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Tuesday, August 2, 2011
On The Red Carpet At the Captain America: The First Avenger World Premiere! With Allen Bellman!
Mood:  celebratory
Topic: Comic Book Movies

                                        

On The Red (White & Blue!)Carpet of the...

Captain America: The First Avenger Film World Premiere!

As told by Allen Bellman!*

*Who 'Was There' during the Golden Age Comics Period of Captain America, AND at the Hollywood World Premiere of the Captain America Film!

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Click here to see the CAPTAIN AMERICA COMICS that we have in our online store for sale, including DOLLAR COMICS!
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Click here to see the STAN LEE COMICS that we have in our online store for sale, including DOLLAR COMICS!
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TODAY'S FEATURE - Blog #3475:

Please Note:   I want to thank Mr. Allen Bellman for sending me the photos used in this special blog on his experience on the Red (White & Blue!) Carpet at the World Premiere for the Captain America: The First Avenger film at the El Capitan Theater in Hollywood, California, on Tuesday, July 19th!

Here in Allen's own words to me via email is his experience:

Destination Hollywood!
 
An all night flight from Ft. Lauderdale brought us to the Roosevelt Hotel, on Hollywood Blvd, just about a block away from the El Capitan Theatre where the movie "Captain America" was to premiere.

We arrived a day early before the showing, little did I realize when I joined the bullpen of Timely/Marvel in 1942 to work on Captain America and more than a half a century later I would be here for this occasion.

The next day around 5 pm  we left our hotel room for the one block trek to the theatre.  Fans were lined up on either side of the street and i was sporting a "bum" leg, hobbling along in the hot California sun.

I guess the security people took pity on me and escorted myself and Roz to be the first in the Theatre.  We were seated in a box seat and Chris Evans grandfather asked me who I was to be seated in such an important seat.

Oh well, King for a day! After the movie we attended a party at the Supper Club on Hollywood Blvd with the cast and all those who had any thing to do with the movie.

As my mother once said, "Only in America"!

~Allen Bellman.

(Note on photos used in this blog: Topmost photos  (1)Across the stree from the El Capitan Theater in Hollywood, California. (2)Allen walking the Red (White & Blue!) Carpet. (3) The former Nancy Shores and Kevin Feige with Allen.   Smaller inset photos:  (4)Allen walking past the crowd. (5) Two of the actors who played Howling Commandos, Derek Luke as Gabe Jones, (Allen Bellman in the middle), and Neal McDonough as Dum Dum Dugan! 

For those of you that would like to know more about Allen Bellman, and why he was invited to attend the World Premiere of this Captain America film... Please see the following websites:

AllenBellman.com

Allen Bellman's Credits per the GCD, (which is incomplete)

Allen Bellman mentions in the ComicBookCollectorsBlog.com

Thanks, Allen for sending me your photos & story of being on The Red Carpet at the Captain America: The First Avenger Premiere!

More on the film at the Wikipedia entry, Captain America: The First Avenger!

For those of you wondering what Tina & I thought of the comic book film, as we take them all in... Here's 'Our Take' on the film that we just viewed at the Big Screen this past weekend, as we were at Comic-Con International when it first opened nationwide!

~Michael D Hamersky


NOTE FROM THE BLOGGER:

My thanks again to all of YOU reading this blog and our archived blog posts, now at 3,475 total posts in number!   I do appreciate your continued reading and support of this Blog!

BTW, You can 'follow' this blog by clicking the 'Follow' Button at this NetworkedBlogs app link!  We currently have over 2,499 'Followers'!  Thanks to ALL of YOU that have already clicked that button! 

And for those of YOU that haven't yet... I would appreciate it if YOU would!!!

~ Michael D Hamersky

Note:  My online 'Local' Comic Book Shop (LCBS), carries many different genres of comics, magazines, graphic novels, and comic con promotional items. Possibly even copies of the item(s) that was mentioned here today...!

If I have it... You can find it 'Under The Big Top Of Comics' at:  

http://www.ComicBooksCircus.com/ 

Web Page Note:  This blog post is written for the IE Browser standards.  Chrome, Safari, Netscape, Firefox and the other browsers serve the page up differently, sorry about that!

The screen display resolution is best seen at the setting of 1024 x 768 on your laptop or desktop computer.  Note:  As of Monday, June 27th, 2011, I'll be using my new laptop, where the default resolution is 'higher', so there may be some temporary glitches until I am used to the new resolution.

NOTE: All images and characters within this blog post are copyright and trademark their respective owners.

Comics Creators: If you are breaking into, or already work in the comic book industry or other pop culture productions, you are welcome to email or mail us press releases, news items, and updates that you feel would be of interest to our blog readers. Including YOUR own works!

To mail printed items to us for possible review, send to:

Make It So Marketing Inc., PO Box 130653, Carlsbad, CA 92013

 Also, if you are a Facebook member, I would have liked you to send me a 'Friend Request'. However, I have reached the maximum limit of 5,000 Facebook Friends and Fan pages already, so I've added a New 'Facebook Fan Page' so that even more of YOU can 'Like' what I am doing, and be interactive with me and others there.  Here is the link to that 'Facebook Fan Page': Michael D Hamersky On Comics! Please click the 'Like' button on that page! 
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Posted by makeitsomarketing at 12:01 AM PDT
Updated: Tuesday, August 2, 2011 8:00 AM PDT
Post Comment | Permalink
Monday, August 1, 2011
Our Take On: Cowboys & Aliens Film - Inspired by the Graphic Novel!
Mood:  caffeinated
Topic: Comic Book Movies

                                        

Our Take On:

Cowboys & Aliens!

Inspired by the Graphic Novel!

Reviewed By Tina LoSasso, Vinnie & Michael D Hamersky!

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Above Top Photo: An earlier version of the Cowboys & Aliens film poster that we saw on the outside of the theater we attended!
Left column top photo: The Graphic Novel that inspired the film, published by Platinum Studios in 2006. Creative team: Scott Mitchell Rosenberg, Fred Van Lente & Andrew Foley, Dennis Calero & Luciano Lima, J. Wilson & Silvio Spotti & Luciano Kars & Magic Eye Studios!
  

TODAY'S FEATURE - Blog #3474:

Please Note:   This is the comic book film that Tina and I have been seeing trailers of at other movie showings, and been wanting to see.  Tina's interest is because one of her favorite 'James Bond' actors, Daniel Craig, is in it, and mine because it was inspired / 'based' on a graphic novel and looked good in the trailers! 

The film opened on Friday, July 29th even though it premiered at Comic-Con International: San Diego.  Tina and I did not attend the special opening near Comic-Con in Downtown San Diego, as there were limited tickets availability.  Plus we were very busy at the Comic-Con, as you can tell by our earlier blogs!  We thus waited till my youngest son, Vinnie, joined us this weekend to see it together.

Here's the reviews from Vinnie (young comic book reader), Tina (mainstream film goer), & myself (long time comic book dealer & reader):

Vinnie: After watching another alien movie,"Battle: Los Angeles", on the previous Thursday night, my dad, stepmom Tina, and I, decided to watch the movie "Cowboys & Aliens" in theaters. I was expecting it would be good, but it wasn't, sadly.

That's because it was Great! It was a lot more than I thought it would be. I was expecting a movie about cowboys and aliens blowing up they territory and all that, but not much more. This had definitely been more than just that, however.

The story was greatly built up, with flashbacks of an accident that kept on repeating in the main characters mind. You knew something was going to happen but nothing did...

SPOILER WARNING: ...Until out of nowhere, comes the aliens! From that point on it was just about survival. They followed the trail that an alien left, and a woman of an unknown place that wants to follow the cowboy on his journey. We later find that she isn't actually from this planet, and the claims of her people getting taken over by the aliens aren't so true either.

I enjoyed the action, aliens, and technology of this movie. There was just so much fighting between the cowboys and the aliens, and it was just fun to watch. 

They were nearly indestructible, hardly getting hurt by bullets, but only by knives stabbed in a precise area of the abdomen, or their own weaponry. The aliens were just so cool looking. They weren't like any aliens from any other alien movie I've seen. They were green, bug-eyed creatures with two mouths,one of their face, and one on the abdomen, which also had arms tograb the humans and pull them in. However, when that was open, there were more susceptible to getting knived, as there was then even less protection to their necessary internal organs. The aliens technology was just immensely creative, and dangerous. The had made a type of wristwatch which was controlled by the mind, that shot powerful beams of energy that could kill anything- including their own kind. When the main character awoke, he had this wristwatch, and later on when he gets the flashbacks, you will understand why. He uses it as his main weapon to fight off the aliens as his gun hardly damages, but just has a bit of a knockback to them. The aliens also use that same power as surgical equipment, which they use when cutting the humans to view the insides. They then use an overhead beam that works like a scanner, blasting them in a nice, orderly fashion into dust. They also have a machine which melts gold down,( and I will explain why later, by the way,) and then moves it to the location it's needed by the way of some wiring leading to many stations, all the way to one central room.

I enjoyed the fact that as the movie went on, more and more people were killed off by the aliens. A big team of around 30, ended up with just a few people.  Another thing was that the aliens fuel source was something I haven't heard of in a story as of yet, which was gold. Yes, as explained earlier, it would all lead to one central room- the fuel chamber. The reason they entered this planet was to mine for gold, as their home planet ran out and they needed to bring some back. The mystery woman actually took on the form of a human, although she was from a planet already mined out of gold by the aliens. She ended up sacrificing herself in order to keep the vessel that was sent to the earth, kept from going back home. She used the wristwatch to blow up the furnace room, which in turn, blew the whole thing down to little pieces of nothing.

END OF SPOILER WARNING!

This movie actually was one of my favorites, I'd have to admit. I just enjoyed
it so much, yet I can't just explain it. I have to give this movie, "Cowboys and
Aliens" a Near Mint (NM), a 9.4 out of a 10.0 grade scale.

Tina:  Cowboys & Aliens - the Film

I admit it: I wanted to see "Cowboys & Aliens" because of Daniel Craig. I'm a woman, what did you expect?

Fortunately, Craig is the best thing in the movie so I was not disappointed. Otherwise, I suspect I would have been underwhelmed by "Cowboys & Aliens".

Unlike "Captain America" where the supporting cast is actually better than the star, "Cowboys & Aliens" relies on Craig to carry the load. And, no it's not just Craig in leather chaps and that Indiana Jones hat. It's Craig bringing the same solid physicality to the role of the amnesiac outlaw that he used to revive the Bond franchise. His Jake Lonergan is a believable "Scourge to the Territory" as his Wanted poster claims. When Craig overpowers four or five outlaws at once, there's no stretch of imagination, that's left to the rest of the movie.

The story is as much a mish-mash as the mash-up movie style. Three-parts Western, one-part Alien invasion story, the movie veers into crazyland, but, to their credit, the actors all play it straight.

The action is crisp; the aliens creepy, slimy and terrifying; the scenes with the Indians mainly played for laughs except for Harrison Ford's "adopted" son and guide.

Kudos to Director Jon Favreau for allowing the aliens to whip the humans' asses so thoroughly in the final scenes. Anything less would have been silly and alien to the grittiness of this modern Western/sci-fi hybrid.

Comic book grade: VERY FINE PLUS (VF+) 8.5 out of a possible 10.0 comic book grading scale.

Michael:  I wasn't that 'big' into minor publishers indy comics or graphic novels back in 2006 when the graphic novel that this film is 'inspired' from was published. 

So I haven't yet read the 'Cowboys & Aliens' graphic novel that is shown at the top left of this blog post...

Yet, when seeing the first trailer come out for this then upcoming film, I knew it was one that had to be seen on the BIG SCREEN, and because it was graphic novel (fancy name for a different format of comic book), it was one that should be review blogged here!

Well... As you can see from the above two guest columns from Vinnie and Tina... They had differing points of view.  Here I'm going to state my take on it:

The early part of the film made me think I was watching an 'Outer Limits' TV show program, but in color instead of black & white.  Kind of filling out the hour, but keeping my interest during the build up.

The storyline was fine, and when the aliens first appeared, then all of the background material started making sense.  I'm writing this so I don't have to do a 'spoiler alert' for my section of this blog.

The action scenes were well done, and the filming caught the action that needed to be presented, IMO.

The character roles were well played in my opinion for a western / sci-fi mashup. Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, and Olivia Wilde, who had the main roles, played them well enough for me to want to follow the film further. Yes there were cliches, it's a sci-fi western you know(!), but these roles were well supported by the others in the cast.

The whole storyline was believeable to me, (hey, I read comic books!), and actually was pretty well done for a total package.

The only reason I am giving it a lesser grade than my son did, is that the trailers led me to believe that this would be an even better film than it turned out to be! Sometimes trailers do that... Unfortunately this is one time that the trailers grabbed me visually and didn't totally deliver. Which is probably why Tina graded it a notch less than I am...

My grade for this film 'inspired by a graphic novel' is a VERY FINE / NEAR MINT (VF/NM) 9.0 out of a possible 10.0 scale.

Still I believe...You should see this one at the Big Screen near you to get the full affect of what the total package of this one is...

In conclusion.... Thanks, Tina & Vinnie, for your guest comments today, so that's a 9.4 + 8.5 + 9.0 = average of 8.966 for this film!

~Michael D Hamersky


NOTE FROM THE BLOGGER:

My thanks again to all of YOU reading this blog and our archived blog posts, now at 3,474 total posts in number!   I do appreciate your continued reading and support of this Blog!

BTW, You can 'follow' this blog by clicking the 'Follow' Button at this NetworkedBlogs app link!  We currently have over 2,499 'Followers'!  Thanks to ALL of YOU that have already clicked that button! 

And for those of YOU that haven't yet... I would appreciate it if YOU would!!!

~ Michael D Hamersky

Note:  My online 'Local' Comic Book Shop (LCBS), carries many different genres of comics, magazines, graphic novels, and comic con promotional items. Possibly even copies of the item(s) that was mentioned here today...!

If I have it... You can find it 'Under The Big Top Of Comics' at:  

http://www.ComicBooksCircus.com/ 

Web Page Note:  This blog post is written for the IE Browser standards.  Chrome, Safari, Netscape, Firefox and the other browsers serve the page up differently, sorry about that!

The screen display resolution is best seen at the setting of 1024 x 768 on your laptop or desktop computer.  Note:  As of Monday, June 27th, 2011, I'll be using my new laptop, where the default resolution is 'higher', so there may be some temporary glitches until I am used to the new resolution.

NOTE: All images and characters within this blog post are copyright and trademark their respective owners.

Comics Creators: If you are breaking into, or already work in the comic book industry or other pop culture productions, you are welcome to email or mail us press releases, news items, and updates that you feel would be of interest to our blog readers. Including YOUR own works!

To mail printed items to us for possible review, send to:

Make It So Marketing Inc., PO Box 130653, Carlsbad, CA 92013

 Also, if you are a Facebook member, I would have liked you to send me a 'Friend Request'. However, I have reached the maximum limit of 5,000 Facebook Friends and Fan pages already, so I've added a New 'Facebook Fan Page' so that even more of YOU can 'Like' what I am doing, and be interactive with me and others there.  Here is the link to that 'Facebook Fan Page': Michael D Hamersky On Comics! Please click the 'Like' button on that page! 
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Posted by makeitsomarketing at 6:46 AM PDT
Updated: Monday, August 1, 2011 11:29 AM PDT
Post Comment | View Comments (2) | Permalink
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Our Take On: Captain America - The First Avenger! 2011 Film
Mood:  a-ok
Topic: Comic Book Movies

                                        

Our Take On:

Captain America - The First Avenger!

By Tina LoSaso, Vinnie & Michael D Hamersky!

Click Here to see ABOUT THE SELLER in our eBay Store!

Click Here to add This ComicBookCollectorsBlog.com to Your list of NetworkedBlogs!

Click here to see the MARVEL SUPERHERO COMICS that we have in our online store for sale, including DOLLAR COMICS!
  
Above Top Photo: The Captain America: The First Avenger film poster that we saw on the outside of the theater we attended!
Left column top photo: The Comic Book that started it all!  Captain America Comics from March of 1941, by Joe Simon & Jack Kirby, from Timely (Marvel Comics)!
  

TODAY'S FEATURE - Blog #3473:

Please Note:   This is the comic book film that I have been most looking forward to seeing... It was the fact that it opened last Friday during the 2011 San Diego Comic Con International that came kept us from catching it when it first opened.   I waited till my youngest son, Vinnie, joined us this weekend to see it together.

Here's the reviews from Vinnie (young comic book reader), Tina (mainstream film goer), & myself (long time comic book dealer & reader):

Vinnie:  I just came out of a mid-afternoon viewing of the Marvel movie, "Captain America". While it's still fresh in my head, I am writing down what I thought of it. Before I continue, I'm just going to say that I have had no prior knowledge of the hero or any phenomena to do with him. I just know that he is a well known Marvel hero from World War II. I also recognize his costume, but most people, even if they are not involved with comics, can recognize it too.

But anyways, what I really liked about this movie was the fact that there was a strong force of friendship, trust, and care between everyone on the "good team". They always took on everything as a team, worked hard to make sure everyone was alright, and never left anyone back. I also liked the fact that they chose the "little guy", Steve Rogers, to control such power, and the fact that they explained it. To sum up what the doctor in charge of the DNA controlling team, the one who chose Steve, would be that a man with much power won't feel strengthened and won't acknowledge the newfound power. However, the little guy, not having much power on his own, would very much realize it, and respect it carefully. I find that to be true, kind of like, "you don't know what you're missing until it's gone". In this case, the strong man wouldn't know what he has, and therefore won't respect it.

The character roles were played very well, and I feel that each character fit perfectly, in terms of the movie's storyline. I do not know if the characters exactly matched with the character roles in the comic, but not knowing anything from it, they made it feel like that's what it would match up to be in the comics.

The action was very cool, and the fighting style he used was tremendous. I love how he only had a pistol and his shield, and his will to fight. The way he could also use his shield as defense, AND offense was just crazy! Bashing people left and right, maybe tossing it at someones chest to knock them straight down to the ground. It was just all very awesome to watch, and it added so much adventure to the already adventurous movie.

The special effects and stunts were also one of my favorite parts of the movie. Whenever he was taking over a Hydra base, it was usually slowed down so you could see exactly how he was bashing all the baddies. This also helped me to realize that he was using his shield as a throwing weapon, as I previously explained. The stunts performed were also crazy, like many jumps to escape death, while jumping over a giant pit to another small catwalk where explosions were blasting underneath. It was just a cool experience to see something not seen everyday, whether or not it was faked, but that's another story.

I really enjoyed this movie, and I found it to be quite enjoyable, even for someone who isn't an "avid fan" of the hero. I give the movie "Captain America: The First Avenger" a Near Mint Minus (NM-), a 9.2 out of a 10.0 grade scale.

Tina:  Captain America: The First Avenger

In a summer when "Super 8" and "Cowboys & Aliens" are being touted as movie throwbacks (and rightfully so), "Captain Americ" steals the crown with the most old-fashioned, romanticized view of America. Set in WWII, "Cappie" is an old-fashioned yarn celebrating America values. Even the military brass, who think super soldier Steve Rogers should serve his country touting war bonds, are portrayed as well-meaning but misguided. Why, the only bad guys in the movie are THE bad guys Nazis and the only thing worst than a Nazi, Red Skull.

The look, the feel, the mood of the film is pleasantly retro from the music to the lipstick to lack of cursing and overt violence. This is a movie you can take the family to. Yes, people die, but this is war time. Chris Evans handles the action adequately, but never rises to star status. There are plenty of emotional moments, but no worries, thanks to Evans; you'll never need a tissue. The story is long on origin, but once the action kicks in, it's rip roaring fun. Be sure to sit through the credits, you'll be treated to a wartime ditty, The Star-Spangled Man, and a bonus scene. Comic Book Rating: VERY FINE / NEAR MINT (VF/NM) 9.0 out of a possible 10.0 grading scale.

Michael:  I have told my son before that I would prefer not to have any comics, graphic novels, DVDs, or comic book films that we read or view to be graded higher than a NEAR MINT (NM) 9.4, because otherwise, what could be graded higher?!

Well, today, I'm going to grade this comic book movie higher... How high?  See the end of my portion of this blog...!

Where to start? 

Well, I didn't give this film much in the way of wanting to see it, when it was first announced... When I viewed the first trailer... I was hooked!

This Captain America was going to be set in the World War II time period, when Cap was 'best' IMO!  Whether by folks like the creators Joe Simon & Jack Kirby, or by later creators like Stan Lee & Allen Bellman, etc.  Or even in the mid 1960s when it was Stan Lee & Jack Kirby doing the series!   The World War II era was THE period for Cap for me.

So no wonder that I found this film to be so amazing!

From the very opening scene in the future... to the next scene in the past, the screenwriters had this Steve Rogers / Captain America / Bucky Barnes thing down pat... Yeah, it wasn't entirely true to the original comic book title, but then again what is when Hollywood takes it and runs with it?!

I found that the pre-Cap Steve Rogers to be perfect... Even if placing Chris Evans' head on another person's body. Perfect atmosphere to gain sympathy for Steve, who wanted nothing more than to serve his country. What patriotism!

The storyline dwelt long enough on the origin of Captain America, to tell the story and move on to dealing with the Nazis & Hydra. 

This Red Skull wasn't outlandish like the one in the 'Captain America' movie from 1990. Here's a link to that one so you can see what they attempted to do, and failed to do so.

From the origin to the rest of the story... This 2011 film didn't stop once it started with the 'action'.  I don't want to post any 'spoilers', which would be easy to find at this Wikipedia entry for the film, but I do want to say this...

If you are a fan of the Captain America that was brought back in the 1960s by Stan & Jack, this film is for YOU!

And speaking of Stan, several people in the theater loved the way Stan's cameo was used in this film, including myself!

The actors for Steve Rogers / Captain America / Peggy Carter / Bucky Barnes/ Johann Schmidt / Red Skull / Col. Chester Phillips were outstanding IMO, and fit their roles nicely.  Kudos to the casting department!

Again, I want to mention that the screenwriters did an outstanding job!

The direction and the production values of this film, made it one where I had little interest in it, other than it being a Marvel Superhero Movie I should see, to one that sparked my interest when seeing the first trailer come out, to being enthralled in my seat at our local Big Screen this afternoon!

After all that... I've got to say that this was a comic book movie done right!

So much so that I'm lifting my grading scale from no more than a NEAR MINT (NM) 9.4 to a NEAR MINT / MINT (NM/M) 9.8 out of a possible 10.0! You gotta see this one at the Big Screen near you! 'Nuff Said!

In conclusion.... Thanks, Tina & Vinnie, for your guest comments today, that's a 9.2 + 9.0 + 9.8 = average of 9.333 !

~Michael D Hamersky


NOTE FROM THE BLOGGER:

My thanks again to all of YOU reading this blog and our archived blog posts, now at 3,473 total posts in number!   I do appreciate your continued reading and support of this Blog!

BTW, You can 'follow' this blog by clicking the 'Follow' Button at this NetworkedBlogs app link!  We currently have over 2,498 'Followers'!  Thanks to ALL of YOU that have already clicked that button! 

And for those of YOU that haven't yet... I would appreciate it if YOU would!!!

~ Michael D Hamersky

Note:  My online 'Local' Comic Book Shop (LCBS), carries many different genres of comics, magazines, graphic novels, and comic con promotional items. Possibly even copies of the item(s) that was mentioned here today...!

If I have it... You can find it 'Under The Big Top Of Comics' at:  

http://www.ComicBooksCircus.com/ 

Web Page Note:  This blog post is written for the IE Browser standards.  Chrome, Safari, Netscape, Firefox and the other browsers serve the page up differently, sorry about that!

The screen display resolution is best seen at the setting of 1024 x 768 on your laptop or desktop computer.  Note:  As of Monday, June 27th, 2011, I'll be using my new laptop, where the default resolution is 'higher', so there may be some temporary glitches until I am used to the new resolution.

NOTE: All images and characters within this blog post are copyright and trademark their respective owners.

Comics Creators: If you are breaking into, or already work in the comic book industry or other pop culture productions, you are welcome to email or mail us press releases, news items, and updates that you feel would be of interest to our blog readers. Including YOUR own works!

To mail printed items to us for possible review, send to:

Make It So Marketing Inc., PO Box 130653, Carlsbad, CA 92013

 Also, if you are a Facebook member, I would have liked you to send me a 'Friend Request'. However, I have reached the maximum limit of 5,000 Facebook Friends and Fan pages already, so I've added a New 'Facebook Fan Page' so that even more of YOU can 'Like' what I am doing, and be interactive with me and others there.  Here is the link to that 'Facebook Fan Page': Michael D Hamersky On Comics! Please click the 'Like' button on that page! 
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Posted by makeitsomarketing at 4:57 PM PDT
Updated: Saturday, July 30, 2011 7:18 PM PDT
Post Comment | View Comments (2) | Permalink
Friday, July 29, 2011
Vinnie's Take On: Issue #1 HTHCV Graphic Novel Project - Red Phones
Mood:  caffeinated
Topic: Comic Books - New

                                        

Michael D Hamersky On Comics Presents... 

Vinnie's Take On:

Red Phones 

Issue #1 HTHCV Graphic Novel Project

Click Here to see our CARTOON COMICS for sale!

Click Here add This ComicBookCollectorsBlog.com to Your list of NetworkedBlogs!

 
Click here to see the LOWEST PRICED ITEMS we have in our online store for sale!
-
-
Above Top Left photo: The Front Cover to 'Red Phones'.
Immediately above top photo: Some of the group members plus an advisor at the 2011 Comic-Con International: San Diego, aka SDCC.
Below that: A video filmed at the 2011 SDCC!
  

TODAY'S FEATURE - Blog #3472:

(Vinnie)  Today I am reviewing the High Tech High's comic "Red Phones" made by the Graphic Novel Project team, specifically Max Romerro, Jonathan Wallach, and Joey Valdiva.
 
It was presented to my dad while at the San Diego Comic Con International for me to review.
 
The group also had a panel, but my dad did not get a chance to attend it.
 
At a glance, it looked pretty good and looked well planned and made. My dad and I also had the chance to see some of the people in the group at the So Cal Comic Con at the Boys and Girls Club in Oceanside. I also picked up a copy of an earlier issue by the group, 'Nice Meeting You, Goodbye', and you can find my thoughts and review of it here in this link.
   
The art, was honestly one of the best pieces I've seen. The kids who made this obviously have talent, and I hope that they follow it. The art also appeared to look very realistic, which I do like to some extent. However, it was a bit "comic like" to still fit my taste. I can quite easily see that much time was spent to add such great detail to the art. Everything was appealing and looked very good. Vibrant colors were plentiful and made the whole thing "pop". The panels were neatly organized, and it overall, it was a nice pack.
 
I found the story to be interesting and "out of the box". It was a different construct than most stories I've seen, and it definitely kept me reading. The ending was very unexpected, and was a great "WoW". It does say that it is issue #1, and it is set up to have a second issue, but I do not know if another issue is in the making. I sure hope so, as this is a comic that I've been looking for.
 
There are many uses of onomatopoeia, such as when he comes to an abrupt stop there's "screech" followed by flames and a sizzling "sssss". Although very
common in comics, it wasn't just the normal "crash", "BOOM", and "bang", it was the kind of things you would not normally see in comics, such as the "screech" and "sssss".
 
The storyline flowed well, and nearly everything made sense. The only part unclear was the ending where it took place a week before with characters not yet mentioned. I believed it kind of explained the middle parts of it, but I am not completely sure. If you do not get the chance to pick this up, you can find it on their website, TheGNProject.com, which also has descriptions of their comics. It says that it is a story of mystical headphones that warp reality from the songs. I don't want to give away too much, but that should clear it up on the "purpose" for the story.
 
Overall, I give "Red Phones" a Near Mint (NM), a 9.4 out of a 10.0 grade scale.
 
It was a really great graphic novel comic, and I really do hope they put out a second issue!
 
This graphic novel can be found at the web site: TheGNProject.com, along with their graphic novels, which are also featured in the video at the top right of this blog post.
There is a Facebook presence for this group and can be found here:   Hthgnp, which I suggest you 'Like'.
   
~Vinnie! 
----------------------------------------

(Michael)  Thanks, Vinnie!

I appreciate your reading this graphic novel that was presented to me at the 2011 Comic-Con International: San Diego!

Unfortunately I missed the group's panel on Sunday the 24th, as described below:!  

Sunday, 3:30-4:30 How to Start a Collaborative Comic (Print or Web)— The High Tech High Graphic Novel Project of Chula Vista, CA (Dinoindino.com) hosts a panel about the steps and challenges of starting your own small (15-25 people) to large (30-60 people) group collaborative comic (for print or web). How can high school students anywhere do what these students do? How can anyone do what they do? All will be discussed and more. Room 26AB 

My thanks to those of the group that were at their booth when I stopped by, when I was at the SDCC this past week!

~ Michael

-------------------------------------

Note: Vinnie makes it to as many comic cons with me as he can. He collects the 'Amazing Spider-Man' comic book series, but is open to read other titles from publishers that print titles that are age appropriate for him.  He also has been attending 'behind the scenes' events, such as the one he blogged about ht here: Vinnie's Special 'Look at The Captain Rochester Party for the Artists' at the recent 2010 Comic-Con International: San Diego! He really had fun meeting and having dinner with Sergio Aragones, Bob Burden, Scott Shaw! and others there at this exclusive after hours Comic-Con Party in San Diego!

Also...If YOU liked Vinnie's guest review blog today, you may also enjoy reading Vinnie's other reviews on: The Strand Prophecy by JBB WinnerStuff that Dreams Are Made of - The Mini-Comix,  The Adventures of Faithboy #1Mouse Guard: The Black Axe #2 of 6Yogi Bear Film (DVD), Jim Henson's Fraggle Rock Vol 2 #1 of 3Space Punks #2Jim Henson's Fraggle Rock Vol 2 #2 of 3Kleeman and Mike #1Mortifera #3,  Classics Illustrated #142 Abraham Lincoln - 8th Edition2011 FCBD Edition - Mouse Guard / Dark Crystal Flip BookFraggle Rock Volume 2 #3 of 3Bear and Fox #2Space Punks #1The Daughters of Merlin #1Sea Ghost #1Mouse Guard: Legends of the Guard #4 (of 4)Clutch Cargo DVD, The All New Super Friends Hour Season 1 DVDThe Ultimate Underdog Collection Volume 1Planet HulkCoraline, Ponyo, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Sonic the Hedgehog TPB Vol 1, Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs, The Possum #1 comic book, Vinnie's Take on Berona's War: Field Guide, just to name a recent few! 

Thanks Vinnie, for once again guest blogging here today!

~Michael D Hamersky


My thanks again to all of YOU reading this blog and the archived blog posts, now over 3,471 total posts in number!  I do appreciate your continued reading and support of this Blog!

BTW, You can 'follow' this Blog by clicking the 'Follow' Button at this NetworkedBlogs app!  We currently have over 2,497 'Followers'!  Thanks to ALL of YOU that have already clicked that button!  And for those of YOU that haven't yet... I would appreciate it if YOU would!!!

~ Michael D Hamersky 

Note: My online 'Local' Comic Book Shop (LCBS), carries many different genres of comics, magazines, graphic novels, and comic con promotional items.  Possibly even copies of the item that was reviewed here today...!

If I have it... You can find it 'Under The Big Top Of Comics' at:   ComicBooksCircus.com.

If it isn't available in my online 'Local Comic Book Shop, (LCBS), then you may be able find it in my Amazon affiiate link, as seen here:  Comics & Graphic Novels at Amazon!

Web Page Note:  This blog post is written for the IE Browser standards.  Chrome, Safarai, Netscape, Firefox and the other browsers serve the page up differently, sorry about that!

The screen display resolution is best seen at the setting of 1024 x 768 on your laptop or desktop computer.

NOTE: All images and characters within this blog post are copyright and trademark their respective owners.

Comics Creators: If you are breaking into, or already work in the comic book industry or other pop culture productions, you are welcome to email or mail us press releases, news items, and updates that you feel would be of interest to our blog readers. Including YOUR own works!!  (Note:  I don't list my email address here, due to 'spambots' gathering it and 'spamming' me. 

To mail printed items to us for possible review, send to:

Make It So Marketing Inc., PO Box 130653, Carlsbad, CA 92013, USA

 Also, if you are a Facebook member, I would have liked you to have sent me a 'Friend Request'. However, I have reached the maximum limit of 5,000 Facebook Friends and Fan pages in my network already, so I've added a New 'Facebook Fan Page' for myself so that even more of YOU can 'Like' what I am doing, and be interactive with me and others there.  Here is the link to that 'Facebook Fan Page': Michael D Hamersky On Comics! Please click the 'Like' button on that page! 
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Posted by makeitsomarketing at 5:58 AM PDT
Updated: Friday, July 29, 2011 7:08 AM PDT
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Thursday, July 28, 2011
The 2011 Comic-Con International: San Diego (SDCC) Part 12 - I Survived Comic-Con! By Tina LoSasso!
Mood:  caffeinated
Topic: Comic Cons

                                        

Tina LoSasso's Guest Blog For This Series:

Part 12 - I Survived Comic-Con 2011!

Which Ran From July 20th - 24th of 2011!

Click Here to see ABOUT THE SELLER in our eBay Store!

Click Here to add This ComicBookCollectorsBlog.com to Your list of NetworkedBlogs!

Click here to see the SDCC and COMIC-CON PROMO COMICS & ITEMS that we have in our online store for sale, including DOLLAR COMICS!
Click here to see the SDCC and COMIC-CON PROMO COMICS & ITEMS that we have in our online store for sale, including DOLLAR COMICS!
  
Above Top Photo: Lines, lines and more lines. This one is for tickets to next years 2012 Con! Michael shot this while inside the Marriott Hotel. The line stretched from the Hyatt Hotel, past the Marriott, and down to the end of the Convention Center on Thursday morning!
Above Bottom Photo: Comic-Con organizers underestimate the popularity of shows like The Walking Dead and Game of Thrones, causing the Ballroom 20 line to balloon to 10,000!
Left column top photo: Geeking out at this year's Comic-Con with 165,000 of our friends at Comic-Con!
  

TODAY'S FEATURE - Blog #3471 - Part 12 of a series on the 2011 Comic-Con International San Diego:

I Survived San Diego Comic-Con 2011!

Random observations from my 11th straight San Diego Comic-Con:

And you thought the online ticket system was bad: Yet, somehow the on-site registration process for 2012 managed to be worse, much worse. Camping out all night worse. Missing all of your morning's programs worse. Waiting in line for hours and not being allowed to buy tickets because you had the wrong badge worse. Wasting over an hour and a half in line before they bothered to tell people that the registration room was full. Oh, and did I mention what was once free (Preview Night) now costs $25?!

Ballroom 20 is going to need a bigger boat: Or, better yet, a swap with the programming in Hall H where attendees were walking directly in to panels most afternoons. Instead, Ballroom 20 had over 10,000 people sweltering in the sun all day, every day with lines clear out to the harbor. At Talk Back, Comic-Con President John Rogers claimed that the tv execs are afraid they won't fill Hall H AND they are AFRAID of the crowd turning on them! What, with pens to the eye?

The Great Recession hits Comic-Con: The crowded aisles and long lines at Hasbro and other retailers might make you think that the recession hasn't hit Comic-Con. Think again. Noticeably absent were big budget movie panels, free preview comics and fan boy and girls loaded down with bags of swag.

Reading, Writing & Comic Books: Several dozen teachers learned how the Comic Book project is raising reading and English language scores for students in the Imperial Valley School District in California.

ER comes to Comic-Con: With all the alumni from NBCs long-running hit ER in attendance, I was beginning to think I'd spot George Clooney. SDCC saw Mekhi Pfifer (Pratt) at the Torchwood: Miracle Day panel; Noah Wylie (Carter) at Fallen Skies; Scott Grimes (Morris) at American Dad; Shane West (Ray Barnett) at Nikita; and Parminder Nagra in a preview of Alcatraz. Did I miss anyone?

Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure: A professor from Wittenberg University in Ohio moderated a panel of college students who came to San Diego to study the culture of Comic-Con. Seriously, Dude!

Geek Love: Michael and I met a lovely young couple from Ottawa in the Ballroom 20 line who were ON THEIR HONEYMOON!  (Geek out: the bride wanted to use a LOTR one ring for her wedding band. But, fearing her parents wouldn't understand, the groom talked her out of it!)

~ Tina LoSasso

-------------------------------- 

Thanks, Tina, for your guest blog today !

Again, please check my Facebook Page 'Michael D Hamersky On Comics' for more photos / wall posts / etc. from the Comic-Con in the days to follow!

~Michael D Hamersky

NOTE: Part 1 of this ongoing series about the 2011 Comic-Con, (Blog #3450), gave a 'general overview' of why the San Diego Comic Con / Comic Con International: San Diego is very important to me. Along with multiple links to previous years blog posts, photo albums dating back to 1973, etc, etc.

Part 2, (Blog #3458), pointed out shopping tips on what we are buying to bring to the Comic-Con. I haven't missed a year since the Comic-Con first moved to the San Diego Convention Center back in 1991. I first started attending as a comic book dealer back in 1972, at the El Cortez Hotel. But I still have to plan out what to bring each year, as five days on my feet means a lot of trekking around the convention center and surrounding environs! This con is expanding out every year it seems, with programs being held at two different adjacent hotels now, at opposite ends of the convention center!

Part 3, (Blog #3459), posted the links to what panels / programs I believe are the most important for those of you that are first timers to this comic convention. Plus they are the most 'representative' of what Comic-Con International is, without 'Hollywood' panels / programs being included, UNLESS they are truly comic book oriented.

Part 4, (Blog #3460) posted the links to where I normally would be spending a lot of time at while on the exhibit floor of this comic convention. Where's that?! Well... When I'm not attending panels / programs with or without my wife Tina, I'll be most likely at the 'Artists Alley' or 'Small Press Pavilion' sections of this convention center.

Part 5, (Blog #3461) posted a link to what is in store for those of you attending the 2011 Comic-Con and wondering about how to beat the online mess of trying to buy memberships for 2012! I don't want to 'repeat' myself here, so please look at the blog #3461 link for the 'news'!

Part 6, (Blog #3462) of this series... Well, Part 5 was about the future, so here I was taking a 'look' at the 'Past'! And not just a look via my thoughts or collections of memorablilia obtained at Comic-Cons in the past... But from the collection of the 'Founder' of the SDCC himself, Shelf Dorf!

Part 7, (Blog #3466) of this blog series was a brief history and a link to the online version of this week's San Diego Weekly Reader cover feature article on comics creators living in San Diego, and who will be attending the San Diego Comic Con International.

Part 8, (Blog #3467) of this series was to tell you that there wouldn't be any more blogs the rest of last week or the weekend, as I would be celebrating my Birthday the rest of the week at the Comic-Con! Which would be the last year I was going to be able to do so, as the Comic-Con moves up a week in time for next year, the 2012 edition of the SDCCI.  Plus that I would still be uploading  photos via my camera phone by mobile Facebooking to my Facebook Fan Page, at this mobile uploads photo album.

Part 9 (Blog #3468), of this series was to present to you my own personal 'Hi-Light' of the 2011 Comic-Con! Which was the Fandom Reunion 2011 - Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Comics Fandom.  The blog also had the link to the special photo album which is still being added to, as of this morning!!

Part 10 (Blog #3469) of this series was the first part of 'My Take' on the 2011 Comic-Con, where I covered the following topics and graded them:  memberships for 2011, memberships for 2012, and pre-paid parking.

Part 11 (Blog #3470), of this series was the second part of 'My Take' on the 2011 Comic-Con, where I covered the following topics and graded them:  posting of the 2011 programming schedule, art show, anime schedule, Artist Alley, autographs area, Freebies table, security, Fulfillment Room, The Events Guide, the Souvenir Book, On-site newsletter, small press section, off-site parties & events.


NOTE FROM THE BLOGGER:

My thanks again to all of YOU reading this blog and our archived blog posts, now at 3,471 total posts in number!   I do appreciate your continued reading and support of this Blog!

BTW, You can 'follow' this blog by clicking the 'Follow' Button at this NetworkedBlogs app link!  We currently have over 2,497 'Followers'!  Thanks to ALL of YOU that have already clicked that button! 

And for those of YOU that haven't yet... I would appreciate it if YOU would!!!

~ Michael D Hamersky

Note:  My online 'Local' Comic Book Shop (LCBS), carries many different genres of comics, magazines, graphic novels, and comic con promotional items. Possibly even copies of the item(s) that was mentioned here today...!

If I have it... You can find it 'Under The Big Top Of Comics' at:  

http://www.ComicBooksCircus.com/ 

Web Page Note:  This blog post is written for the IE Browser standards.  Chrome, Safari, Netscape, Firefox and the other browsers serve the page up differently, sorry about that!

The screen display resolution is best seen at the setting of 1024 x 768 on your laptop or desktop computer.  Note:  As of Monday, June 27th, 2011, I'll be using my new laptop, where the default resolution is 'higher', so there may be some temporary glitches until I am used to the new resolution.

NOTE: All images and characters within this blog post are copyright and trademark their respective owners.

Comics Creators: If you are breaking into, or already work in the comic book industry or other pop culture productions, you are welcome to email or mail us press releases, news items, and updates that you feel would be of interest to our blog readers. Including YOUR own works!

To mail printed items to us for possible review, send to:

Make It So Marketing Inc., PO Box 130653, Carlsbad, CA 92013

 Also, if you are a Facebook member, I would have liked you to send me a 'Friend Request'. However, I have reached the maximum limit of 5,000 Facebook Friends and Fan pages already, so I've added a New 'Facebook Fan Page' so that even more of YOU can 'Like' what I am doing, and be interactive with me and others there.  Here is the link to that 'Facebook Fan Page': Michael D Hamersky On Comics! Please click the 'Like' button on that page! 
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Posted by makeitsomarketing at 6:50 AM PDT
Updated: Thursday, July 28, 2011 10:47 AM PDT
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