Photos from Phoenix’s 2014 Amazing Arizona Comic Con

Amazing Arizona Comic Con 2014 took place at the Phoenix Convention Center last weekend, January 24-26. I represented BOOM! Studios at our booth, along with writers Paul Jenkins (“Deathmatch,” “Inhumans”) & Eric M. Esquivel (“Bravest Warriors,” “Loki: Ragnarok and Roll”) and artists Wook-Jin Hunter Clark (“Adventure Time: Flip Side,” “Megagogo”) & Missy Pena (“Bravest Warriors”), plus BOOM!’s Marketing Assistant, Stephanie Hocutt. They’re all awesome people! Below are some memories from throughout the weekend.

Our first stop in Arizona was at Samurai Comics! Their window painting is mathematical!

This Warhammer 40K Space Marine guy won cosplay for the weekend!

Look at that Space Wolf gear in all its bloody glory!

Rocket Raccoon cosplay

Queen Amidala cosplay — I loved how she posed stoic but was really animated at the booth

Tank Girl!

Sassy-badass-lady-Spawns

He said this photo would mark the first time he’d be on the internet — here’s your 15 minutes, DAY-MEN-#1-signed-by-creator-Matt-Gagnon-raffle-winner! (I also endorse Ed Robertson’s Comics pictured in the background)

This dude won the HIT #1 variant signed by creator Bryce Carlson — he doesn’t even have a twitter! (photo taken by S. Hocutt)

This lady has “Herobear” ink! Awesome!!

Writer Eric M. Esquivel and artist Missy Pena pose with a Beth Tezuka cosplayer from BRAVEST WARRIORS! (photo taken by S. Hocutt)

Writer Paul Jenkins and artist Wook-Jin Hunter Clark and I having fun at the Copper Blues!

We were handed this sticker on the way to the bar. I would not take a shot of this, not because of the name but because shots kill me.

Thanks for the chibi prints Jeff Pina! I had to get them — how often do you find DUNE fan art?

I met Vo Nguyen at Copper Blues and he gave this to me the next day. I never see Jubilee prints!

The cover of Missy Pena’s sketch book

Just a sample of what’s inside Missy Pena’s sketch book! Get a good look at that, Sailor Moon fans!

My silly purchase at the show. The price was right — I had to pull the trigger! (and yes, it’s a first print)

I had no clue these guys had already hit shelves! Since I haven’t seen them anywhere else, I decided not to wait.

Got this BMO in my Happy Meal on the way to Arizona. Ooo!

 

Save “Sailor Moon!”

You have three hundred words to justify the existence of your favorite person, place, or thing. Failure to convince will result in it vanishing without a trace. Go!

Listen!

Please, for the love of your deity — do not let “Sailor Moon” slip into the Negaverse and out of existence.

This may sound strange coming from a 28 year old man, but believe me — I need “Sailor Moon” to never go away. Without it, my daughter would go absolutely bananas.

“Sailor Moon” is the only show her mother and I can put on the TV and it instantly settles her down. She becomes transfixed by the bright, flashing colors and the catchy theme songs. Plus, my daughter’s first love is clearly that “mega hunk,” Tuxedo Mask (Sailor Moon’s words, not mine). Her face lights up and she babbles excited love gibberish whenever he comes on screen. I’ll admit, the dude’s a total badass who has his own moral code and is full of snark — he’s always saving the Sailor Scouts and lovingly teasing Serena, a.k.a. Sailor Moon. He’s also a snazzy dresser. Tuxedo Mask’s the kind of guy a father can get behind.

Ahem.

“Sailor Moon” may not be my favorite thing, but it’s certainly my daughter’s. She’s almost 2 years old and can’t yet speak for herself, so as her Dad, I’m coming to the defense of her favorite thing in the world.

Don’t let everything “Sailor Moon” vanish without a trace — the result will be this little girl becoming heartbroken, and her eventual transformation into the next Queen Beryl.

That’d be super mean.

 

Comics Were Bought: Long Beach Comic Con 2012

Yesterday I attended Long Beach Comic Con 2012 in Long Beach, CA and had a surprisingly enjoyable time. I went two years ago on Halloween day and to call it dead would be an understatement, and I only went this year to cover a panel for CBR. Honestly, the expectation going in was to leave within an hour after the panel wrapped, but I ended up staying until around 5pm. It was a lot of fun! The convention floor was full of people and the vendors section was much more complete from two years ago.

I didn’t plan to buy anything, but ended up haggling with a number of vendors and walked home with a bunch of cool stuff, mostly for my little lady. I spent more than I should have, but it’s justified by my bargaining saving $40 off the purchased items’ asking prices. Check out the big photo below of everything purchased and the gallery with individual item shots (click photos to enlarge).

1) Sailor Moon Wall Scroll — This thing is huge and totally awesome for the room of an almost 2 year old Sailor Moon fan.

2) Sailor Moon Hair Bows — Because why not?

3) Vampirella Print by Ken Meyer Jr. — Ken newly moved to L.A. and has written for my site ComicAttack.net since its inception in 2009, and only at this show did we finally get the chance to meet in person. Had to support him and my wife loves Vampirella — he even personalized it to her!

4) Goldar & X-Factor Iceman Action Figures — These were both for me. A Goldar action figure from the original Power Rangers for $10 in the box? Yes! An Iceman figure I didn’t yet own talked down to $10 from $15? Yes!

5) Trini Doll & Baboo Action Figure — OK, so these are “kind of” for me, but I bought them for my daughter who’s still too small to actually play with them yet. That’s OK — we’ll hold onto both for her over the next couple years. I only picked up the Baboo because it was cheap ($7 still in the box!) and Trini needed someone to beat up.

6) The Lion King Board Game — The lady and I are on a board game kick and this one seemed like a worthy addition with a cheap price tag. It’s near complete, only missing 3 irrelevant pieces, and my daughter can play it with us in just a few years, too.

7) “Tigger the Movie” & “Muppets From Space” VHS — Yes, my household is only one of four in America that still has a VHS player. My lady and I love finding old VHS tapes for $1 and these two are solid additions for the kiddo’s growing library.

8) 22 Kids Books — Oh man. I didn’t actually buy these at the Con, but at a $1 used book store across the street from the Convention Center. That’s right — each of these books were only $1! My daughter loves the Little Golden Books, and so do I considering they’re quick reads. I actually put back half of the stack I picked out because it was too heavy to carry. “Tarzan” was for me, but all the rest belong to my little Monster! Check out the old school “Dinosaurs” book. So awesome!

 

Sailor Boon With Grandpa Monster

Added new photos to the Boon Monster tumblr today — my favorites are below: Boon Monster on Grandpa’s shoulders and watching “Sailor Moon” so attentively.