By Devin T. Quin
Welcome to 2011, where a whole new calendar YEAR of fun comic book activities awaits us! We should definitely start planning out our itinerary now so that we don’t miss out on any of the disappointment, greed and debilitating poverty that is our reward for being good little comic book collecting boys and girls.
The first and most important event of the year? UNKIEDEV’S BIRTHDAY, FEBRUARY 23rd!
THAT’S RIGHT, it’s my friggin’ birthday! I accept cash, Forbidden Planet gift cards, ANYTHING by Steve Mannion and opportunities to humiliate people at the game Settlers of Catan. What would I really like for my birthday? Well….
MOCCA ART FESTIVAL : April 10th and 11th
MOCCA might be my favorite comic convention of the year. By being a highly visual exploration of comic book art it automatically includes the business of comic books into its scope in an understandable way.
Every year they have great guests who have made contributions to expanding American comic book art. The venue itself fills with new artists and enterprising comic book publishers. It’s an entire con of artists alley! Juxtaposing struggle with success shows the way it can all be done: Try to be the best artists you can and you can have a career being an artists!
Guests this year will include Art Spiegleman, Kyle Baker, Gahan Wilson, Paul Pope and Frank Miller. Yes, THE Frank Miller…a guy who should know better than to show up at MOCCA.
For my birthday you can show up at MOCCA and toss a tomato at the guy. Be sure you yell out “THAT’S for the SPIRIT,” or “Go be a homophobe in some OTHER obscure hobbie!”
FREE COMIC BOOK DAY : MAY 7th
Set your watches for the first Saturday in May when comic book retailers try to pump new blood into the vampiric corpse of comic books! Anybody who shows up on May 7th (While supplies last) will get a free comic book to hopefully spark an interest in the hobby and ensure numbers for the coming year.
If there’s a flaw (and as this at least the fifth year they’ve done this so I highly doubt it’s a money loser) it is that whatever comic book the patron receives is whatever the industry wants to spoon feed them. There won’t be happy accidents where people pick something new that catches their eye, only something corporately suggested. Imagine going to an all you can eat buffet with only Hostess brand Twinkees, Ho-Hos and Cupcakes.
Out of room already? Jeepers. DC has Batman Beyond #1 this week which promises to be both collectable and palatable. Be sure to pick up DC Presents: Lobo to remember how much fun comics used to be before it was a big business. Or don’t…it’s all just part of DC’s agenda to make LOBO a bankable, box-office ready character to exploit once more.
Marvel has Uncanny X-Force #4 and Ultimate Captain America #1 to stir the blood! Image keeps the undead hits a’commin’ with The Walking Dead #80 and Walking Dead Weekly #1.
My money is on Weird Worlds #1 from DC as best comic of the week. All hail Garbageman!
