“This is like deja vu all over again.”
~Yogi Berra
It did feel somewhat like life repeating itself this weekend. It was a little over two years ago that I spent the weekend in an orgy of geek bliss…a comic movie (Sin City) and Planet Comicon.
And this weekend it was the same, all over again…and more!
The weekend started Saturday with Jeff bringing over some goodies from the comic shop: 28 Weeks Later paraphernalia, some Magic: The Gathering cards with Justin Sweet, Raymond Swanland, and Khang Le art and comics from Free Comic Book Day! The James Jean and Darwyn Cooke covers are excellent. I also got some stuff that may find its way into Stainless Steel Droppings goody bags for you Once Upon a Time Challenge prize winners!
Saturday also included an afternoon viewing of Spiderman 3. Very fun movie with some excellent performances and special effects that are out of this world. That said, I can only give this one a 3 out of 5 stars and it is my least favorite of the three films. I wasn’t thrilled when I found out that there would be a love triangle element and those feelings turned out to be justified. The Gwen Stacey character was a complete waste. I thought Bryce Dallas Howard did a great job with the nothing that they gave her, but it was a character that just shouldn’t have been included. I thought the movie had one too many villains. Sticking with Sandman and the Harry storyline would have been enough for me regardless of how cool Venom looked. It was just too much. The film was also too long and could have been shortened, and thus been much better, without all the goofy stuff in the middle during Peter’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde moments. I know its a comic book movie, but please. Those parts of the storyline were really silly…the messed up hair, the Bee Gees stroll down the sidewalk…it was just too much. Spiderman 2 was a much better film and this one let me down. You should still see it in the theatre as its a good start to the summer popcorn films and if I didn’t have the two previous films to compare it too I would’ve been happier.
Therein lies my mini-review…and one last thing, Bruce Campbell is THE BEST!
Sunday morning brought on torrential rain and a trip to Kansas City’s Planet Comicon!
Guests included David Prowse (Darth Vader) and Richard Hatch (Apollo) and comic book artist extraordinaire, Jim Lee.
Me, I was there to bask in comic goodness and look for stuff I just couldn’t live without. For spending 4.5 hours there I showed remarkable restraint!
I succeeded in snagging all 10 issues of Dave McKean’s work Cages at an incredible price! The front and back cover art alone is worth having these books.
Jeff and I both grabbed a copy of this beautiful anthology from Adhouse Books entitled Project: Romantic…an anthology dedicated to love and love stuff. This is the final volume in a trilogy of books that I am kicking myself for not seeing and procuring the first two: Project: Telstar (about robots and space) and Project: Superior (about super heroes). Both are now sold out and can only be found for ridiculous prices.
This is a very nice quality volume with some great art in it. I’m about halfway through and, like any anthology, there are some stories I really enjoy and others that are…meh.
We found a card dealer that was selling card packs for next to nothing and we picked up a few just for the fun of seeing what was in them. The first one I got was Michael Whelan. I was thrilled to discover the image of the little girl which brought back the memory that I once had a paperback book by Patricia A. McKillip called The Changeling Sea that had this image on it.
The second was from past Friday Favorite, John Berkey. Excellent images. Cards aren’t something that I necessarily collect but they are fun to buy occasionally when cheap to use for bookmarks or for gift decoration.
The last is a package of cards from Michael W. Kaluta. His work, like Charles Vess’, is very distinctive and lovely. I was so disappointed when I got home that I didn’t buy a bunch of these for Once Upon a Time giveaways. Some of the individuals may be finding their way into goody bags, however, because his art is quintessential Once Upon a Time Challenge material.
It was fun touring Artist’s Alley and I saw a few future comic projects that have some real potential, but overall there wasn’t much art to tempt my wallet. I did pick up the newest Phil Moy sketchbook. I had gotten one at the last Planet Comicon two years ago and his work is so great that I had to get this one. Sketchbooks are one of those items that I just love to pick up.
Phil Moy has a fun, clean animated style.
It was just a really fun weekend for a comic book geek! Going to these things get me in the convention mood and make me want to sell a kidney so I can go to the mother of all conventions, the San Diego Comicon!
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I was about to sign off….but we have some unfinished business, don’t we?
I am so psyched about the response to the Poppet Planet forums. If you haven’t done so, I highly encourage you to go over there and check it out. There are so many great discussions going on over there! Thank you all for signing up and participating.
And the new proud parent of a little red poppet waif is….(drumroll, please)…
Petunia from the site Educating Petunia!
Congrats Petunia! I got word over the weekend that my Poppet order was shipping out today and as soon as your formerly parentless poppet ends up on my doorstep I will ship him/her off to you along with your Stainless Steel Droppings goody bag! You can email me at cvincent68@comcast.net with your address.
Stay tuned folks, tomorrow marks the half way point for the Once Upon a Time Challenge and there are more contests on the way, including a Neil Gaiman prize pack, more poppety goodness, and a fantasy art package that will be well worth your time!
Remember, all who participate are eligible, even if you’ve won a prize in the challenge already. Thus far fate has been fair and there have been no repeat winners, so those of you who haven’t won, your odds may be improving! But fate is a fickle mistress, so who knows….
Happy Monday, everyone!
Wow, You got some really cool stuff at the con. I wish we’d have a good sci-fi/fantasy con here. We had a decent anime convention for a couple of years, but Katrina took it away. Love those cards! I’m the same way. Not necessarily a collector, but pick them up every now and then. Cages looks great. I’ve been having my eye on them for awhile and debate buying them on ebay every now and then.
Bruce Campbell was the best. I laughed my butt off! That was a hilarious scene! Bryce Dallas Howard did do a good job with what they gave her. And now that you mention that, there was one scene that really ticked me off! I’m sure you know which one I’m talking about…because you really can never take that back.
Well, this Spiderman was my favorite of the three.
I’d agree that the Bryce Howard character was pretty flat but they had to do something to give Peter a tool to make Mary Jane jealous during his Venom indwelling.
I think what I enjoyed about the movie the most was the moral story behind it all. It’s about forgiveness. It’s about realizing that none of us are perfect and are in great need of forgiveness pretty much every day. In 2 Peter was struggling with having it all at once. In 3 he has it all and is pretty oblivious to everyone else’s problems. He’s caught up in his American Dream and a lot of people around him are hurting and he just doesn’t notice. He’s quick to become angry when he realizes his uncle’s killer is still alive. He even has his own little idea of how his uncle gets shot. He has completely forgotten that Harry hates him under the same misunderstanding that he is now hating someone responsible for his uncle’s death.
(Spoiler Warning)
In the end forgiveness wins out. Toby McGuire does a great job in showing his relief when he forgives Sandman for killing his uncle. The then goes down to Harry and you can see the peace Harry has after releasing himself from his anger.
This one had quite a bit less action in it but oh my, was the story line something I needed in my life right about now.
James!!!!! Good to hear from you. I agree with alot of what you have to say, Jimmy except that I think the weak parts of the film diminished all those things for me. It took way too long for me to get emotionally involved in the film and it could have been so much more of a powerful moment with Harry and with Sandman if there would have been more focus on them during the story.
I also just didn’t feel like we need ANOTHER movie with Pete and MJ having issues. They put them, and us, through that 3 times now. It would have been nice to see her in a much more supportive role and not have another ‘will they’, ‘won’t they’ movie…especially since we all know that they get together anyway.
It was a very good film that was marred by some a few too many ‘oh, we need to laugh now’ moments and Batman Forever-itis with too many characters for one film.
The forgiveness angle was powerful, and would have been more so with a tighter edit.
The tell tale sign of disappointment for me was that I left the theatre thinking that I enjoyed it but didn’t have any desire to rush out and see it again.
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Chris, can’t believe there aren’t any good cons in New Orleans. That surprises me and makes me feel lucky for what I have. Cages is out in a hardback version, I believe, which may be cheaper to pick up. The deal was just so good on this set that I had to get it.
Wow, you got Cages! I’ve had my eye on it for a while, but all I ever find is the hardcover, and it’s much too pricey for me. But I’ve had it in my hands a few times, and it’s breathtakingly beautiful.
I wasn’t familiar with Michael W. Kaluta, and his work is amazing!
And congratulations to Petunia!
wow.. always such fun to have a weekend filled with stuff you love!! They happen too infrequently, but when they do they are a welcome break from everyday life!
I have long been an art fan of cover art, like those of Boris and Frazetta. I have some of their softback books.. I also have the Michael Whelan “Wonderwoks” book.. I loved his “spell for chameleon” for Piers Anthony, but my absolute favorite will always be Anne McCaffrey’s The White Dragon!
Carl, I thought of you on Friday during the morning commute. The local radio station was interviewing David Prouse and Richard Hatch (to plug the convention over the weekend). Great interviews, and I knew you and Jeff would be there.
So what you’re saying, Nick, is that our geek status isn’t a secret! 😉
Looks like you had a pretty Fab weekend!! We were supposed to go see Spiderman this weekend, but I end up playing poker instead. Kinda glad I did. I’m thinking I’m going to have to wait till video. I’m all ready for 28 Weeks later though….that starts next weekend, I think!!
I’m certainly not advocating missing S3 on the big screen. It is a pretty enjoyable flick in many ways. This is the first one of the 3 I’ve had any complaints about and that is probably why it didn’t leave me with a ‘Wow!’ feeling…but I can certainly see why it would with others.
I’m looking forward to 28 weeks as well.
I’d say four out of five stars for Spidey 3. I agree with you about the Gwen Stacy character. They could have done the same thing with Pete using Ursula (the landlord’s daughter, who obviously has a huge crush on Peter) to make MJ jealous. But I loved the “Saturday Night Fever” thing with “evil” Peter, and seeing him go bad for a little while was great fun. I do have one other complait–having that meteorite land in just the right spot to find Peter somehwhat strained credibility for me. Mostly, though, I agree with James. This Spider-Man movie had the most profound message of them all, one that we could all benefit from hearing.
Hmm. I’m going to ad that while I enjoyed seeing Spider-Man 3 up on the big screen it is my least favorite of the three. The special effects are even more incredible this time around though, the Sandman subplot storyline is well done, and I loved the Bruce Campbell cameo. I just felt it was too long and had to many storylines going in it. In the end I wasn’t satisfied with how they rushed most of them. At over 2 hours and 20 minutes for an action film I just feel they would have been better served with going with a less is more approach. I would give it two out of four stars. While I will agree with James and Wayne that the message of the movie is important it just didn’t connect with me the same way it did with them. I’m glad they really enjoyed the flick though.
The convention was a lot of fun. I picked up a signed sketchbook from Jennifer Janesko, the Project: Romantic anthology, the second volumne collection of the Hawaiian Dick series The Last Resort, a John Berkey trading card pack, and had my picture taken with a clone stormtrooper which I my kids will get a big kick out of. All in all it was a good time. Of course it just got Carl and I really wishing we could go out to the Comic-con in San Diego.
Congrats to Petunia on becoming a new Poppet parent!!!
Congrats, Petunia!
I totally had to blitz past all these comments to avoid spoilers, though. 😉 I plan on seeing Spider-Man 3 soon, so…
Also, I heard a rumor today that Blizzard’s new project is a STARCRAFT MMO. Which, frankly, would make me sad. I don’t WANT another MMO, I want something I can play without inviting hordes of other people into my living room. Like, say, Starcraft 2, maybe? 😉
I wasn’t planning on seeing Spiderman 3, (I’ve only seen parts of SM 1), but now you’ve confirmed it.
My son will probably enjoy it, however.
Love the interior of that Project: Romantic book. Lovely, lovely, lovely.
Glad you had an orgiastic weekend!
Doh! I fully intended to post the picture of you and the clone trooper. I’ll post it here for posterity:
I’m not a MMO player, I much prefer the single game experience or an occasional online deathmatch if I’m with a few guys in the same room.
Although I loved the message at the end of Spidey Tres, the best emotional moment for me in all three films is the scene in Spidey 2 on the subway train…that was way cool!
Saw S3 this weekend also, with an almost teenager who gave it 4 out of 5 stars. I loved the resolution of grief with Spidey and Harry and Spidey and Sandman. I was constantly fascinated over wondering how they choreograph those flying scenes and turned off by him supposedly facing his dark side. Impatient with the issues of MJ and S. Mixed reaction; I guess I’d give it 3 out of 5. Congratulations to Petunia, a proud owned of a poppet. How cool!
Congrats to new Poppet Parent, Petunia! (I love the triple ‘P” ;p)
Caught Spider-Man 3 last week too. I agree, with Bryce Dallas Howard’s talent, her Gwen Stacy was a d’uh. But thankfully it didn’t feel like 2 hours, although it took a while before Venom came on. My friend loved the “brotherhood” theme towards the end. Is it a guy thing?
The little pleasures of watching any Sam Raimi production is catching Bruce Campbell. I love it when he’s speaking French. Actually, I just love having him on-screen.
But I enjoyed the first 2 Spidey movies more. Doc Ock still my favourite Spidey villian.
I haven’t seen Spidey yet, but have heard the same from a couple of people I know that have seen it. All right, but not the best, and over long. And too many bad guys, which I actually thought that from just the trailers I’ve seen.
I love the way that Richard Hatch is also in the new BSG series. A very different character, but a nice little nod.
Sounds like a fab weekend.
That Penny Arcade strip is one of my favourites. Too funny.
Love the Kaluta cards. Yum! And that Project: Romantic looks nice. I really want the H/B of Cages.
I’m not a big Spidey fan – I’m a dedicated Batman girl. I liked the first film well enough, but am not really very interested in the rest.
Oh, and congrats Petunia!
Too funny. And I absolutely loved the multiple storylines and the length of the film. I loved it just as much seeing it the next night too. Less is definitely not more, in my opinion. LOL
The only thing I would have changed was if Gwen Stacey stole Peter’s heart. But then, I never like Dunst. If they get another actress to replace her, I’d be forever grateful.
Sounds like your comic con was fun! I can’t wait for the big Motor City one in a couple weeks!
Look forward to your Motor City Con pics, Angela.
I’ve heard that complaint about Dunst alot…fortunately for me I am an unapologetic Kirsten Dunst fan. Love her. Have several movies that I bought just because she’s in them. Love her as MJ and think they did a really shoddy job of giving MJ good material in S:3.
I wish they would quit while they were ahead with the Spiderman movies. I hate the idea of them replacing actors and actresses after 3 films. Not to mention if they replace Raimi…but then again I think he missed a step with this one so maybe that’s not a bad thing.
I am so jazzed! After posting my last comment on Poppet Planet my computer crashed. I’ve only just gotten back online to see the good news. I’m heading back over to Poppet Planet now to see what else has been said in my absence. Thanks Carl for all the work you do for this challenge and in sharing what you love on your blog. I have enjoyed it so much.
I don’t know this one was mighty fine. I belly laughed with his stud-walking. To me that was Raimi’s way of lightening up a heavy storyline. Campbell’s “pecker” made me snort my drink. I thought the sand effects really raised the bar for realism. I think if you enjoy more story-less-action (although there was plenty of each) this might be better than the other two. I’ve heard Dunst say that if another one was made without her it would flop. We’ll take that chance. She’s simply awful in this and I get a sense her career in real life may mimic her one in the movie and also for some reason, she appeared to me to have some sort of… hygiene issue, I don’t know… Please replace her with…anybody. Dress Bruce Campbell up as a woman. I liked the end with Harry, to me that was classy and real. I’m undecided about Sandman’s back story and motivation. I think they should have gone with something different. To me when they linked him to Ben’s death it seemed to me they didn’t think ahead with the first one to make it more plausible. It felt like they were pushing a back story to justify Sandman. I’ve heard Raimi was really pressured with deadlines and maybe he cut too many story corners. Bryce Howard was great but it was a little overkill. I think they got her as an after-thought and really she needed a larger part given her looks and talent. If she’s in the next one then I guess it’s justified. I was hoping for some better Spidey one-liners. All in all I really loved it and will see it again when I can use my free pass and see it with someone who hasn’t.
Speaking of Bruce Campbell, that guy just simply needs to make more movies. I don’t think I’ve seen him in anything that I don’t like…he’s great.
As for this one being ‘more story and less action’ Tom, that is really the problem. This one wasn’t really more story, just more storylines, none of which got ample time to make it ‘more story’. Every character got shorted in some fashion because there was too much going on. Sure, the Sandman and Harry storylines were good, but they could have been great given more screen time…and they each deserved more screen time. The MJ storyline seemed just as tacked on as the Gwen Stacey one. And considering how tragic the Gwen Stacey storyline is in the comics, had they started with that storyline in the first one, or somehow adapted it for this one, man this would’ve been a killer movie.
I’m not one to brush off movies with weak storylines…many of my favorite films have little or no story and I love them because they are fun. The problem with Spidey 3 is that the first two had pretty good stories and this one, from a pure story perspective, did not raise the bar, it dumbed things way down. Comics have the undeserved reputation for being all flash and no substance…I’ve read enough great comic storylines to know that this is simply a stereotype. Unfortunately Spidey 3 does more to uphold that stereotype than it does to dismiss it.
And just to reiterate, I thought the last 20 minutes of the film were emotionally charged and wonderful. But the movie taken as a whole does not flow well because, again, there are just too many poorly resolved storylines.
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Congrats Petunia! I’m glad you’re back online and that you made it over here to see that you won!
I forgot to tell Petunia congratulations! Congrats Petunia! You’ll make a great Poppet Parent.
I’m sure it sounds like I hated S:3 and I really didn’t. I was just disappointed. That’s probably the best and most succinct way to put it.
You hated it.
There just wasn’t the nudity that I was expecting, Tom…rumors were that Bruce Campbell had a nude scene and though I enjoyed his performance I was sorely disappointed that we didn’t get to see his bum….
That and I ate all my peanut M&M’s during the trailers and had nothing to snack on during the film. 😉
The nude scene was after the credits, I thought you always stayed after the credits. See what you missed!
Dang weak bladder!!!!
Congrats on your poppet parenthood Petunia!