Sunday at Wizard World Texas was as most Sundays are at such conventions, rather light in its panel programming. The panels were scheduled early in the day with the later hours being committed to video screenings and celebrity signings. I attended two panels.

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Returning for day two of Wizard World Texas, the first panel I attended was iVerse Media: The Future of Digital Comics. iVerse Media has recently launched a new application for viewing comics on the iPhone and iPod Touch. I’ve got an iPhone 3G and clearly dig comics, so this panel was right up my alley.

A few days ago, I downloaded Ardden Entertainment’s Flash Gordon for iVerse on the iPhone. I have to say, having tried a number of other comic apps for the iPhone, iVerse blows the others away. It’s easy, the artwork engineered for the device. It is quite cool.

iVerse Media currently offers 10 titles through the Apple App Store. Four of these titles are free. The remaining cost 99-cents each. They have had these titles available in the app store for 5-days. In those five days, they have had more than 10,000 downloads.

“People are trying comics on the iPhone.”

Each comic is downloaded as an individual app. The iVerse comics reader engine is essentially invisible in the background. Thus, a Flash Gordon icon is on my iPhone, not an iVerse icon. The reasoning for this is simple: No barrier of entry. You don’t have to know about iVerse to find the comics you’re interested in reading. It allows for cross promotion and – hopefully – will help new readers find comics.

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Wizard World Texas is my home town convention. It’s the biggest show to hit these parts and while it is the smallest of the Wizard shows, it’s a pretty big deal here in Texas. We have lots of little regional shows throughout the year, but nothing on the scale of Wizard World that brings us the guys like DC’s Bob Wayne and Ethan Van Sciver. Just about every year, we all find ourselves asking if this will be the last WWTX. This year’s no different.

Almost everybody I talked to today wondered aloud if this would be the last time that the show would make its appearance in Dallas-Fort Worth.

We’ll have to wait and see on that score.

I’ve been attending WWTX for years. And every year I am amazed at how poorly lines are managed in the minutes prior to the con’s opening. A mash of people all with different needs try to get where they ought to be without any clear direction from Wizard staff members. This morning folks who’d ordered their tickets online, con-goers wanting to buy tickets, exhibitors needing their booth assignments, press people trying to get their passes – and not a single one of them was provided clear instruction on where they ought to go.

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Despite my best efforts to trim my pull list to something approaching reasonable, new comics come out demanding my attention. Current titles and storylines such as Secret Invasion and “Old Man Logan” force their way into my hands. Looking ahead, the promise of even more great titles ensures that I’ll need to pick up another long box or two.

The five upcoming story arcs that have me the most jazzed …
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Attending CAPE! last spring, I was fortunate to attend a panel of such luminary talents as Gail Simone and Mark Waid, among others. What was terrific about this panel in particular was that it was moderated. Once common at conventions, it seems to me that moderated panels are now a curiosity of a bygone age.

Perhaps I should define the term as I see it?

Moderated panel discussions are those in which talent from various publishers and titles are gathered together to speak on a particular subject. Sure, the Marvel guys sit down with the other Marvel guys for discussions, but what about a panel comprised of talent from all the publishers in attendance? For instance at CAPE!, the panel was on the topic of writing. Writers were on hand from DC, Marvel and BOOM!, all talking about the craft. That in itself was something.

The panel was moderated by author David Hopkins. Hopkins was the great thing about this panel, not because he revealed a great deal about his own experience. Rather, because as a writer, he was able to keep the discussion moving and refocus it when it stalled by calling on his own background. Hopkins ensured that every moment of that discussion was worthwhile.

From my perspective, panels are probably the cheapest things cons coordinate. Yet, they are becoming more and more scarce. Panels have largely devolved into press conferences. Sure, those are fun, but those are generally forums where you’re being spoken at. You’re receiving a presentation. A moderated panel is more of a discussion. Moderated panels build community by engaging the fans as something more than consumers.

Back in the day, you’d have a whole table full of comic writers chatting on such subjects as time travel in the medium, the future of comics and secret identities. One of my favorite moderators, Robert Aspirin, used to moderate some wild panels. Miss that guy.

And I miss moderated panels.

I mentioned last year how much I dig those Milestone comics from back in the ’90s. It was announced in San Diego this past summer that the Milestone characters would join the DC Universe. Great news.

At Baltimore Comic-Con this weekend, we learned that Static will soon make his first appearance in the DCU. His debut entry will be in Terror Titans #4. If I am reading the DC Comics site correctly, Static’s appearance in Terror Titans #4 should hit stands in January.

Making a wild guess based on the cover of the issue prior, it appears that Static may be facing off against Dreadbolt.

Before that happens, though, we get to see ICON and the Shadow Cabinet in the pages of Justice League of America #27, which lands in stores in November. Can. Not. Wait.

It’s been awhile since I’ve been excited about Justice League. With Milestone Media co-founder Dwayne McDuffie writing this one, I will be all over it. Added to the pull list.

A couple of weeks ago, we were chatting about Star Trek comic books. As noted earlier, I am awfully fond of certain DC and Marvel journeys through the Trek universe. It occurred to me that I had not read any of the more recent IDW stuff. To correct that glaring oversight, I picked up IDW’s trade paperback Star Trek: The Next Generation – The Space Between.

This TPB collects all six issues of the The Space Between miniseries.

When evaluating Trek comics, I look for three primary elements to guide me:

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• USA Today’s Whitney Matheson has the first look inside IDW’s comic-book biographies of John McCain and Barack Obama.

• A new comic from a U.K. sexual-health group teaches kids about the birds and the bees, but not everyone is happy about it.

• Den of Geek talks with artist Frank Quitely about All-Star Superman, We3, and his involvement with Alan Grant and Jamie Grant in the adult-humor comic Wasted.

• Comics are literature, which means that what I have always suspected is true: The Hulk is Shakespeare. I knew it!

• Invincible Iron Man writer Matt Fraction chats with MTV’s Splash Page about meeting with director Jon Favreau and screenwriter Justin Theroux about Iron Man 2.

• Who’s more powerful, Spider-Man or Spider-Woman? How about Hulk or She-Hulk? Nisha Gopalan of io9.com looks at the super-powered battle of the sexes.

Compiled by Aron Head and Kevin Melrose

Following up to yesterday’s article about Wizard World Texas, the Convention Report confirms the collaboration between WWTX and FearFest: “Two cons at the cost of one!”

While I’m sold on the idea, there’s a lot of concern that Wizard won’t be as aggressive in booking comic book talent for the show with FearFest rounding out the program. According to the Convention Blog, Wizard is “currently in talks with a bunch of great creators to get them to come out west.”

It’s been a rough week in the financial sector. With banks faltering, the stock market has taken a tumble, the dollar’s dipping and the yen’s a bit shaky. Now the government is considering an estimated $700 billion bailout. One has to wonder, how have our heroes fared?

Last year, Forbes estimated Bruce Wayne’s net worth at around $7 billion. Tony Stark is close, at $6 billion. Both men earn a solid chunk of their change from defense contracts, which should find their respective nuts well covered in the current geopolitical climate with steady cash flow.

Their other investments? Let’s just say that Batman might want to watch how many of those Bat-a-rangs he tosses around, and perhaps Iron Man needs to stick to one suit for a while. Those things don’t grow on trees.

Earlier today, I caught a tweet from Richard at Zeus Comics stating that FearFest and Wizard World Texas would be hooking up in November.

Fascinated, intrigued even, I went on a hunt. Finding nothing on the Wizard site, I eventually turned up a forum post from Joe Yanarella, senior vice president of operations at Wizard Entertainment.

“Wizard World Texas is fortunate enough to host this year’s Texas FearFest, Texas’ premiere horror convention … It’ll essentially add an entire extra hall of themed pop culture activity to our current Texas convention at no extra cost for consumers. Think of it as two shows in one. And if fans respond positively, we may make this a staple of all our Wizard conventions …”

Initially, I wasn’t sure how I felt about this. I like my WWTX pretty much the way it is. The only change I generally care for is usually stolen from me by my wife. But one thing I often complain about is that I want more at Wizard World. More guests, more stuff, more fun, more, more, MORE! So maybe this is good change?

Too much is always better than not enough, after all.

Okay, so I’ve decided this is a good thing.

Not everybody is sold on this idea, though. While some hailed this as a win-win, others on the forum responding to Joe’s announcement expressed concern about the appropriateness of the horror content for younger convention goers. WWTX is billed as a family-friendly event.

Wizard World Texas is Nov. 7-9 at the Arlington Convention Center.

Sept. 30th is going to be awfully crowded on the new-release DVD racks. We all know that Iron Man comes out on Tuesday, and right next to it will be Yeti: A Love Story.

But what about that other Marvel film hitting DVD for the first time?

Can you say “Hassel …” — wait for it — “… Hoff”?

That’s right, before Samuel L. Jackson put on the eye patch last summer, the original Knight Rider was squinting menacingly at Hydra in 1998. Written by David S. Goyer, Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D brings Nick Fury out of retirement to face off against Viper and the hordes of HYDRA in this Best Buy exclusive.

I never saw this when it originally aired on FOX , or in its rebroadcasts on the Sci Fi Channel. I suffer from a serious Hasselhoff skin allergy, you see. If exposed to the Hoff in any significant dose I am compelled to claw the flesh from my own body. But they say — sometimes anyway — that you grow out of allergies. I may risk and try this one out.

I have declined picking up most of the Secret Invasion tie-ins in the books I don’t normally read. That means, I’m following the story in the miniseries itself, the Mighty and New Avengers books, Incredible Hercules and Guardians of the Galaxy. I was excited to see that the SI storyline wouldn’t derail the Thor ongoing series. Straczynski and Coipel are doing amazing work there restoring the thunder god to his rightful, mighty place in the Marvel Universe.

Instead of hijacking that story, a tie-in miniseries has been offered — Secret Invasion: Thor, in which Matt Fraction and Doug Braithwaite bring us the Asgardian front in the war with the Skrulls. What’s great about this mini is that it builds on what Straczynski is crafting in the ongoing series, layering more development on the setting and supporting characters both immortal and otherwise.

By the way, I love that Asgard hovers over Oklahoma; Fraction deepens that appreciation for me. Some don’t much care for the small moments depicted in Secret Invasion: Thor #2, but I sure do. We get to see the full on Skrull invasion of the Norse gods’ home while simultaneously partaking in the much less dynamic — but heroic all the same — efforts of the local volunteer fire department responding to the Asgardian emergency.

The layers of story and perspective are what I’m digging.

Oh, and this miniseries features Beta Ray Bill, who’s always, always welcome. But is it my imagination … or does Bill seem to take beatings more often than he gives them?

Over on his blog, Peter David has put out the call for fan input. He is crafting the second volume of Writing for Comics with Peter David to be published by Impact Books. He’s asking for your questions:

I am looking to include a new chapter that will essentially be Q&A from the fans. If you read the first edition and you were left with a question or questions about writing for comics, now is the time to ask them.

He’s accepting submissions until October 20.

Peter David is the creator of Fallen Angel and currently writes Marvel’s X-Factor, She-Hulk, and Dark Tower. Frequent visitors to David’s blog are familiar with the terrific Q&As he hosts there.

In a recent interview with MTV, M. Night Shyamalan talked about his send-up of the superhero genre Unbreakable. He even discusses the possibility of a sequel:

“I tell you I get asked about it all the time, so it’s not [an idea] I ever forget,” Shyamalan told MTV News. “I genuinely just asked this question the other day — should I make ‘Unbreakable 2’?”

Yes. Absolutely you should, Night. Go make it right now. Hurry!

I often feel that I am in the minority on this one, but I think Unbreakable is a remarkably well-made film. It is a thoughtful movie bringing deep consideration to a subject so often discounted as childish. It is a respectful homage to the conceits and mythology of superheroes. I have great affection for Shyamalan’s Unbreakable.

Unlike most of his work, this one is ripe for a sequel. Unbreakable told an origin story. Now, the rest of the tale can be told!

So, Night, drop what you’re doing. Go round up Bruce and Samuel. And make me a sequel!

I first heard of Matthew Wayne Selznick last July when he was interviewed on J.C. Hutchins’ UltraCreatives podcast. MWZ is a conventional and podcast novelist who narrated his book Brave Men Run.

The story is set in “the Sovereign Era, an alternate history where the sudden appearance of people with remarkable physical and psychical powers promises to change the course of human destiny.” The tale begins in 1985 in a world very similar to our own — until the world learns that those with super powers live among us.

At the center of Brave Men Run is Nick Charters, a teenager a lot more interested in hanging with his new girlfriend than in dealing with his unusual abilities and the mystery of how he came to have them. Think Breakfast Club meets Spider-Man.

The podcast novel, which is how I experienced the story, is a lot of fun. Selznick does an expert job managing the narration. His characters are interesting and smart. He keenly captures the flavor of ’80s angst, fanning Cold War flames with the addition of real super powers.

It’s a great story and I want more. So get to writin’ on that sequel, Mr. Selznick!

The print incarnation of Brave Men Run is available from Swarm Press.

Last week I talked about trimming the fat on my collection. A reader commented that binding my floppies, like how libraries manage their periodicals, is a good way to store one’s collection. Sweet fancy Moses, I can’t believe I never considered this before!

I have a number of books that I want to read again and again that will NEVER be collected in the trades. Such as comics from now closed publishers. All of Jim Shooter’s Defiant Comics, for instance. Bound in hardbacks they can live on the shelf with my other trades and be more available for reading.

Sweet!

There are a number of sites that offer the service. Daniel Banks has a great site with lots of pictures. Library Binding has the details and a bit more info on prices.

I am totally doing this. Thanks for the tip!

At the conclusion of Wizard World Texas last year, there was some discussion I overheard about whether or not WWTX would be returning to the Lone Star State. Talking to a vendor after the event, he informed me that they were already booked for 2008. 2009 was the big question.

The Texas event happens in November at the end of a looong con season. Really, much of the big news that gets announced happens around Comic-Con time. It’s hard to get guests there for that very reason. Neither Marvel nor Dark Horse came out in 2007, leaving DC and Top Cow to run away with it – and they did a marvelous job doing so.

Every vendor I spoke with had a huge weekend at WWTX in 2007.

Surfing around the Wizard World site today, I see that Texas is listed as “tentative” for 2009. One wonders if it’s the location that’s up in the air, or is it whether or not Texas will happen at all.

It would be a shame if Wizard World pulled out of Texas. It’s the biggest con we get in these parts.

Wizard World rolls into the Lone Star Star State November 7 and runs through November 9.

Have you seen this Bug?

I haven’t. Last I saw him was at the end of Annihilation Conquest. He’d been running with Starlord and his posse. You’d expect him to show up in Guardians of the Galaxy, but no joy.

Last I saw him he was sitting beside Mantis’ bed, awaiting for her to recover … wait. Mantis’ bed? You don’t think those two hooked up, do you? Cuz we all know how the female preying mantis polishes things off, right?

Oh dear …

Weird day.

I was talking to Paul Aponte, author of The Siblings Scarington. We got onto the subject of webcomics and how he’s considering the Scaringtons for a webcomic story. He was challenged with the logistics. I offered to scout around to see what I could find for him on the subject.

I then chatted with Hero By Night creator DJ Coffman a little bit to see if he was coming to Wizard World Texas this year. Last year he came to the show and had a hideous coffee experience. I offered to bring him real coffee this year. No love, though. He’s buried in projects and won’t be coming to Texas.

And here’s the weird thing … I clicked over to DJ’s site later in the day and found his brand new write-up on how to host “your own friggin’ web comic!” Dude, you’re totally in my head!

DJ provides an eight point step-by-step guide complete with images on how to build your webcomic site. Great stuff.

What am I thinking now, DJ?