Any collector will tell you that proper comic book storage is right up there with eating and drinking on the priority list. It's pretty simple: If you want to keep your stuff in order and in good condition you're going to need comic boxes. Most of the time these boxes are white cardboard and while they're essential they're also plain and boring.

But what if...they weren't that.

Did you catch that? It was the perfect segue.

Because our guest Chris has a company called Boxes in Action that specialize in taking the ordinary comic box and turning it into a work of art. Click that link and you'll see what I mean. Want more? Click the play button and check our chat with Chris to learn all about it. 

-Jr.

UPDATE: It was brought to our attention by Bob and members of the Boston Comic Con Staff that some of Bob's comments were deemed inappropriate and we were asked to remove them after the episode was posted.

It's no secret that we're huge fans of the Boston Comic Con. We've long touted that it's one of the best shows around for people who like comic books and the artists/writers that create them. I guess after 6 years of attending, 3 years of tabling and hours upon hours of recap episodes it was only fitting that we get someone who actually helps make the show happen on our humble podcast.

And it finally happened because Bob Shaw has made his much anticipated OMV debut. Join us this week as we do our best to hype the upcoming BCC and list a bunch of names that might intrigue you. Honestly most of the episode consists of three comic book nerds talking about some of their favorite artists who might be in the city of Boston next week. How could you possibly miss out on that?

Oh by the way...not only does he work for one of the best comic book conventions on the East Coast but Bob is also an art representative for some of the industries top names. Wanna buy some art? Check out his site.

See you in Boston!

-Jr.

The Boston Comic Con is literally 2 weeks away. Literally. We'll be there on Friday as good 'ol regular attendees spending too much money and gushing over our favorite artists. It'll be a good time.

You know what else is a good time? Chatting with the artist who was tabling next to us last year. We kind of have a small habit of doing this. Remember Dave? Well we're doing it again with our pal Ed Yancey. Ed is an artist based out of New York who like us is fueled by self-deprecation but unlike us he is full of talent. Pretty simple. Check out this week's episode to hear us chat with him about what it's like to be Ed Yancey and also to hear Jr. relive some horrible middle school art class memories. It's great.

Also, if you're interested in checking out Ed's artwork you should probably click HERE. 

-Jr.

Alex and Colin are really tired of me using the phrase "hot takes". In one night they went from having never heard it used before, to understanding its definition, to absolutely hating it....and me. Someone give me a count of how many times I say "hot takes" during this episode and I'll give you a shout-out next week. Because you'll have earned it. Cuz I say it a lot.

So we saw Star Trek: Beyond last night and immediately hit the studio to record some initial thoughts and reactions with minimal prep time...aka WE RECORDED SOME HOT TAKES. And it was good. Colin was gracious enough to join us via telephone that straight up sounded like an ESPN Radio interview. And while we try not to have the same person on two weeks in a row this one just kind of fell into our laps and we couldn't risk losing these hot takes.

We'll probably have someone other than Colin on next week. Probably. Maybe.

A quick warning of some mild spoilers this week. We tried to keep it to a minimum but some important stuff fell out of our mouths a couple times. Those hot takes man. Just too hot.

-Jr.

As I sit here staring at my phone cursing the Pokemon Go error screen I have a little time for some reflection. See, I'm a bit nervous this week as it's time for our yearly coverage of our favorite local show ConnectiCon and I'm scared that after 4 years of coverage we're just going to sound like broken records and repeat the same stuff we said last year...or the year before.

Then I remember that in 4 years of attending ConnectiCon I've literally never had the same overall experience twice. It's one of those shows that might stay in the same place, keep the same name and feature some of the same acts but it always has this incredible ability to show you something new. Super Art Fight? Rad. Love those guys and gals.  Super Art Fight with Cyanide & Happiness competing against them? A dream come true that I haven't even dreamed yet. (It was amazing. I'd show you the pictures but I can't because they don't exist. Shoulda been there!)

You'll remember wayyy back in our first year I wasn't too blown away with what ConnectiCon had to offer. That's because I was an idiot and I was comparing it to every other convention I'd ever been to and expected it to be exactly the same. That's the brilliance of the show, though. It's literally NOTHING like any convention we attend throughout the year and Alex has pointed out in the past that if you go in without a plan or just expect the show to present itself for you...you might leave disappointed. But I said it last year and I'll say it again: Take your time. Do some research and find something that interests you.

Overall I found that past years definitely left me more satisfied but as I point out in the episode...it's through no fault of ConnectiCon. I'm just greedy and I wanted more. More time, more money, more pictures. I was borderline insatiable and just wanted to consume the show in it's entirety (Side Note: That's the creepiest yet most accurate thing I've ever written). But sadly time is a finite bastard and eventually the show had to end....and we had to record some thoughts about it.

So join us and Colin this week as we recap our favorite backyard show that is ConnectiCon.

Oh, and check out our photos, too. CLICK HERE for that.

-Jr.

A long, long, long, long, long time ago we took a shot at having this guy Charlie on our show. He was the creator of a website that was devoted to the collection of sketch pricing from various artists at conventions. While there's no exact science to sketching and pricing literally varies from con to con; it was an amazing tool for giving you an idea of how much you might anticipate spending on one of your favorite artists.

As it turns out this guy Charlie is rad as hell and is now one of the show's closest friends.

Unlike OMV, Sketch Prices is ever evolving and Charlie and his crew are constantly looking for new ways to improve their product. They just recently launched the open group on Facebook so anyone can join in and contribute/admire as they please. Click HERE to check it out.

This week's jam also brings us our review of the MASSive Comic Con from a few weeks ago up in Worcester, MA. You might remember Alex and Brett visiting the show last year. This time it was Alex and I working our usual OMV magic aka "trying not to spend too much money". Check out the episode for the full recap.

One last thing: ConnectiCon is literally happening right now. We're going to be there soon so make sure to follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook for all of the inevitable updates.

Peace

-Jr.

ConnectiCon is but a week away and over the past couple of years it has really solidified its place near the top of my "Dude I'm pumped for this show" list. It took a few years to grow on me and way back in 2013 I remember thinking it was a one day show at best.

That has changed.

See, I know what ConnectiCon is now. And I know what kind of show it brings to the table. I also know that our friends from Super Art Fight have been there every year since we started going...and they're going to continue that tradition next week. So what better way to celebrate than to have two of the guys who make the whole thing possible on our show so we can gush about how much we dig them and their production for well over an hour.

Shameless and damn proud of it. Besides, it's been WAY too long since we last talked to them and that was a problem that needed fixing right away.

For more info on the beautiful insanity that is Super Art Fight click HERE. Check out their schedule, find a show near you or check out their podcast if you can't make it out. You can trust us when we say it'll be worth your time.

-Jr.

After about 5 years of existence and 223 episodes of a podcast it seems my laptop is showing signs of age. It's to the point where I won't open the internet while we record and I turn the brightness on my screen all the way down in hopes that it keeps the fan to a low hum and not the screaming whirlwind that it's turned into recently.

Shame, really....as I'd really like to not have to buy a new computer any time soon but it's looking more and more like I'm going to have to bite the bullet or else risk being disconnected from the internet for a while.

*shudder*

Anywho. This week's jam features a good friend of ours named Dave who is just a rad person who enjoys doing rad things with rad people. He's pretty much the epitome of what we aim for in our guests. He's been a friend of the show for a few years now and we figured it was long overdue for him to make his OMV debut.

Enjoy!

#nerfbastion

-Jr.

Our guest this week is the man responsible for countless Instagram screen caps/Facebook messages to Alex saying "dude did you see this?!" or "god damnit it's literally perfect" etc etc. His name is Daniel Govar. And he makes art. (Really good art. Like damn good stuff.)

We've been fans of Govar for a while now and long-time listeners will probably recall hearing the name a few times in the past (especially during our chat with Tony Moy last year). Alex has thrown money at him on multiple occasions and I've expressed my jealousy at the results of his thrown money on a consistent basis...meaning pretty much every time I'm over his house.

His shit is just really good and he's a good dude to boot.

So enough gushing for now...as there's plenty more in the episode. Seriously. It's to the point where we have to warn our guests that we tend to fanboy a bit and our interviews sometimes turn into a compliment barrage. But we're working on it...and maybe someday we'll learn how to do this interview thing correctly. Maybe.

We hope you dig our chat with Daniel as much as we did and if you're at Heroes Con this weekend make sure to stop by his table and say "hey" for us!

-Jr.

It's strangely coincidental that I can't stop playing videogames during the two week span of our videogame origin episodes. Recently my gaming habits had transformed into "well...I have an hour. Maybe I'll boot up Bioshock: Infinite for a few". Up until about two months ago my PS3 had just turned into a Netflix machine. A decent amount of my gaming crew had upgraded to the 4 and all the games I had for the 3 had become stale from playing them for half a decade. Then (while in the process of buying a house, mind you) I gave into my impulses and upgraded as well.

And now I can't stop gaming. I'm back. I'm with the metaphorical "new shit" and I can play new games again.

Namely Overwatch.

And Uncharted 4 which was incredible but let's be real here.

Overwatch has consumed me. I can't remember the last time I put so many hours into a single game in such a short span of time. Not to mention almost all of my core gaming friends have also picked it up which makes it even more damaging to my productivity. You can expect a full review soon as it's going to be difficult for Alex and me to shut up about it.

Alas, this week is for origins. And it's time for part two.

-Jr.