FOG! Discusses THE ORDER OF THE FORGE With Writer VICTOR GISCHLER! at FORCES OF GEEK

The Revolution with be immortalized in The Order of The Forge coming from Dark Horse later this month.

In the tradition of super-sizing some of our past presidents with powers of the dark arts (see Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter), crime author Victor Gischler (Ink Mage, Spike, Angel and Faith, Sally of the Wasteland) joins us to talk about our founding fathers in a new way.

Starring a pre-Revolution Geo. Washington with pals Paul Revere and “Baudy” Ben Franklin — The Order of the Forge is coming at you by land and sea!

FOG!: Thanks for joining us, Victor! You’ve got a new take on a founding father with The Order of The Forge at Dark Horse. How did you come aboard on Donn D. Berdahl’s original concept?

Victor Gischler: Well, I guess they needed a writer to implement this great idea they had, and Dark Horse editor Dan Chabon suggested I might fit the bill. They wanted to take their story in a pulpy, irreverent direction, and a lot of my work suggest I’m the sort of fellow who can do that. I was just lucky that I’d worked with Dan on a couple of previous projects, so he knew what my strengths were.

I’m a big fan of alternate history. Would you like to go back and hang with George, Paul and Ben?

Not really. It turns out they didn’t have air conditioning back then. Also the toilet paper was not the best. Also, my guess is that the guys I depict in the comic are a lot more colorful than our actual founding fathers — although I’ve heard Ben Franklin was something of a party animal.

I suppose I couldn’t really say no to a time travel adventure if I had the chance. Although whenever I watch a time travel movie that shit NEVER goes right.

{READ MORE AT FORCES OF GEEK]

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Dig Boston and League Podcast Comics Picks of the Week for Wed. April 8, 2015

COMICS

Brian Michael Bendis is ending the longest Spider-Man run in history as universes collide in Marvel’s Secret Wars. Miles Morales Ultimate Spider-Man #12 caps off the Ultimate Spidey universe after 15 years. The Mad Men-esque prequel to Mark Millar and Frank Quietly’s Jupiter’s Legacy starts today in Jupiter’s Circle #1. The Fox #1 kicks off a new ongoing from Dark Circle creators Mark Waid and Dean Haspiel—a superhero series for all ages 8-80! … Picks this week from LeaguePodcast.com!

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DAREDEVIL: YELLOW: Preparation For The Netflix Premiere at FORCES OF GEEK

Digital comics retailer Comixology anticipated my heightened amplitude and heard my heartbeat though my chest in anticipation of Marvel’s Daredevil next week.

Comixology had a Daredevil sale and I revisited Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale’s Daredevil: Yellow (2001). The all-star creative team was finished off by Matt Hollingsworth on colors and Richard Starkings with Wes Abbott on letters. Ask your LCS for a hard copy.

In preparation to mainline 12 hours of television next week (over a couple of days, I’m not entirely nuts!) I pulled Yellow and some other books off of the virtual shelf to get ready for Marvel’s first binge-worthy endeavor.

And until ‘binge-worthy’ is decreed out of the lexicon for being cringe-worthy, I’ll continue to use the word. Order in the court! Sustained!

[READ MORE AT FORCES OF GEEK]

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Dig Boston and League Podcast Comics Picks of the Week for Wed. April 1, 2015

COMICS

Way back in the day, we interviewed Chris Lewis about Drones #1, today IDW re-releases the Las Vegas style War book. It’s like your favorite basement band being picked up by your favorite label! … Jasons Aaron and Latour keep up the gut wrenching ball busting hazing in the high school football locker room with Southern Bastards #8 closing the chapter of the second arc of the evil ‘Coach Boss’. Longstanding innovative fantasy comic Elfquest: The Final Quest Vol. 1 continues tales of Chief Cutter and his Wolfriders. … Picks this week from LeaguePodcast.com!

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FOG! Chats With CULLEN BUNN about THE SIXTH GUN: DUST TO DUST - Forces of Geek

Interview conducted by Clay N Ferno
The Sixth Gun is headed toward its final issues but the legacy of the Western will live on.

Before the close of the final The Sixth Gun ongoing series at issue #50, Cullen Bunn explores the story of one of the more important and favored characters of the book, Billjohn O’Henry in the latest mini-series The Sixth Gun: Dust to Dust from Oni Press.

You’re Darn Tootin’ we were able to wrangle some precious time from the very busy Cullen (Hellbreak, Empty Man, Magneto, Brides of Helheim to name a few!) to tell us about Dust To Dust with art by Tyler Crookm as well as another upcoming project.

The Sixth Gun: Dust to Dust can be best described as Lovecraft meets the Spaghetti Western. Issue #2 comes out April 15, so don’t forget to tell your LCS to order some more of this three issue mini and the trades while you are at it!

FOG!: Cullen, thanks for joining us today! Issue #1 of The Sixth Gun: Dust to Dust is out, starring favorite bounty hunter Billjohn O’Henry. Why go back to this, the story of Billjohn?

Cullen Bunn: Thanks for talking with me! Billjohn O’Henry, the star of The Sixth Gun: Dust to Dust, is near and dear to me, so I love talking about the book! Billjohn is my favorite character in the series, but we’ve seen so little of his life before his adventure with Drake Sinclair began. I thought it might be nice to take a look at the man before he got himself turned into a mud golem!

[READ MORE AT FORCES OF GEEK]

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FOG! Chats With Cartoonist SCOTT McCLOUD About 'THE SCULPTOR' (interview PART 2)

Interview conducted by Clay N Ferno

In 1984, Scott McCloud established a name for himself with his creator owned series, Zot!, receiving a number of Harvey and Eisner award nominations.  He brought Zot! to an end in 1990, after 36 issues.

McCloud returned to comics in 1993 with his book, Understanding Comics, which established him as a comics theorist, presenting a definition, history, vocabulary, and methods of the medium of comics in the form of a graphic novel.  He went on to write two additional books on theory including Reinventing Comics and Making Comics, as writing several Superman Stories and a graphic novel, The New Adventures of Abraham Lincoln.

Last month, Sony Pictures acquired the movie rights to Scott McCloud’s newest creation The Sculptor, his first full length graphic novel.

The Sculptor tells the story of artist David Smith, who makes a deal with Death to sculpt anything he can imagine with his bare hands.  After learning that he only has 200 days to live, and suddenly discovering the love of his life makes the decision of what to create harder than he thought.

The comic book scholar and auteur, McCloud, took some time with us to talk the comic creation process beyond his books in the Understanding Comics and his creator owned Zot! series.

Scott also questions the carbon date of The Golden Age of comics. Was that in the past or are we living it today?

FOG!: Thank you so much for joining us to talk about your book. Your books have formed my college years and were part of my curriculum and really helped me understand the language of comics and even more-so, the possibilities of what comics can be. Thanks for giving us the tools and the language to talk about comics like that.

Scott McCloud: That’s encouraging to hear because it has always been about potential.

Even since I was very young, about what comics can do. That has loomed a lot larger for me than what they have done.

I have always hoped that we had greater things in the future than in the past.

A lot of people are very nostalgic about comics, for them it is about celebrating the wondrous Golden Age — I don’t know, I think The Golden Age is now.


It is always good to be looking at the present and to the future for sure. Did you grow up here (Boston, MA)?

I was born in the area, Lexington, MA. I lived there for the first eighteen years of my life. My family had that house for six years when I was born and had it for another 6 or 7 after I left.

How did you get into comics? Were they always part of your life when you were growing up as a kid and that fostered you into wanting to be a creator?

I was a real snooty little kid. I read real books and I turned down my nose at comics.

People are going to be surprised at that!

At the age of 12 or so, I thought I was too old for comics. I had seen some superhero comics at friend’s houses and it just didn’t do it for me. I was sitting there reading Arthur C. Clarke or Tolkien. I was into Ben Bova at one point, Asimov. Stuff like comics seemed to be crudely drawn. I just wasn’t into that stuff.

But I was friends with a guy named Kurt Busiek in middle school. Kurt and I played chess and billiards. He would come over after school to escape his father who kept giving him pointless jobs to do.

[READ MORE AT FORCES OF GEEK]

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Cosmic Treadmill: Black Mask Studios' CRITICAL HIT #1-4 (review) at FORCES OF GEEK

Matt Miner (Toe Tag Riot) follows up his animal activist comic Liberator from Black Mask Studios with a spin-off starring Jeanette and Sarah on their own adventures.

Pre-orders for the collected edition are being sorted for the May release of Volume 1, so Earth Crisis and pit bull fans should get the word to the LCS.

Black Mask Studios recently launched a new YouTube channel for ‘tubecomics’ — motion comics versions of your favorites, including a prequel for Critical Hit with Liberator - tubecomic episode 1.1.

Jeanette and Sarah’s adventures aren’t always legal and they definitely aren’t safe, and this first volume of Critical Hit exposes the real risks and dangers of sticking it to the man!

Issue #1 starts out with our protagonists going hard on an ‘action’, smashing vehicles and invading cabins in the woods. The cabins are for deer hunters in the area, and Jeanette and Sarah do their best to destroy the camp with a firestorm.

[READ MORE AT FORCES OF GEEK]

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Dig Boston and League Podcast Comics Picks of the Week for Wed. March 25, 2015

COMICS

Truly Outrageous! That’s right, Jem is back with her Holograms in a brand new #1. Facing the neon and non-devilock sporting Misfits, girls and boys will be stoked on the fashion, music and comic fun for the modern age! … Continuing our Hasbro theme, how about jumping on to Transformers: Windblade Combiner Wars #1 as Windblade defends her homeworld. …Not to be forgotten from this IDW toy-based comic celebration is Snake-Eyes in Agent of Cobra #3! What, did we think Hasbro would send the Dig Offices a crate of free toys for all of these plugs? I dunno—did we? … Picks this week from LeaguePodcast.com!

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Dig Boston and League Podcast Comics Picks of the Week for Wed. March 18, 2015

COMICS

Like spies, jetpacks, and the glamor of a Hollywood stuntman? Look no further than all of Dave Stevens original comics for The Rocketeer are presented this week in trade form from IDW. … Mark Millar’s (Kick-Ass, Civil War) latest Chrononauts #1 with Sean Murphy (Punk Rock Jesus) telling the tale of the first televised trip through the time stream! … Crockett & Tubbs are back, reimagined by Joe Casey and Jim Mafood for Lion Forge Comics’ Miami Vice Remix #1. …Picks this week from LeaguePodcast.com!

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Dig Boston and League Podcast Comics Picks of the Week for Wed. MARCH 11, 2015

COMICS

Local cat Joe Quinones draws the foul fowl Howard the Duck in a new #1 written by Sex Criminal’s Chip Zdarsky! This book guaranteed to cure any mallardy! One of Valiant’s most popular heroes is Ninjak—perhaps he’ll be in on the newly announced Valiant Comics movie deal! Check out Ninjak in a brand new #1! Dirk Manning’s Tales of Mr. Rhee Karmageddon concludes at issue #4 from Devil’s Due. Can Mr. Rhee save the children under his care or will devilish evil take over the Earth? … Picks this week from LeaguePodcast.com!

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Cosmic Treadmill: JAY PISCOPO Chats About The Return of CAPT'N ELI and SEA GHOST Action Figure Launch at FORCES OF GEEK

Back in 2012, I interviewed Maine comic book artist and creator Jay Piscopo about his take on Captain Midnight, and his Kirby/Toth sendup Sea Ghost.

Sea Ghost is just one of the many characters starring in the Capt’n Eli ‘Nemoverse’ that heads into its third volume of all ages friendly comic book fare.

Jay will warn you this isn’t for kids, and I agree—this is just great comic book storytelling. And the fact that he draws like the aforementioned masters doesn’t make me want to turn away.

Jay joins us on the Cosmic Treadmill this week to plumb to the depths of The Undersea Adventures of Capt’n Eli Vol. 3 as well as his awesome action figure for Sea Ghost — sure to be a hit with Mego collectors!

FOG!: Thanks for joining us, Jay! It has been a while. There are all new adventures in Capt’n Eli Vol. 3. What can the readers expect this time around?

Jay Piscopo: Thanks Clay! Good to talk to you again! Yes, Capt’n Eli is back!

Book 3 is another installment in Eli’s never ending story. At the end of Book 2, Capt’n Eli and Commander X saved Princess Coral of the undersea kingdom of Aquaria but the ramifications are huge.

[READ MORE AT FORCES OF GEEK]

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Dig Boston and League Podcast Comics Picks of the Week for Wed. March 4, 2015

COMICS

Descender #1 is Jeff Lemire and Dustin Nguyen’s future scifi already optioned for a movie! TIM-21 is your new robot friend! Check out the League interview with Jeff. The original Spawn Al Simmons is back in Spawn: Resurrection #1 written by Brian Wood (Star Wars, DMZ). Princess Leia #1 from Mark Waid and Terry Dodson catches up with Miss Organa after the events of A New Hope, looking to answer the question of what is a princess without a home world? …Picks this week from LeaguePodcast.com!

MARVEL'S AGENT CARTER S1E8 "Valediction" (SEASON FINALE review) at FORCES OF GEEK

We begin the final episode of Marvel’s Agent Carter in the radio studio recapping the fall of Captain America over the Sea of Japan.

This radio drama serves as a reminder that this episode is the final chapter, echoing the end of Captain America: The First Avenger.

While this series can lean on being infuriatingly chauvinistic and over the top at points — for and toward great dramatic effect — this time it is accurate.

Great Job, Stacey! XO

[READ MORE AT FORCES OF GEEK]

Dig Boston and League Podcast Comics Picks of the Week for Wed. FEBRUARY 25, 2015

COMICS

Seems like you can’t spin a web in this town without hearing some Spidey News. From his team-up in Avengers to casting speculations, what we do know is that the Webb-era is behind us. Introducing Spider-Gwen #1, wherein the Spider-Verse cashes in on our wide-eyed favorite girlfriend of Peter Parker—this time with Spider-Powers! … You’ve been hit by, you’ve been struck by Brubaker’s Criminal. Criminal One-Shot that is, from Image this time. This ’70s crime series is already a hit and this is a brand new 48-page story. … Dungeons & Dragons Baldur’s Gate #5 wraps up the first arc with dragon slaying action! Go for the eyes, Boo! … Picks this week from LeaguePodcast.com!

Cosmic Treadmill: LEGO JUSTICE LEAGUE VS. BIZARRO JUSTICE LEAGUE (review) AT FORCES OF GEEK

What is this, Bizarro World?” clearly is one of my favorite The Simpsons quotes from Comic Book Guy from the running tape in my brain because something is usually going against my will or better judgement in my surroundings.

To which I might now answer, “NO, this isn’t Bizarro World, its better - LEGO Bizarro world!

Yes, I’ll admit me am hungry for more LEGO movie action since last year’s blockbuster so when I got my hands on this sweet LEGO Justice League vs. Bizarro Justice League set, complete with Batzarro minifig, my hunger was sated … for now!

The Two-Disc set includes the typical DCU talking head making of documentary but also another adventure with our Super Friends at the brick Hall of Justice in DC Comics Super Heroes: Batman: Be-leaguered.

It may be no surprise to anyone that I really enjoyed this one!

Especially with two episodes thrown in and the mini-fig, this is a great deal.

Specifically with the packaging, the Blu-Ray + DVD + Ultraviolet copy makes it easy to share but also looks great on my big screen TV (a recent purchase and I always prefer a physical disc for HD media).

Batman is voiced by Troy Baker this go-around (LEGO Batman 3, Arkham franchise as various) but carries on a bit of that swagger and darkness that Will Arnett flavored The LEGO Movie with “More Darkness!”.

[READ MORE AT FORCES OF GEEK]

Dig Boston and League Podcast Comics Picks of the Week for Wed. FEBRUARY 18, 2015

COMICS

American Vampire’s Rafael Albuquerque gives us a time bending tale with EI8HT #1 starring a chrononaut named Joshua trapped in The Meld. … Scarlett and the Joes are Rollin’ In Deep with Cobra - will anything change the tide? Find out in G.I.Joe #6! … The Doctor and Clara conclude The Swords of Kali storyline in Doctor Who 12th #5 out today! … Picks this week from LeaguePodcast.com!

KEL SYMONS Speaks With FOG! About His Comics REYN and THE MERCENARY SEA! - FORCES OF GEEK

Kel Symons is a producer and director and now at the helm of two great Image Comics books! Last year’s acclaimed The Mercenary Sea took at look at The Pacific Theatre in the days before the Big One, and this year’s Reyn (next issue, #2 hits shelves Wednesday, February 18) is a swashbuckling D&D fantasy affair with a hero who’s not going to be easy to root for.



Kel takes a ride on the Cosmic Treadmill to get to the depths of the sea and over yonder valley, sword in hand!


FOG!: So much to cover, Kel! Thanks for joining us! Let’s start with The Mercenary Sea. First of all, your pre-WWII sea adventure book got some great feedback last year. Not many stories take place on a submarine. How did you get to placing this story in an historical context and in a cool undersea boat?

KEL SYMONS: Yeah, I was surprised as anyone that readers seemed to dive right into it (pun sorta intended…). As for how the idea came about, I think mostly I missed my space-friends from Firefly, and also wanted to relive the thrills of my childhood with Raiders of the Lost Ark. The two came together rather seamlessly to form The Mercenary Sea.

A motley crew of adventurers and mercenaries trying to carve out an existence in the wild frontier of the South Seas against a backdrop of war.

[READ MORE AT FORCES OF GEEK]

MARVEL'S AGENT CARTER S1E6 “A SIN TO ERR” (review) AT FORCES OF GEEK

Stacey’s reviews continue.

In the sixth episode of Agent Carter we find out more about the formation of group known as Leviathan as Peggy (Hayley Atwell) interviews a Dr. Ivchenko (Ralph Brown) at the S.S.R. office. She drills Ivchenko about why they may choose to train young girls to be deadly weapons instead of the typically chosen young men.

While she finds these reasons very relatable, she has more suspicions about who killed Agent Krzeminski and believes there is a connection.



She brings her theory to Chief Dooley (Shea Whigham) and much to her surprise, he gives her the go-ahead to follow her hunch that the killer may have been a trained female killer from Leviathan with a vendetta against Howard Stark for being a notorious womanizer.

We start this episode with Agent Carter hot on the trail of our Golden Age Black Widow, Dottie (Bridget Regan)!

[READ MORE AT FORCES OF GEEK]

DIRK MANNING Chats With FOG! About TALES OF MR. RHEE: "KARMAGEDDON" Kickstarter Campaign at FORCES OF GEEK

We love it when a campaign comes together! With over $10k raised for friend of the FOG!, Dirk Manning’s new Tales of Mr. Rhee Karmageddon.

Our Hero Mr. Rhee has paranormal abilities and in this volume heads out to protect a family of orphans in what becomes quite an interesting road trip. Demons, monsters and Cthulhu all make an appearance in this post-armageddon world.



Here’s Dirk to stretch out that origin story and tell us about the rest of his campaign!

FOG!: Dirk! Thanks so much for taking off your mask and revealing yourself to us for Tales of Mr. Rhee: “Karmageddon” in this Kickstarter Korner!

DIRK MANNING: Thanks for having me here, dude! It’s a pleasure!

You see, normally we get ahead of these campaigns, or get in on the ground floor, or the home stretch. You’ve really done it, man. You reached your goal already! How did you do it, man? Mysticism? The occult?

Honestly? I’m blown away by how quickly things have escalated with the Kickstarter for Tales of Mr. Rhee: “Karmageddon.” We hit our funding goal of $6,666 dollars in under eight hours, and as I type this – six days into the campaign – we’re already only a few hundred dollars away from our THIRD stretch goal! What can I say? Horror comic fans are very passionate and very dedicated!

Well, that, and being a devoted acolyte of The Great Cthulhu doesn’t hurt, either. [laughs]

[READ MORE AT FORCES OF GEEK]

Dig Boston and League Podcast Comics Picks of the Week for Wed. FEBRUARY 11, 2015

COMICS

The League has a great interview up today with Tom Scioli, writer/artist on Transformers vs. G.I. Joe #5 things are really heating up on Cybertron! … Spoiler Warning - we suggest Machete Order if you MUST include the prequels in your Star Wars viewing experience. Today, heavy breathing Daddy Darth Vader gets a new comic set right after the events in IV (A New Hope). … Lots of bad guys this week as Gail Simone’s Secret Six #2 returns to get to the bottom of Catman’s secret!… Picks this week from LeaguePodcast.com!