Tag Archives: New York Comic Con

September 27, 2017 · 1:30 pm

Review: WEED MAGIC

WEED MAGIC, published by Bliss on Tap Publishing

Cannabis humor is tricky. The subject comes with its own unique background that easily attracts goofy humor. It can also definitely have redeeming quality. I’m talking about overall quality and craft. In movies, think: Cheech & Chong. Seth Rogen and James Franco. In comics, think: Robert Crumb. Simon Hanselmann. If you are really cool and smart about it, you can succeed with goofy jokes about pot. WEED MAGIC, published by Bliss on Tap Publishing, is a new comic book series that gives it a try. Let’s take a closer look.

Here’s the deal: you are already preaching to the choir when you create a cannabis comic so you really don’t need to overstate your case. That is a big challenge to contend with. And, to be fair, you are also dealing with a variety of opinions and tastes. Some people think Kevin Smith is spot on with his cannabis humor and some think not so much. It does seem that people can get way too caught up in proving that they have cannabis cred and that they’re up for the most wildest of misadventures. In general, less is more. Some people think more is not enough. At first, I was leaning towards this being a problem for this comic. Attempts at going full-on Mary Jane can fall short and feel too generic and calculated. But, after careful consideration, I say this comic grows on me.

Two friends just getting by…

The narrative steadily takes form and the reader can expect to roll with the offbeat humor. This is light entertainment done right. This is written by Brian Phillipson and Jordan Lichtman with art by Alex Cormack. Brian Phillipson is the president and co-founder of Bliss on Tap Publishing. It is easy for readers to take for granted the hard work involved in creating something that falls in the light humor category. But this is a sharp and well-executed smooth read. The dynamic use of color by Cormack is in step with the pace and humor. We’re in good hands down to spot on lettering by Alex Murillo.

…then, one day, they stumble upon a big bag of magic weed.

The story does a good job of playing off the typical superhero origin story. Set in Los Angeles, in Hollywood, we follow two friends as they discover their true destiny. Bunny Cortez dreams of making it big as a filmmaker. Moe Green is more down to earth as a law clerk on a fast track to becoming an attorney. But both of these guys are not happy, at least not as happy as they’d like to be. Until, one day, they stumble upon a big bag of magic weed. Hey, I could see this attracting the attention of Seth Rogen and James Franco or the next wave of talent that aspire to be Rogen and Franco. It could happen. Lastly, we’re just discussing the first issue here. From what I see, I am intrigued and look forward to the collected trade. All in all, a strong first issue. Seek this out.

Rating: 10/10

WEED MAGIC is available as of October 4: digitally on all major distribution platforms, including Amazon, Apple iTunes, Hoopla, Comixology, Google, Scribd, Nook, and Drivethrucomics. And for fans attending New York Comic Con (October 5-8), Bliss on Tap will be featuring WEED MAGIC at booth 945 along with a special collectible.

Visit Bliss on Tap right here.

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Filed under Bliss on Tap Publishing, Cannabis, Comics, Hollywood, Humor, Marijuana, New York Comic Con

Tagged as Cannabis, comic books, comics, Entertainment, graphic novels, Hollywood, Humor, Los Angeles, Marijuana, Mary Jane, Media, Movies, New York Comic Con, Pop Culture, Pot, Publishing

January 15, 2015 · 3:03 pm

Seattle Focus: Emerald City Comicon (March 27-29, 2015) Embarks on First Year with ReedPOP

There has been a lot of buzz lately over Emerald City Comicon’s acquisition by pop culture events organization ReedPOP, a subsidiary of Reed Exhibitions. You can read Paul Constant’s report at The Stranger right here. Constant deems ECCC as “just the right size and not too super-intense. The comics professionals at the show always enjoy themselves, and so their interactions with the fans tend to be looser and more fun.” Now, there is no truly accurate basis for this but anyone can appreciate the enthusiasm behind such a remark. New York is New York. Seattle is Seattle. And so on. Each convention, large or small, offers its own unique dynamic. And, certainly, ECCC has its vibe.

According to The Stranger’s article on the sale of ECCC, its owner and staff will be retained by ReedPOP to act as consultants for all its comics conventions around the world. ReedPOP already runs such prestigious conventions like New York Comic Con. ReedPOP is, without a doubt, huge but they say they want to listen to any feedback. In April of 2014, it had to deal with controversy leading up to the first annual BookCon in New York which ReedPOP was responsible for. There was a panel of writers entitled, “Blockbuster Reads: Meet the Kids Authors That Dazzle” which touted an “unprecedented, power-packed panel” of the “world’s biggest children’s authors.” The panel of writers: Daniel Handler, Jeff Kinney, James Patterson, and Rick Riordan. All middle-aged upscale white guys. Moments after the news hit, the backlash ensued with leaders in the book industry crying foul on social media over the lack of diversity. And ReedPOP did indeed listen and responded with a panel on diversity.

For ECCC, it should be calm and steady waters ahead. Seattle is such a great location as we love our high and low culture from movies and television, to books, to games, and, of course, comics. We have more comic shops than some larger cities. We have more comics creators than some larger cities. ECCC definitely has an ideal location.

Talent headlining ECCC for 2015: Amanda Tapping. John Wesley Shipp. Dante Basco. Karen Allen. Clark Gregg. Anthony Mackie. Kevin Eastman. Gina Torres. LeVar Burton. Grant Imahara. Stan Lee. Emerald City Comicon is being held at the Washington State Convention Center on March 27-29, 2015. For more information, visit ECCC right here.

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Filed under Bookcon, Books, Comics, Emerald City Comicon, New York City, New York Comic Con, Paul Constant, ReedPOP, Seattle, The Stranger

Tagged as Bookcon, Books, comic books, comics, Emerald City Comicon, Entertainment, graphic novels, Media, Movies, New York, New York Comic Con, Pop Culture, Publishing, ReedPOP, Seattle

October 7, 2014 · 8:22 pm

NYCC 2014: Darkrose Studios and The Benefits of Transmedia for Comic Book Publishers

TRDWTR, a 30-part graphic novel series, Darkrose Studios, written and created by Morgan Rosenblum, art by Ray Dillon

Darkrose Studios is an indie comic book publisher, known for TRDWTR. Darkrose Studios is based in Manhattan, New York, and actively engages with transmedia. This coming Thursday, October 9, the founder of Darkrose Studios, Morgan Rosenblum, will be chairing a panel about self-publishing at New York Comic Con. In this discussion, Mr. Rosenblum will explain how comic book publishers can use transmedia storytelling as a source of revenues, and avoid any potential pitfalls.

Mr. Rosenblum will be joined on his panel by Adam McGovern, Anthony Del Col, Matt Kadish and Molly Knox Ostertag. The panel will take place from 7:15 PM to 8:00 PM in conference hall 1A01.

Press release follows:

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New York Comic Con 2014: George R. R. Martin in 1964

What if you were an eager comic book-reading teenager in 2014 and you were teleported back to the first New York Comic Con in 1964? It was fifty years ago that New York Comic Con first set up shop, arguably the prototype for all major comic cons to come. I was pleasantly surprised to learn today in The New York Times coverage of the upcoming NYCC (Oct 9-12), that the records show something quite special. If you look at the 1964 program for New York Comic Con, on the list of registered participants, George R.R. Martin, just 15 years-old at the time, is the first on the list!

Well, that inspired me to draw the above comic. If two teens were let loose in NYCC ’64, they would have a shot at buying a bunch of copies of Action Comics #1 for a mere $40 each. Today, those same copies (depending upon the condition, blah, blah, blah) would fetch in the neighborhood of $3 million each. Of course, if one of the teens caught sight of Mr. Martin, that distraction could prove catastrophic for their plans. He could squander their chances at millions just to alert the author of “Game of Thrones” to pick up the pace!