The Wonders of Wondercon

Earlier this year i was treated with tickets to the Wondercon event in San Francisco, Ca at the Moscone Center.  Something I had been wanting to do for a very long time since I have been a comic enthusiast for quite some time. 

To start, Wondercon is a comic convention that has exhibits and sellers of all things related to comics.  Ranging from actual comics to movies and games; the show covers all.  Comic conventions started out as a way for comic lovers to join together and celebrate them.  It also helped that comic sellers could help spread comics around to everyone. 

So the question comes in, why attend a  comic convention?  Well, for one thing you don't have to be  a comic nerd to enjoy the show.  Comic conventions have evolved into a huge expo for games, sci fi, movies and comics. 

All major comic groups attend like Marvel, DC, Dark Horse, and Image to show off the new things that will be coming throughout the year.  It also gives a chance for lesser known companies and publishers to get their comics out to the public.  It is also the best place to find old and new comics to add to ones collection.  Taking Wondercon for example, vendors from all over California come to the convention to sell their best product.

If comics aren't your fancy, then maybe games are.  Game companies show off their latest offerings to indulge the gamer crowd.  Capcom for example showed off Marvel Vs Capcom 3 before it came out at Wondercon.  They held a little tournament as well to give gamers a chance to try out the new game.  Keeping up with the comic theme however, Sony showed off games that coincided with the release of the movies "Thor" and "Captain America".

Conventions also have things for the film lover.  Wondercon had an exclusive Q and A with the actors of the movie "Immortals". There was also an exclusive signing with Saoirse Ronan, the main character from the movie "Hannah".  The main attraction however was the Green Lantern expo that occurred the first night of Wondercon. 

The entire cast was on hand to answer questions from fans and talk  about the movie.  Ryan Reynolds was the favorite star on display and he did not disappoint, answering all questions asked by fans and posing for pictures after.  He also held a signing to give all fans a chance to meet with him. 

Wondercon exceeded all my expectations.  The number of vendors alone was enough to tide me over.  So with the extras of celebrities and games, it was something more to enjoy.  So when you want too enjoy a plethora of entertainment from the entertainment world, give Wondercon a try. 

In 2012 Wondercon will be held in Anaheim in May while Moscone Center in San Francisco gets renovated.  It will return to San Francisco the following year. 

Dos Coyotes equals dos the fun

Dos Coyotes is a Southwest Mexican style restaurant located in the Sacramento and Davis area.  Providing authentic southwest fare coupled with new ideas creates a interesting blend of food to eat.

Starting with the decor, Dos Coyotes in the Arden Fair Mall looks like an upscale pueblo.  The glass resembles that of the glass seen in pictures and tile all over the floor and walls.  The mascot of the restaurant, which is two coyotes howling at the moon, is present almost everywhere outside and inside.  They also have southwest themed items like Native American statues. 

Now on to the food.  Dos Coyotes offers all kinds of authentic southwest style food.  From tacos filled with beef, steak, and grilled chicken to burritos with the same.  They also offer sedona chicken taquitos.  Sedona is an area is Arizona close to Phoenix which is known for it's red sandstone attractions.   What really makes Dos Coyotes special however, is its specials.

Each Dos Coyotes in a certain area serves it's own specials throughout the year.  They usually change every month to keep things fresh.  I decided to order two different specials since they were both unique.

The first I tried was the Albuquerque turkey club tacos that a friend of mine got.  Turkey club sandwiches are a staple in the American lunch diet.  So to infuse the turkey club into southwest cooking sounds great.  Thankfully it transitions well in taste as well.  The taco has turkey, lettuce, heirloom cherry tomatoes, avocado, bacon and a cherry lime dressing.  The ingredients all mix well together giving a nice smokey flavor to the taco.  It's also refreshing from the tomatoes and the dressing making this infusion a success.

On to the meal I tried was which was the green chile stew.  New Mexican green chilies that are fire roasted are stewed with chicken, garlic, tomatoes and potatoes.  There is also some hints of cumin and paprika in the dish to give a little extra spice.  As for the taste, the flavors blended together nicely and it was hardier than I expected.  It reminded me of the pot roast my mom use to make, so the chile stew definitely had a comforting feeling. 

Dos Coyotes also offers a fresh salsa bar to go with all meals.  From salsa fresca to extremely hot red salsa, it adds that extra flavor to all food.  They also have a unique kind of salsa that surprised me.  It is neon green in color and looks radioactive, however tastes great.  It has some pasilla and poblano peppers in it that mix with green pepper and jalapeno.  They also have red onion in it to give it a sweet bite.  The salsa is a great additions and I used it liberally.

The restaurant also had a great machine that alone would make me want to come back.  That machine is the soda machine.  It isn't your average soda machine, it has more than 30 different flavors within.  It not only has coke and sprite, but has different flavors of coke and sprite.  Taking sprite for example, the machine allows you to get either orange, grape, or strawberry flavors.

Dos Coyotes also offers alcoholic beverages like beer and freshly made margaritas. 

So if your in the mood for authentic southwest food that also offers new ways to cook it, than Dos Coyotes would be a good fit.  The price ranges from $5 - $10 per meal and most meals come with rice and black beans.  So if you come down don't worry about taking a few minutes to order because it will certainly take you a few minutes to select what beverage to pick as well.

 Photos taken from Dos Coyotes website.

The Walking Dead

What started out as a comic about post-apocalyptic life after a zombie infestation has now earned it's way to a TV show on AMC.  The Walking Dead has become a very popular comic and after last years first season, has now made it's way to the second season this year.

The Walking Dead is a comic that started in 2003 by writer Robert Kirkman for Image comics.  It's a story about main character Rick Grimes who awakes from a coma in a hospital in Kentucky to find his friends and family gone and the world over run with zombies.  Throughout the story he finds his family and forms a group of survivors which has many gruesome and trying adventures.  Each storyline in the comic lasts for six issues and is still running having it's 90th issue out last month.   

The TV show began in 2010 and aired with six episodes.  It followed most of the story lines from the comic however, it did add new characters and several new ideas and areas.  This is one of the reason why the show has been successful.  As Kirkman put it himself, "The show will follow some story lines from the comic however, it has developed into it's own organic creature and will continue to evolve on it's own."

That's enough about the comic though, what makes the show compelling as it's counterpart is that it isn't about zombies killing people, it's about the survivors and the human factor.  What i mean by human factor is that it allows us as viewers to put ourselves in the shoes of the characters and go "would I do that?".

With the world filled with mindless zombies, the characters have to figure out what to do next and fast.  It's a show that keeps the viewers on their feet because one never knows what is going to happen next.  For example, in this season so far, Rick's son Carl has been shot and another character Sophia, who is the daughter of Carol, has gone missing.  The fear for Rick is that everyone will become a zombie if killed, so the pressure to get Carl saved is high.

Seeing the characters interact with one another keeps the drama high as well and doesn't get bland.  With arguments over where to go and stay keeps the story fresh because living in one place keeps the constant fear of zombies breaking in close.  However, going outside and exposing themselves to the zombie epidemic is also unsafe.  It's these life decisions that make the show exciting.

One thing that always keeps us as people interested is venturing into the unknown, and that's the feeling the characters and viewers get.  It may be a bleak and sad unknown, but that fact that it's leading to something new and interesting keeps the suspense up.  Will it be a horde of zombies next or maybe more survivors?

Speaking of survivors, they also keep the show fresh.  Finding a new survivor may not always be good.  Having the unknown of will this survivor be helpful or is he or she here for personal gain is hard to determine.  These are the type of characters that are in the show and they keep the show interesting by plotting their own agendas. 

For people who loved the comic like me, there are some other things that will keep us watching.  The fact that it doesn't follow the comics exactly is great.  Instead of a carbon copy edition, we get a whole new way to watch the story unfold.  Taking Shane for example, he is Rick's police partner who dies in the 6th issue, the end of the first story arc.  However, in the show he is alive which is making for great story.  Him being alive is showing how crazy and deranged he has become because of the zombie epidemic. 

Even though the show has it's own writers, Kirkman helps out a good deal.  He is like a consultant for the show and has no problem with the writers changing things up.  The second season started on October 16 and is on it's way to the 4th episode.  It airs every Sunday at 9 pm and replays twice that same day.