I Join the iPhone Revolution

I'll admit I'm something of a gadget freak. I love new technology and can't wait to get the latest cool gizmo. I adopted VHS early on, and started building a home video library back in the days when VHS tapes were relatively new and most were priced at the ridiculous sum of $89.99. Still, having the ability to watch such classics as RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK or ROBOT MONSTER at any time, day or night, was worth the price of admission.

I got a CD player when those were fairly new, when record stores still sold, you know, records, and when CDs made up a miniscule portion of their inventory. Once again, the chance to be in the forefront of a technological revolution was pretty great.

And now we come to this, Apple's iPhone 3G. I resisted getting the first, and even the second iteration of this groundbreaking device, knowing that they would be plagued with bugs. And apparently I was right. There were a number of problems with those earlier versions. But Apple has apparently worked hard to resolve them, and, while I'm sure that this latest version will have its issues as well, it's a pretty slick device.

For all intents and purposes, this is like having a computer in the palm of your hand. It handles email, plays movies and video, accesses the Internet via the Safari web browser, and does virtually everything your home desktop does. The only things that I can see that it lacks so far are basic word processing and spread sheet programs, and I wouldn't be surprised to see those in the somewhat near future.

The best part about the iPhone are the applications, or "apps" that one can download and install. Although many of the apps are for sale, there are a number that are free, and I've been downloading those like crazy. Some of my favorites:

1. Lightsaber: This one puts a lightsaber on your screen, complete with music. When you move the iPhone, it makes cool lightsaber noises. Just about the closest you can come to actually being a Jedi.
2. Shazam: Whoever came up with this should be burned at the stake as a witch. I mean, this is just this side of black magic, and just as cool. Run Shazam, hold you iPhone up to any music source, and it will listen to the song, analyze it, then identify the song and tell you where you can buy it. It's not infallible - it failed to identify some Celtic music I heard on the radio - but it's pretty damn good. I'm in awe of the people who developed this incredible app.
3. Yelp: Using the 3G's built in GPS capabilities, the iPhone can find a variety of businesses, including restaurants, bookstores, drugstores, banks, and much more, all located within a defined area around your current position. I can't imagine how helpful this is going to be.
4. Flixster: Being able to watch movie trailers in the palm of your hand is what technology is all about.
5. Mobile News: Instant headlines from the world's top news feeds.
6. iSushi: Again, using GPS coordinates, my iPhone can now tell me where the nearest sushi restaurant is located. Yum.
7. Pumpkin: Incredibly dopey, this app let's one create a scary pumpkin face, complete with flickering candle light and spooky sound effects.

That's just a few of the cool apps I've downloaded, and I'm sure there will be more to come. It seems that new things are being created and posted everyday.

And now, it's time to stop blogging and go back to playing with my iPhone.

Me and Stan the Man

From time to time, I'll post some of my favorite pictures, and I can't think of a better one to start with than this.

That's a picture of me with Stan "The Man" Lee. For the tragically unhip, Stan was the writer and co-creator of such pop culture icons as the Fantastic Four, the Hulk, Iron Man, the X-Men, Spider-Man, and much, much more. When I was a kid - a kid who was deeply into comics - I idolized Stan. Even more than the artists - legends like Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, John Romita, Gene Colan, and George Tuska - Stan was, to me, the heart and soul of Marvel. He was the one who created the "clubhouse" feel that made Marvel seem like more than a big corporation (like rival DC), but like a bunch of friends who loved comics as much as I did. Stan wrote virtually every title Marvel published in the early years, and, even in the books he didn't write, his presence was felt through the "Bullpen Bulletins Page," and his monthly "Stan's Soapbox."

What made Stan so different from virtually everyone else writing comics at the time was that he wrote stories that both adults and kids could enjoy. He wasn't writing pretentious "graphic novels," like so many "creators" seem to be doing today, nor did he write down to his audience, assuming they were semi-literate morons, as many writers - then and now - tend to do. No, Stan knew how to write engaging, fast-paced stories that would stand the test of time. Don't believe me? Then check out such personal favorites as CAPTAIN AMERICA #106 ("Cap Goes WILD!!"), FANTASTIC FOUR #48-50 (the justly famous "Galactus Trilogy") or JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY #114-115 (the introduction of the Absorbing Man in Thor). These are just a few examples of the way Stan could write a story that could be enjoyed on a number of levels, and illustrate just why I think he's one of the greatest writers of the modern era.

Anyway, when I joined Heritage Auction Galleries as their founding director of Rare Comic Book and Comic Art Auctions, I soon had the chance to meet and work with Stan to sell his collection. While not a collector himself, Stan had amassed a treasure trove over the years (or so we assumed: even Stan admitted in our preliminary talks that he had no idea what he might have), so the decision was made that I would fly to Los Angeles and inventory his stuff.

If you're into comics at all, you know what a thrill this was. Not only was I going to meet one of my lifelong idols, but I was going to get a chance to dig through his closets! After the initial shock wore off, I started to have second thoughts, though. What if Stan wasn't the kind of guy I imagined him to be? What if he was a nasty, bitter, cynical old man who just wanted to cash in on past glories? If that was the case, I knew that nearly forty years of adulation and hero-worship would go down the drain (on a much smaller scale, I had had a similar experience with Frank Perdue some years earlier. In his chicken commercials, Perdue always seemed like a decent guy, and so when I heard he was doing a local store appearance, I made sure to stop in. I can't imagine a meaner, less friendly person.  I know that everyone has a bad day once in a while, but he really went above and beyond. What a jerk.)

And so I flew out to meet Stan. Bear in mind that this was right around the time that the first SPIDER-MAN movie was coming out, so Stan was incredibly busy doing interviews and personal appearances, with enough stress to test the mettle of a man half his age. I was, to say the least, nervous.

And then I met him. He came into the room where I was working and gave me a warm handshake, introduced himself (as if I wouldn't know who he was), and apologized for not being more accessible. And then he invited me to go to lunch with him. Best of all, he even bought my lunch. Stan "The Man" bought me lunch!

Stan turned out to be the nicest, friendliest, most down-to-earth guy you could possibly imagine. As much as he comes across bigger than life in his TV appearances, he couldn't have been more genuine in the time I got to spend with him. On a subsequent trip, he invited me to his home, where I met his utterly charming wife Joan. Honestly, they don't get much better than Stan.

The photo above was taken in his office during a later trip, when I presented him with the first check for the sale of his comics and memorabilia. In the storage area, in the midst of everything, I managed to find a near-complete collection of important Marvel first issues, including FANTASTIC FOUR #1, AMAZING FANTASY #15, INCREDIBLE HULK #1, TALES OF SUSPENSE #39, and many more. Working with Steve Borock at CGC, we were able to encapsulate and label the books as coming from the "Stan Lee Collection," and they sold for astronomical prices when offered. The auction itself was a thrill, but meeting and getting to spend time with Stan was really one of the high points of my life.

So that's the story behind the picture. It hung on my mother's refrigerator for years, and now it's here. Enjoy.

Beginning to Blog

To be honest, I'm not sure why I'm doing this. I've never been big on blogging before, but, with 2009 just around the corner, and my need to make my Not So Humble Opinions known to as wide an audience as possible (although I'm under no illusion that anyone will ever read this), perhaps it's time to boldly press on into the new world of Blogiture.

That being said, just what exactly does one talk about in a blog? Anything one wants, I imagine. Now that we're - thankfully - past the most entertaining and absorbing presidential election of my life (YAY! The good guy won for a change!), I"m sure we'll see a sharp decline in the number of political blogs. I mean, c'mon, Obama can't possibly give pundits as much to work with as good ole George W., can he? Let's hope not.

So, for this initial post, I guess I'll start with a few things that are on my mind right now:

1. My first book - CAPES, CROOKS, AND CLIFFHANGERS: A Visual History of Heroic Serials through Vintage Movie Posters - is almost done. I'm working on the final edits now, and then it's off to the printer. This has been a labor of love for the past four years, and I can't wait to actually see the finished product. I'm really proud of the way it's turning out, and I hope the reaction to it is good.
   
2. Being unemployed sucks. I know you know that, but I just wanted to say it. For the first few weeks, the feeling of being on vacation is pretty cool, but after that the charm wears off fast.
3. And speaking of that, can we talk about health care for a minute? I really understand how it is that so many people are uninsured these days. I'm eligible for COBRA, but they want - are you ready for this? - $600 PER MONTH to continue my coverage. With that being the reality, I'm going to have to decline coverage and take my chances until a better option comes around.
4. Comic Buyer's Guide #1651 should be out soon, with my first cover feature for that magazine, this one on Marvel's Illuminati. You really should check it out.
5. Facebook: I've just set up a Facebook account, and am having a ball connecting with old friends from high school and college.
6. What I'm watching right now: Dexter Season One on DVD, Property Ladder, Kitchen Nightmares, Heroes, Spartacus on DVD.
7. What I'm reading right now: The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand (an interesting story, but way overwritten and overwrought. As much as I can see where Rand's going, the fact is that her characters are cartoon people who only exist the way they do to make her point. The book is, in the end, about as realistic as The Hobbit, and far less entertaining), and Dexter in the Dark, the third of the Dexter books by Jeff Lindsay (very entertaining and exciting, and a very fast read. It's easy to get caught up in pulpy potboilers like this).

That's enough for this first post. I'm sure I'll have more to say later.