WELCOME TO OZ!!!

Well, I'm back after a busy couple of weeks setting up a few conventions and trade shows in Downtown San Diego. Although all pale in comparison to Comic Con, the fact is we get some huge shows out here, and some one's got to put them together. I actually have a couple more that I'll be doing over the next three days, hence the reason I'm posting now.

Over the last few weeks, I've been going crazy with wrestling nostalgia. I've picked up some DVDs lately, namely The Best of Monday Night Raw: 1993-1994 and Greatest Superstars of the 1990's. It's funny to see how much Doink the Clown, of all wrestlers, was such a big part of the WWF back then. I'm not saying he was a bad wrestler. In fact, his matches were pretty good. It's a shock, I guess, because a character like that should not have succeeded. I mentioned before that Doink was a bit of a badass. He would do wild things, like hit Crush with a car battery, or throw pies at kids sitting in the front row. He did whatever he wanted to do, and after a while, fans couldn't help but root for him. It was also interesting to note how much they put over Scott Hall, Sean Waltman and Jeff Jarrett on these DVDs. Perhaps an olive branch has been extended?

Of course, not all bad gimmicks are as lucky (Do I really need to bring up the Shockmaster again?). But in the cartoony world of the early-90's WWF, the really goofy gimmicks like Doink, the Repo Man and Papa Shango didn't really seem out of place. In WCW, however, where they prided themselves more on the "sports" side of sports-entertainment, the goofy crap seemed really uncalled for. Given the success that the WWF has having in those days, you couldn't really blame WCW for trying to follow suit. Unfortunately, nobody ever really seemed to put much thought into the gimmicks and angles before throwing them at a paying audience (anybody who sits through a TNA show every week probably knows where I'm getting at here).

I could go on for hours about some of WCW's biggest Flops. Flops like the Dynamic Dudes, skateboarders who didn't skateboard or Van Hammer, a guitar player who couldn't play guitar, although he sure knew how to carry one around. And let's not forget about P.N News, a 300lb. white rapper who, well, just plain sucked. Poor Brad Armstrong was actually one of the most talented wrestlers to ever work for WCW, but for one reason or another he was always saddled with terrible gimmicks. His most infamous was Arachnaman, a Spiderman ripoff that was actually shelved after Marvel comics threatened legal action. His next gimmick? The Candyman, where he came to the ring passing out candy to kids at ringside. You know, I was always taught to never take candy from strangers. And they don't get any stranger than a man in red and white striped tights passing out candy. Of course, all of these pale to the sheer horror that is this little dandy below.

Behold the power of OZ!


For those of you who aren't wrestling fans, that's Kevin Nash. Oz was his first major singles gimmick, right after his run with the Master Blasters (a future post). The little man in the mask calling himself the Wizard is Kevin Sullivan, he himself a purveyor of wrestlecrap. Basically, Ted Turner owned WCW. He had also just purchased the MGM film library. The Turner brass felt that a good way to promote the newly acquired library was to create wrestling gimmicks based on movies, which wasn't new. The Mad Max movies had inspired dozens of wrestlers. This time however, it didn't work very good. The whole thing was just plain weird. In addition to goofy entrance music and the drooping backdrop, there was also the fact that the neon green tights and and silver hair made Nash look ridiculous (when he first showed up in TNA with his now naturally gray hair, I though he was doing Oz again). The contact lenses he wore also didn't help. If anything, it made Nash look like he was on an acid trip, which is how most people who witnessed this thing no doubt felt. Oz didn't last long, and Nash eventually became Vinnie Vegas, a New York thug. When that didn't work, he headed north the WWF, became Diesel, and went on to become a big star. He then returned to WCW as one half of the Outsiders with Scott Hall, thus launching the Monday Night Wars. These days, he works for TNA, probably bracing himself for the eventually bottom falling out. Ted Turner, meanwhile, figured that perhaps creating a new cable channel was a better way to promote his new film library. And thus Turner Classic Movies, or TCM, was born.

Well, I think I've wasted enough of your time for this week. I'll be back next time with some new comics and, I promise this time, a recap of the Aftercon. Y'all take care now, LATER!

IF CHRISTOPHER NOLAN DIRECTED "DUMB AND DUMBER"

Sorry for the short post this week. Work has suddenly crept up on me, so I only have time for a funny video. And this is a great one. Mash-ups are one of my favorite things to look up on youtube, and the best ones are usually comedies or family films made to look scary (see House of 1000 Muppets or A Christmas Gory or Stoogeback Mountain). This time around, we get to see the serious side of Dumb and Dumber. Now if only someone would do a scary mash-up of The Naked Gun!

Anyway, I hope to be back next week so I can finally do a post about the Aftercon. Nobody else who was there seems to be covering it on their site or blogs, and I'd hate to follow along with that.

Enjoy the video, and I'll catch y'all next time.


Damn! I think the guy who did this mash-up might be onto something!

IT'S COMICS WEEK!!! YEAH!!!

Yep, Dr. Roxxo loves him some blog comics!

Anyway, I'm a bit late updating this week. Sorry about that. I've been really busy lately with work and some other things that needed my attention. Still, I'm back now with some new comics as well as all the pieces that I did for the Aftercon. I would have liked to have posted some of the pictures from the Aftercon, but my computer ain't being too cooperative right now. Perhaps next week I'll be able to finally get around to covering this great event. In the meantime, enjoy the cartoons and I'll catch y'all next week. Later!

Although I love this piece, I have to admit, it's not my best coloring job. Lesson to all would-be cartoonists: never do your coloring if it's late and you have poor vision.

This piece is actually quite special. As some of you may remember, my cousin Ivan passed away a couple of months ago. Not long afterward, my niece Camilla, being the great kid that she is, put together a book for our Tia Corina (Ivan's mom) that collected memories from all the relatives about Ivan. He loved comics and cartoons, and loved Comic Con, more than me even. So I felt the best way to pay tribute was in the comic form. Each panel describes a different memory that actually happened, the funniest of which occurred when Ivan convinced me that it'd be a good idea to throw a paint can off the roof of my clubhouse. Needless to say, evidence of this incident still exists on the side of my Tia Lilia's house! Ivan was a real rascal and I still miss him. Party on dude!

This was just the postcard I passed around at Comic Con this year, as well as the Wizard World Anaheim show. It's because of this card that I got into the Aftercon.

This is a piece I did for Phil Yeh as a thank you for inviting me to participate in the Aftercon. Amazingly enough, he remembered me when I gave it to him, even though it had been three months and my hair was about seven inches shorter! Phil's a great guy and his Winged Tiger comics are must reads for anybody who wants to be a cartoonist or writer.

This was one of my Aftercon pieces. Sadly, it wasn't shown for one reason or another. So now, I present it to you, the fans of the stuff in hopes that maybe somebody will appreciate it.

This was a piece that I had submitted for the Comic Con Souvenir Book. Sadly it didn't get in. I had a feeling it wouldn't so sent it into the Aftercon as well. Luckily, Matt Lorentz and Mark Richmond aren't as picky.

My "Peanuts/D.C." piece. This was the one I was most proud of. A lot of people seemed to like it, but alas, it never sold. Oh well.

We have come to the end. This was the piece that actually sold. Granted, it was to my Uncle Victor, but he wasn't the first bidder! It looks like I might actually have some fans out there!

Take care folks!

WOW!!! WHAT A WEEK!!!

Well folks, another Comic Con has come and gone, and boy was it insane this year. I didn't really get into a whole lot of panels, but I did get to see the Danny Elfman panel (I guess I owe a debt of gratitude to TRON: Legacy for luring everybody to Hall H for that one). I won't bore you guys with all the details. I figure it's best to let the pictures do the talking. Still, it was a great show, save for the dude who got stabbed in Hall H, and I can't wait until next year. I already got my ticket!

Anyway, enjoy the pics, and I'll be back next week with a huge comics update, as well as a rundown of how the first AFTERCON Art Show went. Y'all take care now!

Trolly signs, in KLINGON!

Robot Chicken's Seth Green. This dude is really tiny in real life!

Cobra Commander, the new God of Thunder.

Vegeta!!!!!!!!!

The totally awesome HUB Experience at the Marriott. This thing was really cool and open to everybody, badge or no badge! The Hilton had a similar deal featuring Clash of the Titans swag.

The Scott Pilgrim ad. I watched them put this up the week before, and I think it's still there now.

DUDE! CHECK IT OUT! I FOUND WALDO!!!

The Ecto-1 makes its rounds through Downtown San Diego.

In case you ever wondered just how massive this thing is, here you go. And this is only two halls!

Hey! Itsa Mario!

Straight outa Endor: Pimp Boba Fett and Pimp Vader.

Jack Sparrow: "Sheesh Princess! That's not very ladylike!"

So exactly what do you get when guzzle down sweets?

Check it out, they finally got off the island.

Beastman and female Skeletor!

Casey Jones, a Foot Soldier and April O'Neal find common ground at Comic Con.

Hangin' out with the King, Jerry Lawler.

The Killing Joke (A great Batman story kids).

Blanca terrorizes the Gaslamp Quarter.

Muppeteer Karen Prell performing Red Fraggle at the Hub. She was a very kind and sweet lady.

Andre the Giant! Back from the dead and in the mood for some of those awesome Legends Series figures that Mattel just released. Big props to Mattel for going with WCW-era Big Van Vader and AWA-era Road Warriors for the first wave. They also have Jake the Snake Roberts with the cobras instead of Damien!

The robot from Red Faction. People could actually climb inside of this thing!

The scene outside of Hall H, moments after a man was stabbed in the face with a pen by a disgruntled Harry Potter fan (and no, I am not making that up) over a seating dispute.

Apparently, Lord Jiraiya was powerless to stop it. Perhaps he summoned the wrong toads?

I can't say I agree with this guy, but it's still a pretty funny shirt.

Dave's not here man! (Sorry, couldn't resist)

Screw Cobra Commander, Oscar the Grouch is the new God of Thunder!

The G.I. Joe/Cobra faction is always well represented at the Con. These guys get major props for going with Cobra Commander/v.3 and adding Sgt. Slaughter to the mix. On a side note, my friends and I often refer this version of Cobra Commander as "Mighty Morphin Cobra Commander". Yeah, we're nerds. Deal with it!

Pirates and Fraggles. Only at Comic Con.

What the? Why it's Rerturn to Oz! On Laserdisk! Seriously though, this is a very underrated film, in my humble opinion of course.

The exhibit hall as things begin to wind down on Sunday afternoon.

One last look at the lobby outside of Hall G.

That's all for now folks. See ya next week!

JUST ONE WEEK LEFT!!!

Well, folks, we are now just one week away from Comic Con 2010. It is shaping up to be an awesome show, with a lot of great panels and guests. I'm particularly looking forward to the Danny Elfman panel. The former Oingo Boingo frontman is celebrating his 25th anniversary as a film composer, so they're giving him a panel to discuss his many great musical scores (the score to Beetlejuice is my all-time favorite). Anyway, above and below are the official announcements for the Aftercon Art Show. Mere words aren't enough to describe how cool this thing is going to be. I'll be there to discuss my pieces, do sketches, and just plain party! So come on down to the Aftercon at 655 10th Avenue. You'll be glad you did!


Since I won't be able to post next week due to the convention, I thought I'd give everybody a quick look back at Comic Con's past. These pics come from the 2008 show, a great event that I'll always remember for a hysterical moment that occurred at the Watchmen panel. During the question and answer panel, a dude dressed up as Batman was the second person to ask a question, and when he popped up on the all the screens, everybody in Hall H busted out laughing! It took a few minutes before he was actually able to ask his question. Video of this moment does exist if you type in "watchmen panel batman" on youtube. Sadly, the Watchmen movie was nowhere near as entertaining as the panel.

Anyway, enjoy the photos!
The outside of the San Diego Convention Center.

Castle Grey Skull! An Awesome monument.

The SciFi Chanel booth. Sadly, they weren't there last year, and the booth actually broke on the last day.

BLOODY PIGEONS!

The really cool slime wall of the Ghostbusters booth. My brother Dante helped build this thing. I helped set up the video in Room 6CDEF in 2008.

COBRAAAAAAAAAA!!!

Teela and Evil Lynn. Only at Comic Con!

Who ya gonna call?

Shrek and Fiona. Cute couple, no?

Talk about dedication, these guys did every incarnation of Dr. Who!

"Come with me if you want to live!" (Sorry, couldn't resist.)

60's Batman. It may have been goofy as hell, but man was it funny!

One of my childhood icons; Mystery Science Theater 3000's Joel Hogdson.

The original super hero, J.C.

It was a great show, up until Cobra showed up!

Evil Cheerleaders. I'd date one!

Cobra, again. From the looks of it, Destro may have been enjoying the M&M's, chips and sodas at the hospitality suite a little too much.

Ricardo Medina, Ecto Mugshot.

One last look at the exhibit hall. It's always real sad to leave this thing.

I thought I'd end today's post with a quick recap of the play Avenue Q. Despite being a stagehand, I've never been much of a fan of plays. However, I loved Avenue Q. It was funny, poignant and brutally honest. And the songs were outrageously funny, with "It Sucks to be Me" and "What Can I do with a BA in English" being the real highlights. So long as your 18, I'd say go see it if it comes to your town!

Well, that's about it for this post. I'll be back in couple of weeks with a full recap of Comic Con and the Aftercon. In the meantime, I'll catch y'all at the Con! Take care everybody!