Boston Fan Expo Recap #2: Bob McLeod Commission, John Byrne, And Others!

Fan Expo Boston is now 2 weeks behind me and there was another con that I have already attended (yay con season!).

So I thought I would wrap up my coverage of this con today.

As I said last week, the feel of the con is much more celebrity-focused but the comic creator guest list was pretty impressive. There was a nice mix of classic creators and current folks. So for an old timer like me who also hits the store every Wednesday, this was perfect.

For examples, one of my best interactions was talking to Sam Humphries about his Legion/Bugs Bunny crossover. Humphries is a big fan of the Grell era Legion, the books I cut my comic teeth on. And I was able to talk about his recent Harley Quinn run which has really shined.

And, of course, John Byrne was there. Byrne was a huge draw for me, having been a fan of his since I was a wee lad reading Marvel Team-Up and enjoying his Superman reboot.

Regarding commissions these days, I am trying to make sure I get more classic artists when I see them (and if I can afford them) to recognize them and their contributions. At Boston, I really hoped to grab a Bob McLeod commission and I was lucky enough to get one.

Up next, the commission, by Byrne interaction, and other stuff.

Fan Expo Boston Preparation

Okay, we are moving at light speed towards my conventions season. I am lucky enough to have a several conventions be close by over the summer months and each con has a distinctly different feel to it.

The first con is Fan Expo Boston, formerly The Boston Comic Con. Last year was the first time Fan Expo was running the show, purchased from the local organizers. As a result, last year had a very corporate feel to it. It was moved to a bigger venue, one with free parking, and had more celebrities on the guest list. But it lost a little bit of the 'true comic con' homey feel the prior incarnation did. The comic guests seemed like a tack on rather than the draw.

Now I'm not complaining. I have Terrificon coming up to give me the true comic feel. And I don't mind experiencing a more business-like con here because it is probably the closest I'll get to San Diego.

This year's comic guest list is very impressive. Perhaps last year's success was enough to lure some big names. So I definitely have people to run and see. I also have a couple of commission hopes. So with all that said, here is my Fan Expo Boston con prep post.

Back Issue Box: Action Comics #674

Earlier this week, on the Supergirl show, Supergirl faced off against Draaga in Roulette's fight club. And, while Draaga was formidable, Supergirl ended up taking him out pretty easily. It made me think that it was time to review Action Comics #674, the prologue to Panic of the Sky and the reintroduction of Matrix Supergirl into the DCU after a prolonged absence.

A bit of history before we jump into the story. The Matrix Supergirl was part of the (in)famous Supergirl Saga in the waning days of the John Byrne Superman run. Supergirl was back in the post-Crisis universe but she was a protoplasmic Matrix from a 'pocket universe' created by the Time Trapper and ultimately overrun by that universe's Phantom Zone villains, still amped up to Silver Age Kryptonian level. In that story, Superman executed the other universe's villains with Green K, thus giving Zach Snyder apologists an easy counterargument against his vile interpretation of the Man of Steel.

After that story, Matrix ... now called Mae ... became a childlike featureless being who was taken in by the Kents and slowly introduced to the new world around her. However, when Superman exiled himself from Earth over his guilt from killing those villains, Matrix used her shape-changing powers to live the life of Clark Kent and Superman. While it protected Superman's secret identity, it did further shatter Matrix's fragile psyche. When the real Superman came back, Matrix fought him in an attempt to keep the Superman identity for herself. After that brawl, the Matrix (now in the form of a gray clad Superman) flew into space to find herself.

Whew ... you get all that?

Suffice it to say, it wasn't an easy time to be a Supergirl fan. The Matrix Supergirl may have had a nice costume but she was a bit of a disaster. And in the end, she was so schizophrenic that she wasn't even Supergirl anymore. Instead she was Matrix Superman! Really?!?

So why does this cover sport the 'Supergirl in Action Comics' title font with a lovely pic of her standing over Draaga? Well, you'll have to read on as I present 'The Past is Prologue' by writer Roger Stern and artists Bob McLeod and Denis Rodier. Stern does a great job of weaving this story and setting up Panic in the Sky. And McLeod and Rodier have a clean house style which works nicely.

And while it was good to see Supergirl again things are going to get worse before they get better for her.