"Off the Beaten Path"
Live from Wizard World LA
by Anthony Dominguez

March 19, 2006

This week’s column is ‘The What the F were they thinking!” edition. Sorry for last week’s lack of review, I have no excuse other than to say I’m a busy man with many projects which occupy my time. Actually that was an excuse; there will be no more excuses or later/missing columns. In the coming weeks I will have interviews with Sean Patrick O’reilly from Arcana and Jeff Amano from Beckett Comics. Needless to say these are going to be full of information about their upcoming projects and maybe some insight into the industry itself...stay tuned. The remaining columns this month will be "back to normal" with my usual comic reviews. This week is a little different - as many of you know Wizard World invaded Los Angeles this last weekend and the following is a review of the con itself, along with a 'quicky' review of the V for Vendetta movie currently in your local theatre. Oh goody, something new...

Wizard World

Los Angeles Convention Center
Annual Event

The Basics-

Wizard World is a comic book convention, or as my non-comic/anime/manga loving friends call it ‘geek fest’, which covers everything Comic Book related. Wizard hosted all of the big publishers, as well as the self- publishers, the artists, writers, sculptors, toy manufacturers and anyone else involved in the process of completing a comic book. On hand were many of the top names in the industry, Image, DC, Marvel, Top Cow and Aspen along with their respective superstars, such as Michael Turner, Bendis, Grant Morrison, Loeb, Rob Liefield, Jim Lee, Joe Quesada, Skottie Young (who if you read Hack Slash is parodied quite well) and a slew of other talented artists and writers, who for the right price and amount of time you’re willing to stand in line, will gladly autograph your wares, or provide a one-of-a-kind personal sketch. I myself am not into the personal sketches; I do appreciate the artist and their skills, I have however spent my time scouring the floor for my favorite artist and writers for their respective autographs. To each his own…

There was also the ‘walk of shame’ or the Las Vegas Autographs booth as it was referred to in the program. Here we had the likes of Lois Lane from the original Superman series, who mind you looked like she was on loan from the mortuary, plus Lou Ferrigno (the original Incredible Hulk) as if anyone really cares about that anymore, Lorne from the television show Angel, and who could forget Jane Wiedlin of the pop group ‘The Go-Go’s’ oh that’s right I could forget her, well you get the idea, generally a list of people most could care less to mention let alone visit for the privilege of purchasing an autograph.

Upstairs was the best area of the Con, this is where the discussion panels and anime screenings were held - I only caught Desert Punk in the anime screening room, however I was told the ‘how to’ discussion panels were very helpful and fun. The ‘inside peeks’ advertised by the big 2 turned out to be very little ‘peeks’ from what I was told, the big news and the spoilers they alluded to where not so big according to the attendees I spoke to. I have heard, and you can read about them elsewhere on this site, that a few, very few, bits of big news where handed out during these sessions. Not enough to warrant the entry fee in my opinion, especially since they were reported almost immediately on the many comic industry news sites.

The Verdict-

Around every corner and on every aisle was a vendor of some sort, like a swap meet only not as much fun and not worth a $25.00 entry fee. I have to say this was the weakest Con I have been to, last years Con in Long Beach was better than this year, which is a travesty since that one sucked too. There was a small response from the industry; the Con was mostly DVD bootleggers and vendors with, in most cases, overpriced shoddy merchandise. The only highlight for me was the costumed attendees and the interviews I conducted with Jeff Amano and Sean Patrick O’reilly, otherwise I was sorely disappointed. If not for my press pass, I would have asked for a refund, I am still considering it.

V for Vendetta the Movie

New Release
In theatres now

The Basics-

Here we have another Alan Moore adaptation and another failure, albeit not as big a failure as the previous adaptation disasters, but a failure none the less. I will say in defense of his work, it is almost impossible given the depth and complexity of his writing to produce a condensed version of his work on film, it would require at the very least a 3 hour movie, and in most cases two, three hour movies at the very least to capture with any accuracy the intrigue, many converging plots and character development Alan Moore is know for.

The Verdict-

Of the 30 people in attendance for the FREE advanced screening, I stress FREE, 22 of them at the conclusion of the movie, requested a refund…take from that what you will. They requested a refund from a free movie….