11/27/05

Improving

Jason Rodriguez has written another excellent, helpful article in his Here's the Thing series in which he walks us through the process of creating his promotional comic.

If you are even remotely interested in doing something similar you should check this out. In fact, the entire DC Conspiracy blog is full of great information from some really cool comics pros.

Go on, check it out.

I cannot click the link for you.

Call for Submissions

Are you an artist? PODpublishing's Blurred Books division is seeking submissions.

Go for it!

11/24/05

Almost A Post

I hope everyone who is celebrating Thanksgiving had (or is having) a great one! For those who are not celebrating, I hope your Thursday was the sort of Thursday that other days want to be when they grow up.

I had a great time with my extended family over at my grandmother's house and I got a bunch more words written on my NaNoWriMo novel. I am now "really behind" instead of "abysmally behind".

Speaking of comics...Oh, wait, I wasn't. Anyway, I'm reading bits and pieces of the House of M fallout and I'm glad they actually did something with it. That something is being redundantly printed multiple times throughout the Decimation titles and I expect X-Factor to do the same thing.

However, it does have a cool cover:

The name is Madrox...Jamie Madrox

Short Post: Buy Local

Time running out. Must...write...more...words

If you see this comic in a store, buy it

Heavy, man.

It's good.

If you don't see it in a store, ask them to order it. Unless you're in, like, a motorcycle shop. That'd just be weird, man.

11/20/05

Unintended Sabbatical

Between NaNoWriMo and prepping for my new job (which starts tomorrow) I've let my regular posting pace slip. Things will be back up to four or five times a week starting in December. I've got a few reviews I need to turn into actual posts but by the time I get them on the blog the comics they refer to will be in the 50-cent bins.

In short, I have really enjoyed the latest issues of Green Lantern Corps: Recharged and The Imaginaries. The mutant-related titles of the Decimation storyline from House of M could have been condensed into a single title because they all say the same thing. Some of them like Excalibur say it much better than others (X-Men).

Like most other blogspot users, I've had to resort to word verification in my comments sections to ward off the spammers.

Not comics related, as such, but I saw the new Harry Potter movie last night and it is, in my opinion, the best of the series so far.

Oh, and the Complete Calvin and Hobbes collection is available in the $120 - $150 range.

Biff!  Pow!

WooHoo!

11/12/05

Grr, Arg!

James Meeley thinks that the Hulk and Godzilla should totally fight!

I agree with him. This would crack the internet in half! Seriously, those two are strong. If anyone could do some internet crackin' it'd be them.

Anyway, if you agree with James and Me (what sane person wouldn't!) get in touch with Marvel and Dark Horse and tell them to commence to writin' and drawin'.

Oh, and tell them that Eric Powell (who has worked for both companies) should draw it.

Hey, you got your subtext in my peanut butter!

OK, I don't usually go this direction with my commentary but the cover for JLA #121 was hard to miss during my trip to the FLCS today:

Hey, watch where you point that thing!

So, Black Canary is in a position where you can *ahem* really see her fishnets while Green Arrow launches shafts at her and they're IN A CAVE!!!!!

What, they couldn't work a train going through a tunnel into the painting?

I have it on good authority, though, that the cover artist has, in fact, hidden a salami somewhere in the image.

11/10/05

Comic Urban Legends

Brian Cronin of Comics Should Be Good has been posting a series of Comic Urban Legends where he does the research to confirm or deny said rumors.

They are always entertaining and you could do a lot worse than going through the archives of the site to read past entries. The latest one, however, is my favorite yet. Mostly because it mentions Justice League Europe and Sea Monkeys

Sea Monkeys!!!

Comic Asylum is teh RoXXorZ!!one!

Happy 1st anniversary to the Comic Asylum! Go, James!

If you aren't already reading his blog, check it out. It's one of my favorites.

You can start with this one in which he lists his favorite comics quotes.

I'm working on my response to his meme now. I should have a list up in the next day or two.

Excelsior!

11/6/05

Gødland - Image (2005)

Violence is the new black

I just finished reading the first three issues of Gødland back to back and I am so glad I found them at my FLCS! This'll be a short post because there's no need for me to go into detail on this. With a single sentence I can help you decide if this book is for you:

If the cover image above piques your curiosity at all, buy this book!!

At first this looks like another tongue-in-cheek homage to the crazy, acid-trip days of the sixties and seventies when Kirby was king and there was an "anything goes" attitude to the stories and plots. It is, in fact, an homage to that era but it is also so much more. It is telling a compelling story with great Kirby-raised-from-the-dead art, a great sense of humor and most importantly, intelligence.

Plus, it's got a dude whose head is floating in a jar that he wears.

Floating. In. A. Jar.

Damn, just buy these if you haven't already.

More Defenders!

Nick Lowe had this to say at Wizard World Texas:

[T]here are plans for another Defenders series by Keith Giffen, J.M. DeMatteis and Kevin Maguire.

WooHoo, says I.

I mean, just look at this cover!

Grr!  I'm all on fire, and shit!

Anything that produces more work like this is officially a Good Thing.

11/4/05

Just call me the Speakeasy Blog

Hey, Speakeasy's got a store!

Back when I reviewed the first issue of The Gatesville Company (see previous post for link) I encouraged you to get a copy of issue #1. If your FLCS doesn't have it or can't get it, go to the store link above and the helpful chaps at Speakeasy will be glad to trade legal tender for one or more of their fine pieces of sequential entertainment.

11/3/05

Sing a song of forums

Speakeasy's got forums!

Also, the second issue of The Gatesville Company will be in stores some time this month. WooHoo! If it's even half as good as the first issue I will be mightily pleased. Mightily, I say!

Here's the cover:

Er, don't run with those.

11/2/05

In Russia, Novel Writes You

Rick, the proprietor of my Friendly Local Comics Shop told me that today was his lightest shipment from Diamond in weeks and I still came home with a boatload of comics. I haven't even read everything I picked up last week!

I did manage to read Winter Men #3 which is as awesome as the two issues preceding it. Also, check out the cover:

You don't know how lucky you are!

That's a damn fine cover.

I'm going to do my best to get reviews out every couple of days but since I'm doing NaNoWriMo again this year my pace is likely to slow. However, there are many comics I want to let my threes of readers know about along with a couple of special features I haven't been able to release into the wild yet. Worst case scenario: December will be chock full of content!!

Rock on, brothers and sisters!