The biggest day for the comics industry was earlier this month.  The highly anticipated annual FREE COMIC BOOK DAY event, as usual, didn’t disappoint.   FANTASTIC FORUM was in it up to our necks this year as we sponsored events and made the rounds to comic book retailers in the Washington, DC metro area.

Producer/host Patrick Michael Strange was at Flashback Comics in Woodbridge, VA along with artist Pete Tapang, Ms. Delaware Collegiate Lyss Acosta-Millan, Next Issue Podcast host Harry Cee and Webster Style magazine’s Elden Hawkes.   There were trivia and costume contests and prizes galore.  If you happen to be in the area you want to check out Flashback.  And Patrick does a weekly comics preview show from there that you don’t want to miss.  Tell ‘em you heard about it on FANTASTIC FORUM!

Our friends over at Victory Comics in Falls Church, VA had members of the 501st Imperial Legion in the house.   We didn’t quite make it in time to see all of them but I managed to get some great interviews that you’ll see on the show.  And I took pictures with cosplayers Kate Foil and Gareth Hoskins as Batgirl and Batman.

Kate has actually been a panelist on the show, too.  You’ll see her in our upcoming episode #47 “The Star Trek Phenomena.”

I actually began the day at Fantom Comics in Washington, DC’s Union Station.  The store was packed and we got some great footage and interviews.

Patrick and I made it separately to Laughing Ogre Comics in Fairfax, VA later in the afternoon.   Among the terrific cosplayers remaining from the day’s activities were Camille Adrienne, Jeff Reynor and Mickie Holm.

All the stores we visited reported that this FCBD was the biggest they’d ever had.  Larger crowds, greater interest and more enthusiasm than previous years.   We wish that we’d have been able to make it to see some of our other friends.  Third Eye Comics in Annapolis had Gail Simone as a guest and artist Adam Kubert was at Reisterstown’s Cards & Comics.   There is never enough time on Free Comic Book Day.  Perhaps we’ll expand the number of video crews at our disposal next year.

In the meantime, keep supporting your local comics retailers and keep watching, the best is yet to come!

This weekend marked the first annual Awesome Con DC!  The event was organized by conventioneer, Ben Penrod, in response to the absence of a major comic convention in DC.  Ben is also the mastermind behind the popular Annapolis Comic Con as well as the Southern Maryland Comic Con and he knows how to put on a good show.  This inaugural Awesome Con was well attended and very enjoyable.

FANTASTIC FORUM was there in support of our new hometown con.  I was delighted to be tapped as the moderator for Q&A panels featuring the likes of ERNIE HUDSON, BILLY WEST and PHIL LAMARR.  And I wasn’t alone, either.  Producer/host Patrick Michael Strange was the emcee for the Kids’ Costume Contest and Art Show.  Kudos to Patrick for performing double duty.  In addition to his convention assignments he was also conducting interviews all weekend!  We got some great material that you’ll see in upcoming episodes and some racy bonus feature stuff, too.   And I’d be remiss if I failed to mention the excellent job of director/cameraman Alvin Jones.  Thanks, Alvin!

Ultimately, I can’t say enough about the amazing job that Ben and the Awesome Con staff did in putting the show together and keeping it well managed through the weekend.  And the convention has already booked the Walter E. Washington Convention Center for next year.  To the delight of local fans it looks as if Awesome Con DC is here for the duration!  And knowing what I do about Ben I’m confident that the second annual installment will be even more awesome than the first.

Patrick and I took lots of pictures during the weekend.  And you can see ‘em all by visiting the Fantastic Forum Facebook page!  Fantastic Forum Awesome Con DC Pictures

Keep watching!  The best is yet to come!

Last weekend was another milestone for FANTASTIC FORUM as we co-hosted the advance screening of Wonder Women! The Untold Story of American Superheroines.  The event was held at Brooks Mansion, the headquarters of DCTV in Washington, DC.  DCTV is, of course, our broadcast partner in the nation’s capital and we are very grateful for their participation.  Thanks, also, to The Independent Television Service’s Community Cinema initiative for having made this terrific documentary available to us.

I enjoyed the privilege of meeting Greg Cox last week.  Greg is a prolific science fiction author who has penned a number of successful novels based upon Star Trek including well known, original stories about Khan Noonien Singh and omnipotent entity Q.  But he is perhaps best known for his novelizations of various hit movies among which are The Dark Knight Rises, Underworld and the soon to be released, Man of Steel.

Greg had been invited to speak in a forum at the Library of Congress.  I heard about it through the grapevine and was able to attend the presentation which was entitled,

Greg also counts among his many credits novelizations of several comic book series including Infinite Crisis, 52 and Final Crisis.  The presentation was very enjoyable and informative.  Afterwards, we lunched with LOC staffers and I got to tag along with Greg on a personal tour of the Main Hall.  Many thanks to Helen Hester-Ossa for arranging Greg’s visit.

Greg was kind enough to consent to talk on camera before departing our capital city.  Check out the FANTASTIC FORUM website for the complete interview with Greg Cox.  And you may learn more about him via his website:    http://www.gregcox-author.com/

I had the good fortune to catch a terrific documentary on Sunday.  The Washington DC Jewish Community Center through Community Cinema and in cooperation with ITVS screened Wonder Women! The Untold Story of American Superheroines.  Produced by Kelcey Edwards and directed by Kristy Guevara-Flanagan the feature documentary traces the creation and evolution of DC’s Wonder Woman and explores the concept of heroic women and their empowerment in the US over the decades.

Edwards and Guevara-Flanagan have succeeded in crafting an interesting and thought provoking look at elements of American history juxtaposing reality and fiction beginning with World War II and the plethora of superheroes that came into being.  The filmmakers review William Moulton Marston’s lofty goals behind creating Wonder Woman and the character’s longevity and effect on feminism.  The movie features interviews with Gloria Steinem, Trina Robbins, Lynda Carter, Lindsey Wagner and numerous other women who have had an impact on women and their portrayal in media.  Also included are women and girls who have been inspired and influenced by characterizations of heroic women.

The documentary was financed entirely through crowd funding.

Generally, to our cultural detriment, much of how we as Americans view ourselves is influenced by works of fiction.  Females especially have been offered far more narrow choices for heroic role models.   But it is impossible to watch this film and not come away in awe of the personal testimonies of women who have been inspired to strive for greater heights by the ideals and exploits of comic book and television characters.  I found the documentary to be informative and uplifting.

You don’t have to be a comics fan to find something of value in this film.  I heartily encourage anyone with an interest in history, feminism and popular culture to watch Wonder Women! The Untold Story of American Superheroines.  Check your local PBS listings during April for the premiere air dates and times.

Katsucon is the official home of the 2013 US Finals of the World Cosplay Summit. And as one might imagine, the convention is consistently one of the better shows for costuming. In fact, I actually attended in costume myself.

This is significant as I am a longtime costumer and haven’t done so in many, many years.  I decided to go all out as my 12 year old daughter (who is a big anime fan) learned that there wasn’t a restriction against her attending and decided she wanted to go.  So we made this her very first convention.  She didn’t have a costume but she already has a ton of ideas about what she wants to make.  Like father, like daughter.

The other show in the area this weekend was a wonderful science fiction con with Star Trek roots.  In fact, it takes its name from the pilot episode of TNG.  And I happened to enjoy an, “Encounter at Farpoint.”  I’ve been a conventioneer since the first Marvel Comics Convention in New York City back in 1974.  I really hit my stride afterwards with a number of Creation Conventions and a couple of World Science Fiction Conventions.  But made some great friends in those heady days following the release of Star Wars in 1977 as we all were cosplaying Rebels or Imperials.

Mike McPhail was one of the friends that I made and he and I reconnected at this show.  Mike is an author, editor, engineer and gamer and his wife, Danielle, is an award winning, genre author and editor.  You may visit her website at:  Danielle Ackley-McPhail Website     It was a delight to see Mike and meet Danielle.  They regularly attend conventions in the NY, NJ, PA, MD area and it’s likely that you may have already run into them if you get out to shows in those areas.

Farpoint is a fan run convention that was established in 1993.  Their focus in on fandom and their mission to educate, encourage and enable.  The show always features guests from the industries that bring imagination into the mainstream and this year was no exception.  Even though we arrived late, Billie Rae Bates was able to catch actor, Giancarlo Esposito, before he had to depart to make an airline flight.  You’ll see it on an upcoming episode.

So we’re into the convention season in earnest.  A bunch of shows coming up in the next couple of months.   We’ll hope to see you there.  Feel free to step up and introduce yourself.  Keep watching, the best is yet to come!

We’re getting back into the swing of convention events for the new year!  On Wednesday I attended the Toy Fair in New York City.  Sponsored by the Toy Industry Association, the Toy Fair is a destination event on the global toy buying circuit and draws retailers from over one hundred countries.  This was my first time in attendance but it certainly won’t be my last.

During its over 100 year history the Toy Fair has seen the launch of such well known staples as Mr. Potato Head and Barbie.  And the array of toys attracting over 30,000 play professionals from around the world was nothing less than spectacular.  I, of course, was mostly interested in the comics, science fiction and fantasy related toys.  But I managed to have some fun with some McFarland sports and horror toys, too.

Valiant Comics is back!  The indy publisher that debuted in the late 1980′s and featured such titles as X-O Manowar, Doctor Solar Man of the Atom and Turok Dinosaur Hunter relaunched its line in the spring of 2012.  Patrick Michael Strange caught up with Valiant publisher, Fred Pierce, at The Baltimore Comic Con.

Season 4 is underway! The first three episodes have aired and we taped again last Thursday at Victory Comics in Falls Church, VA. The location taping is a huge success thanks to Arlington Independent Media’s mobile production van. Access to the mobile studio equipment allows the show to flow in a pure comics element. And we’re graced by tremendous talent. Director Charles Smith, Engineer Devin Gallagher, Production Technician Kathi Overton and Camera operator Janar Stewart in particular have helped make these episodes the best yet. And FANTASTIC FORUM has added several new producers to the mix as well. Patrick Michael Strange and Balimar Lindgren have brought an influx of energy and creativity both behind and in front of the camera.

Episode #46 on Science Fiction Literature delivers on one of the stated goals of the program; to promote interest in science fiction literature. Host Sherin Nicole moderated a lively discussion that included stellar panelists Roberto Ortiz, Drew Bittner and the ever sassy Abby Pritchard. Sherin continues to distinguish herself as an exceptional talent in the television talk show business. Her command of the material and her immense on set presence make her worthy of a look from television professionals.

Look for FANTASTIC FORUM to push the envelope this season. More talent, more in depth discussion, more features, more of what you, our viewers, have told us that you want to see! Keep watching, the best is yet to come!