This Week's Comics & A Trivial Whimventure®
I know what I know, if you know what I mean...
Cartoon Crossroads Columbus is on my list of one of the best comic conventions ever. It is small and many people have probably never heard of it but IYKYK. Thursday they held a fundraiser, Sue and I attended. I had it on my calendar but more as a something to be aware of event. A “if I think about it” event since, while Columbus, Ohio is close, it’s not that close. This, being an evening event, would require staying the night. Sue needed a break from the “real world".” So after deciding to go and trying to arrange coverage for my shift at the LEGO store we planned to head out for a night of cartoon trivia in support of a good cause.
We started out a little before lunch figuring we would stop for food on the road. That stop was at 5 Arches Brewing in Centerville. We’re getting to the point where we try to have a larger meal mid-day, so a burger and kamikaze fries did the job. Oh, the Kamikaze fries are very tasty. We then headed to https://coord.info/GCB0MWZ Cache Odyssey - Ohio just on the other side of Columbus. Located at a vintage toy shop it was a nice detour before the event. Yes, I liked around, yes, I bought something. They did have a great selection of classic LEGO sets, as always the sets currently available from LEGO were understandably over priced.
We arrived at Seventh Son Brewing and grabbed a beer. Sue I jokingly refer to as a “recovering fundraiser” having spent 20 years in various development jobs for non-profits, knows about events and how they work. From then handmade teddy bears & a variety of donations from Columbus area businesses to (of course) comics and graphic novels. I looked at the offerings and put my name down on a few, just to get the ball rolling. I might not be an experienced fundraiser, but I do know that a lot times people don’t want to be the first and have been trained to start things off.
We had sat down and were asked if we wanted others to join our team… of course we said “yes.” You see I love CXC, but I also tend to feel like an idiot because while I know a lot about comics compared to most of my friends, I don’t know a lot. I know the stuff I read… kind of. I follow a few artists and writers, but my knowledge isn’t encyclopedic. Which can be both an advantage and a disadvantage in trivia. You see there is a tipping point where you know too much and read too much into a question. This happened a couple of times throughout the evening. Times when the “obvious answer” was the actual answer. When you think- there’s got to be a trick, and there isn’t. All that said, it was a team effort and we did end up winning.
The format was interesting- two rounds of questions then a bonus round. At the end of that the top two teams competed for the game and fortune that went along with being the Trivia Champions. Besides some lack of general knowledge (I didn’t study this in school), there were a number of local/regional trivia questions thrown in. Funny thing- if you were to ask a question about Indiana cartoonists- you’d have a good shot at getting it correct if you answered “Jim Davis”, but then again- I didn’t grow up in the Midwest and cartooning was frowned upon at my university.
As for the auction- Sue got some coffee and mugs and I picked up (much to the chagrin of someone named “Conner”) some Mobius books to expand my knowledge of that artist and another one that I will donate to a classroom somewhere along the line.
My Comics
Including the some of what I picked up at the CXC Auction.
Absolute Batman #6 - Let’s start with this being the end of the first arc, so something is bound to happen either good or bad… Considering it’s the Absolute Universe and things are a bit twisted… Gotham has had crates drop from the sky filled with animal masks and weapons. What does it mean? How would people react in today’s current society if they were given a mask that pointed out targets and would pay them for breaking the law? Kill someone and you get $10,000, the more important the target, the higher the price. Can Batman stop this?
Also we get some more backstory on Young Bruce and his friends find out his secret.
New Champions #3 - Its the new Champions vs. the old Champions as they fight to prove who deserves the name. Yes, this was something similar to Electro vs. Electro in Spectacular Spider-Men, yes the latest issue of the Titans has everyone fighting each other… it seems to be a theme. But why are these young heroes doing this, what is making them act this way? What will come next?
The Rocketfellers #4 - We are still getting to know our heroes What they sacrificed, and what they are going to be up against. A bit of the backstory of how their world works and the importance of family.
Absolute Flash #1 - I’m not always into variant covers, but I had to go with the Jeff Lemire version since I own the original comic this is an homage to. We are introduced to Wally West and his part of the world being moved from place to place as a military “brat.” His father is moved around and Wally just wants to escape it all. Befriended by a scientist (Barry Allen) at his latest posting we discover a bit of weird stuff is going on. Also We learn about a group chasing after Wally who seem to resemble a version of the Flash’s Rogues Gallery. This time they seem to Government contractors.
Detective Comics #1095 - Wow, some interesting backstory as Bruce Wayne learns about his parents connection to Asema and… Joe Chill? Yes, for those who know the original (pre Tim Burton) Batman origin his parents were killed by Joe Chill. Was it planned? Had his parents done something to make them a target? Batman is going to find out. Batman’s friends try to stop him from going too far… but can they?
Titans # 21 - It all comes to a conclusion as Psycho-Pirate gets the Titans to hate each other enough to kill each other. Who could stop them when Raven is being used to help Psycho-Pirate complete his contract with Deathstroke.
Miles Morales: Spider-Man #31 - last issue of the team up with Deadpool as they go up against another divinely inspired villain out to kill Spider-Man. What is it with all these avatars? We start to get a bit more detail as more Gods are making appearances.
Lawful #8 - The big finale and we find out the reason behind the curse. If only our society would learn the same lesson. Yes, there is a fight. Yes, there are monsters. Yes, it is an amazingly well crafted tale with an important lesson.
Ultimate X-Men #13 - Wait a second… is all this starting to make sense? Admittedly the issue is pretty much a big fight… is it real? did you take the red or the blue pill?
Life #4 - Yes, I missed issues 2 & 3 🙄. It looks like the crew is trying to get through the prisoners to get to the diamonds, but things aren’t going to well. The Reverend is making things more difficult.
Moebius #1 The collected fantasies of Jean Giraud - I picked this up at the CXC auction and while I had heard of Moebius and probably read a little a long while ago I really hadn’t had an opportunity to really do more than glance- if that. This is collection of various stories, including one he had created for Citroen. They are a unique combination of Science Fiction and Fantasy. The artwork is amazing and the stories are ones that I will need to read over again to fully grasp everything. The one thing I would say is I’m kicking myself for not diving into this earlier. I’ve taken my first step into a larger world.
Let’s Make Bread! - Sue decided I needed this since we had watched a few episodes of a Paul Hollywood bread show. My grandfather became a bread maker when he retired. I think Sue felt that if it was a comic book I might actually read it. I will, but right now, I don’t have enough ingredients to start.
Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes #205 - This was one of the prizes for winning the Trivia night. As with many 100 page issues from this time period (1974) there are multiple stories. It includes a section about the “new artist” Mike Grell and even has a story with Supergirl and the Super-Pets!
Justice League of America #200 - A brief retelling of one of the many origins of the League begins this massive issue and ties into the various chapters bringing back the alien villains who have to go up against the larger, more powerful Justice League. The 1980’s were a great time for heroes.
Call Me Iggy - I was able to attend a presentation by Rafael Rosado at CXC in 2024. He talked about this book and how he had put together the art and what his influences were. The story is of a young man trying to navigate the language of love. Fortunately he gets help from the spirit of his grandfather. He also learns to embrace his Columbian heritage in Ohio… One of those stories that bring up the feels. Ten again, I’m an old softy.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again if you have the chance, attend CXC if you are into not only comics, but the stuff that makes me feel like I know nothing. Basically, I go every year to learn more and maybe even become a better comic collector, fan, and enthusiast.