TOP 10 TELEVISION SHOWS RETURNING THIS SEASON...

I knew that eventually I'd have to get around to doing some "Top 10 Lists," but this really arises out of my concern for my fellow man. Yes, I am concerned, especially when friends of mine innocently announce that they wasted hours of their lives watching complete excrement like "Dancing With The Stars," or "Rock Star Supernova," or even "Flavor Of Love." I give them the pattented "The James Look" of complete disgust, but then realized that without announcing what the best shows on television are, how are they supposed to know? Therefore, I make this list with the intention of serving the good of my fellow man, and not to enflame those with a criminal lack of good taste. Remember that these are the returning shows, so Deadwood can't top the list, and I've left out narrow-appealing shows like Professional Wrestling, since that's an acquired taste, and PPV'S, since they are not consistent. So...here they are, and it was hard narrowing it down to ten:

1. THE WIRE, HBO, Sunday's at 10 p.m. This show is, hands down, the best written, cleverly conceived, consistently creative show that also boasts the most incredible ensemble of talented actors working on television today. The fact that it is not as well known as other "water-cooler" shows like The Sopranos, or Pathetic Bitches...whoops, I mean Desperate Housewives, makes it a complete discovery for most people, but also redeems HBO to me for keeping it around based on its incredible critical acclaim. See my last post for more in-depth analysis. If you're looking for one show this season, choose The Wire. It's the 4th season, but begins with a great jumping-on point for new viewers, plus you know HBO is great about airing the episode several times a week for you to catch it. Trust me, it's worth your time.

2. LOST, ABC, Wednesday's at 9 p.m. I freely admit that I'm a "Lostie," or "Lost-Addict," or "Dharma-Bum," or whatever you call those of us who jones for the next episode of this incredible suspense drama. While last season was certainly entertaining, what with the arrival of the other section of the plane's survivors and the true discovery of The Others, I felt it didn't click as well as the first one. Hopefully, this season will mark a return of the original Locke, savage man of faith, while also giving us plenty of Desmond and Mr. Eko. This show walks a thin line with revealing too much of the island's mystery as to give away the plot, and too little and annoying the viewers. It's time to give some answers to some of the questions that have been raised since the first episode. I just want to know what the damn smoke-monster is, too.

3. 24, FOX, Monday's at 9 p.m. This show is like crack. In fact, it's so bad for me that I usually wait for it to come out on dvd, and spend a weekend holed up watching it. It's a cliffhanger-intense style of plotting that makes it hard to do the weekly watching format. However, no matter how you watch, it's more than compelling, and Keifer Sutherland was never this good on film, so I hope Jack Bauer has plenty more of those kinds of days when nothing goes right. Now if they would only kill off his daughter to save us, the innocent viewers, from ever witnessing her being kidnapped multiple times during a season, and forcing us to try to give a damn about her when her presence is so obviously window-dressing to attract pre-pubescent boys.

4. THE SOPRANOS, HBO, Sunday's at 9 p.m. Granted, this won't be back until '07, but then again neither will 24. Seasons don't all begin at the same time anymore, and I for one think it's a great thing. I remember as a kid knowing that nothing good would be on all summer, except for Saturday nights at 9 on Fox's Black Belt Theater, where I could catch a double feature of some kind of Shaw Brothers Classic, but I digress. This show is the flagship of HBO's awesome Sunday night programming, and made them the success they are now. With only a few episodes left, unless some renegotiating is done (HBO will do almost anything to keep it going), I'm hoping it goes out with the awesome energy and spectacle that has dazzled us since it began just a few short years ago. In fact, it's so immersed within our's country's consciousness now, that it's hard to imagine what the world will be like without watching Tony battle his inner and outer demons as a metaphor for our own battles with life. Oh, and if Tony ends up dead or in the slam, I want Silvio to take over.

5. SURVIVOR, CBS, Thursday's at 8 p.m. I know, I know, I know, it's a Reality Show. I agree, reality shows are the lowest common denominator of entertainment, right above talk shows and below current sit-coms. I also know that they are the current trendy glut on the television channels today, and that if I support one, I am sort of supporting them all as a genre. I know...I hate myself for this. I also wish I could say that this was the only reality show that I watch, but it's not and I'm being honest, so The Amazing Race, and Ultimate Fighter would have to be named as well, just to show that I have a context for judging this show versus others in its crappy classification. IT'S JUST THAT I LOVE THE LYING, SCHEMING, BACK-STABBING, AND HYPOCRISY THAT THIS SHOW ILLUMINATES FOR ALL TO SEE...it's humanity all wrapped up into an hour adventure each week. Also, my criteria for watching this show, and the other two, is that it's a competition, not just putting a group of assholes into a house and seeing if they can get along, that's pathetic. I like that thematically, this show proves that you will do whatever is necessary to get what you want, and the hell with other people in your way. While my pal Stu would like to further complicate the show by adding "The Unknown Survivor" who basically stalks and sabotages each campsite at will, adding to their misery and frustration, I'd like to see some further evidence of humanity and make divorced couples or relatives compete on the show, with a proviso that no money can ever be split between them...then we'd really see some agony! Check out this show, especially this "racial tension" season, if you only check out one reality show.

6. THE 4400, USA, Sunday's at 9 p.m. Bad news first: You're waiting until next summer for the 4th season, but you can still buy, rent, or borrow seasons 1, 2, and 3 of this incredible show. What began as something that I personally wrote off as another of the paranormal glut shows like Threshold (Don't remind me that I gave that one a chance), Surface, and others that followed Lost's success, turned out to be something unique and different from the others. It's not what you think, and when you find out what the 4400 is, you can only compare it to the early Claremont/Byrne issues of X-men, before all the ruination with the interconvoluted chronologies and stories, and so on. The show's conceit is that 4400 people have been "abducted" throughout history, and all of a sudden, they are returned from a big ball of white light. However, when they return, they discover that many of them have special abilities. What follows is realistic, problematic, and reveals sides of the human condition that are both comforting and disturbing. The show is exceedingly well-written, and boasts an impressive cast of journeymen actors that portray their characters with heart and integrity. Plus, how can you not get onboard with a show that has Jeffrey Tooms (Re-Animator) and Summer Glau (Serenity) as regulars?

7. ROME, HBO, Sunday's at 9 p.m. This one will start after the current season of The Wire ends, but if the first season is any indication, it will be worth the wait. Sopranos-like intrigue blended with historicism and plenty of action and sex makes for a must-have on HBO. I must add though, to enjoy it while you can, as the word is that it will be the second and last season to air. Reasons are myriad, but the overwhelming cost of the show (in the hundreds of millions of dollars) is the main factor that keeps being repeated over and over. I try and make a firm rule to not buy shows that don't have at least 3 seasons, since there just isn't that much to hold on to, or get done as far as complete story arcs, etc...but after I saw the scene where Lucius Vorenus, duty-bound philosopher, former soldier and would-be business and family man, jumped into the middle of gladiator combat to help out his continual screw-up friend Titus Pullo, I was yelling at the screen "HELL YEAH, BROTHERS!" Sorry folks, The James doesn't usually get so worked up, especially in today's cynical world of deciet and self-interest, but it reminded me of....well, me...and my freaky, street brother Stu. That scene alone, guarranteed my purchase, and I hope the second season rewards me as well as the first.

8. BOSTON LEGAL, ABC, Tuesdays at 10 p.m. What can I say that the Emmy's haven't already said for me...Spader and Shatner are the best comedy duo on televison in forever. James Spader has been one of my favorite indie film actors for years, taking nothing but the strangest, most disturbing characters and still managing to bring elements of pathos and empathy to them in the darkest of moments. Who the hell doesn't love the man-god that is William Shatner? From Captain Kirk, to ridiculing himself on Saturday Night Live, to finally getting some critical acknowledgement for playing Denny Crane, a larger-than-life, narcissistic parody of himself that people adore, but also managing to steal some great moments of emotion as well, as evidenced in how genuine he portrays a man who knows that he's slowly slipping into the early stages of alzheimers. I watched Spader take over the dying ship of The Practice, and SHINE...luckily, David Chase and the network rewarded him by cutting the dead weight of yet another ridiculous moralizing b/s show about how noble lawyers are, and instead decided to go with a comedic tone, revealing the sharks that masquerade as human beings as lawyers obsessed with themselves, and absorbed in chidish pursuits in the middle of a corrupt system dominated by skillful manipulation. If you want a fantastic laugh from an intelligent comedy, with some fine storytelling, and two of the most awesome actors on television today, check this one out.

9. BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, SCI-FI, Tuesdays at 9 p.m. Stu and I checked this show out when it was just a mini-series, just on a whim, as we were both avid despisers of the original craptacular Star Wars ripoff, and laughed whenever we saw BSG alumni at the many conventions we attended together. To say that we were actually dumbfounded and shocked by the new direction of this show, a remake in names and basic plot only, is a HUGE UNDERSTATEMENT! I will say this now: This show is one of the only ones on the air to actually SURPRISE me consistently. I have read enough now, and seen enough to be able to guess at outcomes in the first quarter of the show, and ordinarily most shows don't let me down, but fulfill my lowest expectations with their predictability. Not the case here, folks...not at all. When the Cylons, machines formerly created and controlled by men and now AI, attack and destroy most of the human's homeworlds, the show begins with Galactica, the last surviving Battleship, leading a raggedy fleet of surviving ships toward a distant goal of another planet capable of sustaining human life, and away from the ever-pursuing Cylons, bent on destruction of the human race. That's the basic conceit and the beginning of the show...or so we thought. The plot evolves and takes a course that shocks, surprises, and compels you to watch in a manner that I wish other shows would follow...by doing the unexpected and challenging the viewer with bold choices and decisions, and not following some sort of esoteric marketing-directive that commands you to have so many cast members of this age or this demographic. Even if you don't watch or enjoy sci-fi material, check this show out. It's about to begin it's 3rd season and is extremely long-term developed, so don't watch until you buy, rent, or borrow the first two.

10. THE SHIELD, F/X, Sunday's at 10 p.m. You're going to be waiting awhile for this one also, but it's more than worth the wait. I've been an addict for the first 3 seasons, and can't wait to get Season 4 on dvd, which is how I've watched all its predecessors. Unfortunately, Season 5 will probably be the last one made, since its star, Michale Chiklis is breaking into films, and I'm sure wants more freedom. Breaking the traditional conception of the cop as the "good guy," Chiklis' Vic Mackie begins the first show of the first season by literally drilling the point home to the viewer with a bullet that he is far from the good guy. Instead, you have a complex character who is at times a hero, and at others worse than the people he pursues. The rest of the ensemble match Chiklis' intenstiy well, and each season usually has a large array of guest stars that have included Glenn Close and Forrest Whittaker. I will watch the end of this show with a mixture of unbridled enthusiasm and heartfelt sorrow, knowing that it, like another favorite of mine: The Sopranos, will only be enjoyed in the future on dvd.

Well, that's it folks. It was a tough call, and for your information MONK, USA, Fridays at 9 p.m. was Number 11. While a little formulaic in plot, and definitely reminiscent of the classic Columbo, Tony Shaloub's multiple Emmy-winning portrayal of Adrian Monk could have taken any position on my countdown, especially since it reminds me of a former student of mine named Lazenby, but I made a tough decision, and decided to include it in a postscript to the actual 10. I hope this helps, as that was my intent, and that it is not taken as a criticism of the shows that you watch that weren't worthy of my countdown, or any rational person's approval. Instead, I hope it directs you all to perhaps enjoy some shows that you haven't given a try before, and maybe we can talk about them sometime. Coming soon: List of shows I'll be trying that are new this season.

THE BEST UN-WATCHED SHOW ON TV...

Folks and FOTJ, if you don't know about HBO'S THE WIRE, airing several times during the week but with new episodes Sunday night at 10 p.m., you are missing out on how truly great and powerful television can be. In an era of catering to the least intelligent, David Simon and company (the people behind the awesome Homicide: Life on the Street series among others) have created a drama that dares to speak on multiple levels to intelligent audiences and is even, shockingly, the most inclusive and anti-stereotypical show around today. I have never seen a show that was so balanced in terms of actual numbers and positive and negative portrayals of black, white, and even homosexual characters. (Asians, Latinos, etc...just wait awhile, it's coming, and this show is a breakthrough for all in my opinion.) In other words, black people don't just play the evil drug dealers, and whites the unstoppable, saintly police. In fact, the smartest cops on the force are black, but even better is that there are likable characters who you empathize with and support on both sides, and characters who you despise and pray for their imminent destruction on both as well. The show centers on a police unit in Baltimore that uses a wire tap to collect evidence on drug-related crime. However, this is just the beginning of the labyrinthine focus that swirls in the plot of The Wire. Entering Season 4, I was concerned that since the awesome antagonists of Barksdale and Bell had probably left the main storyline, where would the show direct its focus? As an answer, the brilliant minds decided to pick up the political storyline from last season, add in a new element in the unsolvable social problem of crime in the school system, and introduced a subplot about a group of kids caught up in this extremely realistic and dangerous enviroment. In short, we are watching the creation of the next Avon Barksdale, Stringer Bell, and even possibly the next Lester Banks, and Carver.....kingpins of crime or great cops. The suspense on this thread is created by attempting to guess which kid will go in which direction. I'm sure they won't let me down and take any obvious or simple option, since simple is usually never a valid description in life. It's also to the show's credit that their thematic focus doesn't just lay the blame at one level of society, but actually portrays all levels of the system as corrupt with predators working for their own selfish ends, and a few good people trying to work within its boundaries but being overwhelmed in the process. As a teacher in a public high school (although not one of inner-city Baltimore) I can understand the feeling of being overwhelmed. Entering its 4th season, with new antagonists and storylines, this is the perfect jumping-0n point for all of you to come on board. I'll be watching, (My favorite characters are Lester Banks, and of course...OMAR, the trenchcoat-wearing, shotgun wielding assassain who takes down drug-dealers for personal profit....and he's gay, Take that Mr. Stereotype!) and I hope the rest of the world can take a break from the usual cliche and unimaginative shows dominating television to give this incredible show a chance. I applaud HBO for keeping the show going for its universal critical acclaim, and despite the lack of intelligent viewers watching. In fact, HBO already approved Season 5 based on critical acclaim from the first episode in this new season.

BLADE: The Series...Maybe I judged too soon...

This post is put forth grudgingly, but honestly. I watched Spike TV's Blade: The Series pilot movie back in June, and was severely underwhelmed with the production. It was cheesy, shot horribly, and not even good enough for enjoyment as a "good bad movie." However, my pal Zablo kept on championing the show's virtues, extolling its character development, how they had addressed all of my complaints, and really found their voice in the third or fourth episode. In fact, "Blade becomes a side character to the entire plot of the show," Zablo said, "the true strength of the show is derived from its ensemble cast and ongoing narrative." (Yes, I paraphrase in my own snobby tone. Sorry.) I am here and now admitting that "Yes, Zablo was correct." I watched the Blade marathon on Saturday and Sunday, flipping back and forth between football games on Sunday, and was incredibly impressed. While I won't say this show, shot with Spike TV's budget, possessing a lead actor with questionable skills, and about vampires for chrissakes, is good...I will call it now one of my "guilty pleasures." At least it boasts the creative intent to build something with an ongoing narrative, instead of Blade facing a vampire of the week. I will now be looking forward to the season finale Wednesday night at 10 p.m., and would like to take this opportunity to thank my friend for re-directing my attention to something that I would otherwise have written off completely. Now if I could only remember the authors he mentioned as well...

DRAGONCON Part Four: Finale and Final Thoughts

The final day at any convention is usually one of pick-ups, last minute deals, and saying goodbyes to people that you might not see for quite awhile, or until the next convention. I don't know what would have had to happen to make the day anything other than a letdown after the incredible Day Of The James, so understand if it seems a little less entertaining than the previous posts. I had no more art to pick up, and that was a relief. I can't tell you how many conventions I've been to where I've had to wait until the end of the show, or even after the show closed (last year's Heroes waiting for my Tex commission) for a piece of art. They've all been worth it, mind you, I'm the first to say that...but when you're facing a drive home of around 6 hours or so, it can make the end of the trip rather gruelling. The crew and I awoke, took care of the last minute details in checking out, packing the car, and taking some last minute pics. Sumbitch had to leave, but it was fantastic to see him again, and I look forward to our next reunion. Pecker, Sweet Will, and I headed to the con with Johnny StarWarz, and we looked again for free stuff, looked over the dealer's room and exhibition rooms, and then went back to Artist Alley, where the rest of the crew was hanging out, watching Brian put an awesome head shot of Batman in some guy's JLA book. Brian, wearing his DOTJ t-shirt, looked fabulous. The main thing we were waiting for on Sunday was Brian's panel on Sequential Art, and JJ and Joanne joined us for it as well. If you've never heard the Grandmaster lecture on Art, either through portfolio review from an aspiring artist, or while he's painting, or at a panel, you are missing out on one of the most illuminating experiences you could ever get. I'm not an artist...I make no claims in that area...but even I can understand all of Brian's "artspeak," and that's a testament to his ability to "illustrate" the indescribable processes that artists must go through in terms of vision and craft. What was supposed to be a 1 hour panel turned into a 2 and 1/2 hour experience as Brian and "Bob," a professor from SCAD, delivered a journey through the power of sequential art, and speaking for myself, it was enlightening. One interesting thing I will comment on from the panel, was Brian explaining how the artists at Gaijin Studios had long ago realized what kind of artist they were, and then played to their strengths. They compared their sequential art sensibilities to film directing styles, and to the directors themselves. Adam Hughes was supposedly like Richard Donner, and favored the incredible emotional impact in character's faces, and was perfect for huge mainstream blockbuster success like a Superman, or a Wonder Woman. Jason Pearson was compared to John Woo, probably like vintage Hong Kong John Woo, and favored the balletic action sequences and a more kinetic sequential style. Brian then said that his sensibilities favored the Michael Mann style of dark, moody, and even expressionistic types of material. This might explain his penchant for the Bat characters, and darker heroes and heroines like Domino and The Matador. I will now go on record and say that Brian was wrong. Yes, Grandmaster...you were wrong. While I agree that you do capture dark and expressionistic sensibilities with your style, and conjure film noirish aspects in your panels with ease...I'd compare you with my favorite director that ever worked in film: Akira Kurosawa. Kurosawa also worked in the moody and expressionistic palette for many films, including The Bad Sleep Well, Stray Dog, and some aspects in Rashomon and The Seven Samurai. In fact, I can only dream at how awesome a Batman film would have been in his hands. Brian's eastern influences are also inescapable in every panel...hell, he's in Gaijin Studios. However, Kurosawa was equally as talented in using colors and dreamlike imagery to convey a variety of different themes and visions, like in Dreams, and his Shakespeare adaptations. It makes perfect sense to me that Brian, modest as he is, would limit his comparison to a talented, journeyman director like Michael Mann, when in fact he ranks up there with the Little Emperor, himself. I just wanted to set the record straight, and not embarrass Brian in the process. My favorite artist and favorite director...it comes as no surprise to me how similar they are. Anyway, after a few farewells and pics, Pecker, Sweet Will, and I finally hit the road out of Atlanta. It was a fantastic trip, Cully Hamner even bought me lunch and took a sweet picture with me, but you have to look on Pecker's myspace to find it, because he didn't send it to me. It will truly be one that sets the standard for any future conventions that I attend. I can only say that the people I hang out with make the trip a success, not how many pieces of art or sweet deals you get (not that Higashi would agree.) I hope to hit a couple more this year, but MegaCon in Feb next year looms as the next huge opportunity. Adios all.

DRAGONCON Part Three:

I wake up, pleasantly surprised to feel no ill-effects from last evening's ribaldry, and realize that...Yes, It's "The Day Of The James." So, after we all awake, and have a quick breakfast again at the Hilton's Cafe Express, we head to the Con, Artist's Alley in the bottom of the Marriotte. I see that Brian is sketching for someone already, but he stops and we quickly talk "terms," and both of us agree that Ra's Al' Ghul will be the subject of The Year Of The James piece, but then Brian says, "One problem though...will it be Ra's dressed in the suit...or Ra's emerging from the Lazarus Pit? That's my problem...I can't, no, I won't decide...You must decide." I was put in a state of confusion, hysteria...an internal quandary of epic proportions. I had to decide which Ra's Al' Ghul would be the new additon to The James' Stelfreeze Batman Gallery, and I wasn't prepared. I had always relied on Brian to make these decisions, and HAL, master of choices like these was nowhere to be found. Seconds passed by that seemed like hours of torture at unattractive female's hands. Brian must have sensed my perplexed state, because then he spoke again, much like the burning bush must have answered questions for Moses: "I can't decided either...but it's Year Of The James, and that means..." (reaches behind the table) ..."You must have both." Brian then pulls out a finished b/w piece of Ra's standing in a suit, with a brandy snifter in hand. "This is part one of Year Of The James," he says, "Take it, it's yours. Now...now I will begin the color piece of Ra's emerging from the pit." Folks...FOTJ (Friends of The James)...I was overcome with unexpressed emotion that could only have been interpreted as shock at the generosity...the camaraderie...the "Stelfreeze" of the man towards me. I must have seemed like an alcoholic at Beerfest, because I can't truly recall anything after that for awhile. I know that I left Brian to begin the piece, checking with Andrew Robinson to pick up my Batman piece (Awesome), and checking with Eric Powell about my Catwoman piece (To be picked up around 5 or so), and attending to some other signing details, and going to Paul Dini's panel, and later getting my picture taken with him, one of my favorite writers, and talking him into signing my writer's book, with a quote about writing or fiction. The next huge event of DOTJ, was when I returned to Brian's table to witness a nice little crowd enjoying my piece's creation, and was told that Eric and Mimi Layton had arrived. For those who don't know, they are two of my best friends in and outside this little art-fanatic community we belong to, and we had eaten dinner with them the night before. What I did not know was that this was an "AMBUSH," but quickly discovered that the two Layton schemers had made a few T-SHIRTS that commemorated Day Of The James, since they both had them, gave me one, Brian one, Jason Walker, and Higashi had one. It had my picture (cruelly stolen from MySpace after I ran last year's river run) on the front with DOTJ, and on the back had my two other Stelfreeze Watercolors, with accompanying text as well. While I believed that I could not feel any more shocked, I was wrong. This display of affection truly caught me off guard, and made the day even more unbelievable. People kept asking about the t-shirt all day, and The James began to become an icon, itself. (Incidentally, this all grew out of Mimi ribbing me about my WayoftheJames website, and her insistence that it not stop there.) People who didn't get shirts received the bracelets with WWTJD on them, which I suppose makes the wayofthejames a sort of religion now, as well. (Can't do worse than the ones at work in the world today, in my opinion.) Anyway, Brian finished the YOTJ piece, and it was beautiful, also following the themes he had done on the previous two creations, and I was amazed. I picked up my Eric Powell piece, also always outstanding, and my crew and I finished the day watching the Dragoncon Costume Contest in the room on the tv, joined by HAL and his wife Rhonda, Sumbitch, Iron Matt, and eventually Higashi...who had, unsurprisingly, bailed on us to have dinner with other artists. The past two days and nights were beginning to take their toll on me, but next year, I will be up and about all three nights viewing films, etc... While the evening winded to a close, the DOTJ still lived on in my mind, as I relived all of its wonderful moments into sleep. Stine, Brian's wife, emailed me after the con and said that I truly had some "wonderful friends." I can only concur with that statement, and express my never-ending astonishment at that fact, given my natural surly, and unfriendly state. I don't know how I got to be so lucky...but I do have some awesome friends that make simple stories and events feel like sagas and adventures. I hope you all find some friends that give to you a fraction of what I get from mine. Coming up: Day 4 of Dragoncon and final thougts on this adventure.

DRAGONCON Part Two:

Second day at the con, and we woke up hoarse and tired from the wrestling the night before, but all of us agreed that our energies had been well-spent. HAL and I actually headed out after the wrestling to view a few of the short horror films in the Dragoncon Independent Film Festival, but even the great HAL couldn't hold out for long, and I turned in before 2 a.m. It comes as no surprise that Madman Higashi was up before the rest renewing his parking, and planning his strategies for art acquisitions throughout the day. After meeting JJ and Joanne for breakfast, we all headed for the con where I intended to set up some art buys, and perhaps get a few pics and signatures from some of my favorite authors. I commissioned an Andrew Robinson Batman sketch, my first from one of Higashi's, Zablo's, and "Patch" Beatty's favorite artists, and proceeded to look for my favorite artist and friend, Grandmaster Illustrator Brian Stelfreeze...He of the classic film noirish stylized view of The Batman. 2006 was supposed to be the Year Of The James, and I was hoping that it meant my turn for another Stelfreeze watercolor commission to add to my collection. I met with him and he agreed that Sunday would be the day...the Day Of The James, to be exact, and we also set up dinner plans for the crew later that evening, followed by a viewing of Crank, with Jason Statham. My friends Iron Matt and HAL were on the wait for Eric Powell, one of my favorite artists, and they kindly assented to holding me a spot while I pursued other necessary tasks, like talking with Peter S. Beagle, who had just won a HUGO award for his sequel to The Last Unicorn, and talking to George Romero, writer/director of the famous Living Dead Films. I eventually returned to find Eric Powell setting up and commissioned a Catwoman sketch, suggested by HAL at my desperate request for assistance. I am not the world's greatest art collector in terms of variety, as Batman is my usual default, but HAL is known for his diverse tastes and helped me reach a decision. He didn't even once mention Zatanna, even though that seems to be his weakness. The clock rolled on, and eventually it became time to round up the crew for an Italian dinner at Franco's, famous for our dinner the year before, where Madman John Higashi gave the ORIGIN LECTURE on his collecting obsessions...those in attendance at that spectacle remember its ominous tones, never-ending spin-offs and sequels, and the feeling of fear one had at just how addictions can take hold of a human being. Anyway, Higashi, Joanne, JJ and I drove to the place while HAL, Brian, Sweet Will, and two lovely friends of Brian's from Dallas rode separately. Pecker tagged along with my pal Jason Sumbitch Walker who called in to join us at the last minute. We all met with Eric and Mimi Layton and Brian's wife Stine at Franco's, and were treated to a royal dinner, topped off with a round-robin style dessert event, taking a bite of each item on the menu before passing it along to the next person. I, along with JJ at the start, partook of several domestic beverages that made the time seem more magical...but that of course could have been the result of the awesome company and atmosphere I was in. Many thanks to all for enduring all of my picture-taking, and of course to Johnny StarWarz who again displayed a level of largesse and generosity that went out of style centuries ago, by picking up the dinner tab for the entire party. Finally, we made our exit, and went to a great theater not 5 minutes away, where I was amazed to find that they would also serve me domestic beverages that made Crank even more hilarious than the complete lack of plot, character, realism, or common sense. We HOWLED in laughter at the film, and I remember having a ball! Postscript to the film was Grandmaster Stelfreeze's announcement that since it was past midnight, it was officially the DAY OF THE JAMES, and my new art acquisition was only a few hours away. I rode home on a high, hoping I didn't embarrass myself with consuming too many domestic beverages, and since I couldn't talk any of the crew into going to watch films (You should have come just for that Lazenby), I turned in as well. Coming next...Day Three of Dragoncon and the YOTJ art piece...I mean pieces.

DRAGONCON Part One:

Folks, I attended my 9th Dragoncon, I believe, this year...and it was one of the greatest adventures in my memory. It will take more than one post to give you the full view of it all, so I will make one for every day. My crew (Sweet Will and Pecker) and I hit the road at 4 a.m. and arrived in Atlanta around 10ish. After securing the car, we checked in at the hotel, got our badges, and proceeded to have a leisurely lunch, awaiting the con to open. JJ and his wife Joanne were on the road also, due to catch up with us later. When we hit the con, I had several things to do: Get pictures with my digital camera I am finally learning how to use, get my Serenity poster signed by Summer Glau and Alan Tudyk, buy books and get signatures from Peter S. Beagle and Peter David, get a signature in my writer's book from Paul Dini, get a couple of dvd's and signatures from George Romero, and of course: get signatures and a sketch from V for Vendetta artist, David Lloyd. This alone would be plenty for a mortal man to accomplish, but that was outside of the art I wanted to procure. I had to skip Heroes Con earlier this year, so my original art obsession had not been fed recently, nor had my joy for attending conventions...I meant to enjoy this one in every way possible. Also, it was probably the last chance for my "Year of the James" piece from the Grandmaster Illustrator, Brian Stelfreeze, with an addition to the two watercolor pieces that I have from him already. In other words, folks...my expectations were quite high. I proceeded to get some autographs done, (Summer Glau is only more breathtakingly beautiful in person than on film), and take care of a few odds and ends for other people. I always try and get as much free stuff as I can for my students back home, and had brought along several requests which I was determined to meet...if at all possible. (It pays dividends in loyalty later if I hook them up with stuff.) Anyway, no art procured on day one...but it ended with JJ and Joanne showing up, hooking up with my pal, HAL, and going to DRAGONCON WRESTLING. This has become an annual tradition for us, attending this "Z" level pro wrestling spectacle, where JJ is the King of Commentating Fans. It usually varies from terrific (bloody Abdulla the Butcher episode and the infamous "cheese-grater incident") to horrible (we actually walked out last year)...but this year was AWESOME. They brought out the cheese grater again, probably due to our insistence and the legend we had created 3 years earlier. The show was okay...but JJ and the crew were in rare form, and it made the night one to remember. Even if you are not a pro wrestling fan, and I can't imagine JJ's wife Joanne is...you have to go to this thing with a great crew to enjoy the spectacle. Professional Wrestling is a unique expereince where the crowd's participation will make or break the show. We laughed so hard that it hurt, screamed until several of us were hoarse, and our presence made the show better...because it honestly could not have been worse. Coming up: Day 2 and my hunt for the Year of The James piece...