The Lonely Cache
Posted on September 7, 2024 by Bruce

Preparing for a Con (Whimventure® Awaits!)

Posted on September 23, 2024 by Bruce

While I have been attending various conventions over the past two years Gen Con marks the point where history starts to repeat itself. So which Conventions will I be returning to and what am I doing to prepare for them? While I have a bucket list of Cons I want to attend, I’m still not going to be hitting everything on that list this year. This is partially due to needing to spend some time at home and not on the road. Currently I’m looking at finishing up 2024 with Cartoon Crossroads Columbus and then New York Comic Con. Both Cons couldn’t be more different but they do require some of the same preparations.

Cartoon Crossroads Columbus (CXC)

This is a “small” convention (13,000+) focusing more on the art of comics than the pop culture aspects. Originally started by Jeff Smith of Bone fame, CXC takes place in Columbus Ohio and is held in two places, The campus of OSU specifically the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum) and the Main Branch of the Columbus Public Library. It covers four days of sessions including the opportunity to tour the collection of the Billy- which is a bucket list item in itself. The Con brings in up and coming creators and those who are cutting edge. CXC also has a great mission dealing with involving kids. Last year they had sessions with Raina Telgemeier.

New York Comic Con

New York Comic Con is put on by Reep Pop who manages a number of Pop Culture Conventions around the country. To me it is the east coast version of San Diego Comic Con, what seems to be missing is the proximity to the studios, so not as many announcements, but still stars galore. Like SDCC there are comic creators who attend only a few shows a year. Last year this was where I picked up an Humberto Ramos page from Strange Academy. The focus though is mostly on pop culture, so autographs, photo ops and panels with stars of stage and screen. Cosplay is also big. It is held at the Javits Center and can be a madhouse.

Being a Comic Con Prepper

I start by waiting until the dates are announced for each and get them on my calendar. Sometimes dates are available early on, sometimes you have to wait. CXC will be held in Late September (September 26-29) and New York Comic Con will be held mid October (October 17-20). Once the dates are available then you need to find out when badges will be available. CXC is free- so tickets are needed for some events. NYCC you need a badge for – if you want to go for the entire Con for 2024 it’s $240, if you can get a badge.

Then it’s time to look at lodging- For CXC it’s close enough I could go for the day without any worry. I like to go for a few days so I get a hotel near campus, and have been using the same hotel for most Cons I attend in Columbus. For NYCC it’s a little more pricey. In the past I stayed with my brother, but discovered that that was a bit of a burden for his family (something I do my best to avoid) so this year I’m staying in New Jersey and using public transit to get to NYC. We shall see how it works out. A Newark hotel room, is cheaper (as is parking) than anything I could find in NYC. Of course this week they started throwing out information for the room block on Social Media… I’m not even looking. In the past I’ve done most cons on my own. This time around, Sue will be joining me, or at least stealing my car for the majority of each con. In Columbus, she’s got work to do and the hotel has internet, but is also going to go caching in the area. In New York, she’s heading to a fiber festival (Rhinebeck- the “Comic Con of Yarn”) upstate and will fly home as I drive back to Indy. Maybe we can get Sue to write something up about her experience in the land of Yarngeeks.

Then more waiting… this time to see what artists, exhibitors and panels are going to be there. For me it’s more important to see panels and artists, but for some Cons (NYCC) it’s all about the celebrities and exclusives. I get it, but for many it’s all about resale.

As it gets closer and I have an idea of some of the major things I want to do I’ll refresh myself on the various rules for what I can and cannot bring into the convention. Fortunately, I’m not considering major cosplay, but one of these days… I’ll most likely bring a typical book bag or messenger bag to carry things, but nothing to get in the way of moving through crowds. I don’t want to be “that guy” who ends up knocking everyone around him with his ginormous bag, or cart while navigating the aisles. I will also pack snacks, or some candy in case my blood sugar drops and bring along a water bottle room (temperature water). These are mostly for emergencies. Con food is expensive, but sometimes the convenience of not having to leave and return makes it worth it. It’s also my excuse to eat really really bag stuff once or twice a year. I’ll also bring something sturdy to carry comic pages or other original artwork without worrying about it getting damaged. I have a poster tube and page protectors that I have purchased in the past. if need be there will be a booth selling this kind of stuff- or at least there usually is around artist alley.

Cash is King?!? Just like every con is different som is every booth in the exhibit hall. In the past you had to pay in cash, I recall frantically heading over to an ATM in order to pay for one of my first pieces of original art. Now, for the most part, they accept card. There might be a charge added due to bank fees. Most artists still gladly and gratefully accept cash. Internet connectivity can also be spotty, which causes problems with paying for things. Most food places in the Con- only accept card, so be prepared for both.

The biggest thing you can keep in mind is- you won’t be able to do/see everything. It’s like taking a trip to Disneyworld. Plan around one or two non-negotiable things and then if you get to do more- Woo Hoo!

The Rundown for CXC

CXC tends to be more academic with many artists who are up and coming in the comics field. All the artists present are great, just some aren’t as known as others. Many are self published. CXC is an opportunity to learn about artists, and projects that don’t always get press. Opening night showcases the Ohio Animation Showcase. With travel times, I’m not sure I’ll make it. I also have issues with some of the more social events. Even though these people are my tribe, as I said, these are the intellectuals of the comic tribe and sometimes come across in a way that makes you uncomfortable in joining in on a conversation. Sessions and events run the entire weekend Thursdays and Friday are pretty much exclusive to the Billy Ireland throughout the day from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Tours are in the afternoon. If you are going- I highly recommend going on a tour. It is amazing. The sessions throughout both days are “Talk & Teach” with a wide variety of topics and speakers revolving around the comics professional or (like me) wanna be professional. Like some of the sessions I attended at Heroes Con these can be a little more focused on things you don’t think about until you need to- packing and shipping artwork for example.

Saturday and Sunday things move to the Main Branch of the Columbus Public Library. Up to this point there really hasn’t been an exhibit hall/artist alley. Here you also have three tracks of panels and one of those is devoted to kids. The weekend continues with artists and signings. This year some of the big names are Jeff Smith (duh), Art Spiegelman, Françoise Mouly, Chip Zdarsky, Kate Beaton, Bryan Lee O’Malley to name a few.

As a retired teacher I have found this and the Ann Arbor Comic Arts Festival (A2CAF) as great places to discover new comics for my classroom. While many creators are unclear on what the public considers “All Ages” for the most part these folks get it. I recall talking with an artist at a different con about his “all ages” book- that dealt with a post apocalyptic world inhabited by zombie strippers… Like Mom’s for Liberty wouldn’t make an example of me if that made it into my classroom?

Non-Negotiable: Tour the Billy Ireland, again. There are a lot of sessions, but I’m not sure about timing with things, so I’m not going to plan for anything except the tour this year.

New York Comic Con (the 800 pound gorilla that happens to be climbing up the Empire State Building in the room)

Everyone knows about San Diego Comic Con (SDCC)… it is the Comic Con that the world looks to as a “perfect example of what a “Comic Con” is… which like many things the media and Hollywood really have no idea about what a comic con is or should be. These are what I like to label as “Pop Culture Conventions” While they are nice, they don’t focus as much on comic books as they do on generic pop culture. It could be more celebrities, professional wrestlers, toys, etc. I look at it as any “comic convention” that spends more time promoting the actors that will be in attendance instead of the comic creators, isn’t a comic con. Yes, I’m a geek snob. If the first big announcement has nothing to do with a comic creator, it’s a Pop Culture Con.

Like some politicians it seems to all be about the numbers. Which one is bigger/better NYCC (250,000 attendees) or San Diego (135,000 attendees)? It is funny that just as NYCC is announcing programming, SDCC is announcing how their badges are sold out (SDCC isn’t until July). For many conventions they have moved beyond just getting badges. There must be a sense of elitism and exclusivity. At Gen Con you have the Very Important Gamer (VIG) badge which includes lots of exclusive things including access to a lounge to rest. NYCC has the same kind of thing, giving those willing to pay- reserved seats, first chance at signing up for tickets to things, and exclusive items. I’ve been following some groups who are livid about how the reservations for Funko Pops sold out before they got them. The difference between a NYCC Funko Pop and one you get somewhere else… a small sticker on the box. Next up are reservations for the big panels later this week. Unfortunately, with so many people in attendance, Who knows if I will be able to get tickets to anything I would like to attend.

As I said, after buying a ticket I then wait for other announcements. Who is actually going to be in artist Ally? Who is exhibiting? What panels/activities would I like to attend? This is what moves you up from a level one con goer. When I started going to Cons back in the 80’s (1980’s not 1880’s) I tended to go just for the Exhibit Hall. Living in Los Angels there was a regular con that I could dig through comics and pick up issues I was missing. It also had some screenings and presentations. I recall going to one for “The Last Starfighter” and another for “Buckaroo Banzai” and getting promotional swag for both films that has long since disappeared. I was pretty much a level one con goer. I’d spend hours in the exhibit hall, then head home with an empty wallet and treasures. As I grew up, I started to actually look to see what was else was going on. Sometimes it was things like a creative team on my favorite comic book talking about what the plan was for the upcoming year or an artist sharing their sketches. That was one thing I enjoyed about SDCC you could usually get into comic book related sessions fairly easily, it was Ballroom 20 and Hall H that meant you had to wait in the queue for days.

NYCC has released their panel list and I have gone through the list to see what I might be interested in. Being in New York (and no longer teaching) I’m also looking at what other activities I might want to do while in the city. I’m not going to spend four days wandering the exhibit hall. With my brother and his family attending on certain days, that makes me focus on things that might be nice for them. Last time was my brother’s first time at a con and we spent a lot of time wandering the hall. I was able to get him into two sessions- one on the Broadway adaptation of “Back to the Future” and another one on using improv techniques in your classroom. I’ve created two lists of options one for him, and one for his family, I’m doubtful either one will even be looked at, but it’s a start. I figure they will just want to gawk at everything in hall.

For me, there are two Star Trek based sessions I’m looking at- first is an interview with Paul Stashwick who played Captain Liam Shaw in the third season of Picard. The other is one that I most likely will need tickets for- dealing with the Star Trek Universe. While I try to avoid many panels dealing with TV & Movies, I have been a Trekkie for as long as I can remember, so I will try to see about getting in, if I don’t… that’s fine too. There is a really cool exhibit at the Museum of the Moving Image on Jim Henson, and there is also a temporary exhibit on Frank Oz, so I will make an effort to get away from the chaos of the Con and head over there. I also have a few other places on my list since I don’t see myself getting out to NYC as often as I had originally thought.

I’m still creating my list of other panels, fortunately most of them aren’t dealing with the Main Stage or Empire Stage so while I may need to wait in line, I won’t need to get a pre-ticket for them. DC has announced their “Absolute” universe – from what I understand similar to Marvel’s Ultimate Universe. So a starting point for new readers without legacy canon making the characters harder to understand. Again, a lot of the panels seem to focus on other realms of the geek universe, but I’ll keep looking and see what might be interesting.

Retirement keeps me away from those panels dealing with the importance of comics and graphic novels in the classroom. Most teachers I worked with wrote me off as a nut for even suggesting it (along with including play). The school comic cons that we tried to put together where pretty much what a comic con looks like to someone who has never attended a comic con. 🙄 Only once was one done well, and they turned it into a night event for families, even brought in artists to talk to people.

As for Artist Alley, I’ve created a list of artists I want to drop by and see, since this is a “Pop Culture Con” there are a number of artists who will not be in attendance. New York is expensive and they don’t make as much money as they could just working at home, or going to a con where attendees know and appreciate their work. Will I be purchasing anything? If something jumps- maybe. I am planning on attending another con later this year focused on Comic Art- so I am currently looking at saving money for that, but who knows?

Exhibitors? I will wander the hall, more to orient myself for when I walk the hall with my brother and his family. I need to know where all the rubber sword sellers are and stuffed animals. I bought a puppet last year, so maybe I’ll check those out again. Unfortunately, comic book wise, the prices at cons like this can suffer from hyperinflation. When the cost of living in an area is outlandish, the price reflects it. In Charlotte, at Heroes Con, while the attendees are more savvy, they also come from places where prices for everything (including comics) are more reasonable.

Fortunately, I really don’t care too much about autographs or photo-ops since those are the big things at pop culture cons. Hundreds of dollars to get a photo of yourself with… some guy who played some character in some film. If you want to do it- good for you! I know- part of it is I’m an introvert so I’m flustered when I have to talk to people, especially famous or semi-famous people. I have a hard enough time talking to artists who I admire, I don’t even want to think about talking to a “star.” Of course it’s hundreds of dollars if you can get a reservation…and another queue to wait in. I brought books to get signed at Heroes Con, I may pull a few for NYCC, but only time will tell- lugging around things at a con is exhausting.

NYCC has other activities going on concurrently- sessions for writers, gamers, anime, cosplay, etc. I’ve looked a few of these, but mostly out of curiosity. I checked these out a bit last year and will most likely stop by again.

Looking back at the numbers and having attended a number of Cons… Size doesn’t matter. NYCC is massive, as is SDCC. My current preference is still Heroes Con in Charlotte (50,000) and Gen Con (71,000) in some cases it’s hard to tell which is bigger by just looking. It’s also interesting to compare size and actual experience. Each has unique exhibitors. 2024 SDCC had LEGO, DC Comics, Marvel… 2024 NYCC- none of those. While they might have panels, nothing listed at this time. At least they have Funko, even though you can’t actually get a reservation to purchase anything. 🙄 No I don’t understand the appeal, but if it makes you happy. 😄

Non-Negotiables: I really won’t know until I can see if I can get tickets to Saturday’s Star Trek Panel… There will be some authors Thursday evening talking about their books that I’d like to hear and maybe get a book or two signed. There are a number of artists I’d like to see about getting something from them. The funny thing is there are also a few things outside of the Con I’d like to do… Fortunately I have time to figure it out. The hard part is making plans when people are involved, and when you aren’t quite sure about how transportation will work. Once I’ve traveled from the hotel to the con and back, I’ll know how the system works and can plan accordingly.

Afterwards

I have a few ideas for the trek back, but currently I’m planning on a return trip to the Strong Museum of Play in Rochester, NY to check out their D&D and Storytelling Exhibit. While Indianapolis has an amazing Children’s Museum, it tends to be all things to all people, while the Strong, just focuses on toys and the importance of play I really had a great time there last year and can easily get lost for a day there again.

This Week in Comics (My Pull List 9-18-24)

Posted on September 18, 2024 by Bruce

It’s election time again and time to take a serious moment away from arguing over who will bring about the fall of America as we know it, because they announced today the nominees not for some silly political thingie like President- The Strong Museum of Play announced who is up for inclusion in the Toy Hall of Fame. The 12 finalists were announced and after a vote by the general public three will make it. Here’s the official announcement: https://www.museumofplay.org/exhibits/toy-hall-of-fame/2024-finalists/

For those who don’t like clicking on links, the 2024 finalists:

  • Apples to Apples
  • Balloons
  • Choose Your Own Adventure Gamebooks
  • Hess Toy Trucks
  • My Little Pony
  • Phase 10
  • Pokémon
  • R/C Cars
  • Sequence
  • Hobbyhorse
  • Trampoline
  • Transformers
Cecil and I visiting the National Toy Hall of Fame last year… I’m looking forward to returning again this year.

While some Toys seem like they should already be included, and others make you scratch your head (Is that really a toy?). This is serious business. So who will join last year’s inductees: Baseball Cards, Cabbage Patch Kids, the Fisher-Price Corn Popper and Nerf Toys? Some other notable inductees include: sand (2021), the ball (2009), the cardboard box (2005), Silly Putty (2001), LEGO Bricks (1998), and the stick (2008)? Yes, there are 84 toys currently in the Hall of Fame since it started in 1998. There is a long process that leads to the actual vote which goes on until September 25th. So Vote Now! You can vote once per day unlike the presidential election (no matter what one party continues to claim). Fortunately there will be no debates, rallies, or tweets filled with propaganda trying to sway your vote. The conservative and liberal media seem not to care. The current candidates have not weighed in, and probably won’t. Hopefully things will be better than in 2013 when there were all those scandalous posts about the rubber duck and its relationship with a certain muppet. 🙄 Like I said, some people take this seriously.

VOTE NOW! VOTE TOMORROW! VOTE UNTIL SEPTEMBER 25!

This Week’s Comics

Please note that these reviews tend to be after a quick cursory reading of the comic and while some people think “Comics aren’t real reading” it does take more than just reading the words to get all the subtlities infused in the words and pictures (It’s called “multimodal literacy” in the Ed Biz). So I apologize ahead of time for things I might glance over. I do go back and reread most of the comics I get each week, multiple times, unless I get busy petting cats. As you can tell, while I might enjoy a character, there are times in which I can tell (after decades of practice) that for me, the story isn’t worth more than a quick once over – usually these are tie-in issues in which I really don’t care about the massive universe ending tale they are connected to.

Superman #18 ( Absolute Power Tie-In) 🙄 – Blah, blah blah, Amanda Waller is bad, heroes need to stop her… Universes will change, heroes will make sacrifices, read it or you’ll be left out.

Whatever.

In this case Superman and Zatana are in a very warm place Dante wrote about and in order to get the map to find their way through they need to make a deal with the DC version of the devil – Who usually shows up in these “multiverse changing” events. Superman makes the ultimate sacrifice (you’ll need to read it to find out). Now it’s time to pick up the next issue of a comic you usually never read or the next key issue of Absolute Power to find out what happens next. Let me know once you find out.

Spider-Boy Annual #1 (The Infinity Watch Tie-In?) 🙄- I really have no idea where this annual fits in the grand scheme of things. Spider-Boy is on the boardwalk enjoying some time off when he decides to stop a thief who happens to have a dog’s face. Could he be another escapee from Madame Monstrosity? Hijinks ensue. Maybe not hijinks, but a fight and a team up with guys who currently have control over individual Infinity Stones- you know those things Thanos wanted in the Avengers movies. “snap!” By the end Bailey is back to enjoying his time and there is some sort of cliffhanger dealing with the Infinity Stone people if I was following the saga of The Infinity Watch, I might know more. Hmm… The Infinity Watch… I wonder what apps it comes with? Is it compatible with my iPhone? Does it keep track of the exercise and sleep patterns?

Ultimate X-Men # 7 – I’m not really seeing any kind of arc as I read this. Not saying it’s bad, just in western comics it’s gotten to the point where after 6 issues you are used to some conclusion. Here we are still building things up. Making me want to find all the previous issues and go back and reread them so that maybe I can understand what is going on. I’ve got a month before the next issue comes out.

Huge Detective #2 – Giants and “dolls” aka humans inhabit the Earth, this crime drama we’re still trying to figure out the rules of the world and how everything works. What I know so far, there is a giant who serves as a detective along with his human partner. They are working on a case dealing with missing people and murder. In this issue a giant skeleton pops out of the moon and heads to Earth. Why? I guess we’ll find out next issue. With many comics I’m starting to think I’m getting too old to figure these things out… Now get off my lawn!

Flash Gordon #2 – I tend to say I started reading comics with Flash Gordon… When I would ride my bike during the age of “Be home before dark” I would stop at the drug store, which was more than a drug store, it also had books. One of them was Flash Gordon Volume 1. I was in second grade and I coveted that book. At some point I got it, my older brother got Volume 2. I read it over and over again. When other volumes of Alex Raymond’s original Sunday strips came out I bought those, unfortunately over a few moves I don’t have them anymore… I have replaced them, but different publisher, so all the nostalgia has leaked out of them. I’m currently reading Dan Schkade’s take on Flash Gordon by King Features which I have thoroughly enjoyed and look forward to every morning. (I really recommend it and wish I could find him at a Con. While it is not Alex Raymond’s style, it is awesome.

Now Mad Cave Comics has relaunched their take on Flash. I picked up the Free Comic Book Day teaser, but unfortunately missed issue 1 which I will ask about the next time I’m at Comic Carnival. It looks like after whatever happened in Issue 1, Flash is now on a prison planet with Ming the Merciless (who is also a prisoner). He is trying to get away and Ming offers to “help.” (Ming is never to be trusted… he earned the title “The Merciless” for a reason and it had nothing to do with his puppy dog soufflé.

There was some initial commentary about how Ming and the inhabitants of Mongo had been drawn in the Mad Cave FCBD teaser. It is definitely a more alien style, but that is up to the artist and by deviating from Raymond’s style defines these stories, (like Schkade’s) not as attempts to reproduce Raymond’s amazing artwork, but to honor the characters and the story of Flash Gordon. Basically, get over it.

Flash Gordon Quarterly #1 – These seem to be a conglomeration of stories either from the Flash Gordon Universe or a “Elseworlds” “What if” take on the characters by various writers and artists. The main story is about Vultan (King of the Hawkmen) and his son, a coming of age kind of story in which Vultan’s son tries to prove he’s not a little boy anymore in the face saving his father from the enemy.

The second story is a western… with Flash Gordon as the sheriff of a small derelict town going against the gang of bad guys led by Ming. Flash is, of course, saving the town and Dale from the evil clutches of the villain.

The final story is the 1930’s gumshoe detective tale. Flash is the Sam Spade like detective, the damsel in distress is Aura, Zarkov is Flash’s partner who makes gadgets for him. Dale is Flash’s informant in the Police Department. So who is after Aura, and in the process trying to kill Flash? I’ve read too much Dashiell Hammett not to be intrigued. I looks like these will be coming out quarterly so I’ve got some time to reread and figure out what clues might be hidden in the panels.

Shake of the Week

Taking Fandom Too Seriously?

Posted on September 14, 2024 by Bruce

I have noticed that the interwebs and social media have done a fantastic job of making sure the if you hate something you have a ginormous soapbox to shout to the hills about it. Within seconds of something being announced there are critics telling you how horrible it is, and how it is the worst thing ever. Many “true fans” are the worst. I once heard someone say the only way to be a true fan of Star Wars is to hate it. Do fandoms have their ups and downs? Sure. Are some movies better than others? Yes. Is it all based on opinion? Yup. Does your opinion carry more weight than mine? Sure, fine, whatever 🙄.

As I think about it I just keep going back to taking things too seriously… Does it matter how one writer deals with the Star Trek Universe? Will the world change completely if another writer makes a change to Star Wars even if it was his story in the first place? (btw: Han did shoot first) Why should it matter what a movie’s box office was the first weekend, people could have had other things to do. Why take things so seriously? Can Star Trek have a musical episode? Sure, it was a hoot, and actually helped to build some of the characters. Can Star Wars make fun of itself? Probably not, unless it makes sense in the holy canon as approved by… whoever is now despised by Star Wars fans this week.

Yesterday the LEGO Group and Disney+ (the current studio hated by most Star Wars fans from what I understand) released Rebuild the Galaxy– a LEGO based cartoon set in the Star Wars Universe. The LEGO Group has been known to poke fun at Star Wars through various mediums. I’ll start off by stating of you are looking for serious Star Wars… nope. If you cannot laugh at yourself, you might not like this. I thought it was great.

I’ve been a fan of Star Trek since I was in elementary school and would watch it in reruns. I had the toys, the books, and then Star Wars came out. Most geeks of my generation look at Star Wars as a life changing event. Yesterday, Star Wars took a moment to laugh at itself while telling a somewhat compelling story. I’m not one for spoilers, but LEGO is notorious for giving things away especially when they release sets months ahead of movie release days. Which they did with Rebuild the Galaxy.

Spoilers Ahead, maybe, kinda sorta, but not really.

We are in the Star Wars Universe and Sig Greebling (our main character) loves to tell epic stories about the heroes he knows about (basically covering the entire approved canon). He’s a nerf herder -Which I thought was amusing and he might even be considered scruffy looking. His brother wants to leave their backwater planet and see the universe. Sig is fine with the way the world is, he seems to like telling stories, more than being a part of them.

As they are herding nerfs they stumble upon a lost Jedi Temple and go exploring. There we discover Sig has a connection to the Force. While exploring they find a glowing trans light blue 1×1 plate (element 3024). After some brotherly back and forth the piece gets removed, completely destroying the galaxy as they knew it. Yes, even Star Wars suffers from having a multiverse. Sig now must put things right and hopefully find his brother (Dev) in this crazy new galaxy. To help him he has Jedi Bob – a Force Builder his power droid, and the girl he kinda has a crush on. Oh my! Has the universe changed. Mon Calamari are now the base for Clone Troopers (Akbar Troopers) Yes, “It’s a trap!” and as we discover from the LEGO sets that have been released- Things are a bit backwards. Luke for example hangs out at the Mos Eisley Marina Cantina, and is a pod racer. The best was bringing Back JarJar Binks as a Sith Lord.

Current LEGO Sets:

The Dark Falcon Set 75389
Jedi Bob’s Starfighter Set 75388
TIE Fighter & X-Wing Mash Up Set 75393

Addendum:

A Few (not all) Character Based Inside Jokes

Sig Greebling- Greebling is the term used to describe putting small pieces usually on a spaceship to add detail to it. It comes from a term used when people would “kit bash” plastic models to make their own spaceships.

Bobarian Afol– AFOL stands for Adult Fan of LEGO. “Jedi Bob” was the original Jedi minfig put into the Republic Gunship set in 2002, he didn’t have an official name, he was called “Jedi Bob” by many.

Yesi Scala – Scala was a theme LEGO had in the early 80’s and brought back in then late 90’s to appeal to girls.

It’s better than a lot of things on TV right now

There are four episodes with (of course) a cliffhangerish ending in hopes that we will return to this version of a galaxy far, far away. All I can say, is it was clever and I hope they do more episodes and more sets… I want to have a herd of LEGO nerfs. The trailer (like most trailers) gives you more information than I did- except maybe the nerf herding part – sorry.

If you have some time, I would recommend watching this, it is amusing even if you aren’t a Star Wars fan, just come at it with an open mind. If you are a Star Wars fan you might just take your first step in a larger, and less serious world. And remember when you post things ask yourself- Is it true? Is it kind? Is it necessary? Many fans seem to forget these, then again in this season, most politicians do too.

This Week in Comics (My Pull List 9-11-24)

Posted on September 11, 2024 by Bruce

This week’s commentary isn’t much. We had Star Trek Day on Sunday- which since little is really far enough along to have something to share they didn’t need to make it an extravaganza as they had in the past. Just posting a curated list of episodes on Paramount+.

We’ve had a presidential debate in which one side is claiming victory and the other side seems to be whining about how it was unfair. I watched it. ’nuff said. It’s hard to say that the moderators were biased when all they did was say things like “no dogs were harmed in the making of this debate” and “No state allows babies to be killed after birth.” Things you wouldn’t think needed fact checking, but in a world of “alternate facts” I guess anything is possible.

Oh, the winner in the race for the most alternate facts- was the person who helped to make role of fact checking into a serious career. Which may be why the moderators had to keep commenting after he said something, and he kept needing to ask for time to comment. I guess I just wish both candidates had time to actually discuss (like sane people) their policies and how they are different, not just soundbites, and spin. Although one candidate did seem to be doing a better job of that, than the other. Just remember the cats and dogs being eaten in Ohio, someone should really do something about that, I see a cookbook coming out soon- maybe a reality cooking show- Netflix- get on that it’s a guaranteed hit.

Today we also have the anniversary of the terrorist attack that really changed the world… and not in a good way. I just remember trying to keep people up to date with the news while they were teaching, I’d send updates via email to the staff. We couldn’t say anything about it in front of the kids, but the adults needed to know.

This Week’s Comics (oh and due to shipping issues, some of these might actually be from last week):

Justice Society of America #11 (Tony Harris Variant Cover) – Helena Wayne from Earth 2 has been through a lot. Parents dead, world destroyed… typical bad day for a superhero. Now we’ve got the Legion of Superheroes visiting from the 30th century to stop Modru from not turning evil and therefore ruining the timeline. Then there’s a secret bad guy and a guest appearance by the Legion of Substitute Heroes… confused? It might all end up well in the end…

Batman #152 (Absolute Power Tie In) – So being an absolute Power Tie in, it really has nothing to do with Batman. The story does have Batman and Catwoman off planet to get Amanda Waller’s Mother Box (It’s a Jack Kirby MacGuffin from his New Gods series). There’s a fight, Batman does what Batman does. I’m torn, because I liked the way the last arc finished, and how more empathetic Batman had become, and now we are in the middle of a multi universe altering meg event, so I’m still trying to figure out if I want to continue reading Batman.

Captain America #13 – Final battle Cap vs. Death. Death who just wants to destroy the world because he is sick and tired of escorting the dead especially since mankind has become really good at killing massive numbers of people without remorse. It looks like he’s got a plan and it may work, but will he survive and be able to celebrate with a show at the Front Door?

Batman & Robin #13 – Will Damian and Batman survive their little junket to Dinosaur Island? When last we left our caped heroes they had been fighting Bane and his daughter along with Kobra who’d developed an even better venom. It’s amusing that the interludes are Damian at school going over things with his Guidance Counsellor.

Amazing Spider-Man #57 – Tombstone in Jail?!? What are the consequences for putting him there? What about last issue’s foreshadowing and the lion cub? Can Spider-Man save everyone who needs saving and bring down the bad guy? Who is the bad guy?

Primer: Clashing Colors #3 – The final issue in the first arc after her origin. Ashley has been betrayed and now must fight Deathstroke to save the Teen Titans from certain death by slumber!

Public Domain #8 – The behind the scenes story of a comic creator who ends up getting the rights to his character and now wants to publish an updated version. Will they have an ashcan done in time for San Diego? Torn from the pages of reality when Marvel Comics stopped publishing the Fantastic Four and mutants stopped existing and became inhumans in the Cinematic Universe.

The Domain #3 – See Above for the backstory, this is issue number three of the comic that is being produced in Public Domain. Three friends find a crashed spaceship take the power bands and are trying to figure them out as the only alien who was saved rolls his eyes at how stupid they are, and the crew of the ship that shot down the ship with the power bands goes after them. Just remember the aliens won’t kill you… no really they won’t.

Prodigy Slaves of Mars #2 – Edison has been framed, he’s escaped to his brother’s place, because we need two super geniuses to take care of this mess. Only to discover the secret stuff their father had been doing- now the title is starting to make sense.

Shake of the Week:

The Diary of Horace Wimp

Posted on September 8, 2024 by Bruce

Over the weekend Sue and I had a date night months in the planning. We went to a concert held in one of the many professional sportsball facilities that dot downtown Indianapolis.

Let me start off with this confession about me and music- I’m an idiot. For the most part when it comes to popular music I like songs but couldn’t, under threat of death, tell you the artist, or even the name of the song. So many people love music so much they can rattle off everything about multiple artists- that’s not me. I rarely go to concerts, I listen to random playlists from my youth (the 80’s) but for the most part I’ve been to maybe a handful of popular music concerts from two different artists and added one to that list Saturday. I have attended Billy Joel and Jimmy Buffet concerts multiple times, but outside of those two my discography tended to focus on film scores & soundtracks.

When I was in middle school my parents for Christmas or maybe my birthday bought me an album that had a spaceship on it. I think they went into a record store and basically no asked “What would a 12-13 year old boy like?” and was handed this. “Out of the Blue” the iconic album by the Electric Light Orchestra. It had a spaceship on the album jacket! With all the synthesizers it sounded science fiction, and I liked it. (Did I mention it had a spaceship on the album cover?) From there I bought other ELO albums, then cassettes, then CDs (the trials of Gen-X 🙄). When it rained- I played “The Concerto for a Rainy Day” in its entirety. Listening to the musical raindrops and thunder during real raindrops and thunder.

A few months ago there was an ad for an ELO concert in my newsfeed. I think Sue saw it first, and pointed it out to me, knowing I liked ELO, At that point we decided to buy tickets, kind of on a whim. Now normally this is what happens- we buy tickets to something we think would be cool to see when they are first available. While whimming is fun, some things you want to make sure you can do and those tend to sell out. So you jump on the opportunity. Then the event gets put on the calendar, tickets are printed out or uploaded and we wait. The day finally arrives and something happened during that day or week that makes going out seem like a chore. We then stay home and write off the cost as a lesson learned. For the most part these aren’t expensive tickets, just a missed opportunity. Sue and I shrug and move on.

This week was a bit interesting. Nothing too bad, but we’ve skipped things for less. So since time had passed and the ticket’s cost was a distant memory we could have skipped it. however, like I said earlier, there are three bands, artists, I actually have followed in my life. Jeff Lynne and ELO was one of them. Now could I name everyone who originally was in the group? No, like I said, I’m an idiot. (I think if pressed I could name the Beatles) I know and appreciate musicians, but after a failed attempt at piano lessons in 2nd or 3rd grade, music became a mystery that I could appreciate, but I’d stick with drawing. OK there was the ukulele in 4th grade, but I just know I have nothing that anyone would consider rhythm. I’m that nerdy white guy clapping at the wrong time to whatever song is being played. I have many friends who are master musicians, graduated from schools of music, teach music, play professionally… I am in awe of their talent and knowledge. Me? I doodle.

So Saturday we actually got excited about a date night and did head downtown to hear Jeff Lynne’s Electric Light Orchestra in concert on their farewell tour. Part was to escape the real world, part was because we both wanted to experience the concert and there was the part of just that original whim. But first we went to St. Joseph Brewery & Public House for dinner. I had seen it recommended by Geek Orthodox during Gen Con and Sue had figured out where it was located. The joys of needing out of towners for recommendations in your hometown. Great meal, massive fries and some very good beer started off the evening.

While in line at Banker’s Gainbridge Conseco Life Fieldhouse, I noticed the large amount of grey/white hair and sadly realized that I also fall into the “old” category. After grabbing the requisite concert shirt and finding our seats we waited for the concert to start. Rooney kicked things off. I guess I had been to too many symphony concerts because it was a bit annoying that people just kept coming in while the warm up act was playing. Like I said, I’m inexperienced when dealing with rock concerts. We stopped attending concerts like this because people around us would talk through the music. If I wanted to talk through a concert, I’d invite friends over and listen to the music in the background, not pay for tickets, parking and whatever. The Symphony has rules… and ushers make sure they are followed. 🤫

We had awesome seats and let’s just say whatever I paid for them, months ago was well worth it. It was not only an auditory experience but also a visual. The iconic spaceship (which Alex Ross used as part of Green Lantern’s orbital base in DC’s Kingdom Come comic- it’s a geek thing) was parked on stage and used as a backdrop and screen. With today’s technology, I really regret not attending an ELO concert previously just to compare.

They played most of the standards. As Sue and I agreed, so many songs we loved, and some that weren’t favorites, but still ones we liked. I actually knew all the words and while I didn’t “sing-a-long” like some, I did mouth all the words. The screen on stage added a visual aspect to each song, in some cases telling a story… multimodal literacy in Eduspeak for those who don’t know. Some tended to be almost like an animated graphic novel for some songs melting from image to image. “Evil Woman” morphing from one succubus like pen and ink illustration to another. “Living Thing” following the path of a butterfly through a rainforest… you get the idea. Oh, did I mention spaceships?

Overall, it was a fantastic evening bringing me closer to a band that I have loved their music since I was a pre-teen. With Jeff Lynne in his late 70’s I understand why this is a farewell tour, I’m glad I could say I’ve seen him once. For me, who isn’t much into seeing celebrities, that’s saying something.

This Week In Comics (My Pull List 9-4-24)

Posted on September 5, 2024 by Bruce

The times they are a-changin’ After a little of over a year of Whimventuring and embracing retirement, I’ve decided to go back to work😱. Now, understand, this has nothing to do with being bored (I’m not), it has nothing to do with wanting to return to education (I’m not that crazy… no, really I’m not). It has nothing to do with much of anything except that with the way the future looks… November will tell a lot about if it will be Star Trek or the Hunger Games. I decided that if I still wanted to go galavanting around, and not dip into my retirement savings, I might want to supplement my pension. This is not starting a second career… I know some people think that’s what they need to do (and maybe they do) but I’m happy just work part time without too much stress. We are not starving, we are not about to lose the house, we are not about to become financially destitute. I just want to be able to still go to conventions and buy stuff that strikes my fancy and not be worried about buyer’s remorse. You know, after you buy something frivolous and realize just how frivolous it was and go “Oh no, I probably shouldn’t have done that.” We have a basement that has some frivolous stuff in it, hence why it is in the basement.

I’ve held back on getting some things, because I don’t want to experience the “Doh!” feeling that comes with buyer’s remorse, and now I decided I want some “Egg Money.” For those who don’t understand the term. Back in the old days, when women weren’t allowed to have bank accounts, or own property – a time that some people actually want to return to… 🙄 Some women would keep chickens in their backyards and sell the eggs. This money was theirs and they could buy whatever they wanted without asking their husband’s permission. It could be something for the kids, it could be a nice pair of shoes, basically whatever.

I’m fortunate that Sue is still working, and we use that and my pension to deal with household expenses and most Whimventures®. Sue and I, over the years, have turned a blind eye to each other’s hobby spending. We both don’t go too overboard- if anyone does, it’s me. So I just want to be able to be silly and buy stuff – go overboard if I want. It’s me, not her, I don’t think Sue really cares as long as the electricity works and the cats don’t eat her.

So this week I started my “onboarding” at a retail store associated with a maker of a highly sophisticated interlocking brick system. Yes, I have worked there before, but I took my onboarding seriously, things had changed and my last time time “training” was minimal at best. Unlike being a public school teacher where I was legally required to go through hours of annual online training on my own time, here I clocked in, and watched the videos, answered questions, and played the related games to prove I learned stuff. The insane part- I was paid to do it. Yes, the administration at school says they give you time, but really they give you time, and then a hundred other “really important” tasks to do during the same time while dealing with kids, and parents, so the only time you have is at home. If they wanted you to do this during your school hours, the videos would only be available at school and you would have time set aside instead of having to go to meetings that could be done as emails, or analyzing data that really isn’t telling you anything you couldn’t observe. So this small company from Denmark has it set up where I really don’t have access to anything, except at work. The other thing I asked about was (now that I have a company email if I could access it from my phone- nope internal only and not outside of work hours. So when I’m not “at work” I don’t worry about it. OK, I did go home and watch some related videos- but Dreamzzz on YouTube, was my choice and it was rather entertaining… of course now I want to buy some LEGO sets.

Oh, and this doesn’t put an end to Whimventuring® Sue and I are still going off to strange and interesting places. A few different things on the horizon including a junket or two. More on that later…

This Week’s Comics

Due to Labor Day there was an issue with shipping so DC comics was late, and then it was taken to another location, so DC will arrive next week. This week had a some nice books and other ones.

Star Trek 500 – A nice anthology comic covering multiple series and time periods from the franchise. If you like Star Trek- there is something here for everyone including following the emotion journey of love and loss taken by a tribble.

Helen of Wyndthorn #4 – After another amazing adventure with her grandfather Helen wants to learn how to use weapons to “defend herself.” So her grandfather gives her one year to train. Afterwards, Helen goes off on more adventures only to end up… The current day story just follows the progression of the original tapes of the interviews and how they keep changing hands, now being sold off at a small comic con.

Miles Morales: Spider-Man #24 – Miles is a vampire – because they needed to have something important happen during the “Massive Multi-verse Changing” even known as… what was it called again? Blood Hunt? Actually this is one of those issues that deals with character building and has to do with Miles girl friend “Starling” and her relationship with her grandfather. It doesn’t go well since Miles is a vampire and is getting really hungry and gets into a fight with her grandfather (who was actually going out to take care of the problem of Miles). Oh, and vultures are not birds of prey, they are actually classified as scavengers and carrion-eating raptors. I guess if Miles is a vampire and therefore classified as “undead” then he should be concerned about carrion-eating raptors.

Spectacular Spider-Men #7 – Guess what? AI is evil and will lead to bad things… The computer system set up by the bad guys: Mentallo & Arcade (paid for by Hammerhead) to give people their fantasies is now sentient. and after reading peoples minds Which opened up some weird sub-conscious wish fulfillment before deciding that villainy is the way to go and it will wipe out anything that gets in its way- even if that includes a silent “K” just so it can have a cool acronym based name.

Spider-Boy #11 – FINALLY!!! The world remembers Bailey (Spider-Boy, not my cat who still lives in obscurity). This includes his mom. Who has decided that she has neglected her parental role for too long and does this mean “Spider-Boy No More”?!? I’m actually concerned about Boy-Spider, but I’m sure that will come up sometime soon.

Ultimates #4 – In this universe lots of weird things have happened keeping the Marvel Universe from becoming the Marvel Universe that we know and love. All thanks to the “Maker” the twisted version of Reed Richards from the original Ultimate universe. So what happened to this world’s Reed Richards? What about Doctor Doom? Find out in this issue which has been uniquely put together with four different timelines overlapping in some places. A trip to read initially, but then again the Fantastic Four has always down things differently.

Shake of the Day:

You wonder why I am tired of “Epic Multiverse Changing Events” that after a short time just bring things back to the status quo? Here’s one from a decade ago by DC. Does anyone remember the jaw dropping ramifications of this event? Does anyone even care? DC/Warner Bros. was just happy to have gotten a little more of my money so I could keep up with everything that changed comics as we know it FOREVER!

This Week in Comics (My Pull List 8-28-24)

Posted on August 28, 2024 by Bruce

After many days on the road, I’m finally getting back into the swing of being home… I’m planning on a Whimventure® for October, and another one in 2025, but really anything else is going to really be on a “Whim.” I’m playing around with a few projects around the house, including going back an getting my LEGO area in the basement reorganized, something I have been putting off as I have been focusing on comic books more than LEGO. While I don’t see that changing too much (my comics are still a bit of a mess), I do see more a bit more of a LEGO focus in my future. Nowhere near as much as when I was teaching or a member of the Indy LEGO User’s Group. I’m trying to focus, but there are some really cool set coming out in the next few months.

So last week, I was drawing a bit more, mostly just trying to get an idea or two out. I’ve been a member of the Draw or Die Club since I retired and while I may not follow the prompts that are sent out, I appreciate having that kick every morning to get me to draw something during the day. One thing I need to work more on is digital art, but I still like the feel of the pencil on paper. Then again I am lousy at inking and digital might at least help me there. That would mean i need to dust off my iPad and Apple Pencil.

So as we end August let’s see where I am in my areas of interest-

  • Drawing- I try to do something everyday, usually it’s a monkey or cartoony thing- I need to work on some sketching from real life, but then again I also need to get some cartooning projects done. I’m sure I have a comic due to FTF Geocacher soon.
  • Gaming- After Gen Con I’m really geared up for gaming, but it’s hard to find a gaming time, some changes in my schedule soon might make it easier, or harder. 🙄
  • LEGO Building- I’m working first on just getting things organized again… fewer elements just all over the place and more of them at least where i can find them.
  • Comics- At least Wednesday Mornings keep me on a schedule! After Heroes Con, I’m slowing down on buying art, but I still am fascinated by the original artwork and the various styles of the artists I love.
  • Curling Season should be starting back soon, I’ve just registered for the season with the Circle City Curling Club so expect me to “Put the rock in the house” or break something this season 🙄
  • MINIs- Well with the end of MINI Takes The States The big event is over. The other ones happen throughout the year, but unfortunately many of them overlap other things. I do need to get the classic back up and running… it’s like an albatross around my neck.
  • Geocaching- As I travel I do cache, so as long as I’m at home I might just do an event every once in a while. I do have a comic due to FTF Geocacher soon.

This Week in Comics:

Amazing Spider-Man #56 (LGY #950) – So Tombstone has it out for Spider-Man, and vice versa. After the whole “Gang War” crossover which ended up with an uneasy truce to bring down the “Big Bad” Tombstone has bee running the underworld, but the petty criminals think Spider-Man is working with him. Peter is having a great time supporting that illusion to keep complete power of the city out in flux. The comic bounces around in time, which isn’t too bad but ends up with courtroom drama, that’s just going to get more dramatic. There is also a side story dealing with Paul, MJ’s “Significant Other” as we learn more about his background to add more drama… because what is Spider-man without drama.

Captain America #12 – With the return of the Red Skull, Hydra and AIM are back firing on all cylinders, Will Cap survive the assault by Baron Zero and Batroc the Leaper?!? Wait, that’s not this story. Cap has gathered the change agents he needs to help Lyra save the world from Death…but like many good actors the question is “What’s his motivation?” This issue we get more of Death’s backstory and why we might actually sympathize with him. Curious about how this will end since Death has empowered people to stop our ragtag bunch… by promising them certain death if they don’t and only certain death if they do… OK he might not have told them that second part.

Ultimate X-Men #6 – I’m still wrapping my head around Peach Momoko’s story. Not saying I don’t like it, The artwork is beautiful, but since most comics take place with heavy western influences, having one focused so much on Japanese culture is and education, and even with the notes on the last page, I’m still going through this thinking I need to read this again once the first arc is done. One of those reasons why some comics are better as trade paperbacks or graphic novels.

The Flash #12 – See my comments about Ultimate X-Men when it comes to trade paperbacks. This arc has been weird and combining it with some of the stuff from Absolute Power makes it even more convoluted. It looks like we are coming to close and I’m still trying to figure out who the bad guys are! What seems to be happening is all the speedsters have gathered to give Wally West a big pep talk so he can do whatever needs to be done. Can you tell I just want to go back to super intelligent gorillas…

Detective Comics #1088 – Maybe the penultimate issue in this arc? Maybe? There seems to be a lot of fighting Batman’s rogues’ gallery going after the bad guys who have been controlling Gotham. It is interesting to see how each villain handles their opponent. Then we get into the whole mystical realm stuff again. Batman, like Captain America should really be more grounded in my opinion. Again with the side story that will end up being important to the big picture. I’m just wondering how, this Batman will fit in with the Batman who is currently in Batman Comics. Detective Comics Batman vs. Batman Batman, vs. Batman & Robin Batman… We knew he had a multiple personality disorder, but this might be taking it a bit too far.

Star Trek Defiant #18 – So We have Romulans being Romulans and Spock and Seal trying to figure out why… While Worf and the crew of the Defiant are trying o prepare for a Romulan invasion of Antara. An Agrarian society that seem to be lucky enough to fight off previous invaders and while the double barrel shotgun might not be much against any tech the Romulans have, a couple century old scout ships, and perhaps the most important person in Starfleet history (who happens to allergic to cats) might help them out.

Rogue Sun #21 – Some fighting, some more fighting, some character and plot development. Rogue Sun continues with his plan to take out Mourningstar which for a teenager seems like the logical and easy thing to do. To get there Dylan has a few things to learn (a lot of things to learn). He and Divinity are taking out one bad guy, while we learn that actions have consequences, and that even spirits know that sometimes teenage girls need to hear what they want, and not the whole truth. Now we lead into a murder mystery… I think the butler did it, except that there is not butler to be found.

Once & Future – Pen & Ink #1 – One of my favorite comics “Once and Future” has British mythology and Arthurian legends intertwined with the modern world… frankly, it is awesome and if you have a chance to pick up the trades I would. Your local comic shop (like Comic Carnival in Indianapolis) should be able to get them for you. What I have though is kind of a “Director’s cut with commentary Kieron Gilles and Dan Mora add comments on the first issue. These pages bring out a noir feeling to the story and I know I’ll be rereading this a couple times, not just the text, but insight into how it was all put together.

The Rocketeer Breaks Free #2 – Cliff, Bettie and Peevy enjoy a lovely vacation in San Francisco. I sure hope Cliff and Bettie visit the Cartoon Art Museum while they are there. Unfortunately, Cliff brought the rocket pack and now is in hot water for being the hero… Not really, but Bettie was hoping more “us time” less “hero time.” Sadly, the Germans aren’t listening to her and the Golden Gate Bridge seems to be the target!

Nemesis Rogues’ Gallery #2 – Nemesis is back and this time we get the story of how he recruited Robin to help him fight crime… no, how he recruited “Rookie” to help him commit crime. The Ultimate anti-hero is back and now he’s brought a sidekick.

This Week’s Shake

One thing the app I’ve been using has is a shake feature. Basically shake your phone and one comic from your collection will pop up at random. It also allows me to scan barcodes to put issues into my collection. While I’ve been culling my collection, I still need to go through and cull what I have on my phone. It currently says I have 5,719 issues. C’mon you knew I had a lot of issues, but probably not that many 🙄. Today I did a shake and this popped up. Crimson by Humberto Ramos. Published from 1998-2001. The story of a teenager who becomes a vampire, but is also “The Chosen One” destined to bring an end to vampirekind. I started reading it after enjoying Ramos’ work on Impulse. I even own a page he drew for Strange Academy. I still follow what he does and try (if I remember) to pick up his newer work – Like Spectacular Spider-Men.

Dungeons & Dragons: The New and Improved Player’s Handbook and Role Playing in General

Posted on August 25, 2024 by Bruce

My In-laws were visiting for a couple of days and they asked me about Gen Con. I had to remind myself that even after being part of the family for over 30 years, there are still parts of me that they might not understand. I took some time to explain role playing games to them. I realized that while I get role playing games, I’ve been playing them for over 40 years, there are those who have no clue about them.

Think of a role playing game as a “choose your own adventure” story. They are collaborative games in which everyone works together to beat the game. In a role playing game, you are part of a party of characters who try to meet a goal. You are playing a character in a story, the story changes as you, and your group make choices. Your success is determined by a simple dice roll.

Your character has attributes and has a job (class) which gives you skills to help the group win. You battle bad guys and sometimes good guys (if you think they are bad guys). As you move through the story, you learn and get better. In the end you might die or you might go on to another adventure. Role playing games give people like me the chance to be someone the complete opposite of who I am. The grandfather of role playing games is Dungeons and Dragons- it’s been through highs and lows. It’s been considered the work of the devil by some 🙄 but really gave nerdy kids a chance to let their imaginations go.

Let’s Get Personal

At Gen Con this year they celebrated the 50th Anniversary of Dungeons & Dragons. I started playing it in middle school and had no idea what I was doing, for the most part I still don’t have a clue.

My first character was an assassin, Lawful Evil, noble by birth, Count Iblis. Most people’s first character gets a name from a book or other reference, my friend’s character was “Elrond” and yes, he was an elf. The count soon became my alter ego. He could hide in the shadows, like I kind of did in real life, but he could also move gracefully and with dexterity- something I still can’t do. He had a bendable code and ended up collecting some amazing things. He became a Marquis and by the time I was in knee deep into high school he had been put on my shelf & at some point after that lost in the ancient dusts of time.

I went to college and played a slightly different character using the MERP (Middle Earth Role Playing) system. The GM had a rule in which we were playing “heroes,” therefore we couldn’t be evil. This was before the rise of the concept of anti-hero. Funny thing, I still follow that rule when making a character. “Greyff” (A purposeful misspelling of the German word for Griffin) looked like a scruffy nerf herder of a rogue, but could sling spells at you before you realized it. Something that made you not judge this book by his cover. So my personal history with role playing ran hot and cold over the decades. Usually if I had a group that wanted a player, I could be there. GURPS (Generic Universal Role Playing System), Pathfinder, Starfinder… I could figure out or bluff my way through most systems. Life was easy as long as I could do mental math and knew what I needed to add or subtract from my roll.

When I came back to Dungeons and Dragons it was like having never read a Marvel or DC comic book and trying to figure things out. There were so many different realities- and therefore things that might lure in or keep away new players. There were those who missed whatever world they had started playing in, like the multiverse, each world had some changes and added classes, species, and things that make that world unique. I tend to play species and classes from the Player’s Handbook. I’ve branched away once, but really saw the other players almost discomfort because an Intoximancer, while cool, was a hard concept in normal gameplay, I’ve shelved that character.

I remember starting a game with some new players so I stuck to my standard character type. l picked something straight from the Player’s Handbook. I even commented to the DM that I find it hard on new players when some crazy class or species shows up as a player because the new players can’t just look things up in the book they have to learn about who they are playing with. You expect to have a party of elves, halflings (hobbits), and humans – our common knowledge base for fantasy comes from Lord of the Rings. In this instance someone showed up late to the game and was playing a robot, a robot cleric?!? 🙄

What’s Old is New Again

A few weeks ago Hasbro/Wizards of the Coast the current makers of the 800 pound gorilla of RPGs released the latest edition of the Dungeons and Dragons Player’s Handbook. Things like this cause an uproar in the community with shouting and cursing about how people’s lives have been ruined. I don’t see it. First, I am no expert. As far as I can tell this is mostly just rules clarifications and changes in layout. The company has even said it’s supposed to be backwards compatible. Therefore it isn’t a new edition. When it was first talked about (in muted whispers, in the darkened hallways of the interwebs) they were going to change “races” to “species.” This way they could avoid any issues with race, a topic we humans seem to struggle over. It seems they have clarified some of the rules, and made character classes a bit more level. I won’t really know until I actually play, but on paper it seems that way.

Here Are My Biggest Takeaways:

  • They’ve gotten rid of half elves and half orcs. Doesn’t mean your old characters no longer exist, but they no longer have separate listings in the Player’s Handbook. Just Elves and Orcs. Orcs being a new addition. Your DM may continue allowing them, or not.
  • Along with Orcs, they’ve added the Aasimir and Goliath species. Not that these weren’t playable before, but they are now part of the Player’s Handbook so you don’t need some other book to play one. Then again- what are they? Aasimir are the just other side of Tieflings, right? Oh, sorry- Tieflings descended from Demons, Devils, etc. Aasimir descended from Angels. So you now can play either. Goliaths on the other hand are descended from giants. Like Dragonborn (another species) have some dragon abilities, Goliaths have abilities from giants. If you’ve played you know there are a bunch of kinds of dragons and almost as many kinds of giants. I look at Goliaths as the Incredible Hulk… could be smart Hulk could be that other guy.
  • They made the layout easier to understand. In the old version if you wanted to play a spell caster your list of spells was in the back of the book lumped in with all the other spell casters. Now you turn the page in the class description and there they are… a nice list. You still need your head to the back to read details, but that makes sense since some spells are used by multiple classes.
  • They’ve embraced their past through the illustrations. Over the years Dungeons and Dragons has had many different realms in which the stories took place. The really nice illustrations harken back to each one – I didn’t see any mention of cannibal halflings or some of the more unique realms, but I haven’t looked at every caption. It seems that they have touched upon: Valor’s Call, Dragonlance, Greyhawk, Forgotten Realms, Ravenloft, and even Eberron. Don’t feel bad, I had to look some of these up and I even have read Slaying the Dragon: A Secret History of Dungeons and Dragons.
  • Right now there are a few things that are listed as – Consult the Dungeon Master’s Guide the one I noticed was dealing with deities. If you play a cleric or paladin you need to worship a deity… after reading NPC’s by Drew Hayes, I wanted to see the updated list of deities as I was thinking of creating a character like one in that book. No list of deities- consult the DM Guide which the new edition hasn’t been released yet. Heck, the new edition of the Player’s Handbook doesn’t officially become available until September.

Looking for Group

The hardest part in gaming has nothing to do with the rules, or which edition you are using. The hardest part is finding the right people. I recall when I joined a group that I just felt lost in. The Star Trek Adventures game had just been released. I went to my local store when I heard they were putting together a game. I came thinking that in my group of friends I’m pretty much the token geek. I know Star Trek. I didn’t know the obscure Federation history these guys were bringing up. I was figuring something around the original series, or a little later. The game was going to be set right after the conclusion of the Dominion War in Cardassian space on a ship type I had never heard of… I decided to slowly back away…They were way too serious.

How about April 12, 2419?

Then comes the issue of scheduling, when the real world interferes with the fantasy world. Almost every group I’ve been in someone stops showing up due to whatever reason. Sometimes work gets in the way, or family vacations… I try not to do this, but I’ve done this too, so I’m also to blame. You don’t show up before the group attacks a dragon, people die, and it’s all your fault.

If you think of a D&D game like a novel – you turn to the next chapter and it’s blank. That’s what happens when the DM goes AWOL. Happened to more than once. You turn the page and one of the main characters in the story is no longer mentioned. Then reappears with no explanation three chapters later… Life does get in the way sometimes, but I know I try to make it or at least give everyone enough of a heads up.

Life’s a Game… Don’t be a Murder Hobo

When creating an alter-ego for the game some people take a lot of time. Some times a DM will ask for a well thought out backstory so they can spring something on you. Other groups are just “Murder Hobos”. See the monster, kill the monster, loot the body. See the poor innocent guard just doing his job, kill the poor innocent guard just doing his job, loot the body. See the small child with a lollipop… you get the idea.

I played a Dungeon Crawl Classics Funnel at Gen Con and still think it is an awesome way to create cool characters. Instead of you sitting alone rolling dice to figure out what your character did before adventuring… you get to start with a few characters who are at that tipping point. Will they die or will they become heroes? You have nothing invested in them until after they survive the funnel. The funnel becomes the how and why they went adventuring. My my characters case, they were kidnapped by cultists and escaped, they are either trying to get back to their village or have realized the entire village was killed and they are the only survivors… Now they have a grudge against these guys and a reason to hunt them down and stop their evil plans.

As I said in my recap of Gen Con, I think I prefer the more dice roll based role playing games than the ones where you gain advantage by conning the DM into accepting what you want to do- it’s the concrete, Lawful side of my personality.

My standard character is a bard – so they can fight and cast spells. I tend to describe their singing style as similar to William Shatner, so they play music and tell stories. I used to always play a rogue, but decided that a bard forces me to not be an introvert. The ones I’ve played in the past are: Lennon McCartney, Peter Paulenmary, Simon Garnetfunkel, and recently Arlo, just Arlo. I’ve also played a dwarf barbarian named Oogachucka, and a gnome sorcerer named Antyr Rhynum (A play off of the latin name for the snap dragon). The names are meant to illustrate that I don’t always take the game seriously, so expect me to open the door while everyone is deciding if we should open the door. When the robot cleric first came through the door Arlo yelled out “Klaatu birrada nicto!” and then asked if he had the pizza I had ordered. Through out the game Arlo called the guy “Gort.” I also had modern songs either ukulele covers or those done in a classic style set on my phone so I would just start playing a song when we took too much time discussing things. I became the Final Jeopardy timer for the group. `Most of the time the campaign has just withered away, so I have these not intro level characters therefore I really can’t do anything with them. Some are lost in Ravenloft, others have some cool home-brew magic item that no other DM is going to allow.

A few of my characters- the different sheets just have different ways of displaying the same information. I’m assuming an electronic version of the updated sheet will become available in September.

Arlo’s Backstory (an example): Arlo had come from a family of brewers and not being the eldest was going to be left nothing. His older brother got everything, Arlo was expected to work for his brother (who had bullied him growing up) and be happy. Not Arlo’s style, he just wanted to play the ukulele, and tell stories. He convinced his older brother to brew a very special beer “Zombie Dust” and nice IPA, that unfortunately turned people into the undead for a short period of time. It was a hit! During which Arlo grabbed his ukulele and ran for the hills, leaving his family fending off a village full of Octoberfest zombies. His family now is hunting him down for revenge and the recipes and cash he also took. Arlo’s a nice guy, helps people, especially those that the system have left to the wayside for no fault of their own.

Final Suggestion

When you decide to create a character the one thing I can recommend is dark-vision. Humans are nice, but they are blind in the dark and that is where the monsters are. Pick a species or some way so you don’t need torches- they give away your position and once they are snuffed out, so is your life.

This Week in Comics (My Pull List 8-21-24)

Posted on August 21, 2024 by Bruce

I know it’s been a while… I’ve been busy. Then there’s the whole catching up part that takes time. While I’d ike to update you on the comics I picked up after my grand Whimventure® during MINI Takes The States, and Gen Con, I figured I’d just start with What I received this week. So basically skipping about a month.

Bailey, my helper. I would never have been able to get this posted without his assistance.

Welcome to my world, sometimes I have to figure out what’s going on because comics don’t always come out regularly. Don’t get me started on Mike Kunkel’s awesome HeroBear and the Kid. So while there are breaks between issues if the storytelling is good, you can usually slide right back into that world. Like when you have to wait a couple years before your favorite author’s next book comes out, or the sequel to a favorite movie. Sadly, sometimes during the break between books the author has had something happen in their real lives so that they’ve ended up losing the rhythm of the story or the voice of the characters. In the world of comic books it’s usually just a month… sometimes less, most of the time more.

There are those who no longer read “floppies” or what most people think of when they think of comic books. They only read who those in the know would call “Trade Paper Backs” the combination of a story arc (usually six issues) They also may just read complete long stories – these are considered “Graphic Novels.” these stories are designed to be published in one book, not broken into cliff hangerish endings after so many pages, like floppies. There are actually some titles I only pick up in Trades, because They don’t always come out in a regular schedule. Most of the time I read floppies.

FYI- If you are interested Thundercats #7 came out with 27 variants this week! Wolverine: Revenge #1 was next highest with 11 (a couple of them bagged due to “Mature Content”).

Here’s what arrived this week in my pulls- exceptions will be noted. I’m going to try to do this in the order I read them. Which might shed light on some of my process. I started with the big two publishers DC and Marvel. Mostly because I know what the quality of the story will be, and that in some cases they might be part of some overarching storyline, that I am not following so I really don’t need to read as closely. I try to write this up after one read, some issues I will go back and reread.

This Week in Comics

Superman #17 (Absolute Power Tie-In 🙄) – If you haven’t been following the Absolute Power multiverse changing mega event to end all mega events in DC, you might be lost- like me. It seems that somehow Amanda Waller (Head of Suicide Squad) has made a power play and has taken all the powers from the DC heroes and given them to Amazo Robots. She rules the world… The heroes are fighting to get it back. Superman and Zatanna now venture down the “Dark Path” into a magic land to find the one thing (MacGuffin) that will help them give the heroes their powers back. For those who don’t know, Superman has issues with magic (it’s his kryptonite… Ok it’s his other kryptonite). They end up at the Oblivion Bar where magical practitioners hang out safe from the crazy “normal” world. At the end they have to make a deal with the…

Titans #14 – For a while now, Raven hasn’t been herself. She’s been taken over by her evil side and want to become the “Dark-Winged Queen.” She does this by capturing souls of other creatures (good and evil) and placing them in stones in her crown. Nightwing has figured this out and the Titans are ready to fight and hopefully rescue their friend. Back in the early issues of the “New Teen Titans” written by Marv Wolfman and illustrated by George Perez Raven worked on a story dealing with her father “Trigon” attempting to rule the Earth. This has actually come up multiple times in the various versions of the Titans comics. It’s like when you get a writers block- Raven goes bad. Although I will say, like Terra, Wolfman and Perez did an awesome job of putting in hints that you didn’t notice until you went back and looked after they had been revealed. Other writers, later on… not so much. Funny thing, and I most likely am wrong, but this is probably the first time the Titans actually call for help at the end of the issue. I’m not sure how they could do this, since according to “Absolute Power” super heroes have lost their powers, but I”ll find out when the next issues comes out.

Miles Morales: Spider-Man Annual #1 – An Annual issue, as I have said before, either ties up story, or is completely out of continuity and helps understand more about the character. In this case, Miles Morales (currently a Vampire 🙄) is heading to Puerto Rico to visit his grandmother. He’s heading a few days earlier to spend some quality time, before his family flies out to join him. Basically the main story Miles, get’s to know what drives his grandmother to be so hard on everyone. The second story, he meets Storm (from the X-Men) as she deals with a… storm. The final one, Miles is back in NYC and is dealing with his new vampiric issues… please Lord, let this go away, it’s as silly as the original “Bloodhunt” and DC’s new version that recently was released.

Ultimate Spider-Man #8 – Have a mentioned I like Ultimate Spider-Man? Each comic covers a portion of the month in which it was released. In this case we get August. Here we have Peter heading off to his son Richard’s birthday party (and his daughter, May, who born the same month). We do a lot of character development which is why I like this title. By the end we find out where Spider-Man (Peter Parker) was on the Maker’s list and who is really uncharge of the underworld in each of the NYC boroughs. Oh, and Peter get’s a job offer.

Star Trek #23 – Lore is a crazy bad robot guy… he wants to destroy everything and has the means to do so. Unlike the last issue in which Beverly Crusher get’s to spend som time with Wesley, this is strictly Lore being crazy and the crew of the Theseus trying to stop him.

Huge Detective #1 – So giants are real and they popped up after a long sleep to discover the world is run by us… little people. IN the end (after the expected fighting) they take Australia and we have an understanding. This comic takes place in that world. After one reading I’m still going through it in my head. You have a regular detective and a huge one trying to figure out a murder/missing person Missing Huge case. Since this is the first issue, there’s a lot of exposition and world building going on. We Shall see how this fairs after a second reading and a second issue.

Night Club 2 #1 – IN the first Night Club, a group of teenagers become vampires (hmm… there seems to be lot of that going around) and decide to use their powers for good, becoming superheroes. In this universe, there was a massive fight in which almost all the good guys died, and then it all got reset (as it happens in comics). So now what happens to our vampire super teens? They keep trying to help, and get fame and fortune, and be teenagers. Of course there’s one in every crowd who messes it up for everyone. So far that story is just beginning.

Something Crawled Out #1 – Comic Shops will give away comics, like a drug dealer hoping that you will get hooked. As someone once wrote “Comics are the gateway drug to literacy.” Don’t tell my niece or the adults she hangs with this (those adults can be such a bad influence).

Being a first issue, it is trying to set the rules of the world and what is going on. All I have is that weird stuff is going on. Various characters being introduced. Missing people, and a weird guy with a gun and glasses wandering around in the night. while Eddie, our main character is working at the scary, gas station market when the lights go out. Then things start to get weirder…

Lawful #2 & #3 – I read issue number one and then missed the second issue, and it looks like the third… a quick recap. In this world, magic exists. If you do something bad (break the rules) you end up slowly turning into a monstrosity. Each offense causes something else to happen. It could be growing horns, it could be scales… There’s no way to fight it. after a while you get exiled for being a monster. Only good people are allowed in the city. Our main character, Sung, did something wrong as a child, so he has a very small patch of scales. His best friend, Eris, is a rabble rouser, and she has a tail, horns, etc. In the first issue, Sung became a clerk in the office of champions. Basically he does paperwork and gets to stamp papers for those who should be either brought for review, or exiled. Whose paperwork should cross his desk? Eris. He marks her’s for review and now has more scales. Of course his mom is sick and his father was a champion before he was brutally killed while doing his duty. If he loses his job, they get thrown out of the inner circle and his mom won’t get the medicine she needs. Hmm… what’s that saying about power corrupting? Let’s just say, by the end of the third issue, Sung has a lot more to worry about. The artwork is great and Greg Pan has written a great story that (as many great stories do) parallels our own society.

So why did I read them in this order? DC and Marvel are like reading something simple like Star Trek, they are franchises with decades of history in some cases weighing them down. If the story is complex and makes me think, I’m happily surprised. Ultimate Spider-Man being the exception. Then we start with the non-traditional comics. Many after a first reading will require me to read them again. I usually pull a comic I am looking forward to reading for the end. Like a nice dessert. “Lawful” with two issues to catch up on was that comic. I knew from the first issue (which I actually remembered, even after over a month long Whimventure®) that I wanted to know what happened to Sung & Eris and that world. Being one of those people who tries to “Be Good.” I can relate with Sung, but I also see how unfair and arbitrary the universe they live is can be. Sung is doing “good” by helping a friend who he knows isn’t all bad. Now maybe if they could figure out a way to reverse things if you did a good act… maybe they have but if that information got out it could shatter the harmony of the world. You can tell what my favorite comics are, by what I read last.

MINI Takes The States 2024 – The Recap

Posted on August 7, 2024 by Bruce

On July 10th I headed out west to be a part of “The MINI TransAmerican Motortastic Road Trip to End All Road Trips Rally” ver. 9.0 You’ve heard me trying to help people prior to the start. Once I got on the road all I can say is it was a lot of driving… roundtrip somewhere around 6,700 miles. This was my ninth time going on this drive put on by MINIUSA every two years (Postponed once due to a pandemic). I’ve also gone to the European version- MINI United which is basically a long weekend party. In 2009 it was at Silverstone Raceway in the United Kingdom. They stopped doing MINI United in 2012. Basically this one was Albuquerque to Seattle with two days in the middle where you were on your own.

The diversity of this country comes into full view as you drive the roads throughout each state. You learn so much about how big and beautiful our country is when you see it from the road. I do recommend this type of travel to everyone, MINI Takes the States makes it a bit easier.

The route is planned for you, all you need to do is show up in the morning for breakfast at the appointed time and get a route sheet. Do you have to follow it? No, you can do whatever you want, but… With MTTS MINI provides Roadside Assistance to those on the route… not on the route? They’ll still help, but it might take more time and there are “vultures, vultures everywhere!” 🤪

The trip from Indy to Albuquerque wasn’t bad at all, I listened to two books Slaying the Dragon by Ben Riggs on the history of TSR and NPCs by Drew Hayes, a fantasy involving what happens when a bunch of Non Player characters decide to go on a adventure. I liked them both. When I arrived in Albuquerque I went to the airport and picked up Sue.

The next day we visited the Very Large Array and then headed north to check into MTTS at Sandia MINI. There we met up with some friends, passed out buttons and stickers, and picked up our lanyards, water bottles, and goodie bag. The cost for one person to go “All the Way” is $200. You get some swag, but the most important pieces are probably your lanyard with your badge and your wristband. This year they went with #CampMINI as a theme and we were divided into troops. Each troop was named after a MINI color and an animal. Sue and I were part of the Volcanic Orange Scorpions. There were competitions each morning pitting each troop against each other for fame and prizes. At registration they also handed us a bingo card to go meet new people. When completed we could turn this in for a merit badge. We stuck around discovering that many of our friends from past MTTS events were having some trouble and their MINIs were being serviced, before leaving tomorrow. We heard about a group getting together in Old Town for dinner and decided to join them. After many spilled drinks (mostly water) we ate and then headed back to the hotel to prepare for the first Rise & Shine.

Online terror strikes with people concerned about pretty much everything. We weren’t overly concerned since we had done this before and we actually do travel a bit. Having a trunk also helps because most of your things are out of sight. Each night we would bring in our cooler, our small suitcases, our snack bag and daypacks. We had planned for being on the road for over two weeks so we knew we would be recycling some clothes. we also knew space was tight.

First photo for MTTS as I entered Albuquerque I saw the supply trucks from the Interstate.

The Rise & Shine

We started off at the Balloon Fiesta Park with excitement levels high. There is a row of tents each dealing with something and over the course of the trip you get into a groove as to where to go.

  • Registration Tent- If you missed registration yesterday or are joining now, this is your first stop. You get you water bottle, folding daypack, lanyard, wristband and other SWAG.
  • Check-In Tent- If you’ve already registered, here is where you pick up today’s button. You are given a button at each location. You may also get other SWAG that they may give out for that day. Exclusive super cool stuff… or not, matters the day.
  • MINI Financial Services – in 2022 they gave out magnets for each state, this time around they went with window clings which are harder to steal. If you had a MINI credit card you could also get something special if you showed your card. MINI Financial Services has embraced being eco friendly so they had just announced a new card made from the plastics floating around the ocean.
  • Merch Tent – Yes, you can get a grill badge, t-shirt, sweatshirt…
  • Plant Oxford – Our guests from across the pond. They were giving away chances to take classes in Thermal, CA and you can sign the bonnet of their MINI Countrymen which will be hung in Thermal for all to see. They also had a couple of different buttons.
  • MINI Connected – Learn about all the cool tech in the latest model of MINI. They gave out pins highlighting one of the many features provided by MINI Connected.
  • American Camp Association – MTTS is a way for MINI owners to do good. This year we were motoring for Keep America Beautiful and The American Camp Association. Here You could donate and receive limited edition MINI SWAG or you could buy raffle tickets for the daily MINI Lifestyle package.
  • Breakfast – Ranged from Pancakes to other breakfast fare… sadly, no breakfast burritos. 😢
  • Urban X – showing off their cool 3D Printers and making license plate frames.
  • MINI Services – raffling off a cooler and a chance for free oil changes for 3 years. They also started scanning keys and printing out a picture of your MINI it’s mileage and how many services were due.
  • There would be other tents sometimes local dealerships selling shirts, or local groups telling you about the area.

Everyone got into a rhythm as to where to go first what to save for last. Throughout the morning our mistress of ceremonies, Dez, would go over things you should know, but many people didn’t listen to. This was when games would be played, the raffles would occur and execs would come up and say a few words. Raffle rules: your name is called three times and then the ticket goes into “THE POCKET OF DOOM.”💀

Once the morning is over we are sent to our cars, and we head off through a gauntlet of MINI people waving flags and cheering us on. Somedays this was 7-9am others 7-10am

Highlights from the Road Leg 1: Albuquerque to Salt Lake City

Each day brought about different scenery each unique. Day one for us ended with us in peril… OK not too much peril, but still. We had stopped for gas and a short break about an hour outside of Durango. When we restarted Alfie there was a red warning indicator which looked like the car was in the garage on a lift. If it were amber, I’d probably drive on… a little anxious, but still get into town and have it checked out in the morning. The car did start. However it was red… red usually means bad things. I called Roadside Assistance explained what was going on and was told a service vehicle should be there within an hour. I then got a call from the service vehicle and explained it was probably nothing, but I wanted to checked out. They arrived. and everything started with some laughing and a belief by everyone that it was “nothing.” Then came an “oh.” and next thing we know it, Mike Peyton, VP of MINIUSA is there and two other corporate MINIs. I kept repeating that I just had the car in days before I left… It seemed the FRM Module (which runs things that don’t make the car drive, things like the lights) had gone out. It was a known issue in that these things have an expiration date (kinda) they run so many actions and then – they die. There is no way to predict it… it just happens. So we are stranded…

As the story goes Jim McDowell the first VP of MINIUSA was at Disney and noticed that a kid had dropped their ice cream within a few minutes, the ice cream had been cleaned up by a cast member, and the kid had a new one. They say he felt that MINI Takes the States should have the same kind of service. If something goes wrong, the MINI owner should be taken care of. We were. One of those Countrymen were emptied out and we were handed the keys. Alfie would be towed to Salt Lake City and we could pick him up there. We had a 2025 MINI Countryman for about three days. I’ve already written up my feelings about the Biggest MINI ever so I won’t go into it. My only regret was Mike Peyton did offer to go over the new controls with me, and I turned him down… I still don’t know about many of the Easter Eggs hidden in the large round screen. We christened our new MINI “Joel Incognito” “Joel” because that’s who we took him from- the MINI kept say “Hello Joel” and “Incognito” because no one knew us since we weren’t driving the Roadster.

It was a great drive and each Rise and Shine brought about the same vibe. I spent a lot of time running around handing out pins and stickers something I will do less of in the future (you don’t get to spend that much time caching up with friends). I will note that while driving “Joel Incognito” I noticed that we did blend in with other cars on the road. MINI says the new Countryman is the “Biggest MINI ever” as if that should be a point of pride… ummm… We were driving through some small town in Colorado in a mixed line of cars when I saw this woman on the side of the road waving like a crazy person at all the MINIs going by. When the “regular” cars came by she stopped waving. We were sandwiched between a couple of non-MINIs and I watched her stop waving. She then looked around for other MINIs. We started waving at her and she ignored us. Still looking for MINIs to wave at. The new model doesn’t have the same characteristics as what people consider a “MINI” it’s just another car. While Members of the MINI community may politely embrace this change, the general public is looking for what they think of as a MINI.

We arrived in Salt Lake City and headed over to MINI of Murray to pick up Alfie. He was repaired and we happily drove off leaving some surprises for whoever ended up with Joel Incognito next. (stickers buttons, a drawing and note of “thanks.” That night was an evening event celebrating the end of the first leg. With lots of posts about parking, food, and confusion from the people who don’t listen to Dez when she makes announcements.

The group photo of those who had attended all nine MINI Takes The States and could make the photo… so many were missing. (See Seattle for the other photo)

Choose Your Own Adventure

Between Salt Lake City and Bozeman we had two days on our own. We were told MINI Takes The States staff would be off the clock, that regular Roadside Assistance would work, but the special set up for MTTS would not. Go have fun and explore. Which we did.

We started with a quick trip into Herriman, UT to see the “Up House.” Then to Promontory to the Golden Spike. From there we went into Idaho and the Museum of Clean. The next day took us to Jackson Wyoming and our first Troll of the trip. From Jackson we headed into the national parks. Ending up in Boseman for the night.

Highlights from the Road Leg 2: Bozeman to Seattle

The Return of Jim McDowell – The prime Chief Motorer returned from retirement to join us on the second leg. For those of us who had done MTTS since the beginning this was like the second coming- with a squirt gun. He was just one of us on this trip, but it was great to see him and his wife having a great time reconnecting with MINI owners. Yes, he tried to kidnap Cecil on multiple occasions, but that was part of the fun of having Jim around.

I’ve spoken about the diversity of our country, and sometimes we have stereotypes. one that persists is how the Pacific Northwest is pretty much mountains and pine trees… nope. A lot of Washington state is fields, 75% of all hops used in beer production in the US comes from this area. It is also pretty hot until you cross through the mountains.

MINI Roadside Assistance to the rescue (again) – When we left for the last Rise & Shine a low tire indicator when off. We pulled into the Roadside Side Assistance Tent, and the quickly discovered a very small, slow leak in one of my tires… They said keep an eye on it, and get it patched in Seattle. Which I did.

The last Rise and Rally was interesting, here is where MINIUSA auctions off all the stuff from the trip so they don’t have to carry it back, and it brings in a nice sum to the charity. over the years we have picked up a few items at these auctions and plan ahead since they are cash only. This time I had my eye on the Volcanic Orange Scorpions Troop flag and Sue wanted to continue our collection of event banners. The hardest part about this and anything else is the limited space in a MINI. We’ve been living for two weeks out of our little car and over the stops picked up stuff. Usually t-shirts or other small things, but still we had little or no room. With that in mind we did not go for the Large “Welcome to…” signs or the “Jelly Beans” used to direct people to the event. We dis get what we wanted, so we were happy.

The Museum of Flight

The final event was held at the Museum of Flight in Seattle, there were the typical questions about parking and food. There was a mob to get into the Museum where we earned our “wings” which was awesome. One thing they also had (which drew the largest crowd) was the extras- buttons, pins, stickers that were left over from the trip. Sadly, for those of us who had “Gone all the Way” this meant that some of the exclusive items weren’t that exclusive anymore. While it is a bit of gambling- pay for the last day and get all the swag you missed. Of course Sue and I live by what we call the “Harley-Davidson Rule” – Buy the bike, then buy the shirt. So we won’t buy or wear stuff from things we haven’t done. As with all rules it can be bent, I wore a MINI cap years before I bought a MINI. (Still wear the cap) I just recall once wearing a Brooklyn Dodgers jacket my parents had bought me and getting quizzed by a sports geek about the team. I wore it because I grandfather was a fan and almost failed out of high school because he would skip class to go to games. After that I stopped wearing the jacket. Those who know me well, know I know nothing about sports.

…and so it ends at the Museum of Flight as it began…
A portion of the group that has participated in every MTTS since 2006. Kind of the “Perfect Attendance Club” There are around 14 of us crazy folks.

Oh, for the record it was catered and parking was available.

Pictures or It Didn’t Happen

So what did I learn from my 9th running of MINI Takes The States?

  • Be flexible, things happen, go with the flow.
  • Don’t Panic, it’s silly when you panic over stuff like “Where do I park?” or “Will they provide food?” you will find a place to park, and if no food is provided you can get something somewhere else.
  • Buy early… if you want SWAG, make sure to get it your first day.
  • Don’t obsess over buttons, stickers, koozies, ducks, or other signature items. You’ll be spending your time trying to hand things out instead of meeting people.
  • Fill up when you reach half a tank.
  • Leave yourself some room. Don’t overpack. We brought a cooler for drinks and ended up leaving in it Washington because it took up too much space.
  • While I loved having two days in the middle – it made it like it was two different trips. So many new people jumped in that it was like starting all over again, with people not understanding what was going on.
  • I missed the Surprise and Delights… With only one gathering each day there was limited time to get to chat with other Motorers. Therefore it was harder to find a group to drive with if that’s what you wanted. The only Surprise and Delight was on the first leg, a drive through photo op, which didn’t lend itself to getting together unless you were waiting in line at the port-o-let.
  • I need to keep in contact with my tribe better. While I’m an introvert and tend to like being by myself. I missed sharing meals with my MINI peeps. We were fortunate enough to meet up a couple of times on the road, but still.
  • Let the crazies be crazy. There are a number of people who think they are a “Professional driver on a closed course” and will drive dangerously. Enjoy your drive, stay safe and avoid those idiots like the plague. Give them all the room they need so you won’t get hurt.
  • I’m looking forward to MTTS 2026 (if it happens- nothing official has been announced) Do I care where or when? not in the least.
  • Need to plan/remember to get Adventure Labs in the places we visit or along the way… I made a list an promptly ignored it.
  • In this day and age we have learned something- there are too many places to get bad information. MTTS has a bunch of groups- MINI Takes The States 2024 (now 2026), MINI Takes the States- First Time Newbies, MINI Takes The States – Going All The Way, and a bunch of repeat groups (some set up by scammers). All giving out similar but in many cases slightly different information. I hope that by the next one, either there will be a central location to get information, or MINIUSA works with one of the Social Media groups to get official information out in a quick reliable way. Having an event App only helped a bit and sometimes led to more confusion.

By The Numbers

  • Days Motored: 19
  • States Motored in: 15 (We have now traveled through all 50 states in some way or another)
  • Miles Motored : 6,392 not counting a tow to Salt Lake City and driving “Joel Incognito”
  • Approx. Hotel Cost for the Actual Days of MTTS: $2700
  • Approx. Fuel for the actual Dates of MTTS: $850
  • Registration All the Way for two: $200
  • Official SWAG: $140
  • Donations: All in Cash so a bunch- One Event Banner, One Troop Flag, numerous raffle tickets, One Oxford Plant polo shirt (aka the most expensive MINI shirt ever)
  • Food: Umm… I never try to figure this out since we have to eat no matter where we are.
  • Geocaches & Adventure Lab stages: 125 We only have Alaska to go then we will have found a geocache in every U.S. State.
  • Signature SWAG handed out/lost: 41 MINIons Take the States Buttons, 33 MINIons Take The States Stickers, 90 MINIon 4238 buttons, 32 Extinct MINI Cooper Motoring Society Window Clings (v.1), 13 LEGO ducks, 20 MTTS 2024 classic stickers.
  • Buttons, Signature SWAG, Ducks collected: Does it really matter?
  • Photos taken: 1,056
  • Trolls (Thomas Dambo Sculptures) visited: 12, 15 if you count the portals.

The Journey Home

On the way home we stopped off to see family and then more trolls which, by now, might be like family, but aren’t. We made it safely back to rest for a few days before the next Whimventure®