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Running over to the DC NATION panel now... be starting in 10 minutes.
Read On!
As I've mentioned a few dozen times before, one of my favorite things to do at comic conventions (besides going to panels and getting stuff signed) is going Klingon Hunting, where I attempt to get pictures of people in costume, often without them knowing I've taken said picture. And, with the New York Comic Con having just passed, my first major hunt of the year has come and gone, and it was quite the success.
After the break, the fruits of my labor. Enjoy!
As spring approaches, a young eD!'s thoughts turn to several things; happiness, love, and the comic convention season. And, no, that's not the order he thinks of them in.
One of the first major conventions of the year is the New York Comic-Con, which I have been going to since its creation waaaaaay back in 2006. And despite the fact that the convention has been very hit or miss for me (with the first year being a disaster and the second being fun enough, aided by the fact that they were using the main hall for the show instead of the basement), I still go to it, hoping that Reed Exhibitions, the folks behind the show, learned from the mistakes of last year.
Anyway, NYCC announced today their guest of honor, and, I gotta say, I'm insanely stoked. In comics, there are very few writers I would go out of my way to meet, and most of that list has been completed successfully. However, there is one writer who has eluded me to this day, and, finally, I might be able to get him to sign something: Grant Morrison.
Yet another awesome Valentine's Day Gift to me. Thanks, universe!
There was an article in Wizard Magazine back in 2005 regarding a series writer Grant Morrison was going to start on called Seven Soldiers, where Morrison would tell a huge story with characters that had been re-imagined by him. The article mentioned that Morrison came up with these revamps of the characters as a creative exercise, and had dozens of notebooks filled with similar concepts.
This struck me as something that would be a lot of fun; however, every time I considered doing it, I talked myself out of it, figuring that it was nothing more than fan fiction, and it was better to leave that sort of thing alone. And, you know, how many people actually find fan fiction all that engaging? I rationalized that it'd be a waste of my time, and that was that.
Until recently, anyway.
See, ever since I decided to start writing whatever the hell I'd like instead of trying to write to please the masses, I've been writing a whole bunch of stuff that I convinced myself would be a "waste of time," and, frankly, it's been some of the best writing I've done in years. So, why not go back to this concept of re-imagining characters that I have a snowball's chance in hell of ever writing professionally? If it sounds like fun, I'm gonna do it, and nay-sayers and decriers of "fan fiction" can take a flying leap.
Of course, with any endeavor like this, there must be rules. And my rules are fairly simple:
- The most basic elements of the story must stay the same; Superman came from Krypton and fights for truth and justice, Batman's parents were killed in Crime Alley, etc.
- There must be a rational, compelling reason for the change; Spider-Man will not suddenly start drinking his enemies blood because it's "gritty and cool."
So, for the first in my series of "How I'd Have Done It," I present my ideas revolving around Jack Kirby's epic New Gods, who have recently been finding themselves being hunted by a mysterious killer in DC Comics' Death Of The New Gods.
Naturally, all characters are trademark and copyright DC Comics, blah-blah-blah, don't sue me, thanks so much. For character information, click on their name and get taken to their Wikipedia page.