Settling In Las Vegas

I appreciate the guest post, Jewel Rodgers
When I moved to Las Vegas I never thought I would like it enough to stay. I thought I would be there for a year or two and then get sick of it. Little did I know that I would meet my husband and start planning my future in a city I thought was just here for fun and vacations. We recently bought out first home, and we are so excited about moving in. We just started looking for furniture and decorations, which I think is going to be really fun. I never put too much effort into our rentals because I knew we would have to leave. Now that we are going to have our own place I am getting into this whole home décor thing. I told my husband that I would let him take care of the boring stuff like connecting our clear internet Las Vegas, cable, and phone, and I would do the decorating. It makes sense that way since if it was up to him we’d live in a chrome and black bachelor pad. I’m not the world’s greatest decorator, but chrome and black would be so terrible!

Comic-Con Las Vegas

Las Vegas.  Sin City as it has been called.  Over the decades it has been associated with gambling, mob activity, prostitution (one of the few places it is legal), lights, money, and more recently CSI.  Shows, singers and attractions are everywhere.  For a short time (10 years) Las Vegas was the home of the Star Trek Experience.  I never had the opportunity to visit the Star Trek attraction but hopefully it will reopen in 2012, but all indications are that the likelihood is slim to none.

With all that Las Vegas contains it is sad to me that there are not more attractions available for the comic book and Sci-Fi industry.  More parks like Universal's Islands of Adventure, which features Superhero Island based on Marvel characters, would be fantastic.  Six Flags parks have some DC based rides but there is not a real theme park dedicated solely to comic book characters.  With the rising popularity of superheroes it would make sense.  Imagine a Comic Book Park with sections each based on different universes, i.e. Marvel, DC, Image, Dark Horse, etc.  Licensing would be the big issue and it would take someone with a ton of money to do it.  Vegas would be an ideal spot for it.  The weather is comfortable nearly year round and it is full of people.  The only negative would be the attraction of a younger crowd to a city filled with vices like gambling and prostitution. 

Las Vegas is the home to many folks.  Why could it not be the home of a cool comic attraction?  For that matter why not have a Comic/Sci-Fi Convention located there?  What do you think?  We want your feedback and thoughts on it.

Visit us at Krypto-Knight Comics (www.kryptoknightcomics.com)

Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace 3D Commercials

Of course all Star Wars fans know by now that the Star Wars Universe is entering the world of 3D.  Is it a ploy to re-release the films again and yet make more money for the Lucas Empire?  Yes.  So what?!  It is what any entrepreneur would do because it will again be seen by an upcoming and new generation of fans spawning more toys and merchandise to be bought and capturing the imagination of young minds.  Let's face it...seeing any episode of Star Wars on a BIG screen is worth it!

What I love thus far is the commercials it has given birth to.  In particular, the Verizon commercial with R2D2 has become one of my favorites.  However, if I had to choose between a cell phone and R2D2 I am going to pick R2 every single time!  You can see the commercial below. 

An unrelated commercial to the release of the film is the Volkswagon commercial with the little kid dressed as Darth Vader trying to use the Force on everything but without success.  When his dad comes home he runs outside to try using the Force on the car and gets a fun surprise when the car cranks!  We learn, of course, that it is dad cranking the car with his autostart!  Yes it is one of my favorite commercials EVER!

Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace 3D is schedule to hit theaters on February 10, 2012!

Visit us at Krypto-Knight Comics!  We are always adding new stuff to the website!

New Spider-Man Sparks Debates!

The following article is brought to you by the translation company, Rosetta Translation Services.

Either you hate Brian Michael Bendis or you love him. Those who hate him have even more reason to do so because of the direction Marvel has allowed him to take in the Ultimate Universe. 16-year old Peter Parker, aka Spider-Man, was killed off in Ulitmate Spider-Man #160. As if some fans were mad enough about his death, many have now raised issue with the fact that the new Spider-Man is a kid that is half black and half hispanic. What reactions have there been?

Some like the new direction and welcome the diversity and change. Others are quite opposed to changing the character and certainly racist individuals would be opposed to any hero whose origin is opposite theirs. So the question arises, should writers mess with mainstream characters and change their history?

The death of a mainstream character is nothing new. Superman, Flash (Barry Allen), Green Lantern (Hal Jordan), Green Arrow (Oliver Queen), Supergirl, Professor X, Marvel Girl (Jean Grey) are examples of mainstream characters who have been killed off and returned, replaced, or replaced and returned. It is interesting to note that the Conner Hawke Green Arrow, the son of Oliver Queen, replaced Oliver after his death is of mixed origin and is popular among fans. So what about Spider-Man? Should Marvel mess with Spider-Man?

My answer is yes and no! First of all I say 'no' to the idea of messing with the mainstream Marvel character. Marvel has already done things to the character that I do not like in recent years. It would be a disaster to kill him off and replace him. In the Ultimate Marvel Universe, however, it is not a bad idea. The Ultimate Universe was created to re-introduce Marvel to a younger and newer generation of comic readers, and it has allowed Marvel to take popular characters in a direction that might not be accepted in the mainstream universe. Wolverine went from being short to tall, Green Goblin became a literal monster, Thor is more powerful and less heroic and, therefore, it is not impossible for Spider-Man to be a kid who is half black and half hispanic. In fact, in invites new readers to a comic that may not have read comics before.

I am a comic book fan but as a writer I try to be objective. Although I am a white male raised in Southeast Georgia, where prejudice has taken a slow time to die out, I was not raised to be prejudiced. I have lived among blacks and hispanics and I speak Spanish. I think diversity should be embraced because we can all learn something from each other. Having a black-hispanic Spider-Man in the Ultimate Universe lends to the introduction of new languages and the acceptance of other cultures. It would be nice to see Spanish words mixed with English. You may need to hire a translation agency to help you out but I feel the Ultimate Universe lends itself to more diversity and characterization that mainstream has failed to present. Miles Morales should prove to be an interesting Spider-Man!

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William Shatner Dies!

After years of being the Priceline frontman as The Negotiator, William Shatner dies!

Not really! The character he plays as The Negotiator is being killed off. Priceline has decided to drop the character and Shatner after 14 years. The company is going in a different direction. The 80-year old Shatner noted that it's not the first time a character of his has died off (Capt. Kirk dies in the 1994 film Star Trek: Generations. "What management wants, management gets!", said Shatner. Hopefully, everyone's favorite captain, attorney, cop and TV dad will be around with us several more years. You can see the new commercial below. Visit us at www.kryptoknightcomics.com

George Lucas Says He's Retiring

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a fan of George Lucas. It is true that I am a huge fan of Star Wars, but a Star Wars fan is not necessarily a Lucas fan. I, however, have great respect for the man who built from scratch an empire and a legacy. In addition to Star Wars, Lucas has created Indiana Jones which spans across 4 movies (1 more on the way), a TV show, comic book tales via Marvel and Dark Horse, books and more. Other great films include American Graffiti, Willow, Tucker, THX 1138, and the upcoming Red Tails. Lucas has also been a producer on other films. Some of which you may recognize. These include Howard the Duck, Labrynth, Land Before Time, Kagemusha, Body Heat, Latino, More American Graffiti, Mishima, Radioland Murders, and Twice Upon A Time. This list is certainly not all inclusive.

Lucas has often come under fire by fans for his films. Even Star Wars fans complain about those films. Granted there are some aspects of the films that merit a consideration for improvement but the majority of complainers fail to miss the level of involvement and effort that goes into production. It is easy to miss mistakes, overlook editing cuts, or fail to notice storyline errors. However, considering the immense time span upon which the Star Wars tales have been told, it can be a challenge to fit all stories within a general framework without errors. As a fan I am willing to accept some errors or perceived errors amidst films that span across 5 decades. Lucas' films are really just the icing on the cake. It is his other contributions to the film industry that deserve attention and credit. Lucas' companies such as Lucasfilm, Ltd., Skywalker Sound, and Industrial Light and Magic have been at the forefront of developing new technology and standards that the film industry has needed and adopted. The standards for digital sound via THX has greatly improved the movie experience. Few movies can be watched without the imprint of George Lucas somewhere being stamped. Lucas' announcement of retirement is only in regards to epic films. He will finish the 5th installment of the Indiana Jones universe and focus on smaller films that focus on artistic quality. Regardless of what Lucas does, this writer will always be a fan!

Digital Comics Growing More Popular On the Internet

It is a digital online age. Everybody is online using social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. The once popular MySpace is rarely mentioned anymore. Kindles, iPads, tablets and other electronic media devices have introduced more people to the pleasure of reading than in years past. However, the age of paper has almost disappeared. Newspaper companies are struggling with print issues, whereas, their online presence is continuing to grow. With all this hype towards Internet based reading and electronic media, where does that leave the comic book industry? Although considered a media branded industry, comic books are also a collectible, thus they fall into a slightly different category than most media outlets. Long time comic collectors are still willing to pay for paper versions of their favorite books but younger generations are not as attracted to this avenue. The growing interest in comics and related subjects is less in the value of collecting and more in the characters themselves combined with the online fun it can bring. Marvel and DC have already adopted this form of media by making online digital comics available to read. Some are free while others require a subscription to read. Since an Internet connection is necessary in order to be able to read these digital comics CLEAR Internet can provide what you need in this respect. The downside for digital comics is that they are not tangible. They cannot be collected, or at least not yet. On the other hand we have seen an increase in demand and value in older key issue comics like Action Comics #1, Detective Comics #27, or even Amazing Fantasy #15. The digital age has had, in my opinion, a direct impact on the rise in interest in these comics. If the digital age continues to grow as it is, then the paper comics we old collectors all love will certainly appreciate the growing monetary value on comics that also hold sentimental appeal. The world is changing. How it will ultimately affect the comic book world remains to be seen. Be sure to visit our site for paper comics at www.kryptoknightcomics.com

Would Aspen Matthews Wear Body Glove Gear?

Who would not want to get free surfing lessons from Aspen Matthews, one of comicdom's favorite and sexy water born

characters. On our website at www.kryptoknightcomics.com, we have a teaser advertisement just for fun offering free surfing lessons from Aspen. (You can see the ad by clicking here.) Of course, Aspen is just a fictional character from the mind of Michael Turner, but it got me thinking that if she were real and was a champion surfer, a sport of which she would be a natural, what kind of surfer wear would she sport? The answer was simple...Body Glove!

Body Glove, created by twin brothers Bill and Bob Miestrell in 1953, has been a leader in surfing gear, wetsuits, sunglasses, bikinis and other related beach items. They offer items for water enthusiasts around the globe and for all types of bodies of water. Even comic book fans like us will spend time on the water somewhere in the world. I grew up in the Southeast and still live here today. I have enjoyed visiting beaches all over the world and Body Glove have some of the coolest products for the beach and surf scene. The Body Glove Flame Orange wetsuit is suitable for surfing or diving while the Cheetah Bikini shows off beautiful bodies! Certainly I love comics and could not help but imagine Aspen Matthews sporting Body Glove. What other characters could you imagine wearing Body Glove gear? Hawkeye with sunglasses? Aqualad in a cool wetsuit? The Hulk in some boardshorts?

Visit Body Glove at www.bodyglove.com Visit Aspen Matthews at www.kryptoknightcomics.com/fathom.html

An Inexpensive Way To Promote and Advertise Your Comic Book Company

As a small business owner, I always try to find ways to be effective in marketing without it costing me a fortune. My advertising and marketing budget in no way mirrors companies like Coca-Cola or Disney. At the same time, however, when I decide to spend money on advertising or marketing I want quality. Far too often there is a disproportionate relationship between value and cost. Generally the higher the cost the higher the quality and vice versa. Is it possible to find quality at a fair price? Yes. I recently decided to find ways to increase my advertising efforts other than Facebook or Twitter. Since I am also an artist I decided to creat a logo for my company . Once I finally had the logo I felt it necessary to order some business cards out to give to those who might want to contact me in the future. In addition, business cards are an excellent way present oneself professionally and it solidifies in your own mind that you are legitimate in what you are doing. I, therefore, began my quest for a company that prints business cards. After several searches I decided to give Vistaprint a try. Vistaprint advertises so much on the Internet that most everyone who has spent time surfing has seen their adds or received their emails. I received an offer for free business cards and a free t-shirt with my company logo. I was concerned that the quality of the cards my not be what I desired since they were free. After all, is anything that is free of any value? The answer is YES! I took a chance and order a number of items from Vistaprint and I was more than pleased. I received 500 business cards, a t-shirt, a coffee mug, a mouse pad, postcards and a small vinyl banner with my company logo on them. When they arrived I was pleased with the quality of the products I received, and I plan on doing business with Vistaprint again. I believe in promoting and helping others grow their reputation or business, especially if they merit it. I would want others to do the same for me. Vistaprint has taken very good care of my advertising needs. If you have a new comic book company, character, supply company or any other type of business related to our industry then do not let Vistaprint pass you by. Give them an opportunity to help you. Check out their ad on our blog. It is worth it! Visit our new website at www.kryptoknightcomics.com