OR Never Been To One Before, And Want To See What You Have Been Missing...

Then you could check out this Free Film on the 2006 Comic Con International San Diego produced by one of my Facebook Friends, Allen Freeman!

That's right, I said Free!  All You have to do is to check out http://www.mutantsmovie.com/ and on the right side of the portal page click on the 'New - Play The Full Movie Here' link to watch the movie for free!

That's what my youngest son and I did yesterday after being informed that the film was available for viewing online by Allen.

I asked Allen what 'rating' the movie would have and what it was about, as of course I had already seen several clips of earlier Comic Cons online.

Allen answered with the following:

"The movie is PG-13. Written and starring Dean LeCrone, filmed on the fly, full improv, at the San Diego Comic-Con in 2006. Shot and edited by Allen Freeman. A full onslaught of crazy interviews, dancing, and cavorting comedy by Dean LeCrone, cartoonist and actor. Must be seen to be believed. Pre-shows have gotten rave reviews! Tons of laughter every time you watch it! Can't all be consumed in one sitting! We predict it to be a CULT CLASSIC! Movie 41min, DVD w/extras-120min."

Allen went on to day  that the "Extra Features: Interview with Dean LeCrone, Slideshow, Deleted Scenes, About Dean and Allen and A Message from Killer Robot! And a secret video if you can find it!  A full year in the making! No boring, static interviews, a surprise at every turn!".

I asked Allen what role he played in producing the movie. He answered back:  "I was the cameraman, editor, dvd and box designer, web designer, and even cast some ideas off to Dean who was the mastermind behind everything. And the star of the movie!".

Okay... So while Tina was busy writing proposals to potential new clients yesterday afternoon, and while my youngest son and I were taking a break from working on the comic side of the biz, I turned on the 41 minute film via acces through my laptop.

For those that don't know what goes on at the San Diego Comic Con... It's like "The Woodstock for Comic Book Fans without the Mud'.  Yet it is "Less about comics than dressing up or dressing down", as Dean Lecrone puts it at the beginning of the film.

Dean's main focus in the film is that he wants to find "the Mutants of Comic Con".   And that's what we were in for during this film.

Day 1 - which is actually 'Preview Night' set the stage for what Dean was there for.  Although only 3 hours in length officially, it actually starts way before the 3:00 PM opening of badge pick up at registration.  Part of the fun is waiting with others of like mind in line for the registration doors to open!  And then streaming like lemmings toward the exhibit hall doors opening at 6:00 PM which Dean shows parts of.

Day 2 - starts with Dean showing off his 'Pro Badge', and leads into a song / dance number, which I thought was pretty good.  My pre-teen son laughed several times during this section.  Of course what would a film on Comic Con be without a 'Babes of Comic Con' section which was next!

Day 3 - Allen Freeman and his wife take a break from the Con and go to the San Diego Zoo instead of the Con.  Thus we see Dean attempting to go it solo, being narrator and cameraman... Yikes!

Day 4 - The Artists of Comic Con - good natured fun.

Day 5 - The Final Day - with 'The Studs of Comic Con'... sure...LOL!

My son said at the end... "I liked it. It was funny".  So I asked him to give me a rating number, on a 1 to 10 scale.  He gave it an 8.5 number.  Not bad for him!

Being a 'Old Pro' at going to the SDCC, I found most of what Dean and Allen put together to be what an attendee could find if they were looking for 'Mutants At Comic con'.

Which is one reason why I go to programs upstairs on Saturday or attend Hall 'H' for Hollywood programs, instead of battling the 'Mutants' on the exhibit floor.  Just too darn crowded on that day for me, LOL!

So yeah, the film itself is a good representation of that 'side' of Comic Con, and is entertaining, to say the least.  I found myself watching the film till the end of the credits, which is what Tina and I do at feature films at the Big Screen.  So, if you like the free online film from this DVD, which is 41 minutes long, you might want to check out the Extras, which is on the DVD itself for purchase!

Again... For more info: http://www.mutantsmovie.com/ and also at http://www.fanaticpressfilms.com/.

Plus you can see what Allen is up to lately at his personal site: http://www.allenfreeman.net/ and also at his new photo site: http://www.afreemanphotography.com/ !

BTW, we will be putting our online store and our actual blogging 'on vacation mode'  from July 22nd thru July 26th!  But until then we will be blogging daily on comics and pop culture news and events!  Check out our daily blog posts, new listings of comics, graphic novels, Comic Con exclusives and more pop culture items for sale in our online eBay Featured Store! 

Thanks again to all of YOU reading our current and archived blog posts!!  

Earlier today my Facebook Friend Paul Kupperberg posted on his Facebook Wall a photo of himself using Captain America's shield from his personal collection as a prop in his salute to this Special Day...

I wanted to share that photo with those blog readers of ours that couldn't see that photo for themselves on Paul's Facebook photo album.

For those that are not totally familiar with Paul Kupperburg's credits as a writer... Paul is an author of novels, short stories, more than a dozen YA non-fiction books for Rosen Publishing and Chelsea House on topics ranging from history and science to biography and popular culture. Plus as a writer for DC Comics, Marvel, Fleetway (U.K.), Germany (Ehapa), Charlton Comics and others, more than 600 comic book stories, including Superman, Superboy, Batman, Green Lantern, Conan, Captain America, Judge Dredd, and many others.  Plus Paul created the titles Arion Lord of Atlantis, Checkmate!, and Takion.  Whew... And that's Not listing what's he's done lately!

Anyways, Kudos to Paul in his unique way of saluting the Legacy of Captain America for our Armed Forces this 4th of July Weekend!

For those of You that would like to see what Paul is up to, just check out his blog at:  http://www.kupperberg.blogspot.com

Also, to the right of Paul's photo is a smaller inset photo of Michael and Tina 'in a G.I. Joe action figure combo pak' taken at the 2002 SDCC (San Diego Comic Con International). 

That is our little tribute to the Armed Forces serving today overseas!  Even though Michael grew up as a 'Navy Brat', he couldn't find a Captain Storm - PT Boat Skipper action figure to be encapsulated in! So GI Joe is our photo salute!!

Hope You All have a Safe and Sane 4th of July Weekend!

BTW, we aren't shooting off any fireworks here at Make It So Marketing's Blog, (LOL), but we do blog daily on comics and pop culture news and events!  Check out our daily blog posts, new listings of comics, graphic novels, Comic Con exclusives and more pop culture items for sale in our online eBay Featured Store! 

Thanks again to all of YOU reading our current and archived blog posts!!  

Continuing My Series On Creators that will be at the Comic Con International San Diego 2009, AND whom I think You should make a point to stop and see...

Is Jason Kruse, well known for his two volumes of 'The World of Quest' !  Jason tells me that he will be in the area known as 'Artists Alley' and invites YOU to stop in during the convention to see him and his works!   However, due to his flight schedule he will NOT be there for Preview Night the 22nd. Please make a note of that so you aren't disappointed when visiting Artists Alley!

Plus Jason tells me that he will be on a special panel during the Con: 

"The event that I'll be doing that will take me away from my Artists Alley table is a 'How To' event in Room 18 at 2pm on Thursday."

And yeah for those know about the recent Harvey Awards nominations that were recently announced, Jason was thrilled to hear about those two nominations!  Per his comment that he was "excited to announce that I've received two--count 'em, two--Harvey Award nominations! One for "Best Artist" and the other for "Best Graphic Album".   Congrats to You Jason, and good luck on the final tallies in voting results!

BTW, if you are not one of the 125,000+ persons that are attending this great comic book & pop culture convention this month, then you must take a look at Jason's personal web site:  http://www.jasonkruse.com

However, if you are attending  the San Diego Comic Con International later on this month, then please hi-lite on your program map the area known as 'Artists Alley' so you can meet Jason Kruse in person;  watch him sketch as well as maybe commission him to do a piece for You!  When the Con informs him of his Table number, I'll try to update this blog post with it!

Please Note:  Days and Times of programs / panels / doors opening etc.,  are subject to change at any convention, so double check that when you get there!  There is a daily updated printed schedule that is available onsite!

For those that don't know... the 2009 SDCC / CCI-SD is being held at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, California. 

The address is: 111 W Harbor Dr, San Diego, CA.  Dates of the Con are from July 23rd through July 26th, with a Preview Night July 22nd for 4 day Badge Members Only!  However as this blog post 'goes to press' ALL memberships have been SOLD OUT already!

BTW, we haven't been nominated for any Harvey Awards here at Make It So Marketing's Blog, (LOL), but we do blog daily on comics and pop culture news and events!  Check out our daily blog posts, new listings of comics, graphic novels, Comic Con exclusives and more pop culture items for sale in our online eBay Featured Store! 

Thanks again to all of YOU reading our current and archived blog posts!!  

Continuing My Series On Creators that will be at the Comic Con International San Diego 2009, AND whom I think You should make a point to stop and see...

Jeff Balke, colorist & artist, tells me that he will be in the area known as 'Artists Alley' and invites YOU to stop in during the convention to see him and his work at Table HH-14 !

Jeff is really proud of a process that he does. Here he is in his own words about it: 

"Recently, I’ve created something called Sketch Coloring.  This is where I take a sketch cover of any comic and color it right there on the spot with special markers.  This is my way of doing a sketch.  Since most colorists really don’t sketch “traditionally” (like Jim Lee, Micah Gunnell and so on…) I wanted to come up with my own way to give something to the fans so they can take home and have a “one of a kind”.  Sketch Colorings do just that.  No two Sketch Colorings are alike(even if I color the same cover 100 times for 100 people)."

If you are not one of the 125,000+ persons that are attending this great comic book & pop culture convention this month, then you must take a look at Jeff's additional "Sketch Colorings" work at:

http://www.jbalkesart.com/sketch%20colors.html

However, if you are attending  the San Diego Comic Con International later on this month, then please hi-lite on your program map the area known as 'Artists Alley' so you can meet Jeff Balke in person; as well as maybe commission him do a 'Sketch Coloring' for You!  Remember, he will be at Table HH-14!

Please Note:  Days and Times of programs / panels / doors opening etc.  are subject to change at any convention, so double check when you get there!  There is a daily updated schedule that is available onsite!

For those that don't know... the 2009 SDCC / CCI-SD is being held at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, California. 

The address is: 111 W Harbor Dr, San Diego, CA.  Dates of the Con are from July 23rd through July 26th, with a Preview Night July 22nd for 4 day Badge Members Only!  However as this blog post 'goes to press' ALL memberships have been SOLD OUT already!

BTW, we don't colorize any comics here at Make It So Marketing's Blog, but we do blog daily on comics and pop culture news and events.  Check out our daily blog posts, new listings of comics, graphic novels, Comic Con exclusives and more pop culture items for sale including Justice League of America Comics in our online eBay Featured Store! 

Thanks again to all of YOU reading our current and archived blog posts!!  

Brent Frankenhoff, Editor of Comics Buyer's Guide, tells me that he will be co-hosting the CBG Booth at the 2009 SDCC / CCI Comic Con at booth #1419 and invites YOU to stop in during the convention!

Besides editing the monthly magazine, Brent also produces an annual price guide, and administrates the CBGxtra web site. Plus he has a lot of knowledge on comics and the industry itself, as he has worked at CBG for more than sixteen years!

When I asked what they will be displaying at the Con, Brent told me "We'll have the current issue for sale, along with books and DVDs. A preview of Tony Isabella's upcoming '1000 Comics You Must Read' will also be there for folks to peruse and preorder".

Wondering if Brent would be on any programs or panels this year, Brent went on to say "I won't be on any panels, but CBG Editor Maggie Thompson should be on the Impact University panel. Impact is a book imprint of our parent company, F+W Media, that produces dozens of "how to" books on writing and drawing for comics and other media".

Brent also suggested that if you aren't aware of his 'Oh, So?' forum online, you are welcome to check out http://www.cbgxtra.com for updates of what they will be doing as they get closer to show time.

BTW, I have been a subscriber to CBG for many years!  It is one of the few publications on comics that I have kept a hard copy subscription to year in and year out, as I like having the printed format in my hands to read. 

Anyways, when you are at the San Diego Comic Con International later on this month, mark on your program map the CBG Booth #1419 so you can meet Brent Frankenhoff as well as check out all the goodies on display there!

Please Note:  Days and Times of programs / panels / doors opening etc.  are subject to change at any convention, so double check when you get there!  There is a daily updated schedule that is available onsite!

For those that don't know... the 2009 SDCC / CCI-SD is being held at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, California. 

The address is: 111 W Harbor Dr, San Diego, CA.  Dates of the Con are from July 23rd through July 26th, with a Preview Night July 22nd for 4 day Badge Members Only!  However as this blog post 'goes to press' ALL memberships have been SOLD OUT already!

BTW, we don't publish any pro-zines here at Make It So Marketing's Blog, but we do blog daily on comics and pop culture news and events.  Check out our daily blog posts, new listings of comics, graphic novels, Comic Con exclusives and more pop culture items for sale including Prozines and Fanzines in our online eBay Featured Store! 

Thanks again to all of YOU reading our current and archived blog posts!!