. I fell into that last category. I was aware there was a toyline and comic for Micronauts, but that was about it. Recently I decided to learn more about these interesting characters.

The Micronauts was a successful toyline and comic book property in the late 1970s and early 1980s. In fact, the Marvel comic series outlasted the toyline. The first volume started in 1979 and went 59 issues, while the second volume went another 20 issues ending in 1986. I’d heard many people sing the praises of the Micronauts comic, specifically the work of Bill Mantlo and Michael Golden. I found this surprising as typically comics based upon toylines were pretty forgettable. For every successful toyline-related series like Micronauts or G.I. Joe, there were tons of flops like Robotix and Sectaurs. I recall running across the Micronauts in the occasional guest appearance or team-up book, however, I was never able to really connect with the characters from those brief meetings.

On a whim, I recently decided to check out these early Micronauts adventures. I looked for an Essential or collection, but found none. So I ordered the first 20 issues from Mile High Comics for about $20. Not a bad deal in my opinion. So far I’ve read through issue #7 and I’m really enjoying this science-fantasy epic. It’s definitely a product of the bronze age, but that doesn’t prevent me from appreciating the work. It’s also interesting to note that both Captain Universe and Bug (currently of Guardians of the Galaxy) got their start in this toy tie-in comic.

One of the stand-out features of this series is the breathtaking artwork by Michael Golden and Joe Rubinstein. These guys really knew how to draw! To demonstrate their phenomenal artwork, Marvel ran several house ads and pin-ups for the Micronauts series. You just don’t see cool bonus features like these anymore. Check these out!

Below is an ad that ran prior to the release of Micronauts #1.

Below is a house ad that ran in Micronauts #2.

This one-page explanation of each character was invaluable to me. This appeared in issue #1 in lieu of a letters page.

Below is a bonus poster that appeared in issue #2 in lieu of a letters page featuring the mysterious Time Traveller.

Below is a bonus poster that appeared in issue #3 in lieu of a letters page featuring the villainous Baron Karza.

Below is a bonus pin-up page featuring the Microship Endeavor. This map and history appeared is issue #4 in lieu of a letters page. Click the image to enlarge.

On the letters page of issue #6, it was revealed that a secret code had been used through out the series. Many people noticed the weird symbols in the artwork but didn’t possess a key to decipher it. Below the alphabetic key was shared with the fans.

Below is the house ad that ran in issue #7 promoting the Man-Thing guest appearance.

I’m really enjoying the comic series so far and plan to continue reading as long as it holds my interest. If you’d like to check out the series, you could possibly find issues in your local 50 cent bins or can order online for very reasonable prices. For further information on the Micronauts comic, check out the Wikipedia page dedicated to the four-color adventures of these heroes from Inner Space.

If you are interested in learning about the toyline, there are several references:

Just What You Need in the Middle of the Week

Shag — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 10:45:58 +0000

Here is a little something to help you get through the rest of the week. Why? Because it’s awesome and so are you.

If you can’t view the embedded video above, please click here.

Alpha Flight – Favorite Covers

Shag — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 10:45:10 +0000

Last week’s post about Alpha Flight and the news about Chaos War: Alpha Flight has reignited my fanaticism for this team! Today I thought I’d stroll down memory lane with some of my favorite Alpha Flight related covers. Enjoy!

My Wife is a Wonder Woman

Shag — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 10:45:13 +0000

Have I mentioned lately how awesome my wife is? The other day The Irrepressible Gena came home from shopping with this t-shirt. She’s an absolute non-geek, but bought this shirt because she knew it’d make me happy. She’s so fantastic! And beautiful too!

It’s a reproduction of the cover to Wonder Woman #253 dated March 1979. The artists were Jose Delbo and Dick Giordano, with a story written by Jack C. Harris. If you want one of these shirts for yourself or your loved one, they are available at Wal-Mart for only $12.

Also worth mentioning, JCPenney has just launched a new line of Supergirl clothes for girls. If you have a daughter, little sister, niece or whatever it might be time for a shopping trip! Click here for more details on the Supergirl line at JCPenney.