Skip navigation

Daredevil Tour of the Bay Area: Issue 3

This regular feature on The Shared Universe is intended to act as a tour guide of the Bay Area by following the adventures of our most recent New York City transplant. If an issue of Daredevil features any notable landmarks I’ll pull them out and provide some context for readers unfamiliar with this region of the country. Previous entries in this series:

thepresidio
Presidio of San Francisco

This month’s issue opens in the Presidio at the Northern tip of the San Francisco peninsula. Mob boss Leland “The Owl” Owlsley has chosen this location to meet with a henchman who has information on the Shroud and Daredevil. The Presidio is the perfect place for the Owl to hang out, because it’s part of the lushly forested Golden Gate National Recreation Area. He has many tress to choose from and can also hang out with a number of actual owls.

The Presidio is a fascinating region of San Francisco that’s often missed by visitors. In addition to having one of the best views of the Golden Gate Bridge the Presidio has a rich history that was integral in San Francisco becoming the city it is today.

The Presidio was established by the Spanish in 1776 as a garrison to defend their claim of the Bay Area. At the time it was known as El Presidio Real de San Francisco and provided support to Mission Delores. When Mexico declared independence in 1821 the Presidio began to suffer from neglected. The garrison once housed at the Presidio moved to Sonoma leaving the settlers of that region mostly undefended. In 1846, during the Bear Flag Revolt, the U.S. Army took control of the Presidio. This was the start of a rich U.S. military history for the Presidio which is well documented while strolling through The Presidio. The region played important roles in the Civil War, the Spanish-American War, and both World Wars. It was also the site of the 1968 “Presidio mutiny” which helped bring attention to anti-Vietnam War sentiment within the ranks of the U.S. military.

In 1994, the Presidio was transferred to the National Park Service and two years later privatized by Congress. Today this once militarized region of the Bay Area plays an important role in fostering the arts. George Lucas has made substantial investments in an effort to make it a hub for San Francisco filmmaking. The Letterman Digital Arts Center houses Lucasfilm’s marketing division, Industrial Light and Magic, and LucasArts. The property is peppered with a number of statues including Yoda and Ray Harryhausen.

The Presidio is additionally home to the Walt Disney Family Museum, the San Francisco Film Society, and a number of other organizations.

That’s it for this week!

PW: Kickstarter comic projects have success rate above 50 percent

Publisher’s Weekly has a new article looking at the success rate of crowdfunding publishing projects. It’s a worthwhile read for anyone who might be taking into consideration the use of a platform like Kickstarter to jumpstart their book. According to the article Kickstarter has a success rate of a little more than 50 percent when it comes to funding comics. However, don’t let that go to your head too much as there’s much more that goes into a successful crowdfunding campaign than simply wanting to do a crowdfunding campaign. Check out the article, but don’t forget to weigh all of the different crowdfunding platforms before taking the plunge.

Signing: Princess Ugg’s Ted Naifeh On June 7 at Isotope

BnntdahIUAACqP5My niece and nephew are both reaching an age where I can start shaping them to be better humans via the influence of comics. My nephew is easy as he’s already awash in all things Batman and Super Hero Squad. My niece, she’s a tougher egg to crack as she’s been led straight down the Disney princess path. There’s a cure for that: Princess Ugg.

From Oni Press:

Within the fairy-tale kingdom of Atraesca lies the prestigious Princess Academy, where young royals from all the five kingdoms come to get their education. But they’ve never before seen the like of Princess Ülga of Grimmeria. Armed with axe and sword, riding her war mammoth through the city gates, Ülga has come in search of schooling. But this barbarian princess might just end up schooling the people of Atraesca before that happens!

Princess Ugg is a new project by one-time Harvey Award nominee and two-time Eisner Award nominee Ted Naifeh. The writer/illustrator received his Eisner nods for his work on Courtney Crumrin and the Harvey nod for Polly and the Pirates. Naifeh will be appearing at Isotope – The Comic Book Lounge, 326 Fell Street in San Francisco, on June 7 between noon and 5 p.m.

Cartoon Art Museum to host Queer Comics Expo

San Francisco’s Cartoon Art Museum is launching the first Queer Comics Expo in conjunction with PRIDE month. On June 8th the venue will highlight the role of LGBTQ comics in society. More information can be found at the museum’s websiteQCElogoweb2-300x286. The press release is below:

This June, the Cartoon Art Museum of San Francisco will join Pride month celebrations by holding its first annual Queer Comics Expo (QCE) on June 8, 2014 from 11am to 5pm. The expo encourages attendees to dress up, draw, meet artists, mingle with Queens, watch demonstrations, join conversations, and learn about the fierce LGBTQ world of comic books. In the past few years the museum has been a successful jumpstart for popular local comic conventions like the Latino Comics Expo and APAture.

“Now that the Latino Comics Expo has overflowed the space of the galleries with their success it is time to repeat that victory with something new. The Queer Comics Expo is an event we’ve been waiting to do for a while and we finally have the right team to make it fabulous,” said the events co-coordinator and Cartoon Art Museum Bookstore Manager, Heather Plunkett.

The Queer Comics Expo is part of the Queer Cultural Center’s National Queer Arts Festival and will be headlined by local Bay Area comics champion Ed Luce. Ed is beloved for his series Wuvable Oaf and his position as an educator for the California College of the Arts Comics MFA.  A former Queer Press Grant Recipient, Ed Luce’s Wuvable Oaf was announced as a new book from Fantagraphics earlier this May.

The event also features creators “Along Came Lola” animator and Eisner nominated cartoonist Jett Atwood, Kickstarter success story and writer of “Young Protectors” and Artifice Alex Woolfson,  “Primahood” and former Cartoon Art Museum Small Press Spotlight artist Tyler Cohen, and many more.

The Queer Comics Expo will also highlight organizations leading the charge in queer comics like Northwest Press, the premier queer comics publisher and Prism Comics the leading non-profit supporting LGBT comics, creators, and readers with convention appearances and their annual Queer Press Grant.

To spice things up the expo will also feature “Super Drag Queens” to mingle with attendees and prizes for the best cosplay!

Tickets are for the QCE are included with admission to the Cartoon Art Museum, $8 for the general public/$6 for students and senior citizens, and are available at the door and in advance from the Queer Cultural Center.  Attendees of the Queer Comics Expo will also receive a 10% discount at the Cartoon Art Museum’s bookstore.

Updates for QCE, other events and current exhibits at the Cartoon Art Museum at www.cartoonart.org.

The Cartoon Art Museum’s key function is to preserve, document, and exhibit this unique and accessible art form. Through traveling exhibitions and other exhibit-related activities — such as artists-in-residence, lectures, and outreach — the museum has taken cartoon art and used it to communicate cultural diversity in the community, as well as the importance of self-expression.

National Queer Arts Festival – QCC stages an annual month-long multidisciplinary National Queer Arts Festival, documents significant Bay Area Queer arts events on our Website, provides fundraising and other technical assistance services to emerging culturally-specific and gender-specific Queer arts groups, and conducts “Creating Queer Community,” a program that to date has commissioned more than 60 San Francisco-based artists to create new work.Since 1998, QCC has organized an annual month-long National Queer Arts Festival.  To date, these Festivals have presented more than 400 different events featuring over 1000 Queer artists.

Petition: Build Lucas Cultural Arts Museum in San Francisco

The Lucas Cultural Arts Museum was one of the three proposals rejected to be built on the gateway of the Presidio. Since the proposal was rejected George Lucas and his museum team have been shopping the proposal around to other cities. This month San Francisco Mayor Ed lee plans to present Lucas with alternative sites. There’s currently a petition circulating  to show public support for the museum to be built in San Francisco. Personally, I’d like to see it land in Oakland, but would be content with the museum ending up anywhere within a public transit ride from where I live. Sign the petition here.

Playing catch up: The last two weeks in Bay Area comics news and announcements

I’ve been missing from this blog for a couple of weeks finishing up a rather time intensive gig, but now I’m back and this is an effort to get caught up on all of the Bay Area comic news I may have missed. I’ve omitted a couple of things that I’ll be running as longer posts this week.

SIGNING NEAL ADAMS

The legendary Neal Adams will be making a couple of Bay Area stops in advance of his appearance at Big Wow! Comics Fest this coming weekend. His schedule is below. Click the links to see the autograph and commission requirements for each store:

May 14 @ Mission: Comics and Art
3520 20th St
San Francisco
Signing from 2 p.m. until 5 p.m.

May 15 @ Illusive Comics and Games
2725 El Camino Real
Santa Clara
Signing from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m.

May 16 @ Fantastic Comics
2026 Shattuck Avenue
Berkeley
Signing from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

SIGNING: SINA GRACE

Sina Grace is artist and co-author on the criticially acclaimed Burn the Orphange and artist on L’il Depressed Boy. He’ll be at Mission: Comics and Art on May 14 (yes, the same day as Neal Adams). Grace will be signing between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m.

Links! Everyone loves links! Below are links to articles that happened in the last two weeks regarding Bay Area comic announcements and news.

San Francisco’s Wuvable Oaf acquired by Fantagraphics

Cartoon Art Museum curator Andrew Farago is publishing the the ultimate visual history of the never-before-told history of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Astro City artist Brent Anderson is profiled by The Star Online

The Wrath of WonderCon: Why a geek convention is good for San Francisco

USA Today takes a look at the forthcoming Big Trouble in Little China

Jeffrey’s Toys will stay open; receives lease extension from new landlords

A Daredevil Tour of the Bay Area: Issue 2

This regular feature on The Shared Universe is intended to act as a tour guide of the Bay Area by following the adventures of our most recent New York City transplant.  If an issue of Daredevil features any notable landmarks I’ll pull them out and provide some context for readers unfamiliar with this region of the country. Previous entries in this series:

This month’s issue doesn’t feature any visual landmarks, but there are a handful of locations mentioned in a news report at the start of the issue.

daredevil2

First Stop: War Memorial Opera House

San Francisco’s opera house is home to both the San Francisco Opera and San Francisco Ballet. The building began construction in 1927 and was completed in 1932. It’s considered one of the last structures in the country to use the neo-classical architectural style of Beaux-Arts. Matt Murdock would likely feel right at home in the San Francisco War Memorial Opera House. Columbia University, where Murdock attended law school, was designed using the Beaux-Arts style. Additionally, Grand Central Terminal in New York City is likely one of the most notable uses of Beaux-Arts in the United States.

The Opera House is one of four venues that make-up the San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center. The name of the series of building was intended to commemorate all of those who served during the First World War global conflict. Since that time the name has come to have a greater meaning. In 1951, the opera house was the site of the signing of the Treaty of San Francisco officially marking the end of hostilities with Japan. Across the courtyard from the opera house is the Veterans Building which was the site of the signing of the first United Nations charter in 1945.

Second Stop: Pier 39

If you’ve been a tourist in San Francisco there’s a high probability you ended up at Pier 39. This is where the infamous California Sea Lions have come to roost since they started a migration from Seal Rock in the late-80s. The pier has a clear view of the Bay Bridge, the Golden Gate Bridge, and Alcatraz. Pier 39 is also home to the Marine Mammal Center and the Aquarium of the Bay. You’ll also find two stories of family-focused shopping and entertainment.

Third Stop: Golden Gate Park

*checks watch* There is much to write about Golden Gate Park. So much. I’ve only lived in the Bay Area for little more than a year and I keep finding out new things about the park. I could spend multiple entries writing about all of the treasures tucked away in the Park’s 1,017-acres. Instead, I’m going to cheat and direct you to wikipedia. However, I will make one loose additional connection between Golden Gate Park and the most recent issue of Daredevil: Owls. It appears that Chris Samnee and Mark Waid are directing Daredevil toward a confrontation with the minor crime-lord the Owl. Golden Gate Park has become well-known, in these parts at least, for housing a family of Great Horned Owls. You can see a lengthy video of these owls below. I have no videos of Owl the crime-lord roosting in Golden Gate Park, because he’s a comic book character.

Read More »

SFIFF 57: The quirky, the scary, and the creepy

sfiff57The 57th Annual San Francisco International Film Festival* starts on April 24 with more than 100 films spanning two weeks. The more than 100 films screening at SFIFF captures the whole gamut of film genres from documentaries to dramas to the downright creepy. This post is mostly interested in the latter. Below you’ll find five films from this year’s film festival that will leave cinephiles with either pounding pulses or pondering brains.

Borgman Netherlands

Screenings:
Wednesday, April 30 | 9 p.m. | Sundance Kabuki
Monday, May 5 | 9 p.m. | New People Cinema

Most reviews of Borgman suggest the film is a home invasion story at it’s heart. Before you roll your eyes and mumble something about “home invasion” movies having run their course take a moment and reflect on You’re Next. Most horror film fans tend to agree that You’re Next, which screened at last year’s SFIFF, took the subgenre and managed to squeeze rewarding fresh life out of it. Everything I’ve read about Alex van Warmerdam’s dark horror/comedy seem to suggest it does the same. Jordon Hoffman wrote for Film.com “What works wonderfully, however, is the unease of not knowing just who, if anyone, deserves our sympathy in this story. The infiltrators are all so charismatically nonchalant (and well dressed) that it is hard not to cheer them on, but as the body-count of innocents unlucky enough to get in the way of their scheme increases, the “Funny Games” fourth-wall break isn’t even required.”

Coherence USA

Screenings:
Friday, April 25 | 9:45 p.m. | Sundance Kabuki
Tuesday, April 29 | 9:45 p.m. | Sundance Kabuki

Coherence is an indie sci-fi flick that comes to SFIFF riding on a wave of buzz created at last year’s Fantastic Fest. Reviews for this film are spoiler heavy, so I won’t be linking out for this one, but the festival guide describes it as “delightfully weird and brain-busting.” If you wanted to have a loose theme for your festival  viewing experience Coherence would act well as a bridge between Borgman and The Double.

The Double UK

Screenings:
Saturday, April 26 | 1 p.m. | Sundance Kabuki
Tuesday, April 29 | 9:15 p.m. | Sundance Kabuki

The Double, based on Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s novella of the same name, follows mundane office worker Simon James as he copes with the sudden appearance of an out-going and well-liked doppelganger of himself. Fans of  Terry Gilliam’s kingdom of schizophrenic alienation will feel right at home while taking in Richard Ayoade’s sophomore effort. While the film has been received with considerable praise where there is negative criticism it mostly relates to Ayoade’s dependence on his influences. Considering the source material this criticism seems appropriate. Dostoyevsky scholars see The Double as the important juncture where the author was still under the shadow of his influences, but also showing the signs of his personal voice.

History of Fear Germany/France

Screenings:
Wednesday, April 30 | 7 p.m. | Sundance Kabuki
Friday, May 2 | 9 p.m. | New People Cinema
Wednesday, May 7 | 8:45 p.m. | BAM/PFA

History of Fear provides a different sense of paranoia and anxiety than The Double. While The Double offers an object of paranoia for the audience History of Fear goes the opposite direction. The audience is only granted vague suggestions of what’s creating the air of anxiety in a Buenos Aires suburb. It’s the sort of storytelling that isn’t well-suited for mass consumption, but, as The Hollywood Reporter‘s Boyd van Hoeij writes, “is the kind of feature that requires an active investment from its audience, making this more suited to festivals.”

The Sacrament USA

Screenings:
Saturday, April 26 | 11:45 p.m. |Sundance Kabuki
Monday, April 28 | 9 p.m. | Sundance Kabuki

I won’t lie, You’re Next was one of my favorite films of 2013, so it brings me some pleasure to reference it twice in this post. Fun trivia: In You’re Next the character Tariq, who takes a cross bolt to the head during dinner, was played by The Sacrament director Ti West. This year West brings to the festival a horror film that takes many of its queues from the Jamestown Massacre…maybe?  Using the “found footage” technique the film follows  ambitious Vice reporters as they travels to the Eden Parish commune where all isn’t as it seems…or is it?  I don’t know the answers to these questions…or do I?

* disclosure: this author is a seasonal employee of the San Francisco Film Society

Presidio Trust’s Lucas Cultural Arts Museum decision opens door for Chicago

The Lucas Cultural Arts Museum, once a leading candidate for a coveted spot in The Presidio of San Francisco, may be heading to Chicago. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has begun pulling out all of the stops to convince the Star Wars director that the Windy City is the right place for the proposed cutting edge multimedia arts museum.

For more than two years the Presidio Trust considered proposals on what should be built as the gateway building between Chrissy Field and the Presidio’s Main Post. The Trust wants a project that would continue the mission to make the Presidio self-sufficient by attracting tourism while staying true to the natural beauty of the military base turned National Park.

The February 3 press conference where the Presidio Trust rejected all three proposals that had been in contention for more than two years was a surprise. It came one week after a public meeting where the organization had laid out the process for how it would spend the next few months deliberating.

During the process Lucas had said Chicago would be an option if the Presidio Trust shot down his pledge to spend $700 million of his personal finances to build and endow the museum. That suggestion now seems to be completely in play as Chicago has given civic leaders one month to find an “accessible” space for the Lucas collection.

In comments made to the Chicago Sun Times it’s already clear that Chicago understands what Lucas was bringing to the table better than the Presidio Trust ever did. Task force co-chair Gillian Darlow told the newspaper, “when you look at George Lucas’ career and interests, he’s a man who has broken boundaries and discovered and invented things people didn’t think of before. This museum is bound to capture that and be a museum like no other. There aren’t museums looking at digital art and the art of storytelling like this. It’s a fantastic opportunity for Chicago.”

However, Chicago isn’t the only city hoping to be considered for the project. Oakland is hoping to be considered for the project. Councilwoman Rebecca Kaplan wrote a letter to Lucas suggesting the city’s Kaiser Convention Center would be appropriate and Oakland-native MC Hammer has suggested putting it near Jack London Square. Oakland could provide a perfect backdrop for the museum as an urban myth has long touted the cargo cranes of the Port of Oakland as being the inspiration for the design of the Star Wars AT-ATs.

The Presidio Trust has suggested to Lucas that there may be other sites in the Presidio where his museum may be a good fit. Lucas spokesman David Perry said they’d consider other options in the Presidio, but that they’d also start looking into options being offered by other cities.

Time lapse of David Choe’s mural for OMCA’s Giant Robot exhibit

The end of this week will see the kick-off for the Oakland Museum of California’s SuperAwesome: Giant Robot and Art exhibit (read more here). To coincide with the show David Choe has painted a mural. Below is a time lapse captured by Giant Robot.