Links for the Month's Conclusion

As it Ends
We are at the end of May, how about we enjoy some links to finish off the month?

Links are Fun!

This picture is from a website that fell for the "study".

It's kind of uncomfortable to think how easy it can be to fool people into believing you made a "legitimate" scientific study if you have enough money, and do some clever P.R. Reading about a person fooling arguably millions into thinking chocolate makes you lose weight is both fascinating and disturbing.

I'm thinking of doing a television Tuesday about all the controversy hounding the Duggars at the moment. I have of course written about them before (twice, actually), but found it interesting to read an article that points out how TLC has become one of the most controversial channels around.

The New 52 really does kind of lack a sense of joy and wonder, doesn't it?

For those of us with some fond memories of the "Ultimate" Universe of Marvel comics, and even some less-fond ones, this article by Slate does a fantastic job breaking-down just how the "Ultimate" comics came about, and where it all started to go wrong ("Ultimatium", of course).

It's not creepy,
at least until it turns it's head and "looks" at you once you speak.

Google has filed a patent for a teddy-bear that could be really eerie. It's just a patent, so who knows if a prototype will ever exist, but still, one can worry.

Some would argue Marvel's latest big cross-over ("Secret Wars") is better than DC's event which just kind-of finished ("Convergence"), at least that is the claim here. I'm mostly avoiding either due to my budget and eventitis, so I can't comment.

There are certain items you should not buy at garage sales. Some of the stuff on this list is obvious, other items are not as shocking, but make sense.

Finally, I have been excited for the new, "Batman: Arkham Knight" game, but seeing all this absolutely ridiculous stuff about pre-order, "Bonus Content," and a $40.00, "Season Pass," for downloadable content has me seriously thinking I'll just skip the game until an inevitable special edition comes out with everything folk would have to buy piecemeal otherwise. I'm not the only one with thoughts on this. By far.

A New One Begins
There we go, the end of May and the start of June. I hope we all are ready to break-out the swimsuits and sun-screen! I myself hate sunscreen, but would rather wear it than turn into a tomato. Anyway, enjoy the links!

Film Friday--Hot Tub Time Machine 2

The Original Was Great

A true comedy classic.

I loved "Hot Tub Time Machine". Every single guy in the gang of troublemakers who traveled through time was absolutely hilarious, the supporting actors were stellar too, and it was just all-around a fun time. While not initially a big hit in theaters, it grew into a cult-favorite and I was excited when I heard about the sequel. I mean, most of the cast from the original, the same director, it should be just as good if not better, right?

Right?

A Sequel In Search of a Plot

"Hot Tub Time Machine 2" is not nearly as good as the first. The biggest problem is the movie really feels like they had written more than half of the film thinking John Cusack would be in it, but then it turned out he didn't want to take part, so they had to scramble and come  up with a whole bunch of mediocre filler jokes and throw Adam Scott in as the son of Cusack's character, living in the future.

Ah yes, you see the plot--as much as one exists--is that Rob Corddry's character, Lou, and the gang have altered time with their meddling due to knowledge about the future, and someone wants to murder Lou, although considering how many enemies he has the list of suspects is long. Still, they need to figure out who it is in order to prevent the murder from occurring, which results in them traveling to the future...or something. Clark Duke's nerdy character attempts to explain it, but everyone just makes fun of him by singing about how he is a nerd--which is actually one of the funnier bits in the movie.

No one thought to question the proposal,
"Let's make jokes for 10 minutes about how these straight guys are forced to have virtual-reality sex!"

It's a pretty straightforward idea, a murder-mystery with a murderer from the future. The problem is the movie decides that only provides a bit of material, and therefore wanders off into riffing on ideas about what television is like 10 years in the future (its a lot meaner) and making a bunch of jokes about men being forced to have virtual reality sex on a television show--a segment that ends up going longer than it needs to be and it really is more uncomfortable than funny with it just being a, "Gay-sex is funny!,"-style joke. Yeah, I would like my comedy to be more than gay panic material. True, the first movie had its share of that, but it just feels absurd here.

Also, there is a subplot about a car that wants to murder Lou, but it kind of simmers in the background only becoming relevant at brief moments when doing so fits the story. Other than the gay jokes there are some general sex jokes, gags about getting messed-up on drugs, and a fair amount of slapstick. Its all passable, but this is one of those movies where if you've seen the previews you actually have seen almost all the good stuff.

Gillian Jacobs is quite funny, and Adam Scott tries, he really does.

Speaking of that, "Good stuff," there are a share of funny jokes, and even some of the less-funny stuff survives because these guys have some amazing comedic chemistry. Whether it's Craig Robinson, Clark Duke, and Rob Corddry all making jokes about how their future selves look, or all looking at the camera in a sarcastic 4th-wall-breaking moment when someone says, "Hot tub time machine too (they say it like "too" but the joke is how it sounds like "two")," they all just are so great together. I didn't mention Adam Scott because he kind of struggles to really integrate himself in the group, with half of the reason for that being that the movie is wanting to portray him as a bit of a square, and the other half being he just doesn't bring that mellow charm Cusack has (which makes Cusack so enjoyable and an actor I quite like).

Really, Gillian Jacobs as Scott's fianceé provides funnier jokes than he does, and she gets much more minimal screen-time. Speaking of folk who aren't in the movie much, Chevy Chase barely appears enough for it count as anything more than a cameo, so if you're a fan of him, temper your hopes. There is chemistry and some jokes are funny, but having chemistry can only take you so far, and when your movie is flailing about for a plot, merely having an occasionally funny joke to fill your 90-ish minutes results in a lot of dull moments.

Therefore, "Hot Tub Time Machine 2" is not really a movie you just watch, so much as something passable you can throw-on to play in the background when you're sitting about and want something to chuckle at occasionally while fiddling with your iPad. That way you can look-up for the good bits and otherwise ignore the many dull moments, instead finding a good new stew recipe on Pinterest or such.

The original movie is a classic, and just like how Clark Duke's character talks about the possibility of alternate realities, I bet there is a Universe out there when Cusack was in this sequel and a much better movie was made. Until we all get our own hot tubs capable of traveling through time or realities however, we're stuck with this version, which I award a middling...
2 out of 5 stars.

It's My "Golden" Birthday Today!

Not made for me, but a cool image from a bakery.

Just a couple of years ago I learned about this, "Golden Birthday" business, where you turn an age that is the same as your actual day of birth. It's a good thing I learned about before my actual golden birthday, because as of today, May 27th, I am officially 27. Anyways, I suppose this should be a stellar year, if what I'm told is true!

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Wizard World STL 2015

We Begin
Wizard World Saint Louis 2015 was fun and I enjoyed it. I just want to say that now because in this article I am going to say what I liked, but will also be discussing the things that were bad, or downright "ugly" in a sense of the word. This is meant as constructive criticism, but I've always prided myself on being brutally honest, so if feelings get hurt...well, they get hurt.

The Good
Inclusivity and diversity

There were signs that emphasized how cosplay is not consent, famous transgender cosplayer Alexa Heart was present and did a panel about, "Coming Out Cosplay," and the speed-dating panel had an LGBT session. All of these elements illustrate that Wizard clearly is dedicated to inclusivity and diversity, something which in this age of people getting accused of being "Fake geek girls" or "Social justice warriors" is much appreciated with there seeming to be an apparent backlash against the diversification of nerd culture (whatever that means).

It wasn't too crowded!
Sometimes conventions can feel like a sardine tin, that wasn't an issue this year, with plenty of space for walking about. Although, as I mention below, this can bring issues in a different way.

The kick-off was really fun
The Thursday-night event for people who paid a ticket or were press was good fun. Christian Kane had a great voice, the Hard Rock Cafe staff was working hard to get everyone their food and drinks, and basically it ran like a well-oiled machine.

A Variety of things and people to see

Herbie himself/itself!

WW wasn't just about comics, which some might say is bad, but I'm cool with a comic convention having a variety of stuff. I'm happy that they've got a guy who makes incredible designs with pancakes, panels about ancient martial arts with swords, and a booth with actual live falcons and owls. That's just snazzy, I would argue. Also, they had the original Herbie himself. That's right, the famous love bug from the television show we all loved (and a movie we pretend didn't happen) was at WW, how cool is that if you ever happened to enjoy the show?

Everyone was really nice
From the employees, to the volunteers, celebrities, and vendors, everybody was nice and courteous. Sure, some people in artist alley were a bit awkward, but few people are born salesmen/saleswomen and it can feel strange to promote yourself and your work. I did not encounter one comic-maker, famous person, or vendor who made me think, "What a jerk!" with me in fact often having the opposite feeling of, "Wow, they were really cool."

Some incredible cosplay
There was a myraid of cosplay on display, from your basic, "Hey, I put on a wig," all the way to, "Check out my gigantic Frankenstein's Monster that lights-up and has an actual heartbeat. No, I am not joking about that:

One wonderful thing about conventions is they often truly do have some fantastic costumes, and getting to see all that makes everything worthwhile.

Moon Knight was there!
Jumping off of my comment about cosplay, arguably my favorite hero, Moon Knight, was there. I of course took a photo and felt immense joy seeing someone else who adored the character enough to dress-up as him. Observe:

Yeah, that made me happy.

The Bad

Overpriced food and parking
This is to be expected and not really Wizard World's fault. Still, it is always a pain to think that you spent half of your budget for the convention on simply having a place to park and a four-dollar bottle of soda that would run you $1.25 at the gas station.

No cool booklet
Last year Wizard World had an incredible program. It was a big booklet full of maps, panel-times, guest bios, and just general fun-stuff. This year they gave out a big sheet that on one side was a map and on the other listed the programming dates and times (although those weren't always accurate as I discuss below). I'm not overly upset there wasn't a cool program, as I understand that can be pricey. Still, I did miss it and have a slight feeling of, "Oh, so Saint Louis isn't worth a fancy booklet?"

The Ugly

A busier area, still almost a bit light.

It really wasn't too crowed...with vendors or artists
I like it when I have space to walk and breathe at a convention. That said, it is weird when it is a Saturday afternoon and things feel relatively...quiet. Sure, some celebrities with big followings had a bunch of people at their booth, and I visited well-attended panels, but the showroom floor could at times feel downright barren, with multiple panelists and celebrities asking me, "Do you know why attendance feels light?" The best reasoning I had was that having the convention on Memorial Day was probably not a good choice, as many STL residents would be out of town visiting family or doing weekend barbecues. Another big help with attendance is having celebrities that draw a crowd, and well...

The guys who plays the penguin on "Gotham"? That's kind of popular, I suppose.

Not that many "names"
Look, I'm not someone obsessed with celebrities. The day I pay 60 bucks for someone famous to simply jot their name on a photo is the day I clearly have given up on the life and joined, "The cult of celebrity." Now, if I paid 60 dollars and a comic artist made me a cool sketch or something, that is rad...but I ain't paying anything just to snap a selfie with you. That said, it can be fun for big-name celebrities to be at an event, and it can attract crowds so that things don't feel quite as empty as this year at times was.

Plus, it didn't help that up to during the week of the convention I would see certain people being added at the last minute. For example, do you like Greg Horn? Did you know he was at this Wizard World? If you hadn't been checking the website regularly you maybe were unaware as he seemed to have been added just a number of days before the convention (not weeks, days).

Some panels were a mess
I went to see a panel/event at the show stage that didn't happen. There was no announcement, nobody came around to say it had been cancelled, just....nada. I sat there for a good 15 minutes after when it should have started, and left when other folk who were waiting got tired of lounging about too. As I've said, there were plenty of wonderful and fascinating panels, but I witnessed and heard from multiple panelists how tons of things were in flux, with the schedule not being solidified till the last minute, and there being panels that still had a somewhat "TBA" list of presenters and moderators when the convention started. Perhaps having things in order before the actual day of a panel would be a good choice.

The after-party
I had been warned about the after-party. I was told that it basically consisted of waiting in a line to get an over-priced drink, then standing in a line sipping it and making idle conversation with whomever you ended up standing next to. Despite all the forewarning, I decided to check it out due to  my sense of morbid curiosity. I had also been informed it didn't really "get going" until 9:00PM but I went up at the beginning (8:00 PM) just to scope things out. More than half the room was sectioned off for VIP guests/celebrities which is understandable as I imagine they don't want to be assaulted by fans, but I don't think they really needed all that space. Then, I was feeling thirsty but didn't want to pay $2.50 for 75 cents worth of soda in a little cup, so I asked for a cup of water. I was informed that they could not give me some water from the soda gun, but I was in fact required to pay for a bottle of water to be poured into the glass. Upon protesting this it was pointed out I could always get water from a nearby water fountain. Not. Helpful.

So yeah, I admittedly left before the party got into much of a swing, but am pretty sure I didn't miss much. One positive thing to come out of that was I got a good picture of the quiet-for-the-night showroom floor from above. Here it is:

That was cool, at least.

The price
I was able to attend for free as press, and for that I am extremely grateful, as my budget definitely could not take paying almost $80 for a pass to the entire show, or various amounts near $50 for just a single day. I've heard of vendors or celebrities being displeased with how much money they make in the past, but if a show costs a fair amount, and cosplayers are spending money on their costume, that really doesn't leave much in the way of funds for a person to spend on comics, toys, etc. I know that the cost helps pay for guests, compared to some conventions that is a steal, and if you have a lot of disposable income the price is trivial--I get it, it's subjective. Still, compared to other conventions that is pretty steep, and considering how things were smaller this year with less "name" guests, I would sometimes hear grumbling about the cost from convention-goers.

We End
I had fun at Wizard World Saint Louis 2015. There were clearly positives, negatives, and severe negatives. Still, I would happily go again and have more fun next year, without a moment's hesitation. While WW may have flaws, it still is just always a pleasure to attend a convention and enjoy the feeling of being around people with similar interests, even if some things were a pain.

Businesses, Organizations, and Celebrities--The People I Met at Wizard World STL 2015

Goods, Services, and Popular People
Wizard World Saint Louis had a variety of personalities this year, be they known celebrities or interesting organizations that exist locally and/or nationally. I thought it made sense to discuss them. Do note the celebrities I just walked up and said "Hello" to are not on the list as I greeted basically everyone. Just the folk I had an extended conversation with or whom I was especially eager to see are mentioned. As earlier, everything is in a semi-alphabetical order by organization's name or creator's first name.

The Bizzes, Orgs, and Celebs

CBCS
The comic-book certification service is a competitor to the CGC, in fact founded by a former executive of CGC. I've expressed concern about the practice of "slabbing" in the past, and still have reservations, but the folk at the CBCS table were very nice and eager to chat about comics. Compared to the standoffish nature I often observe the CGC table engaging in, it was refreshing for a grading company to at least seem interested in talking about the comics I like, as opposed to simply asking if there were any comics I had to get graded. Find them on the web here.

Charles Martinet AKA The Voice of Mario
Walking down the street you may not recognize him, or even have a clue how important he is if he opens his mouth to speak. However, when he adopts the famous voice of Mario, you know exactly who Charles Martinet is, and why he matters to anyone who loves video-games. Extremely nice and eager to talk with fans, it made me happy to know the voice of everyone's favorite jovial plumber was himself a very kind person too. His webpage can be found here.

Comic Creator's Coffee Club (C4)
C4 is a group local to Saint Louis that is dedicated to helping people with an idea for a comic get it written and/or drawn so that they can get it published. A very supportive group of comic-lovers and makers, you can say hello to them on Facebook here.

Curvy Kitty Cosplay
A group dedicated to believing cosplay is for everyone, CKC supports an inclusive and body-postive outlook on cosplay. I eagerly support an inclusive cosplay community, so I would agree they are doing good work! They can be found here on Facebook.

Gateway Geek Fest
A convention dedicated to geek culture, the Gateway Geek Fest will be occurring August 28th through 30th with a variety of exciting guests, panels, and a costume ball. I think it sounds really fun and hope to attend myself! You can learn all about it here.

Gateway City Ghostbusters
A fan group and non-profit dedicated to Ghostbusters culture, they do not actually go out and hunt ghosts or anything of that nature. Instead, they use technical know-how to build impressive devices that look like they could be right-out of the films. You can find them on Facebook here and should you not be, "Afraid of no ghost," I encourage you to give them a visit.

Gateway Superfriends
A fan group and non-profit that raises awareness of the joy of cosplaying, the Gateway Superfriends welcome fans of comics, video-games, anime, etc. who believe in their mission statement of being "Costumed Characters for Community, Charity, and Children." Dedicated to bringing a smile to the faces of others, you can find them on Facebook here.

Jason Mewes
The man most known as "Jay" from the various Kevin Smith movies relating to his character and Silent Bob, Mr. Mewes was greeting everyone who came up to the booth. An enjoyable fellow, you can find him on the internet here.

Mark Dodson
While you may not recognize his face, you would definitely know some of the characters he voiced. Mr. Dodson was very cordial and eager to talk about how he enjoyed doing voice-over work. I didn't think to ask if he was supplying any voices for the upcoming "Star Wars" films, but imagine he would be unable to answer either way. His website can be found here.

Naomi Grossman
Known for her appearances in the "American Horror Story" television show, I was honest and told Ms, Grossman I had not seen too many episodes, but from what I had seen of her she was really good. I inquired what it was like playing a character who is hideous and renders her mostly unrecognizable in her "real" looks, and she said it could be nice because she can usually do things like going grocery shopping without a random fan running after her for an autograph. A delightful person, she can be found online here.

Christian Kane
Seen in a variety of works ranging from appearances on "Angel" and "Leverage" to the popular new series, "The Librarians," Christian Kane is also a musical artist with a solid voice (as I witnessed at the Wizard World kick-off). With a group of dedicated fans who call themselves, "Kaniacs," he was often swarmed by a crowd of admirers during the convention. Considering how much it seems some folk love him I ought to give one of his shows a viewing, as I admittedly had not heard of him until this weekend. I also met his manger, who was a really pleasant guy. You can find Mr. Kane at his website here.

Phil Lamarr
Probably the person I was most excited to meet! Phil Lamarr is a relatively rarer actor in that he doesn't just do live-action work or voice-overs, but in fact engages in both. From his time on MadTV (I loved the UBS guy) to voicing the Green Lantern Hal Jordan or multiple characters on Futurama, Lamarr is an immensely talented guy, and he was also extremely personable, shaking the hand of everyone who came-up to his booth. You can visit Lamarr online here.

Saint Louis Sci-Fi and Fantasy Club
A Saint Louis club dedicated to all things science fiction and sci-fi, they often meet to discuss these interests and have a good time! They can be found on Meetup right here.

Sugarfire
The first day I was at Wizard World I had a delicious sandwich from "Sugarfire Smoke House". I enjoyed some pulled pork and turkey on a hearty bun and it was delicious. I told my compliments to the pitmaster, Casey Jovick, and informed him I would be sure to visit one of Sugarfire's physical locations sometime. Should you live in the STL area I encourage you to learn more about them on the web here.

Super Heroines Inc.
Formerly known as Nerdygirls STL, S.H.E. is an organization that is female-focused and dedicated to supporting gender-equality in the field of "nerd interests". Men are welcome too (I myself am a member), and you can learn more about them at their Meetup page.

Tara Reid and Joey Lawerence
Both Tara Reid and Joey Lawerence of "Sharknado/American Pie" and "Blossom" fame, respectively, were at WW. I mention them both at once because I felt sad to see their booths generally had almost nobody at them. I walked-up to both and they were perfectly pleasant, smiling, and otherwise appeared happy. Still, I just felt kind of bad for them, as while other folk at times would have a low-amount of crowd around, they consistently seemed kind of...lacking in fan-presence. Tara Reid can be found on instagram here, and Joey Lawrence's Facebook is here.

Toyman Show
Happening multiple times a year, the Toyman show of course features toys for sale, but actually incorporates a lot of other STL organizations I've mentioned, such as the CKC, Gateway Superfriends, and others! Happening multiple times a year, I've heard it described as being quite fun and I am planning to get to one in the near-future myself! The show can be found on the internet at this website.

Z.O.D.
Short for "Zombification Orientation Defense, this group is dedicated to enjoyment of the book series "Apocalypse of Enoch"and they do some incredibly-detailed cosplay. A nice bunch of folk, you can learn more about them at their website.

Zombie Squad
The "Zombie Squad" uses the concept of a zombie apocalypse as a metaphor for general disaster preparedness. A registered charity, they are currently helping however they can with the Nepal relief effort, and often can be found teaching disaster preparedness to others. Their website is located here.

Some Great People
There were tons of awesome folk at Wizard World, be they a non-profit, business, or a famous person.

Comic Books and Other Artistry--The People I Met at Wizard World STL 2015

Many Creative Things
This 2015 version of Wizard World STL (or WW for short) had a variety of people selling/promoting their comics or other works of art (including them thar word-books!) I was there Friday and Saturday so I shall now discuss the people whom I spoke with and remember/got a card from. I'll be doing things in alphabetical order, this time going by the first name of people for no other reason than I feel like switching-it-up from last year when I went by last names.

The Creators

Arkvindicta 
A small-press publisher found in Missouri on the western-side of the state, Arkvindicta was at WW promoting a variety of their titles. I was most impressed by their description of the series "The Devil's Pool" and "Reining Justice" so I picked up the initial issues of the former and the 1st of the latter. "The Devil's Pool" is a horror title that uses photo-reference but does not do the annoying trend of taking photos and "comic-izing" them. No, they actually draw the stuff using the reference in a way to make extremely realistic-looking art. "Reining Justice" is a Western Tale with the hook that you are "seeing" the story from the main character's point-of-view, an idea I don't often see utilized as much as it could be in comics. I'm excited to read what I picked-up in depth! You can find them on the web here.

C. Evelyn Studios
C. Evelyn was at Wizard World showing off her snazzy artwork. You can find her on Facebook here.

Colorworld
Written by Rachel E. Kelly, "Colorworld" is a series that has been going through re-released books with new illustrations that tell the story of a young woman who has super-human powers. The thing is, instead of trying to save the world she is simply attempting to have a happy life without the interference of those who would use her abilities for harm. Kelly and her family are currently on a massive tour of multiple conventions and you can check out their webpage here!

Craig Skaggs
A local Saint Louis illustrator, Skaggs has a style that is very intense and a bit creepy--but I like that. You can visit him on Facebook here.

Epic Ink
The folk behind some stellar tattoos were at WW actually engaging in the practice of inking folk. The fact they could focus with such loud show-area was impressive! I myself would not get a tattoo as I am both terrified of pain and needles, but should you have an interest in such a thing give their site a visit here.

Gavin Patrick Smith
Creator of "Charge" and the illustrator for "The Accelerators", Smith has a snazzy art-style and is clearly busy making quality comics!

Gerhard
Popular comic-artist Gerhard is of course well-known for his contributions to the comic "Cerebus" as a detailed background-artist, but he has done art for multiple other projects. I enjoyed chatting with him, and he made the the variant cover for the "Walking Dead" comic that was being given to V.I.P. Wizard World attendees. You can find more out about him here.

Headmetal Comics
I've seen the Headmetal crew at various cons and was excited to see a new big trade paperback collecting the entire saga they've worked on with brand-new art. I got it for a great price and am excited to read the full story collected within a single book. Check them out on Facebook here.

Jim Mahfood
Mr. Mahfood was at WW doing his usual awesome drawing. He was kind enough to sign some comics I owned that featured his artwork and was a delightful person as usual. His website is here.

Martian
I met the creator of "Martian" at the previous WW last year and was intrigued by his comic and its over-the-top nature full of hyper-violence and the supernatural. At this year's convention he had the 2nd issue and I was happy to purchase it! Find out more about "Martian" at this link.

Mcnobody Studios
Mcnobody had all kinds of cool artwork for sale at WW. Her website is here.

Michael Wilkerson
An author from Virigina Beach, Virginia, Michael Wilkerson was at WW promoting his science-fiction series, "Zinn". He was very nice and you can check out his website here.

Monsters and Macedonians
The creators of this comic described it as a tale of bikers fighting werewolves and vampires. That was basically all they had to say for me to eagerly pick-up the 1st issue. Having read a bit already, I'm glad to have gotten this pleasantly weird title. Learn more about the comic here.

NEN
Artist NEN was showing off her impressive creations at WW. She was very energetic and happy to chat with anyone who walked by. Her website is here.

Rudderhaven
Rudderhaven is a publisher of various interesting books, and the man and woman in matching sci-fi outfits promoting the books really drew my attention! With a great deal of sci-fi and fantasy works, among other stuff, you can find them on the internet here.

Siegel Keith Artistry
Displaying beautiful mask-artwork and just as cool photography, Siegel Keith Artistry had some amazing material they were showing off. You can see more of their stuff here.

STL Ocarina
They're local to Saint Louis, they make Ocarinas. Ocarinas sound pretty, so why not examine their website?

Timothy Koch
Creator of speculative fiction for both young adults and us grown-folk, Timothy Koch was displaying his fascinating-sounding book, "I. Town" which involves a world where thing are powered through physical motion as combustion no longer works. He is on the web here.

Trepidation Comics
Created by Z.M. Thomas, much of Trepidation comics output could be considered controversial, for example writing his own unique sequel to the bible ("The Bible 2") that features Jesus riding a T-Rex. There are serious works too, but I was especially tickled by the more tongue-in-cheek stuff. You can find out more at this link.

Vantage: Inhouse Productions
I mentioned meeting the founder of V:IP at the Wizard World Kickoff party, and we spoke again at the convention. I was quite intrigued by his description of the comic "The Samaritan", so I picked up all the issues so far to give it a gander. You can learn more about Vantage: Inhouse Productions here.

Creators Rock!
One of the hardest things to do is create, be it comic books, movies, music, or anything else. That the people on this list had an idea and followed-through with it to create something neat makes them all superb.