Comic-Con: Part 1

Comic-Con was a blast this year and I'm still recovering. I was going to have much, much more blogged by this point, but of course - I wound up having a major car-malfunction on the ride back which bit into tons of my time on Sunday and Monday... but more about that later...

For starters if you're looking for something meaty to read - why not start by checking out the article I recently wrote for Daily Variety by clicking below.


Read Jeff Goldsmith's Variety article about prolific comic artist and writer turned screenwriter/director - Frank Miller - by clicking here

My quickie post about comic-con is as follows with more to come:

Comic-Con isn't just about the comics, toys, collectibles, books, posters, videogames and oddly costumed freaks - to me it's always represented a great getaway from LA where my friends and I can unleash our inner geek. Now that I find myself working as a journalist, I sometimes have less time to spend with my friends which can be a bummer...

TV Week's Alex Romanelli, myself and Jeff Bond of Geek Monthly on the floor of Comic-Con for a calm moment


I managed to spend about 20 minutes catching up on Friday with my pals Jeff and Alex on the main hall floor. This photo was in fact taken by Bill Zahn - a longtime friend who works at Pixar and I don't get to see as often as I want to - Man - I'd almost wished that Bill was in this photo with us as I didn't get a photo with him...

This was the only time I saw Jeff, but did manage to hang with Alex during much of the weekend because as journalists we covered the same stuff.

I've been going to comic-con since the early 1990s and have really seen it grow. Some folks complain about the huge crowds and expanded fields of interest (videogames, cinema, anime, etc.) yet I only see those outgrowths of comic-con as healthy for the sector as a whole. How can you really get upset when a small creative community focused on comics expands into an even larger creative arena with a wider array of interests? Sure, it's crowded as all hell and this year had record numbers, but I think it's great.

While I had planned to post the Fantastic Four podcast featuring co-writer Don Payne and director Tim Story on 7/27/07 - I simply wasn't able to get it done in time. I drove down on Thursday and had to prep for the comic-con panel I hosted which I promise to podcast soon.

While I hate having the podcast go dark on a Friday (I always post a new episode on Fridays) - I knew I was safe since I'm posting a brief Q&A with Hot Fuzz co-star Nick Frost and co-writer/director Edgar Wright on Tue (timed with the DVD release for Hot Fuzz) - so - all's well in the podcasting department.

Expect more posts and photos soon - as I try and weigh in on the events, images and parties of comic-con that left me jazzed. -JG

Eagle vs. Shark and Flight of the Conchords

JG, Co-star Loren Horsley and writer-director Taika Waititi pictured below


So - not only was I excited to have a great podcast for Eagle vs. Shark (and I hope you've checked out the film by now) but I also ended up writing an LA Times article about the New Zealand comedic invasion happening this summer.


Read Jeff Goldsmith's LA Times article about the New Zealand comedy invasion by clicking here

If you haven't already been watching Flight of the Conchords on HBO - I highly suggest it as the comedic writing is quite strong. You can watch the pilot in Itunes or on Myspace - but having thus far seen the first four episodes, all I can say is that it's a show worth sticking to as it simply keeps getting funnier and funnier.

I'll try and post some more clips of theirs later in the summer...but for now - take my word for it - watch the pilot for free online!

--JG