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With the recent blog post on February 14th: Adults Need LEGO's Too: Give us Stark Tower!I thought this was an appropriate addition. |
Saturday, February 16, 2013
LEGO My Tears of Pain!
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Adults Need LEGO's Too: Give us Stark Tower!
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| LEGO DC Minifigure Collection for 2013 Robin and Aquaman |
Said parents have a child, have an excuse to buy and build with Lego's till heart is filled with joy. Then the inevitable happens.
The child grows up and wants a phone.
Lego's are no longer a source of fun.
The child will not realize that this was true entertainment for unfortunately another 10+ years.
The dilemma that is left is either, "How can I get away with squandering my time on Lego's without the child?" or "Where the heck do I store 2 five gallon bins of Lego's?"
Okay, so maybe this is a little bit of a case in point scenario, meaning my case in point. When my son decided Lego's were not cool anymore, I thought he was insane. Seriously.
We had put together the Lego Full NBA Basketball Court together and had some rockin games; and we conquered the Lego Full Soccer Stadium and continued to add to it. Then there was HOGWARTS....oh boy, that was crazy. We plowed through helicopters, airplanes, spaceships, trains, towns, and even the jungle - dinosaurs included. Finally, there was of course, Star Wars everything.
Star Wars and Lego's seem to go together like peanut butter and jelly. They just fit. When in doubt - buy Star Wars Legos.
"Have you put any Lego's together lately?"
"Pshhhh, yep just finished the 3,808 piece Death Star. Started it last night."
Last October, I went to New York Comic Con and was thrilled to see the Lego booth, I had a small surge of excitement when I saw this however:
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| New York Comic Con - October 2012 LEGO booth |
It was like INCEPTION!
Yet, glorious! It was at this moment I realized - Lego needs to just straight up make Lego's for adults.
Market them to adults, geeks, nerds, or 'parents who have no more excuses.'
Give us STARK Tower! Give us Justice League Headquarters orbiting satellite! Give us Castle Grayskull! And for the fun of it - throw in Voltron!
I for one, wouldn't mind stepping on Lego's again.
Some pain, is a reminder of creativity!
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
What's Love Got to Do With It?
Comic books...
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| Dan Panosian- urban-barbarian |
I fight my first instinct, and may I add that I am fighting with every ounce of galactic strength, to go directly to the Internet and research what studies have been previously done, polls that have been taken, and theories have been established per this question.
I would "assume", that nostalgia would be first on the list of reasons for the adults currently reading comics, who started as kids. But what about new readers? Or, readers who have ventured into new story territory?
According to articles I have read and that have peaked my interest, comic books are doing more than just satisfying the want to relieve the golden memories of yesterday. According to a study done by Kaplan International Colleges, Spiderman is doing his neighborhood duty by teaching people English. Yes, as always proving that, "with great power, comes great responsibility."
I would venture to say, with the recent boom in comic publishers and indie titles that are now available - it can be even more confusing than ever to decide what to read. There is definitely a GRRRR factor, if you do not know what you like or if you are new to this reading style. However, it can be done. And new comic books sales are proving that "indie" is here to stay!
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| Issue #100! |
I find it interesting that our culture is finally catching on to the idea that comic books are more than just "silly child's stories" with "drawings." The art is intricate, and goes through sequence and processes that are detailed and finite. Story lines can be as simple or as ridiculously difficult as the reader would like them to be. There is most definitely something for everyone.
What I appreciate even more, and have enjoyed myself about recent developments, is that the education system is now beginning to look at graphic novels and comic books as a way to get through to children by using visual connections.
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| Art by Robert Atkins |
Whats love got to do with it? Everything when it comes to comic books. For the creators it is obvious - their heart and soul is bled onto each page. Each story writer, penciler, inker, colorist, letterer, editor, and publisher - a comic book is a collaboration of a work of art.
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Why do I read comic books?
I read them because I like to feel the story. I enjoy using as many senses possible to make that happen. I notice the textures, colors, lines, saturation, hues, word bubbles, fonts, point types, story lines, and every detail that makes the comic book complete. I try to understand why the story was written.
It is only then that the story becomes not just a past time, but an experience.
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| "Elders of the Runestone" - Fantastic new story to check out! Story by Quinn Johnson, Art by Robert Atkins |
Friday, December 28, 2012
Zombies are Goal Driven! Featuring art by Brian Atkins
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| Zombie Reading by Brian Atkins |
Christmas has now come and gone. I prevailed through yet another birthday! I have discovered some long lost loves: "Big Trouble in Little China", Sean Connery as James Bond, Space Ghost: Coast to Coast, and stickers - yes - real meaty STICKERS!
| For me it is the little fantastic things in life that keep me smiling! |
So now, it is that time again where much of the world is preparing to make goals for the next year, 2013. Goals that will never be accomplished. Goals that will sound great once said, but will never make it past the first week of January.
Not necessarily because the intent was never there, but because - we are a progress forced culture.
Sometimes our own needs get lost in the mix.
Now Zombies, on the other hand, THEY ARE GOAL DRIVEN!
And I mean 24-7! They have a singular want in site and boom they are determined. Zombies don't care about cultural norms and pressures to: first conform to society before putting their own wants and needs on the table.
NO! They know exactly what they need. They know what they are lacking in their, ahem, dead existence.
Zombies are the eternal optimists. The "glass half full" guys! Keeping it simple.
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| A glass this cool can be purchased! |
Basically turning into villains and monsters worthy of any comic book plot.
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| "Murder Lane" by Brian Atkins |
So, how do we become like the Walking Dead without, you know, dying?
To get the scoop, I spoke with my good friend, Chris O'Hearn - Life Coach for Strong Within (his personally owned coaching business has been featured on the likes of MTV and can be found through the above link...this guy is great!)
According to Chris, we need to break it down. (stop dancing) Break it into two steps:
1. Action
2. Maintenance
Ask yourself what is going to be your actions to make a change for 2013. For me, I need to have visual recognition - and a lot of it. BAM in my face! Using wipe board markers on my bathroom mirror to remind me of my goals, for example, will get the job done.
Actions are the energetic liveliness of the goal or the need that keeps you invigorated. Think zombies...they never quite moving.
Actions are the energetic liveliness of the goal or the need that keeps you invigorated. Think zombies...they never quite moving.
Then, it is important to actually recognize how the maintenance will be played out for those actions. What are you personally going to do to remember why you want to change? How are you going to keep moving towards your goal? Do you need to write your accomplishments down? I do. That is the ego in me coming out.
If you want to be more creative - look beyond what is creative and look at creativity in yourself. Remind yourself of past goals or habits you have had that has worked in the past. Reinvent them if you need to.
Chris stated, "Allow yourself to become in a state of mind where you want to be action driven." I felt like I could take over the world at this point.
Finally, a fantastic suggestion by Chris, "Brainstorm 20 things where you want to put yourself first. Think of different ways you can do this during 2013. Whether it is habitual, daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly. It is not being selfish. It is recharging, refueling, and organizing. Sometimes, when we only list a couple of ideas we do not fully analyze what we truly need to be happy, and when we are taking care of everyone else's needs and problems, there is not enough energy or time to take care of ourself."
For 2013, make it a goal... be a zombie! Go after what you truly want!
Whether you want to be:
Silas the Serpent King
or
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Anime: It's a Family Affair and Growing
Anime Banzai is officially in it's eighth year and is enjoying its most successful event to date. Anime Banzai started as most cons do, as a simple idea for lovers of a hobby to "get together" and bond. The idea blossomed and took off. The convention now reaches not only into the corners of Utah and surrounding states, but boasts of attendees traveling from as far as Florida and California.
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| Adam Bates, Jose Cruz-Rojas,Aaron Gordon |
As I mentioned before, the swag one receives for pre-registering is pretty nifty.
Adam Bates, Graphic Designer for the Con, and one of the founding members of the original con stated: "We treat our guests very good, and we want them to have the best experience. We want to go out of our way for them and make them feel special."
It is the little things that you notice at this con that do make a difference! For example, the 3-day event schedule is printed on an impressive fold out and color coded program. The program book is loaded with volunteer art that is beautiful.
I was also introduced to Grant and Jeana Bradbury - The Guest Liaisons. I am currently unaware of another con having such a thing. Basically their job is to help the special guests and make them feel more comfortable in the new environment and around the con. In my opinion, this is fantastic PR! Way to go Anime Banzai! You win the PR award!
I was also impressed with the amount of volunteers. The attitude to help is phenomenal. I have yet to encounter one single person with an attitude that is unwilling to help or explain yet another character to me.
So exactly who is the other half that makes the con possible?
The loyal following of course. They come for the panels. They come for the exhibits. The interactions with other loyal fans. The cosplay. They come for the game room - a room dedicated purely for gaming! The dances - yes I said dances! Friday and Saturday night there are dances till 12:30 and 1:30 am. This con is serious about entertainment! They come for the chance to buy swag and art. They come to meet special guests. But most of all they come for the chance to interact. Aaron Gordon stated all ages are present at the con every year, however about 60% of attendees are female with the approximate age demographic in whole (male and female) being between 14-21. While we were chatting I laughed and said considering all the comic cons I have been to the higher percentage is male, it sounds as if we need to merge.
"While we spend energy and imagination on new ways of cleaning the floors of our houses, the Japanese solve the problem by not dirtying them in the first place."
-Bernard Rudofsky
Saturday, October 20, 2012
I Think i'm Turning Japanese...Anime Banzai
| What is Anime Banzai? |
| Anime Banzai is an educational convention focusing on Japanese anime (animation), manga (comics) and culture. Anime Banzai is sponsored by Utah Anime Promotions, a non-profit educational organization dedicated to bringing the culture, art and fun of Japan to Utah. In 2005, the first Anime Banzai was held and hosted 600 attendees, which was double what we had planned for. In 2011, we had around 3300+ fans join us, and we're looking to have another excellent year in 2012! |
| The goal of Anime Banzai is to bring an event to Utah where fans can come together to celebrate Japan and Japanese Culture in a fun, safe, family-friendly atmosphere. To that end, we hold our convention three days each year with panels, events, and contests that will let fans enjoy their favorite aspects of Anime and Japanese popular culture.
Day 1 - Friday
I arrived with my stepdaughter who was donned in an amazing Korra cosplay. We were quickly directed to the registration line.
 Registration - ahhh yes. That pesky thing you continually forget to do AHEAD of time - hence the name PRE-registration. Not only do you get to go in the shorter line, get to pay LESS cash, but you get EXTRA goodies and a NICE SWAG bag at this ANIME con to boot! After waiting in line for 2 hours and 20 minutes - I would advise all - pre register. It is so worth it. 
As with all Cons the wrath and powers that be - will and always do happen. And the train wreck happens just when all believe that they can smile and breathe.
The darkest forces and foes begin to dance and party and cause chaos ...in short ...the credit card machines ALWAYS go down and twice as many fans show up!
Personally, I was actually thankful for the 2 hour line wait so I could be slowly introduced into the new worlds, regions, universes, fandoms, dimensions, of these characters that were so foreign to me. Just the colors and amount of time that goes into these costumes, WOW, add the unpronounceable names and tragically heroic yet feisty back stories and let me tell you - I was ready to buy every book in the expo hall!
After registering and getting our name badges, and coveting the pre-registration swag bags, (mental note PRE-REGISTER FOR EVERYTHING!!!!!!) I was told that last year, 2011 - on the Friday they had a total of 600 guests, this year 2012 - by noon they had 600 guests! It was 1 pm and their were still three lines out the door and around the building! I was impressed.
I am excited to go back tomorrow and hear the final numbers for day one.
The rest of the day was a crazy blur of A LOT of hugging. Probably, one of the biggest differences I noticed from my experiences at my Comic Cons verses my first Anime Con so far. Comic Cons there is more hand shaking. This hugging is called glomping. For a more intense description of what exactly a GLOMP is, be sure to read below.
I also enjoyed going to a couple of panels with special guests in the Anime journalist community, Voice talent, and film industry. I also got a peak at the expo area but then there is also two more days.
All ages were represented, and well I might add. There were full families in cosplay, and all ages of OATKU- a Japanese term used to refer to people with obsessive interests, particularly (but not limited to) anime, manga or Japanese video games.
Fans and cosplayers were full of smiles and enjoying GLOMPING - which I discovered was hugging another person out of shear excitement. For a further introduction to the GLOMP I did find this amazing tutorial:
Glomping 101
~By Shimegami-chan
Glomp.
Definition: A method of greeting or attack using hugging/tackling.
Word origin: Unknown, but has Japanese manga roots.
The Basic Glomp:
1) Approach your target from front, back, or side, usually at a running or jumping start.
2) Throw your arms around them, usually around the ribcage or surrounding area.
3) Squeeze.
Different Forms of Glomping:
1) Flying Glomp: Usually used as a surprise attack, this airborne glomp can be attained with a running start or by standing on a conveniently-placed high object such as a table or chair. This type of glomp is often found in Sailormoon or other shoujo manga.
2) Glomp of Death: Similar to the Flying Glomp, the Death-Glomp can easily injure someone. It is usually executed from behind and without the target's knowledge.
3) Tackle Glomp: As the name indicates, this glomp is meant to knock the target to the floor. Should not be performed on concrete floors or near sharp objects. This type of glomp is often found in fanfics.
4) Twirl-Glomp: Less dangerous than other types, this glomp usually has the target's prior knowledge or, at the very least, excellent aim. The target may glomp back and/or spin around in a circle with the assailant. For optimal effect, the assailant should be a lighter weight than the target, preferably by at least half.
Variations:
1) Arm Glomp: Attach yourself to your victim - I mean, target's - arm They cannot escape. Sometimes called the Jun glomp by the author of this guide, having Digimon origins. Also employed frequently by Shampoo in Ranma 1/2.
2) Neck Glomp: Can be utilized as a choke hold. Encircle your target's neck. Use with care unless aiming to cease their respiration.
3) Jogress Glomp: Another glomp with Digimon origins, with the Jogress the target is glomped from two sides at once. An Arm or Neck glomp may be used simultaneously.
Other variations can easily be made using the placement of the arms, depending on the target's size/relationship to you/patience. The span of time before the glomp is released also depends on these factors.
Popular Glomping War Cries: Random Japanese phases are often the choice of glompers, and the most common (as this author knows) are:
'Ohayo!' ('Good Morning')
'KonbanWA!' ('Good Evening') 'Konnichiwaaaa!' ('Good Afternoon') 'Mou!' (Indignant noise)
The target's name may also be shouted, with the option of adding the suffix '-chan,' a term of endearment.
This concludes 'Glomping 101.' I hope that this has been an informative guide to the little-known tactics of the Glomp. Thank you!
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Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Marketing, Geeks, and Comic Books: OH MY!
We are setting trends.
Let this sentence soak in for a moment. The entire fabric of this sentence signifies great and miraculous changes in the geekdom we love. What is even more fascinating is that the world is noticing and realizing that as a whole our tastes do make a difference.
Comic books, print and digital - are in one of the many categories that just can not be ignored any longer by retailers and manufactures. What we buy, when we buy it, why we buy it, what influences us to buy it- is intriguing even the most renowned corporations. Everyone is wanting a piece of the pie that is obviously making money - The GEEK Craze.
But what does this mean for Indie artists? The little guy? The artist or writer who just coming into his own or who has been trying to break into the business for a while now? Essentially, this is NOT the time to give up. More than anything it is the time to squash your fears and pull up your big boy, or girl, pants - fasten on that cape and get ready to face your fears, and dive in.
Basically, GAME ON!
With marketing, magnetic is instant attraction. And the best magnetism is consistent. Comic Cons are essentially one of the best ways to socialize and beat the proverbial pavement with others in comic industry - this is possible because of consistency. Every year Comic Cons have increased in attendance, in popularity, in recognition, in popularity, and in world wide acceptance of legitamite market value.
Are you looking to market yourself in the comic book industry? Should you go to a comic con? YES!!!
Marketing is not just about numbers and statistics about what is selling in stores. Although this is important. It is also about trends, demographics, people, what people are buying, what is the hottest fiction, what is the gaming industry doing right now, what other cultures are buying, digital and print, technology, basically it is about finding your perfect little corner and making it golden.
Choose to stand out. Accept orderly disorder at first. But choose to make your identity yours and know that in doing so you are setting a trend. It is easy to market yourself as a trendsetter.
Searching out your specific trends is a way to start. I like to use:
search for a particular subject or demographic. For fun look up comic books.
I will be writing more on marketing in the future, however, isn't nice knowing that the greater population is finally listening.
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