EARTH PRIME TIME: THE WATCHER’S LOOK AT BOSTON COMIC CON

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This past weekend, citizens of Earth Prime finally got their Boston Comic Con at The Seaport World Trade Center. After much anticipation, the show was a glaring success for the fans, promoters, organizers and vendors. I am Uatu, The Watcher. I have taken an oath to aid humanity and monitor key points in human history without interfering. Here just some of the events happening at Boston on Saturday and Sunday, for us Watchers to study.

 

Boston Comic Con is angling to be a major independent comic book show in the country, and even after a reschedule and change of venue, founder Nick Kanieff has his target on being the number #3 show in the country behind touchstone San Diego Comic Con and New York Comic Con. If what I have seen from this past weekend is any indication, they may just make it. From the long entry lines, to the elaborate cosplay, to the amazing panel artists and guests the Beantown nerd and geek culture crowd uproariously rejoiced, seemingly forgetting about the unfortunate events of the Marathon Bombings in April that caused the show to move.

 

Observe! Boston Comic Con Fans Fanning Out on Fan Pier

Observe! Boston Comic Con Fans Fanning Out on Fan Pier

As The Watcher, I’ve seen some things. but never have I seen a line for tickets in Boston for something other than October baseball.

Nick Kanieff’s initial attendance prediction of 12,000—15,000 people was exceeded, and with a venue three times the size of The Hynes, one wonders if this is the best spot for the convention in 2014.

But I am just an observer, sworn not in interfere with my cosmic juju.

[READ MORE at DIGBOSTON.COM]

TRIPLE SHOT DIGITAL: Comixology Submit Presents NADIR’S ZENITH #1, ON THE VERGE - SHADOWS, EXPOSED #1 (of 4)

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EXPOSED #1 (of 4)
Writer: Victor Wright
Artist: Nino Cajayon
Price: $1.99
Page Count: 28 Pages
Digital Release Date: 7/17/13
Age Rating: 18+ Only
BUY IT HERE

What starts off as your typical Joe Kubert D-Day invasion story quickly turns into a blood curdling tale of Easy Company facing a coven of monster children…hungry for blood!

As if the horrors of war wasn’t enough for these poor soldiers, they now face the supernatural!

Great classic war comics art here coupled with the horror makes for a fun and not quite gruesome yet book. 
Will 

 

 

[READ MORE at FORCES OF GEEK]

DigBoston and LeaguePodcast Comic Book Picks of the Week for August 7, 2013

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COMICS

 

Nerd prom aka Boston Comic Con is over but we’re still in our costumes! J. Michael Straczynski introduces the Cowl and his underling Flyboy—but will Flyboy get to come out of the Cowl’s shadow, or will he forever be the second fiddle in Sidekick #1 from Image. … Issue #1 was so funny and weird that even the Punisher has his sites set on The Superior Foes of Spider-Man #2 by Nick Spencer and Steve Lieber. … In G.I. Joe: Cobra Files #5 we have new Joe Clockspring listening to Tomax’s love-life advice. Never take advice from an evil twin determined to rule the world! … Picks this week from LeaguePodcast.com.

 

Pass the Daily Dig along! Your friends can sign up here!

 

Pass the Daily Dig along! Your friends can sign up here!

BOSTON COMIC CON NEWS ROUND-UP! at FORCES OF GEEK

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BOSTON COMIC CON NEWS ROUND-UP!

Report by Stefan Blitz and Clay N Ferno

Rumor has it that Boston Comic Con doubled in size this past weekend, which comes to no surprise to the attendees who found themselves packed like sardines in a newer, larger venue, The World Seaport Convention Center.

Postponed from April following the Boston Marathon bombings, the 2013 Boston Comic Con has become a rarity among conventions, a show which primarily focuses on comics.  This year, there were several media guests including voice artist Billy West, The Walking Dead’s Laurie Holden,True Blood’s Kristen Bauer, and The Hobbit’s Aidan Turner and Dean O’Gorman.  But these guests were kept apart from the regular high profile comic guests who were mixed among the self publishers, artists and dealers.  Only cosplayer Yaya Han was mixed among the comic-centric guests who included the unquestionable star of the con, writer Scott Snyder, who’s name seemed to be mentioned every five minutes over the speakers (to be fair, you needed a ticket to Snyder’s table which was to eliminate the long lines a bit and try and stay a bit organized).

Among the guests were George Perez, Mike Mignola, Neal Adams, Joe Hill, Gabriel Rodriguez, Scott Snyder, Mark Bagley, Bill Willingham, Brian Azzarello, Nate Bellegarde, Buzz, Tony Daniel, Jim Calafiore, Howard Chaykin, Mike Choi, Ming Doyle, Joe Eisma, Agnes Garbowska, Michael Golden, Keron Grant, Paul Gulacy, Cully Hamner, Phil Jimenez, Dave Johnson, Barry Kitson, Aaron Lopresti, David Mack, Ed McGuinness, Terry Moore, Steve Niles, James O’Barr, David Petersen, Brandon Peterson, Joe Quinones, Khary Randolph, Tom Raney, Amy Reeder, Don Rosa, Craig Rousseau, Paul Ryan, Tim Sale, Alex Saviuk, Brian Stelfreeze, William Stout, Frank Tieri, Tim Townsend, Arthur Suydam, Dexter Vines, Anthony Del Col, Lee Weeks, Maris Wicks, Charles Paul Wilson III, Dean Yeagle, Chrissie Zullo, and hundreds more in the BCC Artist’s Alley.

One of the longest and steadiest lines throughout the weekend thanks mostly (although not entirely) to younger readers was for the Adventure Time team of Shelli Paroline and Braden Lamb.  

Publishers IDW and Boom! were on hand, as were IDW Publisher and Editor-in-Chief Chris Ryall, Co-Publisher of DC Entertainment Dan DiDio, and DC Comics Art Director Mark Chiarello.

Forces of Geek’s Stefan Blitz and Clay N Ferno each moderated two panels and could be found walking the floor chatting it up with various guests.

Here’s some of the news that leaked out from the show.
[READ MORE AT FORCES OF GEEK]

Triple Shot: BATMAN INCORPORATED #13, BATMAN ANNUAL #2, IT GIRL AND THE ATOMICS #12

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Two very different but special Batman titles come our way this week as Grant Morrison scratches a seven year itch with the Dark Knight and the New 52 celebrates two years of Scott Snyder’s Batman in Batman Annual #2. Over at Image, from the pages of Madman, It Girl and the Atomics ends a 12 issue run.

BATMAN INCORPORATED #13
WRITER: Grant Morrison
ART: Chris Burnham
Publication Date: July 31, 2013
Price: $3.99
Publisher: DC Comics
UPC: 76194130642101341
Buy it HERE

It is the epic conclusion of Grant Morrison’s run on Batman! He gave us Damian Wayne and took him away. He put a mirror up to all versions of The Dark Knight including the disturbed Batman of Zur-En-Arrh, brought Bruce Wayne back to life after being killed by Darkseid in Final Crisis and here had assembled pre-New 52 a globe spanning army of Batman associates called Batman, Inc. 

Those who have been enjoying the book from Morrison’s polarizing run may also have read his treatise on superheroes and Batman in Supergods: Our World in the Age of the Superhero. The book explores why Morrison has such a natural feel for the history of the DCU and our relationship to superheroes as modern gods. 

A sword fight between Talia and Batman comments on the medium and the series conclusion by reading the Talia’s dialogue at least one of three ways. “Your son lies dead and buried! The line! Of Wayne! Cancelled!” or “Batman! Is! Dead!” versus “Batman! Is! Cancelled!”

All of which Batman replies “No. Not Yet.” — implying through flashbacks that the icon will never die. “It never ends”, “It probably never will.”

This issue surpasses his final Superman comic (for the time being, at least), Action Comics #17. Batman deals with the loss of his Robin and son by way of Talia Al Ghul, Damian Wayne in a final confrontation in the Batcave co-starring a Batwoman, Jason Todd (in Knight armor), Jim Gordon and Alfred. 

Chris Burnham’s art is amazing once again, and hope to see him on more DC books.
Batman Inc., spanning both timelines will be missed in my nearly monthly rotation, all of the trade paperbacks in both timelines are highly recommended. Morrison gets the evergreen qualities of Batman and his family. All are worth a re-read for bizarre call outs to Silver Age easter eggs and comments on comic books themselves.

[READ MORE at FORCESOFGEEK.COM]

EARTH PRIME TIME: BOSTON COMIC CON WITH NICK KANIEFF (PART 1)

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Boston Comic Con has been rescheduled for this weekend, August 3-4, at The Seaport World Trade Center. Founder Nick Kanieff joins us for a two part interview about the challenges of moving this great independent comic book show and the incredible growth Boston Con has seen since its first years. The Boston comics community was looking forward to the show in April, and now are even more ready to get together this summer as a celebration of comic books and pop culture at the rescheduled date and venue.

 

DIGBOSTON: Can you tell me how you started running this show?
NICK KANIEFF: We had our first show in 2007. I had been a collector most of my life. I got to a point where I decided to sell my collection. I had some good friends that ran a comic book store, I asked them the best way to liquidate the collection, they suggested a combination of eBay and going to Cons and setting up as a vendor. There is a little show that’s been run here for 15 years. I set up there, was selling my comics and I noticed that it was a small show and the vendors were unhappy. It wasn’t what I remember as a kid. I remember there was an electricity in the air. It was crowded with people, it was colorful. It was a huge trading floor, it was a stock exchange with so much excitement. I started poking around, how come Boston doesn’t have a major comic book convention? No one could give me a good common sense answer to that question.

If I could start a show and bring back the magic, the allure, the electricity that I felt as a kid, then this thing can go through the roof.

I did just that. I started the show in 2007 at the Back Bay Events Center with 900 attendees. Three-four times the amount of the existing show, that had been there for 15 years.

The show has gone from 900 people to last year’s 10,000. We moved from Back Bay Events Center to The Hynes. Unfortunately, the Boston Marathon tragedy happened and we postponed and rescheduled to The Seaport. Our estimated attendance for 2013 is between 12-15,000 people.

It’s just gotten bigger and better and we are now nationally recognized and ranked and a show people come to from all over the country.

We’re putting Boston back on the map as a major city that has a major comic book convention for fans that deserve it. Boston deserves a well-run, big comic book convention. We’ve hopefully given that to them. My goal at the end of the day is to put on the best show that I can. The way I know that I’m successful is if the fans, the vendors, and the artists all walk away saying we had a great time, a lot of fun, we made some money and that was the best show I’ve ever been too.

I just want to make it bigger and bigger and better.

 

That’s great. I’ve been going since 2009, and each of the Cons keeps getting bigger and bigger — to the benefit of the Con. There was plenty of space, and lots of happy people last year. I have just as good a time at Boston as I do at New York.
That’s the barometer, when a fan like yourself says that, I know we are doing our job right.

[READ MORE at DIGBOSTON.COM]

 

 

HEY…PART 2 is HERE!

TRIPLE SHOT DIGITAL: Comixology Submit Presents THE HAMMER OF ARGUS #1, LOVE IS A BURNING THING #1 and ROCKET QUEEN AND THE WRENCH #1

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There’s an easy to pronounce mighty hammer in this heroes’ book set in Greece with The Hammer of Argus, plus a bad boy super-soldier in Love is a Burning Thing. The Zoom Family hosts Jamie Baldwin for the summer, will he get his own armored adventures in Rocket Queen and the Wrench?

The leader in the digital comics space opened up the platform to indie creators back in March of this year. Writers and artists now have the chance to publish comics or graphic novels on the browser, tablet or phone using the Guided View technology. Comixologycurates the submissions and soon the comic is put into panel by panel production for the viewer. The comics appear right on the digital store alongside all of the major publisher’s books.

THE HAMMER OF ARGUS #1
Writer: Ernesto Lopez de Victoria
Artist: Christopher Nelson
Price: $1.99
Page Count: 27 pages
Imprint: Bearmoon Comics
Digital Release Date: 5/15/13
Age Rating: 17+ only
BUY IT HERE

Rendered on a computer in a unique and colorful CGI style is this great foray into mashing up mythology and comics—a tradition nearly as old as the medium!

The thief Brutus finds his way into the ancient forge of Argus the Cyclops.

For fans of Thor, Hercules, Percy Jackson and fun stories of the Olympian Gods. The art is the standout for this book, the 3D rendering makes for larger than life storytelling and great action.

[READ MORE at FORCES OF GEEK]

DigBoston and LeaguePodcast Comic Book Picks of the Week for July 31, 2013

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COMICS

 

ZOMG! Boston Comic Con is finally here. Check out our coverage in the paper and online at DigBoston.com! Friend of The League Jamal Igle celebrates 20 years in the industry with his successful YA Kickstarter graphic novel Molly Danger! Molly battles Supermechs! … Why do we keep picking Nathan Edmondson and Mitch Gerard’s spyfy action military procedural The Activity? It’s too good! The Activity #14 is out this week. … Cullen Bunn is making the best spider-stories every month, over in Venom, #38 stars the symbiote and Flash Thompson and snoopy reporter Katy Kiernan. … Picks this week from LeaguePodcast.com.

Pass the Daily Dig along! Your friends can sign up here!

 

Boston Comic Con!
New Location - Seaport World Trade Center. SAT August 3 and Sunday August 4

 



SAT 8/3 - LUCKY’S LOUNGE (6-9PM):
LeaguePodcast Boston Comic Con After-Party 4.1
Facebook Event
 
SAT 8/3 - BOSTON COMIC CON PANEL - Neal Adams’ Secrets of The Silver Age - 12pm–12:45pm (MOD: Stefan Blitz, Forces of Geek)
Facebook Event
SAT 8/3 - BOSTON COMIC CON PANEL - Writing Comics - 5pm-5:45pm: Steve Niles, Frank Tieri, Tom Sniegoski  (MOD: Stefan Blitz, Forces of Geek)
SUN 8/4 - BOSTON COMIC CON - ALL AGES COMICS PANEL - Waterfront Room - All Ages Comics - 11am-11:45am Shelli Paroline, Don Rosa, Maris Wicks  (MOD: Clay N. Ferno, DigBoston)
SUN 8/4 - BOSTON COMIC CON - MIGHTY MARVEL PANEL - Marvel Comics - Mark Bagley, Mike Choi, David Mack, Brandon Peterson (MOD: Clay N. Ferno, DigBoston)

Thanks to you from your pals at LeaguePodcast, Forces of Geek and Boston Comic Con.

TUE 8/6 - @Musiquestria ‪#‎Brony‬ Musicians - All Ages - *NOTE: 5:30pm Doors ‪#‎MYLITTLEPONY‬ ‪#‎BRONIES ‪#‎MLP‬

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BLOGGERS: 

Picks of the week appreciated! Feel free to ask me any questions/requests. Thanks for your continued support.

Post- BOSTON COMIC-CON, brony meetup at Middle East. 

All Ages - *NOTE: 5:30pm Doors

For IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 
Musiquestria is a month-long pony music tour spanning the entirety of the United States. LEAGUE PODCAST presents this first ever tour of BRONY Musicians coming to the Middle East Upstairs on Tuesday, August 6, 2013. Early Evening All Ages Show.
Musiquestria is a month-long pony music tour spanning the entirety of the United States, from Everfree Northwest in Seattle, WA to cities in the New England area. During these four weeks we hope to visit as many major cities as possible across the country, bringing incredible live performances of some of the community’s most talented musicians to you.
Bronies have already infultrated so much of pop culture. This first-of-its-kind tour will take us to the next level! If this series of epic events are successful, this tour will become an annual event bringing up-and-coming brony musicians right across North America and into your home towns!
FAQ: What’s a Brony? http://whatisabrony.com

TUE 8/6/13 - MIDDLE EAST UPSTAIRS
EARLY EVENING SHOW: 
LeaguePodcast Presents: 
Musiquestria Tour - 8 Brony Musicians - All Ages $10 Advance / $12 Day Of Show *NOTE: 5:30pm Doors
Silva Hound
F3nning
Bejoty
Tarby
Poni1Kenobi
Replacer
Donn DeVore
Automatic Jack
TUE 
8/6/13 U: EARLY EVENING SHOW: LeaguePodcast Presents: Musiquestria Tour - 8 Brony Musicians - All Ages $10 Advance / $12 Day Of Show *NOTE: 5:30pm Doors
MIDDLE EAST UPSTAIRS
472 Massachusetts Ave
Cambridge MA 02139
“Musiquestria is a month-long pony music tour spanning the entirety of the United States.”
Musiquestria is a month-long pony music tour spanning the entirety of the United States, from Everfree Northwest in Seattle, WA to cities in the New England area. During these four weeks we hope to visit as many major cities as possible across the country, bringing incredible live performances of some of the community’s most talented musicians to you.
Bronies have already infultrated so much of pop culture. This first-of-its-kind tour will take us to the next level! If this series of epic events are successful, this tour will become an annual event bringing up-and-coming brony musicians right across North America and into your home towns!
—
Publicity / Promotions - Cambridge, MA USA 
PRESS PHOTOS/GIVEAWAYS/MORE INFO:
[email protected]
617-864-3278 x224
mideastclub.com | zuzubar.com
@MidEastClub | @ZuZuBar 

 

 

Triple Shot: THE ROCKETEER & THE SPIRIT #1, ARMY OF DARKNESS VS. HACK/SLASH #1, THE SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN #14

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Mark Waid continues his winning streak and takes to the skies by pairing up The Rocketeer and The Spirit;  we get our groovy on with S-Mart employee of the month—housewares, 1999—Ash as he joins the Hack/Slash universe written by Tim Seeley and witness an even more unlikely team-up of Superior Spider-Man and J. Jonah Jameson in this week’s Triple Shot!

THE ROCKETEER & THE SPIRIT #1
WRITER: Mark Waid
ART: Paul Smith
Publication Date: July 24, 2013
Price: $3.99
Publisher: IDW Publishing / DC Comics
UPC: 82771400477900111
Buy it HERE

Have you also been watching The Aviator on a loop, quoting “Way of the future” and “show me all the blueprints” for the past month? Me neither, that would seriously harm the close relationships in your life. “Bring in the milk”.

A perfect companion (or welcome break) from the OCD Howard Hughes biopic would be the latest in Mark Waid’s take on The Rocketeer, co-starring Will Eisner’s The Spirit, subtitled “Pulp Friction”.


Alderman Cunningham is found murdered 3000 miles away in Hollywood from his home in Central City.

After The Spirit, Denny Colt makes his way to California to investigate, The Rocketeer, Cliff Secord and mentor, Peevy grow suspicious.

The Rocketeer picks up The Spirit for an amazing round of hand to hand combat hundreds of feet in the air, unlike anything seen before!

You’ll have to tune in next month to find out more, as Cliff’s Betty starts to fall for none other than The Spirit!

Mark Waid, ladies and gentlemen, teaming up classic characters and telling the best stories in monthly comic books on the shelves this year.

[READ MORE at FORCES OF GEEK]

EARTH PRIME TIME: JUSTICE LEAGUE: THE FLASHPOINT PARADOX

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The most recent Justice League animated movie stars the Scarlett Speedster—The Flash against his most formidable foe, Reverse-Flash (Professor Zoom). Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox (July 30, 2013 release date) is an adaptation of the Flashpoint graphic novel from 2011, the precursor to The New 52 reboot of the DC Universe. Barry Allen awakes powerless to find his world is different and there is a disturbance in the Speed Force. He seeks the help of an unfamiliar Batman to right the world. The question remains—is this movie the end of story adaptations for the old continuity? Signs are pointing to yes, as the sequel of sorts, a post-New 52 tale, Justice League: War has already been announced.

The Flash/Barry Allen (voiced by Justin Chambers) certainly has what it takes to star in his own animated feature. He’s even had a two-season archive of a ’90s live action show with an art-deco backdrop of Central City (complete with DC Animation favorite Mark Hamill appearing as Flash rogueThe Trickster). The Flashpoint Paradox sets up a key Barry Allen life event as the ‘Butterfly Effect,’ or as seen in 2009′s Star Trek, the nadir of a divergent timeline. Based on Geoff Johns’ (DC Entertainment’s Chief Creative Officer) book of the same name, Flashpoint splits when Barry uses the speed force to go back in time to save his mother from a senseless murder after a break-in.

Confused? That’s OK. Flashpoint was set up from the company’s initiative to reset all of the DC heroes, and also rejuvenate the characters with familiar but new origins in The New 52.

In order to start fresh, they opted for this Reverse-Flash vs. Flash story, creating The New 52 continuity from quantum strings and vague memories from Barry Allen of the way things used to be.

The real meat of the story is in the divergent timeline, as Barry wakes up drooling on his desk at Central City Police Department, warned by his computer that the end is nigh. He runs outside to see his very much alive mother, with whom he has dinner plans with. Reverse-Flash Eobard Thawne is responsible somehow for traveling back from his time in the 25th century to create this new world.

Flash - Barry Allen from Flashpoint Paradox

Flash - Barry Allen from Flashpoint Paradox

The Flashpoint universe has some familiar faces, but they act very differently here.

[READ MORE at DIGBOSTON.COM]

TRIPLE SHOT DIGITAL: Comixology Submit Presents 51 SERIF ST. VOL. 1, DRONES #1, ZOMBIE SPOTLIGHT #1

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Enter the madhouse of 51 Serif St., party with the drone strike infidels ofDrones #1 and tuck in that shirt napkin for a delicious spotlight on zombies in Zombie Spotlight #1 this week at Triple Shot Digital!

The leader in the digital comics space opened up the platform to indie creators back in March of this year.

Writers and artists now have the chance to publish comics or graphic novels on the browser, tablet or phone using the Guided View technology. Comixology  curates the submissions and soon the comic is put into panel by panel production for the viewer. The comics appear right on the digital store alongside all of the major publisher’s books. 


51 SERIF ST. VOL. 1,
Written and Drawn by: Horatiu Radoiu
Price: $2.99
Page Count: 54 pages
Digital Release Date: 7/3/13
Age Rating: 17+ only
BUY IT HERE

Horatiu Radoiu’s 51 Serif St. is a dark portrait of a rehabilitation house.

In the style of David Mack, Ben Templesmith and Dave McKean, the artwork is dark and scary. Criminals inside the house have many tales of awful things that they have done, and we find out if crook Daniel Rosdower has what it takes to survive in this madhouse.

Part Arkham Asylum and part horror dreamscape, this book is worth checking out for the macabre storytelling and etherial artwork.

[READ MORE AT FORCES OF GEEK]

Triple Shot: BATMAN BEYOND UNLIMITED #18, BLOOD BROTHERS #1, G.I. JOE SPECIAL MISSIONS #5 at FORCES OF GEEK

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This week’s Triple Shot gives us the Batgirl of the future in Batman Beyond Unlmited, a buddy vampire comedy adventure in Blood Brothers and the Dreadnoks return in G.I. Joe Special Missions.


BATMAN BEYOND UNLIMITED #18
WRITER: Scott Peterson
ART: Annie Wu
Publication Date: July 17, 2013
Price: $3.99
Publisher: DC Comics
UPC: 76194130753401811
Buy it HERE

Terry McGuinness isn’t the only one suiting up in Neo-Gotham in the future.

In fact, the Bat-Family is extended to a Batgirl and even the original Metal Men. In the current status quo of theBatman Beyond Unlimited series, the police commissioner is none other than original Batgirl, Barbara Gordon, about the same age (probably a bit younger than, actually) as Batman’s mentor Bruce Wayne.

In the Crown Point section of Neo-Gotham, the water supply has been poisoned by a super-steroid.

Current Batgirl Nissa Gibson and Babs team up to take down the Roake Corporation who is spiking the punch. Lots of good action here in this one, as plain-clothed Babs teams up with the high schooler for some big punches and hand to hand combat teamwork. New Batgirl handles herself well, in cocky Batgirl fashion, almost getting herself into too much that she can handle and figuring it out in the end. 

The backup story stars The Metal Men, who have been on ice for decades, after the passing of Doc Will Magnus. Bruce Wayne reassigns them as agents of the Bat-Family, as Bruce, Terry and Nissa take on the Undercloud network. It’s great to see The Metal Men in action, a delightful and anachronistic surprise in this story set in the future.
[READ MORE at FORCES OF GEEK]

EARTH PRIME TIME: BEWARE THE BATMAN

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Beware the Batman 2013
The new Batman television show Beware the Batman brings an animated Bruce Wayne and Batman back to the television screen. Historically, the Bruce Timm Batman: The Animated Series has been revered in the comic fan’s eyes, and the 2008 Batman: Brave and The Bold had a lighter, Adam-West feel to the caped crusader. The most recent incarnation is a huge paradigm shift from either of the previous series, moving from cell to computer animation, major character reinterpretations and a b-side rogue gallery. Quite possibly, this is the Man Of Steel for animated shows, driving classic fans away but perhaps appealing to a more general audience for The Dark Knight.

 

Comic fans fear change! From creative teams to character reboots to even the change of the paper being used on a book will spark endless debate online and at the very least fidgets and sighs. We had just gotten used to the campy and sometimes musical Batman: Brave and The Bold and even beaten the button mashing video game, all the while falling in love with that version of the swashbuckling and bearded Aquaman. In Beware The Batman there is a familiarity to the dark tones in both Batman: The Animated Series and The Dark Knight Trilogy.

There are stepping stones into another territory for longtime fans of The Bat in the new series that may endear you to it or have you check yourself into Arkham, driven mad by the seemingly infinite versions of Bruce Wayne and Batman.

 

The series is rendered in the same computer animation style as the cancelled Green Lantern Animated Series and Tron Uprising. If you can let the slick glass look of Gotham and complex architecture of Wayne Manor, The Batcave and the streets of the city wash over you (I watch on a retina MacBook) it leans toward an immersive experience. The fight scenes are well choreographed and fun to watch as the Batman clobbers the bad guys. The Batsuit owes a lot to the Nolan movies, all black, including the bat symbol, save his yellow or brass utility belt. It is a good but not great design of the Batsuit, which saddens me because I like to get excited when Bruce suits up.

Overall, the design and the computer rendering as a choice work for me withBeware The Batman, as I learn to let go of my nostalgia for cell animation and expect more of this from my heroes in the future.

Mr. Toad and Professor Pyg - Beware the Batman

Mr. Toad and Professor Pyg - Beware the Batman

The enemies in episode one are Professor Pyg and Mr. Toad, introduced by Grant Morrison in Batman and Robin. The masked freak and animal (respectively) are of the 99% and also environmental activists, seeking revenge a land deal signed by Simon Stagg and Bruce Wayne that forced many animals from their native wetlands. The Hitchcock-sounding Pyg uses kidnap and murder instead of words to resolve his issues. Toad has a sonic croak, used to break glass and knock his enemies to the ground. Batman gets involved when Alfred is kidnapped by accident (Toad mistakes him for Wayne).

[READ MORE at DIGBOSTON.COM]

Triple Shot: QUANTUM AND WOODY #1, THE SHADOW / GREEN HORNET DARK NIGHTS #1, BATMAN ’66 #1 and #2

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Looking for the hot stuff team-up and sidekick action this week? We’ve got just the thing for your collection. Summer of Valiant continues with Quantum and Woody #1, Batman’s savior Michael Uslan puts The Shadow and Green Hornet in harms way, and by golly, Gotham itself is in trouble again as the Riddler and Catwoman takes us back in time to Batman ’66 #1 & #2.


QUANTUM AND WOODY #1
WRITER: James Asmus
ART: Tom Fowler
Publication Date: July 10, 2013
Price: $3.99
Publisher: Valiant Comics
UPC: 85899200310900111
Buy it HERE

“The World’s Worst Superhero Team”

Bros! Just your typical white kid adopted by a black dad and raising his son along with the new kid.

Eric and Woody Henderson grew up together and hey, even stood up for each other on occasion. The boys got into some serious trouble of course, but were close.

Derek Henderson aka Dad was an energy researcher at Quantum Labs.

On his last day of work, he steals away his secret research files and heads for the door—only to be stopped by a large Russian with a hammer and sickle scar on his face! Not good, Dad met his maker and the boys must get together after years of growing apart. Eric joined the military to make his Dad proud, but Woody…became a grifter, stealing what he can to get by. While investigating their late father’s research, they’re caught in a nuclear accident, leaving them glowing and naked on Quantum Labs lawn!

And now, they are prime suspects in their own father’s murder.

Really great start to the series here, Tom Fowler’s art is amazing and fun, matching the quick and funny dialogue. This is really about the relationship between the brothers by way of adoption, and it is an interesting dynamic. I appreciate that, even by the current Valiant Universe canon, with Harbingers and nanite infected soldiers running around, a casual observer from the street calls these guys “the worst” as they fall from a building and it is caught on the news!

You could use the word silly to describe the book, but don’t think of this as a Deadpool type action story, breaking the third wall and dropping pop culture references.

This is more of a funny buddy cop story like Lethal Weapon or Cop Out. The second Summer of Valiant continues on, hilariously, with Quantum and Woody!
[READ MORE at FORCES OF GEEK]

DigBoston and LeaguePodcast Comic Book Picks of the Week for July 17, 2013

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COMICS

What’s that around the corner? Boston Comic Con August 3-4! All Ages Comic Panel artist Shelli Paroline Lamb will be there to sign copies of the TOTALLY MATH Adventure Time #18. … Ming Doyle and Brian Wood’s Mara comes to a conclusion as her powers fully manifest themselves in Mara #6. … Boom! Studios is making news by offering work from industry giants. This week we see the debut of Day Men #1 from Brian Stelfreeze and Matt Gagnon. Human servants of the mighty vampire masters face the day with a cup of coffee to do the bidding of the undead! … Picks this week from LeaguePodcast.com.

 

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TRIPLE SHOT DIGITAL: Comixology Submit Presents MIDNIGHT TIGER #1, GARTH KIRBY AND THE COOKBOOK OF THE GODS #1, ORDER AND CHAOS #1 at FORCES OF GEEK

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ComiXology Submit titles for this week are action packed and ready to attack! Tigers, mummies, and mercs, oh my!

Set your pacemaker to turbo because the adrenaline won’t stop.


The leader in the digital comics space opened up the platform to indie creators back in March of this year. Writers and artists now have the chance to publish comics or graphic novels on the browser, tablet or phone using the Guided View technology. 

Comixology  curates the submissions and soon the comic is put into panel by panel production for the viewer. The comics appear right on the digital store alongside all of the major publisher’s books.

MIDNIGHT TIGER # 1
Plot & Script: DeWayne Feenstra
Plot & Pencils by: Ray-Anthony Height
Price: $.99
Page Count: 29 pages
Digital Release Date: 7/3/13
Published By: Write Height Media, LLC
Age Rating: 12+ only
BUY IT HERE

Midnight Tiger #1 is an excellent teenage superhero comic in in the Mighty Marvel Manner, but it is even better because Ray-Anthony Height’s book is Kickstarter funded!

The teenage superhero Gavin Shaw sneaks out to do his vigilante work at night while his new superpowers are developing.

Of course he’s balancing homework and his relationship with his dad as Infernus threatens the city.

Fans of Invincible, Amazing Spider-Man and Daredevil should read this book! Support the indie creators and get them hired by the big guns immediately! This is creator-owned superhero comics at it’s height—great story and amazing dynamic art. Can not say enough good things about this well crafted book. Literally a steal at $.99 on ComiXology.

GARTH KIRBY AND THE COOKBOOK OF THE GODS #1
Written by: Sal Crivelli
Art by: Viktor Bogdanovic 
Price: $4.99
Page Count: 45 pages
Digital Release Date: 7/3/13
Age Rating: 18+ only
BUY IT HERE

The first issue in the fun Garth Kirby series kicks off with a ton of action as ‘A’ mechanic Garth Kirby (of Garage-Mahal) gets caught up in a fight for the Egyptian Book of the Dead.

Part Big Lewbowski and Army of Darkness, Garth and friend Aadesh take on a transforming Anubis and an army of mummies in the city museum. This is a really fun and funny book worth checking out.

There is a clean art style and cartooning mixed with wisecracking pals on a mission to figure out this unwanted Cookbook of the Dead that actually contains spells to open up a time vortex. 

ORDER AND CHAOS #1 (of 3)
Writer: Fred Boulus
Artist: J.C. Grande
Price: $2.99
Page Count: 32 Pages
Digital Release Date: 3/6/13
Publisher: Fred Boulus
Age Rating: 15+ Only
BUY IT HERE

An American boy tears his way through not just his, but everyone’s Christmas presents because he enjoys the chaos of it all, and the rush of destruction.

Fast forward to the present where the American is a mercenary in bed with a foreign rebel army to blast his way by assisting a coup.

Now a munitions expert, our man makes short order of the big tanks and forces in the way, but we get a feeling we don’t know which side our mercenary is on by the end.

For fans of The Punisher or strategy books like The Activity. The art is drawn in a looser style fitting for a war book, with plenty of action and explosions.


[READ MORE at FORCES OF GEEK]

DigBoston and LeaguePodcast Comic Book Picks of the Week for July 10, 2013

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COMICS

Our second #SummerOfValiant is here and man are we excited for Quantum & Woody #1 written by James Asmus (Dark X-Men, Gambit) and art By Tom Fowler (Green Arrow, Venom). These guys are the worst, and we mean that in the best way. co-starring a goat, eventually. … Grace Randolph’s Real Housewives sendoff for superheroes is still going strong at BOOM!. Supurbia #9 starts a new story arc as the Meta Legion is in rough shape and Ruth really is turning into some bad news! … Our friends at First Second Books have a new graphic novel, Templar, a medieval adventure tale of love and loss, compiling the entire trilogy started in Solomon’s Thieves. Written by Prince of Persia and Karateka’s Jordan Mechner! … Picks this week from LeaguePodcast.com.

 

Pass the Daily Dig along! Your friends can sign up here!

DON’T FORGET!

Thursday, July 11, 9:00 PM
CROSSROADS & LEAGUEPODCAST PRESENT:
REVENGE OF THE NERD TOUR 2


MC CHRIS http://mcchris.com/
With: Dr. Awkward http://www.drawkward.com/home.cfm
Jesse Dangerously http://www.dangerously.ca/
Tribe One - http://tribeone.bandcamp.com/

$18+ $13 ADVANCE

http://www.crossroadspresents.com/ | http://www.leaguepodcast.com/ | http://www.ticketmaster.com/


crossroadspresents.com | leaguepodcast.com | ticketmaster.com

THU 7/11 - BRIGHTON MUSIC HALL: CROSSROADS & LEAGUEPODCAST PRESENT: REVENGE OF THE NERD TOUR 2 with MC CHRIS - Dr. Awkward, Jesse Dangerously, Tribe One

pioneer of the nerdcore genre (of which he is proud to be a part,) mc got his start on adult swim as an animator, writer, voice actor and song writer on ATHF, The Brak Show, Sealab 2021, Welcome to Eltingville, Cheyenne Cinnamon and Tight Bros. Since leaving the Cartoon Network in 2004 mc has toured the US countless times as well stops in Canada, Scotland and England. He’s been on mixtapes with Childish Gambino and Kitty Pryde. Made soundtracks for Kevin Smith and even performed collabs with Andrew WK and Talib Kweli. For the past three years MC has been pitching “the mc chris cartoon” with a short animated clip made for 70 grand from fan donations. In 2012, it was finally picked up for development by a mystery network with plans to air in 2013. please ask the question on facebook or twitter, “where’s my mc chris cartoon?” feel free to put it in CAPS.

https://www.twitter.com/_mcchris
https://twitter.com/Doctor_awkward
https://twitter.com/rljd
https://twitter.com/TribeOneWon
https://twitter.com/leaguepodcast
https://twitter.com/CrossroadsPrsnt

Triple Shot: VENOM #37, SATELLITE SAM #1, DARK SKULLKICKERS DARK #1

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It was a pretty Happy Independence Day weekend for all of us at the Triple Shot headquarters, so let’s start off Monday right where we’re packing the explosive comic reviews like Venom #37 featuring war hero Flash Thompson, ‘50s Sci-Fi TV murder mystery Satellite Sam #1 from Matt Fraction and Howard Chaykin and eventually we’re kicked out of a dark bar with Jim Zub’s Dark Skullkickers Dark #1.

VENOM #37
WRITER: Cullen Bunn
ART: Pepe Larraz
Publication Date: July 3, 2013
Price: $2.99
Publisher: Marvel Comics
UPC: 75960607565203711
Buy it HERE


It is hard to believe that symbiotic veteran and #1 Spidey fan Flash Thompson has been carrying this Venom book for nearly 40 issues.

That’s meant as the highest compliment to the writing efforts of Rick Remender and now Cullen Bunn.

The reimagining (though not in the traditional sense of the word) of the Venom character as both a government weapon and a way of empowering the disabled veteran with a black licorice suit and body armor has gone literally to hell and back.

The alcoholic Thompson struggles with his demons, the loss of his relationship to Betty Brandt and his father’s death with a geographical relocation to Philadelphia, where he has a job as a gym teacher and fights bad guys at night.

While reading the latest,Venom #37, it dawned on me as to what I find appealing in these stories. I’ve gone hot and cold but month after month (week after week!) continued to buy Amazing Spider-Man. Now with Peter Parker out of the picture in Marvel NOW!, Bunn is providing me with the fix that I was chasing with Spidey.

Cullen Bunn is telling the best Amazing Spider-Man stories right now in Venom. The ol’ Parker luck, the survivor’s guilt, the power, the responsibility, tangling with reporters—it’s all happening in the black suit book! I don’t mean for that to sound reductive or to frame Flash Thompson as someone with Peter’s same situations.

The Philly backdrop of the school, his barren apartment and the nosy Katy Kiernan (Daily Inquisitor) are not Spidey in NY. Venom’s own set of rogues give the settings a different flavor, a darker tone. If Peter ever comes back, please let Cullen write the book. There will be a time thatSuperior seems silly or another version for a video game, like Spider-Man 2099 (perhaps it does already to some). Peter Parker will have to be swinging around eventually. This is the guy to write it.


SATELLITE SAM #1
WRITER: Matt Fraction
ART: Howard Chaykin
Publication Date: July 3, 2013
Price: $3.50
Publisher: Image Comics
Buy it HERE (DRM FREE. Your format of choice.)


The newly designed Image Comics website is fortunate to have with it’s launch a delightful launch of a new title written and drawn by industry heavyweights Matt Fraction (Hawkeye, Invincible Iron Man) and Howard Chaykin (American Flagg!), respectively.

The book is set in 1951 on a live television set, as was the style of the time.

The star of the Sci-Fi show Satellite Sam hasn’t shown up at call time, and is in danger of ruining the bit. The space hero is supposed to enter the screenplay right at the end, and when he doesn’t show, the cast and crew improvise.

This is a sendoff to Golden Age television and the personalities that made up the new media era, post-radio. This is also a murder mystery with dark uncovered secrets hidden in the victim’s closet. Can the man that was murdered have been involved with a seedy underground sex and porn ring? Tune in next time!

Great stuff here from an unlikely, but perfect creative team. Like early television, the story is told in black and white with the signature Chaykin line and zip-a-tone. Some might disagree, but Chaykin uncolored by modern techniques services the look and is easier to read. G.I. Joe: Hearts and Minds by Chaykin was colored by the computer and therefore made the storytelling suffer.

Who knows what Fraction has up his antennae for this, but I look forward to a long story and getting to know more about the family and cast involved. Parts of the cast interaction off-screen called back to Silk Spectre scenes in Watchmen.

Going in too deep with this—is Fraction using ‘50s Satellite Sam as a metaphor for the comic book industry today? Is radio the floppy comic book of the past that will take a backseat to television? Are DRM Free digital comics and the like the future of our comic book entertainment? Can the digital marketplace exist alongside floppy comics like TV and radio exist? Drink your Ovaltine and find out next month in Satellite Sam! 


DARK SKULLKICKERS DARK #1
WRITER: Jim Zubkavich
ARTIST: Edwin Huang, Jim Zubkavich
Publication Date: July 3, 2013
Price: $3.50
Publisher: Image Comics
UPC: 70985300895802311
Buy it HERE


Good Ol’ Zub, at it again, encouraging retailers to boost hisSkullkickers comic with a new new new Number 1 that is not only Dark, but Dark Dark!

The issue number should actually be about….23. That was a good year for me. I got kicked out of a lot of bars, but never for not paying my tab.

The Dwarf, Kusia and Rex find themselves at a bar in the conclusion of the Eighty Eyes on an Evil Island story arc.

An Elf explains to Kusia that they are in a dimensional hub tavern, so when The Dwarf is picked up by the scruff of his neck and out into the snow for not paying his tab, he could wind up anywhere.

All of this happens over a backdrop of Rex and Red Haired Rex trashing the place and fighting goblins.

If this all sounds familiar, it should be, the moral of this particular issue is that of archetypes. Lots of poking fun at comics, Sci Fi and sword and sorcery in these books. And a ton of humor.

If you like your comics fun (we know you do) and want to pick up a new number one issue nearly every month, Skullkickers has what you need. 

[READ MORE at FORCES OF GEEK]

EARTH PRIME TIME: ‘SUPER KNOCKED UP’ WEB SERIES SEASON 2 WITH JEFF BURNS

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Super Knocked Up Season 2

Last year we spoke with creator Jeff Burns of the webseries Super Knocked Up about super villain Darkstar bringing a child into the world after a one night stand with super hero Captain Amazing. Season 2 is a big hit and winning awards, so we check in with Jeff and the stars of the show as everyone ramps up for San Diego Comic-Con.

 

DIGBOSTON: Thanks for taking the time today, Jeff! First off congratulations on The Geekie Awards for Most Original Web Series. Things are going well?
JEFF BURNS: Things are going amazingly well!  We just won The Geekie Award for Most Original Web Series and swept all four categories in last week’s We Love Soaps poll (week of June 16—22).  We won Favorite Web Series, Favorite Couple for Jessica and Michael (Darkstar and Captain Amazing, Favorite Actress for Jourdan Gibson, and Favorite Actor for Mark Pezzula.

 

Super Knocked Up also screened at LA WebFest, where we won a Visual Effects Award for the awesome work of our Visual Effects Artists Daniel DeFabio and Christopher Vincelette. And we’re official selections at Marseille WebFest and Melbourne Web Fest.

Creator Jeff Burns and Jourdan Gibson (Jessica James/Darkstar) of Super Knocked Up

The most exciting news of all is that Jourdan and I got invited to be on a web series panel at San Diego Comic Con.  I’ve always wanted to go and to get to be on a panel there is a dream come true! It’s called Web Series Creators Assemble! and will take place Thurs. July 18 at 7:30 p.m. in Room 24ABC.  Katrina Hill and Alex Langely (Geeks and Gamers Anonymous) did an amazing job organizing the panel and they’ll be on it with us along with Jane Espenson (Buffy, Once Upon a Time, Husbands), Brad Bell (Husbands), Sandeep Parikh (Save the Supers, The Guild), and Tara Platt and Stephanie Thorpe (Shelf Life).

Besides YouTube, obviously, where else are you able to screen the show?
Outside of our own YouTube Channel, Super Knocked up is part of the online networks atKoldCast.tv and JTS.tv.  And we can be seen on the very popular MovieManiacs YouTube Channel.

There’s been a casting change for Darkstar – Jourdan Gibson now in the starring role as the new Mom. Were there any fan reactions to the switch?
I’ve been thrilled to see that the fan reaction to Jourdan taking over as Darkstar has been overwhelmingly positive. They really love her in the role and love the amazing chemistry she and Mark have together on screen. But we did a few things to really help the fans accept her and introduce her to them. I had her do VLOGs called Super Jourdy! after she was first cast to show her super-goofy and fun personality to the fans. And a couple of months before Season 2 premiered we started doing live Google Hangout shows called Super Geeked Up where Jourdan, Mark, and I talk about geeky stuff, answer fan questions, and have a guest from the web series world on each week. These live shows really let the fans see how amazing and personable Jourdan is and I think many of them fell in love with her before they even saw her in Season 2. And then even more so when they actually go to see her kick ass in the episodes. So doing all this stuff and gradually introducing the fans to Jourdan over time I think was really key.

It was much more effective than if we had just said, “Hey everyone here’s Season 2 and oh by the way here’s a new actress playing Darkstar.”

That would have been a lot harder to sell. So I’m really proud of the way we handled it. But a huge factor is just that Jourdan knocked it out of the park with her performance. She kicks ass as Darkstar!

 

[READ MORE at DIGBOSTON.COM]

 

Season 1 interview here!