Comic Review: AvX #1 and the Marvel AR app

I want you to do something.  Get out your smartphone or tablet computer and download the Marvel AR app (it's available on iOS and Android).  Now open the app, make sure your sound is on, and point it at the AvX cover and watch the magic.

On April 3rd the first Avengers versus X-Men came out.  I'm pretty excited about the series because Captain America is my favorite super hero and the X-Men is my favorite super team.  It is going to have some very awesome match-ups for sure.  In this story arc, the destructive Phoenix Force is rocketing toward Earth and people are starting to freak out.  It's coming to Earth to embody the newest mutant, Hope, as its host and everyone knows it.  The Avengers are trying to stop the coming of the Phoenix Force and have some sort of plan that involves taking Hope from the X-Men.  However, Scott Summers (Cyclops) is the leader of the X-Men and is refusing to give Hope over to the Avengers.  Scott knows that the Phoenix Force can be very destructive, but he also knows that whenever it destroys something it leaves behind a rebirth of new life.  He believes that the Phoenix will restore the mutants that were lost when Scarlet Witch changed reality back in the House of M story arc by changing all but 200 mutants into regular people.

It is understandable that both parties are conflicted as to what to do, but I have to admit that I am disappointed in my favorite heroes' problem solving/conflict resolution skills.  You would think that they could all work together to figure out a solution, but I guess they used up all of their teamwork skills in Fear Itself.  Then again, comics wouldn't be very interesting if there wasn't any fighting.

AvX #1 is a great read. The cliff hangar at the end has me pumped for #2 which comes out this Wednesday.  And while I'm excited to see where the story goes, I'm more excited to explore its integration of the Marvel AR (augmented reality) app.  If you didn't/couldn't try it out here's what you missed:  the app uses your camera and you point it at the page/pane that has the AR logo in the corner and watch as it brings the page to life.  The front cover of AvX #1 has animations and video that serve as a trailer for what's inside.  It's so cool.  Then on the title page inside, Marvel Editor in Chief, Alex Alonso, walks onto the screen to tell you about the series and the AR function.

The app is a little finicky but overall it adds a whole new dimension to enjoying the book.  I like comics, but my biggest complaint is that they are so short I'm always left wanting more.  So with all new content I got a lot more out of AvX #1 then I have with any other comic.  The best part is that the technology is brand new, so it will only get more sophisticated with time.  I can't wait for this Wednesday.

ECCC Part 2: Panels

Panels

The panels started at the top of each hour and were supposed to run for 50 minutes or so, but a lot of them ran over which screwed up the schedule.  And because many of the panelists were booked at back-to-back panels, they sometimes showed up late.  I think the whole show could have benefitted from running the panels on tighter schedule.  But regardless of that, all the panels we attended were fun and educational.  The first panel we went to we missed because it filled up before we could get there.  After that we learned to show up early.

The second panel was How to Edit Comics.  I've done film/tv editing and I know the role of a literary editor, but I didn't know the first thing of what it takes to edit a comic book.  Turns out the editor is like a ringmaster at a circus, coordinating between all the different artists (pencilers, inkers, colorists, etc.) to make sure that the book hits all its deadlines.

The third panel was Pint O' CB where fans got to ask any questions they had for Marvel Comics' Senior Vice President of Creative and Creator Development, C.B. Cebulski.  Since this was a Marvel panel and we were dressed as Kitty and Colossus, I decided to go up and ask a question in character.  The panel didn't release any groundbreaking news, but it was fun and we all had a some good laughs.

The fourth panel was Starting a Successful Kickstarter.  Kickstarter is a website where people can raise funding for their projects.  It was a very informative panel and I encourage any creative types with a good idea to go take a look.

The fifth panel was Oh My, It's George Takei.  This panel was held in a huge hall with probably a thousand seats.  We lined up 30 minutes early and still had to wait to get in because so many people had stayed in the hall after the previous panel.  It was worth the wait.  George Takei is very funny and he had the whole audience going with all of his funny stories.  However, the moderator was Danny Bonaduce.  He got a few laughs out of me, but I mostly just thought he was an ass.

The final panel we went to was the Star Wars Radio Play and it was my favorite.  The panel consisted of famous voice actors from Futurama, Pinky and the Brain, Finding Nemo, Teen Titans, etc.  Billy West, Tara Strong, Maurice LaMarche, John DiMaggio, Kevin Conroy, Jess Harnell, and Rob Paulsen did a reading of New Hope while there were randomly assigned different voices by the moderator.  My favorite combo was Futurama's Bender as Princess Leia performed by John DiMaggio and Power Puff Girls' Bubbles as Darth Vader performed by Tara Strong.  I love doing impersonations and voices, so I was enthralled and inspired by the talent on stage.

The panels were all very interesting and entertaining.  We would have liked to have gone to more, but we were also busy showing off our costumes.  Come back tomorrow and I'll tell you all about it.