Change. We undergo transformations every day of our lives, in ways small and significant, in ways good and bad. Sean Leary’s “Does The Shed Skin Know It Was Once A Snake?” offers 11 award-winning short stories dealing with the life changes many of us face, and the positive ways in which our lives can transform, even in difficult times. “Shed Skin” is available in bookstores and webstores worldwide  as a print book and eBook for every eReader format. It is also available direct from the author at seanleary@seanleary.com for $19 postpaid, through paypal at the same address. “Shed... Read More

“If you work in the media, you’re going to get fired.” My college Journalism 101 teacher said that to our eager group of 18-year-olds on my first day in his class. Great way to introduce us to his curriculum, and the business, right? He told us it wasn’t meant to be a cautionary statement, merely a pragmatic one. That’s the business. That’s media. Ownership changes, management changes, budgets get cut, formats and directions get shifted, and the people in the trenches are the ones who are usually set loose. You have to have a thick skin, a backup plan, and the ability not to take it... Read More

I want to give kudos to Rein Razer. In our story earlier this week on QuadCities.com on her upcoming burlesque show, Rein Razer’s Court of Royalty, coming to Village Theater tonight, she said the following:   “I got the idea from how the Speakeasy was doing their booking for shows.”   Seems simple, right? Just actually acknowledging that you got the idea for something from someone else on the local arts scene. But you’d be surprised at how little this is done. More often, much more often, people have an incredible selective amnesia about things others in the scene... Read More

Former Quad-Cities filmmakers Scott Beck and Bryan Woods took home the Critics Choice Award for Best Sci-Fi/Horror Film for their blockbuster hit “A Quiet Place” at Sunday’s trophy ceremony in Los Angeles. Beck and Woods co-wrote the screenplay for the smash hit, which was also nominated for Best Original Screenplay, losing to legendary veteran filmmaker Paul Schrader for his script for “First Reformed.” Beck and Woods grew up in Bettendorf and began their career producing films around the Quad-Cities area, featuring local talent. After winning the MTV Young Filmmakers... Read More

As a fire-and-brimstone preacher delivered a fiery oratory about comics fans courting hell and the devil on one floor of Davenport’s Hotel Davenport and Conference Center Sunday afternoon, far more pleasant and happy people chatted about other fantastic scenarios on the floor below as the annual Q-C Fun Con drew several hundred people to the venue for a great time. Comics exhibitors watched as fans filed through boxes upon boxes of golden oldies issues. Artists and other creative types plied their vibrant wares to interested fans. Video games were played on the big screen, movies were screened,... Read More

This weekend, the Quad-Cities will be exploding with pulse-pounding action at the QC Fun Con, the latest convention and celebration of superhero culture in the area. Every year, the popularity of comics and related genres of action, adventure and science-fiction is increasing locally. But what is the radioactive burst of energy that’s giving the popularity of these things such incredible super powers? I asked a few local luminaries in the field of comics to provide their explanations for it. Most pointed to movies and their huge success. Some said it was something bigger, a longing for heroes.... Read More

As the Quad-Cities braces for another pulse-pounding, explosive comics blowout sale and event at Tim’s Corner, 2963 14th Ave., Rock Island, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, July 16,  theaters in the area are already bursting with the powerful onslaught of comic books being brought to celluloid life, much to the joy of thousands of film fans. But what does the cinematic trend mean to local comics retailers, can it continue, and why have comics, once on the fringe as cult entertainment, become so mainstream? “(Comics movies have) action, romance, explosions…everything that makes up a great... Read More

From graphic novels to graphic discussions of superhero dating practices, the Quad-Cities Planet Con played to a full house of fans of all ages Sunday at the Holiday Inn Convention Center in Rock Island. Once again, Mellow Blue Planet hosted the 7th Annual event, a favorite meeting ground for creators, dealers, vendors, cosplayers and fans in the Q-C area and organizer, and Mellow Blue Planet shop owner Tim Johnson was thrilled with the turnout. “I’m extremely happy with the event this year,” Johnson said. “Attendance is about 600, which is up about 50 from last year, and every year it’s... Read More

The Quad-Cities Planet Con is touching down again this weekend. Mellow Blue Planet will host the 7th Annual event, a favorite meeting ground for Creators, Dealers, Vendors, Cosplay, and Fans in the QC area, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday at Holiday Inn Convention Center, 226 17th St., Rock Island. It’s $3 admission, although $1 off coupons are available at Mellow Blue Planet, 2212 5th Ave., Rock Island Q&A panels start during the morning hours and include: 11a.m. – “Turn Your Passions into a Business” 12p.m. – “Horror Comic Books: From the Page to the Silver... Read More