Pryor Creek Comic Convention Wrap Up

This weekend was the 3rd Annual Pryor Creek Comic Convention and I was lucky enough to have access to shoot some video of it.  I think at this point, the cat's out of the bag about the next documentary I'm making.  It's about the many comic book and comic strip creators from the state of Oklahoma and shooting this con was a good step forward in the production.

Before I go any further, a special thanks to the con organizer Jimmie Tramel (seen above talking to the gentleman hold The Flash torso) who put together the convention for the Pryor Area Arts and Humanities Council.  I was able to get a quick interview with him and he's the reason I found out about the convention.

It was cold and icy Saturday morning so there was some concern about whether or not the streets would be safe enough for visitors, vendors and guests to get there.  I was close by so I was able to get there early to get some shots of the vendors setting up but it didn't take long to realize the weather wasn't going to keep too many people away.

As you can see in the pic above, the slick roads were no match for the Ghostbusting and Jurassic Parking vehicles.  They all made great photo ops which were usually taken quickly right before people rushed inside to warm up and buy comics.

I was able to get a quick interview with Oklahoma writer John Wooley, creator of the Twilight Avenger.  If you've been reading this blog then you already know I'm a fan of the Dust Bowl era Oklahoma mystery man (seen HERE and HERE).  But he let me know about another piece of his work, "The Miracle Squad," which has an Oklahoma-based story line in one of its volumes so that will probably be next on my pull list.

I was also able to touch base with writer Robert Soul whose comic "Ruined My Rhythm" is based in Tulsa.  He was kind enough to hook me up with a signed copy (thanks again, Robert!) which is now at the top of my ever increasing pile of books I need to read.  We agreed to set up a time to interview him for the documentary.

I would have stayed longer to check out more vendors and creators but unfortunately my time was limited and there were other things I needed to shoot.  But it was a great convention and I look forward to seeing it grow.

And, as usual, as I was looking back at the footage, I found something I wished I had bought.  I'll get you some day Little Debbie Hot Wheels!!!  Regrets, I have a few...

Comic Cameos

Awhile back I took a look into why Thor was the official Avenger of the state of Oklahoma.  Turns out, the big guy spent quite a bit of time in the town of Broxton, OK and the town itself was featured somewhat prominently in one of the hammer-swinging Avenger's story lines.

Ever since then I've been on the lookout for other Oklahoma comic book appearances.  The Sooner State does show up from time to time but our heroes and villains rarely stick around to take selfies with the Catoosa Blue Whale or to check out a Thunder game.

So periodically, I'm going to check in on the never ending battle for truth, justice and ever-increasing cover prices to see when there's a little Okie-love.  And we begin today with DC Comics:

Metropolis S.C.U. (Vol 1) #2 - 1994

The S.C.U. (Special Crimes Unit) is a division of the Metropolis Police Department that investigates super powered criminals and the crimes they commit.  They essentially take care of the stuff Superman would do if/when he's not around (and sometimes if he is).  This issue features a very quick Oklahoma cameo:

There's an explosion at the "Soon Mere Oil Refinery" in the fictional town of Glassville, OK.  At least, I assume it's fictional because Google hasn't told me otherwise.  There is a Glassville, New Brunswick so I assume maybe there's a hidden joke or meaning in there somewhere?  It's lost on me though.

"Soon Mere" is also lost on me.  Was the name of the refinery originally meant to be "Sooner"?  And maybe the editor changed it to avoid any issues with OU?  Or am I possibly putting too much thought into it?  There's no way to be sure.  Next up is...

Justice League of America (Vol 2) #20 - 2008

The majority of this story involves the Flash and Wonder Woman yapping at each other about the Flash's latest drama.  But they do take a break to fight off longtime JLA adversary Queen Bee.  Her target?  Tulsa!

Science and Technology Advanced Research, or S.T.A.R Labs, is the premiere scifi-MacGuffin generating factory in the DC Universe.  They have facilities all over the world where they make ray guns, assist super heroes and get attacked by super-villains .  Looks like they've got a fairly advanced campus in Tulsa that needed a bit of an assist from two of the Justice League's big guns.  Spoiler: It all worked out in the end...which leads us to our final cameo...

Supergirl (Vol 5) #35 - 2009

Supergirl finds herself wrapped up in another bloated cross-over storyline that lands this issue smack dab in the middle (Part 5 of 10) of a lot of super-drama involving an influx of Kryptonian tourists chilling out across the planet including the town of...

Pauls Valley, Oklahoma!  This issue was written by Tulsa native Sterling Gates so I'm guessing he took the opportunity to give his home state a shout-out.  Additionally, Pauls Valley is the home of the Toy and Action Figure Museum so I'm sure that helped seal the deal.

So there's our latest round Okie cameos in the four color pages of comics.  More coming soon!  And feel free to send me suggestions for issues I need to check out!

Top 5 Things for Sale at NWCC

Previous "Top 5 For Sale" Lists:

Antiques Etc.  - -  Choctaw Welcome Center - -  Sam Noble Museum Gift Shop

Cherokee Trading Post  - -  Cloverleaf

The fourth annual New World Comic Con was held yesterday in the Centennial Building at State Fair Park in OKC.  It was a great event that incorporated cosplay, kid's games and local artists.  And like all cons, there were a ton of vendors.  Since they mainly seemed to be from Oklahoma I thought it would be a great time to do another "Top 5 Things for Sale" list, so let's see what I found:

5.  Dick Tracy Collector's Case (Chris' Vault)

Dick Tray has Oklahoma roots since his creator, Chester Gould, was born in Pawnee.  The character has existed for decades put got his biggest marketing push when the 1990 movie was released.  The toys didn't do too well and now items from that line are sought after collectibles by fans.  Here's the collector's case for those hard to track down action figures.

4.  Geeky Pot Holders (Two Clover Charms)

I'm always happy to see custom made items for sale at conventions, particularly when they're functional and used in nontraditional geek settings like the kitchen.  There were other franchises represented besides Star Wars so you could probably find your particular favorite.  Throw in the fact that these babies come with a package of cookie mix and I'm all in.

3.  Rare Droids Figures (Valhalla Collectibles)

I didn't want to do two Star Wars items in a row, but here we are.  This is good example of finding something unique that you didn't know you wanted.  The Droids had a short lived Saturday morning cartoon in the 80s and these two were only available in Spain.  They can fetch a pretty good price on eBay so it's always nice to run into our boys in the wild.

2.  Geeky Kids' Dresses (Warehouse RoyGBiv)

Another great custom item.  These outfits feature the old standards like Wonder Woman, Batman Ninja Turtles, the Avengers and a few that are maybe more about the parents like E.T. and The Walking Dead.  Definitely what the well dressed mini-geek is wearing.

1. Comics!!! (New World Comics)

These days it's kind of cliche to lament the state of comics at comic book conventions but at this one they were well represented.  New World had multiple tables containing box after box of comics in the center of the floor, all for $1.  This groovy issue of Jimmy Olsen wasn't in the dollar section but for Sliver Age shenanigans I'm always willing to shell out a few bucks more.

So there are my top picks.  Only slightly less than a year (probably) until the fifth annual NWCC.  See you there...

Twilight Avenger Begins

There are certain potential problems when it comes to reading independent comics from several decades ago.  For one, the issues are hard to track down and, two, the nature of independent publishing is chaotic.  Publishers come and go as much as a volatile market allows.

But for creators, driven by the passion of their vision, the story must continue.  This rambling preamble is meant to explain how and why I'm reading the "Twilight Avenger" out of order. 

The last time I wrote about the pulp-inspired hero of Tulsa, he ran afoul of a zombie-creating mad scientist in a story published by Eternity Comics.  But the two issues I recently picked up on eBay seem to be the very first adventure of our boy and were published by Texas-based Elite Comics.

Issues 1 and 2 involve the origin of the Twilgiht Avenger as he investigates a kidnapping by the villainous "Centipede."  Like all classic heroes, he has a tragic moment that defines him and motivates his heroic career.

Yep, that's a wedding dress that goes flying after after that woman gets hit by a car.  What you're seeing above is college football star Reece Chambers' fiance tragically being put into a coma during yet another example of mob violence in 1930's Oklahoma.

Yeesh, just typing that makes me want to put on a costume myself and go on a one man crusade against crime!

And, with the help of his would-be father in law, that's essentially what Chambers does.  Thus, loaded up with tons of crime fighting gadgets, the Twilight Avenger is born!

One of my favorite things to do with Oklahoma movies and comics is to pick out the Okie locations used in the story.  Let's do that by checking in on Reece's comatose fiance, Dolores:

While a Saint Francis Hospital exists in real life, I've never been there so I'm not sure if they have a statue of the actual saint or if they ever did.  My policy is to only go to hospitals when I need to but I'll still have to go investigate when I get the time.

There's not too many other geographic points of interest in this or the second issue but the second issue does contain a few Easter Eggs in some newspaper headlines:

In addition to an article (with a New York byline indicating it was from a new service) about the corrupting dangers of "Swing Music," there's a headline about the Tulsa Oilers.  This is referring to the old minor league baseball team, not the current hockey team.

There's a mention of a "Fair" welcoming 30,000 school kids.  The timing of the story would indicate that this is when the Tulsa Fairgrounds Pavilion was relatively new (but still well before the Petroleum Expo and our buddy, the Golden Driller) and there was probably still a lot of excitement bringing crowds to the Tulsa State Fair.

There's also mention of a "M'alester" prison riot.  I take this to refer to the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester.  Maybe the city was referred to as "M'alester" in that time period?  Maybe it still is?  There was a major riot there in the 70s but I can't find any info about one in the 30s.  Maybe it's a setup for a future story line.

I'll let you know if it's ever followed up on as soon as I track down more issue...to be continued...

Batman Top 10 at the Action Figure Museum

Once or twice I've used the Toy & Action Figure Museum in Pauls Valley, Oklahoma as a shooting location for a couple of documentary projects.  It's a substantial collection of toys and served as a great backdrop for several interviews.  I recently made a quick stop there while I was on the road in the area.

 They still have tons of interesting rotating exhibits but, just as before, the biggest collection was of Batman memorabilia which is housed in the museum's very own Bat Cave.  So here's a look at what I thought was the Top 10 pieces in the Batman Collection.

10.  Batman Outdoor Fun Pack

You get a yo-yo, a kite and a "flying disc" (Frisbee is a brand name) in this kit.  Not to mention kite string.  You're going to need that.  What's not to like?  Now go outside and play!

9.  1874 Batman Talking Alarm Clock

Nothing will get you out of bed faster than the stern, forceful voice of the Dark Knight.  You can hear it HERE.  And as a bonus you get the Boy Wonder speeding by in a purple Batmobile.

8.  The Adventures of Batman & Robin Whitman's Sampler

Lots of choices in this candy kit between characters and, I assume, candy fillings.  What will you get?  Robin?  Nougat?  Poison Ivy?  Caramel?  Joker?  Smilex Fudge?  Take a bite and find out!

7.  1973 Batman Paint by Number Set

Let's face it, painting is hard.  Not as hard as crime fighting but, similar to crime fighting, it takes years of study to master.  Or you can just take the easy route and paint by numbers.  I mean, who's gonna stop you?

6.  1969 Big Little Book - Batman: The Cheetah Caper

Lot's of different characters appeared in types of books over the years and, of course, it was only a matter of time before the World's Greatest Detective got his shot.  You can check out some page scans HERE which seem to indicate that this Cheetah is not the Wonder Woman villain but some other weirdo instead.

5.  Batman Returns Happy Meal Display

Every time I see one of these in a fast food place I always think to myself that I should ask the manager if I can buy it once the promotion is done.  And of course, I never do.  When I see one in a collection it reminds me of the shame of my inaction.  That's why it's not higher than #5.

4.  Giant Lego Batman

There's no Batman like Lego Batman and thankfully this one was saved from the sad fate of rotting in a movie theater dumpster.  As a Lego, it falls into both the "toy" and "Batman" categories and a case could be made for calling Lego people "action figures" so this guy is right at home in the Toy & Action Figure Museum.

3.  The Adventures of Batman & Robin Colorforms

No character collection is complete without the obligatory box of Colorforms.  I would have thought the old school toy stopped being made by the time of this TV show but apparently they are still alive and well to this day.  I'm not sure what to do with that little realization...so let's move on.

2.  Batman Comics!

This may seem like a no-brainer to you and me but let's not forget that in the sea of toys, movies and cartoons, some of the youngsters might not even be aware that comics exist, much less that Batman is one of their top guys.  It's always nice to have a little reminder of his old school origin.

1.  Batmobile Coin-Op Kiddie Ride

There are a few different types of collectors and what separates the real deals from the wannabes is a piece like this.  I think this is the Batmobile from Batman Forever and it's made its way from outside the grocery store and right into our hearts.  I don't know what usually happens to these things after they are no longer wanted but I think we can all agree that this museum is the right place for this beauty.

Contemporary Arts

This weekend is the end of the COMIX OK exhibit at the Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center and they are celebrating with their very own comic convention.  ContempCon features the artists behind the comic book work that his been on display at the studio for the last two weeks.

Artist Johnnie Diacon speaking with a fan

I was able to attend yesterday to meet some of the artist, shoot some video and get some interviews for an upcoming project. Both the exhibit and the con highlighted the diverse types of art and artists that call the Sooner State home and featured how the comic book medium can include many different types of content.

 Interviewing Tulsa artist Melanie Gillman

The event included panels, demos, workshops, vendors, a cosplay fashion show and just about anything you could want from a comic convention but with a local focus.  Oklahoma has had (and continues to have) a large amount of comic book creators and cartoonists and it's about time they get their due.

Green Lantern from Tulsa's DC Marvel League cosplay group

The exhibit and the con are over this weekend but there will be plenty of chances to check out Oklahoma comic creators throughout the year.  I'm going to try to hit as many of those types of events as I can so stay tuned...

The Oklahoma Ape Escape of '44

Previously:

Thor in Oklahoma  - -   The Twilight Avenger in Tulsa

It's time to take a look back at Captain Marvel's visit to Oklahoma City.  It was 1944 and the day started off in the most normal, mundane way: a clown was trying to commit suicide by leaping to his death.  (Mondays, amitite?)

Well that's all it took for young Billy Batson to say the magic word and transform himself into Captain Marvel, the world's mightiest mortal.  The Captain immediately proceeded to go about the business of clown catching only to be told that it he was not stopping a suicide but responding to a super responsible way of getting someone's attention.  So who is this clown?

Now this is where things get interesting.  The clown identifies himself as Zoo Keeper/Radio Personality "Uncle Leo" and of course the Captain recognizes a fellow broadcaster...but I didn't.  Not until I did a little research and discovered that Uncle Leo was a real guy:

(From "Images of America Oklahoma City Zoo: 1902 - 1959," Arcadia Publishing)

I assume there was some kind of cross-promotion going on at the time with radio stations and Fawcett Comics but I haven't found any confirmation yet.

But I did find some exposition a few panels later as Leo explains that a gorilla named Colossus has escaped from the Lincoln Park Zoo (now known as the Oklahoma City Zoo).  There's also apparently an "armed posse" out to get the gorilla because that's the kind of thing that happens I guess.  So it's up to the super strong and near invulnerable Captain Marvel to safely bring the great ape in.

So the search is on...

...starting with the Civic Auditorium (now known as the Civic Center Music Hall)...

...and then the Skirvin Tower (now the Skirvin Hilton Hotel)...

...Union Station (now known as Oklahoma City Union Depot)...

...the Lincoln Park Amphitheatre (now known as the Oklahoma City Zoo Amphitheatre)...and culminating in an exciting King Kong-style denouement atop an oil derrick at...

...the State Capitol building.  Captain Marvel used the Wisdom of Solomon to outsmart the beast and, in doing so, procured himself an attaboy from the Mayor:

It all worked out with a minimum of shenanigans and with Colossus heading back to the zoo with visions of candy canes dancing in his head.  Is it okay to give candy to gorillas?  The clown zookeeper DJ seems to think so.  And that's good enough for me.

The last panel features young Billy saying they have an adventure planned in Indianapolis next month so this must be in a series highlighting various American cities (not unlike Sad Sack visiting select U.S. states).  But that's a job for the guy who does the Indiana Pop Culture blog.