oldmilwaukee6er

... I am at a loss (from this month's Previews)

Om & The Lady Rap. . . FCBD FWIW: For FCBD the lady picked up Comic Book Legal Defense Fund x2, Assassin’s Creed x4, Camp Midnight, Superhero Girls, Serenity, Comics Lab, Boom!, Drawn & Quarterly. Om picked up the rest, including an AC for the lady, two Black Masks, Superhero Girls, Serenity, Civil War II, Suicide Squad 1, Fantagraphics / Love & Rockets, Overstreet, & Black Mask x2. Over three stops, we were alloted 11 books each. oldmilwaukee6er (Om): So… free comic book day. After participating for the second year in a row in a decade, what are your thoughts? The Lady (TL): This year went exceedingly smooth. We hit 3 stores in 2 hour flat. Last year I only hit one store with you and it was kind of annoying then. Om: Really, annoying you say? What could possibly be annoying about FCBD? TL: Last year was super crowded at the LCS and people don’t control their children, which was true this year, but I was better prepared to deal with it. Om: Wait. Hold up hold up. I thought FCBD was about 'the childrens' (laughs)? I read in some of the threads on the message boards that FCBD is about getting families and children through the doors. And that the problem with FCBD is the collectors and investors pulling a dash-and-grab on the LCS’. You disagree? TL: You are naïve. While the CGC crowd may be an annoyance, FCBD is less about cultivating new comic readers and more about maintaining long-term relationships with the core group of patrons. In other words, an LCS tends to not like outsiders, despite the ‘family overlay’ of FCBD. No one likes to watch their comics on the shelves be handled with sticky hands untrained in how to properly handle comics. Plus, many LCS are not set up to deal with strollers and hordes of marauding children. Om: This is especially true of our local LCS. Even six people make that store feel cramped. However, if were the case that FCBD is more about maintaining long-term relationships... then surely there would be a variant cover? You know, for all the investors in the crowd ! Aww mess, found one (Civil War II Greg Land variant). Also, I seem to recall that we were in line behind a single father with his son who was also excited about the prospect of free comics. The father himself was a fan and could speak at length about topics such as the Netflix series and Marvel / DC movies. Surely, he is fostering comic book love amongst his son, no? TL: True, and on sites such as io9 teachers have also spoken of using FCBD to their advantage to restock their classrooms thereby cultivating a new generation of readers. Om: Interesting, I also feel that FCBD is about celebrating the diversity of the medium, since I have collected independent books for so long. And I am still hunting the 2004 Slave Labor FCBD book with the Milk & Cheese cover. So, it’s clear in our exchange that FCBD is not just about comics or the LCS. It may well be about something else. Perhaps something better or more annoying? TL: I agree that this year’s offering was a buffet of new and indie titles with Marvel and DC graciously stepping aside. There was a ton of a variety, so much so, one had to hit multiple stores to get the full array. Om: The Big 2 gracious stepping aside!? Some have criticized DC for its lackluster participation… I mean, a 5-year old reprint of (New52) Suicide Squad #1, a kid-friendly DC SuperHero Girls and that’s it! While Marvel put forth two books- Avengers / Civil War II and Captain America. This seemed a far cry from the 2015 offerings related to Divergence (1st Grail or origin Grail, still not sure) and Secret Wars. TL: If comics are to survive as a medium, it has to be more than DC and Marvel. Probably the Big 2 are too obsessed with their transmedia properties, but this is a good thing for other imprints such as IDW, Boom!, Titan, and Black Mask. Many missed SS #1 and this is their chance to pick it up. In this way, FCBD is a success. Om: True dat. I was one who was interested in SS1 even though I recognized it as a reprint. That book will occupy our bathroom for some time (and knowing you, you will read it well before me). I mean, as an indie guy, I was buoyed by all the diversity of independent offerings, with the two biggest on my want list being Kondasha Attack on Titan and Black Mask (Young Terrorists / We Can Never Go Home). Our LCS does not stock Black Mask books, so this is my first exposure. Although, truthfully that DC Superhero Girls book looked pretty sweet, what with the animated series, books, website. . . TL: [interrupts] I am obsessed with Assassin’s Creed, as you know, and I really wanted the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (CBLDF) book. Because FCBD should remind us again of the importance and necessity of the CBLDF. However, to slightly redirect the conversation, I don’t dig the attitudes of some of our LCS' acting like FCBD was a huge burden. This should be a great day for them. Om: Yes… good point. In our own rounds today, we saw 2 of 3 stores treat it as a burden and one embrace it fully. Moreover, this debate as to why FCBD, after 15yrs, has become a burden, is in part what inspired this conversation. We, as in you and I, fully recognize that FCBD is not free… but a burden? Horsesheeit. TL: I dress in costume to get the maximum numbers of comics, no lie. Does this mean I have to spend above and beyond what I’m already spending on a weekly basis in order to justify three free comics? I don’t think so. Om: Hell no (interrupts)! This is the SAME LCS that used to charge me $0.50 if I use a debit card on purchase less than $20 (now doesn’t even accept debits cards on purchases of less than $10). To come back to your point about whom the LCS caters to… these stores deal with addicts (ala boardie RMA)! In many cases they do not have to offer customer service, or a pleasant experience, because if we want our drug (and the smell of that sweet, sweet new pulp), we HAVE TO go through them. TL: I’ve read on various message boards about LCS’ that only allow subscription patrons to have free comics and other limiting mechanisms that seem to defy the spirit of FCBD and to send the message that new readers are not necessarily welcome. This reinforces stereotypes of comic book guys and hostile nerds. I think embracing FCBD can only benefit a LCS; however, in the case of our immediate LCS there simply is not room for more than 6 people in the store at a time for browsing. No amount of discount is going to entice someone to hang around. Om: So that brings us full circle… WTF is the point of FCBD? Is it about the comics? Is it about driving attendance (and therefore $$) to the stores? Or is it about something more? TL: I think it’s about offering indies and esoteric comics a venue that they don’t normally get and you never know, you might catch a reader or two at each location that way. Om: Interesting. For me, it is definitely about the diversity of the medium, but is also about other things- literacy, the social aspect, time with friends, comics as teaching tools, and freebies! Why can I not just a get a free comic!? I pay my way 365, (new)52, . . . I mean sheeit. TL: And a chance to wear my Rouge/Gambit leggings. Om: Yes, exactly! Or my Spawn shirt. How much fun was it to kill 25-30min in line with a few fellow comic book nerds? I mean girl, no offense, but you were holding court! TL: Only because I read a lot more geek lit / obsessive movie/tv/video game literature than you. Om: Yeah yeah yeah.. and that and a $2 bill will get you a nice cup of coffee at Collectivo … oh, and natch, a starring role in this journal. TL: Don’t forget about the sheer variety of great comics that you might overlook or not take a chance on if you have to pay $2.99-$3.99 on the shelf. Om: And if you see a little sprog in the store grubbing on some comics, throw him a lil hipcheck from me. TL: Seriously.

My Homegrown Hardcovers, home at long last THURS has been a rest day for me, after the long haul of working / teaching 10 hours on WED. Tonight I pick up another night class and the cycle begins anew. The lady has been busy too, while most of her colleagues are in the midst of finals, the quarter system has her tethered to her courses for another 4 weeks. However, as you no doubt read, the announcement of the Wizard World cruise raised her hackles and she had a blast research and writing that piece. In addition, the concept of peak geek has been floating around the apartment for more than a week. Finally, Liverpool is playing in the Europa League again today and we are definitely going to be watching. TUES we had some tickets to the Brewers v Angels at Miller Park (an add-on from my donation to 88Nine Radio Milwaukee). We walked down to a local pub that does a free shuttle to the game, hopped the shuttle, and enjoyed the game over more than a few pints. We both grew up in baseball families, even if we ourselves fell out during the Steroid Era, so we had a blast keeping score and reminiscing. The lady keeps score so accurately, even to the point of marking balls, strikes, and the placement of hits. After hopping the shuttle and stumbling home (quick pitstop at the Dogg Haus), I was happy to find that my bound comics arrived from Herring & Robinson bookbinders! This particular project has been brewing for over 7 years. I collected the necessary comix to bind a run of Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers and Zap Comix when we were living in Louisiana. The Freak Brothers run was purchased directly from Rip Off Press, all reprints $4.95 cover prices (set was ~$59 or so). The Zaps were a little harder to acquire and some are modern reprints, some under copies. The lady too was set to bind her run of The Dreaming and Books of Magic. And so we sent off a whole short box straight to the leading comic binder at the time… the Library Binding Company in Waco, TX, c. late 2009. Right before they went freaking bankrupt and closed up shop. Damn. I chalked up the whole box as lost. Then we moved from an apartment by UWM’s campus to our current apartment, and the project was long forgotten. Until one day, some 1+ years later, a short box of comics miraculously arrived at the door. I honestly do not know HOW that box found us again… likely returned to our former address and then to our new home. We just looked at each other and laughed. Even typing this out and working through the details with the lady, the timeline still seems so improbable. It was almost 2 years! I took the box and put it into my storage unit. Until I saw Gatchaman's thread on comics binding, thought back to that box, and made it a serious goal for 2016. Overall, I am pleased with the results… ALL told I have a fair amount of change tied up in the project- the cost of the source material, shipping to the bindery ($13), and the binding (~$33/each shipped). This is more expensive than the Freak Brothers Omnibus ($35; which I own). However, my collected Zap Comix volumes is FAR cheaper than The Complete Zap Comix ($500; I do not own). And, I have some wonderful volumes to enjoy going forward; all dressed up for the bookshelf.

The Lady Speaks. . . Diving Deep into the Wizard Cruise Ever since I heard about the Wizard Cruise (“Hey y’all Norman Reedus will be there because he’s at every con ever because the rumor is that he likes free booze and young women!”) I’ve been wondering a few things. ’Sup baby!? *bikinis explode* The first is: who is this cruise marketed for? The cons I’ve attended, including various Wizard World ones (St. Louis ’13, Chicago ’10-’15, Madison ’14 & ’15) and a slew of local ones (Mighty Con for the win!) seem to skew younger. I’m talking college age and younger, younger. Middle aged folks such as myself and older are not the majority of attendees. The majority of vendors, yes. So who exactly is this cruise aimed at? The following information comes from http://www.wizardworldcruise.com/ Tickets went on sale April 20th. Norman Reedus and Chris Hemsworth are headlining. (Side note. I am a hot-blooded woman and the thought of Chris Hemsworth on a cruise is indeed enticing). It’s a four day cruise with three days of events running December 2-5th, 2016. The cruise departs from Miami and goes to Nassau, Bahamas. The prices start at $749 for a double occupancy inside room with no view and peak at $2,759 for a single occupancy balcony room. All prices are per person. Included in your ticket: • All onboard meals during the cruise in the onboard dining rooms and buffet (Specialty dining will be available for purchase) • A beverage package that includes designated spirits, cocktails, bottled beer, draft beer, and wines by the glass and unlimited fountain soda and juices at all bars • Access to all Wizard World cruise events over 3 days (Dec2-5, 2016) • (1) Commemorative cruise ConBox per person • The following photo ops included in your reservation: o (1) Cabin Photo Op with Chris Hemsworth & your cabinmates ($175 Value) o (1) Cabin Photo Op with Norman Reedus & your cabinmates ($105 Value) o At least (1) Cabin Photo op with another celebrity of your choice & your cabinmates To get the best seating for the guests, you have to pay up. Balcony and suite bookings are guaranteed seats in the first 10 rows (this information is buried at the bottom of the FAQ). Obviously transportation to and from Miami, ground transportation to and from the cruise terminal, all taxes, extra photos/autographs, and any other things such as spas and gambling are not included in the price. The ship is the Norwegian Sky. It has a maximum capacity of 2,004 guests. That is much smaller than even a regional con so I can see the appeal if you’re a big fan of one of the appearing stars. Still. . . How many college kids/recent grads do you know who could afford this? The Jam Cruise http://jamcruise.com/ is the only other thing I can think of that’s comparable. It goes from Miami to Grand Cayman with a stop at Ocho Rios, Jamaica and runs January 20-25, 2017. A double on this cruise starts at $1,199 (interior decks) and maxes at $4,999 for a garden villa (you must have 6 people for this one). A double balcony room is $1,999. Again, all prices are per person. The higher cost is probably due to the extra day at sea. Jam Cruise floats on the Norwegian Pearl. Its maximum occupancy is 2,394. The point of Jam Cruise is to enjoy music. In this way it absolutely delivers. The Jam Cruise 2015 lineup boasted 41 bands and included acts such as The Original Meters, Galactic, The Soul Rebel’s, JoJo’s Mardi Gras Band (keyboardist for Widespread Panic), and Moe. The music happened on days at sea and at night freeing people up to enjoy the island stops. Bear with me because this information will be important down the page. A 2012 article from the New York Times claims that the average age of a Rock Cruise (which Jam Cruise is considered) attendee is 35 and the average age of a non-specialty cruise attendee is 48. I’m guessing that in the past 4 years that age has gone up slightly. A 2014 article on Comic Beats drawn from a survey of 2,600+ con/fandom attendees shows that 50% of all con attendees are under the age of 30. Based on what I’ve seen in the past few years, I would posit that number has skewed even younger recently. Con consumers’ annual income is overwhelmingly under $35,000 a year. As a matter of fact, 47% of comic con attendees earn less than $35,000 a year. Only 13% of con attendees make $91,000+ a year. So cons attract younger patrons with smaller budgets. Con goers on average attend two live events a year. From the same Comic Beats article, I learned that convention attendees identified, on average, three or more genres they were interested in with science fiction/fantasy being the #1 draw. #2 was video games and #3 was movies/television. Comics/graphic novels came in at #4 with #5 anime close on its heels. Rounding out the list in order were tabletop gaming, webcomics, horror, and specialty. One could argue that there is massive overlap between the genres. And finally, 70% of respondents go to cons to buy stuff. I know that’s why I go! Over 50% of con goers spend between $100-$500 dollars. Personally, I find the dollar range problematic. What if 75% of the 50% spend less than $200? The way the data is presented seems inaccurate and possibly misleading. So again I ask... who is this Wizard World Cruise aimed at? Cruises in general have a much older demographic than the average con goer. The average con goer MAKES less money (due in part to being younger and newer to the job market, to be sure) and SPENDS less money at a con than the cheapest entry point for the Wizard Cruise ($749). And Wizard Cruise’s lineup is fairly weak. Outside of Hemsworth (appearing Saturday only) and Reedus (Friday and Saturday) the big names are Barry Bostwick (Brad from Rocky Horror Picture Show), Joel Hodgson (MST3K), Ernie Hudson (Ghostbusters), and some professional cosplayers. And finally, most con attendees go specifically to buy stuff. The Wizard Cruise will not have dealers or vendors in a typical con sense. There are excursion packages, photo ops, and I’m sure the standard cruise ship gem shopping. BUT THERE WILL NOT BE VENDORS. What is Wizard thinking? I guess if they’re trying to capitalize on the upper range of con visitors both in age and economic bracket, this could pay off. But if they’re trying to build their brand with the heart of the con scene, the under 30 set, this could be a monumental flop. Where Jam Cruise is more expensive, it offers what people are going for—massive amounts of music. Wizard cannot offer massive amounts of con experience on a cruise ship because they’re partnering with a cruise ship company that wants to make money off its own vendors and excursions. In essence, you’re paying a premium for a cruise that normally would start at $349 per person (according to Norwegian’s website) because you’re guaranteed a photo with Hemsworth and Reedus (a $180 value). Even adding in the Con Box amount ($39.99) you’re nowhere near the $749 low-end price tag. And as Om just pointed out, Hemsworth is there on Saturday, the one killer port day in the Bahamas. So instead of going out and seeing the island, you’re sitting on the boat waiting for him. In the end, this is just a normal cruise with a thin Wizard overlay.

The Lady Speaks. . . Peak Geek? This is just some rumination about whether we’ve hit what Forbes dubbed “Peak Geek” and what this might mean for superhero movies and geek culture. As usual, it’s part of a larger work between Om and myself. Shortly after Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice hit theatres a meme titled “Sad Ben Afleck " made its way around social media. I saw it first on io9. In this 1:09 long video one watches as Affleck and co-star Henry Caville are asked questions about the negative critical response to DoJ. As Caville gamely performs the pole dance and answers the question, the camera focuses on Affleck who sits with his head tilted down, eyes cast into the distance, a tight frown on his face, and an overall grim countenance. Someone added “The Sound of Silence” by Simon and Garfunkel completing the air of sadness that gives rise to the title. “Sad Ben Affleck” has become a watershed moment in the world of movies and geek culture. The meme debuted around March 25th or so. In the weeks since then many articles have been published that are asking the question if we’ve hit the pinnacle of the superhero boom. Everyone from Kill Screen to Slate has opined that we are, indeed, seeing fatigue set in. Om said back in January 2016 that he thought Deadpool would be the tipping point and that superhero saturation would be reached. In order to back that assertion up I want to offer some hard numbers. According to Den of Geek, Marvel and DC are both slated to release 9 superhero movies a piece between 2017-2020. IMDB lists that Marvel and DC released 23 superhero movies in the years 2000-2012 and another 11 between 2012 and 2015. Wikipedia (and just looking at theatre adverts) tells us that there will be 6 superhero movies this year from the two (Deadpool, Bats v Supes have already come out, Civil War will be out next week leaving Suicide Squad, X-Men: Apocalypse, and Doctor Strange to finish out the year). That’s 58 superhero movies in 20 years. These numbers also don’t reflect indie comic book superheroes (Kick , Super, Sucker Punch) nor do they reflect animated offerings or television shows. I would also like to take this time to give a shout-out to Blade. Released in 1998 it technically falls outside the super hero boom and yet it is arguably Marvel’s first successful comic book film. It remains one of my favorites to this day. As a geek this is a great time to be alive. For the first time in my comic book/popular culture consuming life, I can wear my geek with abandon. Almost everyone now admits to having a geek and conversations flow like honeyed wine. Super hero shirts, hats, backpacks, hoodies, shoes, etc., can be found on everyone from the jockiest jock to the nerdiest nerd. These are halcyon days, people. So of course it’s natural that there would be a moment when the fatigue would set in. The movies are still making major bank at the box office (especially overseas) and the actors seem to enjoy making them (the young X-Men cast aside, although even they’ve come around to the fact that the steady paychecks shouldn’t be dismissed out of hand). Was Bats v Supes a bad movie? No. Six years ago we probably would have been raving about it. But we’ve been spoiled. Snyder gave us a Watchmen that proved that paranoia and violence could be beautiful. Marvel has offered us a template (which they use again and again) for fun superhero movies from the Tobey MacGuire Spiderman movies to the current Avengers. The Winter Soldier demonstrated a dark super hero movie could still have a spark and a sense of humor while building real characters. DC with Christopher Nolan proved to us that super heroes can be serious and tackle real issues found in our world while staying true to source material. Deadpool proved you could get an R rating and still be a hell of a lot fun and do it in under 2 hours. I haven’t even mentioned the surprise successes of Guardians and Ant-Man. What I’m saying is that Bats v Supes had to offer us something new, fresh in order to be considered great and it didn’t. I know the buzz on Civil War is hot right now, but I have a feeling it’s going to feel like more of the same. That’s not to say it will be bad or even disappointing, just that we’ll have seen it already. I hope I’m wrong. What does this have to do with “Peak Geek?” Excellent question. For months now we’ve been hearing that Wizard World is running in the red. The first article saying this came out in August of 2015. An article on NewsARama.com titled “Wizard World Announces $1.8 Million Loss for Q2 2015” posted August 27, 2015. This appears to have been just a precursor to a more recent April 18, 2016 article on ICV2 article that declares “Wizard World Loses $4.3 Million in 2015.” That same article points out that in 2014 Wizard posted a nearly $1 million profit. What is causing such a drastic fall in revenue? I can speculate on a few things just based on my attendance at comic cons throughout the past few years. The first is the demand for big name talent. A Forbes article from April 28, 2016 points out that Wizard World will be spending $1.5 million at Wizard World Philadelphia to bring in names such as Evans, Hemsworth, Hiddleston, and Stan. I truly think that’s the most impressive headlining group I’ve see. Yes, David Tennant in Madison was awesome, but I don’t think these Marvel guys have done a con outside of SDCC as a group. Wizard thinks they’ll recoup that money via VIP packages, and maybe they’re right. Maybe they’re not. The second issue is the rapid expansion. In 2014, they had 16 cons and repeated 12 of those in 2015. Wizard World had 22 shows in 2015, 9 of them in new venues (Wizard World, 2014). In 2016, Wizard World is planning at least the same number and have added a cruise in December. Wizard is hosting conventions in cities such as New Orleans, Portland, Madison, and Tulsa. Their flagship shows remain Chicago and Philadelphia, however. Additionally, Wizard is launching a gaming competition arm. It kicked off in Portland in February and runs concurrently in many of the cities. That isn’t exactly a cheap endeavor. According to Forbes, other players in the field such as ReedPop, Left Field Media, and Informa’s Fan Expo are also expanding aggressively (they don’t’ release financials so there’s no way of knowing if they’re succeeding where Wizard is struggling; though Om noted some promoters are Society members). Not every town embraces the con nor does it have the disposable income to support a con. On the floor at Madison in April, I heard that St. Louis was terrible in 2016 after having been awesome in 2015. At Mighty Con in the summer, people who traveled to Wizard World New Orleans were discussing what a disappointing convention it was. Obviously, there’s always going to be some ebb and flow but you also have to know your audience. I can clearly see why NOLA (a city I love, love, love) might not be the best for a comic con. Loot Crate and other monthly box subscriptions reduce the need to go to a con to find your non-comic collectibles. You can choose which boxes you want based on your interest and the prices range from $12.50 a month ( https://1upbox.com/ ) to $49 a month ( https://www.superherostuff.com/ ), or about the cost of a convention ticket. Now comic books are getting in on the box craze with companies such as http://www.comicboxer.com/ offering 5-7 comics per month for $20. They promise variants, #1 issues, and new releases. Wizard World too has its own exclusive box of comic-related paraphernalia for $30 (http://www.comicboxer.com/ ). There’s also no travel involved as the items come directly to you. Most of the boxes offer some sort of “rare” collectible. LootCrate claims to have over 400,000 subscribers. I’m guessing they have the largest subscribing body and I couldn’t dig up numbers for any of the others. There have been rumblings (unsubstantiated for the most part) that cosplayers are having an adverse effect on the con scene. Those who are aiming to be professional cosplayers show up, don’t have booths, don’t spend any money at the con, all the while gathering fans and distracting people from areas such as Artists Alley (or comic dealers). It’s true that even in the four or five years I’ve been attending cons regularly there has been a definite upswing in the number of cosplayers who are there just to be “seen.” Social media reflects this, too. Also, the launch of ConTV was a flop. Not surprising since outside of SDCC, even the average pop culture consumer doesn’t care about cons. Only the hardcore do and they’re probably already in attendance. Marvel, DC, and other studies are hosting their own separate announcing events a la Apple and E3. If Marvel isn’t going to be there to announce Phase 3 and offer up previews, people may not want to pay to go. I realize that affects SDCC more than Wizard, but if the grandfather of them all begins to suffer, then we’ll know we’ve hit “Peak Geek.” I don’t know what will replace superheroes. I figure Star Wars will see a renaissance and I think science fiction properties will remain popular. I do know what life was like before Geek Chic and geek acceptance. Despite the “Fake Geek Girl " and other sexist/homophobic tropes that have popped up in the geek community, the past two decades have been really nice. We’ve seen comic books expand their vision beyond white male superheroes, we’ve seen risks taken on screen with casting, we’ve rediscovered characters we’ve forgotten about, we’ve fallen in love with characters we never thought we would, and we’ve feasted on a high end Vegas buffet of transmedia. In many many ways, I don’t think the superhero trend is going to go away entirely. However, it may just be a little bit dimmer . . . “Because a vision softly creeping/ Left its seeds while I was sleeping/ And the vision that was planted in my brain/ Still remains/ Within the sound of silence.”

A first pass at KonMari… So the past two weekends have been a grading grind (for me) of epic proportions, easily putting in 9 hours at the computer on FRI-SUN. As I posted on my Facebook, I would complain except the lady does this all the time; she is a pro. My point is that upon discovering the “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up” by Marie Kondo, I was ready to start. However, I could not. And so I read, took notes, and waited; I wanted to do this right. So MON was the day that I tackled my clothes. I posted before that it is important to progress through the KonMari method in a particular order. And one starts with clothes for a variety of reasons, but mainly because they are largely utilitarian in nature and we are often used to cleaning out closets cyclically and storing seasonal clothing. I know I am proud of my closet. It is not HGTV ready, all decked out with organizational hardware… but it IS functional, somewhat organized, all clothes in one place, AND I can close my closet when company is over (hehe the lady cannot do that). However, I am a sentimental clothes horse. I have some items of clothing from high school still- e.g. my letter jacket, one sweatshirt (since age 16), one T from 1994 (a package liquor store I worked at briefly while bumping around junior college), etc. I also collect clothing to some degree. If I find a piece that is ‘just butter’ I might buy an extra and store it away so that I have a replacement when I wear one out (you know, ‘someday’). I also used to have this weird thing about how I wouldn’t wear a concert T-shirt for a period of time, say 3-5 years. It ‘needed to marinate some’ before I would pull it out and put it into the rotation. Small little weird habits created over time, and my point is that I thought clothing might be a little harder for me to purge than what is on the surface. So MON at 630am, I began… first my doing all my laundry at a local Laundromat to make sure everything was clean. Then I purchased some 30gal trash bags for the cull. Finally, I ventured into the second bedroom and began pulling everything out of my closet onto the floor, including all seasonal storage. I chose a little light IDM music on Google with no lyrics (a curated list I sometimes use for grading), opened the windows to let the sunshine and fresh air in, and went to work. At first, it was easy. There are lots of items that I held onto because of guilt over the money spent, or a it was a gift, or I thought I might someday squeeze back into. There are lots of reasons that we keep clothing that no longer brings us joy. After a while, I was humming…and the discards were piling up. However, then something happened… I discovered a cache of one of my ‘clothing collectibles,’ my collection of other people’s work shirts- Brian from Fleet Farm, Conrad from a sheet metal company, Howie’s vintage Pabst wear, or Stan’s PBR- and a few of my own- a nice Great Northern Brewery work shirt, and even more that I have picked from thrift shops. Many of them are a ‘someday’ project. It was in this moment that I started to stray from the path… I was suddenly thinking how I was going to store these, where I would put them, and my mind was wandering, unfocused. And then I looked it my growing pile of ‘keeps’ and I was wondering if I really was making good progress? Doubt was creeping in. However, I refocused and dealt with the task at hand- discard first, then store. In the end, I accomplished the following: • Discarded four 30-gallon trash bags to Goodwill. I made a list for tax purposes. • I allowed the lady to take 5 of my geek shirts for a T-shirt quilt project she is putting together (partially inspired by my incessant talking about the book). I mailed those shirts off THURS. • Eliminated nearly all of my seasonal storage, with the exception of one Rubbermaid bin for my hunting gear (use maybe once every 3 years). • Stored everything easily, indeed I now have room to store 2 short boxes in my closet should I choose. • Addressed 3 ‘someday’ projects- including leather cleaning and repairing a fave old jacket, mending a fave sport coat that still has life, and fixing / cleaning a suit. Next up… the books (once I get out from under these classes).

The KonMari method- The art of downsizing flipped on its head OK, so in the midst of a recent busy period, I found Marie Kondo’s “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up.” As a sporadic reader of non-funny books, and a constant reader for work, a book has to speak to me for me to pick it up. And this one did. So while I was awaiting the lady’s procurement of said tome, I embarked on a little research ahead of my reading (currently underway). The basic premise is this… you take EVERYthing you own in a particular category, pile it on the floor, handle each item in turn and ask yourself “does this spark joy?” If the item does not (or you hesitate or the feeling is one of quieter sentiment), then you discard it; if it does create a visceral spark, then you keep it. If one keeps at it diligently, eventually one can purge down to only those items that inspire joy (after Summers, 2015; “8 lessons our editor learned from the…”). No music, no movie, no distractions from your internal dialog… just you picking up each item and asking “Does this spark joy?” and “If I keep it, will it bring me joy?” When done mindfully, it forces your intellect to fight you at every step. And eventually, if you practice this often enough, it becomes easier and easier. The KonMari method is a metaphor for discernment that is obscured by capitalism (Brockes, 2016; “Tidying up guru Marie Kondo…”). In my research of mommy-blogs and or magazine editors trying the process, I noted how easy it seemed, how it was effective, and (eventually) how most everyone attempting the KonMari method did not follow it, rather picking and choosing parts of it to apply. I was also struck by a nice article in the Atlantic by Lam (2015) titled “The economics of tiding up,” which makes connections between aspects of the method and behavioral economics. There are plenty of ‘rules’ for the method, which I will loosely outline here: 1. Tackle categories and not rooms or locations. This is because we store the same things in different places. It is important to tackle everything in a category before moving on. 2. Proceed in a particular order. Start with clothes > books > papers > miscellany > personal mementos. This gives one a chance to hone decision-making skills before the more sentimental items. Also, Kondo (2015) offers advice for using subcategories too. 3. Respect your belongings. There is a fair amount of anthropomorphism of objects in the book (and indeed in Japanese culture). Many get hung up on this point, e.g. jokes about thanking clothes for their service or their lesson, or even considering the ‘feelings’ of one’s socks all balled-up tight during their only rest period. For example, not all clothes come to you to be worn threadbare. Some merely give you a joy-spark upon purchase and others teach you a lesson about the type of item that does not give you joy. Thank the item for its particular service and move on. 4. Nostalgia is not your friend; “someday” never comes; and you really will not miss it. Stick to the category at hand and be honest… does this object bring you joy? Ultimately, purging feels good. As such, it is unfair to subject other family members to KonMari (Chapin, 2015), as this increases sentimentality and distracts from hearing one’s own cognitive biases. 5. Discard first, then store your belongings. If one does not, one runs the risk of storing items that should realistically be discarded. Ideally, you should discard without input from family and do so in a way that they do not see, as it is inconsiderate to expose others to one’s trash. There are probably a few more, but that gives you an idea of the basics. However, you no doubt see the main point… that throwing things out and putting one’s belongings in the right place involves jumping through psychological hoops. As Kondo (2015) notes, putting your belongings in order involves putting your affairs and past in order too. Tidying up means confronting oneself (after Malle, 2016). This is certainly true for me and my comic books. __________________________________________ "No matter how wonderful things used to be, we cannot live in the past. The joy and excitement we feel here and now are most important" (Kondo, 2015) . __________________________________________ So the method is designed to help one overcome anxiety-induced limits of human decision making (Lam, 2015). The argument, then, becomes one of behavioral economics- clutter is a product of people’s cognitive blunders. And, as Lam (2015) notes the KonMari method has many parallels with aspects of behavioral economics, including addressing: Sunk cost fallacy- that payments in both time and money have already been accrued and cannot be recovered. This leads us to ignore the joy or utility of an item. Opportunity cost- the mental and psychological toll of keeping an unused item is greater than throwing it out. Status quo bias- Most stuff stays because we cannot think of a good reason to get rid of it (anchoring). The KonMari method flips the status quo- everything will be thrown away unless one can think of a compelling reason to keep it (joy). Diminished returns- The more you have of something, the less valuable each successive item is. For example, I have some 20 geek T-shirts and more than a few I completely forgot I owned. The folly of prediction- Generally this means that people make poor decisions about the future and instead focus on the present. Often it is those optimistic “someday” predictions about the future that keep people from purging. And according to Kondo (2015) someday never comes. Loss aversion- Losing something it twice as painful as gaining the same object. People ascribe a much higher value to things they own; things seem valuable just because they belong to us. At the end of all of it (Kondo recommends working through your entire space within 6 months at the longest), one will be unencumbered by items with baggage- unwanted gifts, clothes that do not fit, or anxieties about the future- surrounded only by things that provide clarity (Associated Press, 2014).

What up, Journals!? It has been busy up in Milwaukee, and I am just popping in to do a little free-writing. The last two weeks have been busy BUSY with the lady mired in the final quarter at the engineering college and me teaching 3 (2 online). The last two weekends were grading weekends, with no fewer than 9 hours grading per day SAT-SUN; grinding at the computer and ain't no lie. I was also volunteering for 88Nine Radio Milwaukee during the Spring fund drive, something I do a few times a year. Check us online at: http://radiomilwaukee.org/ (commercial free, new music, local, community stories & more). I volunteer fundraising during the early mornings (7-10am) and have since 2010. Too much fun, so many positive people making a positive impact on the community; it is just so uplifting. And cute girls too. D*mn (sorry, dahling... know you lurk). If I am honest, it is a feeling that I do not get from work. I often think about the things in my life I would do for free- naturalist, disc golf, help out at the corner spot, work a comic con (e.g. 2007 SDCC when I worked for Mile High Comics), & volunteer for 88.9. So, I put in about 15hrs over 6 mornings the last 2 weeks. The lady sacrificed her part too, commuting on the bus while I had the car (props). So. ANYways… it was during my volunteering that I discovered the following on recommendation from one of those left ‘o dial suicide girls (image coming once Photobucket chillz): Uhhh… Yup. I am a Konvert *choke* convert. Of “kondo-marie-ing” as the lady pokes fun. Or the #konmari method . Because, well, you know… “Lost in collecting” is where 2015 mommy-blogs collide with comic books. Sadly, more to come…

A little free-writing at halftime of Liverpool v Bournemouth match. I should be walking or posting in my online courses (currently have 3, including two large online). I still have some 10+ hours of grading staring me down today. But I want to write a little bit while I watch the game. Last Week’s Wednesday One- Black Panther #1- Last week I pulled Black Panther #1 (sold out at Collector’s Edge) as a future gift for the chef, along with Poe Dameron and the latest Star Wars. I missed Assassin’s Creed #7? for the lady and so I threw it in my pull box until I can get back to the store. I messed around, cleaned and had a nice morning with the lady SAT, worked a solid 9 hours on grading. I popped my head up around 6pm to hit the corner store for a sandwich and then the comic store and it WAS CLOSED! Ahh *spoon* I forgot that they close at 5pm on SAT. And closed SUN & MON. And that means I missed out on this week’s pulls (oops). I have comics lying around everywhere… by the desk, stuff I’ve scanned, new readers in the bathroom (Spawn #26 and Lobo’s Comic Con Special from 1992 are current faves), Usagis that need to be filed, and more. My comic closet is not exactly overflowing, but I stuffed a bunch of stuff in there after Madison and I cannot step in there as I should. I have sold next to nothing in 2016, squatford, instead opting to expand my collection through my run-collecting Spawn and Usagi Yojimbo. I threw all that stuff in there because I had such a con hangover after WW Madison. It was a great con for us, one of the best all-around, a great combination of Type 1 (small free-spending budget) and Type 2 (panel) fun. The first WW St Louis was like that for us too, visiting friends, watching March madness college basketball, buying X-Men #1. I read in the WIZARD STOCK IN FREE FALL thread that there is no date for 2017 Madison… I wonder if that show was a money maker for Wizard? 2015 certainly had to be a money loser, but 2016 looked good. When I get a few extra moments in the coming weeks, I will pay attention to the financials and see what’s good. At any rate, Mighty Con is quickly becoming a more comics oriented Wizard-lite, so Milwaukee looks covered for years to come. And I for one am ready to buy more. Part of me woke up this morning thinking… comic show? Pick? Fun!?

Thanks hombre! I was hoping the con report might draw you out. I am totally throwing the ANY and ALL B i tch Planet #1s into the spec box to marinate for 10yrs or so... that will be a good book one day. Lots of young women entering the hobby right now and that book is 'around the way' at about 39k pre-sales in Dec. 2014. What are you thinking on that book? Buy & hold or are you planning a flip? I honestly wasn't too interested in the preview Spawns before this show. I received an education from one guy (I couldn't close) and sorta paid for an education from another. Malibu Sun 13 is the much better of the two, as well IMHO. That be said, Rust #1 Bronze foil in NM+ may just be on my pick list for a while. We'll see. I bought a copy #'d in the 7k and left one #d 10k. 15k copies? More? Likely about 11k based on research. It is available, I am thinking. There is also a NM+ MS13 available locally that is priced competitively (but still strong) and that book will be on my long-term want list.

Well the lady’s write up is pretty extensive, so I am gonna punk out and scan some comics and talk a little about picking comics at WW Madison. Basically, we had free weekend passes and one night on Expedia points... so beyond gas, a little for the hotel, and $7 parking per day we had about $250 to pick (each). Madison-2016_N14A9948 by Wizard World, on Flickr Last year I struggled to spend $100, but there was one dealer with some interesting underground art priced out of my range. He was not there this year. Neither were other Madison people that I met at Mighty Con. This year there was about 8 dealers specializing in comics and perhaps a few more fringe booths. Absolutely no mega key books in the room… no Avengers 1 or up. Not an ASM1, not an X-Men 1. No sir. This was a con for secondary and tertiary keys and run collectors. Six dealers were pretty decent and I spread my money out between them in $10-30 purchases. A few dealers were the same dealers I can pick for $2 at the bowling alley (banded together to defer the costs of a booth). We arrived about 430pm FRI night to score our weekend passes (as presenters). I tried to shop for undergrounds and other independents on FRI night, making sure to touch base with each booth that had comic books. FRI night was a great night to shop, less pressure, more choice. For example, the lady scored a hand-crocheted R2D2 hat for $25 that would not have made it past SAT. I picked some Spawns and Usagi’s that night and again on SAT. Our plan SAT was to shop early and then crash in the hotel until about 4pm ish… coming back to prep and deliver our panel. The plan worked perfectly with us bypassing a thousand people with our wrist-bands! Booyah. So SAT morning I went right away to the hard $1-4 box grinding I was too lazy to do FRI night. Madison-2016_RI3A9558 by Wizard World, on Flickr I have issues… Madison-2016_N14A9763 by Wizard World, on Flickr All told, I found Spawn 1 ($10), 229, 238, 240, 242, 243 and bought a NM+ copy of Rust #1 bronze foil (1pg. Spawn preview; $30). I bought Usagi Yojimbo summer special 1, vol1 17, 22, 24, 35, & 38. I also scored vol2 Mirage issues of 7, 8, & 11. The last issue of Vol 1- Fantagraphics. I found my first two copies within the last few weeks. The last Zato Ino story. This dark blue and black Lone Goat & Kid cover is usually a little tougher in grade. A nice image. A komori (bat) ninja cover, this one was needed for the run. This photo-realistic dark cover will be another tough one for hygraders. The scuffing is on the bag… I have a tough time passing these books up for $3-4. I was sporting my airbrushed Spawn T every time I could, and from one dealer I really received an education about the Spawn preview books- Rust #1 and Malibu Sun #13. He had 5 copies of Malibu Sun from VF to NM+ ($150-400) and showed me one… WOW that book ‘got a whole lot o Spawn.’ The back cover image is dated 1991 and there is text in there about the book. Supposedly (according to him), Rust #1 predates MS13 by 3 months, but it only has the 1-page black and white preview, the image that would become #2’s cover (he showed me). I negotiated for his 2nd best copy for $140 cash (all I had on me) and then he hit me with the prices. I quick looked up some results (GPAnalysis) and it was hard to argue and so I thanked him profusely for letting me look and retreated. The exchange left me more interested in Malibu Sun #13 than in the past and I am adding that book to my long-term want list. It's the 1990s all over again at regional cons across America Mostly for runs books I was paying $3ish per issue, negotiating in small stacks for a few bucks off. I also bought some dollar readers for the lady and The Massive #4 TPB from Graham Cracker comics ($21). I am only about 11 issues from Spawn 1-200 (some 35 or so to be current); and 3 issues from Usagi 1-38 (and probably another 25 or so total). I picked a few spec books… B * tch Planet #1 (Kelly Sue Deconnick; $4) and Outliers #1 that Kickstarter book that I have been finding in long boxes (this time $4). Again, usually negotiating a small amount off the sticker prices. I paid up for the Rust #1 special because I spoke with Bill from Geek Inc (the people behind Mighty Con) about my ‘newfound edumacation’ and we got even more in depth about the Rust special edition. For me, Rust 1 is just a preview, not a first appearance… but I liked talking to him and plucked the better of two copies for $30. FINALLY, I picked up a new graphic hat for everyday use (very dark Joker design; $23), two Spawn T-shirts ($48), and a Spidey wallet to REMIND ME of the purpose of this journal and for WHAT I am supposed to be saving ($15). One highlight was Maggie Thompson coming to our panel and putting us over the coals. It was a rite of passage and made the experience end on such a high SAT night. We chatted with her for another 15-20min until the show closed SAT! Her mind is still so young and she has lots of projects going on. Then the lady and I, as is our custom, dined at the local steakhouse Wonder Bar. The lady said it was her best con experience to date and on the whole it is hard to argue. Until next time, Om

The Lady Speaks. . . Wizard World Madison (Words by the lady; photos Wizard World Flikr; emphasis added) Flikr album: This was my first time spending more than one day at a con and I have to say that I loved it! This is probably my new favorite con because it actually does a great many things right and also because the attendance is nowhere near the numbers of Chicago. Although hearing 9,000 people showed up to David Tennant’s Q&A session really put things into perspective. Om and I were asked back to do our presentation on Wisconsin’s role in the Underground Comix/Publishing/Feminist Comix scene. Last year when we presented we were one of the first panels to go and we were opposite a Supernatural (television show) panel. Our crowd was quite large, the largest of any conference I’ve presented at. This year we were opposite David Tennant (and his legions of fans) and an MST3K/Rifftracks panel. While our numbers were down (22 when the dust settled, as Om likes to say) it was a great quality panel with lots of questions and a surprise attendance by Maggie Thompson (comic book historian, editor of the Comic Buyer’s Guide, Eisner Award winner). Maggie was gracious and she even apologized for her participation, which is just absurd. That is the exact interaction academics crave. It was a joy to speak with her after the panel, too. As is my habit, I’m going to do a bullet point list of my observations: • For me one of the winners was Wild Bill’s Old Fashioned Soda Pop Co. Here’s the deal, you buy a commemorative aluminum mug (they come in three sizes 20oz for $20 bucks and two styles that held 32oz at $25 and $30) and the day you buy it you get free refills all day long. You can pay an additional $5 to get the next day for free, too. The soda varieties were Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Root Beer, Diet Root Beer, Vanilla Soda, Black Cherry Soda, and Birch Beer. They were set up keg style on the side of the booth so you could just wander up and fill up as much as you wanted and bypass the line. If you wanted ice, however, you had to wait in line. But really the soda was cold enough without ice. Anyway, if you figure that the venue was charging $4.50 for plastic 16oz bottles of soda and water, you could see how the $20 mug was deal. By the middle of Saturday, I’d say easily half of the people on the floor were carrying these mugs. It was my first purchase of Saturday. • They had Cousin’s subs, a different sandwich/salad booth outside the vending area, and Tim’s Almost Famous BBQ serving food. This meant that you weren’t at the mercy of the venue food. There were also at least two ice cream vendors and one new brewery, Octopi Brewing that was selling beers (this is in addition to the venue’s alcohol sellers). I have a hard time imagining Wizard World Chicago allowing that much outside food into the con. • There was also a bulk chocolate seller and a roasted nut vendor. The smells of those nuts was enticing. I managed to resist both of these, however. I managed to find Tea and Absinthe and was able to purchase some English Caramel tea plus a couple of diffusers. • The seating/resting area was pitiful. It simply wasn’t large enough for the volume of people which meant people were recombobulating their stuff in the middle of aisles where room could be found. Or, they were rearranging in the bathrooms which aren’t that large to begin with, although larger than the ones at Chicago. • This con had the most variety of cosplayers that I’ve ever seen. Yes, Doctor Who was dominate but that makes sense given that Alex Kinston (River Song on Doctor Who) and David Tennant were both at this con. Besides a myriad of Doctors there were dozens of women dressed as the Tardis and a few Weeping Angels. • But beyond that there were Dr. Frankenfurters, several Mythbusters, Fry from Futurama, Anime characters, Halo, a squad of Hydra soldiers, one incredibly bad Doc Oc, several Reys (this made me happy to see), Stormtroopers, at least one Kylo Ren, a few Jawas, Assassin’s Creed characters, Homestuck cosplayers, Pokemon, Princess Bride and Dread Pirate Roberts, Fallout, Bioshock Infinite, Disney princesses, Inside Out characters, some Steampunk and some Steampunk variants of other characters, Supernatural cosplay (which I maintain is the easiest in the world), and at least one man was George R. R. Martin (unless of course it was actually him). • Firefly/Serenity was also very popular. This probably is due to the fact that Jewel Staith (Kaylee) was on site for the weekend. She also had a Q&A in the arena but I didn’t hear any numbers regarding attendees. I imagine it was well-attended. • There were several women cosplaying as R2-D2 (myself included) which mostly consists of the skater dress over leggings or the tank top with a skirt. In my case, it was the R2-D2 hoodie over R2-D2 leggings accompanied with an R2-D2 beanie and jewelry. • On the superhero cosplay side there were Deadpools, SpiderMan, Wonder Woman (and gender swapped variant), Wolverin (Hugh Jackman leather jacket variety), Rogue, Elektra, some lazy Captain Americas (hoodie and blue pants), She-Hulk, Hulk, Harley Quinn (naturally), and at least one Iron Man. If there were any Batman, Superman, or Jokers they simply didn’t register. Madison-2016_N14A9347 by Wizard World, on Flickr Madison-2016_RI3A9492 by Wizard World, on Flickr • Overall, the video game with the strongest presence was Fallout. AC has fallen off on the merchandising side. Of course Zelda remains prominent. • Supernatural’s fandom is still insanely popular. I know it’s entering its 13th season on the CW and the fandom shows no signs of letting up. Supernatural merch was everywhere plus the Impala was on display and there was an entire booth dedicated to Supernatural. • Game of Thrones is on the wane while parodies of it are still really popular. I myself picked up a t-shirt that is a Fallout/GoT crossover. It says “Nuclear Winter is Coming” in the GoT font but is in the Vault Boy design. • X-Men merchandise was more visible this year than last year in Madison or Chicago. This makes me happy. I found a classic X-Men lineup shirt to purchase on Friday. • Spawn shirts exist! After Om had to go and have one shirt custom made and order one from China, Spawn shirts were on sale at Madison. It was only one booth, but this is a good sign. • Wonder Woman has arrived! While her merch has always been present, you could tell that there was more of it and more variety of t-shirts and accessories. This was great to see. I picked up one Wonder Woman shirt. • Pop Funko Vinyls continue to dominate the toy scene, coming in second only to Lego. Arguably they are able to get first to market on trends and properties. Prices on the Funko’s continue to vary widely from vendor to vendor so I always suggest you check them all out once and make note of who is selling them for $10 versus the more common $12 or $15 price points. The last one of a figure will be priced much higher than its predecessors. I saw some that were asking $30 simply because it was the last of its figures (this is especially true for anything Nightmare Before Christmas and Doctor Who related). This go around I bought an Evie Frye (Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate). • BB-8 has arrived! So much BB-8 gear. Bags, wallets, belts, toys, art, clothing. The little droid is popular. It seems that his success has also rejuvenated R2-D2 gear (which makes me so very happy). • I managed to buy two R2-D2 wallets, two R2-D2 beanies, an R2-D2 baseball cap, a tank with hoodie (also picked up a Spidergwen version), a tank dress, a Christmas tree ornament, and a tote bag. Still the droid I'm looking for... Madison-2016_N14A9320 by Wizard World, on Flickr • Archer had a decent presence in T-Shirts and random accessories. Mostly just the snappier catch phrases “Just the tip,” and “You’re in the Danger Zone” being the two most prevalent. Meanwhile Futurama’s presence is holding steady with Bender continuing to be the most popular plushie. Madison-2016_N14A9312 by Wizard World, on Flickr Madison-2016_N14A9667 by Wizard World, on Flickr • Speaking of plushies, there was no Neko Atsume gear (which surprises me greatly) but there is a resurgence in Pusheen and Nyan Cat with Hello Kitty’s pop culture cache remaining steady. • A huge (probably close to a dozen dedicated) variety of jewelry sellers were present. Most were situated in Artists’ Alley and I wonder how that affects their sales. Usually the jewelry vendors tend to be one of three types: the link jewelry, bottle cap jewelry, and resin jewelry. This time those three were represented but there were a ton of epoxy pendants, charm bracelets, high end metal jewelry, and even some stone jewelry. The price point that was most successful was the $20 and those that went higher seemed to struggle a bit. • Jewelry wise, I ended up buying a Rebel Alliance pocket watch necklace and an Alice in Wonderland pocket watch necklace. • No journals. Very little leather working in general. Almost no Steampunk and what was there was not very high quality. My theory is twofold: one, Steampunk is played out and two, Steampunk gear is expensive to produce and in order to make money on it you either have to sell mass volumes or set the prices higher than the average con goer will pay. • This seems to also be a problem in Artists’ Alley. Really cool unique pieces are just too much money so the artists have to rely on volume to make their tables but buyers don’t want to buy something that 100+ other people are also buying. On Friday the artists were very grumpy in general and it wasn’t much fun to walk through. I should add with the exception of the Simpson’s artists who never seemed to be wanting for business. Between the aggressive “Look at my stuff!” and the maudlin “No one appreciates my stuff” it was a bit of a downer. Saturday was a little better, but I didn’t spend much time there. Usually I really dig Artists’ Alley. • In the end I simply bought School: A Ghost Story graphic novel collecting 1-4. I had bought 1 & 2 at Chicago 2014 so the author/artist Brian Defferding gave me a discount on the collected volume. I still need to pick up volumes 5 and 6. • Separate from Artists’ Alley they had a huge area set up for caricatures. It seemed to be fairly steady with customers, but Friday was the busier of the two days that I saw. Mostly it provides a really good roadblock. • The Nightmare Before Christmas collectible scene is still strong with more and more tchotchkes being produced each year. I’m arguing that Pacific Rim is the new The Nightmare Before Christmas with its merchandising and the fact that first gen toys have skyrocketed in price. • There weren’t a ton of comic book sellers. I imagine that’s good for the ones who are set up but I don’t know that for sure. I picked up an Uncanny X-Men #244 (first appearance of Jubilee) for $15. Om was more successful and I’m sure he’ll fill you in. He did grab me a Pork Roast, Sandman #50, Strangers in Paradise #50, Grendel Black White and Red, and Grendel #10. • Period Panties rule! I don’t understand how in 2016 men can still be squicked out by the reality that women menstruate. As I was waiting for Om (it was our designated meeting place) I heard so many guys seem almost angry at the very idea of such a booth. Additionally, I don’t understand how so many people have no sense of humor about these panties. Not only are the designs fantastic (Malice in Underland, RedRum, Wonder Womban, there’s a Cthulhu style, a GoT, a Doctor Who, and other pop culture related themes) but the panties are well made. The designs are screened into fabric as opposed to decals applied which means they’re going to survive washings and aren’t going to flake off. The bands at the waist and the legs don’t dig in nor are they loose and prone to rolling. The front panel into the panty liner is black. I mean, they are just brilliant! And at 3 for $30 ($12 individually) you can stock up. Women spend that much on poor quality Victoria’s Secret underwear. I know, I’ve done it. • Bonus! The Period Panties were right next to the chocolate by the pound and roasted nut vendors. • Some non merch booths included Ecto-One, a series of movie motorcycles (Batman, Captain America, and two others), the Supernatural Impala, A Shaggy Van (I’m not sure what that was about), the R2-D2 builders club, the Lasik Surgery people (hardest working non-pop culture booth in the con scene), an M&M booth (fun fact, a former student was working it), some organization that was taking a teaspoon of blood for research (I participated but Om did not. I feel that as a futurist and a transhumanist I should do this kind of stuff), two booths devoted to heating/cooling pads, one fortune teller, and at least three arcade areas. Dark Souls II was probably the most popular of the offered games, although classic Pac-Man and the arcade X-Men were both consistently occupied. • There was one booth selling decorative swords, one booth selling real knives and swords, and two booths selling Air Soft pistols. This is a definite down tick from Wizard World Chicago which had so many vendors selling actual weapons. It really bothers me to see so many actual weapons. This is a comic con, not a gun show. I didn’t see the Light Saber guys this go around. • Strollers remain a giant pain in the butt. I understand these are family events and strollers are useful but when it is so crowded and people have elaborate costumes on and/or are in wheel chairs, it just seems strollers shouldn’t be allowed. In many booths there is no easy way for a stroller to navigate and it sucks to be continually bashed on the back of the legs by someone’s empty stroller.

Arrived in Madison this evening and secured our weekend pass without any real issue. I picked about 10 good Usagis & 5 Spawns for my runs. No underground comix to speak of... No Usagi action figures. Everything is running smoother than last year and already is better attended. Comic dealers are on the slim side, but I am going to do some more digging early and then take a few pics, take a step back. Our panel is 530pm SAT ... Prime time. Opposite an MST3k panel and a David Tennant thing-ee. Should be good. After doing some shopping - new graphic hat (Joker), new Spawn #200 cover T-shirt, some artist alley swag- we checked into the hotel on some Expedia points & dined at Great Dane brewing. The lady bought a great R2D2 knit hat and spent 2x me. Good fun so far! Best, Om

Wizard Magazine 97… 17 years later! Soundtrack: (saw this band WED night) So, I picked up the above Wizard magazine with my recent Mile High Comics order ($1.45). The lady and I had a blast THURS night going through it and remembering our own 4ish year subscription c. 1998-2001. I took some notes. How weird was it that there were Wizard Pen Pals… publish some 30+ year old dood’s address right next to a 12 year old boy or 14 year old girl. Seems so foreign today. But then there is the internet, so now I am not sure which one is creepier. LETTER ART. Man I used to love the letter art. I actually had a letter art published in Wizard c. 1999-2000. I forget which issue and I never saved a copy (sans a clipping, but I cannot find it), but it was a drawing of Milk and Cheese and they were looking to booze up and bash Fathom. I signed it with the lady’s name thinking that Wizard was more likely to publish the art if they thought a girl did it. Hmmm… there is no way that Battle Chasers will come back around. Page 24 gives Battlechasers #6 a thumbs down for the months of delays and only 12 pages of Joe Mad! Page 30 Laura Croft vs Red Monika (Battlechasers) in LAST woMAN STANDING. Hahaha boobs they be a flying! STRIP TEASE- Usagi Yojimbo “Netsuke.” This was the reason I bought the magazine… if I ever get around to binding my Usagi run, I want to source as many oddball pieces as possible on the cheap, like this 3 page full color story. I think the full color stories will break up the black and white nicely (e.g. I also picked up Doomsday Squad #3 for the same reason). I used this order to picked up 10 Usagi pieces, some of which are only covers. CASTING CALL...remember when we used to sit around and speculate about who would play what comic character? If only there were good comic book movies... Page 88 DRAWING BOARD… I wonder how many artists broke into the industry during the life of Wizard magazine? Page 97 the SPIDER GIRL 1/2 coupon is still attached. Man, I always sent those in when I was living out in Montana. I think I finally donated a box of Wizard 1/2 issues when we moved from Montana to Louisiana. Ahh nostalgia TOP 10 LISTS Pika pika chu chu! Pokemon was pretty hot in’99 now that I think of it. We watched the cartoon together while we were in college. For Halloween 1999, I cosplayed Ash Ketchum and the lady went as Pikachu. **cough cough** #applytheruleof20 #wasPokemonEvernotHOT? Pokemon will peak again c. 2019-2024. You know when we finally hit full-on Superhero fatigue from all these glorious movies. Also, Manga was big in the late 90s. I never really paid attention. But it is mentioned throughout this issue, e.g. MANGA MANIA or later in the MARKET WATCH section. Also X-Men and Spawn were hot. And on a page not shown Wizard did the “5 Years Ago” and it was Spawn and X-Men still. It occurs to me now that the 1990s were dominated by Spawn and X-Men (this issue was reporting on Patrick Stewart as Professor X). TOP 100 BOOKS FOR JUNE 1999 WIZARD PRICE GUIDE SEPT. 1999 (for Batman only). This is what we spent the money on… to see our books ebb and flow in **air quotes** real time. I still like this format a lot!

Neko Atsume Neko Atsume finally updated Thursday adding two new regular cats (Apricot and Ganache) and two new rare cats (no clue yet). They also added some new stuff to spend fish on. My new goal is to find the following Tubbs shirt in the wild (Tubbs is the fat cat that eats all your food; I know it’s available on Redbubble but that’s not as much fun as earning the shirt): New Comic: Assassin’s Creed Templar #1 This is a five issue mini run centering on the Templar figure of The Black Cross. It’s weird to read something set in the AC universe that is Templar sympathetic but this is a pretty good comic after one issue. It throws you right into the action. Seems there’s a bit of rotten going on in the Templar order. The story takes place in the 1927 and starts in England but soon we’re moved to Shanghai. Given that the franchise just released (January and February of 2016) the trio of Chronicles which take place in China (16th century), India (early 19th century), and Russia (early 20th century) I wonder if the comic is going to wrap in descendants of the game. It’s not hard to imagine them doing that since the world of AC is fairly cohesive (the upcoming movie aside). I realize I’m judging on one issue but so far, I’m intrigued. Good art, good characters, and good story. Assassin’s Creed Unity Okay, on our way to see Bats v Supes v the World we stopped into Gamestop and pre-owned Unities were on sale for $14.99. Since I’m a completionist and I love the series, I popped on the game. I am aware that it has been universally panned by critics and gamers alike but I couldn’t handle the gap in my collection of main AC titles. I have not taken the time (or money) to track down Altair’s Chronicles, Bloodlines, AC II: Discovery, Project Legacy, Recollection, Pirates, Memories, Chronicles China, India, and Russia, or Identity if it ever actually launches outside Australia/New Zealand. I think ten (the core games plus Liberation) is enough. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice I’m not going to lie, I had incredibly low expectations for this movie. I actually didn’t plan on seeing it at all, but Om’s buddy had free preview tickets at the AMC (an experience I don’t need to go through again). Unlike many, I don’t haze Zach Snyder the way others do and I did enjoy the Watchmen movie for the most part. My skepticism of Ben Affleck coupled with my general distaste for Jesse Eisenberg and the fact that I find Superman incredibly boring is what fueled my reservations. It wasn’t terrible, it wasn’t great. I think the individual performances, especially those of Affleck, Irons, and Eisenberg, make it worth watching once. The premise of the movie is fantastic—two superheroes with vastly different ideologies about good and evil in the same geographic region having to confront one another. Unfortunately, the rest of the movie doesn’t live up to that premise. There’s also a ton of great secondary characters that are horribly underutilized. Also, can we put a moratorium on Batman’s origin? Haven’t we seen it enough at this point? It’s been 8 movies since 1989, not counting all the animated versions and the television show Gotham. As is typical with Snyder there are beautiful static moments in the chaos but the movie is weighed down with too many unnecessary tangents. In particular the dream sequences and the dull as dirt love story between Lois and Kent seem like filler. So the movie is overlong, frenetic, and pretty soulless despite the attempts to shoehorn some sort of moral compass into the movie. However, unlike many, I really enjoyed the soundtrack. I just want to go on record and say that I really, surprisingly, enjoyed Affleck’s angry, older Bruce Wayne. Here’s a version of Wayne that uses his playboy lifestyle to deal with his demons. He’s boozy, he sleeps around, and he’s utterly jaded. It was fantastic, especially compared to Cavill’s jerk of a Superman. In every scene his contempt for the puny mortals he deigns to saves radiates. He has no joy in anything. Also, I liked Eisenberg’s Luthor. It was refreshing in a movie that is so grim and dour to have a little bit of crazy. Plus, watch his face in his scenes. It’s kind of amazing the emotion his face can convey in those quiet scenes. I fully expected to hate him. Lastly, Wonder Woman is fan-freaking-tastic when she enters the fray. I wish there were more of her in the movie. Even though she’s a warrior and a meta-human she brought a joy to the movie that had been lacking. Finally someone who enjoys the battle! Upcoming Movies Civil War: I’ve already purchased tickets to Civil War (we’re going May 8). This could be a misstep for Marvel, especially on the heels of the amazing Winter’s Soldier. I’m not wishing for a misstep, mind you, I’m concerned about all the freaking characters. If someone major doesn’t die, then this movie will not matter. X-Men: Age of Apocalypse: As much as I love the X-Men, I cannot get into this hipster young who’s who of Hollywood cast. So, pass. When they reboot in five years and/or add Arcade as a villain, I’ll be interested. Assassin’s Creed: This is a no brainer. I will go see it no matter what the reviews say. It’s a bummer I have to wait until December.

SAT afternoon and I am finally out from under my grading for exactly 1.5 days. I teach on a weekly cycle with at least 3-5 day turnaround time for grading, so the work is very distributed. The faculty only course ends Easter Sunday and then I get new assignments on MON. I have had a plagiarizer, one faculty that threw a bit of a flame war fit, and one that just went missing (opted out) the past 48 hours. Should be an interesting finish. Tonight was supposed to be a poker game with my LCS mgr and some of his friends but I doubt that will be happening. I mentioned to him that I was still interested in his Spawn back issues that he collected (and was talking about selling to Half Price books). We’ll see. At any rate, I will see him at Turner Hall WED night for The Record Company. It looks like Wizard World Madison’s floor plan is starting to fill-out a little. That is a good sign. I see Stylin Online will be there, and I can spend a little money there on a new baseball cap or perhaps a hooded sweatshirt. Last year at WW Madison I struggled to spend $100 and the best thing I bought – at least that I can remember- was a $5 Milk and Cheese #6 first printing. ANYways, I am hoping for the best. Basically, when I think of WW Madison, I think of two things… on-site submission to CGC and Avengers #1. The more I read about comic books and think about the coming bubble… I think it may well be in key books. The blue chips. The books that most everyone thinks are destined to keep rising. Perhaps corrections akin to Showcase #22 are in order for many key books and Avengers may be cheaper in the future? Sometimes I think so and then become paralyzed to act. So basically, since I have not sold much of anything I am in the same boat as WW Chicago… I can probably spend money to buy some nice undergrounds and perhaps a kewl book or I can spend money to on site submit. But I cannot do both. And I doubt the right presenting copy of 2.0 - 3.0 Avengers #1 is at the show. Plus I gotta share the love with the lady, so our budget is right around $250 for picking each. ALSO, I like the idea of submitting my 3 Spawn #1s for a shot at 9.9. Just to roll the dice. Lately, I have been gaining some momentum with my Spawns. In going through and finding a few books to help Shane, I re-did my want list (Shane’s sending me some issues), put in another feeler on my LCS mgr’s run of Spawns that I need (and may be cheap), and came up with the idea of doing a Spawn LCS pick soon. What I am calling a ‘Spawn rip and run,’ where I gobble up whatever I can for my want list from the back issue bins of Greater Milwaukee. Easter SUN is driving to visit family. I am looking forward to the drive and the alone time in the car with the lady. Sometime about hitting the road and her mind starts working in wonderful and mysterious ways. Who knows what plans we will dream up? But it will be wonderful to reconnect with family and have a little down time. Be well, Om

The Wednesday One- A Batman movie, comic, & some underoos OK… so a few quick updates because I have to break the habit of not writing creatively. I am teaching two classes right now, one is with other faculty and so it is kicking my but to stay on top of them and hold a high bar. So, I have been active online, just not is a recreational capacity. Updates **We got accepted to Wizard World Madison. Our panel, titled “Everything and the Kitchen Sink: Wisconsin’s Underground Comix Scene,” is SAT at 530-615pm (rally at the Wonder Bar after). With the panel acceptance comes 3-day passes for both of us, so I booked a hotel on Expedia points for 2 nights. **Lots of music coming up! The Record Company on a $10 show at Turner Ballroom; Galactic with Bombino at Turner Hall; & Steepwater Band at Shank Hall. All right around WWMadison. It is sure to be a time to burn the candle at both ends. **I have been binging on Netflix’s Housos, Australia’s answer to Trailer Park Boys, with lots of Kevin Smith-esque humor to it. There are some one-liners that are just aces! It is funny late night fodder. I have watched Better Call Saul, Breaking Bad seasons 1-4, and Arrested Development (mornings to replace The Office). Housos! Housos housos! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-8axAVg7KY **The Homegrown Hardcovers project is in full effect! I sent the books this morning to the bookbinder. Zap Comix #0-16 and Freak Brothers #0-13. I arranged the Zaps so the wraparound covers appear as one image. I went with simple Buckram cloth bindings, and I look forward to posting pictures of the completed volumes. ANYways, I got to see a preview of Batman v Superman Dawn of Justice last TUES. I stopped by the LCS to brag and pick up my pulls and only old Usagi Yojimbo 153 was waiting for me. Swung back around for my pulls this week and popped on a bagged Batman #50. All the copies at my LCS had lower left corner damage. This copy felt like it did not, but still… The printer put a board front and back before bagging these and the process still leaves bindery creases. Go see Batman v Superman. Do not NOT see it because of some reviewer. Go enjoy and be a fan and make your own decision. I personally enjoyed it. Batfleck was better than expected, pulling off an aging Bruce coping with decades of canon with ease. Is this Christopher Nolen’s aged Bats, all ethical and trained… no not quite, much grittier harder, more Frank Miller. Hard to watch Bats use a gun? Naw, man, I relished it. Zach Snyder’s storytelling is flawed, but this 2.5hrs installment sets up a lot to watch for in the future. I for one am in. Excellent homage to Superman #75 and if only they had the balls to actually kill Superman. Even if but for a movie. So today, we went to Walmart. Wally world. The biggest of big box stores and I splurged on some Batman v Superman boxers and a Vs logo shirt. My own adult underoos. I feel like I’m ten. Long live the comic boom.

The Lady Speaks. . . The Complete Wimmen’s Comix I learned from Om on March 7th that Fantagraphics was publishing a two volume The Complete Wimmin’s Comix. The date it was due to drop? March 7th. I went to Amazon and quickly found it at 35% off the MSRP so I bought it. The slip cased, 2 volume set comprises more than 700 pages of underground comix written and drawn by women for women (courtesy Fantagraphics). I’ve been very slowly gathering all the hardcopy issues of various women’s underground comix for years now. I must say, my collection is pretty sweet. I have It Ain’t Me Babe, Mama’s Dramas, Abortion Eve, Wimmen’s Comix 1-12 and 14, plus a TON of others like Pudge Girl Blimp, Tits & Clits, and so on. My ultimate goal is to write an article or two on women’s underground comix. Currently the only voice on the topic is that of Trina Robbins. I have immense respect for her but when only one person is control of the history, there isn’t much of a dialogue. I want to change that and these books are a jumping off point. I’ve been hesitant to really dig into my issues because some of them are quite rare and Om has made me paranoid about devaluing a comic. Yes, many of my copies are reader copies or second prints, but still. CGC 8.5 It Ain’t Me Babe (1st). One in 8.5; 2 higher. Also included the work of Meredith Kurtzman, Willie Mendes, Michele Brand & Nancy Kalish. So I was pretty excited to know that I could have the entirety of Wimmen’s Comix (plus It Ain’t Me Babe) at my fingertips in an easily perusable form. The indexing is absolutely brilliant because it not only lays out the issues by page number, it breaks each issue into its various components. So if I’m looking for the story “My Kitty Loves to Do the ChaChaCha” by Clothchilde I don’t have to just go to Wimmen’s Comix #5 and flip through it; the table of contents clearly tells me it’s on page 197. As a researcher, this is amazing. It’s also nice in contrast to the iZombie graphic novels I just read that have absolutely no pagination. The content is a bit all over the place. Artist/writers like Lee Mars and Sharon Rudahl produce some of the more consistent stories. The stories that deal with women’s issues like abortion, sexual harassment in the workplace, parenthood, and addiction are the most interesting. But given that it’s the 1970’s many stories veer off into the esoteric stratosphere and are a bit hard to follow or simply trail off the plots. Some artist/writers just are of little interest to me such as R. Crumb’s lady friend, Aline Kominsky. The stories that simply invert male fantasies are less interesting. Anyway, I don’t want to get too deep into content because it is an on-going project of mine. But really, and this is going to get graphic, I cannot stop swooning over the binding of these books. The smell pages, the heft of the covers, the strength of the binding is just tactically pleasing in a way that probably borders on the obscene. I love books. I’ve always loved books and while I’ve transitioned to a Kindle, it’s done nothing but make my love of a well-crafted book even more acute. Seriously, I want to lick these books, they are that delicious. No matter where you open the books, they fall perfectly. There is not manipulating a stiff spine. These are archival perfection. The books still snap when I open them (and I’ve opened them a ton). I simply cannot handle them. They are gorgeous. And the slipcover is divine. Well done, Fantagraphics! These are sexy, sexy books. I want every comic to be bound this way.

Mile High Order- A C2E2 consolation prize More information: http://www.c2e2.com/ I wrote this while C2E2 was approaching and it is a convention that I have not attended since relocating to the Midwest in 2008. Most everyone around here says it is great (particularly for comic books), even better than WW Chicago; however Wizard World over the summer works better for our schedule. It seems like every time C2E2 rolls around things are chaos. Also, it always takes me a couple of months to gather and execute the taxes, so it seems like C2E2 hits when money is tight. Unfortunately, this year was no different. The lady recently splurged on the Complete Wimmen’s Comix collection from Fantagraphics ( http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Wimmens-Comix-Trina-Robbins/dp/1606998986 ), some 700+ pages of feminist underground comix. She has most of the source material but likely not all and someday hopes to do a more substantial writing project on the topic. So, last week I thought I might treat myself to a little shopping spree. There have been a few comic books that I have been eyeing on Mile High Comics- namely I pay attention to the titles I run-collect and pull the trigger when the price is right. When I lived in Montana in the early internet days, it was almost as if Mile High was my only comic book store. You generally will not find me complaining about them, as I know how to play the game and wait for the right codeword sale. For me, Mile High has always been a consolation prize. I have been thinking of ‘going all completionist’ on Usagi Yojimbo and try and get his appearances in other titles, possibly in an attempt to bind the entire comic run someday (redonkulous, I know). Here is what I plucked (codeword saved me an additional $45 on these prices): [bI] Automatic Press HATTER M VOL. 1: FAR FROM WONDER FCBD (2014) #1 NearMint 1 @ $3.99 = $ 3.99 [bI] Automatic Press HATTER M: SEEKING WONDER TPB (2015) #1 NearMint 1 @ $7.50 = $ 7.50* ** [bI] Dark Horse Comics DARK HORSE MAVERICK 2001 #1 NearMint 1 @ $4.00 = $ 4.00* [bI] Dark Horse Comics HOUSE OF FUN ONE-SHOT (2012) #1 NearMint 2 @ $5.60 = $ 11.20* [bI] Fantagraphics CRITTERS (1986) #6 NearMint 1 @ $4.00 = $ 4.00* [bI] Fantagraphics CRITTERS (1986) #7 NearMint 1 @ $4.00 = $ 4.00* [bI] Fantagraphics CRITTERS (1986) #10 NearMint 1 @ $4.00 = $ 4.00* [bI] Fantagraphics CRITTERS (1986) #11 NearMint 1 @ $4.00 = $ 4.00* [bI] Fantagraphics DOOMSDAY SQUAD (1986) #3 NearMint 2 @ $2.00 = $ 4.00* [bI] Fantagraphics USAGI YOJIMBO (1987) #32 NearMint 1 @ $7.50 = $ 7.50* [bI] Fantagraphics USAGI YOJIMBO (1987) #38 Fine 1 @ $5.45 = $ 5.45* [bI] Image Comics SPAWN (1992) #26 NearMint 2 @ $2.00 = $ 4.00* [bI] Image Comics SPAWN (1992) #27 NearMint 2 @ $2.00 = $ 4.00* [bI] Image Comics SPAWN (1992) #171 NearMint 1 @ $4.80 = $ 4.80* [bI] Image Comics SPAWN (1992) #172 NearMint 1 @ $3.25 = $ 3.25* [bI] Image Comics SPAWN (1992) #173 NearMint 1 @ $4.80 = $ 4.80* [bI] Image Comics SPAWN (1992) #235 NearMint 1 @ $4.00 = $ 4.00* [bI] Image Comics SPAWN (1992) #246 NearMint 1 @ $5.00 = $ 5.00* [bI] Oni Press Inc. ONI DOUBLE FEATURE #10 NearMint 1 @ $3.60 = $ 3.60* [bI] Shanda Fantasy Arts IN THE ZONE SPECIAL (2000) #2000 Fine 1 @ $5.45 = $ 5.45* [bI] Wizard Press WIZARD: GUIDE TO COMICS (MAG) #97 BATGIRLUNB VeryGood 1 @ $2.90 = $ 2.90* The Hatter M’s are for the lady. The Spawns / Usagis for me. The Critters I have, but for $2 each I am playing my own little lottery on the 1-2 upgrade copies I might get. The oddball stuff is mostly odd Usagi stories for possible future binding. It is, after all, my favorite comic book to read.

The Lady Speaks. . . Non Console Ways to Waste Time Today I’m going to talk to you about the myriad of non-console games I use to waste time. Some of these will be phone games and others PC. Most I have paid very little to nothing to own. Mountain This is a strange game in which you watch a simulated mountain. Yes, a mountain; that’s pretty much it. Sometimes bizarre things fall onto the mountain (airplanes, cows, pieces of cake, etc.). A few times a day the mountain gives you a zen koan. The times of day and seasons change. That’s really it. As far as simulators go, it’s pretty dull. Yet, I find myself playing it (if that’s even the right phrasing) on my computer at work. This one was offered free by the developer. Viridi Except that there’s a simulator even duller and yet quite addictive. Viridi is a game in which you grow succulents in a pot. You get them as seedlings (one free per week in the store or you can buy them for as little as $.04). I check mine about twice a week. You water your succulents and pull weeds. They grow. If you’re feeling creative you can change the pot you’ve planted them in. You can pull plants and reposition them to get the best looking pot possible; or, you can toss them and plan new seedlings. Every time you get a new seedling the game tells you “Life is fleeting, only death is eternal.” If I were a deeper person I’d ponder the meaning of that statement. This is another PC game I got free through Steam. Neko Atsume Other wise known as “the cat game,” Neko Atsume is the phone game in which you entertain and feed digital cats. In the spirit of full disclosure, I have two real cats. You put out toys for the cats, they leave you fish in exchange. Some fish are gray and some are gold. You use those fish to buy food and more toys. Just like real cats, oftentimes the toys you buy don’t get any action because cats are fickle. Even digital cats are fickle, it seems. Unlike real cats, these cats don’t barf on your furniture. Believe me, that’s a plus. (Disclaimer, I love animals and will put up with all their insanity quite happily). The goal of Neko Atsume is to collect all the cats in the Catbook. Each cat gets its own page where you can store photos (taken with the in-app camera) and learn about the cat’s personality. There are 49 cats in total. 16 of these are “rare” cats with names like Lady Meow Meow, Guy Furry, Bob the Cat, Joe Dimeowggio, Rameses the Great, Chairman Meow, and Katmandu. Two additional cats are very powerful (but truly, the power rankings mean squat) but not considered rare. These are Tubbs (who will eat up all your food and leave behind a spoon ton of fish if you let him lounge) and Peaches. The cats also give you “mementos” as the game progresses and no, these are not dead birds or animal parts. That’s pretty much it. Two rare cats in one photo... Lady Meow Meow & Mr. Meowgi You check on your cats maybe once an hour, maybe only once a day. If there’s no food out, there’s no cats but it’s not like they starve or anything. This isn’t Tamogotchi. But damn if the cats aren’t adorable! They all play with the toys in different ways which is cute. The most cats I’ve been able to get at once is 12. That’s a lot of cats. And I never have to scoop a litter box! A photo of 12 bittens... try and beat ! It took me about a month to “capture” all the cats (sorry for the Pokemon speak, but I feel like this is a totally low stakes Pokemon). Yesterday, six weeks in, I bought all the toys I could possibly buy. Now I’m just trying to lure the rare cats out enough so they leave me mementos. So far only Ramses has left me anything. I’m also trying to get as many rare cats in one picture as possible. Unfortunately the most I can entice is two. The rarest in all the land... the low-powered, but 'frosty' Frosty I like this game precisely because it is so low stakes. Also, while there are in-app purchases possible (for fish, natch) there is absolutely no incentive to do so. Neko Atsume is so popular that pop up stores are appearing in Japan selling merch with the various cats on it. You can also buy online from Japan, if one is so inclined. Death’s Life You are an apprentice Grim Reaper. It is your job to stage more and more elaborate scenes which end with the “accidental” death of some poor schlub. This games operates on a Rube Goldberg machine principle. By simply clicking objects to adjust their positioning, you set into action a series of events that end in decapitation or evisceration and several other wonderfully macabre ways to die. I downloaded this game from the developer as it is in Beta testing. I think it’s fun, but I would like to have multiple paths to the death. As it stands now, there is one and only one right answer. This limits the ability to have multiple play throughs and that seems short-sighted.. Hidden Object Games What would I do without Steam, its large library of hidden object games, and its periodic $.99 sales? Probably accomplish a lot more with my life, that’s what! Of the nearly 200 games in my Steam library, easily 150+ are hidden object games. Hidden object games are slightly more involved than Candy Crush but not nearly as engaging as most console games. It’s just clicking and solving the occasional puzzle. The puzzles invariably fall into a few categories: spin the rings to complete a picture, swap tiles to complete a picture, an actual puzzle, move the blocks to get the key to opening, using the buttons move the balls to their correct colors, and. . .well, you get the idea. Some of my favorites are Escape from the Museum, Dracula: Love Kills, The Clockwork Man series, and the Mystery Files series. The stories matter not at all to me with these games. I skip the narration as much as I can. Hidden object games are satisfying in the sense that most have achievements and awards you can win as you go along. And they make me feel smart, which is important. When choosing a hidden object game there are several things to consider. First, who developed the game. Gogii games makes decent inoffensive games whereas Big Fish Games run the gamut but do have some dark and mature games. The Mystery Files series is a more adult series as is Dark Parables. Not all hidden object games are created equal, that’s for sure. Basically it boils down to this—if it’s free or nearly free, I will totally give the game the ol’ college try. Why? Because I’m a gamer, that’s why.

The Wednesday NOne for 3/9/16 I have been tidying up lately, trying to regain control of my comic book closet. Ever since the last two batches of CGC books arrived, I have officially outgrown my capacity for graded books. All CGC books are back now and the results were on average better than predicted with 1-2 notable disappointments. Overall, I know my grading is tight but not perfect… so I am beginning to question my chase of 9.8s. If you scan the ongoing underground comix thread HERE, you will see that deals abound to those that grind eBay for an information gap. However, one still has to buy a book advertised as NM 9.4 five times or more before it is actually graded that or better, let alone sees 9.8. The quest for 9.8s is tough and requires some manner of luck. MON was ½ off burgers at a fave local spot and the chef showed up! Obviously it is tough to get him to eat outside of his restaurant he can pretty much cook there for free. Still, it was a pleasant surprise. We talked Boss Monster (we have not played yet), X-Wing, the Black All Stars heroclix, the video game Division, and TUES trivia. Things are about to get busy busy for us and I have a nagging feeling that I will begin to lose ground on my collecting goals the next 2-3 months. On my mind too is some much needed home repairs… and a possible special assessment for improvements to balconies and storm windows. This stuff sometimes makes funny book seem like more of a diversion from reality (versus an enriching of it). Random thoughts I heart Mad Men (Netflix). The lady and I are re-watching it straight through, about 2 episodes per day. I sorta heart Breaking Bad. My insomnia is back and I watch it when I am up at night or early in the morning. Through two seasons it is hitting a nice little rhythm and I like I can fast forward the slow portions. I The Office. Normally background noise in the morning, this series is beginning to wear thin on me after multiple re-watches. Monthly pre-sales and future back issue markets In tidying up and preparing for New Comic Wednesday, I noticed two unread comic books: Extraordinary X-Men #7 and Star Wars #16. I checked the lists of books shipping this week and it looks there is nothing that I collect. Another Wednesday None. I have been curious about comic book sales figures recently and so spent a little time on TUES researching select titles on Comichron. As of February 2016 (and of the titles that I am pulling), Star Wars pre-sells the most with 110k copies. 2 Star Wars 16 110k 3 Batman 49 102k 29 Extraordinary X-Men 7 47k 39 Paper Girls 5 37k 63 Fight Club2 9 29k 123 Spawn 260 17.8k 131 Spawn 261 17k 186 Jem & Holograms 12 9k 260 Assassin’s Creed 5 5k 282 Usagi Yojimbo 152 4.2k Spawn has sold between 16-18k copies per issue since the 190s or so, with a notable spike to 65k copies for #200. Usagi Yojimbo vol3 declined following #125 and through Sakai’s hiatus to work on 47 Ronin, say 131 was only 3.6k copies (down from 4.9k copies for 125). Now it routinely surpasses 4k copies sold. I do not really know where I am going with this other than to say WOW LOW SALES and that I was thinking of this data through the lens of someone trying to collect 9.8 copies and how difficult lots of modern books will be on the secondary back issue market- say only 17k sold copies of Spawn 261 or trying to re-collect a book that has sold fewer than 5k copies nationwide.

Last week we celebrated a milestone birthday for the lady at a local empanadas place, some drinks and food as my gift- some 30 friends and family throughout the night. It was grand. My oldest sister hired a balloon person and he twisted up headpieces, flowers (I got a boutonniere), bracelets, and fairy wings for the girls. A theme throughout the night, Leap Day, was party for our ‘favorite 10-year old,’ so that was a nice touch. The passing of the lady’s birthday marks our transition back into 11+ weeks of straight teaching / work (and out of the holidays that continued into FEB with birthdays and Mardi Gras). Her spring quarter started this week. So this week is about establishing new habits, many of which will be work related. Still, it must be working because I am ahead on my classes and have several pages of notes to type up, so the writing is flowing too. In celebrating a milestone birthday and with the NOV elections approaching, the lady and I have been reflecting a lot on our time together. Soon we will have been together for over 20 years and then we will have been together longer than we were apart. The thought is sometimes mind-boggling. She’s known me longer than I knew myself. In fairness, however, I had a clear vision of us together early on. We were first part of a larger group of friends before we dated, and we were each other’s “backup.” I used to joke about how we’d meet at 45- she the crazy professor, me the scientist and have a wild fling. Before long I thought, if I can seem myself with this person at 40, then why wait? And we wed after a short engagement period. Fast forward 20 years and many comic books later. WELL. . . as we approach our mid-life tryst rendezvous it occurs to me. . . I have no vision of our next 20 years! What do we want to do, see, and accomplish? Where will we live? What does that look like? These are the questions I have been posing for a week now.

SUCCESS! MON night I had dinner with the lady and the chef and the decision was made to 'let the panel go' I had hoped to do on the future of comics. I even wrote about it briefly (above). Well, yesterday was the deadline for panel submissions to Madison and I was contacted by the WW Program Coordinator to reprise our underground comix and Wisconsin panel from 2015 (this time on Saturday)! Free admission!