This is why we do not throw away comic books

Note to parents and spouses of comic book collectors: This is why we don’t throw those darned things away – a collection sold earlier this week for $3.5 million. That’s much more than the $2 million that Superman and friends were expected to bring. Granted, the guy who collected them died long before he could reap the benefits of his shrewd eye for ink, but his great-nephews are instant millionaires thanks to a spectacular find in their late great-aunt’s Virginia home. "It was amazing seeing what they went for," Michael Rorrer told The Associated Press. Rorrer discovered the collection of his late great-uncle Billy Wright last year while cleaning out the house of his late great-aunt in Martinsville, Va. The comics belonged to Wright, who died in 1994 at age 66. A 10-cent copy of Detective Comics No. 27 from 1939, in which Batman debuted, got the highest bid at the auction, selling for about $523,000 with a buyer’s premium. Lon Allen, managing director of comics for Heritage Auctions, the Dallas-based auction house overseeing the sale, said Action Comics No. 1, featuring the first appearance of Superman, sold for about $299,000. Batman No. 1, sold for $275,000. Allen said the 345 well-preserved comics included 44 of the Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide’s top 100 issues from the comics’ golden age. Rorrer, 31, who lives in Oxnard, Calif., got half of the collection. His mother, Lisa Hernandez, of League City, took the other half for his brother Jonathan in Houston. Rorrer said he didn’t know how valuable they were until a while later when he told a coworker about the collection. The co-worker mused that it would be special if he had Action Comics No. 1. "I went home and was looking through some of them, and there it was," Rorrer said. Once Rorrer realized how important the comics were, he called his mother, who still had the box for Jonathan at her house. They then went through the boxes, checking comics off their list. There were 200,000 copies of Action Comics No. 1 produced, and about 130,000 were sold. The remaining 70,000 were pulped. Today, experts estimate only about 100 copies are left in the world, making it the Holy Grail of comic book collecting. Not many collections are going to have rare treasures like that, but you’d be surprised at the prices many are fetching on eBay and other markets. Those Spider-Man comics I bought for a quarter each back in the ’70s would be worth a pretty penny today. By the way, I would love to interview Jonathan Rorrer and Lisa Hernandez. If anyone knows how to contact them, please let me know at jsouthern@hcnonline.com. Comicpalooza update One of the things I love about this time of year is seeing the expanding list of guests for Comicpalooza. Since my last report, some more big names have signed on. Joe Kubert, founder of the Joe Kubert School for cartoonists and one of the most renowned artists in the business, is bringing his more than 70 years of experience to the big show. This is a major coup for Comicpalooza. Other exciting announcements include author Timothy Zahn and actors Rachel Luttrell and Chandler Riggs. Zahn is a science fiction writer who is best known for his Star Wars novels. Luttrell has been in several television series, but is most recognized for her role as Teyla Emmagan on Stargate Atlantis. Young master Riggs plays Carl Grimes on The Walking Dead. Be sure to check out www.comicpalooza.com or “like” them on Facebook to keep up with the latest additions and announcements. Signing off for now, I am the Dork Ranger.

Holy Spandex Batman, those are new outfits

There are some new looks for old friends on their way to the silver screen. Batman, Superman, Spider-Man, Captain America and more will each have costumes a little different than what they wore on their last outing. Some changes are minor, like the tweaks to the Batman outfit, and others are pretty bold, such as Superman without his red Speedos. At first glimpse it doesn’t appear that the re-booted outfit for the rebooted Spider-Man movie is much different. Once you begin to study it a little closer, you realize that while the radioactive spider was biting Peter Parker, the costume designer was out back smoking dope. The red and blue parts have strange twists and twirls, especially around the gloves and boots. While I applaud the effort to make the costume look less like Spandex tights, the thick, layered look with textured bumps has too much of that CG-stylized feel to it. Sure, it looks cool, but it’s just not the same. The Spider-Man outfit it pretty busy as it is. This re-make is dizzyingly over-the-top. I think the Spider-Man costume used in the Toby Maguire movies has got to be the best of all the superhero costumes made for the silver screen. It was fresh, bold and true to the source material. Why abandon a good thing? The Superman costume changes in the upcoming Man of Steel movie would make Reeve and Reeves spin in their graves. If you look at pictures of Superman beginning with Kirk Alyn and going to Brandon Routh, you will notice the red shorts gradually shrinking in size. Now, Henry Cavill wears the big-S costume without the shorts. In the same vein as Spider-Man, the Superman costume has that whole layered/textured thing going on. Gone also are the red cape and boots. They are now a leathery maroon, much like they were with Routh, only worse. When it comes to the Dark Knight, it seems to be tradition that the outfit change with each outing. My favorite will always be the Adam West costume used on the TV show and movie. I also like the first Michael Keaton costume. I draw the line on George Clooney’s nippled outfit. Christian Bale’s is modern and functional, but too black. It’s too dark and brooding for my taste. It still looks cool, but it just doesn’t say Batman to me, especially with the vanishing bat symbol on the chest. When The Avengers finally comes out this summer, there will be a number of outfit changes for some of the characters. Captain America will be the most noticeable. The World War II version with the gun belt and suspenders will give way to something more familiar. While I have only seen a few clips and pictures, I am very disappointed that the white wings do not stick out on the cowl. He looks dorky (in a bad way) with them painted on. Most of the time, so far, whenever we see Chris Evans in action as Cap in previews, he isn’t even wearing the mask at all. What’s up with that anyway? If I’m not mistaken, Thor and Iron Man also have updated costume tweaks. They won’t be too obvious, just enough to set them apart from previous films but close enough that the average person won’t realize something is different. While I realize at this point it doesn’t sound like I care for many of the new costumes, that’s not quite true. I think most of them have quite an appeal to them, even if they stray from what I grew up with in the comic books. At least the actors are wearing the costumes in the above mentioned movies, unlike the CG disaster of last year’s Green Lantern. What brings me to the topic of superhero costumes is my anticipation of what the new Lone Ranger and Tonto will look like. Filming starts in New Mexico later this month with Armie Hammer as the masked man and Johnny Depp as Tonto. I know they will not look anything like what we know from television with Clayton Moore and Jay Silverheels. What I don’t know is how radically different they will be. The last two incarnations of The Lone Ranger did not sit too well with most fans, especially the 2003 version on the WB network. Prior to that was the 1981 flop The Legend of the Lone Ranger. I hope when Hammer dons the mask that his outfit has a more realistic and authentic cowboy feel to it than the tights that Moore wore. Moore looked good in the fitted outfit, but it was way out of place for a Western. As long as the Lone Ranger has his black mask, white hat and red scarf, I’ll be happy. Hi-yo Silver, Awaaayyyy! Signing off for this week, I am the Dork Ranger.

Dork alert! Comic creators bringing new Marvel superhero to Houston on Wednesday

Dork alert! The Scarlet Spider (a Spider-Man clone) is moving to Houston and the creative team behind the new comic book series will be autographing copies Wednesday at 8th Dimension Comics and Games from noon to 4 p.m. Christopher Yost and Ryan Stegman will also appear at a Q&A panel Wednesday evening at the Alamo Draft House Cinema at West Oaks Mall. Scarlet Spider is a clone of the original Spider-Man who is struggling to find his place in the world. The Marvel Comics character is moving to Houston to seek his own identity. Yost, the writer, and Stegman, the artist, will be in Houston to debut the new comic and to get a lay of the land. The men will be signing books at 8th Dimension Comics & Games, 8475 N. Highway 6, Wednesday from noon to 4 p.m. An Evening With Marvel, which includes the Q&A with Yost and Stegman, a limited comic book giveaway, and the screening of animated episodes of The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, will take place 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Alamo Draft House, West Oaks Mall No. 429. Admission is $6 per ticket online (to be guaranteed a copy of Scarlet Spider #1) for people ages 18 and older; children 6 and older must be accompanied by a parent/guardian. No children younger than 6 will be allowed. For more information, call 281-920-9268 or visit drafthouse.com/houston/west_oaks.

The 10 best movies for Dorks

What would a Dork column be without he occasional obligatory Top 10 list? What I have compiled here, in order from 10 to one, is a thoroughly, thoughtfully and carefully researched list of the top 10 must-see movies for Dorks. Note that this isn’t a list of the dorkiest movies of all time. These are the movies that Dorks love or would love if they haven’t seen them yet. So hold on to your lightsaber and let’s get at it. 10. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone This was the perfect introduction into the movie series based on the books by J.K. Rowling. This one captured the look, feel and tone of the books and set the mark by which all the others would be judged. Also, it took a dorky kid and made him uber cool, which many of us can either relate to or fantasize about. 9. Spider-Man Though most people call Peter Parker a nerd, those of us in the know realize that he is really a dork. A nerd wouldn’t create a costume and a secret identity the way a real dork would. When you combine a dork-nerd and a real cool superhero you can’t help but get the best of dorkdom. 8. E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial Besides being a really cool, heartwarming movie, you can’t help but admire how dorky little Elliot manages to befriend a lost alien and rise to a level of acceptance and admiration few of us will ever know. 7. Grease Your dorkness isn’t complete without a musical. It was either this or Mamma Mia. At least Grease is all about being cool, and it stars Olivia Newton-John. (What more do you need to say?) 6. Toy Story Cowboys, spacemen and other toys come to life when no one is looking … wow! Even as an adult, I was floored when I saw it. It’s like imagination brought to life. The only thing that would have made it cooler would have been having superhero action figures (just sayin’). I loved the sequels and feel Toy Story 2 was the best of the trilogy. 5. Apollo 13 Nerds in space rescued by nerds on the ground! For us space geeks, this movie based on a true story is the ultimate non-fiction space flick. The history, emotion and suspense just cause the dork to swell up in you. Even though you know the outcome ahead of time, you still get caught up in a story well told. 4. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan One word: KHAAAAAAAAN! 3. The Goonies If you have to ask, please stop reading this column. Do not return until after you have seen it. Only then will you understand. 2. Revenge of the Nerds This is the movie that made being a nerd cool. While I can’t in good conscience recommend it anymore, it did set the benchmark for global nerd acceptance. 1. Star Wars This is the Holy Grail of dorkdom, geekiness and nerdism. No single movie or television franchise – including Star Trek – has a more widespread and devoted following as Star Wars. Even non-fans can recognize Darth Vader, R2-D2 and most of the rest of the characters and ships and at least identify them as being part of the Star Wars universe. Fan clubs, comics, cartoons, books and more keep the franchise current and relevant, even though the last of the six movies was released more than six years ago. Were it not for the original “Star Wars,” it’s very likely that “Star Trek” would never have jumped to the big screen and “Battlestar Galactica” would never have been approved for even a pilot episode. George Lucas was not only the mastermind behind Star Wars, he also spurred development of special effects and filmmaking technology that threw open a new universe of storytelling. There you have it. Please sound off and let me know what you think should be in the Top 10 movies for Dorks. Signing off, I am The Dork Ranger.

2012 will be the Year of the Dork

Break out your calendars Dorkmeisters, because 2012 is going to be our year! Looking into my crystal ball (OK, browsing online) I can see some very important dates in the Year of the Dork. By now you’re probably geeking over current releases such as The Adventures of Tintin or the Sherlock Holmes, Mission: Impossible, and Alvin and the Chipmunks sequels. On my Dorkometer I don’t place any of these other than Tintin higher than a five or six. (A 10 means I can’t wait, I’ll be there opening night; a five means I can wait for DVD; and a zero means you couldn’t pay me enough to watch it.) Looking ahead, though, there are several movies in the 8-10 range, including The Avengers, The Dark Knight Rises, The Amazing Spider-Man, The Three Stooges, Men In Black 3, Brave, and a slew of re-releases in 3-D, including Star Wars: Episode I and Titanic. The Dorkometer tends to be fluid, so other films may jump up and others may slide. These, however, are the ones I really want to see on the big screen in ’12. On the local front, plan to be at the George R. Brown Convention Center on May 25-27 for Comicpalooza. Now in its fourth year, the genrefest is lining up more big-name talent in the comic books and film industries. Among the celebrities already committed are Kevin Sorbo and Christopher Judge. Among the artists already inked are Michelle Delecki, Howard Chaykin, Shane Davis, Tyler Kirkham, Gerry Kissell, Joe R. Lansdale, Dirk Strangely, Chris Summers, Ben Templesmith, and Thom Zahler. To be sure this is only the start of a long list of guests. Last year’s convention included Edward James Olmos, Jeremy Bullock, Marina Sirtis, and scores more actors and artists. The festival included roller derby, wrestling, quidditch, a huge Lego display and all kinds of fan clubs and vendor booths. There were more workshops than you could wave a wand at. This year’s event looks like it will be bigger and better for the tens of thousands of attendees. Stay tuned for more! On the day after Star Wars Day (May the Fourth be with you), May 5, set your phasers on fun at your friendly neighborhood comic shop for Free Comic Book Day. My favorite local comic shop is Odyssey Comics and Cards in Katy. Owner Greg Sohiden keeps a huge line of current and classic titles, toys and trading cards. He is always well stocked for FCBD and I suspect he will be again this year. There are dozens of comics being published this year for FCBD, but the most anticipated will be Marvel’s Avengers #12.1 and DC’s The New 52 Special Edition. Much like DC did last year with the anticipated release of the Green Lantern movie when it really hyped the character, Marvel will take its shot this year with Avengers. DC made a splash this year when it did its New 52 relaunch of its most popular titles. The freebie will be interesting to see. While Marvel is putting out a Spider-Man comic for FCBD, it is not getting nearly the hype that it should with the reboot of the movie franchise this summer with The Amazing Spider-Man. My guess is that has more to do with Sony trying to retain film rights, preventing Marvel’s new studio from capitalizing on its most popular and marketable character. Out on the horizon for those of you who don’t mind traveling to cons, San Diego Comic Con, the daddy of ’em all, is slated for July 12-15. One of these years I’m going to make that one. The New York Comic Con is set for Oct. 11-14. Atlanta’s Dragon Con is Aug. 31 through Sept. 3. Starfest in Denver is April 20-22. Closer to home, the Austin Comic Con has yet to pick a date, but the Dallas Comic Con featuring none other than Stan Lee is coming up May 19-20. The Dallas Sci-Fi Expo is on tap Feb. 11-12. There are many others across the country and this only scratch the surface, but these are the big ones and ones of regional interest. I will announce more events as they come up. In the meantime, when you find that new Star Wars calendar in your stocking you can start blocking off some of these dates. So there you have it True Believers. Signing off for this week, I am the Dork Ranger!

Rise of the Dork Ranger

(A while ago I started a blog called The Dork Ranger. I ended the blog, but before deleting it, I am moving the posts here for safekeeping. Enjoy! Welcome to the very first entry into this new blog/column which I am calling The Dork Ranger. Who am I? I am … … The Lone Ranger … Batman … Spider-Man … Iron Man … “Captain” Jack Sparrow … Your father (Obi-Wan never told you this!) I am all of these things and none of these things. I am a dork or a nerd or a geek, depending on how you define each of those words. After extensive research (i.e. browsing the Internet and polling friends on Facebook) I have concluded that of these three seemingly interchangeable terms of endearment, “dork” is the one that works best. (Actually, “nerd” is much cooler but that name was taken by a Night Ranger parody band.) All three words – geek, nerd, and dork – are slang terms for someone who is obsessive and socially inept. Geek has become associated with computer people. Nerds are basically very smart people lacking in social graces. Geeks and nerds are more closely associated and the terms are easily interchangeable. We dorks, however, stand apart from the rest … mostly because no one else would be caught dead with us in public, but that’s another story. Our social ineptitude is matched by our carefree flamboyance that is typically a notch shy of a gay pride parade. I am not flamboyant. I am quiet and shy. But I’m not afraid to be seen in public wearing my cowboy hat, my Lone Ranger costume or my Boy Scout uniform. I have numerous Star Wars T-shirts and my work space at the office is populated with dozens of action figures. The shelves above my computer desk at home are a shrine to the Lone Ranger. I like comic book and fantasy art. Movies are my thing, especially ones based on superheroes, Star Trek, Star Wars, cowboys, Pirates of the Caribbean, Harry Potter, history and space exploration. Costuming is really cool. Your typical cosplyer (costume player) is a dork. We can be found at comic cons, sci-fi cons, renaissance festivals, midnight movie openings or charitable events or promotions. We also show up at sporting events overly-garbed in the paraphernalia and face paint colors of our favorite teams. The Dork Ranger is my secret identity or alter ego or whatever you want to call it. This is my dark side, my power and my curse. This is who I am when I don’t want to be me anymore. This blog, column, (pointless commentary) or whatever you want to call it is a place where we dorks, especially those of us in the Houston area, can explore dorkdom together. It is my intention to share news, information, hype and opinion about upcoming genera movies, comic book stuff, cosplay events, comic and sci-fi conventions and so on. I don’t want this to be entirely a one-way conversation. I’d love for readers and fellow dorks to leave comments, send emails and pictures or even to contribute guest commentary. I eventually hope to see this become Dork Central of the Internet. So get your geek on, nerd up and join me in the Dork Side. I promise that this will be fun, funny, informative, embarrassing, stupid, radical, gnarly, and otherwise a complete waste of time. Your satisfaction is almost guaranteed or you will receive a full refund. Signing off for now, I am … The Dork Ranger!