Canister X – A.P. Fuchs: Zombie, Paranormal Romance and Superhero Novelist, Blogger, Artist, Publisher

Was at the C4 Pop Culture Expo this past weekend. Good times were had by all. C4 has a small show in the spring and then the big whoo-ha in the fall. This year, the spring show was pretty big, about 1/3 the size people-wise as the fall show. Superstar guests included Adam West, Burt Ward and Yvonne Craig. (They were Batman, Robin and Batgirl, respectively, in the 1960s Batman show, for you young ‘uns reading this entry.)

My wife tabled with me. I sold some books and comics; she sold comics and crafts. Met some people, made some cool connections (hello, GMB Chomichuk), and just spent time being a geek. Loved it.

Here are some pics from the event, with a video at the end where I talk about my table, books and comics after being a dork for the first couple seconds.

My wife’s display

My display

Close up of part of my display

Zombie survival pack containing all three Undead World Trilogy books, survival list, exclusive chapbook, capgun and more.

A stack of my kid’s fanzines. They weren’t for sale, but my kid wanted people to see and read them, so why not?

Giant chess

Ben Reilly Spider-Man

Can’t think of the name offhand, but I know what toy series this Batman is from.

Sketch cards I had for sale

More sketch cards

And more

Me and the “new” Spider-Man

My wife mad a Batman wool cap at the con

The Mrs. and Batman

Me and Captain Jack Sparrow

Just got back into this game a couple nights back. So amazingly good that if you haven’t been playing–and replaying and replaying and replaying–then I feel bad for you.

Aside from the current DLCs: Catwoman, Nightwing, Robin; and all the challenge maps and amazing Batman skins–nevermind the bonus skins that come with Nightwing, Robin and Catwoman–Rocksteady Studios have unleashed the final chapter in the ridiculously awesome game that is Batman: Arkham City.

A Harley Quinn DLC. From the looks of it, it takes place after the main campaign story. Won’t say more in case you haven’t played, but I heard it’s a two-hour campaign and, I’m sure, it’s going to be utterly twisted.

What’s even better is instead of having to buy all the bonus DLCs like before, they ALL come in the Game of the Year Edition of Batman: Arkham City. You also get Batman: Year One, which was pretty good.

Sweet, but, alas, I have the game and the DLCs aside from the Harley one. I suspect that’ll be downloadable via the PS3 store in due time.

Truly can’t wait for the Harley story.

Nope.

Won’t wait.

Here’s the trailer:

I bought this series originally because it was written by Alan Moore. I knew going into it that it was kind of like Superman but still it’s own thing.

Wow. This series remains in my top ten graphic novels of all time. Though called Supreme (created by Rob Liefeld), it is Superman. Even while reading it, you envision Superman doing all the things Supreme does. It even has it’s own Lex Luthor-like villain (Darius Dax), and Batman and Robin parellels.

So amazingly good.

If you’ve been longing for a good Superman story that conveys the awe and wonder associated with the Man of Steel, though this isn’t Superman, these books are the best places to get your fix.

Click the Image to Order from Amazon.com

Unfortunately, Amazon doesn’t have the other one, Supreme: The Story of the Year, listed, but it’s definitely worth hunting around for.

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5 out of 5

There’s a new superhero in Gotham, one who wears silver-gray tights and a cape.

And she’s a woman, a bat-woman.

At first it appears she’s here to help, but when she begins targeting the Penguin and Rupert Thorne’s secret arms operation, the Dark Knight and the Boy Wonder step in to solve the mystery of the Batwoman.

Who is she? What does she want? And why is it each time Batman thinks he’s solved her secret identity does he find himself back at square one?

As Batman and Batwoman put the strain on the Penguin’s operation, the bird man calls in a deadly force to eliminate them: Bane.

The Bruce Timm-designed Batman series is a staple on the animated superhero genre. The sleek yet angler style’s been used in Batman: The Animated Series, Batman Beyond, Superman: The Animated Series and Justice League and Justice League Unlimited. And in Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman, it’s delivered in spades. The art is just simply amazing straight through.

The story is terrific, with twists and turns right up till the end, and no punches are pulled in giving each and every character a level of depth not usually achieved in animated features.

Kevin Conroy is Batman and has the greatest Batman voice out of them all, both live action and animated. His line delivery as the Dark Knight forces you to respect the pointy-eared vigilante and take him seriously. The dude’s got major authority.

Likewise, Efrem Zimbalist Jr. as Alfred? Wow. Between him and Kevin, these two hold down the film and set the tone for the entire movie. The relationship Alfred and Bruce Wayne share is beyond close and is a stark contrast to the relationships the bat women suspects have with their own family or loved ones.

You know what? All the voices were terrific, not a one out of place. Each suited the character they portrayed, the acting and tone behind their voices never missing a beat.

The stakes are high, the danger’s real and Batman is better than ever.

Go. Watch. Enjoy.

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2 out of 5

A freeze is coming.

Gotham is under siege, this time by not one but THREE supervillains: Mr. Freeze, Poison Ivy and Bane.

The Dynamic Duo is called to the rescue despite the tension growing between them. Complicating things, Barbara Pennyworth, Alfred’s niece, has come to Wayne Manor to liberate her ailing uncle from a life of servitude. She also has a secret: a wild side that needs to be tamed.

When an all-out assault is declared on Gotham by Mr. Freeze and Poison Ivy, the caped crusaders rise to the occasion, and this time they have a little help.

If you took the cheesy, camp-filled ’60’s Batman series and shot it with a huge budget, tons of effects and modern day equipment, Batman & Robin is what you’d get (and is what we got).

Clearly this was the film that killed the Batman franchise. It took eight years for Warner Brothers to recover from the disaster that was this movie.

The story—the “what it’s about”—though farfetched, is bearable. It’s the dialogue and stupid jokes that catapult this Bat-flick a zillion miles into the campy canyon.

On the plus side, if you watch this movie solely for the bright colors, glitter and action, you’ll have a good time.

If you’re looking for substance, go back to the beginning, namely Burton’s ’89 triumph.

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3 out of 5

Two Face has been terrorizing Gotham for a while and after executing a terrible sentence at Gotham Circus, he inadvertently changes the life of the Dark Knight forever by setting in motion a chain of events that lead to the birth of Batman’s legendary partner, Robin.

Continuing in the “double villain” trend as established by Batman Returns, a disgruntled—and stalker-ish—employee of Wayne Industries, Edward Nigma, gets revenge on his boss by becoming the Riddler, and steals his way to the top of the technology enterprise game.

It’s two-on-two in this third installment of the Batman franchise.

Riddle me this: what do you get when you cross Adam West and Michael Keaton? You get Val Kilmer’s portrayal of Batman, one who is part serious and part humorous. This is the film that I’ve always viewed as the “transition piece” between the dark Bat flicks done by Tim Burton and the all-out camp-fest that is Batman and Robin.

Though a bit over the top, the story of Batman Forever is a good one and if you watch it just for that, you’ll highly enjoy it.

It was the humor that brought this film down.

First, Batman ain’t funny. He’s so serious and dry he makes Al Gore look like Superman.

Second, Two Face isn’t funny. Tommy Lee Jones, as much as I enjoy him as an actor, got the character wrong. Two Face is a gangster not another version of the Joker.

Third, Riddler isn’t all whacky and zany, though by director Joel Schumacher’s choice to cast Jim Carrey in the role, it’s evident he was after Frank Gorshin’s Riddler from the ’60s instead of the comic book Riddler. Jim also got this part shortly after he became super famous so obviously this role was playing to his strength of being a rubber-faced whack job.

Fourth, though it was a neat thing to add Robin to the mix, Chris O’Donnell was too old, but, I suppose, having a kid running around in an anatomically correct rubber suit would have raised too many questions.

This film was 50/50 for me. Had its pluses and minuses. I’m going to leave this in the “decide for yourself” category.

Language warning: Blasphemy