Calling Voiply

I’ve maintained our home landline* though we don’t use it much, bundled with our Spectrum internet service. Aside from still being linked to old legacy accounts like our grocery store’s and Shell card rewards program, I’ve also kept it partly for sentimental reasons since I’ve had the number since the 1990s. I half joke that the only people who really still call it are my mother-in-law and spammers.

I actually did nearly drop the line a few years back. When I called Spectrum to indicate I was thinking of canceling, they offered a two-year bundled monthly deal with my Internet that brought down the overall monthly cost to below $100, so I kept it.

The bundle deal recently expired at around the same time we learned that our homeowner’s association had recently entered into a contract with a new local high speed internet provider that, by the end of the year, would provide us new residential data service at a greatly reduced rate. Given that we would be eventually canceling our Spectrum service, I thought it might be an opportunity to also completely cut the cord with Spectrum and move to another—and, more importantly, cheaper—VOIP phone provider.

Above: Voiply adaptor

After some cursory research, I considered Vonage, Ooma and Voiply. Frankly, all offered comparable prices and features. That said, I subsequently discovered that Vonage (the only one of the services I’d heard of previously) had become more focused on business customers rather than residential; and while Ooma technically offered a “free” monthly plan (except for taxes), you had to purchase the equipment (ranging anywhere from $69.99–$99.99, depending on where you purchased it), whereas Voiply provided the equipment for free. While I recognize Ooma may offer the “cheapest” plan over the long haul, I liked the idea of no upfront start up cost. Ultimately, I went with the three-month renewable Voiply plan that came to approximately $8.95 per month and, if you pay annually, as low as $7.46 (with no contracts). Given that I was currently paying $30/month for my Spectrum line (and I know someone who pays $60/month with AT&T!), that was more than an acceptable savings!

And, of course, part of the onboarding process with Voiply was the option of porting my current home phone number. (It’s important not to cancel your service before the number is ported or you will lose it). A happy surprise was that I didn’t have to call Spectrum afterwards as I anticipated to separately cancel the service—when my number became active on Voiply, I received an email notice from Spectrum that my service agreement had been updated and the phone service removed!!

For the record, I placed my order and created my Voiply account on July 1—which included the order to port my number—and received the equipment on July 6. The number was ported and became active on Voiply on July 8.

Though I was aware of the features, one that surprised me was that the number automatically forwards to my mobile phone via the Voiply app!! I learned this in a very critical manner on the very day the line became active—I was out at a family event and someone called our home number to reach us, and I picked it up on my cell phone. Had the line not been activated and had I not installed the app, I would not have received what turned out to be an important phone call!

By the way, the service works very simply: there is a small separate “black box” that serves as a conduit between the router and the phone, connected to the router via a provided Internet cable and the phone via the regular phone line. Both the app and the online account allows you to manage many of the features (which also includes call forwarding, calling out from the number from your mobile device, and even being able to use text to a degree!)

Anyway, I’ve only just got it, but I’m already sold—if for no other reason than due to the great savings in price for the service.

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* "Landlines" are no longer truly the analog landlines of old—most are now digital-based or, more accurately, VOIP lines, or (Voice over Internet Protocol)   

Official SDCC Press Release

I've just posted the official press release about my exhibition appearance at this month's San Diego Comic-Con, scheduled July 23–28—my 29th show! 

I'll be debuting the 27th issue of my globetrotting action-adventure indie comic book series, Rob Hanes Adventures and a new trade paperback collection, Rob Hanes Adventures, Vol. 3. More to come in the lead up to the show! 

Celebrating Independence Day!

Found Footage: 1994 San Diego Comic-Con

I recently discovered that my brother had camcorder footage from the 1994 San Diego Comic-Con! Though I’ve attended the show since 1986, that was my second year as an exhibitor. It was also the 25th anniversary of the show, which feels like it was only yesterday. (Comic-Con celebrated its 50th in 2019.)

I learned (or rather was reminded) of its existence in some old notes. When I asked him about it, he told me that he had several unmarked tapes but was unable to play them since his camcorder had broken down years before. Fortunately, I still had a working camcorder in the same format and took it with me when I next visited him in Northern California. After I found the tape, I digitized it upon my return to Los Angeles.

The tape includes footage of my first appearance on a panel, about self-publishing, that included Don Simpson, Batton Lash, Jim Valentino, and myself. There is also clips of Adam West signing.

What also made the tape personally fun is that a bunch of my college buddies showed up in support. Several of them became Comic-Con regulars, including Terry Delegeane who worked at Bongo Comics for many years and Scott Brick who worked for a time as a writer for both the Comics Buyers Guide and Wizard, and has moderated panels at Comic-Con over the years (he’s since become an award-winning audiobook narrator and teacher).

Looking at the footage, since the show took place at the same location it’s been at since 1991, in the San Diego Convention Center, it doesn’t look much different than today and felt very familiar. Nevertheless, it was a nice time capsule, especially given how young I looked back then.

See the full gallery.

CCR 2026 Report

Had a fun time at Comic Con Revolution – Ontario. Held in Southern California’s Inland Empire, about 60 miles from the coast, it offers locals the comic con experience in their own backyard. People were happy to be there, many for the first time.

A big appeal of the show in recent years has been the celebrities who come in for photos and autographs. Among this year’s guests were the casts of the Flash television series that included Grant Gustin, Tom Kavanagh and John Wesley Shipp; Battlestar Galactica with Edward James Olmos, Katee Sackhoff and Grace Park; and Beverly Hills 90210, including Jenny Garth, Ian Ziering and James Austin Green.

In fact, about half the main exhibition hall was designated for celebrity guests, while Artist Alley was in a separate ballroom in the same venue. On Sunday, I made a quick visit to the area and saw Gustin, Cavanagh, Shipp, and Garth; the day before, as I left my table to grab lunch, I passed Ziering on the floor, checking out Artist Alley.

While comic book sales weren't as strong as I would have liked, afterwards, in making my final tally, I happily discovered that I did better than I thought, in large part boosted by sales of prints and original art and sketches! Foot traffic was light on my end of the floor much of the time and a large percentage of people who stopped by, even if they liked my work, weren’t comics readers. (That said, I was happy to see that two comics legends, Chris Claremont and John Romita, Jr., had healthy lines throughout the show!)

Nevertheless, it was fun to meet the usual spectrum of fans, like the two young women who immediately and enthusiastically vibed with the series and got a kick out of the variety of stories. They laughed at the situations I told them Rob often found himself in, at one point saying “We love Rob!” and “Poor Rob never seems to take a break!” (Which gave me the segue to tell them about the story, “Crime Takes a Holiday,” where Rob spends his entire vacation trying to figure out what a longtime foe is up to when he spots him in the same area.) They purchased all my trade paperbacks and a selection of other issues.

There was also the kid who bought the first issue and asked me to sign the cover with a special pen he has for such occasions—then returned later asking me to draw a doodle on the cover because he assured me it would increase its value lol!

And there was the otherwise amiable gentleman who at least three times during our conversation let drop that he’d just gotten out of prison after seven years in stir—but he never said for what, and I wasn’t quite clear what the etiquette was for asking! Anyway, though sales were just a bit disappointing, I had a fun time and enjoyed meeting attendees and fellow creators.

See the full gallery. 

 

UPCOMING: Comic Con Revolution–Ontario

This weekend, May 16–17, I’ll be at Comic Con Revolution–Ontario in Southern California’s Inland Empire, at the Ontario Convention Center!

Visit me at booth F12 in Artist’s Alley at the show. 

The Conchords Take Flight

For Mother’s Day, we got tickets for the comedy singing duo, Flight of the Conchords—or, as they describe themselves, New Zealand's fourth most popular folk-comedy duo, ranked just below a Flight of the Conchords tribute band, Like of the Conchords (who they said were only better because they practice more).

Made up of actors/comedians Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie, the team were coaxed by Netflix to reunite for this year’s Netflix is a Joke Fest held all over in L.A. May 4-10. The show was held at the open air Greek Theatre, up in the hills of Griffith Park here in L.A. (Originally billed for one show, a second night was added due to the demand. I posted last week that we saw a small show at the Comedy Store as part of the festival. In addition, at last year’s Fest, we saw Jerry Seinfeld, Jim Gaffigan, and Nat Bargatze at the Hollywood Bowl.)

This is their first appearance together since 2018—though, in preparation, they performed several tune up shows that included a few shows in L.A. locally last week at the small smaller supper club venue, Café Largo. Joking at the start of the show that they had to re-learn the music and lyrics of their old songs, there were occasional false starts and miscues that were part of the fun and charm of the show. (You can see a couple of these miscues in the video clip below lol.) A lot of the show was obviously ad-libbed, particularly in the interactions with the audience.

Like many people, I discovered the duo through their self-titled two-season 2007–09 HBO series—last night’s show included “surprise” appearances of series cast members Arj Barker, who performed his stand up act to open the show, and actors Rhys Darby and Kristen Schall in character as, respectively, their hapless manager, Murray, and sole, obsessed fan, Mel (proudly telling the audience she was their only fan before there was OnlyFans). My wife actually spotted Schall in the venue prior to the show.

Though I wondered whether there’d be new material as in their 2018 special, the show consisted primarily of their back catalog, opening with “The Humans Are Dead” (updated to reference AI) and “Frodo, Don’t Wear the Ring.” It closed with “Bowie's in Space” and, as their encore, their rap battle, “Hiphopopotamus vs. Rhymenoceros.” In between, there was plenty of funny chatter. My only disappointment was that they didn’t perform “The Summer of 1353”—one of my favorite lines from that song being, “That haircut’s a little 1351.” It was a rapturous audience and a hilarious, fun evening.