Michael D Hamersky On Comics Presents... Our Take On: Cowboys & Aliens! Inspired by the Graphic Novel! Reviewed By Tina LoSasso, Vinnie & Michael D Hamersky! -   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

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

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! 

---

Michael D Hamersky On Comics Presents... Our Take On: Captain America - The First Avenger! By Tina LoSaso, Vinnie & Michael D Hamersky! -     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

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

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! 

---

Michael D Hamersky On Comics Presents...  Vinnie's Take On: Red Phones  Issue #1 HTHCV Graphic Novel Project   - - 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!

(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.

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

(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

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

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 

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! 

---

Michael D Hamersky On Comics Presents... Tina LoSasso's Guest Blog For This Series: Part 12 - I Survived Comic-Con 2011! Which Ran From July 20th - 24th of 2011! -     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!

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

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

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! 

---

Michael D Hamersky On Comics Reflects On... The 2011 Comic-Con International: San Diego (SDCC)! Part 11 - My 'Take' On The 2011 Comic-Con -2! With Links To The Earlier Blogs In This Series! -     Above Top Photo: One of the most talked about Off-Site Events at the 2011 Comic-Con, the Cowboys & Aliens Premiere. Above Bottom Photo: The City of San Diego goes all out for Comic-Con!  Here's the main trolley stop in front of the Convention Center... Comic Vortex in the Gaslamp Quarter! Left column top photo: Tina and Michael at the preview to the Marvel Monstergeddon, in front of the Spider-Man vehicle! Here's a link to the video I shot of what it is all about... Coming during Comic-Con of 2012!

TODAY'S FEATURE - Blog #3470 - Part 11 of a series on the 2011 Comic-Con International San Diego:

It's now two and a half days after the 2011 Comic-Con International: San Diego, aka San Diego Comic Con, has ended.

As I mentioned yesterday... I've had a little more time to let the different emotions I felt during this 42nd Annual Comic-Con subside, so as to approach this on a more objective view than the subjective one I would have done immediately after the Comic-Con was over...

Again, for comparsion purposes, here are the links to 'My Take' on the 2010 Comic-Con so you can see what I thought of the previous Con... Part 1 & Part 2.

So what's 'My Take' on 2011?!  I'll continue to list the topics in the same order as last year:

Posting of the programming schedule for 2011, prior to the Preview Night:  Again... WOW!   The daily schedules were posted early, AND the grids were up this year also.  Hey, I'm a black & white guy, and always hi-lite the schedule in yellow for the programs I'm interested in attending.  The only minus on this grid was that for the first time the grid used colors which affected my hi-lighting it.  Other than that this would have rated the highest of comic book grades!  Instead, I'm grading it a NEAR MINT (NM) 9.4 out of a possible 10.0 comic book grade.

Art Show: This comic convention is too big to see it all now... Even with us being there all four days & preview night.  Didn't even get close to seeing it this year.  Made it to the Freebie Tables, but no further. With the previous years policy of not allowing bags in, I didn't even bother.  Add to that that I can't take photos inside the area... Why bother?!  Grade: FAIR (FR) 1.0 - Please Note:  The grade is NOT for the items on display in the area, but for the 'Art Show' presence itself.  And yes... I can give this a grade from just visually seeing it from the outside of the marked section!

Anime Schedule: Again, this was held at the Marriott. Even though we walked to the Marriott or by it a couple of times... This is too far from the Convention Center to frequent it during the Comic-Con regular hours. There are more than enough panels / programs during the night at the convention center to keep us there, instead of walking all the way down to the Marriott. However, even I, who am not a big Anime fan, recognized that the quality of films being shown would give this a GOOD (G) 2.0 out of the 10.0 possible points.

Artists Alley:  The only time I saw this section busy was on the afternoon of the last day of the Comic-Con.  And I did go to this area at least once each day, as I have a client who once again was there in this Artists Alley section. Although the concept is a great one... The section seemed to be even further away from the action than it was last year, when it was first moved to this side area.  The layout of the section is not conducive for someone to make it through the area.  You have to really want to see all of the artists there to see it all.  The traffic pattern and flow is lacking.  Again, great concept but in the area it is now in is just not going to attract the mainstream attendees to it.  FINE PLUS (F+) 6.5 out of 10.0 possible.

Autographs Area:  Because of the scope of this Blog, when walking through the 'Under the Sails Pavilion', I would stop long enough to see who was signing at this area, and how long the lines were for each guest signer.  I did not hear any complaints by those standing in line while passing by, but I did see the normal oversized lines for the 'popular' guests, and the next to nothing lines for those not as 'popular'.  The disparity of the lines should tell those that didn't have a line that they should rethink their attending this con.  Possibly 'played out' for the attendees who have gotten autographs over the years...  Grade: VERY GOOD PLUS (VG+) 4.5 out of 10.0 points.

Freebies Table - (Under the Sails area):  You gotta be kidding me!  While I have increased respect for those at Comic-Con that preview the items from the vendors / publishers / etc. that submit the items for the Freebies Table, the actual items displayed at the Freebies Table was the WORST I've seen in years!  Period!   99.8% of what was displayed was just advertising in the format of flyers, mini flyers, etc.  Nothing worthwhile to pick up and carry with you through the rest of the convention center. Which is why I saw so much on the ground around the Convention Center.  Sure, the usual standard 'Animation Magazine' was there was nice.  But for the most part, there was nothing worth picking up to take home with you, UNLESS you were looking for other flyers from other conventions to possibly attend.  There weren't even bookmarks this year.   Self-publishers, Indy publishers, and comics creators are missing the opportunity of actually having their works displayed at this table where thousands stop.  Quality promo items please that are actually useful or functional, not just your advertisement flyers!   Grade:  POOR (PR) 0.5, 'Nuff Said!

Security:  This was the 2nd MOST TALKED about topic at the Comic-Con 'Talk Back' panel.  Whereas last year I gave this a VF/NM grade, 9.0 out of a 10.0 grade, the security this year slipped a bit in quality.  Why?  Because the lines control at Ballroom 20 was not organized for one.  Yes, this year it seemed that Ballroom 20 was the NEW 'Hall H', in numbers of attendees trying to get in, but Tina was a little peeved about it, and when I joined her on Saturday, I could see why.  By that time, the line control was better, she said.  But it was still lacking.  Also the line for buying 2012 memberships should have been cut off way before there were hundreds / thousands still in line.  That was the biggest frustration at the 'Talk Back' panel.  Someone should have told Security to shut it down earlier. Grade:  VERY GOOD PLUS (VG+) 4.5 out of a possible 10.0 scale.

Fulfillment Room:  Better than last year because of the fact the items were there when we walked all the way down to the Marriott to pick them up.  Still... There is the walk all-the-way-down-there to pick them up.  I really miss the days of this room upstairs past Ballroom 20.  Some of the items there like the Avengers t-shirt would have been worth walking for.  For the most part the only thing we received that was outstanding was the 'Fringe' TV show luggage tag that Tina thought was cool!  The rest?  Buttons & a mini-poster.  Grade:   VERY GOOD (VG) 4.0 out of 10.0 scale.

The 2011 Events Guide: You know... Come to think about it... I very rarely, if ever, used the Events Guide this year!  What with the early posting of both the daily schedules AND THE GRID that I printed off... I already knew what I would like to see, and had it hi-lited on my home printed grid.  That could be why I saw multiples of this guide all over the place it seemed... The usefulness of this Events Guide that I valued so much in previous years, seemed to have lost its value.  So my Grade is:  FINE (F) 6.0, not for the contents, but for the usefullness of it.  And no, I did not attempt to use the app this year for this on my Droid, as last year my Droid's battery kept running down.

The 2011 Souvenir Book:  With our NOT sitting 'Under the Sails' much this year to get in each morning, I didn't get a chance to really read it until after the Comic-Con was over.  I've been reading it since then, and found that the quality was great as ever, and that the anniversaries being celebrated this year were ones that I really enjoyed reading about.  The presentation was great, my only thought is that the front cover could have been the 50th Anniversary of the Fantastic Four, due to its kicking off the 'Marvel Age of Comics'!  Or even the 50th Anniversary of Comics Fandom, which I know would interest a smaller number of attendees.  But... Why a JLA cover?  Still, this was a well put together souvenir book!  Grade:  NEAR MINT (NM) 9.4 out of a 10.0 scale.

On-Site Newsletters:  The distribution was more even this year, and timely.  Plus the features presented each day were topical.  Good job!  Grade:  NEAR MINT MINUS (NM-) 9.2 out of a 10.0 scale.

Small Press Section:   Was it me... Or was the Small Press Section smaller this year?  It seemed to be 'broken up' by other non-publishers booths. I make it a point to see this section and Artists Alley in particular each year.  Those exhibiting were mainly worthy of visiting, but the section seemed to be 'chopped up' a bit.  Grade:  FINE PLUS (F+) 6.5 out of 10.0 scale.

Off-Site Parties / Events / Stages:   We were asked to attend several off-site events.  However, we partook in just a few of them.  The Comic-Con had enough going on to keep us there for the most part.  For those that couldn't get in to the 2011 Comic-Con all five days, this would have been a good way of 'participating' further.  Something to think about for those that couldn't buy all four days and preview night for 2012.  (No Grade.)

In Summary:  I'm not going to give an 'overall grade' for the 2011 Comic-Con International: San Diego. It is just too big to even consider that anymore. However, I do want to emphasize that I definitely feel for those that expressed their disappointment, frustration, anger and other emotions at the Sunday 'Talk Back' panel. This was the most 'uneven' Comic-Con in the past decade in my opinion. I'm looking forward to what my wife, Tina, has to say in her review blog to follow...!

That's it for this blog today, I give two hours max for developing a blog post, and I've reached it at this point.... There could have been more topics to cover, but I've once again covered the same topics as last year's review, so I think I'll stop here!

Again, please check my Facebook Page 'Michael D Hamersky On Comics' for more photos / wall posts / etc. during the day!

~Michael D Hamersky

BTW, You can 'follow' this blog by clicking the 'Follow' Button at this NetworkedBlogs app link!  We currently have over 2,496 '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

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! 

---