DigBoston and LeaguePodcast Comic Book Picks of the Week for September 18, 2013

COMICS

Another great spyfi title hits the shelf this week with Zero #1 from Image Comics by Ales Kot and up and comer Michael Walsh. Great military action with a sci-fi twist! … Over at Dark Horse, we trade in our NOLA vamps for furry Werewolves in the Big Easy with Kiss Me Satan #1 from the author of the recent Buffyverse tale Spike: A Dark Place. “Do you wanna die”? Toadies drummer Mark Reznicek co-writes Buzzkill #1 about a superhero who gets his powers from drinking copious amounts of alcohol! … Picks this week from LeaguePodcast.com.

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

Movie T-Shirts

Triple Shot With a Digital Chaser: ETERNAL WARRIOR #1, AVENGERS ARENA #15, PROPHET #39 plus MYSTERYMAN #1

Triple Shot With a Digital Chaser: ETERNAL WARRIOR #1, AVENGERS ARENA #15, PROPHET #39 plus MYSTERYMAN #1

Valiant picks up Greg Pak (Planet Hulk, Superman/Batman) to write the timeless tales of Eternal Warrior #1, Dennis Hopeless keeps the tournament troupe tolerable in Avengers Arena #15 and take a future walk with Prophet #39 from Image.

Like your heroes old school like Doc Savage or The Spirit?Mysteryman #1 awaits you at ComiXology Submit!

ETERNAL WARRIOR #1
WRITER: Greg Pak 
ART:  Trevor Hairsine
Publication Date: September 11, 2013
Price: $3.99
Publisher: Valiant Comics
UPC: 85899200311600111
Buy it HERE

This tale spans the millennia from ancient Mesopotamia to present day as one of Valiant’s most recognizable characters gets launched in a new title with a new number one.

Gilad has been appearing in Archer & Armstrong and most recently in X-O Manowar, so he hasn’t been missing, just the title has.

Fans of Pak’s work on Planet Hulk will revel in the ancient scenes of elephants being ridden into battle, strong conflict within a family structure and page after page of Hairsine’s masterful axe-swinging Conan the Barbarian battle scenes, complete with blood smears across the faces of the warriors. 

All seems to be going right over at Valiant right now with a variety of books existing in the same congruent universe.

Pak now joins Van Lente and Venditti, Asmus, and Dysart to construct a Valiant Universe that literally stretches over space and time and fits together very nicely. At Marvel, they might call these guys Architects.

At Valiant, I’d call these creators Mayan Architects, baffling future generations with beautiful work artwork set up for games of human sacrifice and a lot of blood spilled on the battlefield.

Has Gilad turned his back on fighting after centuries of battle? Pick up issue #1 to find out.  

[READ MORE at FORCES OF GEEK]

Video Game T-Shirts

EARTH PRIME TIME: PEACEFUL TOMORROWS WITH SHANE W. SMITH

Shane W. Smith is an Australian independent comics creator with a successful sci-fi series The Lesser Evil under his belt. The sequel books Peaceful Tomorrows Vol. 1 & 2are now available on Amazon. Volume 2 was released just this week. Shane joins Earth Prime Time to tell us about the rich world he has created, with a galaxy at war and corrupt politicians pulling the strings.

DIGBOSTON: Thanks for taking the time to talk to us about The Lesser Evil and Peaceful Tomorrows. Care to tell new readers a bit about the world you’ve created?
SHANE W. SMITH: Thanks for having me here, Clay! Centuries of racial hate have kept a bitter conflict on the verge of engulfing the galaxy for as long as anyone can remember, even though the reasons for the hatred have long since ceased to matter.

Corrupt bureaucrats have been stoking the fires of fear and prejudice to strip their citizens of their rights.

That’s the macro story. The backdrop.

The story in my books, however, tends to focus a little more tightly on individual characters, attempting to navigate the moral pitfalls of a galaxy gripped by terror, and trying to carve out for themselves a place where they feel they belong.

[READ MORE at DIGBOSTON.COM]

Video Game T-Shirts

COSMIC TREADMILL - LOGAN’S RUN (Bluewater)

Bluewater Publishing picked up the rights to William F. Nolan’s cult scifi Logan’s Run comic books back in 2009, and since then has been pushing us to Last Day with a series of comics and collected trades.  This Cosmic Treadmill takes us forward to the ageist post-nuclear future society and the story of our runner Logan 6 and pairmate Jessica through a series of adventures to destroy the controlling mind of The Thinker.

Scifi fans should be encouraged to check out the extended universe of the Logan’s Run novel trilogy, 1976 film and short-lived 1977 television series.

The future world of Logan’s Run is rule based, appealing to gamers and nerds of all kinds.

You are required to turn yourself in to a Sleep Shop on your 21st birthday to be gassed for your Last Day. Runners fight the system by escaping the big sleep and the grasps of the Sandman. The Sandman is equipped with a gun to take down runners, with six different kinds of ammunition from the immobilizing Needler to the extreme pain on every nerve ending Homer. Logan starts as a Sandman before trading that in for a life on the run, the only way to survive past 21! Your age is reflected in the color of a gem, embedded in your hand.

It turns black on Last Day. 

The starting point for the Bluewater titles is Logan’s Run: Last Day.

The four issue series is the origin of Logan-6 on his Last Day, finally making the run for it. Quite literally on his way out, he meets his partner, or pairmate Jessica who fight their way to Sanctuary through a pack of Warriors-esque pre-teens on the Thinker’s side called Cubs and down to the depths of the sea to a pre-war Atlantis called Molly.

The beautiful artwork by Daniel Gete is reminiscent of the work of Kieron Gillen on Phonogram, making for a very nice read indeed. This story was written by Paul J. Salamoff (Discord, Vincent Price Presents) and ends on a cliffhanger.

The second trade, Logan’s Run: Aftermath is the direct sequel to this story. Though the art team changes multiple times over the course of the book, the story is still solid.

An advantage of these books is that series author William F. Nolan is involved with writing or co-writing many of the titles, including the one shot Logan’s Run Solo that features a future tale of an older nomad chased to the Wastelands by a current runner, only to be confronted by his own history! 

[READ MORE at FORCES OF GEEK]

DigBoston and LeaguePodcast Comic Book Picks of the Week for September 11, 2013

COMICS

We’re still in the Summer of Valiant for a couple of weeks! This week shows the debut of the immortal soldier in Eternal Warrior #1 written by Greg Pak (Planet Hulk, Batman/Superman) and drawn by Valiant exclusive artist Trevor Hairsine. … Fred Van Lente launches a new title at Dark Horse with Brain Boy #1, reviving a short lived ’60s comic about a psychic working for the secret service. … Martians invade Mega-City One in Mars Attacks Judge Dredd #1. … Picks this week from LeaguePodcast.com.

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RIDDICK (review) at FORCES OF GEEK

Review by Clay N Ferno

Produced by Vin Diesel, Ted Field, 
Samantha Vincent

Written by David Twohy, Oliver Butcher, 
Stephen Cornwell

Based on Characters Created by 
Jim Wheat, Ken Wheat

Directed by David Twohy

Starring Vin Diesel, Jordi Mollà, 
Matt Nable, Katee Sackhoff, 
Dave Bautista, Bokeem Woodbine,

 Raoul Trujillo, Karl Urban

Radar Pictures/One Race Films / Rated R

Riddick, the third film in the Chronicles of Riddick series takes us to a lonesome desert planet where our shiny-eyed star Vin Diesel fights for his life against alien forces of nature and two team of bounty hunters looking for his head.

The underground appeal of the past films coupled with Vin Diesel’s recent box office success spawned this chapter, costarring briefly Karl Urban (Star Trek, Dredd) as his nemesis and reason for exile as well as Katee Sackhoff (Battlestar Galactica) channelling Starbuck in her bounty hunter role.

There is action, bloody horror and creepy space beasts in the end of summer Riddick directed by franchise creator David Twohy.

Riddick starts off with our hero playing the part of Taylor in Planet of the Apes (via the sands ofMan of Steel’s Krypton!), on a barren world, leg injured by a fall. He hides from a pack of bloodthirsty Dingo space dogs with no weapons yet, finding shelter in a cave.

[READ MORE AT FORCES OF GEEK]

Triple Shot With a Digital Chaser: THE JOKER #1, BIZARRO #1, ALL-NEW X-MEN #16 plus THE SIRE #1

Looming over cites such as Boston, New York and San Francisco is similar to the pain that is being brought down upon Metropolis, Gotham and Central City.

Yes, college kids are on a tear of rampant destruction similar to Villain’s Month at DC whereby the bad guys take over your favorite books, coffee shops and bars like they own the joint.

Taking a cue from Marvel, the DC Comics Point One issues of Batman and Superman are now property of The Joker #1 and Bizarro #1. Over at ComiXology Submit, The Sire #1 is trapped by his costume!

THE JOKER #1 (BATMAN #23.1)
WRITER: Andy Kubert
ART: Andy Clarke
Publication Date: September 4, 2013
Price: $3.99
Publisher: DC Comics
UPC: 76194131806623121
Buy it HERE

We heard stories of DC messing up the print run of the lenticular (3D) covers for this, but the company made up for it in a way by releasing a plain paper cover as well, and if you are reading digitally, no skin off your face!

Speaking of faces, this Joker is conspicuously full-skinned, and ready to laugh all the way home!

Set a few years in the past, Andy Kubert flashes back to a young boy who’s sadistic Aunt Eunice takes bleach and scrub brush to the young Joker’s face as she beats the boy and barely feeds him.

He does grow up with a sense of humor though! A very sick one.

Joker adopts a baby gorilla and decides like many parents to right the wrongs of his own rearing. This comic takes a turn for the really bizarre and melds ideas of golden age cartooning and animals acting like people and dressed in clothes to a modern day deconstruction of the American family. Via the Joker and his pet!

Andy Clarke (2000AD, Detective Comics) has a fine line Brian-Bolland style suitable for the Clown Prince of Crime, tying in character designs from The Killing Joke and The Man Who Laughs.

Great stuff! And quite possibly the only Joker story in recent times where Batman is no where to be found!

[READ MORE AT FORCES OF GEEK]

WBZ Channel 4 Interview RE: Police: Drugs In House Of Blues Overdoses Not Sold In Club

[SEE MORE AT WBZ]

BLACK MASK STUDIOS: LIBERATING AND OCCUPYING COMICS - Cosmic Treadmill at FORCES OF GEEK!

Black Mask Studios is a new creator owned and operated publishing company that can be described as being influenced just as much from the punk rock scene as it is the comic market.

Publishers Steve Niles (30 Days of Night), Brett Gurewitz (from punk band Bad Religion) and Matt Pizzolo (Occupy Comics, Godzilla) are ready to represent the punks, vegans, animal liberators, the 99% and hip hop heads with a variety of intelligent, funny and sometimes bizarre catalog of comics featuring artists and writers from the underground and also celebrity writers and artists the likes of Alan Moore, Ghostface Killah, Darrick Robinson and Ben Templesmith.
 
After the jump we take a look at their first wave of titles.

 

BALLISTIC
Writer/Co-Creator: Adam Egypt Mortimer
Illustrator/Co-Creator: Darick Robertson
Colorist: Diego Rodriguez
Letterer: Crank!
Producer: Pizzolo
Issue #2 out on September 11, 2013
BUY DIRECT

Not since Transmetropolitan (Warren Ellis, Darick Robertson) has a future world looked so disgustingly bleak and surreally awesome. One could also draw comparisons to the cybernetic hyper pop culture world of Hard Boiled(Frank Miller, Geof Darrow) or elements of Miller’s Roninfor this tale of ex-con Butch with his talking, fleshy best friend of a gun.

The walls, the cars, the drugs, the cloned human meat and even gigantic buildings with human heads seem to be living and breathing.

Everyone’s on drugs, especially the gun and bong hits from organic brain stems seem to keep everyone on the same level.

The psychedelia is merely a backdrop for a bad-boy heist story except that this time, the guns is too hungover to participate or function properly. 

What we have here is a cyber-psychedelic-anti-hero action comic for the ages. No wonder this is Grant Morrison’s favorite comic of 2013. Writer Adam Egypt Mortimer is working with Morrison on a movie project that will mess with your head no doubt!

Darick Robertson is a master of the page, with incredible detail and really excellent work here. Fans of The Boys and Transmetropolitan need this book!

[READ MORE at FORCES OF GEEK]

EARTH PRIME TIME: “DRONES” WITH CHRIS LEWIS

 

Some great stuff comes my way via ComiXology Submit: a section on the site where creator-owned projects and independent creators get to strut their stuff with guided-view technology and sit right next to the big boys on the app! A recent gem I discovered was Drones, a comic about remote bomb pilots in Las Vegas bombing Afghanistan in the war on terror. Writer Chris Lewis was gracious enough to join us today to point some attention to his Kickstarter to get a trade printed with the conclusion of this action-packed and fun book!

DIGBOSTON: Thanks for joining us today to talk about your Kickstarter for Drones. What can you tell new readers about the series?
CHRIS LEWIS: Thanks for having me, Clay! Drones is a self-published, five-issue miniseries about the so-called War on Terror, Las Vegas style. It’s a satirical look at these crazy things we hear about in the news, with a special emphasis on unmanned aerial vehicles (AKA drones), the pilots who operate them, and the people (and goats) caught in the crosshairs.

Your first issue draws people in with a cool concept, plenty of action, gambling, and even sex. Are you trying to give people a heart attack?
This is just another example of reality being far stranger than fiction. With Drones I’ve tried to ride my imagination into the weirdest wild blue yonder, but I’m nowhere close to matching the pure insanity we’re consuming on a daily basis.

Just another day at work. Drones, Bruno Oliveira art

How much research did you do on drone pilots?
Quite a bit, actually. I’ve always been into politics, espionage, technology, etc., and I just started gobbling up news reports about drones after the events of September 11th. There’s an amazing book called Wired For War, and after I read it I started realizing that there was a very interesting psychological aspect to these drone pilots who are flying missions over war zones half a world away, sometimes firing missiles, but mostly just watching.

There’s a term that gets thrown about when describing how these drone pilots feel while they’re at work: The God’s Eye View.

The whole thing started to get uncomfortable when I realized that this technology mirrored how I was consuming media.

War via video feed. War as entertainment.

And guess what? A lot of drone pilots live and work at a base outside of Las Vegas, Nevada. They have access to the biggest stage in the world in Afghanistan, and they are literally a short drive away from the entertainment mecca that is the Strip. These two things should make you question your sanity.

[READ MORE AT DIGBOSTON.COM]

DigBoston and LeaguePodcast Comic Book Picks of the Week for September 4, 2013

COMICS

The bad guys take over at DC Comics this month, and if you are lucky you’ll get a copy of the 3D lenticular cover of your favorite baddy. That is, if DC made enough (which they didn’t). Speculators and collectors alike will be clamoring over these special covers! … Geoff Johns (Green Lantern, Blackest Night) and David Finch (The Dark Knight) kick it off with the main event title, Forever Evil #1 as Nightwing seems to be teaming up with none other than Lex Luthor before facing the Crime Syndicate of America from another dimension. Keep an eye on Grayson! … Andy Kubert writes and Andy Clark draws the Clown Prince of Crime in Batman 23.1 — Joker!, an early tale of the purple suited lunatic, complete with face! … Me am tell you not pick up Superman 23.1—Bizarro Superman because Sholly Fisch terrible Superman writer. … Picks this week from LeaguePodcast.com.

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

UPCOMING SHOWS! This THURS 9/5 @MacLethal at @TTTHEBEARS

Thanks! 

Bloggers/Daily Email blasters & press folks! Looking for coverage on this —

 

Thursday’s 9/5 MAC LETHAL show at TT THE BEARS. You know him from his hilarious  http://textsfrombenett.com/ blog! And this pancake video!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Teaft0Kg-Ok

Let me know if I can help you get any information SORTED!

BOOOSH!

-Clay at LeaguePodcast - your source for comics, nerdcore, spyfi and covert activities!

https://www.facebook.com/leaguepodcast/events

GOOGLE CALENDAR: http://bit.ly/1dIJ5eD

EVENTS PAGE

**NEW** - Google Calendar of our Events

THU 9/5 - TT THE BEARS: Mac Lethal (Texts from Bennett Tour), H.W. & DJ Emoh Betta, Clinical at TT the Bear’s Place [Bowery Boston & League Podcast present]

**NEW** SUN 9/8 - CASUAL SUNDAY with BORN CASUAL (Providence) at ZUZU (Throwback Hip Hop and R & B) - 10pm 21+ FREE

SAT 9/14/13 - MIDDLE EAST DOWNSTAIRS: Video Game Orchestra, DJ Cutman, Darren Korb (Bastion), Control Group, deadbeatblast - Guest MC Brian O’Halloran (Clerks)[Boston Festival of Indie Games Presents - Boston Plays Indies - 7PM]

SUN 9/15 - MIDDLE EAST UPSTAIRS (MATINEE): LeaguePodcast & Turbojugend Boston Present: The Hip Priests (UK), The Cretins, The Sprained Ankles, Bad Sex - All Ages $10 *NOTE: 1pm Doors

**NEW** SAT 9/28 - The Massachusetts Independent Comics Expo (DAY 1 - 11AM - 4PM)

**NEW** SUN 9/29 - The Massachusetts Independent Comics Expo (DAY 2 - 11AM - 4PM)

TUE 10/1 - Jel (anticon.), Serengeti (anticon.), Sole, Open Mike Eagle, F. Virtue at MIDDLE EAST UPSTAIRS [Leedz Edutainment and LeaguePodcast Present]

SUN 10/6: Rock On! Concerts & LeaguePodcast! present: Wil Wheaton VS. Paul and Storm

OCT 10-13: New York Comic Con

**NEW** FRI 10/11 - Peelander-Z CD Release @ Church Feat Members Of Electric Eel Shock! with PLANETOID [Presented by Rock On! Concerts and LeaguePodcast]

THU 11/7: MIDDLE EAST DOWNSTAIRS: Rob Delaney Book Tour @robdelaney - Early Evening Show - [Brookline Booksmith & LeaguePodcast Present]

**NEW** SAT 11/23: BOSTON SUPER MEGAFEST 2013 & COME TOGETHER MUSICFEST [DAY 1 - 10:30am - 6:00pm] - Sheraton Framingham Hotel

**NEW** SUN 11/24: BOSTON SUPER MEGAFEST 2013 & COME TOGETHER MUSICFEST [DAY 2 - 10:30am - 5:00pm] - Sheraton Framingham Hotel

—

Clay Fernald / Clay N. Ferno

M: +1 (617) 30-COMIC (google voice)

Check out our comic book podcast, LeaguePodcast.com

Check out my comic book culture column at DigBoston.com - EARTH PRIME TIME: DigBoston

Pop culture & comics at Forces of Geek

Triple Shot With a Digital Chaser: ITTY BITTY HELLBOY #1, BATMAN INCORPORATED SPECIAL #1, ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #4 plus FIGHTING STRANGER VOL. #1

Art & Franco take a lighthearted all ages approach to Mike Mignola’s Dark Horse superhero and movie star Hellboy in Itty Bitty Hellboy #1, Chris Burnham curates a send-off to his team-up with Grant Morrison in Batman Incorporated Special #1, and Adventures of Superman #4 gives us some all star shorts in red shorts! Wash it down with a post-apocalyptic ComiXology Submit creator owned title Fighting Stranger Vol. #1.
  

ITTY BITTY HELLBOY #1 (of 5)
WRITERS: Art Baltazar & Franco
ART: Art Baltazar
Publication Date: August 28, 2013
Price: $2.99
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
UPC: 76156823936200111
Buy it HERE

Aw, Yeah Hellboy!

You might recognize the team of Art & Franco from Tiny Titans at DC as well as the most recent Superman Family Adventures. 

Perhaps you’ve seen the DC Super-Pets on Cartoon Network.  The point is, Art & Franco have been doing kids or all ages comics for years and now they have broken away from DC to give the cute mischievous humor and art to the Hellboy Universe and the fun keeps on coming!

From our usual inside jokes, referring to running gags on the Aw Yeah Podcast to Lil’ kid versions of everyone from Johann the spirit, Liz and Hellboy this book is just pure fun. They face off against kid friendly Karl (with exclamation point on his head), Rasputin and Herman The Head in varying sizes of cardboard box forts.

The book is worth the price of admission for the Johann chicken soup gag alone. True Story!

BATMAN INCORPORATED SPECIAL #1
WRITERS: Chris Burnham, Joe Keatinge, Nathan Fairburn, Mike Raicht, Dan DiDio
ART: Chris Burnham, Ethan Van Sciver, Emanuel Simeone, John Paul Leon, John Stanisci
Publication Date: August 28, 2013
Price: $4.99
Publisher: DC Comics
UPC: 76194131789200111
Buy it HERE

Chris Burnham was the artist chosen to work with Grant Morrison to close out the chapter of his Batman run known as Batman Incorporated.  Burnham filled in on issue #11, featuring Jiro and Canary, the Batman of Japan (Introduced in Batman Inc., Vol. 1 #1).   The first internationally franchised Batman character Jiro (also known as Mr. Unknown - too many names) is more Bruce Lee than Wayne and all of his adventures are fantastical weird sci-fi kung fu flick futurist tales of Tokyo.

Burnham introduces a new  organ harvester villain, Dr. Inside Out in this issue that has the best use of a capsule hotel as a story device I’ve ever seen. Let’s hope Burnham moves to the writer/artist part of the business because I think he is great at both.

This book is an anthology looking at various international Bat-Associates from El Gaucho, the somewhat controversial Night Runner, Squire, Raven Red and Man-Of Bats. You’ll never guess it, but when DC Co-Publisher Dan DiDio writes a story about some wacko DC C-Lister (See OMAC, Wednesday Comic’s Metal Men), its quite good. DiDio and Ethan Van Sciver drive it home with a Bat-Cow backup that’s something to be seen to believed. Damian Wayne’s former pet, Bat-Cow, is absolutely the hero. And he has a cape. Bat-Cow wears a cape.

I WAS LIKE:

Excuse me sir, Mr. @EthanVanSciver - BAT-COW WEARS A CAPE? Bat-Cow wears a cape. #yes. - @dandidio1

— Clay N. Ferno (@ClayNFerno) August 29, 2013

WHAT?

@ClayNFerno @dandidio1 BatCow has a cow blanket that happens to RESEMBLE a batcape…sorta by accident. ….OH HECK. Yes, she wears a cape!

— Ethan Van Sciver (@EthanVanSciver) August 29, 2013

Gotta keep her warm! @EthanVanSciver @dandidio1

— Clay N. Ferno (@ClayNFerno) August 29, 2013

[READ MORE at FORCESOFGEEK.COM]

EARTH PRIME TIME: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JACK “KING” KIRBY

Let’s all take a minute to celebrate the life and times of the undisputed King of Comic Books, Jack “King” Kirby! Comic book, movie, sci-fi, and pop culture fans all owe this man practically everything. Jacob Kurtzberg (August 28, 1917 – February 6, 1994), was born to the poor Kurtzberg family. His mother encouraged him to draw and as a young man he eventually started on newspaper strips. His career got the biggest boon when he created Captain America in 1941 with collaborator Joe Simon. Timely Comics (later Marvel) had a winning team on its hands. After switching from company to company and working on various projects, Kirby teamed up with Stan Lee to create The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine in 1961, The Fantastic Four, creating, in that single issue, the start of the Silver Age of comics and resurrecting Marvel Comics from the Power Cosmic. That year begat stories resonating with fans to this day and influencing our favorite summer superhero blockbusters with timeless characters.

The saddest part of Jack Kirby’s legacy is that he is not often credited in these movies, nor was he ever rightly compensated for the work he did as a creator. Before the creator’s rights revolution, partially spearheaded by Batman’s Neal Adams in the 1970s, all work for comic book companies was work for hire. All characters (to this day, this is sadly true for the Big Two companies, unless a contract denotes otherwise) are property of the parent company to do what they like with them.

And that’s all fine, but it should shock and surprise you, and make you drop your cereal spoon, to realize that Jack Kirby’s heirs receive NOTHING when a movie likeCaptain America is produced.

Luckily, his family is cool, and so are the people over at the Jack Kirby Museum and Research Center. Let’s tell you a few things about the cigar smokin’, page crankin’, sonuvvagun that you might not know!

1. Ben Grimm / The Thing is Jack Kirby!

Fantastic Four #8 by Jack Kirby

Well, we are sure that Jack himself didn’t get irradiated in space and turn into a rock monster, but we can be sure that The King saw himself in his creation. I bet he would have clobbered the Yancy Street gang with big orange fists if he could have. But Jack found more time for drawing on fish paper with a No. 2 pencil than he did for fighting, so I guess we are lucky.

[READ MORE AT DIGBOSTON.COM]

Cosmic Treadmill: A Look at 'Classic Star Wars - A New Hope' at FORCES OF GEEK

I wonder if Jedi before me woke up with a light saber in their bed like I did today.

Of course mine is a Halloween prop from years ago, I dug it our to do a pose for a project I’m working on.

Also, to the chagrin of my girlfriend, when she isn’t staying over, her side of the bed is filled with comics, toys, guitar picks, my backpack and whatever else I decide to leave there. Right now it’s my well-deserved booty from Boston Comic Con, where I raided the $5 trade paperback bins to expand my collection of classic must read comics on the cheap. My favorite score from the Con?

Classic Star Wars: A New Hope by Roy Thomas and Howard Chaykin.

This six issue series are the first Star Wars comics to exist, written by former Marvel Editor-In-Chief Roy Thomas in an unusual deal for Lucasfilm.

The rights were offered for free to Marvel so long as the first two issues hit the stand to raise awareness of the movie. No one knew the comic or the movie would be successful of course!

[READ MORE AT FORCES OF GEEK]

DigBoston and LeaguePodcast Comic Book Picks of the Week for August 28, 2013

COMICS

Aw Yeah, Hellboy! We’ve missed Superman Family Adventures and Tiny Titans, now we can get our fill of cute heroes in the Aw Yeah style at the popular Dark Horse character, Itty Bitty Hellboy #1 from our pals Art & Franco. Its an all ages funny book, from hell! … The Joes amp up to take on Cobra and defend Manhattan in Fred Van Lente’s G.I. Joe #7. Yo Joe! … Grant Morrison ran out the clock on his two volume end cap to an epic run on Batman with Batman Incorporated. Superstar co-creator on the series, artist Chris Burnham leaves the series with an all-star special in Batman Incorporated Special #1. DC Publisher Dan DiDio and Ethan Van Sciver (Flash Reborn, Dark Knight) spin off a BatCow backup! … Picks this week from LeaguePodcast.com.

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

YOU'RE NEXT (review) at FORCES OF GEEK

YOU’RE NEXT (review)

Review by Clay N Ferno

Produced by Simon Barrett, Keith Calder, 

Kim Sherman, Jessica Wu

Written by Simon Barrett

Directed by Adam Wingard

Starring Sharni Vinson, Nicholas Tucci, 

Wendy Glenn, AJ Bowen, Joe Swanberg, 

Barbara Crampton, Rob Moran

Lionsgate / Rated R

Horror fans get a chance to get out of the house this weekend to check out You’re Next, a 2011 film picked up for national distribution from director Adam Wingard and writer Simon Barrett.

Be wary of those in the theatre with plastic animal masks on in the theatre, the could be in on the master plan.

Welcome to a mansion in the woods with your family for the weekend!

If that’s not scary enough, just wait until your older brother gets there and starts teasing you about your weight.

This is a good horror film.

Perhaps a great one, but not a great thriller.

[READ MORE AT FORCES OF GEEK]

Triple Shot With a Digital Chaser:X-O MANOWAR #16, BATMAN BEYOND UNLIMITED UNIVERSE #1, INDESTRUCTIBLE HULK #12 plus THE FEZ #1 at FORCES OF GEEK

Triple Shot With a Digital Chaser:X-O MANOWAR #16, BATMAN BEYOND UNLIMITED UNIVERSE #1, INDESTRUCTIBLE HULK #12 plus THE FEZ #1

The Summer of Valiant is almost over but X-O Manowar is ramping up for the fight of his life, Batman Beyond Unlimited Universe jumps ahead a year in Neo-Gotham, plus Triple Shotfavorite Mark Waid gives Indestructible Hulk the Doctor Who treatment and drops him into the Wild Wild West.

Wash it all down with 12 pages of The Fez from Roger Langridge found backstage at Babette’s Supper Club.

X-O MANOWAR #16
WRITER: Robert Venditti
ART: Lee Garbett
Publication Date: August 21, 2013
Price: $3.99
Publisher: Valiant Comics
UPC: 85899200303101611
Buy it HERE

Aric of Dacia has returned from rescuing slaves from The Vine on Planet Death, and now he’s home.

A flashback to the Visigoth Aric looks much like Thor the Mighty Avenger on the title page, being schooled by his former mentor, Gilad The Eternal Warrior.

Flash forward to present day Romania, where Aric breaks into the National Museum of History to reclaim his father’s throne and fulfill his destiny as king.


Two of the most powerful heroes in the Valiant Universe go head to head as The Eternal Warrior sees firsthand the might of the alien X-O armor. 

This series is the lead-up to the fall Unity event at Valiant that will pit Aric against Ninjak, Toyo Harada (Harbinger), The Eternal Warrior and more. Aric is on the path to reclaim not only his throne, but conquer the Earth itself, fulfilling the destiny of his people.

The Valiant crossover event looks promising with Matt Kindt at the helm, and this main book by Venditti and Garbett continues to impress with great stories and art.

BATMAN BEYOND UNLIMITED UNIVERSE #1
WRITER: Kyle Higgins, Christos Gage
ART: Thony Silas, Iban Coello
Publication Date: August 21, 2013
Price: $3.99
Publisher: DC Comics
UPC: 76194131789200111
Buy it HERE

There are two full stories here, collecting the digital first comics Batman Beyond 2.0 and Justice League Beyond 2.0.  Both stories jump ahead one year after the reveal of the new Batgirl Beyond and the 10000 Clowns storyline. 

Kyle Higgins (Nightwing) kicks off his run on Terry McGuinness with a re-opening of The Arkham Institute, a mid-air Man-Bat fight and a ‘round the table introduction to the people most important to keeping Batman Beyond out there on the streets, Dick Grayson and Commissioner Barbara Gordon.

Where’s Bruce? He’s there, but observing. For the first time, Bruce Wayne is not in the mentor role, as reported by the writers, to shake things up a bit.

Terry and Babs tackle a murder at Arkham, with Grayson advising from his acrobatics gymnasium. This story is off to a great start and if you care to read this digitally, you will be ahead of the print readers. Kyle Higgins knows Nightwing so his interpretation of the older Grayson is fun to read.

Some of the coolest Superman stories are those in which he is weakened by Kryptonite, or otherwise de-powered.

What is happening in Beyond is that something is wonky with how Superman is processing his solar energy and he is losing control over his powers. In an ode to a Cyclops mess-up, Supes nearly takes out Aquagirl with his heat vision and is forces into exile in his Fortress of Solitude. 

Micron helps out with his physiological problems and returns Clark to one of his previous New 52 professions—a firefighter. Unable to use his Kryptonian powers, can he rescue a cat this time? It might be hard! Christos Gage is at the helm of the JLB, and the two books compliment themselves nicely and exist in the same space and time.

Bruce is the one who tells Superman to go away, of course!

[READ MORE at FORCES OF GEEK]

EARTH PRIME TIME: SUMMER OF VALIANT: BLOODSHOT, X-O MANOWAR & UNITY

Before another Summer of Valiant comes screeching to a close, new portals are opening up in the Valiant Universe introducing Matt Kindt (Mind MGMT, Frankenstein: Agent of Shade) to the characters in Bloodshot #0 and November’s Unity. Aric of Dacia (X-O Manowar) faces former brother-in-arms Eternal Warrior in modern day Romania in X-O Manowar #16. The second year of Valiant is just as exciting as the launch, with some of the industry’s top talent.

 
Matt Kindt’s Valiant debut, with Chrisscross on art, in Bloodshot #0 explores the origin of our favorite nanite-covered super soldier. Narrated by the scientist put in charge of throttling back the killer instincts of the nanite-driven soldier to give him a conscience, the story spans several decades of the government-run Bloodshot program. We’re taken through Vietnam, the Reagan assassination, and up to the unfortunate soul chosen for the 1993 Project Rising Spirit experiment.

The Man Who Would Be Bloodshot - Chrisscross Art

This is the true origin of Bloodshot that you may have been waiting 25 years to read.

Bloodshot #0 - Matt Kindt Variant

As with the previous issues of Bloodshot, we’re treated to some truly horrifying violence and horrors of war. The Vietnam version was in improvement, physically, with self-repair built in, but, like the real soldiers in the war, lines were blurred and unnecessary casualties were par for the course. It was not until the ’90s when the nanites were infused with the memories of dying men, a step closer to garnering a conscience for the killer.

[READ MORE at DIGBOSTON.COM]

Cosmic Treadmill: 'MARBLE SEASON' by Gilbert Hernandez (review) - FORCES OF GEEK

Cosmic Treadmill: ‘MARBLE SEASON’ by Gilbert Hernandez (review)

The Cosmic Treadmill takes us back in time to those summer days of reading comics, collecting baseball cards and watching everyone grow up around you, even if it seemed as if you would never get older.

This year saw the release of Marble Season from Gilbert Hernandez (Love and Rockets). 

As the summer starts to wind down and kids go back to school, what themes will resonate from this book to an all ages audience?

The book is not merely a nostalgic retread of Hernandez’ childhood, but rather an account of growing up, family and the livelihood of a neighborhood when kids still played outside.


MARBLE SEASON
Writer/Artist: Gilbert Hernandez
Price: $21.95
Publisher: Drawn and Quarterly
UPC: 9781770460867
BUY IT HERE

Los Bros. Hernandez have been publishing Love and Rockets for over 30 years.  

Marble Season is an excursion to the past, referencing the dawn of Marvel Comics in the ‘60s,Adventures of Superman on TV with George Reeves and Topps narrative trading cards Mars Attacks.

Brothers Huey and Junior join in the reading fun and both share access to Junior’s box of comics—that is until Mom puts an embargo on comics for the both of them until Junior gets his grades up. Their younger brother, the toddler Chavo is too young to read, and prefers to tear the covers from the books. 

Around the neighborhood are a whole host of boys and girls of differing ages, playing marbles, stickball and even a It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World party.

Everyone seems to get along, except for when they don’t, which usually ends up in an honest to goodness old fashioned fight with little boy punches and slaps (remember those?). 

A tomboy swings her stickball bat, some bad kids move into the neighborhood briefly for the summer and the star football player decides he is more interested in cooking than playing ball.

The little vignettes of Huey walking around the neighborhood as time passes takes the concept of Billy in Family Circus running around the block and elegantly captures the sense of time passing in the summer, and the myriad of adventures one finds themselves experiencing. The story is told through the eyes of Huey and Junior but also with the gift of play and imagination. 

[READ MORE AT FORCES OF GEEK]