Emerald City Comic Con 2011: The Costumes
Everyone knows the best part of a fan convention is the opportunity to cosplay your favorite franchise in the safe company of fellow nerds who will love you for it. Even a crappy costume gets love at a comic con. And for those not crazy enough to dress up, there is always the opportunity to snap a photo with those who are.
As promised, here are some of the best costumes from March 4th-March 6th. Included a few of the costumes from the Masquerade which have already been seen, but these pics are better. My apologies for so much…me…in this slideshow. 😛
SADLY, this is the last ECCC related blog entry until 2012. But that doesn’t mean there won’t be anymore content on this here blog!
NEXT WEEK: Battle: Los Angeles Review, Spartacus: Gods of the Arena Recap and The Hunger Games Link-Bombs + My Attempt at Casting.
LATER THIS MONTH: Sucker Punch Review, Book Club Recap, Bridge City Comics Signing Recap
AND MORE: I’ll also be meeting with a friend here in the PDX area who is interested in collaboration. Excited about mixing things up a bit and seeing what kind of response we get. I’ll post more details soon!
Jayne Hat: The Sequel
A cunning hat for a cunning dude
Guess what I finished last night? Dan’s long-awaited and much-anticipated Jayne Cobb Hat. It’s been at least a year since Dan requested the hat and for some reason, I’ve been avoiding it like the plague. But after checking out these studly pictures of him modeling the finished object, I can only kick my own ass for waiting so long.
Give me some credit – a lot of nerd and beginner knitter fear goes into constructing such a cult favorite craft item. But the SDCC brown-coat booth and con-goers inspired me and I conquered the not-so-scary earflaps.
The ear-flaps weren’t nearly as frightening with the proper weight yarn and this video tutorial on picking-up stitches. It was actually a quick and dirty process which took about the length of one crappy episode of Glee. Seriously, the show is such a train wreck, I’m not even sure why I’m watching it anymore. There is no real cohesive plot-line. The musical numbers aren’t even attempting at attaching themselves to story-lines laid down in the first half of the first series. Between that, and a less than enthusiastic second entry in the new series Boardwalk Empire…I’m feeling pretty down on Television at the moment.
If it weren’t for my recent obsession with Boston based movie fare (thank you, Ben Affleck) I wouldn’t have probably made so much headway on the Jayne hat. As it stands – the hat is completed and Dan and I are conversing in almost nothing but crappy Boston accents. I even leaned out the car today after running an errand for him and shouted “Get Back to Work Ya Fuckin’ Jerk.” My heart may belong to Portland, but I think my dirty mouth hails straight from Bean Town. 😀
Anywho – the Jayne hat pattern I ended up using is available on this blog. And the two different kinds of yarns I knitted up with were Lamb’s Pride Bulky in Ruby Red, and Cascade 128 Superwash Chunky in 822 and 821.
Pretty stoked to have it completed and feeling confident about tackling another Jayne Hat for my buddy Sam in the near future.
The first Jayne hat version is going to Smalls and I do plan on knitting up another for myself – which I’ll no doubt wear to the various comic book shows and conventions around town. Wordstock is coming up next weekend…and I’m slated to volunteer (hoping to hit up the comic book section and report out about something interesting). This hat took me all of three days to complete, so I’m pretty sure I could pump out at least two more before then.
Just for your amusement – the Hero of Canton himself:
The next nerdy knitting project on the docket will be a Harry Potter scarf for my nephew Vincent’s birthday (and if it goes quickly, I might whip up a few more for the Midnight screening). This will be my second requested birthday present knitting project this year and I’m feeling pretty pleased that people are enjoying these crafts. It only took a few years of producing shitty stockinette stitch scarves to get to this point. 🙂
Jayne Cobb Hat: Installment One
My work and non-work life have been rather busy the last few days but I’ve also managed to successfully undertake what, for me, has been a rather complex knitting project.
Adam Baldwin proudly models the original
It should all be so easy. The hat itself isn’t exactly a paragon of difficulty. There are several well made patterns out there on the internets ripe for the picking. I just need the right yarn and tools. One out of two ain’t bad, right?
I went with one of the Jayne Hat recipients – the DH Dan – last weekend to pick out the yarn. And we got the wrong weight. And the colors are a bit off (but actually look quite fantastic together). It’s like a fall in the Pacific Northwest version of the Jayne hat. Which might actually look much sexier than the intention of the original.
Unfortunately in the knitting world, if you don’t follow the pattern exactly, you have to adjust and swatch and do math…all of which I am really quite opposed to. My answer is to eyeball it, knit something up, then find out it’s wrong, rip it all out and start over again. Ugh.
Which leaves me with my present predicament.
Jayne Hat w/o Earflaps
This is my third attempt at the Jayne Hat. It’s supposed to be for my DH, but it’s really only going to make it on my head. Which is fine. I think I’m going to make a stop by our LYS this weekend and snag some really amazing yarn in the right (bulky) weight and follow the advice/practices in this here Youtube video:
And this basic pattern – though I won’t be knitting with two strands held together once I’ve secured the right weight.
At the moment, the plan is to finish off the current Jayne hat incarnation and wear it for myself. It was intended for Dan’s head, but I don’t think my needles are going to support that. Probably gonna have to pick up some new needles as well.
Earflaps are tough for me. After a traumatic attempt at them on a hat for my niece…I haven’t tried them again. Apparently I have some weird emotional and mental block against them. It’s going to take some strong coaxing but once I get the skillz practiced, I think this will make a good starter hat for many more Jayne attempts to come.
Feeling kinda lame that I devoted my whole weekend (when I wasn’t at a baseball game, book-club meeting, house-cleaning or visiting with family) to this creation and still didn’t manage to get anything finished. Hmph.
Hopefully I’ll be able to update with the finished object this weekend.
LINK LOVE
In the interim, check out these articles I scouted about Joss Whedon related crafts, including an interview he did with a crochet website.
– CrochetMe article on Whedon Craft
– CrochetMe interview with Joss Whedon
– Other Joss Whedon related crafts
JAYNE HAT PATTERNS GALORE
Spreading the Link Love: 4/08/2010
Not enough for a full article, but important enough to avoid a simple one-liner on Twitter.
1. Painted Ladies: On Tats and Trashiness
Having had a large and highly visible tattoo on my arm for the last two years – I’ve had my fair share of compliments, insults and insults disguised as compliments. These have ranged from burly biker dudes, tween girls and middle-aged women. Specifically in that order.
I get that people are full of opinions, and having prominently displayed body art leaves you vulnerable to hearing said opinions of anyone passing on the street. But terms like “trashy” and “low-class” used as descriptors for people (women especially) are exceedingly classist, and are generally lobbed from people with advanced opportunities and education against those who are not so well-situated in life.
While it’s all fine and good to personally eschew tattoos, piercings, hair dye, eating meat, blowjobs, whatever – thinking you have the right to approach strangers and share your unsolicited opinions is pure and utter bullshit. But that’s part of the territory, and as a body art enthusiast, something I’ve come to love/hate about the permanent change I’ve made to myself. And it’s kinda worth it when sexy Battlestar Galactica actors compliment and touch your arm. Mmmm. 😉
2. Chris Claremont Unveils X-Women
While normally I’d reserve my ire until I actually read this 46 page graphic novel…just the few preview pics are enough to make me shake my head in bitter disgust. Whenever I consider how the X-Women might spend their leisure time, or what sort of female bonding they’d do when they have the chance, I automatically think – bikinis and jet skis!
I’m not being sensitive. Truly. Or even over-reacting. This is me completely under-reacting to this news. What else could I possibly say? Pretty sure the art-work by Milo Manara and Claremont’s statements speak for themselves. What they say to me: yeah, we’re totally being sexist dicks and completely disregarding at least 50% of the X-Men fanbase, but WHO CARES? Did you see the Tits and Ass on Rogue? Fuuuuck Yeaaaah!
But in case I misconstrued their statement, here’s the artwork:
And quote:
“We’re speaking primarily to an audience that may not be as religiously familiar with the American canon in terms of characters and the world itself, so you want to create a physical environment that is accessible to the broadest possible collection of readers.”
Speaking for themselves.
3. Joss Whedon on Short List to Direct Avengers
That’s the rumor these days kiddies. That, along with Bryan Singer now ONLY producing X-Men: First Class is some of the biggest comic book movie news to hit in the last few weeks. How do we all feel about Joss Whedon putting his rumpled ass in the Director’s seat for one of Marvel’s biggest franchise movies?
Uncertain – at worst. He has proven that he can wield a deft hand with ensemble casts, but he’s always had the fortune of being the one to assemble them (there’s a nerdy Avengers Assemble joke in there somewhere). This cast has been hand-picked by several directors who’ve come before him.
As the DH, Dan Robertson, also pointed out in one of our incredibly nerdy/fan-freak conversations – Whedon would have the task of directing and managing some Actors (with a capital A) that are notoriously difficult to work with in Hollywood. Specifically Edward Norton and Robert Downey Jr. I worry more about Norton, than RDJ. Whedon knows how to mine the comedic for the tragic quite easily, and I feel like he would have no problem coaxing golden performances out of RDJ and Chris Evans.
Also rumored to be in the running – Louis Leterrier (le terrier? Really?) and I’m putting at least some weight behind Jon Favreau, although his helming Ironman is most certainly a nice bid for Whedon. Favreau sort of came out of left field like – WTF, THAT guy? The SWINGERS GUY?
And pulled off one of the more successful Marvel franchise film series. Christopher Nolan also dicks around with smaller independent fare, and has done well with his Batman flicks. So – why not Whedon? Just cause Dollhouse and Firefly? Come on dudes, Buffy, Serenity and Astonishing X-Men. That’s like, three pieces of awesome versus only two bomb TV Shows (which have spastic cult followings of their own).
It’s hard out there for a pimp. All’s we are saying, is give Whedon a chance. Maybe he’ll force them to include at least ONE FUCKING WOMAN in the Avengers. Spider-Woman? Ms. Marvel? She-Hulk? He’s Joss Whedon, champion of awesome women. He’s like the golden ticket for inclusion of female characters. *fingers crossed on that one*
But he could do Runaways instead. Which would fit his M.O. more solidly – it’s got super-powered teen girls kicking ass. And would make my nerd heart cry, cause I know that dramatically decreases the chances of any “strong” female presence on the Avengers team. But, yay him. Dudes got bigger fish to fry outside of some wobbly television series with Fox.
That’s all she wrote…for now…
COMING UP NEXT: Kick-Ass Movie and Graphic Novel Review
The Dollhouse Conflicts: Cancellation Rumors Fly
Poor, troubled Joss Whedon. He’s had off years, and great successes where no one expected (turning a failed movie into a TV series, and a failed TV series into a movie) so expectations were high for Dollhouse, and let’s be honest – the first four episodes did not deliver.
If I wasn’t a Whedon junky, I would have probably skipped off Dollhouse following episode 3 (as I did with Fringe). But the tenacity of wanting to see this show succeed where Firefly failed kept me watching. Things have picked up. Things have gotten good. Though I’m still not in love with any of the characters, and feel the humor is rocky at best…there is more to this than sheer entertainment value at this point. It’s getting Joss back on track doing what he does best – television. And if it takes a season or two to make that happen…I want to put him there. He’s delivered exciting content on three different TV shows, with my favorite mutants, and in a musical blog. What more could a nerd heart desire?
Also – I promised Tahmoh Penikett I would keep him in a job. 🙂
But a Twitter from Felicia Day picked up by Dr. Horrible and spread out to the Whedonverse has unleashed the storm which has no doubt been quietly building there for several weeks.
It doesn’t confirm that the show is canceled – merely a Season Two bridge episode #13 in which Felicia Day and Alan Tudyk were supposed to guest star is *possibly* not going to be aired. Hence – no Season Two, without an airing of the much touted Episode 13.
UPDATE: Tim Minear explains the situation here and soothes some of the savage beasties salivating at the keyboard. It’s incredibly helpful when the writers of a show watch the fan boards and respond. Why are these people so eerily accessible?
Right now – Dollhouse and Fox are the top trending searches on Twitter. I’ve even been prompted to tweet my fourth update in the last month about it, just to add my tiny push to the wave that is no doubt cresting at Fox’s door this very moment. All this started about 1 hour ago, btw. Hah!
So – I’m going to do my part and reserve a copy of the Season One DVD. I’m going to ignore the conflicting info flying around the net at present:
For some reason – as with X-Men Origins: Wolverine…I just can’t shake the feeling that the internets have been duped by bizarre FOX PR stunts as of late. Or maybe it is just the inability of old media to play nicely with new media creating circumstances which feed fan frenzy. Who knows?
Maybe you want to join in the twittering fun – to save Dollhouse?
Much Love, Mindy C
BACK to basics: Fray, Tank Girl and more…
So – I’ve been a bit neglectful of my blogging duties, but all in the name of good fun..and making ridiculous fan vids.
Another reason is that I’ve sworn off graphic novels and tpb’s until something more interesting crossed my path. I was getting tired of scouring the library shelves for some semblance of a reasonable title, and coming up with books that weren’t really holding my attention. And just to reassure you all – I managed to find a few decent titles.
I’ve also wanted to get back to my regular old novel roots, and devour a few books I’ve had on my list for awhile. My latest conquest was Middlesex by author Jeffrey Eugenides. It was refreshing adult and literary content. And now I’m ready to return to the wonderful world of comic books.
Even though I’ve been “gone” for two weeks, since my world seems to revolve around comic books, and movies, and comic books – I stumbled across a few comic related tidbits I felt compelled to share.
My latest fan-vid (oh, the nerdosity temperature just rose a few degrees in here) is all about a tpb I picked up during my 25th birthday – Fray written by Joss Whedon with art by Karl Moline and Andy Owens. It follows the story of Melaka Fray – a slayer living in a future that is reminiscent of Firefly – with some similar phrasing – “rutting” being the best example.
However – Fray has no knowledge of how to be a slayer and instead leads the life of a hardened thief – running from a tragic past.
The art by Karl Moline is fantastic, and the coloring by Andy Owens is rich and bright – everything you would expect and want from a future with flying cars. Is there a future without flying cars? Where the hell are OUR flying cars!?
But I digress…I also stumbled across Tank Girl through ON Demand last week. Can I just take a moment to say that I love DVR? Having the power to record the shows that I love and watch them whenever I want, fast-forwarding through shit commercials…phew…it’s a TV revolution.
Right – back to Tank Girl. I dug the screwball antics of the main character and the randomness of the plot, but at the same time…it reminded me of all that had been so off-putting about comic book movies made in the last decade.
And what it is that has made comic book movies so distasteful in the past? The cheese factor. Since I’ve not read Tank Girl, I’m not sure how true the movie was to the comic, but the campiness was firing on all cylinders, and made it incredibly difficult to forget you were watching a movie based on a cheeseball comic book. Which was probably the intention. But it didn’t work all the time.
It felt like a 1.5 hour commercial for the series. And though I find myself intrigued, and considering taking a gander at the book…I’m not certain TankGirl will ever make any Top 10 comic movie lists I put together. And on that note – here’s a Top 10 List:
Uglies, Pretties and Specials
Recently finished the third book in the Uglies Trilogy – a young adult miniseries written by Scott Westerfield based around a future society where everyone gets “surge” (plastic surgery) and becomes “pretty” when they reach puberty. The Pretties are changed mentally as well as physically, so their personalities can match their new bodies.
At first I was a little hesitant about reading this series. I’ve never been one for ooh-ing and aah-ing over technology, but I can always get on board with a Utopian society run amok. Westerfield promised a perfect society wherein choice is limited, and inevitably our heroine will bring freedom to it’s people. And the series delivered effortlessly on this count.
In fact – it was reminiscent of The Giver, but not in a derivative way. Honestly any story about a Utopian society geared towards Young Adults is bound to be held up against The Giver. It’s up to the author then to give the content some fresh spin that will keep the comparison brief.
Westerfield works into this familiar tale a lot of great fresh material, and I found it to be relevant for the current events and attitudes of our present society. With the focus on beauty, puberty, relationships, friendships, technology etc – there is more than enough intrigue to keep most teenage girls (and maybe even boys) occupied.
Westerfield’s unique voice in this genre is centered around the idea of beauty, individuality and personal freedom. There were several genres this series was operating in – action adventure, sci-fi, romance, political and societal commentary. And it worked on most levels – at times the romance seemed distracting, as well as the nearly relentless “action.”
Dan
tinyheroes
Tiny Heroes 