Crazy 4 Comic Con

To a full capacity room of passionate comic book and film Illinois geeks, a Marvel v DC showdown unfolded. This past weekend, I was able to help facilitate some amazing discussions among awesome nerds at Chicago Comic Con. I’ll be posting the audio of a few of my panels and I think you’ll find them very thought provoking. So first up…

Nothing has done more to bring our fandom to mainstream than the Marvel and DC cinematic universes. However, not all films are created equal. Joined by profession nerds (@ImAaronJ ‪@docmidnight ‪@crosberg ‪@Stella_Cheeks ‪@mollyjane_k), we compare and contrast decades of great (and not so great) films from our favorite caped crusaders. This is must for superhero cinephile of the Marvel and DC universe. Here is the audio from my Marvel v DC: Dawn of Nerdom panel:

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Special thanks to Wizard World for allowing me to be apart of the experience!

I’m not sure if I would describe Fox’s latest Fantastic Four a ‘highly anticipated’ film for the summer, but there was certainly a lot of curiosity around it. Sure the 2005 and 2007 Tim Story versions fell pretty flat but they also came out before the Marvel Studios juggernaut had been launched. The landscape of the mid-2000s superhero genre was still pretty unstable so the standard was pretty low. Now just a short 10 years later and our expectations are totally different. As many of you heard, the critics were not kind to Josh Trank’s reboot but were they being overly critical? Joined by my nerdy friends Jeff (@NerdsInRecovery) and Jennifer (@jennxlai), we first share are thoughts pre-movie about our expectations, then dive into the aftermath right after the credits rolled. There will be spoilers (and blood). Enjoy!

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Download here. Leave your comments below on what you thought of this FF reboot and if you think there is anything worth saving. Make sure to check out my podcast library. Thanks for listening and don’t forget to subscribe through iTunes!

We had an amazing time at my GEEK WARS: The Nerds Awaken panel at Comic-Con. I was joined by an amazing group of professional geeks; Chris Gore, Sam Maggs, Ali Mattu, Amy Ratcliffe, Andre Meadows, and Ivy Doom Kitty. Besides nerding out, we talked about race-bending, objectification of female heroines, bullying, and taking risks. It was very insightful and I so admire and respect each of these awesome geeks.

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Special thanks to Lawrence Brenner for his video footage. Download audio here. Thanks for listening and leave your comments below about your thoughts on this panel- AND don’t forget to subscribe through iTunes and like/comment there too!

One of the highlights of Comic-Con 2015 was having a chance to host the Wrath of Con Bloggers panel for the first time. With the explosive growth of Comic-Con over the years have come a new generation of nerdy and geeky websites- so we wanted to discuss how it has shaped and influenced pop culture. I was joined by my esteemed Comic-Con colleagues Megan Gotch (The Nerdy Girlie), Leonard Sultana (An Englishman In San Diego), and Alyssa Franks (Friends Of CCI). We had a great conversation about  how we started out, best practices, common pitfalls, biggest obstacles, and the core values of our sites. We were also very inspired to hear about all the great stories from our audience before and after the panel. As a true noob, I forgot to start my recorder so my apologies for cutting off Leonard’s introduction.  

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Download here. Thanks for listening and leave your comments below about your thoughts on this panel- AND don’t forget to subscribe through iTunes and like/comment there too!

A week has passed since Comic-Con and we have all returned back to the harsh reality of real life. But before the euphoric high fades from our memories, I wanted to look back at all the wonderful highlights from last week. I am joined by two special co-hosts and we all had very different experiences from each other. Amy Marie from Assembly of Geek was fully immersed in the press experience interviewing casts from many popular TV shows. Jefferson from Nerds in Recovery cosplayed for the first time with remarkable success and shared what he learned. For myself, I focused on connecting with content creators and also exploring my own personal mission. We discuss the sustainability of Hall H camping culture, the trailers that came out of Comic-Con, Offsite Events, and our personal highs and lows.

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Thanks for listening and leave your comments on any of the topics discussed- AND don’t forget to subscribe through iTunes!

Still in a ‘con-fog’ from San Diego Comic-Con, I went late on Thursday night to see the opening of Marvel’s ANT-MAN. This ‘little’ known character was received with much skepticism when it was first announced years ago. At Comic-Con a couple of years ago, we were treated with ‘test footage’ of how this tiny hero would possibly look in action- which was kinda cool but also kinda weird. Then last year, there was drama around the sudden replacement of Edgar Wright as Director, much to the disappointment to nerds everywhere. Last year’s Comic-Con panel certainly didn’t breath confidence either as Evangeline Lily shared that they were starting to shoot next week and she hadn’t seen a script yet- yikes! So sufficed to say, next to Guardians of the Galaxy, I think fans are going into this small adventure with relatively low expectations. Joined by Marlon and Andy of the TOTL Podcast and awesome nerd gal Alice, we give our fresh, spoiled filled, thoughts on Ant-man and how it contributes to the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe. As a bonus we chat briefly about Comic-Con and some of the trailers that came out of it too!

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Leave your comments below on what you thought of Ant-Man! Thanks for listening and don’t forget to subscribe through iTunes!

To all those camping out for the WB, Legendary, and Fox panel, I wanted to post some interviews to help pass the time! I continued my tradition of walking the Hall H line on the wee hours of Friday night as it crosses over into Saturday to interview the faithful fans. This year has been an unusual year with such big panels happening everyday of the con with Hunger Games, Doctor Who, Star Wars, and of course, Batman v Superman. There is nothing more that symbolizes the passion and enthusiasm of Comic-Con fans than the Hall H campers. Joined by my partner in crime, Jefferson Jordan of Nerds in Recovery, we interviewed fans about what they thought about the Hall H wristband system, what they were most excited to see, concerns about Batman v Superman and why Comic-Con is so special to them. Their commitment inspires me and they are all truly CRAZY 4 Comic-Con. The night brought a crazy surprise which was the perfect ending to the night. Enjoy!

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Check out the rest of my podcasts on iTunes and don’t forget to subscribe!

I return back to join Henry and Angel at The Geek Speak Show in preparation for San Diego Comic-Con2015. During our conversation we talk about the nerd blogging community, I share some tips to help first timers and ow to plan your experience. I also comment on some new policies and we end discussing ‘cosplay is not consent’. The Geek Speak Show is a great resource and they are awesome- make sure to check them out and follow at @GeekSpeakShow1

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Adron and Wendy of Nerd For A Living asked me to come on their show last week to talk about Comic-Con. I had a lot of fun talking to them so I thought I would include the interview as a Comic-ConVersation– about me! In this podcast I share about how/why I started Crazy 4 Comic Con, the importance of having a ‘Mission‘, and how to take advantage of the opportunities around you during the show. Launched at SDCC a couple of years ago, Nerd For A Living is a great resource for those wanting to take a step towards a new future. Check out their site and follow them @NerdForALiving

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Don’t forget to subscribe to my podcast at iTunes to get the next installment of Comic-ConVersations!

Comic-Con is just a week away! Before we hit ‘ludicrous speed’, let’s pause for another Comic-ConVersations with a very special guests. After interviewing the panelists from my Wrath of Con Bloggers panel (Thu 10a), I am now moving on to my GEEK WARS: The Nerds Awaken Panelist (Fri 10a). This panel will be a combination nerd trivia and social discussion with some awesome professional geeks. I had a great conversation with Dr Ali Mattu which posted a couple of days ago- check it out if you haven’t yet. Tonight I had a chance to chat with Amy Ratcliffe, aka @Amy_Geek. She is a contributing writer from Star Wars, The Nerdist, IGN, CBR, and an all around amazing geek girl. In our ConVersation, she talk’s about growing up in a small town, discovering her nerdom through Batttlestar Galactica, and her journey as a writer. We of course end on the wonders and stress of Comic-Con.

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Definitely check her site out at GeekWithCurves.com and don’t forget to subscribe to my podcast at iTunes to get the next installment of Comic-ConVersations!