Free Comic Book Day With Iron Man!

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I've been meaning to post these for days. Here are some pictures from the Strange Adventures Free Comic Book Day 2008 Celebration. It was once again held in the St. David's Church Hall up the street from the shop. There were 20,000 free comic books available to the public. Also...Iron Man was there!

I really can't get enough photos of Iron Man walking around doing stuff.


Here's Iron Man with Darwyn Cooke, who was once again kind enough to spend the day doing free sketches for people:

And here's Iron Man with me:

The man in the iron suit is the guy I'm marrying. He can't take credit for making this awesome costume, though. It's the handiwork of the talented Jay Silver.

Here are some more photos, these ones taken by Spencer Cantley:

Aw, it looks like Iron Man's snaps came undone in that last one.

Needless to say, Iron Man was a huge hit with the kids (and the grown-ups). I'm glad it was a nice day for once.

Free Comic Book Day!!!

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Oh my. I'm tired. Rumour has it that Strange Adventures gave aways somewhere in the neighborhood of 20,000 comics today. I believe it. It was a fun day! Lots of people walked out with lots of comics, and I saw some fans carrying out some pretty amazing sketches. The artists were all amazing, most of them drawing for six straight hours! I was a little surprised that Andy Runton swore like a sailor the whole time, but...I'm just kidding. That guy is as nice as you would imagine him to be.

I've got pictures!

An overhead shot of the room:

A shot of Artist Alley:

Local animators throw down some mad skillz for the fans. Kids love Wolverine. And look at that awesome Hulk!

Mike Holmes gets a rare breather between sketches:

Darwyn Cooke lays down a fine-looking Peter Parker:

Andy Runton not only drew for six hours, he smiled for six hours. I'm serious.

This was our security at the door. Pretty intimidating:

Tiina and me are starting to go crazy here. And I am wearing the most powerful weapon in the universe:
And, yes. I do have one eye that is larger than the other. Thanks for noticing. Stop calling me 'Hex.'

Mark Oakley (bandanna) was doing some really amazing drawings of full scenes for fans:

Andy Runton draws Owly as Leonardo the Ninja Turtle:

I get an Owly as The Spirit! Eeeeeee!!!

My brain was so fried by the time I got this sketch, that when he asked me what I wanted I blurted out "Batman as The Spirit." Then I corrected myself. It's like, you practice what you're going to say for an important moment like this one, and then you just screw it up so spectacularly. That's life. Anyway, Batman is my default word whenever I can't think of the right one. ("What would you like on your burger." "Batman...I mean, mustard.").

Dead man walking:

Double Doom! (One by Cooke, one by Holmes):

A Sentinal cartoon by Mike Holmes (hilarious):

Darwyn Cooke reluctantly draws Gambit:

But, come on. That's a nice-looking Gambit. Kinda reminds me of why I had a giant crush on the Cajun X-Man in my teen years. I believe Cooke's exact words while drawing it were "Gambit, how I hate your stupid 90s ass." And that's why we love Darwyn Cooke.

Super Grover and Spider-Man. BFF.

Meanwhile, at the shop itself, things were jumpin':

And back at the church hall....

...Spider Owly!

Robin by Darwyn Cooke (after six hours of drawing! What a trooper!):

Kids love Andy Runton:

Darwyn Cooke loves Free Comic Book Day:

And let's give it up for the man with the plan, the undisputed kingpin of comics in Halifax, Calum Johnston for putting on the event:

He doesn't always look so crazy. But he may be using his x-ray vision in that photo.

One of my favourite things about today was seeing young kids walk away from the artists table with drawings of Saturn Girl and other Legion characters, thanks to the new cartoon. So awesome! The number of kids getting drawings of Venom was less inspiring.

Good job, team! I hope everyone got lots of free comics today.

Oh, and kid who was arguing with me: Wolverine is not, and never will be, cooler than Batman. Don't even start with me.

Free Comic Book Day Previews #2 (With Special Guest)

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With Free Comic Book Day only hours away, I am frantically offering my opinions on some of the free comics that I've had a chance to read. I haven't gotten around to reading the free Peanuts comic, but I think it's safe to say that it's awesome.

In the spirit of Free Comic Book Day and its efforts to attract new comic fans, I have a guest reviewer joining me. My boyfriend Matt is a casual comic book reader, and basically tolerates my crazy obsession. I handed him a stack of free comics to get an outsiders perspective.

Me: This right here is the best thing you can possibly pick up on Saturday. It's a showcase of Canadian talent, meaning you get delightful shorts from Darwyn Cooke, Bryan Lee O'Malley, Hope Larson, J. Bone, Steve Rolston, and a whole pile of other awesome people. It's worth it for J. Bone's hilarious story alone. Actually, it's worth it for the two covers alone (one by Cooke, one by O'Malley). Plus...a Kim Pine story!

Matt: Well, right off the bat it's awesome to see the full Scott Pigrim cast in colour. That's a nice treat. The Kim Pine story reminds me of when I had roommates.

Me: Evan Dorkin!

Matt: I usually enjoy these. It's like an extra Simpsons fix, and it's always great to see new Futurama stories. And you find out where Zoidberg lives.

Me: I'm hungry

Matt: We should order a pizza.

Me: Yay!

Me: This is what Free Comic Book Day is all about. A simple, fun story that anyone can enjoy. Plus, the preview of what's coming up in Amazing Spider-Man totally makes me want to read the upcoming issues. Well played, Marvel.

Matt: It was pretty fun. It was goofy. I'm not into costumes. I guess it was kind of a cute scene where all of the villains were betting on him, but when I see a whole page of guys in tights...meh.

Me: I...don't understand the words you are saying.

Me: I thought this was pretty fun. I have been reading Invincible, but I've never read Walking Dead or Brit. Werewolves are the new zombies, in case you didn't know. Brace yourself for werewolf mania.
My favourite thing about this comic is that the protagonist (werewolf) is a family man. That's a break from the norm. This is not a kids-safe comic, though. Don't be fooled by the cartoony artwork. Much like Invincible, there is a decent amount of blood and gore.

Matt: I might read this series. It's a good concept. He's trying to balance his work and family with being a werewolf.

Me: This is exactly why I like kids Marvel comics so much more than regular Marvel comics. Marvel does kids comics really well. Both of these stories (they are separate: an Iron Man comic and a Hulk comic...they don't hang out) are well-written enough to hold an adult reader's attention, and they both have beautiful artwork. Plus, if you've never heard of Iron Man, the comic really sets up the character nicely. I am so on board with both of these series.

Matt: That experimental jet that shoots straight up and comes back down again sounds like a bad idea.

Me: I have no idea why I haven't checked out the Lone Ranger comics yet. Great writing, great artwork, Cassaday covers, and cowboys. That is really all I need. I think I'll buy the hardcover.
Oh, and there's a Battlestar Galactica comic in this one too. Whatever.

Matt: That was short. I liked the use of interior monologue. It's really well done.

Me: Is it alright if I order a plain cheese pizza? I'm too tired to pick toppings.

Matt: I guess so.

Me: If you are a Nexus fan, this is a nice treat. Mike Baron and Steve Rude pick their favourite Nexus moments and collect them with commentary by Baron. Also, there is a preview of the first issue of the new series, starting in July. If you have never read Nexus...this probably won't help you understand the character at all. But you should read Nexus. Go check out the origin issues.

I have decided that Matt isn't ready for this comic yet.

Me: Man, I love this owl. This story has flashback Owly as a little kid! Like he needed to be any more adorable. I got to meet Andy Runton today, briefly. It was exciting. I have to admit...I was confused by the Korgi story. Does the dog have superpowers? It looked really nice, though.

Matt: This is great. Owly is adorable, and he encourages an interest in ornithology and gardening...and now in crafting! And all without words! Brilliant!

Me: Let's give Andy Runton a hug tomorrow.

Me: I have actually never read and Amelia Rules comics before, despite hearing great things. This was really funny. I want to read all the books. I'm a sucker for really intelligent kids entertainment with an advanced sense of humour. It reminds me of Disney's Recess or Pepper-Ann. Those were great cartoons.

Matt: heehee..."poophead." (Ed.: He also cracked up at the "Definition of Hanging Out" page. Seriously, check out the comic. It's rad).

Me: This was...not my thing. I mean, the genre isn't my thing (pathetic 20-somethings who want to get laid...in black and white!). Also...rock bands rarely translate well to comics...if its earnest.

Matt: It strikes me that the writer has never been in a band, and has a weird idea of what actually happens.

Me: Maybe its like this for some bands. Just not our bands. Except Tiina is always trying to sleep with me. That part is accurate.

Pizza time! Have fun tomorrow everyone! Grab as many as you can!

Free Comic Book Day is Tomorrow!!!

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Here's what the store that I'm lucky enough to work for is doing:

Now that's an all-star line-up if I ever saw one. I can't believe I get to meet Owly!!! Er, I mean...Andy Runton! I'll take lots of pictures.

I gotta run to work and move boxes of comics to Saint David's Hall. Later...more previews. For real!

Also...Spider-Man 3 is SO GREAT! I hate Venom in general, but I was comforted by the fact that you can kinda tell that Sam Raimi does too. Spider-Man!

I'm so very tired right now.