As in guillotine...

Mark Your Calendar: Kids’ Comic Con

Post author:Guy LeCharles Gonzalez
Post published:February 13, 2007
Post category:Media Reviews
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A kid-centric comic convention, in the Bronx?!?! Alex Simmons is my hero!Kid's Comic Con Slated for the BronxKnown for his work as a writer of comics, prose and plays as well as an ongoing series of popular kids comics workshops held around New York City, Alex Simmons announced plans to hold the first Kid's Comic Con on the campus of the Bronx Community College, April 28. The first Kids' Comic Con will feature a variety of entertaining events and demonstrations on comics aimed at kids as well as workshops and exhibits focused on using comics as an educational tool for…

Mark Your Calendar: NYCC 2007 After-Party

Post author:Guy LeCharles Gonzalez
Post published:February 13, 2007
Post category:Media
Post comments:5 Comments

Last year's PopCultureShock-hosted After Party was so much fun, we're doing it again...Bigger, Better and FREER!2007 NYCC / PCS AFTER-PARTYSaturday, February 24th10pm - Until...?SLATE PLUS54 West 21st Street (between 5th and 6th Avenues)** No Cover Charge; No Guest List** With DJs Dylan Garrett and Mr. Brown** 2 Floors of Music, Drinks and Billiards** Free, Exclusive Giveaway from Marvel for the first 200 guests to arrive!!![NOTE: Apologies again to those I emailed about this and forgot to BCC the list! Very, very bad marketing!]

On the Shelves: 2/14/07

Post author:Guy LeCharles Gonzalez
Post published:February 13, 2007
Post category:Pop Culture Reviews
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Reading is fundamental. Don't waste your time reading bad comics out of habit! In honor of Valentine's Day, my weekly look at select comic books being released Wednesday, 2/14/07 is all about the love. No snark; no bad reviews; just the good, might-be-good and hope-it's-good stuff. As a result, it's a pretty light read, too! The full shipping list, as always, is available at ComicList. [NOTE: Not all of these titles will actually arrive in all stores. If your LCBS offers a pre-ordering service, be sure to take advantage of it. If not, find another one; or try Khepri.com or…

Marketing Monday: A Simple Plan, Part II

Post author:Guy LeCharles Gonzalez
Post published:February 12, 2007
Post category:Media Pop Culture Reviews
Post comments:2 Comments

Last week I covered the first three steps of Kevin Stirtz' "Smart Marketing System", focusing on a marketing plan's Goals, Market and Message, and this week I'll take a look at the final two pieces of this simple but apparently often confounding puzzle: 1. The GOALS or objectives you want to accomplish 2. The MARKET you want to reach 3. The MESSAGE you want to deliver to your market 4. The MONEY you are willing to spend to deliver your message 5. The MEDIA you will use to deliver your message Money and Media, of course, are pretty much inseparable,…

On the Web: Comic Book Movie Round-Up

Post author:Guy LeCharles Gonzalez
Post published:February 10, 2007
Post category:Pop Culture
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It's quite likely that Spider-Man 3 will end up being the best superhero movie ever -- an honor currently shared, IMO, by Unbreakable and Batman -- and this clip from National CineMedia doesn't do anything to suggest otherwise.I think Ghost Rider is going to surpass expectations and turn out to be a pretty good movie, though that acknowledgement may come long after it leaves theaters. It reminds me a bit of ConAir, Nicholas Cage's underrated action romp that reset the bar for loud, over-the-top action movies.300 looks like it will be a visual masterpiece, not unlike the source material, and…

5 Good Reasons Against Opening a Comic Book Store

Post author:Guy LeCharles Gonzalez
Post published:February 8, 2007
Post category:Personal Pop Culture
Post comments:5 Comments

1) "Bookshops' latest sad plot twist" THIS is the paradox of modern bookselling. Even in an entertainment-saturated age, people still buy books. But the casual reader has many other places to get bestsellers and topical books, from warehouse stores to the mall. Meanwhile, book nuts -- the ones who simply must buy several volumes a week -- are lured online. Few businesses can survive that lose customers from both ends of the spectrum. In 1995, anyone seeking a book that was the least bit uncommon had to have a store special order it from the publisher. If it was out…

Strip Club: Lust & Marriage

Post author:Guy LeCharles Gonzalez
Post published:February 7, 2007
Post category:Pop Culture Reviews
Post comments:1 Comment

Opening Lines, Pinky Probes, and L-Bombs: The Girls & Sports Dating and Relationship Playbook By Justin Borus and Andrew Feinstein (Santa Monica Press, 2006; $14.95) While I was vaugely familiar with the Girls & Sports comic strip from the Daily News, thanks to the main crossword puzzle appearing in the comics section, it was never one of the handful of strips I typically seek out for a chuckle to brighten my bleary-eyed morning commute. (Those would currently be Dilbert, Rose is Rose, Mutts, One Big Happy and, periodically, Doonesbury.) As such, I'd most likely have never thought to pick up…