I have been working on deadline for the Geowoodstock IX playing card deck… See there was this auction and I won, and then a friend asked me to help with his design. This weekend I thought I would get drawing done, and it didn’t happen. So today was the deadline (absolute final) and I needed to get these turned in. So here they are-
The Red Joker for the GeoWoodstock Deck
Seven of Diamonds for the Geowoodstock DeckThe 5 of Hearts for the GeoWoodstock Deck
Queen of Hearts for the GeoWoodstock Deck
So I am sorry for not getting the comic out earlier this week, but with Sue out with the the girls this weekend I’m going to work on getting a bunch of strips done.
I thought I would take a few seconds & point out a friend of mine’s blog- Motoring Adventures as she motors across the country to the biggest MINI event I have ever been to, MINIs on the Dragon. Sue and I have attended and actually helped out with a few drives in the past and are missing it this year thanks to the Indiana statewide high stakes test which happens this week. Emily, on the other hand, has built up some vacation and will be driving out from San Francisco (home of the 8th Doctor’s cache- Hmmm… I wonder who could be hosting it?) Sue and I met Emily at A MINI Vacation in Vegas- AMVIV last year. and we were able to get together at MINI Takes the States in Denver. So enjoy living vicariously through Emily as she takes a Ryan MINI on an adventure… I know I’m jealous. Let’s all wish Emily & Sam Wise (her MINI) safe travels. She’ll be in Indy next week- Gramboli’s anyone?
Oh, speaking of statewide testing… Monday’s comic will be delayed until sometime tomorrow (I can’t wait for Summer- so I can get back on schedule).
After so many weeks of working… now everything is coming to a head. All Dr. Who caches (except #12) have been sent out. They are arriving in their final locations and those “companions” are placing the caches how ever they want. All I can say is one Wherigo is in the works (& I have some drawing to do). So instead of a comic strip for today (sorry, it has definitely been a day) I thought I would go through the process as to how these were placed.
When I came up with my 2011 creativity project I tried to figure out exactly what to do. After some thought I finally decided a series of caches based on Doctor Who would be fun (BBC America was pushing that the next series was going to based in the U.S.). Once the idea was finalized then the issue was what were the details, what rules would be set for the caches? I decided that I wanted them placed around the United States, and that I wanted there to be a “bonus” cache of some sorts. I worked with a friend in Atlanta to come up a “wrap” which ended up a sticker. I started with a few simple designs based the Doctors of my history (#4, #9 , #10, & #11). These went through some testing and fortunately the weather cooperated so I could check how it would last through various weather conditions. I learned that my original design was too big and wouldn’t fit on a decon container (Super Genius had ended up giving us a nice supply).
I redesigned the template and after a weekend of intense drawing & watching episodes of Dr. Who I had 12 caches designed. Now, who should get the caches? I checked Cecil’s friends on both Facebook & Geocaching.com. I ended up coming up with over eleven possible “companions.” An email request (and one through Facebook) eliminated one. Now the work really started… I needed to come up with a a location a “final” before sending out any caches or creating a generic cache page. After some “discussion” with the local reviewers the final was placed and everything was ready for the final steps. Caches were sent out on April 15th- ten in the U.S. one in Canada. Caches are being placed from “Sea to shining sea.”
I have been overjoyed with the response from the geocaching community – everyone involved in this series has been so wonderful and creative (aren’t all cachers?). I’m not sure what format each cache will end up as – it is up to the companion (multi, puzzle, wherigo, traditional) how they want place it. I’m looking forward to what the series will end up with. The bonus (series finale- GC2R1VF) will have a link to each cache once they have been posted. Then again as of right now the cache hasn’t been published since I need a few caches in the series posted beforehand. By Monday there will be caches in the series published and it will be up to the companions to keep everything going. What a great adventure and a great way to give back to a hobby that has really opened the world to me.
So what happens at a “Comic & Entertainment Expo”? I guess it matters who you are. For me I learned a bit more than I intended, spent a lot more than I intended, and embraced my inner geek a bit more than I should have.
It all started Friday (Yes, I took a much needed personal business day) and headed up to Chicago with Sue. I was dropped off as Sue ran for the hills – Actually to do some geocaching. I on the other hand heading to registration & the first session of the day. I have mentioned before that when I was young and first started going to these things I tended to go to the dealer room, spend money, and go home. I was kind of a geek mall with a cover charge. Now I actually spend time doing other things (and spend time in the dealer room).
The first (& sadly only) session I went to on Friday was “Reading with Pictures” which dealt with using comics in the classroom. While it was interesting & I did get some ideas, It seemed like it was the same old information. It seems like the idea is if you say “Comics promote reading” enough times people might believe it. Sadly at a comic book convention you are preaching to the choir. The thing that (as of this posting) makes it sad is the organization Reading with Pictures has produced a wonderful anthology, but that’s about it. Their website (which has the potential to be a great resource) has nothing new since before the anthology was published- months ago. SO while I support their work- I’m not impressed with the follow through. Session Ideas- Not so new but still: create a comic club at school devoted to the reading & creation of comics. Really look at the standards as set forth by the State and see which comics (or portions) could be used to enhance the study & understanding for students. I’ve done this, but not in a systematic way, something to focus on over the summer in between cruises on my yacht.
One of the many colorful characters at C2E2... I'm still trying to figure out "Who" he's dressed up as.
Saturday was a lazy day, but I actually spent more time in sessions than in the hall. Attending two DC Comics sessions & one specifically devoted to Webcomics. Again, I tend to shy away from the sessions dealing with upcoming movies, or TV shows. I like hearing from the folks in the comic field and seeing if I can gain a bit of knowledge from what they say. The DC Panels were nice, helping to see what the next big crisis (that isn’t a crisis- since DC has overused that word) is going to be. “Flashpoint” will involve one of my favorite characters “The Flash” who, since he has been brought back from the dead after 20+ years, is dealing with some trouble of time/space continuum shattering proportions (but NOT a crisis). It does look interesting even though I have sworn off any all “events.”
The second DC Panel dealt with their “Vertigo” imprint which tends to cover things in a more mature way. One of my favorite titles is “Fables” by Bill Willingham which just finished up issue 100. The basics are all our “Fairy Tale” characters are real and are refugees on our mundane world. I won’t go into details, but recommend to those who can read “mature” stuff that you pick up one of the trades and check it out.
My last panel of the day was the “Webcomics Roundtable” I attended this last year and enjoyed the frank honesty of the panel. This year was no different, the panel was just a bit smaller. It was an open mic where you could ask whatever questions you might have. The questions ranged from “How do I start a webcomic?” Answer: start drawing. All the way to How do I increase and maintain readership?” The funny thing is there seem to be two camps (maybe more) when it comes to Webcomics. This group was much more grounded… which I liked, but also made me feel a bit embarrassed.
That brings us to today- I ran into the hall, bought two lovely handmade notebooks (one for Sue, and one for me) and took two pictures and ran out to head home.
So compared to last year’s C2E2 (the inaugural one), I would have to say still a great convention. I really preferred this location to last year. While still downtown at the McCormick Place it seemed like it was closer to things like food, and the hotel. It seemed a lot more crowded this year than last year, but some areas had shrunk- (the WebComics area for instance). I’d be interested to see some final numbers as for attendance. For me no Neil Gaiman, Jeff Smith or Dr. Who premiere made it not as exciting. I did miss out on Quidditch which was new this year. It seemed that the focus for big name guests was more in Movies & TV. One thing that I am wondering how it worked was the impression of being nickeled & dimed for some things. The special packages so you can get this autograph, etc. I may be wrong, but it seemed like there was a lot more of that this year. Then again it may be that I wasn’t interested in the some of the guests requiring this added fee so every email seemed to be one too many.
As for general programming- in my opinion last year had a lot more sessions on Friday geared to educators & librarians. While there were a number of session they seemed to be clumped. As an elementary teacher I have gotten burned too many times going to sessions in any conference only to find that the speaker brings nothing to the table that I can use. I looked at the session descriptions and most were for middle, high, or college levels- and avoided them spending my time in the Hall.
Cecil collapses on all the stuff from the first day... yes, just the first day of C2E2
After spending time in the Hall I did end up with some nice things… Some original artwork for my classroom, and lots & lots of books for my students. I’ll post pictures throughout the week since this is going to be the story arc for the week. Which will include more details and geek craziness!
We have had some storms and varied weather out here in the midwest so it has been a pretty nice way to test the viability of the solution I went with for the Dr. Who Cache Series containers. Long story short, it kind of worked.
What I was going to do was use a sticker to wrap the decon container, the problem was not the sticker, it was my design. Those people who have encountered this type of cache container know that it has rounded corners. This is fine until you get to a corner. While it did stay on the container, in most places, it didn’t work along the bottom. It seems that the sticker could adhere on one curved surface, add a second curve and it has difficulty. So, with this newfound knowledge I head back to the drawing board to redesign the wrap so that when finished the edges will end up resting on a flat surface.
There is a silver lining to this whole thing- the more I looked at my designs the more I knew I could do better. So I have redesigned the doctors & have also redesigned the TARDIS. Seeing how the original design printed some of the lines were too thin and some detail was lost. I now have a better idea on how to make the design work, which makes me happy.
Am I running out of time? Nope (I have a time machine). I have ordered a special pathtag to go with this series, when that pathtag arrives… then I am behind schedule. Until then I’m right on schedule!
A friend found this (I can’t find everything on my own) and I thought I should share it since films can be a geeky thing… talk to any true film buff and you’ll understand. Some films do inspire… the Dude abides- even if he didn’t make the cut.
I decided when I started cleaning out a bit that I should go back and reread some of those comics that I decided to keep. So as I go back a reconnect with some of the “good stuff” or at least weird, strange, stuff that I decided I needed regardless of it’s value. I know I still have a few boxes that I’m cataloging in hopes that they will find a good home. Ben (when will I get another comic to him to color?) took a full long box of stuff. For those not in the know a long box is the large cardboard box specifically designed to hold comics (around 200). My hope is that every once in a while I will go back and review some titles or story arcs. This week it’ll be…
Issue #1 of Truth, Justing and the American Way
Title: Truth Justin & the American Way
Published: 2006 by Image Comics
Writer: Aaron Williams & Scott Kurtz
Art: Guiseppe Ferrario
Why I picked it up originally: I was reading PVP and was hearing about this comic project… decided to give it a try.
Why I kept reading it: It tugged at my nostalgic side… for the dopey TV of my childhood.
The story (spoilers included, though I’ve tried to keep them to a minimum): Basically it starts off as a take off of “The Greatest American Hero” one of my favorite TV shows growing up. If you look at the basic storyline guy finds alien suit that gives him great powers if he can figure out how it works… general hilarity ensues. What the comic does is not only twist that basic story, but also infuse it with enough TV references that it not only brings you back to that time, but also makes you try to hunt through the dialogue and art for easter eggs. I won’t give any away here, but some are as simple as the cover being a homage to a movie from that period.
Character wise they seem to be stereotypes (just like when I was a kid)- Justin is your typical nice guy, loser, klutz just trying to get through life and be happy. The plot moves from mishap to mishap with everything being tied up in a nice little box at the end. A simple story about simpler times, when good guys were good guys and bad guys were either the government or communists. If I wanted to be all scholarly I could go through how this follows the basic steps of Campbell’s “Hero’s Journey” Justin leaves his life of goofiness and by the end of the story has matured and as we go issue by issue does end up becoming a “hero.” The format of 80’s sitcom doesn’t always lend itself for this kind of analysis so I’ll leave it there- he grows up (a bit).
This was a five issue series looking at the basics plot points in each issue-
Issue 1- Character introductions, getting the suit and not understanding what is going on.
Issue 2- Bachelor Party, antagonist shows up, gratuitous destruction, flashback & Justin’s confrontation with his fiancée
Issue 3- Destruction, introduction of minor adversary, & cliffhanger ending- calling the wedding off?!?!
Issue 4- Fiancée captured by the government, we learn a few more things about the suit, and the “Justinmobile” is born, ending with rescuing the princess…
Issue 5- The wedding, aliens, destruction, comedic ending with appropriate just desserts served. Leading to the typical 80’s to be continued…
So why’d I keep it? I really can’t say… there are times (when it’s snowing or raining) and you just want to read a fun story that you can lose yourself in- this is pretty close to that. Best story ever? No, but in a classic Mad magazine kind of way it did make me feel like a kid again, and made me want to hunt down some episodes of “The Greatest American Hero.”
I really need to decide on a clever rating system to put here… oh well, maybe another day.
Well, upon recollection maybe the scope of my original idea was a bit too much (at least until summer. That said I am moving ahead with the idea of 11 geocaches placed around in honor of the good doctor… just “the Doctor.” Today I took some time between lunch, grading, & cat brushing to figure out how it was going to work. As I believe Stephanie pointed out- if I have these placed all around the country, what would happen if one goes missing? Since the original plan was to create each cache by hand. I took some time and thought about this and decided to go a hopefully simpler route. I would put a wrap around each decon container that would be the same, yet also illustrate each doctor.
The first mock up of the basic TARDIS geocache. This is the background from which I will add the Doctor.
So with my trusty laptop and black & white printer I came up with this… From this I will add details to make sure that it is as close to what the Doctor in question had as possible. While the chameleon circuit may have been damaged… it is amazing how a number of Doctor’s TARDISes have slightly different exteriors as well as interiors. You would figure that as long as the circuit is broken it would keep the same outside. (logic doesn’t always work in Science Fiction)
So the actual wrap will have something to distinguish one Dr. Who decon from another…
This is the mock up (final) for the 11th Doctor's TARDIS that I have decided I will place. I will not show any of the others so if you want to see them, you'll have to find them.
So as I complete each cache and send it off to be released in the wild I will let you know the GC# and which doctor it is for. If you want to see how it turned out… hunt it down.
I still may go with a fantastic final cache. I still have an idea what I’d like to do (& WHO & therefore WHERE I’d like it placed), but I’d first like to get all 11 doctors out saving mankind.
When I was a kid I would watch match classic films from the golden age of Science Fiction. Things like “Earth vs. The Flying Saucers” & stuff like that. I remember coming home from school and turning on the TV- after I had finished my homework 😉 and one of our local stations would have a weekly theme- Science Fiction, Abbott & Costello, The Marx Brothers, Westerns, etc. If I didn’t like the theme, I could always watch cartoons on another channel. So what about the video above? For those younger readers while George Lucas admits he was inspired by the classic movie serials… this was not one of them. I received a link to this from an old friend & knew I should post it for those who may not have seen it.
I tend to post things on Facebook and then forget to post here- “doh!” So look for more posts in the future from me, and I’ll even post a comic tomorrow (something new & different!). This week has just been fatiguing (reminder word for my students) with lots of kids sick and I just hope I’ve dodged the bullet- but I don’t think I’m that quick.
Usually I try to do this once a year… it has been at least two (maybe three) so this is something that needed to be done, I speak of cleaning out/organizing my comic book collection. My collection is 11 “long boxes” in the basement and then 5 in my office. The ones in my office aren’t filled. I try to pick a day when Sue isn’t home so she doesn’t have to see (or find out) how large my comic book collection is.
I start off bringing up all the boxes and then emptying them out. This way I can consolidate titles and make sure that everything is in order. This move covers the floor of the house in stacks of comics. I then put the comics back into the boxes. While putting them back I decide if there are are any titles I don’t want and move on from there. Seems simple… it is & it isn’t.
All I can say is thanks to the way Marvel (Civil War, Secret War, Dark Reign, etc.) & DC (a Universe in constant “Crisis”) have been publishing the past few years I actually felt like I could winnow down my collection a lot.
Why?!? because some of the stories just aren’t good. I’m tired of “universe altering story lines” that end up with nothing being changed. I’m going to still read a lot, but I don’t see the reason to keep as much. I’m dropping completely, Daredevil with the exception of some Frank Miller issues. I’m dropping Captain America, still reading it, just not collecting it. JLA-gone, Titans-gone, Ultimate anything- nope, a lot of my old stuff that I just haven’t kept up with. I was reading the Avengers, but when the Marvel universe came back to being one big happy family, there were just too many to choose from. Was I reading Secret Avengers, Mighty Avengers, New Avengers, New Mighty Secret Avengers? I don’t remember which one I thought was pretty good and which one either the art or the story was not to my liking. So many titles that I thought would be good and ended up either bad, or I just forgot to pick them up and fell behind.
What am I still reading… Hmmm… let me check- The Walking Dead (I’m missing 4 issues, but I will find them). Invincible, JSA, The Flash, Ozma of Oz, Mouse Guard, Teen Titans, I know there are others but it has been a long day. I figure I’ll still bounce around with Batman, but while Superman’s “Walking” storyline is interesting it is starting to wear me down- I can only walk so far. What I am going to do is go back and reread a bunch of my old comics that I rediscovered while cleaning house. I’m looking forward to getting reacquainted with some old friends. Hopefully, by the time I’m done the Heroic Age will have passed and the sun will have set on the Brightest Day.
