Tag: Superman

Fan Expo Vancouver 2022 Convention Report

As for what’s next, it’s safe to say they’ll be back next year during BC Family Day. I was pleased that it wasn’t competing with another event upstairs and all I can hope for is to see the city embrace this event like in Calgary, complete with a parade.

Fan Expo Vancovuer - CosplayJust Like Bender from Futurama, Fan Expo Vancouver is back!

The event showed no signs of operating at half capacity since a few days prior, the latest health protocols said it was okay to be at capacity. I firmly believe the organisers got lucky. Plus, entry to the event was perfectly handled and there was enough staff throughout the day. You walked in, showed your vaccine card and id, and you’re in. There was no bottleneck. All that was asked for is for everyone to continue wearing a face mask. Travellers from afar were enjoying other events this city offered and were unaware this event was happening. I chatted with a few who were curious about the cosplayers walking around the inlet.

The team behind this event were certainly cautious in how much should be spent advertising because all I saw around town were ads on poster cylinders. I can’t speak for newspaper or television since I didn’t look, but I feel that’s needed as this part of the world is getting back to normal and leaving the pandemic behind. 

Even though there were overlaps with panels and when I had to be present for a photo op, there was plenty to see and do. I enjoyed chatting with the talents in Artists’ Alley and when there were no lineups for the celebrities, got to talk to them. Like previous years, there’s always going to be some kind of representation with the locally made television shows, namely Legends of Tomorrow, and this aspect is always appreciated. This year, it was about the latest, Superman and Lois.

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Superman Sails into Another Year at the Royal Canadian Mint

2015-20-Superman-Comic-Cover-Silver-CoinsBy Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

The Royal Canadian mint is making a mistake with yet another collectible Superman coin for no reason at all. The problem here is that ever since they decided to create a 75th anniversary coin and they saw that there is an instant market, the thought that they can cater to the demand may well see the demise of modern coin collecting much like how the mid 90s saw comic book collecting hit its lowest point of being an enjoyable hobby. This year has 7 different coins and there are television commercials still running to let Canadians know that there’s ample supply.

No Kryptonite is used to press these latest additions. Instead, silver and gold are used.
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The Wind up Geek’s 2015 SDCC Trailer Review

SDCCLogoBy James Robert Shaw (The Wind up Geek)

The San Diego Comic-Con has come and gone and what a blast it was! But I wouldn’t know that would I because I wasn’t there. Trying to get to SDCC is like winning the lottery, if you win the golden ticket you don’t get Wonka’s factory, you do get bragging rights to your friends for years to come. But keep in mind nobody likes a smart ass.

I was able to enjoy what SDCC had to offer from the comforts of my own home thanks to the companies, the media and the fans who were there. What truly interested me was the plethora of trailers made available to the con-goers and to the world in general. I could’ve wrote a book on what was seen but to avoid annoying the readers I have whittled it down to a handful of trailers, feature films only. Although The Walking Dead and Con Man looked really good, throwing them into the mix would’ve muddied the article. And Fantastic Four is not here because I couldn’t say enough good things about it. I’ve been through two previous incarnations of the FF and this latest outing appears to follow the same fate as its predecessors.

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A Commentary on Justice League: Gods and Monsters

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

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Can creators Alan Burnett and Bruce Timm do no wrong in Justice League: Gods and Monsters? If you’ve loved their work in Batman: The Animated Series or Timm’s presence with continuations in a shared universe like Justice League in the late 90s, then just maybe. When this video release comes with a disclaimer that the story takes place in an alternate universe, I’m excited at what kind of re-imaginings of the holy trinity of DC’s main heroes (Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman) that Timm has in mind.

I decided to purchase the steel book release that comes with an action figure of Wonder Woman as a New God, The sculpt is quite good for a mass market item, and the bonus material is worth watching first, especially the short, New Gods. Watching this first helps gets fans up to speed to this part of the DC universe that draws heavily on mythology before catching the main feature. It helps flesh out the world that the writing team will no doubt go back to look at. But before I could watch the main movie, I had to check out the sneak peek at the next DCU movie, Batman: Bad Blood.

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Thoughts on the Batman v Superman Official Trailer

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

ahletwx18dkogwhiihxqIs Superman a false god or a prophet? Just who is he and what is his purpose on Earth? These are the questions raised in Zack Snyder’s reimagining of the DC Universe. In fact, this comics company has this “New 52” in place for sometime. and this director has been following along a similar line of themes for DC’s theatrical presentation and reimagining of some iconic heroes. In Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, not everyone approves of this new mighty man of steel poised to look like Atlas holding the weight of the world upon his shoulders. In the voice-over, one individual asks if the biggest demon might be someone who fell from the sky — is this an allusion to Lucifer, the Morningstar? We’re not talking about the devil here, but that’s the feeling some folks might get. Literary analysts might wonder if this person is playing on the idiom, “Better the devil you know than the devil you don’t.”

Given another frame where there are soldiers bowing to Superman, some may wonder just what kind of hold he has upon the fair people of Metropolis. The city has recovered from the events of Man of Steel, but not everyone approves. And is it a vault that he’s entering into?

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By the time Bruce Wayne aka Batman emerges, this version of the caped crusader is going to be nothing like former iterations seen on-screen. He’s staring at an old costume and is perhaps wondering if its time to put it on again. The dialogue is sharp as a new narrator speaks about how dark feelings can turn a good man to bad. There’s this fever and rage that festers, and that’s essentially Batman as visioned by Frank Miller. Viewers of this trailer get to see this version don some mechanical threads that gives him a wicked glowing eye look. Wayne is going to need it if he’s going to fight Superman.

Perhaps the biggest question here is just how far gone has Batman become? Is he there to do what’s right for the people of Earth? Does he even know about Superman’s weakness to Kryptonite? When this film’s subtitle is known as Dawn of Justice, that means other types of superheroes could potentitally emerge to side with either the caped crusader or man of steel in hopes to find freedom from being ostracized. The villain is not so clearly defined yet. As any follower of DC’s films will know, Lex Luthor is waiting in the wings.

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