Happy Holidays from WCG Comics

 Happy holidays from WCG Comics! Every year I do a personal family holiday greeting card and one for WCG Comics/Rob Hanes Adventures

Best wishes to all for a wonderful holiday season and prosperous, happy and safe 2023!

A Visit to the WB Lot

In an earlier post from October, I spoke about my visit to the new offices of DC Comics (and other Warner Brothers departments) out in Burbank, CA. Last month, I visited WB’s adjacent movie lot.

Being a movie buff, I always enjoy visiting movie studios, so it was a treat to walk around the standing outdoor sets and through sound stages. I have to say, it’s amazing how relatively open the lot is once you have a pass/authorization to be on the premises—areas were only off limits if  filming was occurring. 

By coincidence, I also recently released a teaser that my next issue of Rob Hanes Adventures would involve Hollywood and the entertainment industry—though it was too late for my visit to serve as research per se, it was fun to soak in the atmosphere given that context. My only true film geek moment was when I walked into a garden area that I immediately recognized as the location of a couple scenes in the Coen Brothers film, “Hail, Caesar,” which I had coincidentally re-watched just a few months prior. (The scenes are those where Josh Brolin’s Hollywood fixer character, Eddie Mannix, keeps separately running into the feuding twin sister gossip columnists, Thora and Thessaly Thacker, both played by Tilda Swinton.)

A highlight was walking through the props department, where we saw sundry props and items, like paintings of various U.S. presidents and what appeared to be the leg lamp from in the film A Christmas Story. (I’m assuming it’s in the current sequel since we saw TWO such lamps in the warehouse in good condition, though I haven’t seen it yet.)

I didn’t realize that the lot actually also has a relatively active and busy studio tour, so we often saw trams running past us and making stops during our visit. In fact, I spotted a tour group walking through the prop warehouse I mention above. The tram tour ends at a WB museum of sorts (and gift shop), which we visited as well.

I should note that this friend actually hosted me for a visit to the lot back in the early ‘90s. I recall we walked through the empty and darkened sound stages for the West Wing and ER, and I saw outdoor sets (and a prop Batmobile) for a Batman film. (In fact, in the props department, I spotted a variety of lecterns with the presidential seal on it and wondered if one of those was the one I saw back on the West Wing set.)

Anyway, it was a fun day roaming through the lot! More below and in the photo gallery.

Capsule Reviews in the Time of Coronavirus (16)

In addition to watching the usual streaming channels like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, etc., I watch a wide variety of YouTube channels. This has led me to discovering several YouTube channels (and a podcast) that particularly produce some great content. Here are a few of my favorites:

Gilbert Gottfried’s Amazing Colossal Podcast

When comedian Gilbert Gottfried passed away in April, I wrote an appreciation of his podcast on Facebook. Here’s a more “formal” review…

I discovered the terrific Gilbert Gottfried’s Amazing Colossal Podcast in 2021, an interview show with co-host Frank Santopadre. Launched in 2014, they’ve hosted hundreds of guests from a wide range of fields, ranging from comics, comedy, animation, and films. Tying them all together is a deep love for classic pop culture and Old Hollywood. Both Gottfried and Santopadre are incredibly knowledgeable about the golden age of Hollywood, including classic films, television, as well as the dark and seamy side of the industry, both true and apocryphal (and the seamier the better lol).

To name just a few, guests have included Richard Benjamin and Paula Prentiss, Kevin Pollack, Dick Van Dyke, Paul Reiser, Alan and Adam Arkin, and literally hundreds more. As this suggests, many guests are the last connection to the golden age of Hollywood, with conversations running the gamut from admiration, to the profane and the hilarious. Being comedians, there’s plenty of needling, but to his credit, no one laughs the hardest than Gottfried when he is the butt of the joke. For anyone with an interest in classic Hollywood, it’s a wonderful way to hear first person reminiscences from the people who were there.

Even with Gottfried's passing, the site has remained active under Santopadre and shows remain available online.

Cartoonist Kayfabe

Hosted by “master comics makers” Ed Piskor and Jim Rugg, Cartoonist Kayfabe covers the comics field broadly, ranging from a look at specific comics, magazines and books, interviews, and appreciation of other cartoonists—essentially, just a couple of comics geeks shooting the breeze as fans and talking shop as pros.

What particularly impresses me about the two hosts is their deep knowledge and broad appreciation of all comics, past and present, and diverse genres from classic comic strips, comics from the golden age to the present, undergrounds, alternative and more. Given how broad and fragmented comics have become over the past several decades, it would be easy to suffer from tunnel vision, but Piskor and Rugg are knowledgeable and well informed, and even as successful pros, clearly retain a youthful and infectious appreciation of the form. They have great chemistry and an affable presence. Even when they discuss controversial issues, they generally always do so with humor, fairness and without negativity or disparagement. They both also have remained prolific as cartoonists and leveraged their popularity to promote their own work. They’re great inspirations as fans and cartoonists. After all, anybody who can wrangle an interview with Fantagraphics publisher Gary Groth has my respect!

Comic Tropes
ComicTropes is somewhat similar to Cartoonist Kayfabe (though I believe came first), hosted and produced by comics fan and historian Chris Piers. As the show’s name suggests, it focuses on the tropes and the “recurring elements that creators or characters use” which provides “an excuse to drill down on various techniques and comic book history.” That said, this definition allows leeway for a wide range of topics. The show is primarily focused on comic books and comic book history—Piers is also affable and good humored, encouraging interaction with his viewers through small contests, funny little stunts and fan art. (One hilarious bit featured him taking swigs at offbeat sodas in between segments.)

BeKindRewind

BeKindRewind host Isabelle C. looks at Hollywood history primarily through a feminist and progressive lens, focusing particularly on actresses and issues related to diversity and representation. The show's angle makes the channel particularly fascinating and informative.

Though her work covers the broad history of the entertainment industry, she has a particular interest in classic Hollywood and actors from the ‘30s through the ‘70s, but also to the present day, having covered actresses like Bette Davis, Deborah Kerr, Jane Fonda, Myrna Loy and more. (A piece about Lee Grant’s history as a blacklisted actor even got a complimentary shout out from the actress herself!) She does a great job as well in recounting the behind the scenes stories and maneuverings behind Oscar races, performances and casting, often citing the sources of her research. Though never shy about expressing her opinion and views, she never comes across as unreasonable or inflexible. She's well informed and knowledgeable and offers a fresh perspective on Old Hollywood. 

Nerd of the Rings/The Broken Sword
Though there are, perhaps unsurprisingly, a plethora of YouTube channels devoted to the lore of J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, I found the Nerd of the Rings and Broken Sword channels to be the most informative and entertaining. Though definitely for the serious fan, I have found them to be great companions to the books and films (including the recent first season of the Rings of Power), exploring the histories, characters and world of Middle Earth, both well known and obscure, for people like me who love the series but have perhaps found the original source material like the Silmarillion and the appendices of the Lord of the Rings too dense or inaccessible. I don't know if anyone beyond hardcore fans will appreciate the channels, but their success and the number of such panels suggest that there's a large, receptive audience.

Cultured Bubble

I’ve always been puzzled by the appeal of “reaction videos,” where you watch someone else watch a movie trailer or even full-length film, usually for the first time, while they provide commentary and real-time reactions.

That is until I came across the YouTube channel Cultured Bubble, hosted by “Tanya from Germany,” who says she is trying to break out of her culture bubble (and heal from C-PSTD). The first video of hers I came across was Jojo Rabbit—given her background as a German, I was curious about her reaction to the film. Other films she covered have included Monty Python and the Holy Grail and the Star Wars films, which amazingly she had never seen! I found Tanya’s videos because she is such a genuine and sweet presence—very open hearted, sensitive and receptive. (What made her videos on the Star Wars films particularly amusing and insightful was that she decided to watch them in the order they were intended, i.e., episodes I-III first, rather than when they were made chronologically—as a result, when she sees Darth Vader appear in Episode IV, she gets a bit upset because she was became so invested in having watched Anakin grow up as a child in the initial films lol.)

Tanya recently announced she was taking a break, feeling that the channel and watching the films was preventing her from attending to personal wellness issues (she occasionally has mentioned an abusive childhood). I hope she finds the peace she seeks, as she is seems a very sweet, perceptive and delightful individual.

Attending the L.A. Comic-Con

I’m finally getting around to posting photos from the L.A. Comic-Con from the beginning of the month. I attended the last day, opting to take the Metro into downtown L.A., only a 35 minute ride. The L.A. Convention Center is next door to the Crypto.com arena, home to the L.A. Lakers, Clippers and the L.A. Kings. (Crypto.com is also a concert arena—we saw the Go-Gos there in March.)

Though I didn’t exhibit, I got a pro badge—however, in an amusing switch, my daughter was at a booth at the show! For the past two years or so, actually, she has regularly attended comics, anime and art shows in support of her college roommate and fellow art major, Aki Lin, who sells prints (they have known each other since high school!). He always does great business, and I’ve been encouraging my daughter to perhaps dip her toes into commissioned work as well. You can find Aki’s art on Instagram at handle @pyrofennec.

I was glad to see plenty of comics dealers at the show and there’s a vibrant Artist’s Alley, where I saw many comics pals (see photos). Perhaps I’ll give it a shot as an exhibitor next year—a few years back, I exhibited at WonderCon, when it was held at the same venue, so I have experience at the site.

A confession: I wanted to attend because Elijah Wood and Sean Aston were appearing on a panel presumably for the 20th anniversary of the Lord of the Rings films—but I somehow got the date wrong and missed it the day before. D’OH! Oh, well, I still had a great time at the show (and even got to provide lunch to my daughter and her roommate!).

Below are additional photos, or see the full gallery.

Lonnie Millsap

Comic Art Professional Society (CAPS) table.

Eddie DeAngelini

Give the Gift of Comics this Holiday Season!

Thanksgiving Memories

To Kill a Mockingbird

Earlier this week, we saw "To Kill a Mockingbird," a fresh stage adaptation of Lee Harper’s iconic novel by Aaron Sorkin that opened on Broadway in 2018 to strong reviews (and business), but closed at the start of this year due to COVID and other issues. The current touring production features Richard Thomas as Atticus Finch—it was a riveting show with themes, sadly, that remain fresh and relevant in today's climate. There’s nothing as electric as live theater when a show really works and this certainly ranked up there for me. Thomas and the entire cast were terrific. It had been awhile since we’d seen a straight stage drama, so it was a nice change of pace from the run of musicals we've seen (though there were many laughs that offset the drama).

We saw it at the historic Pantages in the heart of Hollywood. By coincidence, a few days before the show, I came across a photo on Instagram of the Pantages from 1953—the first year the Academy Awards was televised. (Last October, I posted seeing Moulin Rouge at the same theater.)

We also purposely planned dinner early enough to give us time to visit Amoeba Records catty corner from the theater. It’s an old school record store that includes vinyl, CDs, DVDs and books (including graphic novels) both new and used.