I don't want to say I'll probably die at one of these festivals, but...

...I guess I just did. 

Given the ground crumbling beneath my feet, I needed the Taste of Buffalo more than ever this year. For the most part, it was a fun experience. Let’s get into it.

Saturday

My first dish: OG Lito from Street Cravings. When I first saw this on the menu, I was a little apprehensive; what the hell even is Lito...

...but then I looked it up and took a chance. I’m glad I did. This started things off on a very good note.

After that, I decided on some Smoked Deviled Eggs from BW’s Barbecue.

The breading (?) stuck to my fingers, but if you're gonna lick something off of your fingers, what better place? This reminded me of how seldom I eat deviled eggs nowadays, a crying shame.

One of the new kids on the block was right nearby: Hiibachi Fried Rice (the name of the dish and the restaurant).

I'm sure the thinking was ‘we should try to make this fried rice healthy’, but who in the hell comes down here to eat healthy?! Moreover, who wants fried rice to be healthy?! Thumbs way down for this attempt at a Chinese food staple.

What do you have to wipe this bland taste out of my mouth? Loaded Jerk Potato Salad from Pudgy Potatoes. I mean, potato salad is pretty hard to screw up and ‘Loaded Jerk’ Potato Salad sounds damn promising.

It tasted like regular potato salad to me, which I already had at home. I suppose I understand not loading it with jerk flavoring so as to lay low someone with a weak constitution, but this was another letdown, plain and simple.

Surely, this streak of mediocrity can be broken with Smash & Roll’s Bacon Jam Smashburger, right?

Just about. I almost forgot what flavor felt like. Thanks for the reminder.

After that, I want to get a streak going. Can these Arroz con gondules from La Casa de Sabores keep it up?

Can you believe this is the snack size serving? Only four tickets! I can’t imagine the full size satisfying me any more than this, a rare thing to say about the offerings at the Taste. ‘Twas delicious. Also, they forgot to give me the flag like they'd been doing for everyone else, so I added it myself.

From there, I hit up Babcia’s Pierogi for their Asian Fusion Pierogi. Unfortunately, I was so preoccupied with finding a place to sit that I forgot to take a snap of it before I wolfed it down. I even had this whole The Jerk-like bit prepared to underscore the presentation: "There’s so much slaw, you can’t even see the pierogi!" Of course, I ate most of it, but sometimes, more is less. 

I had a plan to take a break from the Taste and head to the new downtown theater to see an animated movie. In this case, it was Minions and Monsters. I check the showtime on my phone and the show started at 12:20pm.

At the moment I checked it, it was 12:30pm. Ack!

I haul shell to the theater, hoping that the trailer situation is not unlike that of Regal and that I can make it just in time. I get there and pay my money. The screening room is empty. The movie is unspooling. I’ve already missed the Universal logo and at least a couple of the names in the voice cast. Curse those conscientious bastards and their reasonable scheduling!

It seems snobbish to call lowered expectations on this, but I had a good time with the movie. It was almost like an MGM Marx Brothers movie, but with the Minions as the Marxes. The parade of movie references early on was particularly enjoyable. If you see only one Minions movie in your life - and, really, you should probably only see one Minions movie in your life - make sure it’s this one.

Then, it’s back to the Taste...and much earlier than I anticipated. I made my way through the crowd to my next stop: Crispy Pork Belly Banh Mi from Milk and Tea.

My Lord, was this tasty. And the bleacher seating (first year I can recall this being available) made for a nice environment. The Coke Zero washed this down very well. 

From there, I made my way to Niagara Square and the restaurants along that circle. I wasn’t sure where to go, so I decided to stop at D.A. Taste for the Avocado Friez (the ‘z’ stands for quality).

Repeating myself from last year, but as Michael Bluth said, “I don't know what I expected.” Avocado slices rolled in bread crumbs. All I could do was choke them down. The sauce really helped. Not the best food item, nor the worst, but at least there was a vision behind this. Not sure it entirely worked, but A for effort.

After that, I went to the WBBZ booth. All I needed to do for a prize was throw three balls onto a Velcro bullseye with all three landing on the buffalo's face in the center. I don’t know what frustrates me more: the network’s occasional signal loss on the days I want to watch it or my crappy aim that only landed one of the balls.

Screw this and the jackhole whose dog left a present in the path to the street.

One last stop for today. I’m irritated. Back to La Casa de Sabores for a Beef & Cheese Empanada.

Just the thing to hit the spot. A bit too hot at first, but ultimately delicious. (You probably noticed the lack of desserts in this year's menu. Remarkably, there was a Tops location that made banana parfaits. I wish I could remember which one it was, ‘cause I missed it like crazy. Also, Half Baked Cookies was offering a number of Ben and Jerry’s-inspired flavors that week. It seems like the desserts at the Taste would be a step down.)

And now, I’m only left with seven tickets. Usually, I’d reserve this for grabbing a little something for Mom, but a) I don’t think she’d like the Blackberry BBQ Wings that Just Pizza was offering up (and even if she did, they were eight tickets and b) last year when I got her wings, they sat in the fridge for a week, uneaten...until I ate them. She didn’t really say anything about getting an item, so I’m assuming it's all good.

Be a real waste of money if I didn’t spend these, so I guess I’m going back on...

Sunday

A situation like this, you have to have a plan in place and I did. Two ten-ticket items (yeah, they’re still on that kick), a soda (eight tickets) and foods worth four and five tickets. As I got there, a group of people were leaving. One of them sees me and gives me two tickets he couldn’t spend anywhere.

Okay, new plan: two tenners, an eight-ticket soda and foods worth five and six tickets. I got this. 

Deciding to keep to Delaware, my first stop is The Quesadilla Company for their Nachos and Cheese.

A little salty, but delicious.

Not a lot of 5 ticket items here. Just the Aloo Samosa from India Gate and the Loaded Nachos from D.A. Taste. (However, the latter had jalapenos and I really didn't feel like picking off jalapenos or olives or banana peppers. If I'm gonna eat something, I want to eat it, not wrestle it for a meal.)

Besides, I can never get enough of a good samosa and the green sauce I hit it with was a smart embellishment.

Afterwards, I favor AJ’s Kitchen for their Loganberry BBQ Burger. Again, my eyes are bigger than my brain, so I have no picture with which to show off. Thankfully, the BBQ in the sauce that drenches the burger is more prevalent than the Loganberry. (By now, I also have a Coca-Cola.)

The last meal of the weekend had to be an amazing one. A lot of pressure here to end the event on a high. I’d like to hope I did with the Chicken Loaded Potato Bites from Pudgy Potatoes.

Could’ve used a bit more spice, but still, this is the kind of comfort food that leaves you with a smile as you say goodbye for another year. Will I ever be able to afford these meals in full? Will I be able to drive out there without worrying about my car breaking down to and from these locations (some of which are insanely far away)? Only time will tell, I suppose.

Ah, but wait! Something new has been added! I'm gonna rank the meals I partook of. Behold:

Crispy Pork Belly Banh Mi
Beef and Cheese Empanadas
Bacon Jam Smashburger
Loganberry BBQ Burger
Smoked Deviled Eggs
OG Lito
Aloo Samosa
Arroz con gondules
Chicken Loaded Potato Bites
Nachos and Cheese
Loaded Jerk Potato Salad
Asian Fusion Pierogi
Avocado Friez
Hiibachi Fried Rice

Can’t wait to do it again next year.

Can't do nuthin' without a schedule.

Same as it ever was, only this year, by the time this post is published, I won’t even have a job that feints at the prospect of affording San Diego Comic-Con...or will I? Seriously, will I? Anyway...

Thursday

12th Annual Musical Anatomy of a Superhero and Other Heroes | Indigo Ballroom, Hilton San Diego Bayfront | 10:00a - A lot of composers here from recent projects, including the son of Michael Giacchino (incidentally, also the panel’s moderator) and the wife of Atticus Ross. It really is who you know in this business.

Animation History with Jerry and Mark | Room 9 | 10:00a - Jerry Beck and Mark Evanier will answer questions about animation and express what must be a mind-blowing amount of combined knowledge about the subject.

Rhapsody PR’s 18th Annual Behind-the-Music Panel: Supersonic | Room 29CD | 11:30a - Another composer panel where I know only half the people on the dais...and even then, I only have one CD between them. Really, who knows what composers will be working by the time I break in?

Bear McCreary: Musical Worldbuilding | Room 6BCF | 11:45a - Okay, a promising (and familiar) talent in the field of film composition and he gets a panel all to himself. That’s how damn good he is.

Great Cartoonists and Comedians We Have Known | Room 9 | 12:00p - Evanier is back and this time, he and Leonard Maltin talk about the many artistic talents they've crossed paths with. 

Malcolm and Friends | Room 6A | 12:30p - Really hoping I can get in on this action someday. Not sure I’m extroverted enough to host a panel like this. I can be the guy on the end who chimes in, occasionally.

Anniversary of Deja Vu and the Art of Time Travel Writing for TV and Film | Room 25ABC | 1:00p - Haven’t seen Deja Vu since it opened, but I am interested in the mechanics of time travel, especially since I’m planning at least two different time travel scripts.

-Lunch break-

Thematic Tunes from Star Wars to Pokemon | Room 6A | 4:15p - Okay, I’m not sure how this will work as composers are pretty much forbidden from creating themes for film scores these days, but it’ll be interesting to see them flail their way through an explanation.

-Dinner break-

Fleischer Cartoons: Greatest Hits Vol. 1 | Room 28DE | 7:00p - A panel where one gets to hear about the history and restoration of legendary cartoons. I might even get to watch some of them.

The 29th Annual Superhero Kung Fu Extravaganza | Room 6A | 8:00p - A whole bunch of fight scenes and, really, what more could one ask?


Friday

Regular Show: the Lost Tapes | Indigo Ballroom, Hilton San Diego Bayfront | 10:00a - I am not loving the new direction the show is taking. “Stilt Walkers” and “Coffee Shop Wars” are the only episodes I would classify as legitimately good. Pretty much everything else seems to dump on Benson in some way and that gets awesomely offensive after a while.

Bad Medicine in TV and Film | Neil Morgan Auditorium, San Diego Central Library | 10:00a - Apparently, there’s a podcast that explores what movies and television get wrong about medicine and fixing people up...and it’s called ‘Hi, Everybody!’. 

Collector’s Call with Lisa Whelchel and MeTV | Room 6DE | 10:00a - At the same time, it is crazy that this is getting a Comic-Con panel, but also, it seems entirely appropriate.

Intro to TV Writing: From First Draft to Getting Staffed | Room 28DE | 10:00a - One question: are there even writers’ rooms anymore? Be really interesting to break an episode of a show and figure how to piece it together...but mainly, I suppose I’m nostalgic for the days of episodic television instead of a serialized show. Too many moving pieces there.

Love in Every Universe: The Great Romance Trope Debate | Room 32AB | 10:00a - A chance to debate which romance tropes work and which ones don’t. Not a problem. ‘I Love You, But Not When Anyone is Looking’, ‘I Treat You Like the Floor Around Stevie Wonder's Urinal Because I'm Not Emotionally Stable Enough to Tell You That I Really Love You’ and ‘I'm Annoying My Way Into Your Heart, Therefore You Have No Choice But to Fall In Love with Me’ can all go fuck themselves.

-Lunch break-

The Pitching Hour | Room 32AB | 12:00p - The time-honored ritual of explaining to the people with money exactly why they should carve out some of it for your heart’s desire...but the idea of getting in front of people is not my idea of a good time, so I think I’ll be heading to...

Writing Dialogue That Drives Your Scenes | Room 3 | 12:00p - Now, I consider myself pretty good when it comes to a line of dialogue or turn of phrase, but we could all use some help in this regard.

President Curtis Premiere Panel | Indigo Ballroom, Hilton San Diego Bayfront | 1:00p - I have to say that the ads for this look fun. Not much more I can say.

The Dwayne McDuffie Award for Diversity in Comics | Room 4 | 1:00p - There are so many aspects to McDuffie that I wish I could share, it’s hard not to admire the guy.

25 Years of Pearls Before Swine: Stephan Pastis and Bill Amend | Room 29CD | 1:30p -  Haven’t read the comic section - much less a newspaper - in an age, but I do remember the bite that this strip had (and, presumably, still does).

John Cusack Showcases the Surreal World of Momo | Rom 5AB | 2:30p - The ol’ film career stalling out? Create a comic book. I wonder what Savage Steve Holland would think of Cusack having, more or less, become Hoops McCann.

Collider’s Showrunners on Showrunning | Ballroom 20 | 3:00p - Once upon a time, I had a fantasy of showrunning a reboot of “Danny Phantom” (better character motivations, organic humor, darker tone, all that good stuff). It wouldn’t hurt to know the ins and outs of putting a show together...but then, I would probably have to answer to that “Ha, Ha, You Clowns!”-looking mother running Paramount and, in the words of another Nickelodeon show, “Uh, no?”.

You’re Wrong Again, Leonard Maltin | Room 24ABC | 3:30p - Having discovered Witness to Murder (***/4) and The Man Who Knew Too Little (**/4), this panel is more needed than ever.

J. Michael Straczynski Workshop | Room 11 | 5:00p - Surely, I can learn something from a writer of movies, television, comics and books.

Spotlight on Jim Cummings | Room 6BCF | 5:45p - Not the indie filmmaker, which I suppose wouldn’t make much sense now that I think about it, but the acclaimed voice actor. Seriously, that guy needs to consider a middle initial.

Black Heroes Matter: Icons and Identity | Room 28DE | 7:00p - I’m not sure if I could work on an existing one, but I might be able to create one or two of my own.

-Dinner break-

Fourth Annual Ghostface’s Killer Trivia | Room 25ABC | 9:00p - Really, how can I not be curious? (Strange that I’m not very keen on horror movies and yet, I know so much about them.)


Saturday

Bob’s Burgers | Ballroom 20 | 10:00a - The fatigue is definitely setting in (One of the last two episodes of the season featured the kids snarking at Bob, even while he was enmeshed in a disgusting and dangerous situation he might never have come back from, and the other one spotlighted Hugo, which just…ugh!), but I’ll more than likely be watching the next season.

Dark Horse: Star-Powered Storytelling | Room 23ABC | 10:00a - I’m sure that the comics that Patton Oswalt and David Dastmalchian wrote are good, but watching them shoot the shit would be even better.

MeTV’s Svengoolie Returns: Camera Ready | Room 6DE | 10:00a - Ah, Saturday with Svengoolie and the Sven Squad, but Saturday morning? Most peculiar.

Why Do Saturday Morning Cartoons Still Matter and How Are They Shaping the Next Generation? | Room 9 | 10:00a - How Saturday morning cartoons came to be. As with traditional writers’ rooms, I guess I am just nostalgic for a time that does not exist anymore and probably never will again. (BTW, totes unfair that this and the Svengoolie panel are happening at the same time.)

Inside the Writers Room: Re-imagining Television for the New Normal | Room 24ABC | 10:00a - Pretty much what I said about yesterday’s “From First Draft to Getting Staffed”. Maybe, having a deadline staring me in the face would get me to produce stuff.

Futurama | Ballroom 20 | 11:00a - It’s weird to even list this show as I haven’t watched it since the Comedy Central era. Even so, could the Hulu run be that bad?

Next Stages of Movie and Theater Evolution | Neil Morgan Auditorium, San Diego Central Library | 11:00a - Despite people having forgotten their manners, overpriced concessions and ludicrously brief theatrical windows, I still believe in the moviegoing experience and I will fight like hell to maintain it. (I’m kind of reminded of that Ernest Hemingway line at the end of Se7en.)

-Lunch break-

American Dad! | Ballroom 20 | 12:45p - There’s been a couple of speed bumps along the way (fuck you, Mertz), but for the most part, things are sailing along quite well with this show. I can’t wait to see where it goes next. However, I don’t remember hearing about any premiere dates for this or “Bob’s Burgers”. Meanwhile, the fact that the sub-“Jeff and Some Aliens” bullshit airing alongside “The Simpsons” get Fall slots doesn’t exactly fill me with joy. 

The Greatest American Hero Returns | Grand 10 & 11, Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina | 1:00p - I’m certainly more familiar with the theme song than the show itself, but as I mentioned before, I did enjoy the sample on Free Comic Book Day.

The Saturday Cartoon Voices Panel | Room 6BCF | 1:00p - No matter how old I get and how many of these (sometimes hypothetical) cons I go to, I doubt I’ll ever get tired of a bunch of voice actors going ham on a pre-existing script.

Building a Pop Culture Podcast | Neil Morgan Auditorium, San Diego Central Library | 2:00p -  There seem to be a lot of moving parts to making a podcast. One thing is for certain: I do not want to leave listeners hanging. For example, no fewer than two different podcasts promising to cover every movie from the 1980s crapped out over the ears. This panel may help me out...or I could get some tips from my younger sister. I still can’t believe she has a podcast and I don’t.

Mad Rewind: Talking About Mad TV | Indigo Ballroom, Hilton San Diego Bayfront | 3:00p - Honestly, I can count on one hand the recurring characters on this show that didn’t annoy me, but the sketches they weren’t in were damn funny and the performers were up for anything. Some good times I had with this.

Dugout Dads: From the Sandlot to the Dugout | Room 6DE | 4:15p - I would not have expected The Sandlot to get a legacy sequel, but fate has a way of surprising you. The whole crew (minus the sadly trouble-prone Mike Vitar) is back. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t curious.

Spotlight on J. Michael Straczynski | Room 7AB | 4:30p - Getting to know one of the more interesting talents in film, television and comics. Sounds cool.

Dread the Hall H 2026: More (Fictional) Comic Convention Horror Stories | Room 23ABC | 5:00p - I get the sense that you could squeeze a damn good thriller out of one or two of the stories recounted here (with the names changed, obvi), which is reason enough to check this panel out. Until then, the comic will have to suffice.

1980s Comic-Con Lost Videos Part III: The Trilogy | Room 29CD | 5:30p - Footage from Comic-Cons from the early 1980s. That should be enough of a lure for anyone.

From Indies to Blockbusters: The Storytelling Power of Diversity | Room 6A | 5:30p -  I want to help. The casts of my projects will not - and should not - be limited to one color.

A Look Back at Animated Series from the '80s | Room 7AB | 6:30p - Over the last couple weeks on the ‘80s cartoons’ subreddit, people have been posting the Saturday Morning schedules from every year of the decade and I can’t help but thank my lucky stars I was too young to register anything from that era, because 90% of the shows from the first half of the decade sound absolutely dire. Still, it’s hard not to feel a twinge of vicarious nostalgia for that time.

The Unsung Heroes of Superhero Films | Room 29CD | 6:30p - Various below-the-line talents, including Christopher Young! - offer their know-how and insight into what goes into creating a superhero movie and that alone works for me.

-Dinner break-

An Evening with Kevin Smith | Hall H | 7:15p - A lot of Hall H’s offerings leave me cold, but this one I absolutely need to get into, at some point. Smith is a master of these stories, more so than telling stories on film. Go figure.

Trivia for the Rest of Us: Let’s Play! | Room 29AB | 9:00p - Panels like this are, let us face it, the closest I will ever get to being on a game show. (Honestly, I would much rather play as a nobody and squirrel away money for myself than as a celebrity and give the money to a charity and if you think that sounds greedy, take a good look in the mirror and try to disagree.)


Sunday

90s Cartoon Draft 2026 | Neil Morgan Auditorium, San Diego Central Library | 10:00a - A bit of audience participation seems to be encouraged for four comedians drafting their perfect team of 90s cartoon characters. Should be fun.

Writing Cozy Villains | Grand 10 & 11, Marriott Marquis, San Diego Marina | 10:00a - The villains in my movies I’m writing for the Complete Monster page at TV Tropes (because - let’s face it - some motherstuffers cannot be rehabilitated), but it’d be interesting to see how to create an adversary you love to watch.

The Voices of Billy West | Room 6A | 10:30a - From “Ren & Stimpy” to “Doug” to “Futurama”, I’ve grown up listening to this cat. He’ll be sharing stories from his memoirs, which could be promising.

Harvey Pekar’s American Splendor at 50 | Room 4 | 11:00a - It was primarily the movie that led me to the comics so maybe, this panel will affect me and maybe, it won’t.

The Sunday Cartoon Voices Panel | Room 6A | 11:45a - Pretty much what I said about Saturday’s panel, but with a different group of voice actors. I just can’t get enough.

The Choice Behind the Voice | Neil Morgan Auditorium, San Diego Central Library | 12:00p - How to pick the right voice for the right character is a question I just know every voice actor has asked themselves at one time or another. I would love to know how it works.

-Lunch break-

Starship Smackdown XXXIII: We're Getting Too Old for This Ship Edition | Room 6A | 2:45p - The best ship for an interstellar journey. Who’s to say? Maybe, this panel can.

In My Y2K Era: Anime Fandom Before Streaming and Social Media | Room 24ABC | 3:00p - Watching Sailor Moon before school on 29 and moving onto the likes of Outlaw Star and Yu Yu Hakusho on Toonami? I remember it well.

It Came from the Black Lagoon: Universal’s 3-D Movies of the 1950s | Room 28DE | 4:00p - Having been raised on a steady diet of these things thanks to Svengoolie, I can think of no better way to close out San Diego Comic-Con, then a retrospective on Universal’s 3-D offerings.

The festivities begin on July 23rd. Hell, if I could somehow hop into someone else’s body that’s already in San Diego, I would love to go, but elaborating on that kink is for another time.

Coming to terms.

No, I didn’t come down with something because of the smoke from the Canada wildfires and no, I'm not in danger of explosive diarrhea from a parasite on lettuce…that I know of.

It’s just…well, I like to joke that (and I ended up giving this line to a villain in a screenplay I’m writing, which should give you some inkling of my misguided ambition) if you put a brick wall between me and something I really want, you probably didn’t like the brick wall very much.

I’ve been making a list of the guests that are gonna be at this year‘s Fan Expo Canada. I’ve been checking out Airbnbs and, even this late, there are quite a few of them left. I’ve been making plans to go around the city, eat at a bunch of restaurants and even attend a movie screening, but really, I need to face the facts. I have no job, I have a very small amount of money coming in every week, I have absolutely no clue if or when I will ever get any more money on top of that and my car would have to work to be reclassified as a piece of shit. It’s time for me to face facts: as much as I wanted it to, Toronto is not happening this year. Short of winning some sort of contest that allows me an all-expenses-paid four day trip to Fan Expo, yeah, I realize that.

I can only hope that it might happen next year when I get a job. I mean, there's no way I’m gonna be in this unemployment situation forever, right? But this year? Not a fucking chance.

I suppose I could make my own.

Weeks ago, I discovered a Reddit thread featuring the Futurama Font Generator. With it, you can create the show title and a jokey subtitle or (as a number of us in the thread did) generate quotes from the show. Mine was "Bender Should Not Be Allowed on Television"'s: "Our sons have committed burglary! One of the worst and coolest of crimes!"

Curiosity led me to discover what can only be called a shit-ton of Font Generators. I discovered one from IHOP and while I haven't eaten there in years, I only have one thing to say about that place:

One more for the road.

After yet another week of being made to feel like I don't exist, going to town on a to-go platter of crab rangoon dip and wonton chips was just the thing to turn my frown upside down. Now, given my age and current body, eating mass quantities of fattening food is not the right way to spend my life, but I have no life, to say nothing of friends, a job or any apparent charisma, so what the hell can I do?

What I wouldn't give for a year ago when I, at the very least, had a job to occupy my time. Somehow, I seemed to get lucky in that every job I've had for the last decade-plus has afforded me the chance to - at one point or another - grab a steak and onion ring submarine sandwich from John and Mary's on Millersport Highway.

One day - April 20th, my unofficial Eat Like You're High for People Who Don't Get High Day - I decide to go there for a whole sub when I see a letter on the soda machine. It was a family-owned business and the current owners were retiring. The restaurant would soon be closed down. Jesus H. Gyp, I can't have anything in this world!

Honestly, this was much more than just a sub. This was an instant pick-me-up after a rough day of work (or, in the case of my call center job, a break from the nightmare that was the job). I'm hard pressed to think of a time when the sub was less than amazing. Every single time, it was delicious. I'd been back two more times for a whole sub: May 15th and the last day of operations, June 5th.

I'm almost afraid to recreate the sub myself. I have no aptitude for cooking, but my main issue is being unable to make it as well as they did at the restaurant. I can't imagine it being all that hard, though: shaved steak, lettuce, white cheddar, tomato, onion rings and mayo (always mayo; no oil) on a sub roll. It'd be a lot of trial and error, but it'd be worth it, I suppose.

And here are some pictures from that fateful day: 

Also, I bought two plastic souvenir cups. All I had was my card and they were supposed to be paid with cash, but the woman at the register was nice enough to spot me the dollar they cost, one more testament to the fine people who ran the place. I will miss it, dearly.

Free Comic Book Day '26.

In the midst of a seeming desert of disappointment comes an oasis of hope: the first Saturday of May.

This year was different. Now, any comic book reader worth their salt has their own list of titles they hope to pick up. For the first time in I genuinely don't know when, I was able to pick up every single comic I wanted to get. However, there seemed to be a curve ball this year: a handful of titles I hadn't planned on to be given away on what was called Comics Giveaway Day. I don't get it, either.

As I have the last few years, I picked my prospective titles up from three different stores.

The first store - Empire Comics - is where the Comics Giveaway titles blindsided me. Still, as long as they're there...and there seemed to be the unconscious theme of 80s television at play, here:

Garfield - The two main stories of this comic were penned by Mark Evanier, the main writer of my beloved "Garfield and Friends"*, so objectivity may be in short supply here. "Collectors Classic" sees Nermal finding a rare comic book in the trash after being tossed in by Garfield. Some fun lines here, especially the meta bits in the opening dream sequence. The ending struck me as a little cynical, but Evanier has probably forgotten more San Diego Comic-Cons than most people will ever attend, so I think he might know a little of what he speaks. "Big Mouse Meal" could've easily been an episode of the show as a mouse named Big Mouse tries to get Garfield to eat him, but Garfield will pretty much eat anything but mice. The ending involving two cats without any Garfield-like compunctions about their diets was amusing. The third story, despite reminding me of the mercenary movie from two years ago, was cute enough. 
* - Of course, I read the comic in the voices of the show's cast. I'm no savage.

The Greatest American Hero - Ralph tries to reconcile with his con man son, who finds Dad's tales of superheroics to be nonsense and a bad influence on his daughter (and Ralph's grandchild). It had the feel of an episode of the show and the use of William Katt's likeness (note the special thanks at the beginning) helped to legitimize this as a continuation. One of the comic’s cleverer bits is getting around the inability to obtain Connie Sellecca‘s likeness for a billboard of her character, (Mayor!) Pam Davidson.

Jem and the Holograms/My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic - As it turns out, I'd encountered the comics in this flip book double before. The Jem comic about the new origin of the band was the opening of the comic collection I'd purchased years ago (and had to gift to my sister as money was not strong enough to buy her another present). Likewise, the MLP comic where the Mane Six rescued the Cutie Mark Crusaders from Queen Chrysalis...not that I watched that show. (The shorter stories that kicked the book off were news to me, though.) 

I had managed to get my car back, but its highway days are long behind it, so I stuck to the main streets, taking quite a while to get to my second destination - Queen City Bookstore. As ever, on the outside, there were discounted comics and local funny books (and their artists), but what I wanted was inside:

Aquamanatee #1 - Aquaman is in need of a sidekick to help him fight against an onslaught of robotic krill and whatever sank the ship carrying them. He happens upon a manatee who may or may not have superpowers. Very much a comic for younger readers (why, yes, there is a poop joke), but - like the titular pun - cute enough.

Dungeon Crawler Carl #0 - Ah, that's the stuff. Within the first few pages, the unlikely hero sees the head of his elderly neighbor at his feet, so clearly, the person who wrote this isn't screwing around. Carl finds that the world has been decimated. His only companion: his ex-girlfriend's stubborn cat. His only chance for survival: an underground, Dungeons and Dragons-style game show. Thankfully, this story was leavened with a sense of (dark) humor; I straight up chuckled at the reaction to his stripped-down garb. I know I'm supposed to be saving my money, but it would be delinquent not to follow this comic to the end.

Inanna the Name She Lost #0 - An all-powerful goddess called upon in times of war somehow washes up in modern-day San Francisco. Unusual but not uninteresting comic that (unlike the previous one) stops shy of exploring the craziness yet to come. I have to say that the letter from the creator (who shares a name with the goddess...hmmm) put this over. I would like to know more.

Toybox 2026 - One of those assortment comics that inevitably finds its way into every FCBD. The stories ranged from sweet (Pooh Bear Adventures, Zor) to mildly amusing (Hero Hiro, Kung Fu Legume, Squish and Squash) to interesting (Sister Powers, Robot + Girl) to misfired (Grubbs) to WTF?! (Junior High Horrors).

The distance to my next stop was much closer than the last one, but the wrong turn I took had me thinking I was starring in my own remake of Exit 8. Thankfully, the GPS on my phone pulled me from that hole. I stopped at the store for some salty snacks before ending up at my third store - Kingpin Comics. Unlike the other places, there doesn't seem to be a limit on how many comics you can pick up, which helped me complete my journey:

Flash Gordon #1 - When we last left our hero, he was imprisoned on Planet Death. Mongo has been destroyed. Flash's beloved Dale Arden has been taken captive. Can Flash break loose and put things right? The dark tone and black-and-white milieu may turn some readers off, but the twist at the end makes it worth the while.

Gun Honey Doubles Down #0 - A weapons expert needs to get a gun to a Russian agent so he can wipe out a powerful player. This one sounded more fun than it plays. This was the ham and cheese sandwich of the day: not flashy, but it got the job done.

Keenspot Spotlight 2026 - Another comic anthology, but with the theme of monsters. Kids These Days is too stream of consciousness despite an amusing opening gag. Lucky's Tales packs a lot of detail and interest in two pages, while Holy Brawl mistakes a splash page for teasing a story. Otter Squad tells just enough to peak my interest. Greenhorns is the longest (and best) of the bunch, though hopefully, a longer version won't collapse under the weight of the many characters it introduces.

The Nice House on the Lake #1 - A group of strangers with a vague connection to each other are picked to live in a luxurious lake house and find out what happens when the world stops being real and starts getting screwed up. It took a couple of reads to really absorb what was going on, but it fascinated me.

Terrorbytes #1 - A tech mogul has created a new device that allows dying people to experience their last moments in more pleasant circumstances than normal...but at what cost? Cards on the table: I don't think it'd be worth it. The punchline at the end is suitably grim, though I'm still not sure of the significance of the framing device.

By this time, I was feeling good about myself, enough to actually spend money on a comic.

DuckTales Valentine's Day Special - Scrooge wants nothing to do with Valentine's Day. Magica de Spell wants his number-one dime. Magical flowers may put a crimp in both of their plans. I imagine that people fascinated by the idea of Scrooge and Magica being friendly (if not more) will take to this more than most people. A little talky, but quite charming with some fun cameos (one of them honestly made me lol).

From then, I grabbed lunch from a hot dog joint (with dill pickle aioli dipping sauce for the fries!!) and headed home. Not much I can count on anymore, but it's nice to know that some things will never disappoint me.

The ad wizards at Nike were right.

I’m working on a post to cover all the comics I got from Free Comic Book Day. Yes, two weeks after the fact. Sue me. But this pretty well speaks to my ultimate point of this post.

In the midst of that journey to collect all the comics I wanted, it was pretty cold outside, so I had put on a light pleather jacket. I got a compliment from one of the employees of the first shop I went to.

On my way to the donut shop after I collected most of my wares, I opened the door of my car and got out, and I guess I wasn’t paying attention because the corner of the door just ripped a big chunk out of the jacket.

Needless to say, I had to spend the rest of the day with a piece of fabric flopping off of my jacket. It was very dehumanizing, to say nothing of embarrassing.

Thankfully, there was a way to correct this situation. I looked up 'how to patch a polyester leather torn coat' online and the simplest method - and shortest YouTube video - basically involved a needle and thread. Simple, yet effective.

I bought a spool of black thread ($.99 at Michael’s) and got to work while listening to my Deluxe Edition soundtrack of Eye of the Needle. Yes, my brain does make obvious connections. Would you like to fight about it?

It didn’t turn out flawless, but still, the situation was resolved.

The larger point being that I get way inside my own head about things that need to be done in my life, when all I need to do is just do it. Don’t think. Just get it done and the details will work themselves out later.

Really hope this can work out with everything that needs to be done in my life.