Tracking The Trades: Prince Valiant Vol. 2

A staple of my Sunday Funnies reading when I was growing up, I don’t think I truly appreciated the genius of Hal Foster’s Prince Valiant, nor did I have an understanding of the strip’s long history and its powerful impact on multiple generations of comic artists and writers. My fond recollections of Prince Valiant were rekindled in 2009 when I happened across Prince Valiant Vol. 1: 1937-1938 at my local comic shop. Measuring in at a whopping 10.5" x 14.25", it was too large for the shelves, so it was just sitting awkwardly on the tables normally reserved for Magic: The Gathering play as if awaiting final judgment. Yes, that’s pretty much how I found DC’s Wednesday Comics hardcover last week, but that’s a story for another day. In any case, I was spellbound by Prince Valiant’s origin story and early adventures, reading the book cover-to-cover that day and many more times since. Whether you love the swords and sorcery genre, high adventure, romance, or any or all of the above, Hal Foster’s early work on Prince Valiant is well worth reading.

In Prince Valiant Vol. 2: 1939-1940, Prince Valiant helps his father reclaim his throne in the kingdom of Thule, fights alongside King Arthur, and is made a knight of the Round Table in recompense for his bravery and wit. Bored by the peace he helped to create, Val decides to independently pull together the forces to battle the Huns’ descent on Southern Europe. When Val’s army breaches the Huns’ stronghold, however, he discovers that corruption reigns still further west in Rome. Thus Val sets off with Sir Gawain and Tristam of Arthurian legend fame, and the familial kinship of the trio sees them through chivalrous escapades, false imprisonment and daring escapes. By the end of this volume, they go their separate ways, and Val boards a ship to Sicily—yet a storm approaches, throwing him off-course, as adventure follows him everywhere. Fantagraphics has done a remarkable job remastering these strips, which, thanks to the use of original proof sheets and advances in printing technology, are even brighter and crisper than when they were first published 70 years ago. This second volume from Fantagaphics is due to ship in June 2010.

Special Guest: Ethan Van Sciver

Ethan Van Sciver is one of the most popular artists working in comics today, with a body of work that includes definitive treatments of some of the most prominent characters in mainstream comics. His first major work was on the DC Comics series Impulse with writer Todd Dezago in 1999. During writer Grant Morrison’s run on Marvel’s New X-Men in 2002, Van Sciver’s strikingly detailed and kinetic work elevated his profile in the eyes of critics, fans and publishers alike. In 2004, writer Geoff Johns and Van Sciver brought Hal Jordan back to the DC Universe as Earth's main Green Lantern in the six-issue miniseries Green Lantern: Rebirth, before the duo re-launched the Green Lantern title itself with a new volume. In 2007, Johns, Van Sciver, Dave Gibbons and Ivan Reis produced the eleven-issue Sinestro Corps War across the two Green Lantern monthly titles. This story launched the Sinestro Corps, the antithesis of the Green Lantern Corps, led by rogue Green Lantern Sinestro and his Qwardian yellow power ring. Van Sciver's most recent work includes the six-issue mini-series The Flash: Rebirth, and variant covers for the massive DC Comics event, Blackest Night.

Geek Fetish: Super Shogun Stormtrooper

Saturday, June 12th will be a happy day for fans of Star Wars and Jumbo Machinders alike when Super7 releases their Super Shogun Stormtrooper. We’re not sure how the pop culture taste makers came up with this genius mash-up of two beloved genres, but kudos to them for not just having the inspiration, but somehow figuring out all the licensing, manufacturing and other logistic hurdles. The Star Wars Stormtrooper Super Shogun stands a whopping 24 inches tall, and includes all of the features that you would expect from an authentic Jumbo: free rotating wheels on the bottom of his feet, and a spring-loaded Rocket Punch firing fist! Utilizing the same techniques implemented by Japanese toy manufacturers in the 1970s, the Super Shogun is constructed from durable, blow-molded polyethylene with a painted vinyl helmet. The figure is articulated at the neck and shoulders, and includes a removable, highly-detailed BlasTech E-11 laser blaster. The blaster even features a posable stock that unfolds from below the barrel. The one downside? The Super Shogun Stormtrooper costs a whopping $299! U.S. dollars. Seriously. But, for hardcore collectors and fans, we imagine that will be a small price to pay to satisfy the love they feel when they lay eyes on this creation. Check it out online at Super7’s Super Shogun Stormrooper site: http://starwars.super7store.com Excelsior!

Special Guest: Sergio Aragonés

Sergio Aragonés is said to be the fastest cartoonist in the world today. He is certainly the most honored, having won every major award in the field, including the National Cartoonists Society's Reuben Award and the Will Eisner Hall of Fame Award. Sergio is perhaps best known as one of Mad magazine's longest-running cartoonists, having debuted with A Mad Look at the U.S. Space Effort in Mad #76 in January 1963. His work has since appeared in every issue of Mad except for one—when the post office screwed up and didn’t deliver his pencils in time! He also produced 16 best-selling original Mad paperback books. Sergio is equally renowned as the co-creator of the fan-favorite comic Groo the Wanderer. After its launch in the early 1980s, Groo went on to become one of the most popular and longest-running creator-owned comic book properties, outlasting many of the companies that published it. Sergio helped revive DC Comics' Western hero Bat Lash in a new miniseries and co-wrote Will Eisner's The Spirit with frequent collaborator Mark Evanier. Most recently, he ventured into the popular world of The Simpsons, becoming a regular featured writer and artist for Bart Simpson Comics.

Special Guest: Barry Kitson

We are thrilled to announce that artist Barry Kitson will join us as our special guest Mid-Ohio-Con 2010. Best known for his work on Marvel's flagship title, The Amazing Spider-Man, Kitson's first professional work was Spider-Man for Marvel UK and he rapidly developed a fan following based on his art in 2000 AD on the popular Judge Dredd and Judge Anderson strips. His first work for DC Comics was the Batgirl Special Edition followed long tenures on L.E.G.I.ON. and Azrael. He went to draw DC's cornerstone characters Superman and Batman on a regular basis. With Mark Waid he worked on the maxi-series JLA Year One and The Brave & The Bold before co-creating the series Empire for Gorilla comics. In 2004, Kitson helped re-launch Legion of Superheroes for DC and continued on it for two and a half years ending with issue #31. In 2007, Kitson signed an exclusive contract with Marvel Comics where he has wowed fans with his work on titles including The Order, Secret Invasion: Fantastic Four, and most recently The Amazing Spider-Man. Barry will be sketching up a storm for fans at Mid-Ohio-Con and may even be working up an exclusive promotional piece for the 30th anniversary show.

Special Guest: Kurt Busiek

Fan-favorite scribe Kurt Busiek began writing comics in a 1982 with a Tales of the Green Lantern Corps backup story that appeared in Green Lantern #162. He experienced breakout success alongside artist Alex Ross in 1993 with the acclaimed title Marvels, a 4-issue limited-series looking at the superheroic history of the Marvel Universe through the eyes of an ordinary man. Marvels was a commercial and critical success that has served as the foundation for Busiek's subsequent career. Kurt has divided his time in the intervening years between the industry’s leading publishers for which he has written mainstream titles, including Avengers, Iron Man, Untold Tales of Spider-Man, Conan, Superman, JLA and Trinity, and his own projects, which include Thunderbolts, The Power Company, Jonny Demon, The Wizard’s Tale, Shockrockets, Arrowsmith and the multiple-award-winning Astro City. Busiek has won over two dozen industry awards for his work, including multiple Eisner Awards and Harvey Awards for Best Series, Best Single Issue and Best Writer. Visit Kurt Busiek online at www.busiek.com to learn more about the creator and his work.

Let the Announcements Begin!

In years past we’ve typically started releasing guest announcements and other important news just a few months before the show, but 2010 marks Mid-Ohio-Con’s 30th anniversary, and we just can’t keep all the excitement under our hats any longer. Okay, you may ask, so what does all this hyperbole mean to me? Well, we started guest announcements today with guest of honor David Finch, and we plan to keep the good news coming over the next couple of weeks. Beyond that, we’ll be opening up registration for Creators' Common tables as well as Exhibitor and Indie Publisher booths on Monday, May 17, and advance hotel bookings at the special Mid-Ohio-Con rate and event tickets will go on sale on Monday, June 28. Along the way, we expect to have some other tidbits to share, including the artwork for posters and other items that we’re producing to promote Mid-Ohio-Con 2010. We’re committed to making our 30th anniversary show one to remember for creators, exhibitors, and all the fans who have made Mid-Ohio-Con a true institution in the annals of comic conventiondom. Excelsior!

Guest of Honor: David Finch

We’re thrilled to name superstar artist David Finch as guest of honor at MOC 2010, our very first guest announcement for the 30th anniversary show. Finch has been dazzling comic fans for more than 15 years since he debuted his unique style in the pages of Image’s hit title Cyberforce. Finch is perhaps best known for his lengthy run at Marvel, during which he captivated audiences with his riveting work on Avengers: Disassembled, Moon Knight, New Avengers, Ultimate X-Men, Ultimatum, and many other titles. Finch made headlines in January 2010 with the announcement of his exclusive contract with DC Comics, which Comic Book Resources (CBR) described as a “truly seismic shift in the marquee creator's career path.” "I've been a DC fan for a really long time, and I always knew that I'd love the opportunity to work in the DCU at some point," Finch told CBR in his first interview on his new deal. Finch is slated to illustrate all 26 of DC's biweekly Brightest Day covers, and fans are eagerly awaiting news of his other projects within the DC universe and beyond. To learn more about David Finch, visit his blog at davefinchart.blogspot.com.