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| The Whedon Power Panel! Thanks, Pam! |
Weird, I know, but you have to expect that sort of thing in Breaking Bad. Trucks get hijacked, business partners turn on you, and animated Leafmen invade your blog post.
First, let's talk about the second annual Alabama Phoenix Festival. Months ago, Ensley F. Guffey and I were approached by a mutual friend and Kilted Zookeeper about maybe appearing at this fan event to be on a few panels about Joss Whedon's work. Intrigued, we said "yes." Details were worked out and we drove down to Birmingham, blithely forgetting that holiday traffic around Atlanta would be hellish. (We also came back on Monday, the end of the Memorial Day long weekend, so we got caught on both ends.) Aside from that bit of poor planning on our part - WOW! It may be only the second year of this particular fan event, but it's run as smoothly as the very best of steampunk clockwork. Our "couple of panels" evolved into about a deca-panel, but we loved it and our audiences seemed appreciative of our work, insights, and raw opinions. Thanks to all who made this happen - we've been talking on Twitter (follow me, won't you? The button's right there on the right) and I'm up to do it again!
Now, fan conventions are different from academic conferences. To sum up the difference, let me quote, well - me as we checked in to our Very Comfortable Hotel. "Honey, that guy's got a tail." Sure enough, a young man dressed in jeans and a striped T-shirt was sporting a large, fluffy foxtail from the back of his jeans. Hey, I don't judge - I presented while wearing my long, lovingly-crafted replica Scythe earrings from Fray and Buffy, so I can't afford to sneer. Fan cons (the largest is, of course, the Behemoth that is San Diego Comic-Con) are where fandoms collide. Attendees often dress up (known as cosplay and costumes are often quite elaborate, representing weeks or even months of work), so you are likely to see characters from Ghostbusters, Doctor Who, My Little Pony (it's big), G.I. Joe, any Whedon show, and a scattering of various superheroes walking around. (An aside - the ladies' room of a fan con is a very interesting place to be.) You can buy souvenirs such as back issues of comic books, DVDs of hard-to-find science fiction movies, jewelry crafted in a steampunk aesthetic, etc., etc. That alone is great fun - and the people-watching is tremendous. What draws all of us together is our love of something geek. Fandoms do collide at these conventions - it's a little disconcerting to see Star Wars stormtroopers from the 501st Legion ("Vader's Fist") marching through the hallways carrying signs reminding people to donate blood. (The 501st is a fan group that blends a love for Star Wars with charity work, using the unforgettable slogan, "Bad guys doing good deeds.")
You also go to meet people. We met Terry and Oliver Holler, who have taken their love of Back to the Future to great lengths, replicating the DeLorean time machine and offering fans the chance to have their photo taken in the iconic car, with proceeds going to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research. We met conference buddy and LEGO enthusiast Jennifer Garlen, who both wrote the wonderful book Beyond Casablanca and is busy raising one heck of a great kid. (Her husband deserves credit on that score, too, of course. All three were at the con.) And you meet icons and heroes. For me, that included Allen Bellman, who is a comic book writer from the Golden Age (think of it this way - Bellman remembers when Stan Lee came to work - as an office boy!). He and his wife were warm, friendly, and full of stories.
And that also
included David Michelinie, who wrote one of Iron Man's most defining story arcs, the late 1970s "Demon in a Bottle"
storyline.* I had a chance to meet him to get my copy signed and, far
more importantly, to be able to tell him what an impact that story had
for me. You don't often get the chance to tell your heroes "thanks," so
when you have the opportunity - take it.I want to go back next year. Tim, Steve - please? We'll bring props and visuals next year! It'll be great!
When I came home, it was to dive deep into the pool of summer school and summer movies for Meet Me at the Movies. Up first - the Blue Sky animated feature Epic. I can sum this up simply. It's a gorgeous movie with astonishing detail and the overall look of Epic is nothing short of beautiful. The vocal talent (which includes Colin Farrell being as Irish as soda bread) is solid and the movie has some fun lines - be on the listen-out for the "chipmunk" line - but the story is never more than predictable. It's a fine movie, but doesn't rise to the level of the best of the animated stories out there. Take your kids - the film is quite family-friendly and has some nice things to say about love and forming bonds so that you don't go through life alone - but save your money and watch a matinee.
*And I will take my last breath convinced that Marvel/Disney pussed out in Iron Man 3 by ducking that storyline, which was set up in the first two movies.
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