SPACED out

(Comic-Con 2011 is over...but here's more recollections of Comic-Con past...)

I've been an Anglophile for most of my adult life. I studied British lit, went to London for my year abroad, followed Britpop since I was a kid, worked for several British companies, etc. etc. And of course, I love me some British comedy.

Some of my fave Britcoms include: The Office, Coupling, Mighty Boosh, and Little Britain, but the one that gets me right in the geekribs is SPACED. The show featured comic books, video games, raves, zombies, Star Wars and plenty of 90s influenced geek and Brit pop culture -- and a love story. More importantly, it led to the creation of one of my favorite films of ALL TIME: Shaun of the Dead.

Simon Pegg and Nick Frost (along with genius director Edgar Wright) were at the core of both of these (and the equally awesome Hot Fuzz) and I got the pleasure of meeting all three of them -- on separate occasions! -- at Comic Con 2010.

I actually interviewed Edgar Wright for Morgan's project and had a great time speaking with him. He was visibly exhausted and he expressed as much since he was promoting Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World (anyone that attended SDCC 2010 was well aware that the film had intense presence all over -- from special events, giveaways, panels, etc. and the HUGE mosaic on one of the major hotels by the convention center -- the film didn't do that great at the box office, but it was amazing and a very close to the beloved indie comic series) and was still busy working on the film. Super nice. I hope he got some sleep that night though.

The next day, I was meeting a buddy for a drink at the Hard Rock Hotel's bar. (FYI: Lots of media folk set up camp at the Hard Rock and tons of celebs end up coming through all day) I go into the bar and practically walk right into Simon Pegg. (Funny thing: wasn't the first time I had run into him. I actually took a long elevator ride with him once -- he was promoting Hot Fuzz and I worked in the same building -- a little place called Madison Square Garden.) I could tell that he wanted to keep things low key and was avoiding the masses outside. We walked over to the bar and talked for a little bit and he told me he and Nick Frost were at the Con to promote Paul. I got a chance to tell him how much I loved his work. Cheers, mate. Awesome.

Not much later that day, I went out for a break and end up sitting next to Nick Frost and his wife who are having a cigarette. Ended up talking for a good 20 minutes about the Con and his love of geeky things. Turns out when he was younger he wanted to work in publishing and for my old company! We hung out for a bit and he told me a bit about their wedding and their trip to San Diego. Nick's wife actually took this picture of the two of us mugging for the camera. Such a cool couple that really took time to talk to me and be real.


The only thing that would have been cooler was to have taken a picture with all three of them and some zombies! The hat trick, the trifecta... only at Comic-Con.

Seeing stars...and stripes.

(We interrupt all the Comic-Con memory posts for a quick review.) 

I was lucky enough to get invited to a special early screening (thanks Pete and Doris!) of Captain America: The First Avenger Wednesday night. First off, it was pretty cool that Marvel rented out the ENTIRE theater and had some cool freebies for those in attendance (t-shirts and posters).

I'm more of a recent fan of Cap (meaning I wasn't exactly too big a fan when I was a kid) and especially love what Ed Brubaker and Mark Millar have done in the past few years. Therefore, I'm more receptive to change and don't hold things as canon as much as I might with other screen adaptions. I did go into the movie hoping that it would really be the beginning of the obvious and overt seeds for the Avengers movie coming out next year. And boy, did the film deliver on that.

***SPOILERS!!!!**

Right off the bat we know that the film ties in with Asgard -- as the "Tesseract" (really a retcon of the Cosmic Cube) is a mystical, powerful object of Odin's that is in the hands of the Red Skull (tying Thor and Cap in Marvel movie mythology). The Red Skull did seem like a bit of a combination of the traditional Skull with a lot of Baron Strucker tossed in (as in making the Skull the leader of Hydra/ Hydra now as a special section of the SS). Hugo Weaving did an amazing job and had the right amount of menace. (Though he sounds like he is doing an Arnold Schwarzenegger impression with the accent.) The Skull make-up effects are pretty on the mark. Looks amazing! Toby Jones also does his best as Arnim Zola (there is a nice little Easter Egg with a video screen and Zola's face -- Marvel nerds know what I mean). Tommy Lee Jones (in full "army guy mode") and Stanley Tucci (as Dr. Erskine) also have some great moments in the film as well.

Now, we get to the best parts of the movie: Steve Rogers' origin story. Now, it's pretty much ancient history that Chris Evans was PERFECT as Johnny Storm in the FF Movies. His wise-cracking, lady-loving, frat boy ways = FLAME ON!  (Not to mention that he has played other comic characters in the Losers and Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World) But, man -- does he do a good job as Cap. The first half of the film where a skinny, ill Steve Rogers tries all he can to enlist and serve his country -- this is where we see the heart and soul of Cap. The CGI that turned Chris Evans from leading man good looks to wimpy weakling are some of the best effects I have seen in a comic book movie. I was thoroughly convinced that it was Chris Evans and not face-replacement CGI. Stunning.

There were audible "awwwww!" moments from the ladies in the audience, but it wasn't all "poor Steve" -- he kicks major ass after he bulks up to Cap proportions. And unfortunately, the movie gets a bit more formulaic once Cap is in full action -- but that doesn't mean it's a bad thing! You've got the heart in the first hour, the second hour is about the brawn. Cap is the ultimate soldier in every aspect and represents the best of America -- on the inside and out.

(One of my favorite parts: The tongue-in-cheek propaganda machine that Cap becomes lets us see the famous "Cap punching Hitler" icon image and comic cover come to life.)

The heroine of the film is Peggy Carter (played by Hayley Atwell, who does a serviceable job) who definitely has some "tough broad" moments, but more interesting is if she may return in the Avengers as Sharon Carter -- Peggy's niece and in a twist of time and fate -- Steve's true love in the present day.

The breakout star -- as the media has been eager to crown -- is Dominic Cooper as Howard Stark. I may have to agree. His swagger and charm really worked for the character (but I don't know if he ages to look like John Slattery -- who plays Howard Stark in Iron Man 2) and he's got serious screen presence. Again, this ties Cap and Iron Man in the film mythology.

Stark has his hand in the development of the Super Soldier serum that transforms Cap, (the serum may be similar to what creates the Abomination in the most recent Hulk movie), and also creates his shield (which was famously seen in the Iron Man films), there is also an indication that the Tesseract/Cosmic Cube plays a part in repulsor energy stuff as well. We see Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury again and as already reported, the end of the film includes the first Avengers trailer.

So, what could the Avengers fill be about? We know Loki is in it. But is the Red Skull? Hmmm...could be. Will the Hulk be a hero or villain? Will there be other Marvel villains revealed? Thanos and Skrulls have been rumored. Ant-Man/Giant Man, Wasp, and other Avengers have yet to be cast (and may or may not be in the film after all).May 2012 seems so far away....

In the end, I loved Captain America. It is a great film in its own right (and ranks up there with some of the better comic book movies) and does a ton to sew the seeds of the Marvel Universe on film. Chris Evans has so much heart and it shows. I'm glad that the Marvel folks took a chance and more importantly -- the fans gave him a shot. And yes, there is a bit of concern that the film might not work in foreign markets because of the whole "America" thing -- but whatever. Go see it. To quote the modern geniuses Stone and Parker: America, F*** YEAH!

GeekOmnivore score: USA! USA! All the way!

View Askew-ed

Continuing my San Diego Comic-Con memories...

So, going into the project with Morgan, I ultimately got assigned to the celeb cyc (short for cyclorama) to get releases signed, talk to people while they waited to be interviewed, and jump in and interview people when needed. The most amazing job ever? Pretty dang close.

In any case, lots of folks came through our doors at the Hard Rock Hotel to be interviewed. Comic book creators, artists, writers, critics, Hollywood insider-types, actors, comedians, etc. Looking through the list of scheduled and possible interviewees....I spotted THE name.

Kevin Smith.

So, check it out: I saw Clerks in the movie theater back when it was first released. I own every Kevin Smith film on DVD and/or Blu-ray. I have seen Kevin Smith live several times -- including moderating a Battlestar Galactica panel at NY Comic-Con (nerdgasm). I have been to Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash in Red Bank, NJ. I own books, comics, posters, action figures from the Askewneverse. In short, I love me some Kevin Smith. He's one of my heroes.

But I had never met him.

He was the one celeb on the project that I HAD to meet. And Morgan, being the super cool dude that he is, made that happen. Scheduling-wise, I was there when KS arrived (through the secret back corridor!) and got to say hi to him, his daughter Harley, and his wife Jennifer. Amazing.

And if you look to your right, you'll see how happy I look. Finally, I got to tell the man how much his films and comic books had meant to me. The hours of laughs (and a few tears--come on! The dude is so much more than dick and fart jokes.) and just pure enjoyment -- I got to say thank you in person.

I knew without a doubt that Kevin would absolutely KILL it with the interview. I was all set to go and watch the magic happen, when things started going awry. With his interview running well over the allotted time and a schedule that was already packed, we were asking celebs to wait around. Um....

Pretty tough to do since everyone had just insane schedules to manage. But everyone that came in was completely cool and hung out. They had some drinks and snacks and talked to the crew (whispered, since filming was going on). Legendary sci-fi icon, Richard Hatch (from BSG) had to wait for a bit. Sci-fi hottie and IT-girl, Olivia Wilde had to chill for a bit longer. And they were awesome and loads of fun.

Though one person got bumped so Kevin could be interviewed. The guy was pissed. He started cracking fat jokes and talking smack. The crew got worried. The guy who was in a bad mood was Max Brooks, author of the modern classic World War Z -- I was a HUGE fan of his zombie apocalypse. And apparently, the only person in the green room who knew who he was.

I was asked to hang out with Max (at any other time, it would have been a thrill) and placate him while Kevin did his interview. We chatted about the book, the movie plans, how his fans were nuts and asked him to sign body parts (unattached), and general small talk. He made more jokes about Kevin Smith and the crew got more nervous. But after talking to him for a bit...I remembered one key detail. Max Brooks' father is MEL frakkin' BROOKS! 

Max was kidding the whole time -- definitely his father's son. He was just messing around and was a HUGE Kevin Smith fan. So when the crew needed to break, we went in and watched the rest of Kevin's interview. (Max's phone went off at one point. Which was kind of funny.)

Afterwards, I said hi to Kevin and Morgan. I asked the photographer (the amazing and gracious Alba Tull) if she would be so kind to take a picture of Kevin and me. She made my dream come true and took some awesome pics. (She thought it went so well, that we took some more pics of me and celebs. More to come next time.)

That first day working on the project was purely adrenaline-fueled and went by in a blur of awesomeness. I had such an amazing time and got to meet Kevin Smith.  Wow.

Stay tuned for more San Diego stories....*sigh* only at Comic-Con.

Oh, San Diego...

Well, it's Comic-Con week. I've got a ton of memories of going to San Diego -- priceless moments of working there and enjoying it as a fan. Unfortunately, I won't be making it over to Hall H or Ballroom 20 or the Exhibit Hall this year. Bummer.

But my past three trips to San Diego were amazing. I've had the pleasure to meet (and work with -- I was formerly employed at a publishing company --) people I really admire in the industry. I cannot say enough good things about the folks at Dark Horse. I've got some really amazing friends at DC and a ton of friends at Marvel. NBC Universal/ Sy Fy has some amazing people that I will call lifelong friends as well.

As a "fanboy" that had the great fortune and wherewithal to end up working in the entertainment industry -- I was completely and pleasantly surprised at the down-to-earthiness of professionals and celebrities that I have had the pleasure to meet. In the next few blog posts, I'll share some of my favorite memories (and awesome pics) of San Diego magic.

I'll have to call this number one:


What started out as a simple trip to the hotel bar at Comic-Con 2009, led to a geek's total dream. Done with meetings for the day, I ordered a burger and was waiting for take out at the bar. I turn to my left and I spot Morgan Spurlock. (Who has nothing against burgers in general!) Being a huge fan of Super Size Me, I had to go over and say hello.

We ended up having a drink and talked about what he was working on (turns out he was there working on his Simpsons doc) and how he had just met with Stan Lee and Joss Whedon. A geek after my own heart. Pretty amazing stuff. We hit it off and discussed ways that we could work together. 

We kept in touch after San Diego and met up a few times throughout the year with different ideas. Soon after, we managed to get a solid project to go -- the companion book to his upcoming documentary: Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope. Executive producers on the film include: Stan Lee, Joss Whedon, (funny that he met all three of us within 24 hours...though I am pretty sure Stan and Joss were way more memorable!) Harry Knowles, and Thomas Tull.


Long story short--I spent Comic-Con 2010 working with Morgan and it was one of the best experiences of my life. I got to interview and meet celebrities (Including one of my biggest heroes! More on that in a future post.) and contributed to a book and a film project. How cool is that?

Since the film hasn't come out yet, I don't want to say too much. But Morgan does give me a nice little shout out in this Publisher's Weekly article.

I'm excited to see the film when it is released this fall. I know that Comic-Con is just so massive in the minds of the geek populace and I have full faith that Morgan will do it justice. For all of us that have made the trek, we each get something so different from the experience. I was so very lucky to have had a once-in-a-lifetime-only-at-Comic-Con week in July of 2010. And for that: thanks for the ride, Morgan. I will manhug you next time I see you.

More Comic-Con stories next time.

How many months until May 2012?

I'll be seeing Captain America: The First Avenger (Gotta love that title. For foreign markets!) this coming weekend, so I'll get to see the Avengers trailer on the big screen...but someone at an early screening posted this online.

For the uninitiated, the Avengers are Marvel's superteam. Appearing in the film thus far:
Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man
Chris Hemsworth as Thor
Chris Evans as Captain America
Mark Ruffalo as the Hulk
Scarlet Johansson as Black Widow
Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye
Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury


Looking like some pure awesome. Finally seeing just a hint of the team (also the first glimpse of Colbie Smulders as Maria Hill -- legen-dary!) in action is a thrill.


Joss Whedon can do no wrong. I cannot wait for next May.