It’s been a crazy couple of days this past week. The Internet has broken multiple times in the past week, whether it was over the Batman v. Superman movie or the bird landing on Bernie Sanders’ podium. Here in Kansas City, we woke up on Easter morning to a blanket of snow, which quickly melted away as temperatures rose up into the low 50s. (No wonder my allergies and sinuses have been so crazy this month.) And don’t get me started on my brackets – ugh!!

So, while I do have some comics I could talk about here, I would rather use this space to pimp two upcoming events next weekend in the Kansas City area. Both of these shows are put on by prior guests on our podcast. But that’s not why we want to feature them this week. Even if they hadn’t been guests, we would still recommend each of them, because we believe in what they are doing! Whatever you have planned for this Saturday, clear your calendar now and get these two events on your To-Do list for April 2.

KC FANCON #45

April 2, 2016 – 10 AM to 5 PM
Douglas County Fairgrounds, Lawrence, KS

We have been big fans of Craig Klotz and his shows for many years. He puts together comic-focused shows that are affordable and fun for everyone. Normally his free FANCON shows are held at local Kansas City hotels, and his Free State Comicon shows are held at the Douglas County Fairgrounds in Lawrence, KS. But for the show coming up this weekend, he is mashing those two things together. The FANCON show is still completely FREE, but it will be held in Lawrence at the Fairgrounds. That’s a short 30-minute drive from Kansas City. I bet if you ask around, you can find some friends and carpool to the show together.

So at the show, you can expect a lot of comic book dealers. We love that these shows focus so much on the comics, and not as much on t-shirts, video games, or B-grade celebrities from 30-year-old TV shows. Just comics! What more do you need? Even better is the chance to meet some honest-to-goodness comic book creators! Look for writer Aaron Walter and artist Ed Bickford of the recently released The Birdlander comic. This will be your first chance to buy this book anywhere! Seriously, go out to this show and stock up on some comics for the spring months ahead.

Sports Arts Exhibit

April 2, 2016 – 6:30 to 10 PM
Ricos Tacos Lupe, Kansas City, MO

All of us have been aware of Anthony Oropeza for many years, but it wasn’t until we sat down with him last summer for an interview at the Johnson County Library before we realized just how talented he is. Since that time, it feels like AO’s presence is just growing by leaps and bounds. Case in point, AO has an exhibit planned for this Saturday night featuring his sports artwork.  With a style harkening back to the legendary Leroy Neiman, AO’s sports paintings capture the thrill of the moment with sports – a live moment that can never be replicated ever again in a game, but is put down on canvas for all-time. The key feature in this collection is a print celebrating the Royals winning the 2015 World Series. As incredible as these look online, I know they will be so more impressive in person. Many of these pieces are moving on to private collections, so this will be your last chance to see them all together. We hope to see you there this Saturday night!

Finally, let’s rewind last week, and fast-forward this week!

Last Week:

• Aegeus (Class of ’82) was featured in the Superhero Yearbook.
• Cullen shared his choices for Four Comics I Want – Circuit Breaker, Cyborg, We Are Robin, and Hero Cats.
• Cullen kept the Comic Cards Calvacade series going with episodes 23 and 24.
• John and Miranda put together a review of the newest episode of the Flash on our YouTube channel.
• Batman teaming up with Superman? What an original concept for a movie! Imagine if DC had been doing that in the comics. Oh wait, they have over in the pages of World’s Finest Comics.
• The guys got the opportunity to interview writer/artist Terry Moore on the podcast this week.

This Week:

• Tonight is the start of the Supergirl-Flash team-up! Make sure to review the WCPE TV listings. Check back in later this week for John and Miranda’s video review.
• Jerry and Cullen have lots of stuff planned for the week, including Four Comics I Want.
• This is not an April Fool’s Day joke! We are completely serious when we tell you that there will not be a single podcast from us this week. 

Categories: Jerry

Tags: Anthony Oropeza, Craig Klotz, Jerry McMullen, KC Fancon, Sports Art Show