SPOKANE COMICON

SDCC Tweets recap

2011-07-26T21:46:00.000-07:00

For those of you that don't follow me on Twitter http://twitter.com/spokanecomicon (and you should) you missed 5 days of pure gold. Here is a recap of my misadventures while at the 2011 San Diego Comic con.

You'll have to scroll from the bottom and read up but you get the idea.

Thank you San Diego and sdcci. It's been real.

24 Jul

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Just got introduced to the Penny Arcade guys.

24 Jul

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Just got a signed print by the team from "axe cop"

24 Jul

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Just rapped with our pal Daniel M davis

24 Jul

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Sdcc day 4 and its really nice that hardly anyone is here compared to saturday.

24 Jul

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Walked past the Profiles in History booth and they had Billy Zane signing.

23 Jul

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WOW! I just saw the Frank Miller being escorted out & he did not look good.

23 Jul

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Looking forward 2 sitting down and checking out the Boilerplate panel.

23 Jul

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Just talked to actor Stephen Dorff and asked him if he'd ever make a Decan Frost spin off movie from Blade.

23 Jul

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In line for exclusive "the Immortals" cast signing.

23 Jul

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Wow just heard the artists on the DA panel take a shot at Bluewater...for those artists out there you know what that means.

23 Jul

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Panel is about to start with the CEO of deviantArt.com

23 Jul

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I dont care how big the room is there are no cuts. End of story lady.

23 Jul

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Thomas jane says "hi" or at least thats what i was able to understand.

23 Jul

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Should i be worried that after 3 days that temp tatoo still hasnt wore off?

23 Jul

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Thank yiu Hilton goodnight!

22 Jul

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What?! You are denying me entry into the playboy club after party?

22 Jul

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I just yelled at mike mignolia lol

22 Jul

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Some girl in a skirt and high heals just fell. Good thing she was wearing underwear.

22 Jul

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Chris O'Donnell in the hizzy.

22 Jul

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Falling skies panel was cool.

22 Jul

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Conan jumped up on the table & did the string dance. "it looks good"

22 Jul Favorite Reply Delete

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Conan is killin' it

22 Jul

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OMG! surprise Conan appearence @ the green lantern panel!! They debut a "Flaming C" trailer!!!

22 Jul

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Two words. Free. Icee.

22 Jul

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Just walked past Elijah Wood.

22 Jul

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Jim Lee just jokingly said their new slogan will be "eff you the new 52!"

22 Jul

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Waiting for "new 52" panel to start and iam sitting in front of grant morrison and jim lee!

22 Jul

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One guy just stepped on another guys foot and he acted like he had been shot. I smell oscar nomination.

22 Jul

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I love standing next to people in line who are "know it alls"

22 Jul

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After being awake since 5am its time for some coffee. Now lets see if i can get in early...

22 Jul

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Chillin @ cbldf after party. Nothing like a $6 drink.

21 Jul

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Captain america was awesome!

21 Jul

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In line to captain america a day early!

21 Jul

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I have found food truck-land!

21 Jul

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And yes iam wearing my flaming c cape around town like a 5 year old.

21 Jul

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Cocomooca ft flaming c gallery is awesome! I just got a free shirt and cape!

21 Jul

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Just saw a semi truck all decked out with "walking dead" decals, blood & fake limbs sticking out the back.

21 Jul

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Eff yeah! The art of no! Is in the sdcc souvenir book!!

20 Jul

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Standing in front of the coco moca ft "flaming c" art!

20 Jul

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Huge batman arkham city banner on the side of petco park

20 Jul

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Iam in san diego and its awesome here as always

5th Annual Spokane Comicon Review

2011-05-27T19:48:00.000-07:00

The fifth annual Spokane Comicon was held on Saturday May 21, 2011 and like the previous year before it was our best show yet! A record crowd of 1,300 turned out (300 more than in 2010) despite some patchy rain showers in the early morning. Another best for this years con was the increased amount of tables sold (100 in 2011 up 30 more than 2010) and expanded dealer space beyond the main lobby.

This year we were lucky enough to have special guest artists Dave Johnson and Dan Panosian fly up from L.A. to join us. In addition we held our first ever Drink and Draw the night before the con at Cyrus O'Leary's. We had an outstanding turn out with over 40 guests, artists and friends during the night. Everyone enjoyed getting a chance to catch up with old friends and meet new ones. We even poured out a little liquor for the passing of Macho Man Randy Savage.

The line to get into the con was massive. It seemed to go on and on and on. By our count we had 400 people through the doors within the first 2 hours. The first 200 fans where lucky enough to get their hands on exclusive gift bags that included 35mm "Thor" film cells.

Throughout the day fans of all ages took advantage of the many things to see and do. Returning for his second straight con appearance was graphic artist and Keyboard Cat creator Charlie Schmidt. Charlie went as far as painting on a canvass throughout the day.

The one thing that I am sure many of you that attended are wondering about, "What was up with the fire alarm?" Well, here's how I understand it. First off it wasn't deliberate, nor was it someone deciding to sneak out of an emergency exit. According to campus security there was a faulty fire alarm in the building. It was also the third time that week that the same alarm had gone off. I am sure the Fire Dept enjoys wasting their time to keep coming back again and again to turn off the same alarm. On a more serious note I was impressed on how cool everyone was when the alarm went off. All guests, vendors, volunteers and attendees all cooperated and evacuated to the nearest exit. The 30 minutes lost until we got the clear to return back inside was unfortunate but we moved up the costume contest almost 45 minutes to give fans something to cheer about.

Speaking of the costume contest I was really impressed with the increased amount of participation in all ages groups. I really do feel the level of costumes went to another level too. The duo of The Beast and Mystique where fantastic, as was the female Booster Gold. Tip of the cap to the group that dressed up in all colors of the Green Lantern spectrum.

Reflecting on five years of doing this con has been a blast. Sure it looks easy but sometimes things don't always go as planned. Still the positive steps we've made over the years has been great. I couldn't be more happy helping to provide a slice of the comic convention and pop culture world to the Inland Northwest. One of the best parts of the con is seeing kids faces. Seeing the look in kids eyes when they see a member of the 501st strolling around, or handed a sketch from an artist. That's what motivates me to want to continue. That's the type of things that I would have loved when I was a kid. Is there anything better?

Thank you to all the Guests, Vendors, Artists, Volunteers and Attendees who helped make the 5th annual Spokane Comicon another success. I hope you all had as much fun at the con as I did putting it all together. Please join our facebook fan page to keep up to date with anything and everything about the Spokane Comicon.

Thanks and good Con!
Nathan O'Brien
Spokane Comicon Founder & Coordinator

Spokane Comicon 2011 Update#3

2011-04-02T13:07:00.000-07:00

Hello fans, Time continues to fly by as we are now less than 2 months away from the 5th annual Spokane Comicon. Here's the latest breakdown.

Basic Info:
5th Annual Spokane Comicon
Saturday May 21, 2011

10:00am-5:00pm
@ Spokane Commmunity College Bld 6
1810 N Greene St Spokane, WA 99217

$5 general admission at the door.
Kids 10 and under are fee.

Special Guests:
Dave Johnson: Eisner Award winning artist (100 Bullets, Detective Comics, Deadpool)
Dan Panosian: Artist (X-Factor Forever, Irredeemable, Chaos War: God Squad)
Matthew Southworth: Artist (Stumptown, Amazing Spider-man)
Brandon Jerwa: Writer (Battlestar Galatica, The Shield, The Mighty Crusaders)
Mark Rahner: Writer (Rotten)
Brian Churilla: Artist (the Anchor, Avengers, Creepy)
Colton Worley: Artist (Kato Origins)
Scott Allie: Editor/Writer (Dark Horse Comics)
Chad Anderson: Writer (The Heroic Age X-Men)
Eric Trautmann: Writer (Vampirella, The Shield)
*NEW*Thomas Cook: Animator (He-Man, Thundarr, Super Friends tv series)

*NEW* Lars Brown: Artist (North-World web comic)

*NEW* Jeremy Barlow:Writer (Star Wars Adventures/Tales/Clone Wars comics)

Dealer/Artist Alley Tables:
The revised 2011 pdf application is currently available to download directly from our website. Please email me with any questions you may have that aren't covered in the 2011 application.

All Artist Alley tables are SOLD OUT for 2011. Please email me if you want to be on the waiting list.

We have less than a dozen Dealer tables left so another sell out is imminent very very soon.

Special Events: (mark your calendars)

"Spokane Comicon presents Superhero storytime at Auntie's Bookstore"
Bring your kids and join us Saturday April 23rd at Aunties Bookstore - in downtown Spokane for a special superhero book reading at 11:00am.

*In addition there will be fun freebies for kids, and don't forget to enter the FREE RAFFLE for chance to win a copy of "Tiny Titans/Little Archie" #1 signed by artist Art Baltazar and writer Franco.

*NEW* Drink and Draw: Spokane edition at Isabellas Restaurant & Gin Joint http://www.isabellasspokane.com/

Friday May 20th, 2011 7:00pm-11:00pm 21 and older

Admission is FREE but please be respectful of Isabellas. They are a business so plan on buying a beverage or appitizer if you come, don't brown bag it.

This is your chance to rub elbows with some special guest artists and talk like a sailor all while drawing. Facebook event page coming soon.

Program of Events:

The full program of events will be release 2 weeks prior to May 21st. In the mean time here are a few teasers.

WACOM technology will be holding 2 demo classes during the con. Wondering if getting a tablet is for you? Now is your chance to view them in action all day at their table and or at one of their hands on classes. Time TBA

Dark Horse Comics Portfolio Review: Think you got what it takes to make it in comics? Dark Horse comics publisher and special guest Scott Allie will be holding Portfolito reviews starting at 3:00pm. Location TBA.

More details coming soon including Costume Contest guidelines and Gaming Tournament details.

Lodging:

For the 4th straight year we are proudly sponsored by The Comfort Inn Hotel here in Spokane, WA.

For anyone who will be looking for affordable accomidations while coming to Spokane for the con please call 509-467-7111 and ask for Shaun or Echo.

Make sure you mention you are coming for the "Spokane Comicon" to receive your nightly room discount.

For more hotel info you can check out their website http://www.comfortinnspokane.com/ but you will only get the discount rate if you call.

Stay Connected:
If you are reading this, chances are you've already been to our main site spokanecomicon.com, but we are also are on facebook/spokanecomicon and twitter twitter.com/spokanecomicon. "Like" us on facebook to stay on top of any updates and events around town. There will be plenty of updates as we keep getting closer to May including Exclusives, Gift Bag details, Costume Contest guidelines, Gaming info and more!

Thanks for your support and good comics.
Best,
Nathan

__________________________________
Nathan O'Brien
Spokane Comicon Founder & Coordinator
http://www.spokanecomicon.com/

Spokane Comicon 2011 update #2

2011-02-27T09:00:00.000-08:00

Hello fans, Time continues to fly by as we are now less than 3 months away from the 5th annual Spokane Comicon. Here's the latest.

Basic Info:
5th Annual Spokane Comicon
Saturday May 21, 2011

10:00am-5:00pm
@ Spokane Commmunity College Bld 6
1810 N Greene St Spokane, WA 99217

$5 general admission at the door.
Kids 10 and under are fee.

Special Guests:
Dave Johnson: Eisner Award winning artist (100 Bullets, Detective Comics, Deadpool)
Dan Panosian: Artist (X-Factor Forever, Irredeemable, Chaos War: God Squad)
Matthew Southworth: Artist (Stumptown, Amazing Spider-man)
Brandon Jerwa: Writer (Battlestar Galatica, The Shield, The Mighty Crusaders)
Mark Rahner: Writer (Rotten)
Brian Churilla: Artist (the Anchor, Avengers, Creepy)
*NEW* Colton Worley: Artist (Kato Origins)
*NEW* Scott Allie: Editor/Writer (Dark Horse Comics)
*NEW* Chad Anderson: Writer (The Heroic Age X-Men)
*NEW* Eric Trautmann: Writer (Vampirella, The Shield)

more guests TBA

Dealer/Artist Alley Tables:
The revised 2011 pdf application is currently available to download directly from our website. Please email me with any questions you may have that aren't covered in the 2011 application.

Reminder for the second straight year we sold out of all tables about 6-8 weeks prior to show time. Last year we filled up 75 tables. Our goal this year is for 100 tables. Currently we have 70 tables filled (up +30 since our last update last month), so don't think it won't happen again.

Special Events: (mark your calendars)
*NEW* "Spokane Comicon presents Superhero storytime at Auntie's Bookstore"
Bring your kids and join us Saturday April 23rd at Aunties Bookstore - in downtown Spokane for a special superhero book reading at 11:00am.

*In addition there will be fun freebies for kids, and don't forget to enter the FREE RAFFLE for chance to win a copy of "Tiny Titans/Little Archie" #1 signed by artist Art Baltazar and writer Franco.

Look for facebook event page coming soon.

Stay Connected:
If you are reading this, chances are you've already been to our main site spokanecomicon.com, but we are also are on facebook/spokanecomicon and twitter twitter.com/spokanecomicon. "Like" us on facebook to stay on top of any updates and events around town. There will be plenty of updates as we keep getting closer to May.

Finally, for those of you that will be going to Emerald City Comicon March 4-6 http://www.emeraldcitycomicon.com/ I will be sitting with "The Sketch Crew" in the artist alley A-15/16/17 all weekend long. Look for the Spokane Comicon banner and come say hello! I'll have new postcard flyers on hand, buttons and magnets while supplies last.

Thanks for your support and good comics.
Best,
Nathan

__________________________________
Nathan O'Brien
Spokane Comicon Founder & Coordinator
http://www.spokanecomicon.com/

Spokane Comicon 2011 Update #1

2011-01-15T09:26:00.000-08:00

Hello fans and friends! It was great seeing some of you at the Robert Picardo signing back in December. Now that we are in the new year the countdown is on until the 5th Annual Spokane Comicon on Saturday May 21st. I just wanted to take this opportunity to catch people up on where we are currently.

Special Guests:
Dave Johnson: Eisner Award winning artist (100 Bullets, Detective Comics, Deadpool)
Dan Panosian: Artist (X-Factor Forever, Irredeemable, Chaos War: God Squad)
Matthew Southworth: Artist (Stumptown, Amazing Spider-man)
Brandon Jerwa: Writer (Battlestar Galatica, The Shield, The Mighty Crusaders)
Mark Rahner: Writer (Rotten)
Brian Churilla: Artist (the Anchor, Avengers, Creepy)

and more guests TBA soon

Dealer/Artist Alley Tables:
The revised 2011 pdf application is currently available to download directly from our website. To keep up with the spirit of giving we are offering $10 off dealer tables through January 31st so take advantage of the savings. Please email me with any questions you may have that aren't covered in the 2011 application.

Reminder for the second straight year we sold out of all tables about 6-8 weeks prior to show time. Last year we filled up 75 tables. Our goal this year is for 100 tables. Currently we have 40 tables filled.

Stay Connected:
If you are reading this then chances are you've already been to our main site spokanecomicon.com, but we are also are on facebook/spokanecomicon and twitter twitter.com/spokanecomicon. "Like" us on facebook to stay on top of any updates and events around town. There will be plenty of updates as we keep getting closer to May.

Basic Info:
5th Annual Spokane Comicon
Saturday May 21, 2011
10:00am-5:00pm
@ Spokane Commmunity College Bld 6
1810 N Greene St
Spokane, WA 99217

Special Events:
Planning is underway for the Spokane Comicon to sponsor some special events around town as we get closer to May 21st. More details TBA.

Thanks for your support and we'll be talking to you all soon.
Best,
Nathan
__________________________________
Nathan O'Brien
Spokane Comicon Founder & Coordinator
http://www.spokanecomicon.com/

2010 wrap up

2010-12-29T13:48:00.000-08:00

I know I don't blog much nor do I believe many people even actually read this. I just wanted to take a few moments to touch upon a few hi-lights for me in throughout 2010.

Conventions
2010 was a busy year for me and conventions. I was lucky enough to have another successful convention of my own. The fourth annual Spokane Comicon was on May 22, 2010 and it was a blast. The positive trends continue as we sold more tables, added more special guests, and increased our overall attendance through the doors. John Layman is the man BTW. Year 5 (May 21, 2011) is already shaping up to be bigger and better.

I was also lucky enough to attend Emerald City Comicon (March), Otaku Con (July) and Jet City Comic book show (September) as an artist. I had a lot of fun getting to hang out with fellow artists as well as meet new people. I am looking forward to doing more cons in 2011.

Finally, I was able to go back to San Diego Comic con Int for my 3rd time. It's always a geekgasim of over stimulation and head turning. I think I had more fun this time around because I seem to make more and more connections with other professionals in the comic book biz. It's a real treat to get to talk to fellow artists and writers who actually remember me.

My favorite moments from the SDCC was a tie. Getting to go see writer director Kevin Smith's panel again was hilarious fun as was getting to see Stan "the Man" Lee in person for the first time. I was lucky enough to get there early both times and sit about 10 feet away from both of them. Big shout out to artist Andy Owens and his family who were nice enough to let me bunk with them in San Diego.

Family wise things went great as could be. My wife's online business continues to grow and I am so proud of her. My daughter started Kindergarten and is doing very very well. She really likes her teacher and is excelling in all categories.

Here's to hope 2011 is as positive and successful as 2010 has been.

My Review of Secret Origin: The Story of DC Comics

2010-11-03T22:07:00.001-07:00

Originally submitted at WB Shop

An expansive documentary exploring the 75 years of DC Comics, the memorable characters of its universe and the talented artists and writers who brought them to life.

Loved it!

By Nathan OBrien from Spokane, WA on 11/3/2010

Pros: Broad Appeal, Informative, Good Resource, Entertaining

Cons: None

Best Uses: At Home, Perfect Gift

Describe Yourself: Avid Moviegoer

I was lucky enough to view the advance screening of "Secret Origin" at San Diego Comic con and loved it. Even though I already watched it I still plan on purchasing it. "Secret Origin" is an absolute must for any comic book and pop culture fan.

spokanecomicon.com

(legalese)

What's New?!

2010-08-12T10:05:00.001-07:00

What's up with NO! well plenty of stuff thank you very much. I've been keeping busy this summer for sure on all fronts. After a great trip to SDCC I am inspired by some artists to keep doing my thing and creating new pieces. I had a blast seeing some friends and talking art and comics.

***The big news from SDCC (for me) was writer and creator (and pal) John Layman will be putting in more of my fan art in CHEW #16. This time it's a one page (type of epilogue) written by John Layman, pencils by NO! and inks by Levi Skeen [link] ***

My Etsy shop [link] has really been keeping my busy too. I've been selling a decent amount of prints and starting to get some commissions too. Please take a look...makes a great gift hint, hint.

I've been writing a lot for my web comic Weaselman [link] plotting out what's next to come. I've got some fun ideas for the next few chapters and it will all lead into a big blockbuster in the 24 comic challenge on October 2nd. [link]

Somewhere in between all that I find time for my family, and my full time job. I also have to start thinking about getting ready for Jet City Comic book show on September 25th in Seattle. It's a new one day show put on by the same people as Emerald City CC, so I am looking forward to that. I will have a table in the artist alley AA30 so plan on coming!

Thanks for everyone's support and I'll post more updates as they happen.
Cheers,
NO!

Spokane Comicon 2010 recap

2010-06-16T12:38:00.000-07:00

"You really put on a great show! Having just attended the Emerald City Comicon two months prior, this was comparable & much more friendly."

The 4th annual Spokane Comicon was held on Saturday May 22, 2010 and continued to grow in a positive direction. Nearly 900 people attended and 75 tables filled making this grass roots con our biggest yet!
Our 2010 special guest of honor John Layman (Creator and writer of Image Comics "CHEW") was a fan favorite. Other special guests included Charlie Schmidt (Keyboard Cat),Matthew Southworth ("Stumptown"), Dustin Weaver (Marvel comics "SHIELD"), Brandon Jerwa (Fajita-man), Eric Trautmann (DC Comics "The Shield"), Mark Rahner ("Rotten"), Chad Hardin ("Warlord"), Daniel M. Davis ("Monster Commute") and local guests Lars Brown ("North-World"), Andy Owens ("Buffy the Vampire Slayer") and Jason Gorder ("Dark Avengers") FEW.

I HUGE HUGE special thanks to Mike "WHOO-HOO" Watson, Rose and the entire Sasquad Comic Book club for all of their hard work and dedication in planning and volunteering the con with me. Without them none of this would be possible. Thank you also to the 501st, Craig from the Comic Book Shop, Uncle's Games and John from Merlyn's for all of their support!

Become of Spokane Comicon on FACEBOOK for the latest updates and to view our 2010 photo album.

Next Show: 5th Annual Spokane Comicon Saturday May 21, 2011 @ SCC

Spokane Comicon 2010 Update #5

2010-05-02T09:58:00.000-07:00

It's now May (where has the time gone?) and that means it's time to starting counting down to the 4th Annual Spokane Comicon on Saturday May 22!
We've got lots of exciting things to cover including the much anticipated Program of Events and Gaming so let's get going.

2010 Guests:
John Layman
Andy Owens
Jason Gorder
Daniel M Davis
Dustin Weaver
Eric Trautmann
Brandon Jerwa
Matthew Southworth
Charlie Schmidt
Mark Rahner
Lars Brown
Stephen Lindsey
John Lustig
Chad Anderson *NEW* You can read Chad's bio on our web page under the "Guests" tab

Program of Events:
10am Doors Open (100 exclusive bags)
11am Free Raffle Prize drawing #1
11:30am WACOM tech instructional demo #1 (conf room)
12pm Free Raffle Prize drawing #2
12pm "CD" Comics Panel (auditorium) w/ Eric Trautmann and Brandon Jerwa
1pm Free Raffle Prize drawing #3
1pm Chew Panel (auditorium) w/ John Layman
2pm Free Raffle Prize drawing #4 (+ 50 exclusive gift bags)
2pm Breaking into Comics (auditorium) w/ Creators Edge Press
2:30pm WACOM tech instructional demo #2 (conf room)
3pm Free Raffle Prize drawing #5
3pm Keyboard Cat Retrospective (auditorium) w/ Charlie Schmidt
4pm All $1 raffle prizes names drawn (podium stage)
4pm Spokane Ghostbusters (auditorium)
5pm Costume Contest (auditorium)
5pm End of show

Gaming:

11am (game room opens):
>Learn: Magic The Gathering "Basic Training" (All Day except during booster draft)

>Magic and Brawl registration starts. (ends at 12:30 or until spots are full.)

>Zombies and Doorways d20 Demo (All Day)

>Opening Console Gaming "Wii, PS3" (All Day)

12:30pm
All registration closes, Magic Draft Begins (DCI Sanctioned)

Gift Bags:

The Gift bags will be full of fun freebies from our sponsors that will surely not disappoint.
In celebration of Iron Man 2 we are excited to be giving away authentic 35MM film cells in each gift bag!

We will be giving away 100 gift bags for the first 100 paid attendees starting at 10am while supplies last.

For those of you that can't make it out in time to get a gift bag at 10am we've got you covered. For the first time ever we will be giving away an additional 50 gift bags at 2pm with paid admission while supplies last.

One lucky gift bag will have a certified Iron Man 2 trading card that has a piece of costume worn by actor Don (Jim "Rhodey" Rhodes) Cheadle! Estimated value $50!!

Costume Contest:

I promise details will be posted in our next update. All I can say is we have more sponsors, so we will more categories for you to win!

Blood Drive:

Do something good and be a real hero. This year the Inland Northwest Blood Center will be set up all day from 10am-5:00pm outside of Building 6 during our show.

We encourage you to register on site and donate blood to help save lives.

When you show proof of donation you will get a FREE DOLLAR RAFFLE ticket to enter into any prize of your choice. Dollar raffle prizes will be drawn at 4:00pm.

The countdown to con is here! Don't miss it!!

4th Annual Spokane Comicon
Next show: Saturday May 22, 2010
Location: Spokane Community College Bld 6 Lair
Time: 10:00am-5:00pm
---------------------------------
Nathan O'Brien
Spokane Comicon Founder & Coordinator
www.spokanecomicon.com

Spokane Comicon 2010 Update #4

2010-03-21T22:36:00.000-07:00

Hello fans, it's only nine weeks until Spokane Comicon! This will be a short but important update.

Here is our current list of guests:
John Layman
Andy Owens
Jason Gorder
Daniel M Davis
Dustin Weaver
Eric Trautmann
Brandon Jerwa
Matthew Southworth
Charlie Schmidt
Mark Rahner
Lars Brown
Stephen Lindsey*NEW*
John Lustig*NEW*

You can find out more about our guests on our web page http://spokanecomicon.com/

Dealer/Artist Tables:
First off all of our Artist Alley tables are SOLD OUT! As a result a waiting list has been created so you can email me (spokanecomicon@yaho.com) if you want to be added to the list.

We are on pace to sell out of dealer tables for the second straight year as we only have about a dozen dealer tables left. A friendly reminder that the price break ends April 22 then it goes up $10. When you go to our site click on the dealer tab and download the dealer application word doc.

Sponsors Update:
I am very excited to announce Creators Edge Press as a new sponsor. Creators Edge Press will be debuting the Devil's Trail (for mature readers) exclusively at the fourth annual Spokane Comicon! Additionally writer Stephen Lindsey will be on hand to sign his new comic at the Creators Edge Press tables. Finally the talented folks from CEP will be doing a panel about "How to break into comics". Time of the panel TBA. To learn more about Creators Edge Press, including appearances, upcoming releases and submission guidelines take a look at their site. http://creatorsedgepress.com/

Additional local sponsor and dealer added are Uncles Games. Uncles will be sponsors our gaming tournaments. More details coming soon. http://www.unclesgames.com/

Finally since our last sponsor update both Oni Press and Arcane Comics both sent me 7 boxes each of comics to give away this year! I think we'll have a few to go around.

The last thing I wanted to mention is a special thank you to all of the people that turned out and I had to a chance to talk to at Emerald City Comicon. It was a great con and I was amazed at how many fans from the east side of Washington/Idaho stopped by to show their support for the Spokane Comicon. Hope to see you all in May!

---------------------------------
Nathan O'Brien
Spokane Comicon Founder & Coordinator
www.spokanecomicon.com

ECCC 2010 Wrap Up

2010-03-18T00:34:00.000-07:00

Where do I even begin, since there was so much that happened over the weekend. I've been attending ECCC as a fan for the past 7 years, but this was the first time I attended as an artist. It's been an amazing run for me personally since I've started the Spokane Comicon [link] back in 07 because of all the great people in the industry I've gotten a chance to know. Two of them are artists Levi Skeen [link] and Ben 1314 Hansen [link] Both are crazy talented and invited me to join them along with the rest of the Sketch Crew [link] at ECCC. I graciously accepted as I could help promote my con and do my art thang.
Right from the get go when the trumpet blared on Saturday I was instantly busy selling prints and doing commissions. I don't think I took my first real break until 3pm. It was really cool besides seeing many of the pros I've gotten to know over the years, but also friends from all over Washington who came by and said hi. I was also amazed how many people where from the east side of the state and where also stoked to see me cross promoting for the Spokane Comicon
On Sunday I had a girl come up to me and look through my portfolio and said she was looking for Punisher prints, which I didn't have. She commissioned me to do a color/inked piece of the Punisher that she would then take to Thomas Jane to sign, no pressure. Some other commissions I did were Deadpool, Clone Trooper, Batman, Poison Ivy, Catwoman just to name a few (pics coming soon).
My personal favorite part of the con was being able to get into the con an hour and half prior to the doors opening. This gave me a tremendous opportunity to talk to fellow artists and vendors. My personal agenda was accomplished by getting to talk to (name dropping time) Tim Sale, Greg Rucka, J.H. Williams III, John Layman, Matthew Southworth, and Dustin Nguyen to name a few. I got some prints, signed comics, a few sketches and talk Spokane Comicon boo-yah. Fingers crossed that maybe we might see one of those guys come to the Inland Northwest some day.
I am looking forward to doing Jet City Comicon in September (new sister con to ECCC) and returning to ECCC in 2011. I took lots of notes on how to improve and I can't wait for the next con. I only wish I had time to do some sketches at my own show, but I'll be to busy making sure things are running smooth.
Talking with a few friends considering how well I did at ECCC they are trying to tell me I should start doing commissions on Deviant art here. Anyone want to give me their thoughts?
A couple other notes to wrap up my thoughts on ECCC. One, was that I debuted my first 3/5 guest comic panels to Monster Commute [link] artist Daniel M Davis. Daniel really liked my interpretation of his characters and thought I captured the essence nicely. For those of you who don't know Daniel asked me to be a guest artist for his Monster Commute web comic so while Daniel travels to cons in the summer he can run the guest artist strips.
The other second item worth noting was on Sunday when creator/writer of Image Comics Chew came by my table. I've had the please of having a few conversations with John prior to ECCC so he knew who I was, plus he will be coming to the Spokane Comicon [link] as a guest. Anyways, he checked out my portfolio and commented that he liked my Chew tribute drawings. John then asked me if I've seen the latest issue of Chew. I said no not yet, and he said "well you should, you're in it!"
"what do you mean?" I asked."I published one of your tribute drawings in the back" he said. I think I swore to some degree in my ecstatic state of mind. For the record I think it's in Chew #8, because that's the only issue I don't have, and it's not in #9. Go me. UPDATE! I got a scan of it and it was in issue #8.
Anyways, thanks for reading. It was great being surrounded by so many talented people and I am still on an emotional high from the entire weekend. I came home on Monday to read this [link]Cheers

2010-03-15T22:06:00.000-07:00

How was my weekend at ECCC you ask? Well there's an insane amount to tell but for now here is a good start.

http://downtownseattle.komonews.com/content/next-generation-talent-emerald-city-comicon

The Next Generation of Talent at the Emerald City Comicon

Submitted by AJ Roberts on Sunday, March 14th, 05:17pm

Though everyone knows the big names like Stan Lee and Leonard Nimoy, the Emerald City Comicon offered more than just long-established superstars. The ECCC also showcased a wide range of up-and-coming talent, artists and writers who have yet to make their big break. The Sketch Crew is one such group of gifted comic artists that are on the cusp of breaking into the mainstream. The Sketch Crew consists of Tony Dela Cruz, Levi Skeen, Nate O’Brien, Harrison Wood, and Ben Hansen. Most of the men hail from the Puget Sound area, and Levi Skeen, of Spokane, heads up the Sketch Crew. The group started 4 to 5 years ago and mostly met through the art showcase website, Deviantart.com. They have been coming to the ECCC ever since. Individually, they have not done anything big, just a few good small gigs here and there. But they come to Comicon every year to get their names out there, meet people, and just to do what they love, draw comics.

2010-03-09T14:57:00.000-08:00

Reminder that I will be at Emerald City Comicon all weekend along with some of Spokane's finest artists. I will be sitting with the Sketch Crew (artists Levi Skeen, Ben Hansen, Tony Dela Cruz, and Harrison Wood) in the artist alley tables A-18/19/20. http://thesketchcrew.deviantart.com/

We also have the pleasure of sitting along side The Spokane Comicsmiths Guild A-16/17 http://www.comicsmithsguild.com/
We will be doing sketches, selling prints and helping plug the 4th Annual Spokane Comicon. If you are in Seattle stop by and say hi and I will have some freebies while supplies last.

I have finally posted Chapter 1 of my new web comic "WEASELMAN" http://www.weaselmancomic.webs.com/

Each Chapter will consist of 5 parts. For as much as I would love to be "that guy" who posts a new comic every day, I simply don't have time for that. I am happy to do them in blocks as the ideas come. For those of you coming to ECCC this weekend stop by to see me with the Sketch Crew, I'll have Chapter 2 available to view before it gets posted.

Hope to see you there!

Spokane Comicon 2010 Update #3

2010-02-13T09:18:00.001-08:00

Hello fans, it's only been two weeks since our last update and a lot has happened! Our guest list continues to grow.
Here is the current list of scheduled guests:

John Layman *new
Andy Owens *new
Jason Gorder *new
Daniel M Davis *new
Dustin Weaver
Eric Trautmann
Brandon Jerwa
Matthew Southworth
Charlie Schmidt
Mark Rahner
Lars Brown

Here are some more details about our new guests.

Special Guest of Honor John Layman (appearance courtesy of Sasquad Comic Book Club). Once an editor for Wildstorm, a branch of DC Comics, Layman turned to writing comics full-time in 2002 and mainly writes for Marvel Comics. He has also worked on several comic books based on pre-existing licenses such as Xena: Warrior Princess, ThunderCats, as well as crossovers like Marvel Zombies vs. The Army of Darkness and Army of Darkness/Xena: Why Not?. Layman has written a number of creator-owned titles at Image Comics, like the graphic novel called Puffedand Chew with artist Rob Guillory.

You can view John's full list of work here comicbookdb.com Still don't know what Chew is about? Then check out the blog and get caught up here

Andy Owens is a professional comic book inker that lives right here in good ol' Spokane, WA. We are happy to have Andy return as a guest for his second time since 2008. Andy is currently the long time inker of Joss Whedon's Buff the Vampire Slayer Season 7 for Dark Horse comics and DC Comics The Great 10.

Check out Andy's full credits here

So, Andy Owens comes to me and says in his best George Clooney in Ocean's 12 voice "You think we need one more?" (long pause by me) "Ok, we'll get one more" .
Jason Gorder is that one more. Jason is another talented Spokane artist in the comic book industry. Jason's work includes a long run with Aspen and Top Cow Comics.
Check out his impressive list of work here

Daniel M Davis of Monster Commute says "Monster abduction is real."

Mr. Davis has been abducted by monsters on 318 occasions throughout his life, beginning in the pine trees of the Spokane's North Side. While he has managed to escape every instance physically unscathed, he has been deeply touched by these encounters with odd creatures "from the other side." Everything that he creates reflects these traumatic experiences; Mr. Davis cannot stop drawing monsters or telling their tales.

An amateur Monsterologist, Mr. Davis is also the proprietor of Steam Crow, a Phoenix, Arizona based organization dedicated to creating stories, artwork and products with a monster imagination. To date, Mr. Davis has illustrated, written and published 4 books about mythical beasties, all crafted in his vintage style. His most recent release, Monster Commute Book 1, is a compilation of comics from his MonsterCommute.com webcomic.

Mr. Davis is also passionate about the possibilities that the internet creates for entrepreneurial artists. He is also the founder of Tiny Army, a Phoenix-based illustration group dedicated to bringing together local illustrators to share strategies for success. It has been said that he is rather fond of armored hats. http://www.steamcrow.com

Dealer/Artist tables:
Emails have been coming in fast and furious about tables. Thank you to those of you that I've spoken to recently since our last update. Let me tell you that we are on pace to sell out of tables again this year and maybe very soon. The first to fill up will be the the artist alley tables. Currently I only have 3 left so don't hesitate if you want to participate. Reminder that the dealer application is currently available to download off of our site. Please contact me if you need support.

Gift Bags
For those of you that don't know, we like to give things away during our show! One thing we give away (which has grown in popularity) is the gift bags. Last year we gave away 100 free gift bags full of goodies to the first 100 paying attendees and we plan on doing so again this year. Plans are underway in making sure that this years gift bags are going to be really full of amazing prizes. In addition to the 100 bags at 10am we plan on giving away an additional 50 bags (maybe more) later in the day at 2pm for those of you that can't make it out at 10am! More details coming soon.

Raffle Prizes

This first $1 raffle prize (from my personal collection) is a Marvel Comics "Civil War" preview card signed by the late great Michael Turner! Michael Turner did the variant covers for the series and this rare prize could be yours for only $1!! There is picture of it up on our site in the new tab for "Raffle Prizes" http://spokanecomicon.com/

Keep checking back for more raffle prize updates.

Emerald City Comicon 2010
Huh? What the...?! Isn't this an update for Spokane Comicon? Don't worry we haven't been bought out by the man. Yours truly will be at Emerald City Comicon all weekend along with some of Spokane's finest artists. I will be sitting with the Sketch Crew (artists Levi Skeen, Ben Hansen, Tony Dela Cruz, and Harrison Wood) in the artist alley tables A-18/19/20. http://thesketchcrew.deviantart.com/

We also have the pleasure of sitting along side The Spokane Comicsmiths Guild http://www.comicsmithsguild.com/ A-16/17.
We will be doing sketches, selling prints and helping plug the 4th Annual Spokane Comicon. If you are in Seattle stop by and say hi and I will have some freebies while supplies last.

As we keep getting closer to showtime keep checking our web page and our facebook fan page for direct updates.

Best,
Nathan

---------------------------------
Nathan O'Brien
Spokane Comicon Founder & Coordinator
www.spokanecomicon.com

4th Annual Spokane Comicon
Next show: Saturday May 22, 2010
Location: Spokane Community College Bld 6 Lair
Time: 10:00am-5:00pm

Spokane Comicon 2010 Update #2

2010-01-30T12:28:00.000-08:00

Hello fans! I can't believe that we are now less than 4 months until showtime. Where has the time gone? On to the updates...

Special Guests:
In addition to our previously announced guests (Dustin Weaver, Eric Trautmann, Charlie Schmidt, and Lars Brown) here are three more.

Based in Seattle, Brandon Jerwa is the author of several Battlestar Galactica titles, Highlander, Savage Tales and Eva: Daughter of the Dragon. He made his comics debut with the G.I. Joe franchise, including a long run on the main title and the hit mini-series Master & Apprentice and Snake-Eyes Declassified. Brandon also co-writes with Eric Trautmann for a new webcomic called Wide Awake. Finally, Brandon is writing the second feature story of "The Inferno" in the DC Comics title "The Shield" . You can find out more about Brandon's bio here http://comicbookdb.com/creator.php?ID=3585

Matthew Southworth is the acclaimed artist from the hot new sold out series "Stumptown" from Greg Rucka and Oni Press. Matthew's other work includes work for DC Comics "Infinity Inc" and Images Comics "Savage Dragon". Comic Book DB link

Matthew is also kind enough to be working on an original print that will be a part of our $1 raffle prizes. More details coming soon.

Mark Rahner (Spokane Native) is a veteran critic, interviewer and pop culture writer at the Seattle Times. He's also a comic book writer whose new series, "ROTTEN," debuted in May 2009.

Rahner's work has appeared in publications around the world including WIRED, FANGORIA, and STARS AND STRIPES. Media appearances include Headline News, MSNBC TV, KIRO talk radio Seattle, KPTK (Air America) radio Seattle, KZOK (Bob Rivers Show) Seattle, and the Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame ("Rahner's Rotten Rentals"). http://www.markrahner.com/

Dealer/Artist tables:
Here is the latest on tables. We have 38/62 tables filled! I had to do the math a second time making sure I was right. I couldn't believe how fast they are filled up.
The Dealer/Artist application is currently available to download off of our site. Please shoot me an email if you plan on submitting it to me. Just because you print it off doesn't mean your space is gaurenteed until I have communication with you.

Artist Alley:
On our website the Artist Alley tab is now updated with the current list of participants and their links. When you get a chance go check them out. There will be some amazingly talented people in the Artist Alley this year.

Lodging:
Will you be coming from out of town for the con? Looking for a place to stay? For the 3rd straight year we have a great deal at the local Comfort Inn. For details and room rate please email me and I get help get you set up. If you look to book it directly online you won't get the significant room rate unless you go through me first.

Planning is in full swing for the 4th Annual Spokane Comicon. Our committee meetings have resumed with the clubs at Spokane Community College and we are getting some great ideas. As we keep getting closer to showtime keep checking our web page and our facebook fan page for direct updates.

Best,
Nathan
____________________________
Nathan O'Brien
Spokane Comicon Founder & Coordinator
http://www.spokanecomicon.com/

4th Annual Spokane Comicon
Next show: Saturday May 22, 2010
Location: Spokane Community College Bld 6 Lair
Time: 10:00am-5:00pm

Spokane Comicon 2010 Update #1

2009-12-17T15:45:00.000-08:00

Hello Fans of the Spokane Comicon! The Holidays are upon us as is the New Year. That being said it won't be long until it's Comic con season again. Now I present to you all with a nice big virtual bow our first 2010 update.

First off let's cover the basics for those of you that don't already know.

4th Annual Spokane Comicon
Next show: Saturday May 22, 2010
Location: Spokane Community College Bld 6 Lair
Time: 10:00am-5:00pm

Now let's get into some news for 2010!

Special Guests:
Dustin Weaver (Guest artist) Born in Alaska, Dustin moved to Portland in 2006. He’s worked on a whole bunch of prestigious comics projects including Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic, King Kong, Indiana Jones, and Jodi Picoult’s NYT best selling novel The Tenth Circle. Hot off doing the covers for the X-Men mini series Nation X, Dustin is hard at work on the upcoming Marvel series SHIELD due out in April 2010. You can watch an exclusive clip about it from Attack of the Show http://g4tv.com/videos/42954/Exclusive-Peek-at-Jonathan-Hickmans-Shield-Wolfskin--More/

Eric Trautmann (Guest Writer) Eric Trautmann is a comic book writer, editor, and graphic designer. Eric recently completed writing chores on the six-issue DC Comics miniseries, JSA Vs. Kobra: Engines of Faith (illustrated by Don Kramer and Michael Babinski). The series launched on June 10th, 2009. The final issue of the miniseries hits store shelves on November 11th.

Ongoing work for DC Comics includes writing the new adventures of the classic "Red Circle" / MLJ hero, The Shield, and on November 11th, 2009, Eric teams up with long-time collaborator Greg Rucka as co-writer of Action Comics (starting with issue #883).

Matthew Southworth (Guest Artist) is the acclaimed artist from the hot new sold out series "Stumptown" from Oni Press.

http://onipress.com/stumptowninvestigations/

Matthew's other work includes work for DC Comics Infinity Inc and Images Comics Savage Dragon.

Comic Book DB link

Charlie Schmidt is a local graphic artist who's arguably most famous for his "Keyboard Cat" video on Youtube that has turned into an international phenomenon. Charlie and his cat Fatso have been seen everywhere from The Colbert Report, CNN, and Attack of the Show to name a few. You can read Charlie's impressive bio here http://charlieschmidt.com/bio.asp

Spokane's own LARS BROWN is making his amazing fourth appearance at our con is the creator/writer/artist of the Oni Press series North World. He's contributed stories to the anthologies small town/BIG CITY and also PopGun. He also has created the webcomics Diamond of Khandai, Cloud Story and Acorn War. You can check out more of Lars work on his page http://www.north-world.com/

2010 Sponsors:
In addition to the return of DC Comics and Dark Horse Comics I am very excited to announce the addition of ONI PRESS as a new 2010 sponsor.

Another new Sponsor and returning guests will be the 501st Garrison Titan! I am so excited to have them back after a one year absence. The 501st will be on hand to take pictures and force choke any unruly fanboys.

In addition to Craig and the Comic Book shop sponsoring Best Adult and Child Costume Contest categories, the 501st will offer a cool prize pack for a (TBD) 3rd category for the Costume Contest. Because we had so many great costumes last year we will have more categories for people to win in 2010. More details coming soon.

The one issue we had last year which was both good and bad was that it was crazy crowded at SFCC. Thanks to Spokane Community College's ASB President and Mega Comic book fan Mike Watson and his Sasquad Comic Book Club they have helped bring our 2010 show to his much larger house. The goal moving the con to the SCC will help us give all vendors, artists, guests and attendees the room they deserve soak in the con comfortably.

Dealers/Artists:
2010 Dealer/Artist Contracts are now available. I mention this because last year we sold of tables for the first time almost 6 weeks before showtime. As a result a waiting list was created. I've revised the contract and now have it available for download straight off of our website. You can click on either the Dealer tab or Artist Alley tab to view it. I am also encouraged to see that some of you are thinking ahead and I've already filled a dozen tables so don't hesitate.

Finally, take a look at our website, facebook and twitter for further details.
http://www.spokanecomicon.com/

I hope you all have a wonderful and safe Holiday season where ever you call home. I look forward to sending you all our second update come mid to late January with more details about Special Guests, programming, gaming, etc.

Best,
Nathan

What's new?

2009-10-19T14:46:00.000-07:00

Wow, it's been a really long time since I've blogged. I'll try to keep it brief and post some of the highlights. For those of you who follow me on facebook this really isn't anything new.

In July my buddy Keating and I went to San Diego Comic con. We had a great time and got a chance to see some familiar faces (Paul Guinan, Andy Owens, Steve Lieber) and meet some new ones too (Francis Manapul and a wolf).

Fast forward to October 3rd and i participated in the 24 hour comic challenge. The challenge was creating an original page of comic book art for one hour in a twenty four hour period. I had a great time getting to hang with the Comic Smiths' Guild. There I dusted off an old character of mine called "Weaselman". I only ended up staying for 10 hours but I did have 13 pages done, so I was ahead of the pace. You can view my 24 hour comic challenge pages here. http://nathanakanph.deviantart.com/gallery/#Weaselman-24-hour-comic-challenge

Speaking of drawing, I have rediscovered my roots and for the last 4-5 months I have been drawing non stop. I am having lots of fun creating work that I am proud of, putting it in a portfolio, scanning it and putting it up on my deviant art page. Take a look at my gallery when you get a chance. I post new stuff all the time. http://nathanakanph.deviantart.com/gallery/

Spokane Comicon 2009 recap

2009-05-31T19:58:00.000-07:00

Wow, I am still on cloud 9 after an amazing 3rd show. Each year the Spokane Comicon continues to grow in all areas such as attendance, tables, costume contest, new things to do and flat out hype! There was an electricity in the air early on. Maybe it was the line that started forming at 8am and grew and grew and grew. It was so cool seeing all the people lined up around the corner and coming back down the hall. We had 200 people through the doors in just the first hour we opened and the main show floor was absolutely packed.

Special guest artist Art Thibert is a true professional and a gentleman. He was so nice to fly in from California and do anything we wanted really. My personal favorite part of the day was when Mike Watson, Art Thibert and I conducted a Superman Panel. We discussed many things related to Superman including past and present comics, Smallville tv series, what direction should a new Superman movie go towards and what's next for Art Thibert to name a few things. The crowd erupted in applause when Art announced he would be working with writer Kevin Smith on a new Batman title.

The day was full of things to do. New this year were three exclusive prints created just for the show from local artists Daniel M. Davis, Levi Skeen and Bellingham artist, Ben Hansen. Also new this year was a full day of programming such as free hourly raffle prizes, hourly panels were held in the Senate Chambers (Battlestar Galatica, Superman, "Shadows in the Garden" short film screening, Web Comics Panel and Ghost Hunting How and Why), Gaming tournaments were held in the cafe dining area and of course our second go around for our costume contest. We had way more participants this year and it made it much harder to decide. Ultimately it came down to two: Rorschach and Captain America. Captain America won best adult costume based on audience applause and a gift certificate to the Comic Book shop on Division for $50!

Everything ran smoothly and the reason why is because I had the best group of student volunteers from both SFCC and SCC. Their willingness to do "whatever it takes" to make the con the absolute best made all the difference. They were on hand all day attending to the special guests needs, dealers, attendees questions and setting up and taking down of the rooms. Every single one of them showed maturity beyond their years. Special thanks to Oscar, Sheena, Mike Watson for their leadership and dedication from the start.
Nearly 600 fans came out for the 3rd annual Spokane Comicon. No matter their reason for attending, gift bags, special guests, costume contest everyone left having fun. With over 50 tables, and 5 special guests this was our biggest show yet. I can't wait for next year!

All photo's copyright Rachel O'Brien 2009

Countdown to Spokane Comicon

2009-05-24T11:24:00.000-07:00

It's time for fans of comics and pop culture to unite this Saturday May 30th, 2009 at Spokane Falls Community College. We are in the home stretch of the 3rd annual Spokane Comicon and I can't wait. After many months of planning and preparation I am really excited to unveil to you all our best show yet! There is so much more to see and do this year it's scary. In this final email update I wanted to cover some basics along with a few more announcments.

When: Saturday May 30th, 2009 from 10am-5pm

Where: Spokane Falls Community College in Student Union Building 17 (SUB)
3410 W Fort George Wright Dr. Spokane, WA 99224

Parking: Parking is free for the event! Parking lot P9 (First parking lot turn on the right after the digital reader board) is the closest to Bld 17. If you miss it you can turn into the second turn on the right too. Please see link for map http://www.spokanefalls.edu/College/_images/SFCCmap.gif

Set up/Take down: All dealers, artists and guests can set up starting at 7:00am until showtime at 10:00am. Please plan accordingly. All dealers, artists and guests are required to remain set up until the end of the show at 5:00pm unless first discussed with event coordinator.

Admission and gift bags: General Admission is only $5 which gives you access to the main show floor, all panels and free gaming. Children 10 and under are free with paying adult. Gift bags are free for the first 100 paid attendees. Attendees must pay full price per one gift bag. Children 10 and under will not receive a gift bag without purchase.

Gaming update: This year Spokane Comicon will feature both tournament gaming and free gaming across the hall in the cafe dining area.

The first will be a Magic card Type 2 Constructed tournament. Registration is will be happening from 10am-11am and costs $5 to enter. Tournament will begin at 11am.

The second type of gaming will be a Super Smash Bros tournament which begins play at 11am. $5 tournament fee.

Free gaming is included in the price of general admission. Make sure to get your hand stamped to you can freely go between the main show floor, panels and gaming area. Either type of gaming tournament will cost and additional $5 to enter.

Costume Contest: Craig from the Comic Book Shop is the man. Craig donated a $50 gift certificate and a $35 gift certificate for the costume contest. The $50 will go towards the best adult costume and the $35 will go for the best child costume!

Finally, a few other updates to report. Be on the lookout for our ad in the Spokesman Review in this Sunday's paper in the "Today Section" by the movie theater show times and in the Spokane "7" section this Friday 29th. There will also be a write up about the con in this Thursdays Spokesman Review too. I will post it on the web page once it is published.

The Hero Initiative will be raffling an exclusive print by local artist Levi Skeen which is really sweet. http://c4.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/81/l_b203051714704d219f87e083ea635c63.jpg

Also newly added to the con is WACOM Technology. WACOM is the world's leading manufacturer of pen tablets, interactive pen displays and digital interface solutions. They will be doing live deomo's at their table and offering up a great raffle prize of their own. Please take a look at our "What's New" section of our webpage for more details and watch a cool video of their product. http://www.spokanecomicon.com/

Last thing fans. DC Comics sent me their care package this past week. I was blown away how much they stepped up from last year. I won't ruin the surprise but I hope you all like buttons. There will be plenty of goodies in the gift bags and on the freebie table for everyone!

I can't wait to see you all there! Got con?

Nathan
____________________________
Nathan O'Brien
Spokane Comicon Founder & Coordinator
http://www.spokanecomicon.com/

Spokane Comicon Update

2009-05-12T19:23:00.000-07:00

Hello fans, we are only 17 days away until show time. With a few days left everything is coming along smoothly. Special thanks to all of the students from both SFCC and SCC who have been a part of our comic con committee meetings from the start. Their enthusiasm and ideas have been refreshing. Here are some updates from the front line.

First off we are sold out of tables! This is a first for our show in only our third year.There are both new and returning artists and dealers to our show. Make sure you plan on spending some time here as we have over 50 tables to check out!!

This year we doubled our free gift bags for the first 100 paid attendees. These gift bags will come loaded with lots of goodies from DC Comics and Dark Horse Comics to name a few. This year's exclusive item is an unmounted 35mm film cells from the Warner Bros movie Watchmen. Each film cell strip is from a key scene in the movie. You can view some scene examples on our web page by clicking on our Gift Bag tab.

I am really excited to announce some additions to our program of events. First off our Special Guest of Honor: Art Thibert will be joining Neal Bailey at noon for the Superman Panel. Art is the current inker/finisher on DC comics weekly title "Trinity" featuring Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman. Neal is a writer from Supermanhomepage.com and Smallville the magazine. Come for some answers, stay for the stories.

Another addition to the program of events are the Barony of Wealdsmere. They will be outside of the Student Union Building 17 (SUB) all day. At 12pm they will be holding a full combat tournament for your viewing pleasure. Then at 3pm they will be going at it 3 on 3 style.

Finally, all three exclusive prints are now posted on our site to be viewed. These prints where created just for this years show. The three prints are done by artists Daniel M. Davis, Ben Hansen and Levi Skeen. These prints won't last long so plan on getting there early and picking one up. All three artists will be there selling the prints and signing them at their respected tables. Please visit our website and click on the Con Exclusive tab for futher details.

Keep checking our site for updates as we still have more announcments planned including details about our gaming tournament.

Best,
Nathan
____________________________
Nathan O'Brien
Spokane Comicon Founder & Coordinator
http://www.spokanecomicon.com/

HUGE Spokane Comicon update!

2009-04-25T22:19:00.001-07:00

Wow, where do I begin. I have so much to report to you all, it's scary. Let's get it on.

First off, I jumped the gun today. I had stated on the website that I would make the program of events public on May 1st. With the drive in movie that I am sponsoring on Thursday 30th, midnight screening of Wolverine and work on the 1st and Free comic book day on Saturday I knew I might have the time to get the website update, so I did it today!
The program of events is up and about 99.9% complete. There are some really cool panels planned from Battlestar G, Web comics, Short Indie film screening and much more! Go to our site to read it all. http://www.spokanecomicon.com/

The guest list got a couple new additons today too. First off I am really excited to announce that writer Eric Trautmann will be coming over the mountains to join us. Eric is really hot right now and I am glad he can make the time. You can read Eric's full bio here.
http://www.eric-trautmann.com/bio
In addition we are happy to have John Aegard from The Comfort Guide. The Comfort Guide adapts Airline safety techniques to relevant subject areas. The Comfort Guide and artist Steve Lieber did a very funny guide in the back of this years Emerald City Comic con program. Check out more of these cool guides on thier site. http://www.comfort-guide.com/

A brand new category was added to the web page titled "Con Exclusives" In it we've got a brand new exclusive that was just emailed to me today. Daniel M. Davis of Steam Crow who will be coming all the way from PHX Arizona and he created a limited print titled Monroe Street Trouble - 12x18 print. Limited to 40 prints. Printed on 50 yr archival photo film. Signed and numbered by the artist Daniel M. Davis at the Steam Crow table. $20 each. You can view more of his work at http://www.monstercommute.com/

Finally, I added another great $1 raffle prize. From the insanely popular DC Comics series we have a copy of Green Lantern #25 1st Print signed by artist Ethan Van Sciver. I am jelous of whoever wins this.

We only have 33 days left until show time. For those of you who are thinking about getting a table or not consider this. I only have 4 tables left until we are sold out. The price break for a table expires April 30th. After that price for a table goes up $10 if there are any left.

Believe it or not I still have more news to report, but I will save that for another update.
Keep checking out website for more updates. The countdown is on!

Best,
Nathan
____________________________
Nathan O'Brien
Spokane Comicon Founder & Coordinator
http://www.spokanecomicon.com/

Spokane Comicon Update

2009-04-12T09:29:00.001-07:00

Hello and a very happy spring to you all. Now that we are less than 48 days until the third annual Spokane Comicon I thought it was time I sent out another update.

First off planning for the show is coming along very nicely. A huge shout out to everyone on the con committee for their support. As my show has grown it's nice that I have people who are just as excited as I am to bring it to life.

My email has been blowing up all week with many table questions and requests. I sold a personal best 5 tables on Friday alone. As we stand today we have 38/48 tables filled. That being said I have had other inquires about space from dealers and artists but they have not gotten back to me about what they have decided. If all of those people can get back to me (you know who you are) with in the next week there is a strong chance that we could be sold out of tables for the first time in the show's history! Here are some key dates if you are still on the fence.

Prepay prior to April 30th, 2009.
Vendor fee is $60 for one 6' table.
Artist Alley fee is $40 for one 6' table.
Additional table fee is $20.

Payment after April 30th, 2009.
Vendor fee is $70 for one 6' table.
Artist Alley fee is $50 for one 6' table.
Additional table fee is $20.

If you haven't been to our website lately then you've missed some recent updates. One update is our ad in Wizard #211 is out. It can be seen in the "Shows and Cons" section. Another update is we've released a few of the $1 raffle prizes with more to come. Three of the items made public is a rare Watchmen mini poster from Osaka Japan, Batman #442 lithograph signed by George Perez and Marv Wolfman and just announced Infinite Crisis #1 signed by Jim Lee and George Perez! Any of these valuable prizes can be yours for just one dollar!!

Spokane Comicon is proud to have Brain Randolph at our next show representing the Hero Initiative. Please make it a point to check out his table. He'll have some really cool items for sale as well as his own raffle for something I am sure to be awesome. All the proceeds go toward supporting those in the comic industry in need. For information about the Hero Inititive please visit their site. http://www.heroinitiative.org/

A guest note is that local artist Gabe Strine will not be able to join us all day as planned. Instead Gabe is still planning on stopping by to take part in a special Web Comics Panel. More details about that and other programming coming very soon!

Finally, Spokane Comicon will be sponsoring the drive-in movie of Twilight at Spokane Falls Community College on Thursday April 30th at dusk. Come by and check out the movie if you are a fan or want to see if for the first time. It'll be a lot of fun.

Please keep checking back on our site http://www.spokanecomicon.com/ for more updates. As we continue to get closer to show time I have lots more updates to announce, including panels, program of events, con exclusives, gift bags, and more! Until next time fans.

Jackie Bauer?

2009-03-31T09:07:00.000-07:00

Kiefer Sutherland and his sister Rachel Maybe it's because we think of him as the ultimate loner on the TV series "24," but we were shocked to find out that Kiefer Sutherland has a twin sister. Rachel is a post-production supervisor working in film and television in Toronto. But when her big brother, Kiefer, (he's seven minutes older) made his feature film directorial debut in 1997, Rachel was there for him. She acted as second assistant property master, grip, and costumer when Kiefer went behind the lens to shoot "Truth or Consequences, N.M."

You can read more about celebrity couples here. http://movies.yahoo.com/feature/getback-celebrity-twins.html

ShamWow Guy In Slap, Chop Bust

2009-03-28T10:51:00.000-07:00

TV pitchman battered hooker in South Beach hotel room brawl

MARCH 27--Meet Vince Shlomi. He's probably better known to you as the ShamWow Guy, the ubiquitous television pitchman who has been phenomenally successful peddling absorbent towels and food choppers. Shlomi, 44, was arrested last month on a felony battery charge following a violent confrontation with a prostitute in his South Beach hotel room. According to an arrest affidavit, Shlomi met Sasha Harris, 26, at a Miami Beach nightclub on February 7 and subsequently retired with her to his $750 room at the lavish Setai hotel. Shlomi told cops he paid Harris about $1000 in cash after she "propositioned him for straight sex." Shlomi said that when he kissed Harris, she suddenly "bit his tongue and would not let go." Shlomi then punched Harris several times until she released his tongue. The affidavit, a copy of which you'll find here, notes that during the 4 AM fight Harris sustained facial fractures and lacerations all over her face (she is pictured here in mug shots snapped following busts in 2008 and 2005). After freeing his tongue, a bleeding Shlomi ran to the Setai lobby, where security summoned cops. Harris refused to cooperate with officers, who recovered $930 from her purse. "Both parties had a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage emitting from their persons," police reported. In a brief telephone interview, Harris declined to answer TSG questions about her run-in with Shlomi, though she did say she is considering a lawsuit against the pitchman. Asked if she worked as a hooker, Harris declined comment. As seen in the below mug shot, Shlomi was also injured during the fracas and, court records show, was treated at Mount Sinai Medical Center. While Shlomi and Harris were both arrested for felony aggravated battery, prosecutors this month declined to file formal charges against the combatants. Police records list Shlomi's occupation as "Marketing," but make no mention of his affiliation with the ShamWow or the Slap Chop, both of which sell for $19.95 (plus shipping and handling).

The Dunk Contest That Wasn't

2009-02-15T09:20:00.000-08:00

I love basketball. I always look forward to the NBA's All-Star Weekend and watching the different skills challenges on Saturday before the game on Sunday. The Dunk Contest is the crown jewel of Saturday night. Last year was electric when a big man Dwight Howard won doing his best "Superman" dunk. This year former UW star and current NY Knicks guard Nate Robinson was in the contest...again. I thought it was a rule that you could only compete twice. This is Robinson's third time. I enjoyed watching him the other times because he's 5'nothing and can leap out of the gym. This time is felt too staged. A mouse vs an elephant, David vs Goliath, Superman vs Lex Luther. Yep, that's what they billed it as. Dwight Howard even went into a phone booth to don the cape again for a ho-hum dunk on a 12' hoop (regulation hoop is 10'). Still it was too easy. So Nate Robinson came out in an all green jersey and ball as his sort of kryptonite. Two of his dunks I have a huge problem with. One Nate jumped off a teammates back. I know they can use props, but using another person as leverage? What's the difference between that and a trampoline? The the final dunk was over Dwight "Superman" Howard himself. Dwight was a good sport, but Nate cheated again. Nate pushed off on Dwight's shoulder to give him the leverage to clear his head. Sorry, ehh, fault. His dunks where stale. We've seen this the last two times. Same old Nate, except this time he was hot doggin it after every dunk. That's the Nate Robinson that UW fans remember. Immature, and overly cocky. No body wanted to see him dance, let alone several times. Still, I can't wait until next year. As of now this generations MJ, Lebron James as declared that he will compete in the next Slam Dunk contest. Watch his final dunk on this clip here.

HOLY CRAP BATMAN..

2009-02-03T14:16:00.001-08:00

JIKES. WARNING this audio link is full of some intense profanity. Jeeze.

"T4" Producer -- Bale's Tantrum Was No Biggie

Posted Feb 3rd 2009 12:30PM by TMZ Staff

It turns out Christian Bale's expletive-filled, volcanic explosion on the set of "Terminator Salvation" was a "non-event"... according to a guy who wasn't the brunt of Bale's tirade.

Bruce Franklin -- assistant director and associate producer on the film -- told us "Christian is a method actor and was completely immersed in his scene ... his reaction was from the heat of the moment."

The target of Bale's attack -- a director of photography named Shane Hurlbut -- was not fired from the movie, despite Christian's threat that if Shane screwed up one more time, he should be kicked to the curb.

Franklin said Bale was under a lot of pressure because of his crazy "Dark Knight" promotion schedule, and that the crew -- Hurlbut included -- ended up shooting for another seven hours.

http://www.aolcdn.com/tmz_audio/020209_christianbale.mp3

Last week was Pie week so....

2009-02-02T14:55:00.001-08:00

Batman gets pwned

2009-02-01T14:44:00.001-08:00

my fav new comedian: Kyle Cease

2009-01-28T09:15:00.001-08:00

Kyle Cease - Nintendo - watch more funny videos

Seattle's "Humpday" makes a deal at Sundance

2009-01-26T14:00:00.000-08:00

Seattle's "Humpday" makes a deal at Sundance

Seattle filmmaker Lynn Shelton's third feature, "Humpday," was one of the first movies to ink a distribution deal at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, over the weekend.

By Moira Macdonald

Seattle Times movie critic

SUNDANCE INSTITUTE

Actors Mark Duplass, left, and Joshua Leonard in a scene from, "Humpday."

Seattle filmmaker Lynn Shelton's third feature, "Humpday," was one of the first movies to ink a distribution deal at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, over the weekend. Magnolia Pictures bought worldwide rights to the film, for a dollar amount described by Variety as "mid-six figures," and plans to release it theatrically in August following a video-on-demand campaign.

At the festival, Shelton said, "This is beyond my wildest dreams." She added that some people who worked on the movie were paid in shares, so now they will see paychecks.

Shelton met with several potential buyers and went with Magnolia because they seemed the most dedicated to showing the movie to the greatest number of people, promising theatrical release in at least 15 cities.

"They won us over immediately. They seemed passionate about the film and thought with the right marketing, it could get to a wider audience than you would normally get for a small film like this," she said.

The comedy, shot in Seattle last year and starring Mark Duplass ("The Puffy Chair") and Joshua Leonard ("The Blair Witch Project") is the story of two straight men who film themselves having sex with each other as an art project.

the Daily Show covering inauguration

2009-01-22T20:11:00.000-08:00

Watchmen Widget

2009-01-19T09:10:00.001-08:00

NPH F' YEAH!

2009-01-17T10:17:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Wang for sending me this picture. The music video was from SNL last week.

More I can has cheeseburger pics by NPH

2009-01-04T12:49:00.000-08:00

Yes, I admit this is some odd obsession to have. I figure it will eventually get old. Here is a slew of more pictures I submitted to the site. Here is the link to my site with some more creations.
http://mine.icanhascheezburger.com/pictures-by-nathanakanph/

I can has cheeseburger

2009-01-03T16:38:00.000-08:00

I recently got turned onto this great website with nothing but funny cat pictures and broken English quotes. If you get a chance check it out. http://icanhascheezburger.com/ They update daily. This is the picture and caption that I submitted. Maybe it will be published on their site right meow.

The best 2 gifts a guy could ask for...

2008-12-26T09:03:00.000-08:00

Once again Rachel surprised me with amazing Christmas gifts. Because of the weather affecting all of the mail systems I only had 2 gifts to open from her. Still they were a home run. I didn't ask for either of these items but she knows me to well. Much love.

Happy Holidays!

2008-12-26T08:53:00.000-08:00

I wanted to wish everyone Happy Holiays and a Happy New Year. I just wanted to share Lanna's favorite You Tube video of the moment.

Black Friday roundup

2008-12-01T15:22:00.000-08:00

I was advised by my beautiful wife not to write about my Black Friday experience, but I haven't had anything else worthy of blogging about in some time. Sorry. I decided earlier last week that I was going out on Friday to get a certain Blu-ray player that was on sale. I set my alarm and got up at 3:30am, drug my ass out of bed (cursing under my breath about how stupid this is), got dressed and drove to a certain unnamed retail store that was having a mega sale. I got there just before 4 am and was stunned to see that there was only 70 people in line. I figure my chances are pretty good, so I sat in my car for another 5 minutes trying to absorb as much heat as I could. I watched a few more people get in line so I figured it was time. I zipped up my coat and put in my ear buds to my iPod. Oh, did I mention that it was really frickin cold, in fact it was snowing but no biggy. I tried my damnest to stand there like a pro and not dance around. There was a lady in front of me that looked like she had to pee because she was tip toeing up and down. People kept looking at her like WTF mate? Finally this guy asked if she needed to go to the bathroom that he would hold her spot, but she insisted she was trying to stay warm. Another funny thing was that the store passed out maps of where there big ticket items would be at in the store. It was funny because the named all the areas as "Blank Action Alley" Where was my item you may be asking? "Back Action alley" no joke. Okay, moving on.

At about 10 minutes till 5am the inner doors of the store got unlocked and everyone went from standing in a nice straight line to immediately running for the doors. It quickly turned into a big crowd. Pissed me off. At about 5 minutes left a car drove by the line and a girl starting yelling out the window "you're not gonna get it!" Everyone laughed. Then another line formed for the other entrance. Instead of going away from the door to the corner of the building the other line ran into my line where the crowd was standing. So 5am hits and the f**kers (pardon my french) at the end of the other line just turned around and starting cutting in line while I was patiently waiting to walk in. The picture wasn't from my experience but it was close. So get this. As I am finally walking in (more like shuffling my feet because of the crowd) there was a woman in a wheel chair in front of me. I was being polite and letting her make her way down the over crowded isle. I over heard some jerk behind me say to her to "hurry up." It was so difficult to get all the way back to the electronics. By the time I made it back there (less than 2 minutes) all the Blu-ray players where gone. I asked an employee if they had any more but he said no. "I think we only had a dozen." Smart. You only have 12 of these players that yahoo ranked as one of the 10 best deals for Black Friday for over 200 people in line? Again, pissed me off. So I left. Empty handed and struck out. What a waste of my time. In retrospect the experience made me feel dirty and yet greedy. Sinner party of one. Right here.

On the drive home I decided to stop by anther store by the same name (there is like 5 of them in the greater Spokane area that I at least know about). Why didn't I just go to that one in the first place you might ask? Who knows. So I walk in at 5:30am and something magical happened. It was like the seas parting or something. There wasn't any crazy line. No massive crowds. No chaos inside or outside of the store. I walked right in and found the actual display. It was like pyramid of gold. There was over 50 Blu-ray plays on display with no frantic people around. I calmly picked one up from the stack and looked over my shoulder. No baseball bat, no purse flying at my head. I did it. I got the golden ticket. Mission accomplished. I had set out to what I intended to do. Then I later hear about the tragedy in New York about the dude getting trampled to death at a store opening. WTF?! It made me sick to my stomach to hear about it. I felt really bad as if I was there only I wasn't. I think if I do decide to do it again next year, I will wait to go after the store opens and avoid the whole line crap.

Nuff Said

2008-11-05T07:04:00.000-08:00

He was praying to the car gods.

2008-09-09T11:22:00.000-07:00

Let's face it. Everyone has guilty pleasures. Mine? Bad movies among other things. Vin Diesel movies to be more exact. I love The Fast and the Furious (2001). Wow, I feel better letting that out because I've held it inside for years. WTF mate?! I can hear you all right now saying to yourself this guy must be on crack. Let me tell you why. Basically, it's a carbon copy of another one of my favorite movies of all time; Point Break starring Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze. Except it revolves around cars instead of surfing. If you haven't seen either films here is my advise.

Rent it. Watch it. Put it in a locked cabinet for a year. Take it out. Watch it again. It will change your life.

Despite two weak ass sequels (yes, they made sequels) I still watched them and was disappointed. Now, some genius is almost finished making a fourth movie in the franchise titled "Fast and Furious" Not to original I know, but the best part is that it reunites the original cast from the first film. Vin, Paul Walker etc etc. The first trailer was just released a few days ago and it comes out next summer. I am on the record right now telling the entire WWW that I will be in line for the midnight opening show drinking a can of NOS energy drink when it debuts. NOS!

You almost had me? You never had me - you never had your car...

2008-09-08T08:50:00.000-07:00

Rachel and I decided to get a new car on Saturday. We hit 12 months with our Jetta and even though it's been great but we wanted to upgrade. We went back to the same dealership in Spokane Valley and traded it in for a 2008 Dodge Avenger. We love everything about it. It feels like a cross between the Batmobile and Kit from Knight Rider.

Mother F'in criminals!

2008-08-23T10:24:00.000-07:00

I had a great day yesterday. I had to go home to Seattle for the day for work. I flew out at 6am got a rental car at SEATAC and went to visit the Starbucks Corp office in the SODO area. The meeting went great and I was home by 7pm. As our plane was taxi-ing to the terminal I turned on my cell phone to call Rachel that she should leave and come get me. We only live 15 minutes away from the airport so that's normal. She asked me really bazaar question. "What did you take with you this morning?"

"Umm, my bag. The bagel and cream cheese you made for me" I said.

"Did you take any other electronics?" she asked.

"i took my ipod and a power bar..."

she tells me "please say you took the laptop"

"No, why would I take the laptop when I was only gone for the day?"

"Because it's gone, and the tv is sticking sideways out of our Armoire."

Rachel and Lanna could tell that something wasn't right when they came home. When they walked in they froze at the door and Lanna said "mommy it feels weird in here" Despite the house not really being clean it looked worse than before. In fact it "looked like we had an earthquake" because the entire house was upside down. Rachel and Lanna did the right thing by immediately leaving the house and going outside to call me.

We were robbed at some point during the day which is pretty ballsy. Someone stole my Xbox 360, our Gateway laptop, our brand new DVD camcorder and our Sony Cybershot digital camera.

Now it makes sense that they only took what they could carry, because they dumped out Rachel's gym bag and used that to load up our stuff and it might have been only one person. Another reason why I say that is that they left other things that were valuable like our new flat screen HDtv and Rachel's Cannon Rebel digital camera that was all sitting by the other items they stole. From what I could tell they entered through a window that is about waste high by our back door. The window lock was already broken since we moved in, and it was the only window that didn't have a screen on it. I could even see hand and finger prints on the outside of the window. All of our desk, dresser, cabinet, closet doors big and small were left open and all of our belongings including cloths where thrown everywhere.

We called the police who came over, looked at our house, the window and wrote down all of the items that where taken for the report. The officer then called for another officer to come over and he dusted for prints on the back window, including a couple items that I could tell where ripped open. He said that he got some good prints and would take them back to cross check them with anyone else on record. After much searching we were able to find serial numbers for both my Xbox and our Gateway computer. We called those in to be added to the police report.

We also called the biggest Pawn store chain in town Pawn 1 to inform them. They told us that it's their policy that any major electronics like an Xbox or computer's serial numbers must be reported to the police for them to check first before they can sell it. Now really all we can do is wait and hope that something happens in our favor. I am trying to be as optimistic as possible, but it's hard to be. The feeling of someone being in our house is frickin creepy as hell. The only reason I am online right now is because we all got up and came into my office to check our email and try to tie up an loose ends. I'll post any updates when they are available. Another crappy thing is that I am on vacation next week at home, and now I don't have my two favorite things to do on my time off. Play games and surf the net. Poop.

16-year-old drops out of school to play Guitar Hero

2008-08-18T20:23:00.000-07:00

by Christopher Null
"Regular readers know that I love video games as much as the next guy. In fact, my right ankle is still sore from drumming my way through a marathon Rock Band session last night (who knew calibrating the TV would make such a difference!?), and I'm always looking for the latest titles to pop into my Xbox.

But how much gaming is too much? For North Carolina native Blake Peebles, there's no such thing. Guitar Hero is his title of choice. "I usually play till I can't anymore," he says, in this profile from the News & Observer.

In fact, young Mr. Peebles is dropping out of high school... in order to focus on Guitar Hero full time. Peebles hopes to join the small but growing crew of players looking to make gaming a job. Citing his victories in Guitar Hero tournaments, which include "gift certificates, gaming equipment, and chicken sandwiches," Peebles thinks he has the chops to play competitively and earn actual money in the process. As the story notes, top gamers on the competitive circuit can earn up to $80,000 a year (though $25,000 is more common). Peebles, of course, can count his 52 Chick-fil-A combo meals toward that total.

I was at first inclined to disparage the decision by his parents to let Peebles drop out of school, but it seems a little less ridiculous when you delve into the facts. Peebles hahdn't been doing well in school and wasn't liked, and even now he isn't gaming full time. He has a tutor that provides a private education, and his parents say he's doing well with the more focused instruction and that their son now even does his homework without complaint. (Presumably he can hit the axe sooner after he's finished his studies.)

However, I worry that Peebles, who's just 16, may have a tough road ahead trying to break into competitive gaming. The costs of traveling to tournaments alone can totally outstrip earnings, and the amount of training can be grueling. Sponsorships are often a pipe dream. And then there's the issue of games going out of date and being replaced by something new. Traditional athletes never have to worry about, say, distance running being upgraded with a new version, but many games can go out of style, fast. In the end, there's just not much cash there: One gamer, quoted at the end of the linked article, says that in eight years his total earnings are about $25,000 total, and that's including a national championship in Halo 2."

This isn't from the kid, but it's my favorite song on GHIII. Metallica's One.

It smells like Bigfoot's d**k

2008-08-16T09:40:00.000-07:00

The Internet has been buzzing away about the two Georgia guys who claim they found Bigfoot, stuck him in a freezer and took photos that prove he's the real Sasquatch. They held a press conference today in Palo Alto to present their findings. Their evidence wasn't so convincing, but it did prove that network newshounds are a bunch of suckers when it comes to a story that could spike their ratings. (Which may be why they wouldn't post video of the press conference on their web sites.)

Here are some more links related to this story.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/little-evidence-of-bigfoot/2008/08/16/1218307308056.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bigfoot

I like this video about Bigfoot personally. I think this is what happened.

Everyone’s a hero in their own way. You and you and mostly me and you

2008-08-11T13:49:00.000-07:00

As I write this blog I wonder who hasn't seen Dr Horrible's Sing-Along Blog? Chances are you've heard about it maybe even read about it? It's been all over the media since it debuted on June 15, 2008. It was free on the official site for 5 days before it was put on iTunes for $1.99 each episode. Now they've made a deal with Hulu.com where you can watch it for free.

"Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog is a 43-minute musical film produced exclusively for Internet distribution. It tells the story of Dr. Horrible, the aspiring supervillain alter ego of Billy(played by Neil Patrick Harris); Captain Hammer, his nemesis; and Penny, their mutual love interest. The movie was written by writer/director Joss Whedon, his brothers Zack Whedon (a television writer) and Jed Whedon (a composer), and Jed's fiancée, actress Maurissa Tancharoen. The writing team penned the musical during the WGA writers' strike. The idea was to create something small and inexpensive, yet professionally done, in a way that would circumvent the issues that were being protested during the strike."

http://www.drhorrible.com/

Batman Curse?

2008-08-04T12:36:00.000-07:00

I just have to say it because I know you are thinking the same thing. Is there a Batman curse?

It could be said that since the death of a stunt man on the set of the Dark Knight there could be a curse. Followed up by the tragic death of Heath Ledger (Joker) back in January. More recently after the Dark Knight premiered actor Christan Bale (Bruce Wayne/Batman) was accused of assault by his own Mother. Now today comes news that actor Morgan Freeman (Lucius Fox) was seriously injured in an automobile accident. Yahoo news has more on the story.

"JACKSON, Miss. - Oscar-winning actor Morgan Freeman is in a hospital in Memphis, Tenn., on Monday after being seriously injured in a car accident near his home in Mississippi.

The hospital is about 90 miles north of the accident scene in rural Tallahatchie County in the Mississippi Delta.

Mississippi Highway Patrol spokesman Sgt. Ben Williams said Freeman was driving a 1997 Nissan Maxima belonging to Demaris Meyer of Memphis when the car left a rural highway and flipped several times shortly before midnight Sunday."

It will be curious to see what unfolds as time goes but I hope Mr Freeman makes a full recovery.

Spokane Comicon logo contest!

2008-07-12T11:11:00.000-07:00

I need your help coming up with a logo for the Spokane Comicon. I
am looking for a logo (no year or date please) that I can use for t-shirts, stickers, banners etc for future shows. The winning logo will receive a free table and admission to our third show on Saturday May 30, 2009. All entries can be submitted via email to spokanecomicon@yahoo.com by Sunday August 31, 2008.

Keep checking my deviant art page to view submissions.
http://nathanakanph.deviantart.com/

Here is submission #1 by artist Ben Hansen.

Hulk rides a bus...

2008-07-05T11:20:00.000-07:00

I just found these funny animated shorts on Youtube.
Daredevil and Ghost Rider go to McDonald's

Hulk Rides a Bus

Batman is Ungrateful

Flying Chickens in the Barnyard...literally

2008-07-02T18:18:00.000-07:00

This has been a sad past week for me. The passing of comedian George Carlin, artist Michael Turner and now the official announcement that the Sonics are leaving Seattle. Going into the trail the city swore up and down that it was not about money and about keeping the team in Seattle. What happened is the Sonics (the name and history stays) are leaving to Oklahoma City and the city gets $45 million dollars as compensation. A lot of the things that were discussed my Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels doesn't make sense, or at least I don't buy it. I will use the help of the Seattle times to keep my facts straight.
"Nickels said the NBA agreed that a renovated KeyArena would be suitable to support a new team. However, the mayor said the state Legislature must pass a funding bill next year to help pay for the improvements."

This won't happen. They brought this same funding proposal to the state elgislature already to increase taxes for a new $300 million arena. To no one's surprise it was rejected. This was when we still had a team. Now your are telling me that we have to get it approved when we don't have a team and there are "no promises" said Nickels.

The other part I don't trust is NBA Commish David Stern. He's a shady guy. He's been in favor of the Sonics moving to OKC from the start. He got nasty when the City rejected the proposal for the tax increase and said essentially that if the Sonics leave, it's our fault and we wont get another team in the future. In Stern's press release on NBA.com he says "the NBA would be happy to return to the City of Seattle.” Oh course he has to say it, but everyone knows it's not true. He knows the city will never approve the tax increase.

Jeeze, all this ranting and bitching and I haven't even gotten to Clay Bennett, the Sonics owner who moved the team. Public enemy #1 in the minds of Sonic fans. We all know he has gray hair, especially within the last year. You're not fooling anyone bubba. I just hope that former Sonic Owner Howard Shultz is successfull in his lawsuit in keeping the team here. Shultz (gulp) is our last hope. He sold the team to Bennett with the intentions that he would keep the team in Seattle. We all know what happened now, so Shultz is suing to make the contract void and have the Starbucks CEO regain the ownership back to him so he could resell the team to real local owners and not some slick cowboy with bags of money from Oklahoma City.
Finally, it doesn't make in sense that the NBA would be all for the move (I know it was approved by the other team owners), because OKC is a smaller market than Seattle. Smaller population, smaller income, smaller everything. What crazy logic does that make?

I feel a little better getting some of this off my chest but still it won't fill the void during the Fall, Winter and Spring watching the Sonics regardless of how good they are. Can we at least have a camera set up in a vault pointed at the $45 million the city got in the settlement in place of the games that should have been on TV please?

I will always have the great memories of going to Sonic games with family and friends. The very first game I ever went to was special. I was in 8th grade and our little basketball league on Whidbey Island got to play our All star game at the old Seattle Center coliseum. We got to play on the actual Sonic court, and use the visiting team locker room. FYI, I had 6 points and 1 steal in the game. Then that night all of my teammates and me got to watch the game vs the Philadelphia 76ers from the nose bleeds. It was a 40 point Sonic blowout and we enjoyed every minute of it. I can only hold onto the slightest of hope that one day the city of Seattle will get a team again.

You can read more about the details here
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=ap-supersonics-seattletrial&prov=ap&type=lgns

R.I.P. Stan Winston

2008-06-17T07:14:00.000-07:00

There are lot of things that I should be blogging about that have happened to me within the past week or so. None of them are nearly as important as learning about the passing of a modern day wizard. I loved everything Stan Winston touched and he will be missed.

By Garth FranklinMonday, June 16th 2008 11:35am

Oscar-winning special effects and make-up legend Stan Winston passed away on Sunday night after a seven-year struggle with multiple myeloma.

The 62-year-old Winston was best known for his work in the Terminator, Jurassic Park, Aliens, and Predator franchises. Other notable films included Edward Scissorhands, Batman Returns, Interview with the Vampire, Pearl Harbor, A.I.: Artificial Intelligence, Big Fish, Constantine, End of Days, Lake Placid, Congo, Leviathan, The Ghost and the Darkness and The Thing.

He was only the second special effects artist to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. His most recent work was creating the physical suit for use by Robert Downey Jr. in "Iron Man" and top-secret creations for James Cameron's upcoming project "Avatar".

To his friends, family, and many, many admirers - our thoughts, prayers and condolences go out to you. This is a very sad day for anyone whose ever loved the craft of filmmaking. Peace be with you Stan.

Crusading for comics

2008-06-06T21:25:00.000-07:00

Newcomer brings Comicon to Spokane

By Isamu Jordan • Staff writer • JUNE 6, 2008

When Nathan O'Brien needed a hero to help with potty training his daughter, Lanna, he called on the likes of Spider-Man and Batman.

"We rewarded her for going to the bathroom with various comic-book related toys," said O'Brien, a 29-year-old comic book junkie whose daughter is named after Superman's first love, Lana Lang.

For the O'Brien's, the fantasy world of comic books is very much a part of real life.

When he moved to Spokane from Seattle two years ago he experienced some culture shock when he found that the metropolitan center of the Inland Northwest didn't have its own annual comic books convention.

He was used to going to three or four conventions per year while living in Seattle.

"I guess I was spoiled," O'Brien said.

He talked to Craig Barnett, owner of The Comic Book Shop, who informed him there hadn't been a comicon in Spokane for more than 15 years.

"Since then I have made it my personal mission to bring a slice of the comic and pop culture world to Spokane," said the comics crusader, whose alter-ego is a general manager for a food services contractor.

So O'Brien went to work to create the one thing missing from his quality of life in Spokane, and the 2007 Spokane Comicon drew a respectable 300 spectators to shake hands with some top-notch artists in the industry and celebrity guest Margot Kidder (that's right, Lois Lane from the Christopher Reeve-era Superman movies).

O'Brien is hoping Spokane Comicon 2008 will be even bigger, and he's got some super-powered plans for the event, such as a $1 raffle for an autographed issue of Batman from his personal collection, estimated at a $200 value, and prizes for a costume contest for kids and adults (nothing inappropriate).

Other highlights include a free gift bag for the first 50 paid attendees, a free hourly raffle, appearances by Darth Vader and various Star Wars villains, and tons of toys and comics collectibles.

Some of the special guests include Eisner Award nominated creators of PX!, Spokane's Eric Anderson and Manny Trembly; another Spokane talent, Andy Owens, who is inking the canonical 8th season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer in comic form; respected Spokane graphic artist Jim Koch, whose work can be found at Boo Radley's; Bellingham-based Blue Water Productions CEO Darren Davis, who landed a deal to release comic sequels to movies made by special effects wizard Ray Harryausen; and Seattle artist Clinton Crain, whose painted illustrations come to life on the pages of Marvel revamps Ghostrider, Spider-Man and X-Force.

Spokane Comicon 2008 takes place on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in The Globe Room in Cataldo Hall at Gonzaga University. Admission is $5; kids 10 and under are free with paid adults. Costume contests and $1 raffle take place at 5 p.m.

Captain America Shield in Iron Man

2008-06-06T06:12:00.000-07:00

This is exciting. Everyone knows that Samuel L Jackson makes a cameo at the end of Iron Man. Now all the online geeks have pointed out that Captain America's shield makes a cameo too! Take a look on the left hand side just below his arm on the table.

Here are a few stills.
and a side by side comparison.

Selfless, Cold & Composed

2008-04-28T15:35:00.000-07:00

Well, Ben Folds was in town last Friday 25th and I was lucky enough to go see him for FREE. That's right! It was really cool. He performed for almost 2 hours and played all of his hits. He brought so much energy to his show it was electric. I found out that he was sick earlier in the day and spent the entire time in his hotel resting, so it was impressive. I arrived just after 8pm when he was scheduled to perform at 8:30pm. He had just started playing and sounded great. I got my all access pass from my friend and he pointed me through the curtains to go watch the show. In the dim light I pulled back to curtains to be totally shocked that I was entering stage right and about 20 feet from the band! I was kicking myself that I didn't bring my camera and had to use my stupid cell phone just for my blog. It was really cool being so close. When they got finished playing their final encore, I darted back stage where they would be leaving and got to be first one to tell them all they had a kick ass show as they made they made their way to the dressing rooms. They were all nice guys and gave a very entertaining show. Here is the play list from the show.
1. Errant Dog
2. Gone
3. Bastard
4. Free Coffee
5. All you can eat
6. Annie Waits
7. Hiroshima
8. Landed
9. Lullabye
10. Battle of who could care less
11. Zak and Sara
12. Bitches aint Shit (word has it that he was asked by GU not to play this song but he did and the crowd loved it)
13. Losing Lisa
14. Theme from Dr. Physer (the entire instrumental)
15. Brick
16. Ben left stage and on his way out asked Sam & Jarred to play the theme from “Barney Miller” but instead they
played some instrumental with “The guy who invented time” playing Ben’s Piano. Ben came back and joined
them ½ way through on his red Nord synth. He also took some pictures to document this jam session.
(I guess this was Ben’s bathroom break?)
17. Narcolepsy
18. Army
19. Kate
20. Rockin’ the Suburbs
21. Underground
22. Not the Same
--------------Left stage then came back for the following tune------------------------------
23. Effington
24. One angry Dwarf and 200 Solemn Faces

Obey NPH

2008-03-31T21:08:00.001-07:00

They "Coug'd" it

2008-03-27T22:08:00.001-07:00

Hahahahahhahahhahahahhahahhahahah. The WSU Cougars did what the Cougars do. They "Coug'd" it. That means they found a way to blow it and loose another huge game when it counted the most. The score wasn't even close 86-47. I love it. I hate all of these band wagon jumpers who call themselves Zags fans after the they lost in the first round all said, "oh well at least we still have the Cougs to root for". WTF mate?! You can't be one or the other. Does that mean all the Zag fans who watched the Cougs come in and beat us on our home court where happy they did? B.S. Anyways I am so happy the Cougs lost. Yeah you heard me Keating (WSU grad). I only wish this picture was photo shopped. The only change I would make would be Derek Lowe's head facing the other direction. WHAMMY!

"That's one trouble with dual identities, Robin. Dual responsibilities."

2008-03-20T22:18:00.000-07:00

I realized something funny the other day at work. I have a duel identity. I am a boss while at work and a father/husband while at home. Why is that funny you ask? Well, it's how my employee's see me. At my position that I held for 1 1/2 years as Retail Manager my employees quickly learned my passion for comic books, that plus I wear glasses. Because of that, they call me superman. I thought that was a great complement and I took it in stride. Now fast forward to my new position as General Manager, new location, new staff, I've only been there barely a month and they call me Batman. Again, a great complement. I find it funny how my two different staffs see me. I guess that makes me Composite Superman. Below is a picture of Composite Superman and a brief history.

Composite Superman, from World's Finest Comics #283, 1982. (first appearance).
In Superman/Batman #6 Hiro Okamura creates a spaceship in the form of a mecha version of the Composite Superman. In a more recent arc in Superman/Batman, a new Composite Superman Batman was created when Mister Mxyzptlk merged the Supermen and Batmen of several alternate realities together. Startled to be joined together, Batman mentally exclaimed to Superman, "Clark, your mind races, I never knew"; Superman replies, "And yours Bruce, is so dark". This ends at the battle's conclusion, and all the Batmen and Supermen who didn't "need to be here" were sent away (Leaving only the normal DCU Superman and Batman).

Anyways, I have to buy this figure now for my office to add to my shelf of superheros.

Spike TV Takes Star Wars Outside

2008-03-18T17:57:00.000-07:00

Unless you've been stuck upside down in a wampa cave, you probably have heard that Spike TV will be airing the entire Star Wars saga, starting in April. In case anybody missed the news, Spike is starting to tell the world about this television premiere with some head-turning outdoor ads, starting at Penn Plaza in New York City.
There are more ads to come, so next time you're taking a stroll, tear your eyes away from the latest Star Wars comic or novel in your hands and take a look at the larger world and the Force that surrounds you.

People are always asking me if I know Tyler Durden.

2008-03-08T20:17:00.000-08:00

On Thursday afternoon while I was at work a strange thing happened to me. I was taking inventory when a drop of blood hit my paper. Then another. Before I realized it was my blood my nose was flowing like a faucet. Why is this strange you ask, because I have never had a nose bleed before in my life. I felt perfectly fine and it freaked me out. I quickly took 2 steps to my right to grab some napkins as I left a trail. I shoved a napkin up my nose and wiped up my blood off the floor. I then made a bee line to the bathroom. My employee's all had a puzzled look on their faces as to why did I have a napkin up my nose and why did I have blood on my face? "Hey, did a box fall off the shelf and hit you?" someone asked. "Um, no I just started having a nose bleed" I said. I made it to the bathroom across the hall and looked into the mirror. The blood was gushing from one side of my nose and it quickly ran down my face. At that split second I thought of how Edward Norton felt after beating himself up in Fight Club.

I took some toilet paper and made a fresh wad to shove up my nose, cleaned up the now red sink and made my way back to my office. I called Rachel to tell her that I was really scared. I kept having to change the tissue because of the constant blood flow they got soaked really fast. I could tell over the phone that she was worried, but thank god talked some sense into me. She had me call the building Admin for help. She alerted Security who are trained in CPR just in case. After 10 minutes with my entire staff, admin, and security surrounding me the bleeding finally slowed down and stopped. It was surreal moment staring at myself in the mirror for a split second wondering if I'll see my wife and daughter again. In fact the real reason I even called Rachel was to tell her that I loved her, but never did because she insisted I called for help so I did. I ended up having a bleed free rest of the evening which was a good sign. Security said it is common for people to have nose bleeds during dry times which it has been here in Spokane this past week. I'm just glad that I didn't have to be taken to the hospital and got to go home.

Put me in Coach, I'm ready to play...

2008-02-26T17:55:00.001-08:00

Hes leaping buildings in a single bound, Im reading shakespeare at my place downtown

2008-02-18T08:59:00.000-08:00

Finally, let me say it again, Finally there was some creativity at this weekends NBA Slam Dunk Contest. Thank you Dwight Howard for making it fun and rememberable. Dwight "Superman" Howard had 4 original dunks to take home the title. It was truly amazing to watch, even if you didn't know King James from Rudy Gay it was a site to be hold. Obviously, the best dunk (actually wasn't even a dunk) was when Howard took off his jersey to reveal a Superman shirt and then put on a Superman Cape, got a running start, caught a bounce pass off the floor and jumped so high it looked like he was flying. In fact he was so high he threw the ball in the hoop! The pictures are sick and the video hi-light will be seen for years to come.

You've now entered the Cone-zone

2008-02-13T19:28:00.000-08:00

I love Late Night with Conan O'Brien. What's so appealing about this Irish Redhead you ask? Maybe it's his hair, schoolboy charm, sweet suits or simply he's my name sake. I don't know, I don't have enough time to list them all. Unless, you are a troglodyte you know that all of the late night talk shows have had to rely on their improve skills. During the writers strike Conan's shows were witty, original and insightful and in this bloggers opinion some of his best shows in awhile. Conan had new segments with behind the scenes interviews with crew, introducing German disco to his audiences, spinning his wedding ring on his desk while trying to set a personal record, and zip-lining across the studio. He even grew a strike-beard in support of WGA. Things started really getting interesting when Conan and Stephan Colbert starting smack talking on each others show. Here is a recap with what went down and what it lead to.

Now that the writers strike is over I am excited to see some of Conan's infamous characters return, but we will never forget the unpredictable and unscripted nights in the Cone-Zone.

My new fav site

2008-02-07T21:01:00.001-08:00

This site kicks ass. They have over 90,000 soundbites to create your own soundboards. I quickly came up with 20 of some of my fav quotes. Take a listen, but be warned there are some inappropriate language.

You'll laugh at this one day. I'm laughing already.

2008-02-05T19:20:00.000-08:00

OMG, it didn't take long for someone to cash in on the Patriots lack of success. The Pats where on the cusp of making history by going 19-0, but lost to the NY Giants in Super Bowl 42 and finished 18-1. Busted Tees now has the very funny 18-1 shirt for a respectable $14.99. I just might buy one.

http://www.bustedtees.com/shirt/18-1/male/?utm_source=GorillaNation&utm_medium=CPM

One Angry Dwarf And 200 Solemn Faces

2008-02-05T10:05:00.000-08:00

Ben Folds is coming to GU! April 25th to be exact. I can't wait!! Who's coming with me?!
Here is more info.

"Folds is widely known for his piano skills and witty lyrics. He began his career as a drummer and also plays the guitar and bass.

Folds creates a unique fusion of different genres, such as jazz and power rock. A refreshing break from the norm, Folds has evocative lyrics.

Folds will perform in the McCarthey Athletic Center on April 25 at 7 p.m. Tickets will go on sale on Ticketswest.com.

Some tickets will be pulled and sold at the Crosby Student Center. Student tickets will be $20; other tickets will be $25. "

"Grow those back"

2008-02-04T12:36:00.000-08:00

I love the X-Men comics and movies. I was stoked to see there will be a new animated series coming out. It looks to be a lot more serious and darker along the lines of the movies vs some fluff kids cartoon. Here is the promo poster and the link has the trailer.

http://www.cyber-animation.com/wolverine/wolverine.htm

GIANTS WIN, GIANTS WIN!

2008-02-03T19:26:00.001-08:00

All is right in the sports world when an wild card team that no one thought could win (unless you live in NY) actually did win. I always root for the underdog and I couldn't be more happy right now that New York won and spoiled the Patriots shot at perfection. Hey don't feel to bad for New England Patriots QB Tom Brady. Win or loose he still gets to go home to Giselle Bündchen.

Im f**king Matt Damon...I wish

2008-02-03T09:21:00.001-08:00

For more details about the Damon/Silverman/Kimmel triangle visit this site.

http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=41610

Superman/Batman

2008-02-02T17:08:00.000-08:00

The current run of Superman/Batman by DC Comics is my favorite series. I have ever single issue (at the time of this blog it is up to issue #42). My favorite issues are #7-#13 by Michael Turner. During these issues Turner reintroduces the comic world to Supergirl. I love these issues so much that I was lucky enough to meet Michael Turner at a Seattle con and had him autograph issue #8 (both 1st print and both sketch cover variant). Turner was so cool and nice to talk too. He is so talented and continues to impress the comic world while going through cancer remission.

Anyways, yesterday I decided to buy the TPB (trade paper back) of those issues so I wouldn't have to keep reopening the original issues. I found it on Half.com brand new for $5.25 (retails for $12.99) and I snatched it up. Fast forward to today when I went into the Fusion Odyssey in Spokane Valley. Troy the owner has tons of comics, video games, movies and toys for buy or trade. So, I keep bringing in old comics, or games for store credit. I say hi, and start to shop. I get back to the comics and what does he have on his shelf, but the same damn TPB that I just bought. "Shit" I muttered under my breath. I grabbed it and told Troy, "I just bought this damn trade yesterday online." Why didn't I wait to look at his shop you might ask? Don't all comic book shops sell the same comics? Not Troy. His inventory is always changing and only gets new stuff when people bring it in to trade. Troy told me that a guy just brought in lots of Superman/Batman issues. My mind (that is full of minutia) kicked into overdrive. "Did you get a copy of issue #8?" I asked. Success! He had one and in decent shape. I was a little pissed that I had already paid for trade online, but I did walk out with another copy of issue #8 valued at $12 for free. "Holy Testicle Tuesday Batman!"

G-G-G-G-G-Gmail

2008-02-02T09:23:00.000-08:00

There is no spoon. That's what I told myself as I blindly signed up for yet another email account. My unknown hatred for Google and Gmail has finally ended. I have always been a Yahoo fan (4 life!). I was forced by the Matrix err Google to sign up for Gmail if I wanted to create my own blog. "Fine, just as long as I am powerful, successful, popular and rich." Isn't that what Cypher negotiated for when he decided to join the Matrix? I got screwed by comparison. I feel like I signed up for this account and all I got was this t-shirt. What's the point of this blog you may ask? Nothing, just random thoughts to come. In fact I will predict that I will forget about this blog in no time and I will be that guy who makes by-monthly posts.