Philly's Comic Scene

Faster than a speeding bullet. More powerful than a locomotive. Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound… even typing it gives me chills. When I received my first comic book at age 8, the larger-than-life morality plays captivated my imagination. It still holds true today, as my twin brother and I have thousands of comic books between us.

And much to my mother’s – and my wife’s – chagrin, I’m not the only one. That was extremely apparent as the city hosted Wizard World Philly, a three-day event celebrating comics, sci-fi, anime and more. It’s sponsored by Wizard, the penultimate magazine of comics, entertainment and pop culture. Over 30,000 people attended the event last weekend, which celebrated its 11th year in Philly.

Now you might wonder, “Who attends these events? And do they still live above their parent’s garage?” While there are many hard core fans who dress up for these events, many are like me, who grow up enjoying the stories they read, imagining themselves alongside the Star-Spangled Sentinel of Liberty fighting threats to the American Dream, or skulking just beyond the shadows of the alleys of Gotham City, bringing justice to evil doers. And as I grew up, the stories and characters matured as well, with intricate story plots and complex heroes and villains.

There is no cooler place to get your comics than on the streets of Philly. When I worked in Old City, I looked forward to Wednesdays, the best day of the week for comic book fans, as new issues come in that day. I’d quickly walk from 8th and Pine to Atomic City Comics on South Street, where Joe and Mr. McIntyre would give me a warm greeting and hand me my comics from my pull list. Yes, I reserve my comics. It’s like valet parking for geeks. And it’s awesome. You’ll never miss an issue.

There are plenty of places to get your fix. From Fat Jack’s to Brave New Worlds, a comic book store in Philadelphia is just a short walk away. And from there, your imagination can take you beyond the City of Brotherly Love to worlds of excitement and wonder, just with a turn of a page.

- Frank Sinatra

Celebrating 19 years of blooming relationships and business

Today is Simon PR’s 19th Anniversary. One of the mainstays of my public relations grounding in Philadelphia has been the Philadelphia Public Relations Association (PPRA.) I’ve belonged for longer than Simon PR has been around and it’s been the place where my love of our profession has been anchored. In the late eighties, employers paid for professional association memberships so I have Earle Palmer Brown & Spiro and Ketchum PR to thank – they both generously picked up the tab for membership and I couldn’t be more appreciative.

After I hung out my shingle and started Simon PR back on June 18, 1990, PPRA became more and more important to me. Simon PR’s first office was one room in the Foremost Building at the corner of 4th and South Street. We (just me) were on the 3rd floor, which was the Building’s most unsavory. Simon PR’s HQ was located in between an escort service and fight promoters and across the hall from a bar tending school and telemarketing firm where the furloughed staff came to work during the day and went back to jail at night. PPRA became an extended professional family, one that took the place of colleagues, staff and bosses.

Quickly, there were more people at the Agency and a few weeks before my son Max was born in 1992, we moved to the Lafayette Building at the corner of 5th and Chestnut where we spent 12 years before moving to our current home in The Bellevue. By this time, I had begun to cultivate mentors, supporters and professional friends, many through PPRA, in the little time I had after killing myself at the business and taking care of my growing family.

By the mid 90s, I started climbing my way up PPRA’s leadership ladder, first as a workshops chair, then membership chair, Gold Medal Award co-chair. I held most every post before my Presidency in 2004-2005 and Chairmanship in 2005-2006. I even led a team that overhauled our bylaws after I was Chair – how necessary, but not exactly the sexiest post! And I still continue to volunteer and lead programs.

As Simon PR’s business became more sophisticated and more stable, many PPRA relationships blossomed into business relationships. In truth, over the years, PPRA members have become wonderful friends of course, but also clients, staff, contractors, vendors and great, generous resources. One day I might even like to buy an agency owned by a fellow member. We hired a terrific new Account Executive this month and the fact that she is a PPRA member made her a stronger candidate than the people she outshined. These were never the reasons for belonging to PPRA, it’s just the way it evolved. And many PPRA members will tell you similar stories.

Just this week, I had lunch with one of my PPRA mentors. She’s recruiting me for a prestigious Philadelphia cultural board and advising me on a number of fronts. Tuesday was the Association’s trip to New York City where we had a once-in-a-lifetime, behind-the-scenes tour of the “CBS Evening News” and met with several high level PR pros, who are implementing innovative programs on a global and national stage. Today we have a workshop on social media, which is being led by two of our impressive young guns. It doesn’t get better than this!

But I guess nothing brings a lump to my throat and warms my heart more than having recently been invited to Sharla Feldscher’s 25th Anniversary celebration on the Moshulu. Finding oneself at the party of a competitor is more proof of the bond that forms among the members of PPRA. And Sharla and her business couldn’t be more impressive. She has accounts now that we used to handle. We have some that might have been hers. She’s referred business to us. We’re sharing an account. We used her daughter to assist us with a project and we’ve been friends and have worked with her first cousin, Marilyn Kleinberg, for more than 22 years. This is just one example. I couldn’t be more positive about PPRA and Philadelphia and what they have meant to Simon PR.

If you read this Blog and would like to celebrate Simon PR’s 19th Anniversary – the drink’s on me. Warning: You may have to withstand some passionate reminiscing with a look to the future. I couldn’t be more optimistic.

– Lisa Simon

Aloha Philadelphia: Rediscovering the mainland

After residing for four years on Hawaii’s Big Island amidst palm trees, white sandy beaches and turquoise waters, Philadelphia seemed a daunting, peculiar place to move.

“Why?”

This was repeatedly the immediate response I received from friends, family and acquaintances. And to be honest, I wasn’t confident of an answer myself. A Havertown native, I was ready to return to my roots, right? I packed away my bathing suits and brought out my wool sweaters.

Then, after a long flight to the mainland and a 50-degree drop in temperature, I decided it was time to rediscover Philadelphia.

I spent the morning exploring Old City, where history seeps through the cracks in the cobblestone alleys, and revolutionary buildings whisper secrets of the past. This is where the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution were created, where life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness were first encouraged. This is pretty amazing.

After tossing a penny on Benjamin Franklin’s grave at the Christ Church Burial Ground for good luck and examining the crack in the Liberty Bell out of curiosity, I walked the few short blocks to South Street.

Comprised of rows of eclectic shops, contemporary art galleries and cozy eateries, South Street radiates the same values that were cornerstones of the Declaration of Independence-- life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. To follow my own pursuit of happiness, my next stop was Jim’s Steaks for a long-awaited, authentic Philly cheese steak, ‘wiz wit’ of course.

While discovering new elements of Philadelphia, the old childhood memories returned-- rollerblading along West River Drive, climbing through the “Heart” at The Franklin and gazing in awe at Macy’s annual Holiday Light Show.

Instead of my purple jellies, I now donned black pumps, but I realized the City continues to hold the perpetual magic. From the Convention Center District with businessman and briefcases to Fairmont Park’s riverside trails and the Parkway’s public art, Philadelphia is truly a diverse city with a multitude of opportunities.

Home of the world champion Phillies and America’s first zoo, this is a city with charming historic homes and modern high-rises, quaint BYOBs and exciting nightlife, and where life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are still encouraged.

That's more than enough to draw this native back home.

- by Meredith Wertz

A wave of nostalgia at historic Water Works

I’m a sucker for history. Williamsburg, VA is my favorite place to visit (next to Philly of course), and I can easily get lost for hours in a good historical novel (Michener anyone?). So I fully expected that the Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center would satisfy my thirst for nostalgia.

But what I didn’t expect is that this National Historic Landmark is all things Philadelphia—without the soft pretzels.

Inside is a marvel of invention and progress—from 1815 to today. Standing in the pump room next to a huge pipe, I marveled at the engineers who dreamed up technologies to pump water from the Schuylkill to a reservoir atop Faire Mount—where the Art Museum sits today.

Not to be outdone, today’s engineers have created the Fishway, a sort of underwater maze to guide fish upstream—with streaming live video at the Interpretive Center.

All of this technology is housed in a stately federal house on gorgeous grounds. It’s no wonder that this was an international tourist attraction in its heyday. What caught my fancy was a whimsical sculpture—a woman whose arm starts as water, and who seems to be presiding over the activity far below.

And there was plenty of it: a wedding party posing against the scenic backdrop, joggers, and a young teen fishing in solitude.

Art and architecture, technology and nature, tourists and neighbors—I loved finding the essence of Philadelphia in one place in two hours. And the best surprise—parking was plentiful, and free.

- by Beverly Volpe