Our Grand Tour 2026, Part 8: I Love Paris in the Fall

As mentioned in an earlier post, we took in the usual sites in Paris, including the Eiffel Tower, a cruise on the Seine, Versailles, the Louvre. Our travel agent booked us in small tour groups that allowed us to skip the line and have a private French guide who led us to many of the highlights before we were left to explore on our own. This was helpful as my wife has been to France before and remembered the Louvre being overwhelming—in fact, the Louvre Tour cleverly ended at the room that displayed the Mona Lisa. Btw, security at these venues were very tight, especially at the Eiffel Tower (where they had TWO security checks!)

The sheer scale of these sites were no doubt intended to instill awe and splendor, so mission accomplished. The size of the grounds of Versailles itself is staggering. (To be fair, at its height, it was the working place of the government where the king could keep his eye on his minions, housing around 5000 people.)

On our own, we visited Notre Dame, the Musée D’Orsay and, next door, the Museum of the Legion of Honor and Orders of Chivalry that we noticed across from the D’Orsay (and free!). The D’Orsay happened to have its first comprehensive exhibition of American impressionist painter, Mary Cassatt. I have to admit that, in addition to visiting the Cavern Club in Liverpool, the Cassatt exhibition was a highlight and very moving

As was a fantastic after hours light show at the Dôme des Invalides, where Napoleon’s Crypt openly rests in a place of honor at the center of the building in a well. This hadn’t been on my radar at all, but my wife heard about a light show at the Dome called Aura Invalides. (Like the D’Orsay, we purchased tickets at the entrance on our mobile devices just before the show started.) Napoleon’s place in history and his relationship with France has always seemed complex to me, so it’s interesting to see him honored here with such a magnificent tomb. I should add, the crypts of his two brothers and a few others also are prominently displayed.

Our Grand Tour, Part 7: In Search of BD

While in Paris, we toured the Eiffel Tower, took a cruise down the Seine, visited Versailles, the Louvre, Musée D’Orsay, and the Legion of Honor. We also attended a fantastic after hours light show at Napoleon’s Tomb.

But priorities—I also visited comic book stores! 

In preparation, I Google mapped comics shops and bookmarked them before our trip. During that search, I came across the well known Forbidden Planet London Megastore and two stores in Paris’s Latin Quarter (which apparently is essentially a Frankified college town): Album Comics and nearby Pulp Comics. (By the way, the Paris stores are also within a stone’s throw of the English-language bookstore, Shakespeare and Company, founded in 1951, which took its  name from the one founded in 1919 at another location on the Left Bank, which closed in 1941. We stopped by there as well.)

All three are fantastic comic book stores with diverse selections, but surprisingly very focused on American mainstream comics. At Forbidden Planet in London, they were  well stocked with perennials like Watchmen and The Dark Knight Returns. And when I visited, Forbidden Planet was hopping! I was impressed by the number of young people there (both teens and young adults), often in groups, talking about comics they were reading. I also noticed parents with their children.

But I really wanted to check out the native country’s comics selections. At Album Comics, I did purchase some French language comics I found.

After leaving Album Comics, I then visited Pulp Comics only about a block away. Then as I left the latter store, across the street, I spotted by happenstance what turned out to be what I was truly looking for, a separate Album sister store that focused on French language comics: Momie BD! (BD stands for bande dessinee, the French name for comics. There is also a nearby Momie Manga store.) 

As you’ll see from my photos of my haul, I went a bit nuts there! My primary goal was to buy a Ric Hochet comics album—I posted about Ric Hochet awhile ago, originally a ‘60s-era world traveling journalist who encounters adventure and mystery, who also happens to coincidentally resemble my own lead character (or, rather, the other way around). New Ric Hochet adventures are being published, the first few being translated in English, which I purchased as Kindle books and loved. Sadly, they stopped issuing English editions only after a few issues, but I recently realized that I could use my iPhone’s native Translate app to read them (an app, I should add, came in handy on this trip).

Anyway, the other legacy comics series I picked up was a comics adaptation of Lupin (based on a Japanese manga and animated property that itself was partly inspired by an old French gentleman thief character) and Michel Vaillant, about the adventures of a race car driver that I also was familiar with. The rest were all new and unknown to me, but the art was terrific. (The draftsmanship and technical craft of European cartoonists are amazing.) In fact, after the first visit, I even returned the next day to buy more. Even my wife was impressed by the comics, and I purchased an album and some merch (a Tintin pin) that interested her.

On my second visit, I also realized that just next door was a small shop that specialized in vintage and collectible comics albums, called Aaapoum Bapoum—though American comics were well represented, they were all French language. (You’ll see a Will Eisner/Spirit section in the photos.) I asked if they carried any Terry and the Pirates, which the shopkeeper then pulled off a bookshelf for me to look at, which you'll also see in the photos.

As an aside, I initially planned to bring some of my own comics just to share with the stores. However, when I looked into it, there were some custom laws that I found a little daunting, particularly in England, that seemed to technically require me to declare that I was carrying commercial goods that might be subject to VAT tax. At the end of the day, although I believe I was below the taxable thresholds, I decided not to risk any trouble with customs. All that said, when we arrived in London and Paris, aside from normal security checks, we encountered no checks whatsoever entering the countries. In fact, having gone through TSA at LAX, there was no security check when we stepped off the plane in the U.K.—all us passengers were just waved through. I only planned to bring two or three copies of each of my trades and some issues; in retrospect, I probably could have done so without a problem. I did bring along some promotional postcards and business cards, and shared them at Momie BD.

Our Grand Tour 2026, Part 6: Paris is Burning

 After London, it was off to Paris!

We opted to take the Eurostar train into Paris rather than fly—my touchstone for this train was the first Mission:Impossible film lol. The ride was a lovely experience, but unfortunately, I encountered no espionage or nefariousness, only tourists and commuters. But it was cool to leave the UK and go through its passport exit controls at St. Pancras International Station, then walk 20 feet or so to enter France through its own border control and security. So once the Eurostar arrives in Paris at the Gare du Nord station, you just step off the train and you’re on your way! I wryly noted to my better half that our two-and-a-half hour trip took the allies nearly three months to travel in 1944. But of course we didn’t face hedgerows and the axis war machine.  

I’ll get straight to the first question people have asked about Paris—we felt perfectly safe and saw none of the clashes. We arrived the Sunday of the protests, so likely missed the worst of it. That said, we did meet other fellow Americans who told us that they saw some of the mishigas and encountered some closed venues. But I assume revolutionaries have to work during the week too!

Nevertheless, one of the areas we visited for dinner clearly had been part of the protests because we saw boarded up businesses, some police presence, defaced monuments, and lots of graffiti. (My wife noticed the acronym “ACAB” spray painted many places—she learned it stood for “All Cops Are B*stards.)

We later learned that we were staying in a somewhat posh part of Paris (Passy), and noticed a local Chanel store and some other businesses boarding up their windows, even though I don't believe we were anywhere near the protests. We realized afterwards they were doing so as a precaution in anticipation of this weekend’s protests.

And to bring it full circle, our tour guide at Versailles connected the present day protests to the 1789 French Revolution by noting that Versailles was partly built to take the government away from the intrigue and unrest of Paris—remarking that, politicians then and since, have learned, "Never piss off the Parisians!”

Our Grand Tour 2026, Part 5: London After Dark

Something to always keep in mind while in London when crossing the street is to always look to your right for oncoming cars since, in the U.S., they’re coming from the left. As you’ll see in the photos, a warning about this is stenciled on some street curbs—I asked our tour guide driver if that was for tourists or for everyone, and he said, “Everyone!”

On the Tube, exit signs read, “Way Out,” while “Mind the gap”  means, “Watch your step” (there was often a gap and step between the train platform and the carriage). This reminder was often announced when entering and exiting the train. Other recorded PSAs included reporting anything that needs to be sorted out—“See it; Say it; Sort it!”

I don’t mind tipping, so it was an adjustment being in a no-tip culture. We had private drivers for our hotel and transportation transfers, and none clearly expected a tip—our tour driver only asked for a good review. 

This was all for the good since everything was cashless—in fact, we ended up never needing or withdrawing any cash or British pound currency the entire trip!

Many of the streets were crazy narrow—in fact, sometimes we wondered based on the parked cars whether our driver was going down a one way street. It was amusing to see cars parked in opposite directions on the same side of the street as you’ll see in one of the photos.

Our Grand Tour 2026, Part 4: London Town

On our first free day in London, being a bit of a military history and World War II buff, I went off to visit the Imperial War Museum. My wife took the opportunity to catch up on sleep and later visit Harrod’s. We then met up at the London Eye, where my wife had reserved mid-afternoon tickets, which gave us spectacular views of London.

On the way, I made a stop at the Sherlock Holmes Museum at, yes, 221 Baker Street. Due to timing and the wait (a large group had just arrived, I opted to just visit the quaint adjacent gift shop where I chatted with the door greeter, a native London gal who happened to be Asian, dressed as Mrs. Hudson. 

While I took the Underground, and even took my first ride on one of London’s iconic double decker public buses to get around as directed by GoogleMaps, my wife ended up taking a black taxi ride to the London Eye, where she had a pro-Trump cabbie who, after learning she was American, went on a rant about how nice it was to have the power to jail people, when they encountered s protest that inconveniently slowed their ride lol. (To be fair, while she waited for me outside the St. Martin’s Theatre while I hit the loo, a British gentleman made wry comments about the president when she learned she was from the states.) My wife had gotten us timed tickets for the London Eye, so we got on fairly quickly. 

Afterwards, we visited Big Ben (officially now Elizabeth Tower) and Westminster Abbey. We’d seen Big Ben on our first day tour but hadn’t approached it from its iconic side, so walked over. A lot of street vendors selling cheap souvenirs lol

We considered visiting the National Portrait Gallery, but learned it was closing at 1 pm for a private event—there was a current exhibition of the Bayeux Tapestry on loan from France that I would have liked to see, since it’s often cited as an early example of a comic strip-like narrative. 

Our Grand Tour 2026, Part 3: Going Down to Liverpool

As a huge Beatles fan since childhood, like Sadina, we included on our schedule a day trip to Liverpool, about a 2-1/2 hour trip on one of the national rail service lines.

From the moment you step out of the Liverpool Lime Station (impressive in its own right, as the world’s oldest still-running main line railway station), you can see that Liverpool is a spectacular city. As an example, directly across the street from the train station is the huge neoclassical St. George’s Hall that directly faces the rail station. 

That said, Liverpool is also an incredibly diverse and modern city, and a well known cultural hub second only  to London. And, of course, it leans heavily into the city’s favorite sons, the Beatles, who obviously are the city’s main tourist draw.

We took the Magical Mystery Tour bus that included trips to the Beatles childhood homes, now well-kept middle class neighborhoods. Indeed, Liverpool appears to also be a vibrant college town, clearly serving students (we saw quite a bit of student housing). 

The tour culminates with a free visit to the Cavern Club, down narrow alleys of small clubs and Beatles museums. 

I’ve seen footage of Beatles’ performances there, so it was a revelation to see the layout of the club on person.

In fact, it is as still as much a working music venue and bar as it is a museum of the Beatles and the club’s history. I’ve seen the club in footage of the Beatles’ performances there, so it was a thrill to see the actual layout of the club’s floor. 

And even more fortunately, there was a live performance going on while we were there! The acoustics in the tiny bricked space was incredible, and it gave one a good sense of what it must have been like to hear the Beatles tearing up the space with their music and vocals. It actually was incredibly moving to hear music filling up the space, as the Beatles did more than 60 years ago.

In fact, it’s was amazing how many small clubs and venues we saw while strolling around, many with live music emanating from them. The tour was brief enough that we had some time on our own to explore the city and grab dinner before catching the train back. The restaurant where we ate was in a promenade that terminated at Liverpool’s Town Hall—this was on my bucket list to see because I remember seeing it in old black-and-white footage, when the Beatles were welcomed back to the city after conquering America, and stood on the second floor balcony waving to throngs of fans and proud Liverpool citizens.

Our Grand Tour 2026, Part 2: The Plays

We booked two plays for our visit to London: Agatha Christie’s drawing room murder mystery, “Mousetrap,” which is the world’s longest running play, and a production of Noel Coward’s 1924 play, “Hay Fever,” starring Richard Grant and Christine Baranski in her West End debut. (Keira Knightley is also presently performing in “The Lives of Others,” but tickets had already sold out for the days we’d be in town.)

Opening in 1952, Mousetrap has played at St. Martin’s Theatre, where we saw it, since the 1970s. We attended performance #30,740, which was dutifully stamped in the souvenir program. And even though it was a Thursday night, it was a full house!

The show was a total delight with terrific and hilarious performances featuring a boarding house full of suspects both eccentric and shady. At the curtain call at the end, the cast asks the audience to become their partners in crime and not reveal the ending to anyone—so my lips are sealed and you’ll have to see it yourself (and there’s no butler in the play).

”Hay Fever” is a comedy of manners, or more accurately, a comedy about an eccentric family with *no* manners, whose guests for the weekend become the sorry victims of their capricious, outsized and self-involved personalities.

It’s a high farce, full of scenery chewing performances, anchored by Richard Grant and Christine Baranski, who were born to play these parts. I was also delighted to realize that the cast also included actors Charles Edwards (Rings of Power and Holy Flying Circus, where he portrayed Michael Palin, bearing a slight resemblance to him) and Ophelia Lovibond (the lead in the underrated series, Minx, who my wife didn’t know was British until this show!)

We watched the play at the Wyndham Theatre, which staged its first show in 1899. Though we were in the balcony (we had seats at Mousetrap in the orchestra just five rows from the stage), like the theaters we experienced in New York last year, the theater is intimate and close to the stage, so even in the balcony, you feel like you’re right on top of the actors. My one regret is that I likely might have been able to get the actors to sign my program since the back stage entrance was very accessible in the alley in back, but it slipped my mind. At both shows we sat next to and chatted with fellow Yanks, and at Mousetrap, I helped a British couple sort out the name of the screenwriter of Taxi Driver lol (Paul Schrader).

Btw, we discovered that the Noel Coward Theatre was just next door to the Wyndham and hosting Into the Woods, so I made sure to make a quick visit. Afterwards, as we were in Leicester Square on the West End, we took in the hopping night life and grabbed a late dinner.

Our Grand Tour 2026, Part 1: London Calling

From October 13—23, after much planning, my wife and I embarked on a long-talked about trip to London and France. In this and the following posts, I'll be re-posting of my Facebook reports from our trip, some of the narratives expanded. Click through to the Facebook post for the photos. 

Yes, we’re across the pond!

On our first day, we had a private (electric) black cab tour that was a whirlwind of many of London’s iconic landmarks. We love history (and I was an English lit major), so this was right up our alley, and it helped to have a wonderfully knowledgeable and personable driver/guide.

That said, London is a vibrant, modern city full of charming neighborhoods—we love the old classic architecture mixed in with the new. And it is incredibly diverse, with so many accents and ethnicities. Being called “darling” by a young shopkeeper and speaking with people with lovely lilting Irish accents have been a thrill lol. I must admit I naively wondered if I’d be recognized as an American, but of course with all the mix of people here (plus tourists), no one bats an eye lol.

We quickly got the hang of the Underground subway and have already taken it many times. In addition to being a cheap, quick way to get around, it’s also a great way to experience London as a real city.

To top it all off, while at a well known open food market, Borough Market, we bumped into a former boss of mine, who I hadn’t seen in about 15 years!!! I recognized her from behind as she walked by and, when I called out her name and she turned, her jaw dropped when she saw us lol. What a reunion, of all places

Capsule Review: Lanterns and More

Now that I’ve finished the script for the next issue of Rob Hanes Adventures, I’m finally catching up on some shows and films.

Lanterns (HBO/Max)

Though I’m not up to date on most current comics and recent Green Lantern continuity, among comics fans, this series has been very divisive.

Though the series jumps around in time, it primarily focuses on the relationship between an incredibly cynical and embittered Hal Jordan, the first Green Lantern from earth, who is training the person who will eventually succeed (or, rather, replace) him, John Stewart, who has experienced his own trauma by essentially being groomed into being fearless from a young age by his parents (the term “tough love” doesn’t come close to describing the way he was raised).

A main complaint of the series is that both Lanterns are very unlikable and don’t feel particularly heroic—indeed, one must wonder why they were chosen for these jobs. There also are lapses in logic that sometimes don’t make sense or ring true. That said, the series has kept my interest because of its unpredictable twists, often leading to episode cliffhangers that have kept me looking forward to the next one.

It will be interesting to see whether the series will stick its landing and, hopefully, explain the reasons for Jordan’s bitterness.

The Gentleman (Netfix)

Though on paper, this series also has “unlikeable” characters since it’s set in the drug trade underworld, it nevertheless possesses a sense of humor, as well as the usual stylish bravado typical of producer/director Guy Ritchie, who created and is involved with this series. In fact, I’d describe the series as positively Shakespearean.

Actor Theo James plays Eddie Horniman, a British aristocrat who discovers on his father’s death that the family estate is part of a huge illicit international pot trade operation (he soon discovers other old estates in the country are involved). Initially anxious to get out from under the thumb of the crime family that runs the operation (his main contact is the sardonic Susie Glass, daughter of the man who heads the organization, played winningly by Kaya Scodelario), Eddie soon discovers that he has more of a gift for thriving in the criminal underworld than he cares to admit. In essence, this show, Downton Abbey meets The Godfather, follows Eddie's ascent (or descent?) into becoming a ruthless crime boss.

Like Lanterns, the show is incredibly bingeable from episode to episode. It too suffers from some lapses in logic that made me question whether Eddie’s presence and decisions were actually helpful to the Glass crime family (leading me to half-joking with my wife that they should have named the show, “A Series of Unfortunate Incidents,” but it nevertheless is fun and addictive, boosted by a terrific supporting cast that includes Joely Richardson, Vinnie Jones, Daniel Ings, and the ubiquitous Giancarlo Esposito.

Margo’s Got Money Troubles (Apple+)

This winning series comes from legendary tv creator David E. Kelley, starring Elle Fanning as Margo Millet who, after becoming a single mother as the result of an ill-advised affair with her college professor, turns to OnlyFans and the sex work industry to make ends meet.

I admittedly approached this show with a little bit of trepidation because of Kelley’s reputation as a creator of “chick shows” that have never really been in my wheelhouse. That said, even though the series has some of Kelley’s trademark glibness, the characters and performances are winning and makes the audience emotionally invested. It helps that it has an outstanding cast, including Fanning, Michelle Feiffer as her partying single mom (Feiffer is married to Kelley in real life), Greg Kinnear as Feiffer’s pastor fiance, Nicole Kidman in a recurring role as a former female wrestler/now lawyer, and Nick Offerman as Margo’s former wrestling father. The entire cast is terrific, but the show really took off for me when Offerman’s character, a recovering alcoholic and drug addict, comes into the picture.

Ted Lasso (Apple+)

Back for an unexpected fourth season, the popular show picks up a little where the original three series run ended, when Ted is hired to coach Richmond’s new women’s football team, dubbed the Lady Greyhounds. With him along with this journey are his ex-wife and son, and many of the show’s familiar faces have returned.

The main arcs appear to be Ted re-finding love (including for himself) and the woman coach who Ted takes over from, Alice (played by Tanya Reynolds, who I first saw in the Netflix series Sex Education), who must overcome her resentment and bitterness over a football career cut short. Of course, the show also features the ongoing relationship between Roy Kent (Brett Goldstein) and Keeley Jones (Juno Temple), and other original cast member characters like Coach Beard and team owner Rebecca, while also focusing on the lives and relationships of the women’s team.

At times the show feels forced as it tries to recapture the lightning of the original series, but in the end, the show still successfully ultimately embodies the same heart and heartfelt commitment to showing often wounded human beings trying to overcome disappointments and the obstacles in their lives, and becoming their best selves.

Reacher (Reacher)

Though I’ve enjoyed Reacher, it’s a very workmanlike series—it doesn’t really break new ground, simply featuring a Shane-like character who rambles into town, comes across trouble and injustice, often breaking and bending the rules to get the job done. In fact, I’ve often compared it to the Lethal Weapon franchise, where the good guys investigate a mystery, then attack the bad guys’ lair and shoot its up, often with the help of a team. 

But, at the end, the series is very watchable, helped by the presence of its star, Alan Ritchson, a beast of a human being (and I mean that as a compliment) who perfectly embodies the superhuman bigger than life titular character.

I greatly enjoyed this third series, which I felt opened up the series a little more, particularly compared to the second series, with international intrigue becoming part of the backdrop.

Coyote vs. Acme

Notoriously shelved by Warner Brothers as a tax write-off, Coyote vs. Acme was released after being saved from the dustbin by Ketchup Entertainment.

The movie features perhaps some of the best animation mixed with live action since Who Framed Roger Rabbit. SNL alum Will Forte plays an accident compensation lawyer who halfheartedly agrees to represent Wile E. Coyote in a lawsuit against the Acme Corporation (represented by a slimy lawyer played by John Cena). It’s a fun bit of nostalgia and silliness that features many familiar players from the Warner Brothers cartoon catalog, including Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Tweety Bird, and many more—the deepest cut (and a personal favorite) being Peter Lorre who famously appeared as a caricature in a Warner short back in the day.

I enjoyed the film though, in truth, the hype over the film perhaps raised my expectations too much. But it certainly deserved to be released

Odyssey in Hollywood

Report on LBCC 2026

Thanks to everyone who stopped by my booth at Long Beach Comic Con! I was delighted to see long-running fans and friends (some of whom I’d just recently seen at San Diego Comic-Con!), as well as make some new ones. Someone even stopped by to pick up some recent issues, who said he’s read and loved my stuff since the 1990s—picking up my original OG Adventure Strip Digest series at his local comic book store—and called them “pure comics joy” lol.

Truth be told, attendance was a bit low—but that said, I did cover the costs of the show, and as I said in my post about the first day, I was happy to see that many attendees were interested in buying and discovering new comics. So had attendance and foot traffic been stronger, I’m confident I would have done even better! Hopefully, the new organizers of LBCC will use this experience to improve the show.

The one advantage of a smaller show is the opportunity to chat and catch up with people. In fact, because of the smaller crowds, I purchased a selfie with actor Diedrich Bader, the first time I’ve done something like that! I’ve always enjoyed his work, but when I saw there wasn't anyone at his table, I decided to go for it. He was very down to earth and easy to talk with, and I had the chance him how much I particularly liked his voice work on the Brave and the Bold animated series, which he appreciated. (I wished I had mentioned Office Space too!) After I told him I was exhibiting, I asked if I could shared some of my comics with him, to which he was very gracious. I came back a bit later and handed him a couple of issues that he appreciated.

My table was near the back which actually wasn't an issue the first day, but on the second day, people didn't seem to be making their way to our end (and this was a consensus with my neighbor exhibitors). Even the celebrity autograph area was pretty dead. That said, sales for me the second day were slow but steady enough to make me happy when I saw my final tally after I got home, but had their been more attendees and better foot traffic, I could have done even better since, as I said, people were buying. On both days, by mid-afternoon, the floor was really empty, as if people went home early.

Hopefully, the organizers will learn to adjust to keep people engaged and excited for the whole day—I thought they should have taken advantage of some of the celebrities there by creating some kind of mainstage Q&A panels in the middle of the floor like they do at LA Comic-Con. And making periodic announcements and reminders about being sure to visit artist's alley and other vendors, and to raise the fun, excitement and energy level of the show (they did use the PA system periodically, so it's there.) Based on how I did and my relatively low overhead, I'm willing to exhibit there next year.

Anyway, I’d be up for doing the show again next year and hope this experience will help the new organizers/management of LBCC grow the show. 

See the entire photo gallery.

Beauty Killed the Beast!

SDCC 2026 Report

Click here to go directly to the photogallery for the 2026 San Diego Comic-Con.

Now that I’ve returned home, unpacked and reconciled my sales from the show, here’s a report on this year’s San Diego Comic-Con. Continuing a practice I started a couple years ago, I stayed an extra day and drove home Monday morning, rather than Sunday evening after a long final day of exhibiting.

This year’s Comic-Con turned out to be a bit of a roller coaster, though it ultimately turned out to be a pleasant surprise. After a slow start Thursday and Friday, sales came roaring back on Saturday and Sunday—in fact, it was one of my strongest shows ever! On Sunday, people all of a sudden seemed ready to buy. Sales were boosted by relatively big ticket items that were popular, particularly the five trade paperbacks for $40 deal and all 27 issues of Rob Hanes Adventures for $50 offer! (Deals, I should add, that are also available at my webstore!) Sales of original art—sketches and especially cover art—also have boosted the bottom line in recent years.

So my thanks to everyone who stopped by—as always, I had a great mix of longtime fans and new people discovering the series for the first time. I love that people don't get hung up on having to buy issues in order or purchase the entire run—people are happy to pick up issues that sound fun to them. The Death at Comic-Con issue (#18), the baseball issue (#10), and the 1930s soldier-of-fortune homage issue (#25) are all perennials.

I also participated in more after hours activities than usual. As mentioned in earlier posts, I had a late dinner with friends on Wednesday after Preview Night. On Friday, I attended another dinner organized by Margeaux Pepoy (I forgot to take a group photo!) Following dinner, I popped into the Eisner Awards. Afterwards, I planned to walk back to my hotel from the Hilton San Diego Bayfront via the marina behind the convention center to check out the overnight line for Hall H and other activities, but forgot—d'oh! I did bump into fellow artist Don Nguyen on the walk back though and talked a bit with him.

On Saturday night, my wife got tickets to see Kevin Smith and Ralph Garman’s Hollywood Babble-On show at the American Comedy Co. comedy store in the Gaslam . My wife is a big fan of the show and we’ve seen the duo's show about five or six times in the past, where they primarily spout about pop culture news in a hilarious and inappropriate manner, riffing off each other. Ever the geek, Smith gave a first hand account of being backstage at Hall H during the Marvel panel as well as the Spaceballs panel.

And in keeping with the this year's theme of unexpected encounters, Kevin Smith snuck up behind me and interjected a comment into a conversation I was having as the line made its way into the club. I was remarking to a friend how Garman, a fan of the 1960s' Batman tv show who later became friends with Adam West, was largely responsible for getting him his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. As I said this, someone behind me bellowed, "Yes, he did!" and when I turned, there was Smith smiling behind me! Evidently, he was running late from his own panel in Hall H, and had run in just as we were let into the club to be seated (about 20 minutes late). I quickly thought of taking a selfie with him, but it happened so quickly, the best I managed was to pat him on the shoulder lol.

In my posts during the show, I mentioned spotting comedian/actor Marc Maron walking by my booth during the show, as well as comedian Thomas Lennon, who stopped to chat—I met Lennon at last year's Comic-Con and then bumped into him a month later in L.A. where we chatted again! Other people who came by my table were actor David Dastmalchian and Richard Taylor, founder of Weta Workshop. When I saw him strolling by my booth with a companion, I called out his name and he turned to wave—I took the opportunity to gush and tell him how much his work on the Lord of the Rings films meant to me as a lifelong Tolkien fan. I’m sure he’d heard it all before, but he was incredibly kind and appreciative.

In addition, on Sunday morning, the last day of the show, I bumped into Jenny Blake Isabella in the lobby of my hotel! Jenny has been a huge supporter of my work over the years, so I'm glad I had the chance to congratulate her on the Bill Finger Award she received at the Eisner Awards. She was about ready to fly home and was glad to hear that she had a wonderful time as a guest of the show.

Anyway, it was another memorable and successful San Diego Comic-Con. Next up is Long Beach Comic-Con in September! Below are a few additional photos from the show, with the full gallery available here.

Countdown to SDCC '26 (I)

All the Right Financial Moves (I hope)

A little over a decade ago, I made an effort to become more financially literate, which became an off-and-on passion. I mean this in the sense that, with finances, while it’s good to stay on top of things and occasionally fine tune, your best bet is to simply set things up correctly and then leave it alone and let it grow.

Recent life changes have led me to a new flurry of financial moves that I thought I’d share, both on the personal and business fronts. (One of these included moving to a new phone carrier, Voiply, that I covered in a previous post.)

First off is the fact that my wife and I recently began managing the finances of an elderly family member. In reviewing her existing brokerage account at Fidelity, I noticed that the dividends that had been paid out of her investments sat in a cash sweep account that collected no interest, so I opened a high-yield online savings account at an online bank where we could hold that money until we needed it, moving most of her regular low-yield savings there. However, after some research, I subsequently learned that Fidelity already has a reputable Cash Management Account (CMA) that earns interest even slightly higher than the high yield online banks!! All it required was a simple flip of the switch to change the Fidelity cash sweep account into a CMA (technically changing the “core” position of the account).

In fact, it led me to open my own cash management account in my own existing Fidelity account. But I had an ulterior motive—it turns out that the account comes with a debit card that carries NO foreign transaction fees and refunds all ATM charges! Since my wife and I may be traveling overseas soon, I thought it would be prudent to open an account in anticipation of that trip.

Fidelity’s CMA is not a checking or savings account—in fact, technically, it’s a brokerage account. But it has no connection to the markets, so doesn’t rise or fall in value, and always stays at one share equaling one dollar. In practice, it acts as a sort of hybrid checking and savings account. (It’s not FDIC protected, but rather protected by the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC)). But it earns interest at a high rate.

It’s a long story, but I actually have maintained two checking accounts for years—one for everyday expenses and the other mostly to pay bills, such as my mortgage, credit cards, utilities, phone and internet, streaming services, etc. The second everyday account I’ve kept mostly out of sentiment since it was a bank with a branch across the street from me that felt like a neighborhood bank because I had a safe deposit box there and the staff knew me. Over the past few years, however, the bank did away with their safe deposit boxes and then closed the branch nearest to me. With that personal connection gone, I’ve decided that if the Fidelity CMA works out, I will close that second checking account and migrate to Fidelity for everyday expenses. (The only other advantage of my current old account is that transfers from my Chase account to the bank were instantaneous, not a wait of a day or so.)

On the business front, I also opened a new business banking account at a bank called Found. I’ve had a business checking account for years at a local community credit union, but it required a linked savings account with a minimum $100 balance, so basically I’ve always had $100 sitting there that I couldn’t access. Unfortunately, I soon discovered that my Amazon seller's account wouldn't connect to it because of its nature as an online bank. This turned out to be dealbreaker, but since neither account costs money, for now I'll hold on to both accounts to see if this issue gets worked out, and as a failsafe for now as I connect the new account to my existing other vendors that pay me like Square, PayPal, etc., to ensure nothing gets lost in the tracks.

08/30/26 UPDATE: Because of the above-mentioned connectivity issue between Found and Amazon, I ended up going with another bank for my business checking, called Relay Bank, which connected with Amazon seamlessly. Though Relay also is an online bank, apparently, it is partnered with a true brick and mortar bank, which made it compatible with Amazon. I should add that Fidelity's CMA account similarly partners with other certified banking institutions in order to provide the same services, including FDIC coverage. 

See You at SDCC '26!

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.