Mad Magazine Looks at An Arcade

The editors of Mad Magazine found "mistakes" in this artist's rendering of an arcade scene. Click on the image for a closer look:

SNES Omnibus Writer Spotlight #38 - Steve Juon

I met Mega Man fanatic and all around nice guy Steve Juon at the late, lamented Oklahoma Video Game Exhibition in Tulsa well over a decade ago. He and his wife beloved Michelle were very friendly, and we immediately became friends, discussing retro gaming, collecting, and the like. Over the years, we’ve had a blast vending at the show, going to Jeff Cooper’s house to hang out in his garage and game room (alas, that is no longer possible), and scarfing down pizza. Steve even interviewed me at one point, which you can check out HERE. Steve’s insight into the Mega Man franchise was invaluable for The SNES Omnibus: The Super Nintendo and Its Games, Vol. 1 (A–M). Thanks, Steve, I appreciate your friendship and your enthusiasm for the project!

Here’s Steve’s bio as it appears in The SNES Omnibus Vol. 1:

Steve Juon is a lifelong video game enthusiast and collector who has attended many conventions through the Midwest as both a fan and a presenter, including an exhibition of rare and unusual Mega Man games at the Oklahoma Video Game Expo. He’s happily married to his wife Michelle for over 15 years, they have an adorable orange tabby named Tango (yes, after Mega Man V for GameBoy), and when not pursuing gaming passions he works as a freelance writer and journalist.

You can pre-order The SNES Omnibus: The Super Nintendo and Its Games, Vol. 2 (N–Z), which completes the two-volume set, HERE. 

Revenge of the Arcade Article - Den of Geek Magazine

I was quoted in the New York Comic Con issue of Den of Geek, a cool magazine covering comics, movies, books, video games, and the like. The interview was for an article about the return of the arcades.

Click on the images below to read the article. Better yet, you can read it online HERE.

SNES Omnibus Writer Spotlight #37 - Van Burnham

Image: Genevieve Adams

Van Burnham was a great "get" for the SNES Omnibus project. She is the esteemed author of Supercade, a prestigious full-color coffee table book covering the Golden Age of video games. When Supercade was published in 2001, there were very few books of its type on the market. She was a true trailblazer, and her stories in the SNES Omnibus books are colorful and distinctive, showing a long history with gaming. I hope to see Van at a retro gaming convention sometime soon as she seems like an interesting and fun person. I'll just make sure not to criticize her Philadelphia Eagles--she'll rip me a new one. Thanks, Van!    

Here's Van Burnham's bio from The SNES Omnibus Vol. 1: 

Van Burnham is the author of Supercade: A Visual History of the Videogame Age (MIT Press) and steward of the Supercade Collection, one of the largest private collections of vintage video arcade games in the world. She’s also written for Retro Gamer and Wired. Based in Los Angeles, Van is currently curating an international exhibition of contemporary art inspired by games. Follow her on Instagram @supercade71 for updates and images from the Supercade.

You can pre-order The SNES Omnibus Vol. 2 HERE.

SNES Omnibus Writer Spotlight #36 -- Charis Weiss and Ryan Weiss

Ninety-nine percent of the SNES Omnibus contributing writers are industry folks, including authors, reviewers, programmers, developers, store owners, YouTubers, convention organizers, etc. However, there are two exceptions: Charis Weiss, my wife, and Ryan Weiss, my son. As members of my family, they are insiders by default, but they are more than that. They each had really cool, really interesting stories to tell for Volumes 1 and 2. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have made the cut. In short, their inclusion in the books was much more than mere nepotism.

To get away from the books for a moment, and at the risk of turning this into a cheese fest, Charis is the most loyal, most devoted wife I can imagine. Not only that, she’s a great adventurer—rivaled only by Lara Croft—but instead of raiding tombs, she plans the perfect vacations and business trips for us to go on. We always have a great time together. Ryan is a terrific son: kind, compassionate, and respectful. Plus, he’s a fun movie-watching buddy. I couldn't imagine life without them (or my daughter Katie).

Both Charis and Ryan are excellent school teachers, and they can “write like the wind.” In fact, you could argue that I’m only the second or third best writer in the family. You can read Charis’s Donkey Kong Country story from The SNES Omnibus: The Super Nintendo and ItsGames, Vol. 1 (A–M) HERE.