Dig Boston and League Podcast Comics Picks of the Week for Wed. July 29, 2015

COMICS

A leader emerges in Invisible Republic #5. Gabriel Hardman and Corinna Bechko’s off-world future tale concludes it’s first arc, in this summer’s breakout sci-fi political thriller. …Mulder investigates a missing child to honor the memory of his sister’s abduction in X-Files Annual 2015. …Last week we gave you Gods & Monsters: Batman, this week it’s JLA Gods And Monsters Superman! This Superman was raised by immigrant farmers as he rails against injustice! See you at Boston Comic Con 2015 featuring Stan Lee, natch! Excelsior! … Picks this week from LeaguePodcast.com!

‘NUFF SAID: THE LEGENDARY STAN LEE ON ANT-MAN, BOSTON, AND CAMEOS AT DIGBOSTON (EARTH PRIME TIME)

‘NUFF SAID: THE LEGENDARY STAN LEE ON ANT-MAN, BOSTON, AND CAMEOS

July 26, 2015 By CLAY FERNALD

92 years young, Stanley Martin Lieber never did quite get to write that Great American Novel.

He did something far more impactful to generations of people: After changing his name to Stan Lee, he created the Marvel Universe. All praise its name.

Before I could make out the letters, I could understand fantastic cars whizzing through the sky in the comic books he’s been behind since the Marvel Universe big-banged its way into my life and the lives of countless other fans.

The Generalissimo himself continues to reign supreme in Hollywood thanks to the blockbusters emerging from his canon of work, and he still teaches online courses, writes and creates brand new comic characters, maintains his role as chairman and chief creative officer of POW! Entertainment, Inc, and of course remains chairman emeritus of Marvel Comics. On top of that, he is a certified movie star (just don’t call them cameos anymore).

Since the man behind Spider-Man and Thor and all the rest is coming to Boston Comic Con 2015, I had roughly 10 minutes to keep a tidal wave of geek freak out in check and chat with him over the phone.

So, how are you doing?

I guess that depends on how you treat me! I’m feeling fine and looking forward to coming to Boston and meeting my friend Ken. [Ed note: Ken Bold is Guinness World Records title holder of the world’s oldest comic artist, born Aug 1, 1920, and is celebrating a birthday at Comic Con].

What, if any, are some of your memories of Boston?

When were we in Boston last? Two years ago. I have great memories of it; we went to a convention and had a wonderful time. People were terrific.

How did you feel Ant-Man went? Was it great to see it come alive on the screen?

Ant-Man was terrific: The critics loved it, the fans loved it.

THIS IS AN EXCERPT!
Read the rest at the Dig Site, please.

Share with this link:

‘NUFF SAID http://bit.ly/stanleebostoncon

NOTE: Thanks for all of your support & kind words!

[READ MORE at DIGBOSTON.COM]

JUSTICE LEAGUE: GODS AND MONSTERS (review) at FORCES OF GEEK

Doomed planet. 

Desperate scientists. 

Last hope. 

Kindly couple. 

Superman.

— Grant Morrison, All-Star Superman

Grant Morrison is most certainly capable of distilling Superman down into a few words, especially when introducing what has since become considered one of the greatest stories of all time of the iconic character.

Another master of the DC Universe  is Bruce Timm, the mastermind behind Batman: The Animated Series, Superman: The Animated Series, Justice League and Batman Beyond (to name a few).

Timm is back in with his latest project,  an alternate reality version of Justice League with Justice League: Gods and Monsters, which debuted on Machinima last month with three shorts and has been released this week as a feature length animated movie.

These new interpretations include Superman / Hernan Guerra (Benjamin Bratt, 24, Modern Family), the spawn of General Zod and Lara Lor Van’s DNA (in vitro, you pervs) raised by a Mexican farming family.

Batman is the creature of the night we know in our world as Man-Bat, Kurt Langstrom (Michael C. Hall, Dexter).

Rounding out the un-holy trinity is Bekka, granddaughter of Highfather from New Genesis aka Wonder Woman (Tamara Taylor, Bones, Lost).

With a reimagined DC Universe including dozens of Easter Eggs and a President Amanda Waller calling the shots, Alan Burnett (Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, Batman Beyond) and Timm’s PG-13 alternate reality gets a little racier thanThe Animated Series ever could. A member of the new guard for DCAU Sam Liu (Batman: Year One, All-Star Superman) directs.

[READ MORE AT FORCES OF GEEK]

Dig Boston and League Podcast Comics Picks of the Week for Wed. July 22, 2015

COMICS

Let the punishment end!The Activity team of Nathan Edmondson and Mitch Gerads took over The Punisher for an extended run so hopefully we’ll see some of this Frank Castle in Netflix’ Daredevil Season 2. Punisher #20 promises to go out with a BANG! … We’re going dark with this week’s picks. JLA Gods And Monsters Batman (One Shot) puts alternate reality Man-Bat Kirk Langstrom in the Bat Suit! Be sure to check out the latest from Bruce Timm and DC Animation on iTunes or wherever you get your movies. … Titan brings us Blacklist #1 based on the James Spader TV series of the same name. Will the Concierge of Crime Raymond Red Reddington help the FBI? Tune in to your Local Comic Shop to find out! … Picks this week from LeaguePodcast.com!

FOG! Speaks With DEAN HASPIEL About THE FOX! at FORCES OF GEEK

Distilling comics to their ultimate essence and having fun, Silver Age superhero stories is happening regularly today at one of the most unlikely publishers.

Writer and artist Dean Haspiel joins us this week to talk The Fox from Dark Circle Comics. Last summer we reviewed The Fox: Freak Magnet and the exploits of Paul Patton Jr. and family, so it was a pleasure to get with Dean about the new direction he is taking this classic Archie Comics owned superhero under the Dark Circle imprint.

Dean, who writes and draws the book, collaborates with Mark Waid on the writing and that relationship is explained here as well as some of the new heroes popping up in The Fox world.

The most recent chapter of the latest story arc, Fox Hunt, can be found in The Fox #4, out today wherever comics are sold, and that most certainly includes the device you are reading this freaky interview on!


FOG!: Thanks for joining us, Dean! After the success of Freak Magnet were you eager to get working on your next arc for The Fox?

Dean Haspiel: Thanks, Clay! I originally proposed a different idea for the Freak Magnet sequel that involved an ex-girlfriend who was a therapist for disturbed superheroes, the power of fossil fuel and the resurrection of a Tyrannosaurus Rex dinosaur buried underneath the center of Impact City, and a zombie-version of The Jaguar.

But, my then editor, Paul Kaminski suggested we do something called Fox Hunt, and I wrote a different idea.

Things are a little more violent and bloody this time around, while maintaining true to The Fox as we saw in the last volume. How is it for you to get to write and draw some of the more visceral scenes?

My favorite genre is horror. So, turning up the gross factor in Fox Hunt wasn’t hard for me to do. I just wanted to keep some of the zany, Silver-Age superhero tone I established in Freak Magnet, while decorating some of the scenes with terrifying tentacles, exploding heads, and puddles of viscera.

[READ MORE AT FORCES OF GEEK]

THEY’RE NOT LIKE US Vol. 1. ‘Black Holes for The Young’ (REVIEW) at FORCES OF GEEK

They’re Not Like Us V. 1: Black Holes for The Young TPB

Writer: Eric Stephenson

Artist: Simon Gane

Colorist: Jordie Bellaire

Published by Image Comics

Cover Price: $9.99

Diamond ID: MAY150507

ISBN: 978-1632153142

Published: July 8, 2015

Buy it HERE

Eric Stephenson (publisher of Image Comics, Nowhere Men) along with Simon Gane (Godzilla, The Vinyl Underground) and popular colorist Jordie Bellaire released a very punk rock comic on Christmas Eve last year.

Great time of year for gift-giving, maybe not so much for launching a new number one. Regardless of the timing, the first volume of They’re Not Like Usintroduces us to a band of telekinetic teenagers led by the mysterious mod pretty boy The Voice.

Perhaps drawing inspiration from other Image titles like Phonogram, Chew and Morning Glories as well as the Valiant series Harbinger and IDW’s Locke and Key, these uniquely powered and outsider youngsters are forced to give up their previous lives to get on with a clean slate.

Image Comics is creeping on the Big Two for market-share and that’s largely due to the biggest names in creators bringing books to the creator-owned imprint.

At the top of the pyramid of the unique comics publisher is Eric Stephenson. It caught my eye to see what he is capable of as a comic writer, and I was not disappointed.

Peppered with Manic Street Preachers and Morrissey song titles, musical references for post-punk bands, jazz musicians and a poster for the telekinetic 1978 box office bomb The Medusa Touch, They’re Not Like Us wears its heart out on its sleeve. An allusion to how closely this ‘team’ resembles teen heroes like The X-Men is quite deliberate as well, with all the mind invasion and somewhat similar skill sets of the boys and girls herein.

[READ MORE at FORCES OF GEEK]

Dig Boston and League Podcast Comics Picks of the Week for Wed. July 15, 2015

COMICS

Hawkeye #22 hits stands today after a long delay. Find out the conclusion of the Tracksuit Mafia vs. Hawkeyes Barton and Bishop in this much lauded tale of Pizza Dogs and trick arrows. Mark Waid and Peter Krause continue Insufferable #3 over at IDW. This father and son superhero tale begins to reveal secrets about Galahad’s dead mother and more about Nocturnus’ past. The latest Valiant Universe crossover Book of Death #1 reveals prophecy in the Book of the Geomancer starring X-O Manowar. Bloodshot. Ninjak. The Harbinger Renegades. Unity. … Picks this week from LeaguePodcast.com!

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

COMICS You put your ring in my bridge! You got your nacelles in my lantern! It’s too good to be true as the Federation meets the Corps in the anticipated Star Trek Green Lantern #1 - The Spectrum War! Set your Phasers to Construct! … Without Will Eisner we wouldn’t have graphic novels, hence we’d have no fun at all. Here’s to many years of Denny Colt in Will Eisner’s The Spirit A Celebration Of 75 Years. …”Lando’s not a system, he’s a comic” might be the most predictable comics pitch yet, but hey, its true. Lando #1 expands the Marvel/Disney/Star Wars Universe. Punch it! … Picks this week from LeaguePodcast.com!

BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA V. 1: THE HELL OF THE MIDNIGHT ROAD & THE GHOSTS OF STORMS (review) AT FORCES OF GEEK

Big Trouble In Little China V. 1:

The Hell of The Midnight Road & The Ghosts of Storms

Story by John Carpenter and Eric Powell

Written by Eric Powell

Art by Brian Churilla

Colored by Michael Garland

Lettered by Ed Dukeshire

Cover by Eric Powell

Published by BOOM! Studios
Publication Date: June 03, 2015
UPC 978160886716551499
Buy it HERE
Available on Comixology

John Carpenter’s Big Trouble in Little China returned last year in comic book form thanks to Carpenter himself (story) and The Goon’s Eric Powell with Brian Churilla (The Sixth Gun) on art.

BOOM! Studios released the first volume of continuing adventures of The Pork Chop Express last month. Jack is back, baby and he’s born ready to rock!

Let him regale you with tales of his ex-wives as he deals with a pet demon named Pete takes on the evil Wing Kong with his pal Egg Shen.

Issue #12 is out today but to get the party started, check out Volume 1 collecting issues 1—4.

“Have ya paid your dues, Jack?”

“Yessir, the check is in the mail”.

[READ MORE AT FORCES OF GEEK]

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

COMICS

Matt Wagner (Grendel, Batman) picks up Will Eisner’s The Spirit and places him in a brand new #1 from Dynamite! Here’s to a version of Denny Colt for a brand new set of pulp fans! …Chew #50 is the story of cops, crooks, cooks, cannibals, and clairvoyants. The capital culinary comic confuses and confounds with it’s capillary clogging cantankerousness! … Canada is being invaded 100 years into the future by the US in Brian K. Vaughn (Saga) and Steve Skroce’s (Matrix) We Stand on Guard #1!… Picks this week from LeaguePodcast.com!

THE ROCKETEER: THE COMPLETE ADVENTURES TPB (review) - at FORCES OF GEEK

THE ROCKETEER - THE COMPLETE ADVENTURES TPB

By Dave Stevens

Coloring by Laura Martin

Lettering by Carrie Spiegle

Volume 1 art assist by Jaimie Hernandez

Co-writers of Volume 2, chapters 2 & 3: 

Danny Bilson & Paul Demeo

Volume 2 art assist by: Art Adams, 

Geof Darrow, Gary Gianni, Mike Kaluta,

 Stan Manoukian, Sandy Plunkett, and Vince Roucher

Volume 2, chapters 2 & 3 covers by: Dave Stevens

 and painted by Dave Dorman and Paul Chadwick

Edited by Scott Dunbier

Collected Edition by: Justin Eisinger and Alonzo Simon

Cover by Dave Stevens

IDW Publishing

Release Date: March 18, 2015

Cover Price: $19.99

UPC: 978163140227251999

Buy It HERE

Available on Amazon Kindle

Summertime is the best time to catch up on reading! One of the classic comic characters I have always wanted to know more about, since seeing his 1991 film was The Rocketeer. 

The pulp hero, inspired by art deco design and the creations of Howard Hughes (see The Aviator) was the titular work of Dave Stevens, a cartoonist and storyboard artist that passed away in 2008.

IDW released an accessible paperback volume of our hood ornament of a hero with The Rocketeer The Complete Adventures in association with the Stevens Estate. The publisher and Stevens before his death tapped the talented Laura Martin to remaster the colors for the hardcover edition.

This book is the best independent comics has to offer, a legendarily rare creation with extraordinary art and dogfight action.

The Rocketeer wasn’t created in the time of the pulps, but instead captures the spirit of that high-flying time in American history with Cliff Secord,  The Rocketeer and his sometime pin-up gal pal Betty.

Back in 2013, we covered Mark Waid’s Rocketeer & The Spirit: Pulp Friction. The two heroes are a perfect pairing for an adventure, but this was all I knew of Cliff and Peevy the mechanic besides the film.

Reading the ‘real’ Rocketeer makes me itch for more of these kinds of tales, hopefully Waid, Langridge. Samnee and J. Bone continue to work on more tales of Cliff under the IDW imprint.

[READ MORE AT FORCES OF GEEK]

Dig Boston and League Podcast Comics Picks of the Week for Wed. June 24, 2015

COMICS

Mickey Mouse heads out on The Lost Explorers Trail with help from Goofy and Eurasia Toft in a brand new Mickey Mouse #1 from IDW! … We all remember 1992, right? Well, maybe some of you were just born. This was a time when comics had more hologram covers and pouches than you can shake a Mjolnir at. X-Men ‘92 #1 transforms us to that magical time when En Vogue ruled the airwaves. … Nathan Edmondson and Mitch Gerards’ Punisher #19 closes in on Frank Castle’s last days, hot on the heels of him Jon Bernthal being cast as Big Pun in Daredevil Season 2. … Picks this week from LeaguePodcast.com!

THE COMIC BOOK HISTORY OF COMICS (book review) at FORCE OF GEEK

The Comic Book History of Comics

By: Fred Van Lente and Ryan Dunlavey

Type: Graphic Novels

Publisher: IDW Publishing

Pub. Date: May 23, 2012

UPC: 978161377197652199

BUY ON AMAZON OR KINDLE

Pencils down, True Believers!

As the The Rise of Superheroes and Their Impact On Pop Culture edX course winds down, my extra curricular activities have not stagnated.

In fact, I’ve dusted off a few academic books about comics to further my station (in an audited class—I was never one for impressing actual teachers).

A few weeks ago we talked The DC Comics Guide to Writing Comics.  This week, I completed Fred Van Lente and Ryan Dunlavey’s illustrated Comic Book History of Comics and am still processing what they’ve done.

By breaking down the history of comics in the selfsame sequential art medium, they have achieved nerd nirvana.

Not since Scott McCloud’s Understanding Comics have I felt such a connection with the books I love so much.

I was lucky enough to speak with the ‘Evil Twin Studios’ artist Ryan back in 2013 for the debut of Action Presidents #1(George Washington).

[READ MORE AT FORCES OF GEEK]

Dig Boston and League Podcast Comics Picks of the Week for Wed. June 17, 2015

COMICS

The Shadow knows! Before comics there were the pulps full of rich heroes taking on the criminal set in the night with a mask on. Dynamite’s The Shadow #100 celebrates the anniversary with pulp fans Matt Wagner, Howard Chaykin and Francesco Francavilla. … With Secret Wars, many Thors have surfaced. We got a frog, a horse, a lady and a Hemsworth. Check out all the Asgardian Hammer Gods in Thors #1 this week. … Jason Shawn Alexander (Abe Sapien) unleashes a new sci-fi/horror series with The Empty Zone, set in a haunted dystopian future Empty Zone #1 is from Image Comics, the Vertigo of the new age! … Picks this week from LeaguePodcast.com!

Triple Shot: CONSTANTINE: THE HELLBLAZER #1, CLARENCE #1 & NEGATIVE SPACE #1 AT FORCES OF GEEK

Triple Shot: CONSTANTINE: THE HELLBLAZER #1, CLARENCE #1 & NEGATIVE SPACE #1

Three new number ones this week for our Triple Shot!

Ming Doyle teams up with James Tynion IV for the DCYou take on Constantine: The Hellblazer, Liz Prince (Tomboy) and artist Evan Palmer (Munchkin) step into the world of Cartoon Network’s newest creation, Clarence and we preview next month’s Negative Space #1 from Ryan K Lindsay.

CONSTANTINE: THE HELLBLAZER #1
WRITER: Ming Doyle, James Tynion IV
ART:  Riley Rossmo
Publication Date: June 10, 2015
Price: $2.99
Publisher: DC Comics
UPC: 76194133011200111
Buy it HERE

 

New creative team Ming Doyle (Mara, The Kitchen)
and James Tynion IV (Talon, Batman Eternal) relaunch Constantine for the #DCYou.

The much beleaguered title and main character has to be an
intimidating one — Constantine has seen many forms, from
a Vertigo comic to a movie starring Keanu Reaves (what?)
and riding the recent wave of comic book television with 2014’s Constantine (RIP).

Getting a handle on the character is no easy task —
Vertigo writers in the past include Garth Ennis, Warren Ellis,
Peter Milligan, Andy Diggle and many more.

Constantine in the DCU is a younger character and Doyle and Tynion
are allowed to play him that way, hopefully to generate a new
audience for Constantine as well as bridge the gap with older readers.

This being a DC Comic and not Vertigo hurts the book in my opinion.

John Constantine should be able to swear and be raunchy.

Issue #1 isn’t a bad go at the old guy, though.
Our demon whisperer shows up naked in a clothing shop covered in blood
and brains. Later in the story, he is drafted by Blythe for a quick shag
and his first ‘mission’ against some demons.

Riley Rossmo has great stylistic choices for his art, including a
landscape splash page cutaway view of the club and by the end of the book gets to draw some cool looking demons.

I’m interested to see where this goes, issue #1 had enough bite to
want me to pick up the next issue. This book doesn’t seem to be
pandering to any fans of any Hellblazer incarnations — that could be a blessing or a curse once the story develops more.

[READ MORE AT FORCES OF GEEK]

Get $1 off your purchase of 3 or more tickets to Jurassic World with promo code: TREX. Offer valid 6/2 - 6/14 11:59 PM PST or While Supplies Last. Terms Apply.

Dig Boston and League Podcast Comics Picks of the Week for Wed. June 10, 2015

COMICS

The Second issue of Robin Hood: Outlaw of the 21st Century hits devices today on Comixology. The League’s own Matt Dursin’s reboot of the classic Robin Hood tale has Robin stealing from the doctors and giving to the sick! Both issues available today on Comixology’s Submit platform as well as Kindle and hard copy if you ask nice. Issue #2 Cover by Jaush Lingel! …Let’s Be Real with Ghostbusters Get Real #1 from IDW. Peter, Ray, Winston and Egon confront THE REAL Ghostbusters! … Gilbert Hernandez (Love and Rockets, Bumperhead) drops a one-shot mostly wordless comic book Blubber #1 guaranteed to blow your mind (anytime)! … Picks this week from LeaguePodcast.com!

Get $1 off your purchase of 3 or more tickets to Jurassic World with promo code: TREX. Offer valid 6/2 - 6/14 11:59 PM PST or While Supplies Last. Terms Apply.

SPY (review) at FORCES OF GEEK

Produced by Paul Feig, Jessie Henderson,

Peter Chernin, Jenno Topping

Written and Directed by Paul Feig

Starring Melissa McCarthy, Jason Statham,

Rose Byrne, Miranda Hart, Bobby Cannavale,

Nargis Fakhri, Allison Janney, Jude Law

Melissa McCarthy’s latest movie Spy is a treat.

Director Paul Feig graduated McCarthy from supporting player in 2011’s Bridesmaids, to co-star in 2013’s The Heat and now, badass leading lady in Spy. 

The comedic sendup of the classic James Bond formula goes back at least as far as the original 1967 Casino Royale and Get Smart but also was reinvented in the ‘90s by Mike Myers in Austin Powers.

Gadgets, plane fights, prat falls and cat-lady sweaters are what populatesSpy.

Next year, Feig will take McCarthy into her next showbiz tier with Ghostbusters, where she’ll get her doctorate in ‘ensemble cast’.

Susan Cooper is a CIA Agent, working as an assistant to field agent Bradley Fine (Jude Law). She witnesses Fine’s brutal murder via a very unrealistic ‘contact lens camera’ as she’s guiding him through his final mission. 

When the CIA is made aware of a possible leak, the only thing left to do is send someone after his murderer Rayna Boyanov (Rose Byrne). Hothead agent Rick Ford played by Jason Statham is a braggart and bumbling parody of the usual roles the actor plays. 

Ford goes rogue when the agency picks the unassuming analyst Susan Cooper to go out into the field to Paris to gather intel on that “Thundercunt” Rayna, her bosses and a nuclear bomb!

[READ MORE AT FORCES OF GEEK]

Get $1 off your purchase of 3 or more tickets to Jurassic World with promo code: TREX. Offer valid 6/2 - 6/14 11:59 PM PST or While Supplies Last. Terms Apply.

FOG! Chats With MIDNIGHTER Writer STEVE ORLANDO #DCYOU - AT FORCES OF GEEK

Today launches the New #DCYou continuity and one of the books debuting is Midnighter.

Midnighter was created by Warren Ellis and Bryan Hitch in 1998 as part of Stormwatch. He’s been featured in The Authority as well as a short lived mini Grifter & Midnighter and his own series before being a part of the DC’s New 52Stormwatch and Grayson books.

Steve Orlando (Undertow, Image Comics) reintroduces Lucas Trent and his alter-ego in the latest from DC Comics and is here to tell us about what it means to have an openly gay male superhero hit the shelves!

FOG!: Fans of The Authority and Stormwatch might know Midnighter, and of course we’ve seen him in Graysonrecently fighting Spyral. But really, Who is this guy?

Steve Orlando: He’s a fighter! Midnighter has been engineered to be the greatest, and he’s a weapon, a sword. That’s part of his core. But he’s found a way to make it into a positive, and he fights for those that don’t have anyone to listen to them, or fight for them. 

Midnighter is a community character, on the street, connecting with the people he helps and making himself available to even more people. When he saves you, you can become part of his Network, bringing situations to his attention, and helping him bring the Midnighter experience to even more people.

He’s the clenched fist that’s on your side when maybe no one else will hear you. Midnighter’s past was stolen, and in its place he was programmed to be a fighting machine.  And he doesn’t want anyone else to go what he went through. He’s fighting to make sure no one else has to become another Midnighter.

Midnighter is the guy that is puts the fear into the fear mongers.

[READ MORE AT FORCES OF GEEK]

Get $1 off your purchase of 3 or more tickets to Jurassic World with promo code: TREX. Offer valid 6/2 - 6/14 11:59 PM PST or While Supplies Last. Terms Apply.

Dig Boston and League Podcast Comics Picks of the Week for Wed. June 3, 2015

COMICS

I am Groot, I AM Groot. I am GROOT. Groot #1. Its so not a big deal that Midnighter #1 is the first openly gay hero in the DC Universe but yeah it IS a big deal at the same time. Spinning out of Grayson is Midnighter — taking on Spyral Agents and written by Steve Orlando (Undertow), for fans of espionage and heroes like The Punisher. … Airboy #1 breaks the fourth wall for James Robinson (Starman, FF) and Greg Hinkle as the depraved comics creators are forced to by Airboy himself to put the plug in the jug after an all out rager! … Picks this week from LeaguePodcast.com!

Triple Shot: FRESH ROMANCE #1, OLD MAN LOGAN #1 & SANDMAN OVERTURE #5 at FORCES OF GEEK

Fresh Romance is in the air, courtesy of Janelle Asselin. Bendis opens up three old wounds on each hand with Andrea Sorrentino on art in Old Man Logan (Secret Wars) #1 and don’t forget about The Endless Dreaming with Sandman: Overture #5 in this week’s edition of Triple Shot!

FRESH ROMANCE #1
WRITER: Sarah Kuhn, Kate Leth, Sarah Vaughn
ART:   Arielle Jovellanos, Sarah Winifred Searle, Sally Jane Thompson 
Publication Date: May 27, 2015
Price: $4.99
Publisher: Rosy Press/Janelle Asselin
UPC: 70985301875900111
Buy it HERE: RosyPress.com / Comixology

As I’m learning in my current comic book class with professor Michael Uslan, Romance Comics as genre came to prominence after the end of World War II.

Everyone hung up their collective capes, and even Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and Joe Simon filled the newsstands with tales of heartbreak, secret crushes and handkerchief hand wringing.

These days, superheroes dominate the scene and the big screen, but former DC Comics editor Jannelle Asselin is resurrecting the genre over at Rosy Press and also utilizing her vast established audience for Kickstarter funding for this special project.

[Read an amazing FOG! interview with Jannelle over here with Stefan Blitz, conducted after the project was funded!]

This inaugural issue of Fresh Romance is an anthology book highlighting 3 separate stories from some of the best talent around. Kate Leth (Adventure Time, Bravest Warriors, Edward Scissorhands) starts off with a classic high school tale of locker talk and Mean Girls swagger. I’m most looking forward to the next installment for the twist introduced at the end of these pages.

Upcoming talent Sarah Vaughn (Alex + Ada) goes back to the post-Revolutionary War days for an impending tale of arranged marriage from ye olde tymes. I wasn’t expecting to go back to the age of AMC’s Turn but it was a nice place to visit and Sarah Winifred Searle’s art is divine. 

‘The Ruby Equation’, the final tale by Sarah Kuhn and Sally Jane Thompson was perhaps my favorite. Without spoiling, this was the most comic-booky of the tales. Modern day cupid meets coffee shop barista. Very cute story with more to come.

Congrats on getting the ball rolling—this was a fun book, and I may have been quoted as saying, “I hate stupid love stories because they are stupid”.

Yet again, I was wrong.

[READ MORE AT FORCES OF GEEK]