March 09, 2009
Ninja Mike went to Staple! 2009
We have a guest Monkey today, our good friend Ninja Mike. Mike is CyberMonkey to the bone, and he ventured out with us to see the Staple! Independent Art Expo this year.
The origin of the ninja is a matter of debate but it is known that the ninja appeared in 14th Century Japan and remained active until 1868 (the Edo Period). The ninja were master assassins, saboteurs, scouts and experts at camouflage, utilizing these skills for destabilization and social chaos. The ninja appeared and disappeared at will and the modern ninja is no different. Though better connected and hyper-technological, the ninja's goals remain the same. Out of the shadows appears Ninja Mike D, ready to wreak chaos and havoc wherever he treads, disappearing into those same shadows to return again when least expected. The last verified sighting of Ninja Mike D, ruthless assassin, was at the 2009 Staple! Independent Art Expo in Austin, Texas and CyberMonkeyDeathSquad was lucky enough to obtain a firsthand account from the silent one himself. Who knows when we will hear from him again but for now, console yourself with the following pithy tale of murder and intrigue.With that, I give you - Ninja Mike's take on Staple! 2009.
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This weekend I had the privilege to be in the company of a handful kick ass people to attend this year's Staple! For the most part I read mostly Marvel, some DC, but indie comics I really don't know much about. The thought of attending a comic book convention had me on the fence about whether I would go or not but for five dollars and the chance to roll with some serious, certified bad asses, I WAS IN. The Monarch Event was a converted theater with a lobby serving beverages and food and beyond that there were two rooms full of people and an empty auditorium that was used for Q&A sessions for artists and writers. After passing through the over priced concession stand ($4.00 for two cans of coke), I went with my first instinct and headed into the room closest to me on my left, "The Hall." WOW! Not what I expected, but in a good way. There were tables lined up and a decent amount of people, not too crowded but not depressingly barren. Call it a hunch or a coincidence but really it's my uncanny ninja ability to wade through the mild chaos and find myself staring at a real-life, no bull shit, legend of the comic industry, Stan Sakai. 
I was familiar with his contributions to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle franchise but, I hate to admit, I was clueless on his other work. After wandering around for about 40 minutes, slack jawed at everything I'm observing from table to table, my education on Stan Saki was about to begin. We pile in to the empty theater with a good amount of people to listen to Stan Sakai field questions from the audience. I wouldn't be asking any questions but thanks to the well informed audience, the questions asked offered even a "Johnny Come Lately" to his work a good amount of information on not only Usagi Yojimbo but working with comic gods Stan Lee and Jack Kirby on the Spider-Man comic strip. Throughout the Q&A session I discovered many things about Stan Sakai and his career but one thing is for sure, that guy can tell a damn good story. From mentioning his feline training exploits to always wanting to refer to George Takai as Mr. Sulu, Stan Saki's Q&A was informative and a chuckle-a-minute. 
After the Q&A session it was time to get down to the nitty gritty and go after some merch that caught my attention. I picked up a slew of awesome comics but none cooler than Usagi Yojimbo # 100, featuring artwork by Frank Miller, Sergio Aragonés, Jeff Smith and others, signed by the living legend Stan Sakai. Among other sweet schwag I gathered was a ninja certified WWHRD? (What would Henry Rollins do?) t-shirt from Mitch Clem and crew. This biggest surprise was wandering over to Brad Marshall Wilson's table. The Street Fighter artwork attracted me to the table but the mini comic "New Balance" would have been the crown jewel of my collection of greatness from Staple! if it weren't for Usagi Yojimbo # 100. It was nice to see local businesses such as Austin Books, Capstone Comics and others well represented at this independent festival. All in all, my first Staple! experience was amazing to say the least. I was blown away by almost everyone's exhibit and would advise everyone from comic book fanatic to casual reader to attend next year's Staple! I know I plan on it.