Oh well, time to update my bucket list – I added “think deep thoughts while embracing the darkness of a total solar eclipse.” (Bucket List #72) It was pretty easy to check that one off on Monday. It was amazing… awe inspiring and glad I travelled all the way to the driveway to see it. Then I had a brief conversation dealing with how comic books don’t promote imagination… It was a losing battle, the person I was talking to was just parroting what they had heard from an adult. An adult who probably never read a comic book. Stupid adults, always getting in the way of being a kid. Sadly, it looks like I’m taking whimsical adventures with this kid off my bucket list. (Bucket List #35 & #55) I don’t think they will have that much fun… why be a kid when you can be an uptight adult? Part of having an “adventure” is not having a plan…
“Doesn’t matter. There are only four rules you need to remember: make the plan, execute the plan, expect the plan to go off the rails, throw away the plan. Follow my lead and you’ll be fine.”
Leonard Snart, Infantino Street May 16, 2017
I guess I’ll just have whimsical adventures (whimventures®) either with Sue or Cecil. Wait… Cecil’s not imaginary, is he? He shouldn’t be since I read comic books and those ruin a person’s imagination. 😉 Then again, maybe Sue’s imaginary. At least I think the cats aren’t imaginary. (Birds, though, aren’t real) Oh, and I’m happy that I have time now to embrace the things I loved as a kid, we all should. As Uncle Walt says “You have to grow old, you don’t have to grow up.”
As an educator I could recommend chapter books for this child, but I’m under the impression anything I purchase or recommend will be scoffed at as not being a “classic” or “serious literature.” 🙄 Plus, I might suggest something that the crowd she hangs with is trying to ban… (but their red hats do look fabulous) What? Who? Me? 😱
This Week’s Comics (to ruin your imagination):
Action Comics #1064 – Starting a new super crossover story! As with many of these I’m concerned over the continuity of the story. I recall one Batman multi title crossover in which the story bounced in weird ways. It was like they didn’t have an editor make sure the van in the car chase was the same color and make through all the issues…🙄 Here’s fingers crossed that in the end this actually makes sense. So Brainiac has some amazing plan that requires him to kidnap a bunch of people with the help of Lobo’s people (who are supposed to be all dead but aren’t?!?). So after a bit of a battle Superman is now the only person who can solve this mystery, stop Brainiac, and get everyone back safe and sound…
Ultimate X-Men #2 – still a mystery… I’d probably know more if I had kept up with so 2,473 X-Men related titles over the past decade or so…. Then again, one of the things I like about Ultimate comics is the slow set up and character building that hoes on. In the early days of comics an entire origin story would take a page, at most. Hisako is still trying to figure out what is going on, but she’s met a friend who right now makes me think of a Japanese version of Storm.
Batman and Robin #8 – the joys of obviously missing an issue… or two. Usually either one issue, you can put together some of the pieces, two? A lot harder.
Speed Force #6 – Yes! Issue six completing this arc. Um battling AVI rappers?!? The disconcerting part for me was the switch in art style midway through the issue. I haven’t been following this story very well- must be age.
The Amazing Spider-Man #47 – so Peter has a promising blind date cut short by a call from an old friend which leads to… the typical cliff hanger with a bunch of bad guys and possible bad guys and kinda of sort of bad guys… the least he could have done is picked up the bill.
Phantom Road #10 – so weird creature in alternate world… does weird things after a nice nap. As things get weird for Birdie & Dom we might have a clue as to what is going on in our world with Donnie and Theresa.
I Hate Fairyland #13 – What happens when Gert’s story gets turned into a movie? Ummm… remembers the great elder’s advice: “Never judge a book by its movie.” I’ve got that on a button somewhere around here.
The Batman First Knight, Book Two – I’m really liking this take on the Batman’s adventures during the 1930’s, a time before Alfred, or Robin. While definitely not all ages, it does a wonderful job of taking you back to that time period. It also does something I said earlier I liked about the Ultimate Marvel Comics – slows down the storytelling in order to focus more on characters and less on “BIFF!” “BAM!” & “OOF!” Oh, and great artwork.
So what will next week bring? Who knows? More adventure, excitement, and other kid stuff that kids today can’t fit in between all their important activities.🙄
What a very light week for me! Pretty much just a few comics and catching up with a title I had forgotten about (probably because I’m old).
I’d like to take a moment to babble on about some other places to get comics, specifically Kickstarter. Kickstarter is a rabbit hole for many creative people or people who like to get things before anyone else. I started playing around on Kickstarter when it first started and it could be a crap shoot as to whether the item you helped along would actually come to fruition. I did get some cool things like the watch band for my iPod nano which kind of made it the first Apple Watch. I also tried some other ones that weren’t that successful, like the animatronic Arduino run head, the creator realized that he had over extended himself since was just a kid in college and didn’t have access to the school’s laser cutter after he completed the class he was in… ugh. The early days of anything can be frustrating… but as the bugs got worked out it became easier to use and almost a guarantee for those who have the patience to wait things out. Comic book creators use Kickstarter (and other platforms) to see if they can get enough people committed to their idea so it can be printed. Usually this includes special bonuses if certain levels of funding are achieved. I mention comics, but it really encompasses everything. The areas I tend to follow deal with comics/art and board games. I am cutting down on board games, not because they aren’t excellent, but because I’ve found I’m not playing games as much as once did (I think I’ve mentioned this before). Back to Kickstarter… This week something wonderful arrived in my mailbox. That’s one thing that is cool, is you sometimes have no idea when something will arrive. This week it was Thorn by Jeff Smith. If you didn’t already know, Jeff Smith is one of my favorite creators. His comic Bone wasn’t originally all ages, but has become a staple in many school libraries. The characters started out at Ohio State University in their school newspaper when Jeff was a student. He’s taken the time to pull all those strips together and publish them for fans like me. A publisher would probably look at it and say there’s not a large enough audience for this, but on Kickstarter if you don’t get enough support… you just don’t do the project. No one is charged until the project gets enough pledges to get made. Sometimes I’ll wait until I know a project has broken (or is really close to) that barrier before funding it, other times, I just jump into it on a whim.
This Week’s Comics:
Thorn by Jeff Smith: The Complete Proto-Bone College Strips 1982-1986 and Other Early Drawings- I really enjoy seeing the evolution of a character. Seeing the early strips with Phone Bone and knowing what the character becomes is amazing. Having done a comic strip (off & on) for over a decade I think about how Cecil has evolved from a simple concept and (horrible) drawing to what he is now, this is what I get to do with Bone. Some of the basic story is there, but there are so many ideas that made it into Jeff’s college strips that didn’t make it into Bone. Understandably so, since many parts were tied to time current events of the day, and the college audience. I have a few regrets, one of those is not having the guts to actually do a strip in high school or college. The strips done in my school papers I saw as much better than anything I could produce, so why try? It’s awesome that creators are now releasing early works so we can see that it takes time and effort to get something great.
Power Pack into the Storm #2-#4 – I know I missed a few, but to sum it up the Power Pack get captured and Franklin Richard’s is the only one who can save them by getting help from the X-Men. When it comes to involving the X-Men and evil aliens it means the Brood are now involved. Will they be able to save Franklin? Does Mayhem know what she is getting herself into- we know, but she is clueless.
Captain America #8 – so Cap is now saving the world from mystic evil… what happened to just punching Nazis in the face? I’ve seen Cap trapped in other dimensions – which made me seriously stop reading for a while. Now he’s fighting an army of evil (in another dimension?) in order to save the innocent. His new mission- he must go and find four catalysts for change and bring them back to The Front Door…. I’m giving Straczynski some leeway since I usually love his stuff.
Batman #146 – Has Batman figured it all out? That doesn’t mean he’s won and this arc is over… it’s only part two so we’ve got four more issues to go. For it to follow the “Heroes Journey” he’s got a few more steps to go before he can leave the cave… a lot more villains to fight, and then there’s everyone who are now thinking Zur-En-Arrh is Bruce Wayne- even though he’s a robot. Maybe I’m just used to six issue arcs and not epic sagas. (Although I do like Saga)
Love Everlasting #14 – the Cowboy’s Tale continues… BLAM! Joan dies so many times I lost count, BLAM! but we do find out who is behind all this, will the cowboy survive finding out?
So If you read my last post about Indiana Comic Con you know about that. I wouldn’t say “Worst Con Ever” because I’ve been to worse Cons, but I would have to say it wasn’t what was advertised, or at least if this is the direction Comic Cons are going- I don’t see the need to attend them, unless I want photos and autographs (which I don’t). Heroes Con in Charlotte and Baltimore Comic Con seem to be the hold outs when it comes to die-hard comic cons, I’m sure there are others, but those are the ones that jump out.
I have said in the past that I’m torn between a bunch of different things I like- with retirement I’m trying to decide what I really want to focus on. Yes, I know I don’t have to focus on one thing, but with limited resources I need to decide what I really want to invest in. First there’s comic books- something I have been interested in since I was probably six or seven years old. Something I keep returning to when I need to escape. I returned to comics the last time when I was in grad school and needed to escape the pressure of classes. Tied closely to that is drawing. Again something I return to over and over again. I don’t see this going away anytime soon.
After Billund I have renewed my interest in building with LEGO Bricks, but mostly sets and not full on MOCs (My Own Creation). The thing keeping me from diving in again is the community. While there are some amazing people, the local LUG seems to be a a bunch of people who are into being in power and not willing to change or adapt. One of the reasons I retired was that I felt the robotics program could not evolve as long as I was in charge. It needed new ideas and other people to be responsible. Same goes for our local LUG. “We’ve always done this way” seems to be their mantra, and they will argue until you just give up.
I have met some of my best friends through MINI Coopers. I’m not a car guy, but I do love the MINI Community and the people in it. Like LEGO, the local group seems stuck in doing the same things over and over again with the same people in charge. There is another group in Fort Wayne which I’ve attended a number of events, then there are the national events like MINI Takes The States which are awesome. If only MINI would go back to making smaller cars, but as long as the Roadster is running (and when I get the classic back to working) things are fine. Unfortunately when people start talking to me about cars, I realize just how much I don’t know.
Geocaching is Sue’s thing. I have made a lot of friends while hunting down Tupperware in the woods, but I’m definitely not as competitive or completist enough to geocache more than when I’m traveling (see comments on Caching in my posts about Denmark).
I’ve been into games since I was in middle school playing the Marquis de Iblis in D&D. The problem with gaming is having to rely on other people and in this day and age it is impossible to coordinate calendars. I’m tired of thinking I’m going to play only to have it cancelled at the last minute. This is the thing on the chopping block, I’ve invested a lot into games, but if they aren’t being played, it’s kind of silly. I’m torn between attending Gen Con this year because I could use the resources in other interests… and I don’t really need anything more. Although it is an amazing Con and I highly recommend it if you are into games.
This Weeks Comics:
Primer #1 (of 4) – Primer is an all ages comic introducing Ashley, a foster kid who can just be trouble. She get’s placed with a couple who are polar opposites and tries to escape, only to discover one of their secrets… Since it’s a first issue there is a lot of character background going on, which is good. Sadly it looks like this will only be 4 issues, hopefully it will continue, The premise is interesting.
The Flash # 7 – What happened to Max Mercury and Impulse?!? In this issue we find out. Something weird is also going on with everyone else, but I’m sure Barry will figure that out while Wally is in the garden looking at statues and finding out about the Arc Angles… no that isn’t a typo. Angle not Angel.
Detective Comics #1083 – This version of Batman is hopefully going to get out of the desert and return to Gotham to save it from the Orthams who have made Gotham a better place (on the surface, but under that chocolate coating is it still an ooey gooey mess of corruption and bad stuff?) The Question finds evidence, but is it too late? A then Dr. Hate’s story comes to a conclusion… or does it? So many question marks…
Black Hammer The End #6 – So, this is the end… Will Lucy save the world from the Anti-God? What about the extremely large cast of characters gathered throughout the previous 5 issues? DC took 12 issues to do what Dark Horse and Lemire are doing in six…
Miles Morales: Spider-Man #18 (Legacy #300) – Big issue in which Miles goes up against the Cape Killers who have more impressive powers even if they don’t want to use them! Will Miles finally confront Rabble and save Brooklyn? Who lives? Who dies? Only the next issue will tell.
Amazing Spider-Man #46 – The Sinister Six return and try to help a reluctant Sandman escape Ravencroft (no relation to Ravenloft in Barovia). Spider-Man and Jackpot (MJ) try to thwart the attempt made by Electro… and succeed?
Star Trek Defiant #13 – OK- if you read the last issue there are no spoilers, if you didn’t- shame on you. IN the last issue we find out what happened to those weird bug creatures that had infiltrated the Federation way, way back in ST:TNG’s first season (Episode 25- Conspiracy). The alien enemy I think we all thought would be the new big bad, but they never showed up again, instead the Borg took their place. They have taken over a Starbase (for Lower Deck fans , not Starbase 80) and Worf and the crew of the Defiant have been sent there (probably by someone taken over by the alien bugs). Now they need to escape but seeing as this is only part 2, we’ve got a long way to go in this arc. I’m OK with that.
Ultimate Spider-Man #3 – Wow. Just like the original Ultimate universe we are starting to get into some interesting stuff! Spider-Man gets help with his costume (with amusing options). He also meets and teams up with an old friend (who is a new friend in this universe).
Alan Scott Green Lantern #5 – The penultimate issue in which Red Lantern reveals more about his origin and we finally meet the real bad guys and (redacted) show up to make the next issue awesome.
Nacelleverse #0- This was recommended to me at Indiana Comic Con (but I won’t hold that against it). Basically take some of your 1980-90’s toy lines and create a comic book encompassing all of them. Robo Force, Biker Mice from Mars, Sectaurs, Power Lords, and The Great Garloo are brought back in a story featuring Garloo. If you don’t recognize any of these brands… you (like me) won’t have the nostalgia button pressed, but it still was a good story setting up a series and the return of these toys to market. Toy marketing has always been a part of cartoons and comics, so this just updates it a bit to tug at the heartstrings of people who now have more deposable income and don’t need their parents permission to buy stuff. Unless they are still living in their parent’s basement.
Time2 Omnibus – I had the chance to meet Howard Chaykin at Galaxy Con. I went to a panel and then paid for a workshop. He’s done a lot in his career but the one I got caught up with was “American Flagg” a take on the future in which a lot of the things going on in the comic seem logical if things continue the way they have been (Have you ever seen “Idiocracy”?). Time2 started off connected to American Flagg- kind of in the multiverse alternate timeline crossover kind of way. It then branched off on its own. A future based on the 1930’s style with gangsters and robots and jazz and… It reminds me somewhat of the Will Eisner’s Contract with God, with a cool American Flagg science fiction twist. This omnibus actually was released a while ago, but I finally picked up a copy.
For those reading my babbling reviews of comics I’ve had a bit of commentary about Comic Cons. Last weekend I had the opportunity to help out my Local Comic Shop (LCS) at Indiana Comic Con held at the Indiana Convention Center. What I got in return was a non-attendee view of the Con and an exhibitor badge that allowed me access to the exhibit floor. Added bonuses were three days of standing on an unpadded concrete floor (so yes, my feet hurt).
My previous posts about this “Comic” Con have focused on the list of celebrities advertised and the lack of anything dealing with comic books and their creators. I asked the owner of my LCS if they were getting a booth and then if they needed any help. I figured as I was looking at post retirement employment this might be a good way to test the waters. So Thursday I helped set up and then “worked” Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
This is My First Con and it’s Amazing!
I heard this from almost every attendee. They have nothing to compare this to, so it is a little overwhelming. It’s like going to a geek freak show/flea market for the uninitiated. There are people walking around in costume, there are booths selling everything from coffee and tea, to battle axes, to light sabers, to stuffed Cthulhu. Lord knows what their reaction would be if they attended a larger con, although it is pretty much just more of the same. They’ve heard stories of San Diego Comic-Con so this is the same isn’t it? This isn’t my first con, my first con was a Creation Con in the early 80’s in Los Angeles. Where someone was cosplaying a character from “V” (1983) walking around asking if anyone had a mouse they could snack on. I’ve been to “a few” other Cons since then- check my CV for details.😉 Here I saw a lot of the same sellers that I have seen at other regional cons – by the same I mean a few comic book shops from around the midwest, but mostly the same places selling knick knacks and “stuff” for the “Ooooh shiny!” crowd.
If you have never been to a Con understand this:
It is a great place for people watching. Many cosplayers put a lot of time and effort into their works and they can be amazing feats of engineering. People who truly love a character will dress up in as accurate a representation as they can make. This could be simply putting on a hat, or building a suit of armor. For many of these people it is a chance to let it go… literally and figuratively. There are many people who, if it wasn’t a Con wouldn’t be caught dead dressed like that. At a Con it is OK… everyone embraces your love of a fandom. Even if you are a 350 pound guy with a full beard who happens to dress like Raven from the Teen Titans. (OK, I didn’t see that but I did see a 6’3″ bearded guy dressed as Sailor Moon). There are also those people who arrive in their store bought halloween costumes which is OK too.
Things are expensive. It’s like going to Disney… if you expect to get a soft drink for less than $5 (that was the small size) or a chicken strip basket for less than $11 you will be disappointed. Parking alone this weekend was outlandish by Indianapolis standards. Where I usually park downtown was a flat rate of $35. It usually tops out at $20 if you leave your car overnight. The NCAA was in town also so I’m sure that drove up parking prices. I hope this trend doesn’t continue for Gen Con or people will complain, more than they already do. Don’t even get me started on the cost of stuff connected to the show (like autographs).
Be prepared to scratch your head and try to figure out what you just saw. You would think a comic con would have people focused on comic book characters… Batman, Superman, Spider-Man, etc. Instead you will see characters from TV, film, anime… my favorite are the mash ups like the Mandalorian Woody I saw while walking the hall. The other thing will be the gender bending cosplays- like the bearded Sailor Moon. At New York Comic Con my brother would ask me about a cosplay as they walked by- my patented answer was “It’s from an obscure anime, manga, or video game.”
But is Indian Comic Con really a Comic Con?
In my opinion- no. A comic con celebrates comic books and properties that have been spawned from comic books. It is full of comic book art, and artists. Yes, there will be people selling other things, but the focus is on Comics. San Diego Comic-Con is close to not being a true comic con with all the focus on Hall H and Ballroom 20, but at least they have comic book companies present and a ton of comic creators. Indiana Comic Con was a “Fan Fest” or as someone put it, an “Autograph, Photo Op Stampede.” This was pretty easy to figure out since all their pre-advertising was dealing with which celebrities were going to be there, and virtually nothing about comics. Yes, some of the celebrities present had played roles as a comic book based character, but… one of my favorite quotes from a teenager walking by the booth was “Hayden Christensen is the greatest actor of our time…” now there’s a true fan.
I sat at lunch each day, and talked (or listened) to the people around me. All of them were excited over who they were going to see, and get a photo with or autograph. I have nothing against that, it’s just not my thing. The problem I had, was that I was working for a comic shop and it seemed like everyone had already spent all of their cash on photo ops and autographs. They had no money to buy anything else. You see when a show ends, or a film saga is complete, many celebrities have difficulty finding roles after their iconic portrayal of… whoever. The way to pay the bills is to go to con and charge a hundred bucks (or more, most of them more) to sign something for a fan, or pose for a photo. Being an introvert, trying to have small talk with an actor who played a character I admire would be similar to getting a root canal. I have a hard enough time trying to talk with an artist whose work I like when asking for a sketch. I understand why some of my favorite artists have decided to no longer go to cons that boast the number of celebrities they have in attendance.
Is it a comic con? Just look at the app. “Guests” have their own tab so you can see who is here. There was a banner over the spot for “Guest Artists” but on the app, the guest artists were listed under Vendors, and the list of who was going to be there wasn’t published until a few days before the con. So If I wanted to see where to find an artist, I had to wade through the vendor list and look for a booth probably called the “The art of…” (right after the fudge and chocolate vendor) while if I wanted to find the guy who played that one character in that one episode of that show… You know the one I’m talking about… just look under guests and I’ll get his exact location with a photo, when he was doing signings, when he was doing photos and how much he would charge me for the privilege- without a certificate of authenticity (which costs more).
Most of the cosplayers I saw were from anime or were Star Wars based… A number of the celebrities were from the Star Wars franchise so it made sense. If I saw one person with Ahsoka mouse ears I saw a dozen. I didn’t get chance to even look at the panels, but it seemed like most of the crowds were going to panels dealing with the celebrities present, that was the draw. They even charged more for tickets to some panels. I can’t complain, I went to the William Shatner panel at Galaxy Con in Columbus (a con which had more comic book artists). No charge to hear Bill ramble on about whatever he wanted to ignoring the question asked by the fan at the mic.
If I had not been volunteering, I don’t think I would have attended. It was funny that many of the comic shops in Indianapolis did not have a presence. That should say something about if it was a “Comic Con.” Local shops don’t have to move stuff that far, they don’t have to pay for hotels or meals for whoever is working… so why aren’t they there? I understand that some other vendors did better, but I know the ones around us were grumbling as every morning the crowds of regular folks would rush by to get in line for an autograph, this after the VIP and Ruby (more expensive badges) had already lined up 30 minutes earlier. Afterwards people would then pass through without a second glance as they thought another row might be quicker to get to the autograph area.
What did I end up with at the end of this? Three chicken finger baskets for lunches. A few comics from the booth I was working at… I had time to see what I was missing in my collection and fill in a few holes from what was there. A Mark Bagley headshot of the Rocketeer. For those non-comic book people Mark Bagley was the artist for Ultimate Spider-Man along with a lot of other titles. A signed canvas print of the Rocketeer done by James Mulligan, an artist for Disney. The poor booth across from us was selling these and they were nice, and I felt a bit sorry for them. A hard cover “Art of Stardust” book by Charles Vest. One of my favorite fantasy stories by Neil Gaiman and a really good movie adaptation too. Finally a patch of a gelatinous cube for my jacket.
What did I learn?
To trust my instincts.
I’m overjoyed that so many people got the photos and autographs that they so desperately needed to show their friends how cool they are… Like I said- that’s not my thing, but if it makes you happy- good for you!
Concrete floors are hard on your feet.
Middle booths are not “prime real estate.”
This con should be called “Indiana Fan Fest” if we are looking for truth in advertising.
Indiana could really use a real Comic Con.
I’m going to write up some suggestions for my LCS on how to possibly improve the experience (besides avoid Indiana Comic Con like the plague). Like NEW Signage! which I can help out with.
I am planning on attending at least one of the more comic centric cons coming up over the summer and fall. Don’t worry, I’ll be just as honest when I report back.
As I was leaving, I saw this on the floor… Since no one was around to assist me I didn’t dare pick it up-plus the misspelling might mean snakes are involved,
As of for blabbering this week- not much to say, just coasting as I wait for weather to get nice for more than 35 minutes and the next “whimventure®”
This week was a good mix of comics and I’m sure I’ll do a review of the Indiana “Comic” Con happening this weekend. I do hope I’m wrong, but from what I can tell, I know Indiana can do better when it comes to hosting an actual comic con and not a celebrity photo/autograph fest, but is that what people here want? Is it just me?
This Week’s Comics:
Man’s Best #1 – We were introduced to Athos, Porthos, and Lovey in the intro issue #0 now we get to relive that issue, but also find out what happens next to get the story started. We still don’t know the origin of the “Klangers” who they have been training to fight. or what’s up with a vanishing planet, but I’m sure it will all come in due time.
Spider-Boy #5 – The hunt for Bailey continues (and I don’t mean my cat… he’s chirping at some birds by the window). Also some backstory on Madame Monstrosity and her work and lost love 💕 I find it interesting how Bailey has avoided detection and has been able to survive… clever kid.
Star Trek #18 – Glass and Bone Part 6 Does Benjamin Sisko and the crew of the Theseus stop an intergalacticic war? What about what Dr. Crusher and Mr. Scott’s discover at the core of Tzenketh? Will this change things dramatically? (melodramatically?).
The Displaced #2 – In issue one we were introduced to our cast of characters- people from Oshawa who were out of town when the place vanished and now are forgotten. No one remembers them. We get a few of the rules in this universe- like they need to stay together or they might disappear. So they head off to a secluded cabin to figure things out… hmm…
Justice Society of America #9 – The search goes on… Helena Wayne (Huntress) is still woking on putting together her team of misfits . Sons and daughters of villains seeking redemption. This, of course, leads to some nice fights as sometimes words alone cannot sway people. Remember this is in combination to all the unknown sidekicks from the original JSA were rescued and are trying to find their place in this future. Quiz Kid (Mr. Terrific’s sidekick), has some ideas and then there’s the appearance of the Legionnaire… my oh my… what next? (Oh, the Tony Harris variant cover is what is in the photo- I know, I know I complain about variants, but every so often there is one I want.)
Superman # 12 – So with Bizarro having taken over the world through magic the only person Superman can trust is… the Joker?!?! Wait, that’s Action Comics, not Superman. In this issue of Superman the Lex Luthor Revenge Squad® is poisoning Metropolis (with Kryptonite laced gas) and it takes the combined resources of Super Corp. to try and save everyone and catch the bad guys. What happens next? ummm… Like with Batman and Detective Comics I’ve been waffling to decide if I’m going to follow both titles: Action Comics and Superman. DC has decided to do a crossover story that will be in both! 🙄 It looks like I’m still reading both for at least a while.
U & I #2 of 6 – In this universe where some people have powers and others don’t we have “U” who seems to be living in his own world who was saved by Isabelle (“I”). Now U with Isabelle’s help has decided his mission, who is the enemy he must fight. Sometimes comics get a bit real…
Of course he sees it a bit differently, but he now has a an idea how to help everyone… so he starts to stir things up… with Straczynski there is no way to tell where is will end up, or if it will be a happy ending.
Blue Book #2 – 1947 More strange things happening with flying saucers and the introducation of the concept of the “Men in Black” as we follow Kenneth Arnold. Of course next up is a little place in New Mexico.
Midlife #6 – Most stories in comics run in 6 issue arcs, this makes creating trade paperbacks easier. We discover the secrets of Ruben’s dad’s powers (shhhh… family secrets are uncovered) and while not all the loose ends are tied up it does come to a nice conclusion with hints of what’s to come.
Titans #9 – So the Titans help out and actually clean up after themselves (Teen Titans would never do that… heck, they would just shove all their dirty clothes into the closet and close the door). Of course we are building up to something bad happening in the next three issues (six issue arcs remember?) Amanda Waller has been brought in to create some future chaos after making a deal with the devil… or at least a close facsimile.
Wish me luck as I head into the Indiana “Comic” Con and The VEX Robotics State Championship. I’ll be working one and ignoring the other one…
Those who know me tend to be surprised if I mention or discuss sports of any kind. I find that competition tends to bring out an ugly side of most people. This past weekend I participated in a bonspiel, “The Shamrock Spiel,” a “friendly” tournament that lasted two days with 5 matches for each team. It was presented to me as a way to get to know other people in the club and have fun. The idea was to even out teams is to have two new curlers paired with two experienced curlers. I signed up as part of my “jumping in with both feet” belief even though (I did the math) I had only curled around 8 days* before… brave or just stupid?
Let me start off defying a core issue I have- I don’t take praise well… you see I was raised by someone who could and would say the nicest, kindest things to someone’s face and the minute she thought they were out of earshot say what she really meant which was neither kind, nor nice. I learned growing up that people lie. So when you compliment me, I tend to smile, nod, say ‘thank you” and think you mean the exact opposite. Curlers are extremely nice and compliment people on their shots, especially new curlers, even when they aren’t that great. They look for the silver lining which I like, but (see above). I do appreciate how no matter what team you are on, everyone says something positive to a player when they do something even moderately well. I’m concerned that like when I tried golf I’ll be the last one picked or the one that no one wants on their team.
Combine this with the fact that I actively avoided sports growing up… you see my older brother was the gifted athlete. My mother would compare us in some crazy competition in her head and as they said in War Games – “the only winning move is not to play.” So I didn’t. I drew, I read books, I was an above average student who didn’t really try that hard. When I tried to participate in sports I usually made a fool of myself and my team mates would laugh at me.
So now at 58 I’m competing in a tournament in a sport I just started to learn. My team had been doing well, but missed winning by the narrowest of margins. At the end of Saturday we had lost all three of our matches, two by just 1 point. Sunday we actually won one, but in the end conceded our last one because with one end to go there was no way we could win. We ended the Spiel with one win and four losses. I went home- tired, and sore and deciding that maybe a casual league is the better place for me at least for now, if not forever… I just can’t get that competitive and like myself when the day is over.
It was a great social event, lots of food and talk (Yes, I’m an introvert so it was draining trying to be even slighty an extrovert) I’m getting to know more people so it isn’t completely horrible and I tried to sit in on conversations. One thing that helps is “Broom Stacking” which occurs after a match. The winners buy a round for the losers (we ended up with a lot of drinks being purchased for us. Tables are set up in the warming room so that everyone who played can sit together. I kind of wish I had started with beer a lot sooner, maybe I would have been less stressed. The worst part was when we actually won… fortunately someone else took care of the drink for the person I was supposed to buy for, since I remembered after too much time had passed.
Sue came out to watch our last match on Saturday evening and noticed a couple things:
First, she asked when will I graduate and not have to wear a helmet? I wear a helmet since I fell in one end while sweeping and ended up with a slight concussion. You see in my flight I’m one of two people wearing head protection. The other flight has a bunch, but mine- it’s just two of us. The other flight also has stick curlers in it… mine, nope. I’m not sure but I think the other flight might be less competitive and having more fun.
She also noticed how there wasn’t one way of curling. Sweepers did it differently, players delivered the stone each in their own unique way. Except, me… I’m always doing it the wrong way. 🙄 I noticed that of the group I started with in the Rookie League there are maybe five of us playing in the spiel. What happened to the 40 some odd people who started with us?
She took a picture of me delivering a stone and wondered if I was actually watching the stone when I delivered it or if I was looking at the ice… I blamed my helmet for obscuring my face… but on Sunday made a conscious effort to figure out what I was looking at. (sometimes it was the ice, sometimes it was the stone.
Even though it was a “fun” “friendly” event- In my vast experience in sports, players can be put into groups (this actually fits in with almost any activity and yes, there are shades of gray- 50 if I understand correctly.):
Elite professionals in curling’s case Olympians or those that compete at a national level.
People who take it seriously and are competitive. They tend to be this way in every aspect of life and are interested in more than one sport. “GOOOOO Sports Team!” These are the ones who practice every moment they have. Read books, watch every video they can, they want to be Olympians or at least the best in their region, age group, club…. I’ve noticed that even in a “fun” event they have stopwatches out to time their deliveries and be speak in a shorthand. These are the people who have a lot of fun when they are winning. It was amazing how some teams had “new” curlers who were pretty good with the shorthand and how to understand the numbers being thrown out by those with stopwatches. There is a “Competitive League” on Mondays for many of these people.
People who play for fun. They are in a sport for the social aspect. Win or lose it’s a game. They could be really good, but what matters most is just being around people who like the sport.
Mixing these people can be interesting… You know two new people and two experienced people. If the experienced people are 2’s and the inexperienced people are 3’s it could frustrate someone. A team of 3’s having a blast while a team of 2’s counting down deliveries.
For me, the biggest issue as a new player is I try to incorporate suggestions when they are made, if I notice I did something wrong I compensate the next chance I get. Umm… so Saturday night when I’m told my first rock was too heavy, I try to throw lighter, except that they wanted me to throw a heavy rock to take out another stone! I feel like I am the weakest link, because I am. My skip even commented after giving a “pep talk” that he shouldn’t give pep talks anymore since I royally messed up afterwards. I’d like to get better, but I have to find the time to practice, you’d think that would be easy… it isn’t. Practice time is either when I have league or after the evening league is over which is way past my bedtime.
When I was growing up my parents would get into an activity/hobby and tend to go wild investing in everything they needed (even when they might not need it due to their experience level) A friend once told me he never buys a tool unless he needs it three times. If he finds he needed and had to borrow or rent something three times, he should have it, because it is something he obviously will use in the future. I went into curling with this mindset. Instead of going out and buy all the equipment (shoes, broom, gloves) I’d get by this time around with what I have. My bike helmet & a newer pair of clean tennis shoes. One of the members took a gripper (the thing you put on your shoe to make it so you don’t slide on the ice) and modified it a bit for me so I could slide further in my deliveries. Look out on the sheet and I’m the guy in jeans with a sweatshirt, not the one in the club jacket and black pants. I’m one of the only ones grabbing a slider (the thing you step on when throwing a stone so you can slide across the ice better. So Saturday I bit the bullet and decided I would go out and buy a broom… to me a broom was an economical way to improve my game slightly in seconds. I could use it in the next match. I was informed that a broom improves your game only slightly (I knew that) and if you want to improve you needed shoes… so I caved and bought shoes. I also knew that there is a learning curve when it comes to shoes…so they are still in the box until Wednesday, when I can test them out and fall multiple times without causing too much damage or being a laughing stock in front of the whole club.
What are curling shoes? I think I went over this before, but just in case. One shoe has a teflon sole to help you slide. You put a gripper on it when you are not throwing stones. I’ve seen it takes a bit of practice to get used to walking on ice with one slippery foot. Combined with the fact that someone had taken time and effort to modify a gripper I decided I would stick with what I was comfortable with and try everything out later this week.
I do have a recommendation for the club for next season- I was in a four week “Rookie” league. It was basically four weeks of lessons to get the basics. More intense than a single “Learn to Curl” session. The club also offers an “Instructional League” which due to our trip I could not attend. What about putting them together? Four weeks of learning and then two or three weeks of play within that group? Yes, it would be a seven or eight week commitment, but it might not be a bad thing. Teach the basics, but then teach how a league actually works more focused on playing the game, than the actual fundamentals.. I know I’d sign up for just an instructional league even though I’m already in a league. It gives you the chance to make mistakes in a safe place. You are expected to make mistakes. I couldn’t do the instructional league this time around because of Denmark.
So what does this mean for me? I learned a lot. I learned about various ways to do things, how to decide who sweeps closest to the stone, unless you have an experienced player and they do whatever they want. I try to determine which way I want the stone to curl, but still need the Skip to tell me (I’m not psychic). It was a good learning experience. The season is almost over and I see myself signing up again next season (I bought shoes), but staying away from competing in bonspiels until I feel better about my game (which means maybe never?) I can see helping out as many people from the Wednesday morning league did. It was funny to see just how many people I play with I didn’t see playing this weekend. Oh, and after many times competing in “Friendly” golf things, I’m happy to say, it isn’t anywhere near as bad as one of those. Still have nightmares over being teased about my “magic putter.”
Note: Everyone I have played has been so nice and supportive. The problem is me. Being raised in an environment in which the simplest compliment was seen as sarcasm… it’s hard to trust or believe. It’s me, not you
*This would be three days of Rookie League, one day subbing on a Wednesday morning league (so around 6-7 ends) two days actually participating in the Wednesday morning league (around 12-14 ends), and a morning practicing and getting instruction from a fellow curler (we was interrupted midway through). oh and that “Learn to Curl” I did long before COVID. When I say an “end” that would mean I had thrown only two stones.
Sunday: Walked 3.62 miles, Flew a few more than 4400
12:30 CET to 11:something or other EST Flight from Billund to Amsterdam to Detroit to Indianapolis to home to cats to bed.
Got up early to get breakfast. Said goodbye to the guard rhino in our room. Checked out and headed to the airport.
Goals for the day: refuel & return the car, get the two adventure labs and one virtual at the airport and pick up the Billund Airport exclusive LEGO set. Then go home. Note: The Billund Airport set had been recently retired and therefore no longer available. 😪 They had a great sale, but… at this point, I don’t have room or need any other LEGO sets at this time.
By the Numbers:
Hotels: 3 – Refborg (Billund), Grand Hotel (Odense), Osterport (Copenhagen) Longest stay: 3 days Shortest stay: maybe 18 hours Geocaches: 30ish – including Denmark’s First Geocache! Adventure Labs completed: 12 and a bunch of stages started but incomplete (Yes, St. Canute- I’m looking at you… solving ALs in another language with written answers can be “challenging”)
Trolls: 6
LEGO sets: 13 Minifigs: 10 (4 exclusive to the Fan Tour, 6 exclusive to a location) LEGO Keyhains: 4
Cost for two people:
Tour Cost: $1323
Money spent on souvenirs & LEGO: about $1200 Yes, most of this was for me🙄
Lodging (7 nights 3 cities): about $1250
Meals- formal meals at a pub or restaurant including alcohol and under one circumstance a tip (we were near the U.S. Embassy🙄): about $500 Breakfasts were included at most of the hotels.
Rental Car for 8 days (a Audi SUV thing): $172
Petrol: $105 (one fill up)
Parking, Trains, & Tolls: about $300
Flight Cost: $1900
Total (for two): about $6700 (rounding up)
Lessons Learned/Notes aka wha? huh? 🤔:
When we travel Sue and I try to figure out what we would do differently or what things were different than what we expected.
Give ourselves one full day (and night) in a place once we land. In this case, we should have either stopped and spent the night in Amsterdam or spent an extra night in Billund at the start to recuperate from the flight. Next time- fly through Iceland- Icelandair actually has a long layover program 😁
Stay in a place around three days to get acclimated (postage stamp rule – Something we discovered in England to really get to know a place stay and explore in an area on the map about the size of a postage stamp) We tend to forget this over the excitement of visiting a new place, but it is good to keep in mind. It was nice to settle in Copenhagen and Billund instead of rushing to a new place each morning. Avoid the “It’s Tuesday, it must be Belgium” Syndrome.
It’s amazing how other countries seem to be more trusting. It is nice to see and almost unimaginable to consider in the U.S. except maybe in small towns.
Danish chicanes instead of speed bumps?!? While heading to Jelling we discovered a spot where to slow people down they had one lane that had a zig zag pattern, which required you to slow down to get through. A large portion of speed bumps in Denmark are in the middle of the lane.
A lot of the roads outside of the main highways were 1.5 lanes so when another care is coming at you you both pull over a bit. Allowing the roads to not use up the much space.
110kph = 68 mph so things move a bit slower and therefore take a bit longer to get from point A to point B.
USB C outlets in cars?!? America is so “sophisticated” and high tech, but it was interesting that our rental only had USB-C outlets, and not USB-A which is still pretty much still the standard in the U.S.
Why do I have to sign my credit card receipt? Locals didn’t seem to need to sign, just scan and go. Why did some cards never work? (Yes, MINI CARD I’m looking at you). When I purchased things from a person, I had to sign the receipt, something I don’t always have to do in the U.S. but also most automated kiosks seemed to reject my card (as invalid), was this because I couldn’t sign the receipt? What is done with these signed receipts? Do they get sent (via the post) to the bank? 🤔
Many places preferred credit to cash… we actually didn’t exchange money during our trip. we had some leftover Euros from our pre-COVID trip to Paris and it was rather amusing that we couldn’t find a currency exchange open when we found them.
What happened to getting your passport stamped? It seemed that Amsterdam and the coming into Detroit were the only places that stamped my passport.
European flights- passengers are told they are not allowed to photograph or film passengers or crew members without their permission… but how am I going to get followers and likes on my YouTube/TikTok Channel?
On ALL flights we were given the safety instructions in English… is this because Americans are so stupid they wouldn’t know what to do and are most likely to sue the company if anything were to happen – with the American claiming ignorance because “They spoke with a funny accent” and they couldn’t understand them.
Delta’s video makes me think of a Church service. It just seemed to be set up like you were in some new age church with yoga mats surrounded by nature. The Flight Attendant on screen standing in the middle delivering a calm sermon on how to fasten your seatbelt.
Set reasonable goals. If anything a true “Whimventurer” under plans in case something happens to pop up. If you have one thing that has a timed entry, that’s enough. What if you really get lost in that exhibit? Do you leave to make it to the next thing on the list? If you give yourself one goal each day, you don’t have a chance of being disappointed. We would never had gone on our first Troll hunt if we hadn’t had a flexible schedule.
When buying ceramic pieces as souvenirs either pack them nested around squishy things in your checked luggage, or expect to have your carryon bag pulled at every single security checkpoint, I guess a ceramic horse/dragon looks a lot like C4 when viewed from an X-Ray machine.
Thoughts on traveling as an anxious ‘Murican. There is an image of the stereotypical American tourist in a foreign country and that image makes me sick. Frankly Americans in the U.S. who act like they are better than anyone else make me cringe. I barely speak English properly, let alone another language and we believe that everyone in the world should speak English. I do find it amusing that the Europeans tend to rub it in by having the Union Jack next to English translations and not the Stars and Stripes. Even though the translation is mostly for Americans. I’m guessing there are a few people out there that would prefer the stars and bars, but then again they rarely leave their home town. I guess for me when traveling I am the polar opposite of the stereotype. I rarely talk, might nod my head, if I have to order I am overly apologetic during the process. I joke that we travel on a whim… we do for some thing’s, but I’m pretty much a basket case hoping I’m not too embarrassing. When we traveled this time, I brought a classic looking leather jacket, collared shirts, dark jeans, dress pants and avoided tennis shoes. I found in the past this helped me blend in- instead of the guy in the red baseball cap and “God Bless ‘Murica” t-shirt in flip flops and cut offs. Of course now everyone wears tennis shoes (trainers), but I’ll stick to walking around a city in my Doc Martens. When I travel I’d much rather have people think I’m British, or Canadian. The world tends to see us as obnoxious spoiled bullies for the most part, especially with the way our corporations run our politics and our media depicts the average American.
How many times does your bag need to go through security? We had to go through security in Billund, Amsterdam, and Detroit. While I understand the need for safety, What could I have done in mid-flight or after landing to suddenly become a flight hazard? In Detroit it made a bit of sense since we had to handle our checked luggage, but still…
Since I can’t sleep on a plane: Movie Reviews: Wonka ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎, Barbie ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎, Oppenheimer ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎, & Blue Beetle ⭐︎⭐︎⭐︎ All the films were nice diversions. I started with Wonka since we were behind the Wonka float at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and wanted to understand why nothing actually happened on the float during the parade and only a dance routine in front of an empty float occurred at the end… I actually stopped part way through the film and came back to finish it later. None were what I would consider 5 star amazing films, but they held my interest for the most part. Barbie was a unique social commentary that was very well done, I understand why it has become a cultural phenomenon. Oppenheimer was a nice historical piece and I understand why it did so well at the Oscars. Blue Beetle… I wanted to give a DC film a chance since they seem to have an aura of despair surrounding them… It was a good super hero movie, like Barbie, some social commentary this time dealing with plight of Latin Americans in the US, but for the most part a good escapist film, which is really what super hero films should be.
Flight home last leg… “Please do not change your seat- it’s a balance issue.” Was it Phil Foglio who did a comic about how planes actually fly due to certain people, who without them on a plane the plane wouldn’t fly? They are seated strategically to aid in keeping the plane in the air.
Last flight 39 minutes of first class! I felt so special.
“Hey, I tell you what is. Big city, hmm? Live, work, huh? But not city only. Only peoples. Peoples is peoples. No is buildings. Is tomatoes, huh? Is peoples, is dancing, is music, is potatoes. So, peoples is peoples. Okay?” – Pete from The Muppets Take Manhattan “No matter where you go, there you are” and always- peoples is peoples.
I will miss our guard Rhinoceros from our time in Billund. Thank you for keeping us, and our stuff safe during our visit.
Today started with a nice breakfast before heading back to the LEGO House for one more circuit and to get the virtual geocache on the roof. We discovered a few of our Fan Tour colleagues were also staying at the Refborg Hotel – this was an awesome place walking distance, I mean about a block, away from LEGO House. We started by grabbing a locker (free to guests- activated using your wristband) and then went back to the shop. I believe I mentioned this before, but LEGO Store with Minifig factories have exclusive designs making it a go to place for people who want exclusive minifigs. I bought the last exclusive set available from LEGO house and five minifigs, then sat at the computer before the crowd got too big designing special torsos for each. I did give Sue the chance to work on a couple. As those were printing we looked for heads, legs, hair and accessories. After putting our purchases in our locker we headed back to get our six-brick combination and code. There are over 900 million ways you can put six bricks together. Using your wristband you are randomly given one of those combinations. You then can pick up six 2×4 bricks from the “smallest LEGO brick factory” in the world. Go home and build your combination.
Sue and I saw they had a building activity just outside and decided to see if we could join in… timed entrance given out in the shop. We decided we had other things to do so back into the house!
The “Mood Mixer” had you build a character and choose it’s mood (Educators this is “SEL” Conservatives this is not “CRT”). Since we were happy We both choose to do a “Happy Dance”.
My Batman build from the night before was considered “worthy” enough to be used as a demo!
After these activities and as the crowd of people grew, we recalled our goal for the day- to log the virtual geocache on the roof of the LEGO house. You see, LEGO house designers decided that the “physical” aspect of play would be on the roof, so there are playgrounds accessible from the various colored areas. Also, when the house is open there are play areas accessible without a ticket from the outside of the house. These areas lead you to the roof. The roof is a scale 2×4 brick over the Master Gallery. The dinosaurs are under the brick’s tubes and the studs (knobs) on the top are actually skylights. The challenge- take your picture standing on the glass. Being a bit acrophobic this is a challenge, but I did it with Cecil. Oh, the things I do for that monkey.
We then picked up our stuff dropped it off at the hotel and returned to Jelling to see the Viking museum. For a small free museum, it was amazing. They took you through the history of Jelling, the birthplace of Denmark. We had visited the sites outside earlier the week, the museum tied it all together and the accompanying adventure lab helped too. They also had a great exhibit highlighting “Bluetooth” and King Harald. For me, they even had a comic book! I was glad we had the opportunity to come back when the museum was open.
Cecil felt like he was back in Rome, Georgia!The museum’s exhibits were interactive, if you touched the orange part it would display the viking’s wound and if it were fatal.I know why it’s called Bluetooth… do you?
We returned to Billund, stopped off again at the LEGOland hotel to see what exclusive sets they had and The LEGO Group HQ for a photo op then decided to chase down petrol for our rental car… we’ve been off whimventuring (yes, I just invented a word- aren’t you proud of me?) for a week and had used up almost a full tank of gas. Don’t know what was going on but none of my credit cards were considered “valid” by the unmanned kiosk at the gas station. I even called one of the companies and got a “Not our problem” response, frustrated we returned to the hotel to deal with one more frustration before dinner- how are we going to get all this stuff home?!?
LEGO has an activity in which they people the exact same bricks and ask them to “build a duck” the cool thing is that every time I’ve done this- everyone’s duck is different.This duck exercise emphasizes everyone’s uniqueness and how there is more than one solution.I’m sure there are some groups in the US that would frown upon this…interesting way to reuse old towels…
This had been in the back of my mind since before we left and I thought I had it all figured out… yes, I make myself laugh too. I had packed my normal suitcase inside a larger suitcase which is brilliant until you realize the larger suitcase, isn’t that much larger. We thought about options and even went out to buy a duffel bag to put clothes into. Why is Denmark the second happiest place on earth (according to Pub trivia)? Because culturally they close thing down early. Weekends are not a time to go shopping until dawn. Stores close early so most people get time off to do stuff with family & friends. Remember when we arrived on Sunday the reception had closed right after lunch. We arrived jet lagged, exhausted to an envelop with a key left on a low shelf. People matter, you don’t need to be at work 24/7 because you aren’t expected to be open, or available 24/7. If only America would… funny thing is I see one group cheering about “honoring the sabbath” then the same people complaining because they couldn’t go to the store to pick up last minute snacks for the big game. 🙄
So before dinner we looked at all the sets we had bought and what the airline requirements were and got to work figuring out what fit into three suitcases, two daypacks and two tote bags given to us from the fan tour. The suitcases, once packed would be checked and we wouldn’t work about them, everything we’d have to lug around… not including anything else we might pick up “duty-free.” Before we headed out for dinner our nerves were calmer, we’d figured it out, with only a couple of question marks that weren’t impossible.
I warn you ahead of time- where most of these posts have been short- the wonderful folks at LEGO House packed a lot into today so this is going to a big post- with lots of photos. To start it will be easier to just share what LEGO House sent us instead of trying to retell it in my words:
“You will be joining a group of 25 passionate LEGO fans with 10 different nationalities, for a guided tour of the LEGO company, LEGO House and other amazing LEGO sites that are normally only accessible to LEGO employees – and some of them not even accessible for LEGO employees. What have you signed up for? LEGO House takes you on a unique 1-day tour ‘behind the scenes’ of the LEGO Group. Listen to the sound of LEGO bricks being molded at our factory, visit the home of our founder Ole Kirk Kristiansen, and rediscover the LEGO sets of your childhood in our internal museum. Last but (absolutely) not least, we will take you on an inspiring guided tour of the awesome LEGO House, where you can see giant LEGO models up close, and finally, you will get 2 hours of exclusive after-hours playtime at LEGO House. Note: The tour even includes tickets to return to LEGO House next day on your own.
More about your day: We have created a program for you that we are sure you will love. Herewith, I send you the details so that you know what to expect from the day. We can make minor changes if other opportunities come up to ensure that you will have the best day possible.
Your adventure will take off at the LEGO House and rocket you into the LEGO universe. Here are further details: 08.15 – Doors are open 08.30 – Welcome, Introduction and Play 09.30 – Guided tour in LEGO Idea House 11.20 – Lunch in LEGO House 12.15 – Introduction to the LEGO Factory 12.30 – Bus drive to the LEGO Factory 12.50 – LEGO Factory tour 14.15 – Coffee break 14.30 – Guided tour in LEGO House 15.50 – Farewell 16.10 – After-hours play in LEGO House Experience Zones 17.00 – LEGO House Retail Store closes 18.00 – End of Play Please note that you are required to wear closed shoes (no sandals, etc.) for the factory tour.”
We got up early and had a great breakfast wondering if anyone else at breakfast in our hotel was going on the tour with us – nope, none that were there when we were. We then took a bit of a stroll around the area (again) picking up a few more Adventure Lab stages and thinking about what the day will bring.
“Where does he get those wonderful toys?”
We arrived at LEGO house and wandered a bit since we had about 15 minutes until we were actually supposed to be there. What?!? I was excited land anxious, so I followed the “if you are on time, you’re late” rule. 24 people from 9 different countries were in the group, first thing- build a minifig representing yourself. At each seat was a gift (the first of many). We chatted with Brandon and Rob from Las Vegas who were at our table before formal introductions- name, where do you live, favorite LEGO set or theme. Lena, Mads, and Jonathan were our guides which started in the LEGO Idea House, the original home of Ole Kirk Christiansen the founder of the LEGO Group. While there we went through the history of the company from a simple carpenter shop to what it is today. We also had a chance to visit… THE VAULT. (play dramatic music). The vault is home to one copy of every LEGO product produced for retail since the beginning of time. Like everyone I searched for certain sets from my childhood. From there it was fun to explore the sets made during what AFOLs call the “Dark Age” the time after I gave up LEGO play as a child to when I picked it up again as an adult. It was a dark time for the LEGO Group also as they were trying everything and moving further and further away from their core. That was all covered in the next part of our tour at LEGO Idea House, the history of the company, which was fascinating even to a guy who has read two books on the subject. We received a special minifig when we left.
The Vault holds one of everything the LEGO group has produced fro retail.We were encouraged to hunt down sets and pull out the boxes. We were not encouraged to build the sets.one of my early sets from the 70’s I built it and then used the parts to build a sci-fi all-terrain vehicle.I could never get the motor to function properly! this was the last LEGO set I remember building as a child.Further back in the vault were display cases of some of the older toys that the LEGO Group had produced.It all started with a carpenter in the depression who decided to take a chance on toys.one of the early woodworking tools used to make some of the early toys.“Only the Best is Good Enough.” This sign is actually in every LEGO building. I recall walking under it every day at the Castleton LEGO Store.Capturing a child’s imagination in play-a lady bug wearing pants with wiggly arms.one of the many wooden cars made by LEGOAs quality wood became harder to find, the company integrated plastics into the line.
The infamous duck. As the story goes a young Godtfred Kirk Christiansen was finishing up a set of ducks for shipment. He proudly went to his father Ole to inform him that the ducks were done and at the train station. He had even saved the company money by using only two coats of lacquer instead of three. His father was upset and made him retrieve the ducks and finish the job- correctly. Hence the “Only the best is good enough” motto.
LEGO did not invent the plastic brick, but they did improve on the design making it possible to build much more than before. They also didn’t create a “toy” they created a system of play. Every piece in the LEGO system can work with any other piece. A DUPLO brick can be used to build with system bricks. System bricks can integrate with Technic. yup.. robots- I can’t escape them.My last complete LEGO set- before Technic, they were called ExpertThe LEGO Idea House back when it was Ole Kirk Christiansen’s house.It seems so simple- let kids learn through play, but it seems so hard to get adults to understand.One of the hidden rooms showcasing special themes… The first one I saw was Technic, but the panorama didn’t turn out right- something about a great disturbance in the Force…
Building your Lunch
We then headed to lunch at LEGO House which is a unique way to order and receive food. First you pull out a menu and a bag of LEGO bricks. Each brick determines a part of your meal. Adult (yes, I’m considered an adult) use four bricks to build their meal kids three (and a special kid brick for a surprise). You place your build on a tray under a display screen at your table. It is then scanned and your order is sent to the kitchen for the robot chefs to make. When it is ready a large LEGO box comes down a conveyor belt and you are alerted that it is ready and what color box you should look for. You get to keep all the bricks you used for lunch.
Hmmm… a monkey?Oh another monkey, looking at the menu… what to build?The Robot servers… I can’t escape robots no matter how hard I try.Lunch arrives via conveyor belt in a LEGO box.Inside… exactly what I ordered and it was delicious.
Off to the Factory…
After lunch we head off to the factory to see where LEGO bricks come from. The Billund factory makes bricks but doesn’t do any of the post production. What that means is the bricks aren’t packaged for sale here, that happens in the Czech Republic. Bricks for the U.S. come from Mexico for the most part anyway. As with most factories, there were robots, and no photography is allowed. We had our phones locked up so we couldn’t take pictures of the process. It was amazing to see how it all works and the shear number of elements produced. I guess there is a need for a billion or two purple minifig hands… We received an engraved 2×4 brick when we left as proof that we had actually set foot into the factory.
The Factory as seen from a photo of a photo taken by photographer in a planeThe author outside the factory entrance before they took his phone away.A reminder from the LEGO Story Video made out of… LEGO bricks
Finally, Exploring LEGO House
We returned to LEGO House for a whirlwind tour of the place given by Mike Ganderton, one of the people responsible for the design of the place… but first a break, some amazing apple cake, and tea (or water, or coffee). So… what is LEGO House? It is the epicenter of all things LEGO. It is the clubhouse for LEGO fans of all ages. It is an activity center for children divided into sections, each focused of a key LEGO ideal with activities developed for children and adults emphasizing the importance of play. Remember: The LEGO Group has a companywide Play Day in which everything shuts down so people can take a day to play. Having worked at a LEGO Store we came back after hours and were paid to play.
The Tree of Creativity & Monkeys
I apologize ahead of time… There was so much to look at while being told about all the other things to look at, so I’m sure I missed something. In the center of LEGO House is a massive LEGO tree. built of millions of bricks it highlights everything that is, was, and will be, and monkeys. It seems that during the design process it was discussed about having animals in the tree. Birds, squirrels, wombats, whatever. Mike suggested monkeys and it stuck so now “Mike’s Monkeys” live on the tree. you can find them in every vignette. For the AFOL these are mocs using the monkey from Creator 3 in 1 LEGO Set 31019 as a base. For the non-AFOL, these are LEGO monkeys. Each branch covers a theme important to the LEGO group. The top of the tree is unfinished and has a LEGO crane so that is shows that we are never done creating.
It’s a monkey party!Ninjago branchesNinja MonkeySir Monkey on the Castle branchesFriends BranchesFriends Surfer Monkey dudeArrgh! its the pirate branchesAnd the Pirate Monkey!That’s one small ook1 for me, one giant oak for Monkey-kindThe tree never is finished just like creative ideas are never really done.
The Master Gallery
As you climb the ramp leading past all the monkeys, you end up in the Master Gallery dominated by three Tyrannosaurs. Each is built using a different LEGO system, DUPLO, System, and Technic. Around the gallery in display cases are builds from LEGO master builders from around the world. These builders were chosen and their work is displayed for a year. As with looking at anyone’s builds I get two feelings- first, inspiration to build more, then a feeling that I could never match anything displayed. As with a lot of projects I tend to have lofty goals, instead of just trying things a little bit at a time. The “How do you eat a whale? – One bite at a time.” The displays showed the versatility of Lego bricks, in that they covered a wide range. From small vignettes to a dress and everything in-between. I don’t display at LEGO shows, because I’m still in the build a set, maybe modify it a little. Not the build whatever is in your head. I recall the first time I wanted to display, the person running the show was big on emphasizing “We don’t want a bunch of Cafe Corners” which meant it needs to be unique and original… I disagree. at a show you need to show how you can take a set that everyone has at home and improve it. Then again these were masters at LEGO construction, they were definitely at a different level of building than I am.
Why the dinosaurs “ROWR!”Mike’s Monkey’s are EVERYWHERE!
Getting into the Zone
LEGO House is divided into zones, each zone focuses on a different part of the LEGO educational philosophy. The Red Zone – Creativity Skills, The Blue Zone – Cognitive Skills, The Green Zone – Social Skills, The Yellow Zone – Emotional Skills. The latest addition was to the Blue Zone called “Build the Change” in which visitors are given a challenge and must build it. Each challenge is unique to the visitor and deals with creating something that will address a current issue in the world. The challenges are multitiered but have an element of fun to them.
We did spend a little time in each zone, and had a 7 minute building challenge in the Red Zone. The one thing they wanted to do was not just replicate what people can do at LEGO shows so while there are bins of bricks around every corner, it wasn’t just build, build, build… This was the one time I thought about what I would have brought back to school for my kids if I was still teaching. So many amazingly awesome ideas.
The Red Zone- build whatever you would like.OUr Group’s builds after 7 minutes.The Green ZoneAmazing cityscapes similar to ones found at AFOL EventsI think Cecil may have spotted the bananas!Monkey Overboard! How did he get there?!? Bad Evil GeoCaching Monkey Bent on World Domination!ONce again… I cannot escape robots.
Now it’s time to say goodbye…
After the guided tour we came back and found a bag full of stuff at our table. We I had been a little disappointed when I walked into the LEGO House LEGO Store, there were two sets I had wanted… OK fine, there were a lot of sets I wanted, but two sets I was looking for weren’t there. The three dinosaurs from the Master Gallery and the Tree of Creativity. They also didn’t have the Moulding Machine, but I was kind of fine with that. What was in our goodie bag?!? The DINOSAURS! so I was really happy!
I said goodbye to everyone and did get Cecil’s photo with Mike so he could join his band of monkeys. Our stuff was safe as we headed out on our own to explore for a bit after hours.
The store was open for an hour after closing so, of course that’s where pretty much every one headed. It didn’t help that LEGO set designers happen to be present signing their sets, including the new exclusive set released at the beginning of the month. Those who know me know I’m not usually one who is big on exclusives, or autographs, but… I think Cecil is still not happy that I didn’t get his picture taken with them. Because of the designers signing things they had also put out the Tree of Creativity Set for sale at the store! Of course now we just had to figure out how to get it all home…
SO you and 24 of your new friends have some time at LEGO House without anyone else around, what do you do? Play and explore some more. Our first stop the basement and the history display. After visiting and seeing everything at the LEGO Idea House earlier in the day seeing the public version at LEGO House was interesting. We did this during our free time I think the most interesting part was how they added a way for the blind to experience the exhibits. it was basically a circle the exterior was displays of LEGO products and innovations throughout the years, the inside of the ring was devoted to displays for the blind. headphones t help focus on the exhibit and eliminate background noise, and then large touchable displays of whatever the focus was, so there were large LEGO bricks, a large minifig, a large mini doll, etc.
We then headed back upstairs and looked around playing with some of the simpler activities… like make a minifig… then we took that mini fig and added it to a stop motion movie- because I kind have a thing for animation. We then spent a what time we had left playing with the robots, because old habits die hard. Fortunately we had a wristband for tomorrow so we could keep exploring.
LEGO Moulds are pretty much a super duper industrial secret… So what do you do when you are done with them? put them in the foundation of a new LEGO Building.Moles only know the secrets and even the ones in the new factory in Virginia aren’t saying a word.
Wristbands
In the US when you go someplace that requires a wristband for entry they usually are near impossible to get off without destroying the thing. When we visited the Strong Museum of Play in Rochester, NY we were given wristbands with RFID chips in them in an exhibit to keep track of our progress that we had to return. LEGO House, your wristband is used in a similar manner. It is your entry, and exit key, it collects and saves the activities you complete so you don’t have kids screaming about wanting to take home whatever they built. the other thing (as an American) I found fascinating was, you could take it off without destroying it. When you get home you log in using the code on your wristband and you can pull up photos of the things you built or did throughout your day. Since we were rushed we didn’t get much done, but that was OK- because we can come back tomorrow!
The smallest LEGO Moulding Factory is onsite in which you get 6 2×4 bricks and a challenge to build one of the over 915,000,000 combinations that can be made with just 6 LEGO bricks
Build your own Minifig and then what should you do with it? Why make a short film with it!
So here’s my “Finished” stop motion film… If only I had a $200 million dollar budget!
Sue’s stop motion film… She took greater care (since you can’t see her had in any of the film. The images and videos were downloadable from our wristbands. along with this amazing photo!
I cannot say again how wonderful this day was! Line, Mads, and Johnathan did an amazing job of herding cats and getting us where we needed to be while making sure we were taken care of. Our group of 24 experienced a full day of LEGO awesomeness and I look forward to doing it again sometime soon. Having been in charge of 35 years worth of classroom field trips I know how difficult it can be, and they were exemplary.
Yes, I said troll hunting!!! After a quick discussion in the morning we decided to go troll hunting by doing an adventure lab focused on the trolls created by artist Thomas Dambo we found one early on and decided to skip a few of the touristy spots to go walking and looking for trolls. It didn’t influence our decision at all that there was an adventure lab connected to finding the Trolls… nope, not at all.
Being married for over 30 years there gets to be a bit of mutual martyrdom, especially when traveling. Neither of us wants to have the other one do things they don’t like… or if we do at least in moderation. I’ll spend time in a yarn or fabric shop and Sue will spend time at a comic book shop or LEGO Store. It’s a trade off but we each feel as if we are getting the better end of the deal. Trollhunting was my idea, but since they were tied to Adventure Labs and a few geocaches I hope it evened out. The one thing we both realized was just how out of shape we are. We may have only walked six and a quarter miles, but it was over various terrain, something it looked like the Danes were used to, and we weren’t.
Oscar Under The BridgeHilltop TrineLittle TildeYes, there were a couple geocaches along the way.Thomas On The MountainTeddy Venlig
So today we squelched through mud, and walked on trails to answer questions about five different trolls hidden in the Danish countryside. There is a 6th “bonus troll” but we decided not to back track to hunt him, we were tired and wanted to head to Billund. We did decide that (like many of our trips) that we really enjoyed Denmark even being here on the off season. We’ve already talked about not spending enough time in Copenhagen and how we really want to return sometime when everything is open. I’ve also decided that I really want to make sure that I use my passport at least once a year. I guess I just added a #71 to the bucket list. Tomorrow is the actual reason for the trip… the LEGO House Fan Tour.
Note: The Troll Map shows that there are actually a few trolls near us, in Ohio and Kentucky. I’m also checking out other places we will be heading out over the summer, the troll hunt never ends… The ones in Chicago were removed and Indiana is too scary a place for trolls to inhabit. 😢
