Goodreads review: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Ultimate Collection, Vol. 1

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Ultimate Collection, Vol. 1 by Kevin Eastman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Having read some of the early Mirage Turtle comics, I knew what I was getting into, but it was nice to not have to dig through my comics again just to read the first issue. I have a collected edition of issues 4-6, I believe, in color format, but I liked having everything all in one place and seeing it all in black and white. To me, it was like reading Turtle comics for the first time all over again. It was also good to go back and read what got me into indie comics in the first place. A lot of material is covered in this volume and it really helped to me see how Eastman and Laird matured not only in terms of storytelling, but also in terms of improving their artwork. Even though they their stuck to their roots -- mostly Jack Kirby and Frank Miller -- I liked seeing how Eastman and Laird's art styles maintained consistency not only because they were both doing the art, but also because they improved so much in so little time. That aspect was pointed out the annotations from what I remember, so I guess you could say it was reinforced. I truly enjoyed reading this volume and I will say that since it's practically the size of a DC absolute edition, I didn't mind the art being enlarged because I felt that it brought out a lot of detail and, as a result, the art popped off the pages. It's teams like Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird that will forever have left their mark in comics history and this graphic novel is proof of that. And even though the Turtles started out as a parody of Daredevil, Eastman and Laird have certainly impacted the way stories are told. Perhaps I'll read some of the other volumes if I get the chance.

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Big Wow pics and highlights

So my friend Luke and I went to Big Wow Comicfest 2013 this past weekend and we had a great time. We saw a lot of neat stuff and got some good deals.

We walked by the horror hosts and talked with them at their booth.

They were really cool and they had a panel about the history or horror posting as part of Creatures Con 2.

I talked to Steve Englehart for a bit and he was happy to sign my copy of Avengers: The Serpent Crown.

 

After I got his autograph, Luke and I went to get lunch at Subway and Steve was in the line behind us. I never had that experience before with anyone who had worked in the industry, so it was cool and kinda funny.

 

We walked around some more after lunch and saw a remote controlled R2-D2 as well as some stuff the Bay Area Ghostbusters had set up.

 

 

 

We even checked out some awesome artwork by the talented Corey Bass...

 

 

 

Then we walked around some more and I had amazing artist Geof Darrow sign my copy of Hard Boiled...

 

 

He seemed like a pretty easy-going guy. I guess he hadn't signed a lot of copies of Hard Boiled that day, so I guess as a result of my remembering it, he did a sketch of the main character as part of his autograph.

 





Our last main attraction of Saturday was having Herb Trimpe sign my Hulk and Rawhide Kid books...

 

 

On Sunday, after getting our picture taken with Stan Lee, we went back to the Creatures Con 2 booth and we talked to Ernie Fosselius a bit about animation since I had done some myself and asked him about what he had done...

 

 

 

He was pretty cool and I was glad to have talked to him since I didn't get a chance to in previous years. My friend is holding up a card with John Stanley's (of Creature Features) autograph as kind of a joke because Stan Lee was there on Sunday and Ernie said we could get an autographed photo of John Stanley for 100 bucks.

 

 

After walking around some more and getting some good deals on comics, we checked out the awesome artwork of Charles Yoakum...

 

 

He was working on the Batman artwork (pictured above) when we stopped by and it was interesting to hear what he had to say about scaling down large 18"x24" original artwork down for use in comics, magazines, and whatnot.

 

All in all, we had a good time. I look forward to next year's convention.



The Fall of Galactus Trailer

Hey everyone, just thought I'd share my final project that I did for my desktop productions class, so here it is:



Enjoy.

Headspace:

As the end of the semester draws near, I've begun to realize that it's been a while since I've made a connection with a girl to the extent of "I wanna get to know you for the sake of pursuing a relationship with you." Sure, my first two -- or should I say last two -- attempted relationships exploded like a land mine in 'Nam mostly due to my own ineptitude, but that doesn't mean I haven't learned since then. I suppose if my mistakes were to fall into darkness and fade into black, I wouldn't have them to learn from. I've never experienced a Christmas with a significant other, which could be either good or bad, but it'd be nice to have that experience just once. It's not my fault none of the girls at my school interest me. I'd talk to 'em more if they did. That and I don't go about actively seeking a relationship because doing so would make me come across as needy. I figure I'll continue to worry about what I need to focus on and let some poetic romance or what have you come later. That way, in God's timing, I'll get something better than I expected, which I imagine as being very passionate and powerful. A sense of emotional vulnerability -- in a good way -- that my future true love and I share appeals to me for some reason. I'm not sure how much of a realistic expectation that is, but a little empathy goes a long way. And if my future true love were to go away for a while, not only would I miss her, but I'd also miss the moments that we haven't shared together. That'd probably make me feel motionless and white with a sense of security about it all.

I've been talking to a girl from the Philippines sort of for fun. She considers us to be friends, which is fine with me because I'm not sure if I like her not. She was
concerned when Sandy hit, though, even though it didn't hit me. Regardless, maybe that meant something that I didn't quite catch, which has to do with the fact that's damn near impossible to convey emotion the internet. I enjoy talking to her and we do relate in some ways, but if we ever do meet, if God so desires, it probably won't be for a while. Who knows? She could be the kind of girl that'd be willing to fly a million miles just to see me smile at her, which would be OK with me.

I'm not sure what to do with these feelings other than write about them because it's good to get 'em out even if no one reads this.

Trouble in Lego Park

I thought I'd share my stop animation film that I made for my desktop productions class with y'all, so here it is:

See? An education in digtial arts and animation can be quite fun and creative. I'm happy with the final product I hope y'all enjoy the movie as much I enjoyed making it.

Hot Air...

A woman in a hot air balloon realized she was lost. She lowered her altitude and spotted a man in a boat below. She shouted to him, "Excuse me, can you help me? I promised a friend I would meet him an hour ago, but I don't know where I am."

The man consulted his portable GPS and replied, "You're in a hot air balloon, approximately 30 feet above ground elevation of 2,346 feet above sea level. You are at 31 degrees, 14.97 minutes north latitude and 100 degrees, 49.09 minutes west longitude."

She rolled her eyes and said, "You must be a Republican."

"I am," replied the man. "How did you know?"

"Well," answered the balloonist, "everything you told me is technically correct. But I have no idea what to do with your information, and I'm still lost. Frankly, you've not been much help to me."

The man smiled and responded, "You must be an Obama-Democrat."

"I am," replied the balloonist. "How did you know?"

"Well," said the man, "you don't know where you are -- or where you are going. You've risen to where you are, due to a large quantity of hot air. You made a promise you have no idea how to keep, and you expect me to solve your problem. You're in exactly the same position you were in before we met, but somehow, now it's my fault."

Fake Daredevil trailer

A fake Daredevil trailer you say? Is this some kind of Grindhouse-inspired thing? No, not really, but according to Comic Vine, this is what the trailer could have looked like. I watched it earlier today and was in awe of it. Director Joe Carnahan's pitch looks awesome despite not being an actual trailer. Whether it be a reboot or otherwise, it gets me excited for a possible Daredevil movie. I like the '70s look since it has pulp/film noir kind of ambience if you will that Frank Miller's run on Daredevil is known for. Hopefully the rights issue will get worked out, as mentioned in this. In terms of a new movie, it's time that the Man Without Fear is done justice -- no pun intended.

This is interesting too.