Review: Usagi Yojimbo #144

Review by: Neil Rodriguez Okay, so I have been in a bit of a samurai kick this week, first I read the trade for Samurai’s Blood and now I've picked up the Usagi Yojimbo comic.What's with all samurai action this week? I don’t know. I just enjoy samurai stories whether in human form or in animal form and this week I got a double dose of it.

In Usagi Yojimbo #144 our hero is currently staying at a Soy Sauce Brewery working as a bodyguard for Mitsui the owner of the said brewery. He asked for Usgai’s help because the brewery was being attacked by a rival soy sauce company that wants him out of business. During his stay at the brewery with Mitsui one of Mitsui guards gets killed by a mercenary that was hired by the rival company and it is up to Usagi to find out the responsible party and bring the evil doer to justice.

I liked Usagi Yojimbo #144 very much it was a simple and charming adventure. Usagi using his code of honor, goes out to help out people in need and at the same time defend those people from the evil doers that are committing a wrong to these good people. The story does not have any complicating twist or turns, it is a very straightforward with what is going on the story and you get clean resolution out of it just to get Usagi ready for his next adventure. What I also enjoy about this book is that is not very heavy with violence. There is action and some violence in the book, but the scenes that are violent do not show a blood bath after every kill instead a small little skull shows up to let the reader know that his opponent has been vanquish. I thought that that was a very cool and very clever idea for storytelling.

The art I also enjoyed a lot as well, it is very simple and clean just like the tone of the book, the art just screamed cartoony adventure to me and I really enjoyed my time with the book. The book reminded me of a Saturday morning cartoon when I read the book and I saw the images.

Overall, Usagi Yomibo was fun. The story was simple, charming and fast. It sets the reader up for another new adventure after this issue and the art was good and tight as well.

Score: 4/5

Writer/Artist/Creator: Stan Sakai Publisher: Dark Horse Comics Price: $2.99 Release Date: 2/29/12

Review: Crab Queen (OGN)

I kind of thought going into this book that I would like it… turns out I was wrong. I wasn’t personally a fan of the story, but based on our scale for books it hits just below average. The art is decent, not great, but decent. Maybe if the art was fantastic it could have save the story some, but as it is this book is not that good. It’s a shame because it’s Jimmy Palmiotti writing on his own and that’s something I would like to see more of. I just hope that he doesn’t incorporate so many degrading moments for his characters in the future. I’m probably going to venture into spoiler territory now so guard your eyes if you’d like to check this book out still.

I can literally sum up the entire sixty page story into one paragraph. Woman cheating on her fiancé has a last fling with her lover who is cool with her getting married. Then on her wedding night, the woman her husband was cheating on her with gets into a car accident and dies. Woman goes to work and bad mouths her boss on the phone after thinking she’s switched calls. Boss is gay and goes down on her as punishment for her bad behavior. Woman goes on honeymoon and her husband throws her overboard. Woman doesn’t die, but rather washes to shore with giant crab hands. There are literally like three more scenes left for the book. But all of the scenes follow this simple format of something happens to the woman and then she does the bare minimum to get by. There is also a huge plot hole added in the middle of the story

It’s not good. A lot of the story is narration and really I was left wondering what the point of everything was? Why did I need to know the story of this woman who is both stuck in terrible situations of her own creation and then also put in completely unrealistic situations at the same time? Sadly, I’m not referring to the crab hands since suspension of disbelief takes care of that one. No, I’m referring to the scene with her boss and her husband.

The boss in particular was troubling. She’s trash talking her boss on the phone… five feet away from her in their office. Then after transferring a call doesn’t check to make sure her friend is on the line again before trash talking again. As someone who has worked in a very small office I’m forced to believe that either she is the dumbest person in the world, or that she wants her boss to sexually harass her. The worst part is the justification of medical benefits as reasoning behind her allowing it to happen to her. She just got married to a rich guy… I think she can get by on his benefits. I wouldn't usually go all "real world" nit-picky on a story, but this one makes it a point to ground itself in the real world with other trivial details which just opens the door for it.

The writing was very weak in general throughout the issue. It didn’t feel like a comprehensive story, but rather a lot of back story for a five-page payoff at the end of the book. Additionally, the narration is just too much. We get practically every thought that the character has and it doesn’t make her likeable or quirky, but rather dumb and annoying. All of the characters are pretty crummy in the book which gives you even less reason to care about any of them. The two exceptions are barely in the story and do nothing to actually help the main character which again makes them crummy.

The art is decent. It’s not great and it lacks a lot of detail. The cover is misleading as you’re given the impression that the art inside will be half as good or at least trying to keep the same style… but it doesn’t. It’s a complete 180 and probably the biggest reason I have for interior artist doing their own cover art. You wouldn’t buy a cover drawn by Jack Kirby and then interior art done by Mrs. Johnson’s third grade class, so why should you settle any other time. The interior is still decent, but it’s such a sharp contrast to the cover that it makes it difficult to swallow. Add in the fact that so many chances at adding simple details are missed and it quickly becomes a disappointment.

I hate to beat up on this book and originally I was going to skip the review altogether, but it kept sticking out to me. It has a talented writer, a capable artist and is the very definition of an independent comic. Hell, it was even funded on Kickstarter. I really wanted to like this book and we even had the banner on our site for a month. After reading the book though I decided I couldn’t promote a product I didn’t believe in and took it down. I think that should tell you all you need to know about this book.

Score: 2/5

Writer: Jimmy Palmoitti Artist: Artiz Eiguren Cover: Sas Christian Publisher: Image Comics Release Date: 2/29/12

Review: The Immortal - Demon in the Blood #3

You will read this book for the last seven pages and love it and hate it for where it ends. Regrettably, that makes for a really short review. I feel that you should probably already be reading this series at this point and if you’re not then you can start any time digitally. This translated piece of work has been handled with care by Dark Horse and it’s worth it for any fan of period pieces set in Japan. We open with Houshou giving a beautiful tattoo to a beautiful woman. It’s their last session and she’s being rather ostentatious with him as she offers her body freely to him; as beautiful as she is he declines telling her that his life, much like hers in not his own to do with. Meanwhile, his adopted sister Natsu is having tea with the man who killed Houshou’s sister, he’s also suspected to be the Yokohama Lady-Killer be this is all unbeknownst to her. He makes a crude joke suggesting to Natsu that he is the killer which turns the conversation on to a strange path. Finally though, Houshou and Natsu are reunited as he visits her at school. After her conversation with the supposed Lady-Killer she confronts Houshou about being in her life anymore. She confesses her love to him and how that love has turned to hate and despise.

The second issue wasn’t the strongest issue for sure, but the third is much better. Since this story was originally published as one complete work and is now being broken into four pieces, it leaves part of the story reliant upon content that isn’t there. You literally could not pick this book up and get a full experience from just one issue. It would make sense and the translation includes enough of a recap that it would leave you scratching your head, but you really need the full experience to appreciate the story.

The art and writing are still very strong and frankly there isn’t much you can say after reviewing two other issues. Again, because it was originally one volume, the art doesn’t change or vary the way it typically would in a monthly series. Rather it’s a very consistent product that’s easy on the eyes and full of rich detail. If you missed the start of the series just buy them digitally or track them down in the back issue bin, it’s worth it.

Score: 4/5

Writer: Fumi Nakamura Script: Ian Edginton Pencils: Vicenc Villagrasa Publisher: Dark Horse Comics Price: $3.50 Release Date: 2/29/12

Review: Samurai’s Blood Vol. 1 (TPB)

Review by: Neil Rodriguez Samurai’s Blood came out this week in trade and boy was I excited to pick this up and start reading it right away. My excitement for this book came from being a huge fan of Samurai stories and also that its very rare for me to find one in comic book form.

Samurai’s Blood is a story of three teenagers who are out on the run and hiding from a Samurai clan that has betrayed them. The three teenagers are then off to claim vengeance for the betrayal and murder of their entire clan but during their travel the group is found with different challenges including: separation, training and battles before they reach their goal of avenging their clan.

The first couple of chapters of Samurai’s blood were great you have the setup of the story and it explains the reason why the clan was betrayed. It also has a small love story between Katashi and Mayuko two of the three main characters. What I liked about the love story is that the two characters in the book have a very strong love for each other and no matter what happens to either of them their love will endure which was very cool and very touching.

My problem with the book comes halfway through the story. Especially with the breaking down of Mayuko’s character, in the start of the book she appears as a gentle yet very strong character. Although she is not a samurai because of her gender, she has learned the way of the samurai because of her father and the training that her brother had taken under her father’s tutelage. This made for a very interesting character and I quickly fell in love with her, but there are certain events that take place in the book that completely break the character and she is not the same throughout the entire book.

She felt weak and helpless for the rest of the book; although she had her retribution it wasn’t very satisfying for me. I wanted her to have a more powerful vengeance than what she did, because there were so many people involved in the breaking of her character. Her vengeance need to be just as powerful as her brother and her lover's vengeance for their clan. The last couple of chapters do pick up steam and it has a nice reveal about Katashi and his father, but I felt like it wasn’t enough to make up for what happens in the middle of book.

I really did like the art in the book; it was a mix of cartoony with a little bit of eastern art. It felt like a western version of an anime. The colors and the art really took me to ancient Japan and I enjoyed very much the style it was the one thing that kept me going while the book dragged in the middle.

Overall, I had real high hopes for Samurai’s Blood to be real good book but in the end it only ended up being an entertaining read at best. I loved the art style but the story suffered at times and it made me lose my interest, especially when Mayuko’s character was broken. Entertaining read but not great.

Score: 3/5

Story: Owen Wiseman Art: Nam Kim, Matthew Dalton, Sakti Yuwono Publisher: Image Comics Release Date: 2/29/12

AVX: Marvel's Biggest Selling Title Since Civil War

Who would have thought that a recycled concept from the 80's would become Marvel's biggest selling event since Civil War which was apparently their biggest selling even period. Sales are already above 200,000 for the first issue. Let's keep in mind that Civil War sold incredibly well for all seven issues and practically every tie-in that had Civil War slapped on the cover sold as well. Frankly I'm not buying the hype and expect to see a ton of copies sitting on the shelf months after release of the first issue. There's always a sales incentive for titles and Marvel desperately wanted the title of "Best selling issue of the year" back from DC. I don't know why all of the other news outlets have ignored the fact that Marvel is notorious for undercutting themselves on price in order to move a lot of units. Their investors care more about the appearance of selling a lot than actual profit. If you need a reminder of this look no further than last years Point One, in which Marvel practically gave away the book so that retailers could sell it for a third of the cover price. If you paid more than two dollars you got ripped off. If they were willing to do it for that book which had a lead in to AVX, then why wouldn't they do something similar for AVX?

If any retailers want to let me know what the price break for ordering is you can contact us at ComicBastards@gmail.com, until then stop buying the hype.

Review: The Red Ten #2

Here’s the review for the best comic book that you’re not reading. The name of that book is The Red Ten and the reason you’re not reading it…is well, I don’t know why you’re not but you should. Check out what we thought of the first issue and then you’ll appreciate one of the best things about the second. Screw it, I’ll just tell you, the second installment of The Red Ten that is does exactly what every comic book needs to do—be better than the first issue. Thirty years ago in Swanstown Heights, the soon to be world’s greatest detective experiences a tragic event that thrusts her into a role that will forever change the rest of her life. Now in the present, The Alliance is recovering from the exposition of fellow teammate, Androika . Thanks to Orion’s protective barrier, the team escapes with their lives. As the heroes make their way to safety, Orion locates The Master Mage’s staff and returns it to him. Master Mage makes a comment on how the staff feels different but before he can elaborate, the team notices that the statue of Androkia is marked with blood and their resident speedster, Throttle is missing.

Now on the beach, Throttle is wrestling with his own personal demons. Soon the rest of the Alliance meets up with him to discuss what they are to do now. Tempers start to rise as fear and confusion begin to rear their ugly heard.  Soon the team agrees on one thing, to get off of the island.  Just as Justice gives the order to Master Mage to teleport the team off the island, a portal spewing forth with a small army of vengeful demons begins to attack the Alliance.

Well, there were more than a few things that made the issue number 2 of The Red Ten really stand out. The first was the origin story that they added with Red and Throttle. Sure you know what’s going to transpire due to the fact you know who these characters are portraying but it works so well and adds to the richness of the characters that Tyler James and Cesar Feliciano have created. It makes The Alliance members their very own heroes’, not just Justice League clones. Not only was this well done, it was very cool to see a different take on those stories.

The second surprise from this issue was the coloring. Not to say the colors in the first issue were bad in any way but the sheer pop that comes from the page, especially with Red’s origin are just impressive.  Guillermo Ucha colors and Vic Moya are great additions and I can’t wait to see what else these guys have up their sleeve.

The Red Ten number 2 does everything it needs to do to keep the entertainment train chugging right along. It also makes strides to get better.  So do yourself a favor and check this book out and tell all your friends that can read to pick it up. Hell, tell your friends that can’t read to pick it up.

Score: 4/5

Writer: Tyler James Artist: Cesar Feliciano Publisher: Comix Tribe Price: $3.99 or for $1.99 on Comixology Submit Release Date: 2/29/12

Review: Vescell #6

After really enjoying the last issue of Vescell I decided to continue on with the series. This newest issue isn’t quite as great, but it’s damn close and still a very good read that has continued my interest in the series. Mission Accomplished for the creative team! That is their goal after all to hook new readers on the series so that sales increase and they can work on the book more. Well it worked, I bought the last issue (the cover helped) and I will pick up this issue as well. I love it when comics attempt something new and this issue breaks from the three act structure that basically every comic follows and most should always stick to. You can tell when a writer is creating out of their ass when the structure is broken, but with Vescell it works. It’s essentially split into two, but what’s clever is that each half has a loose three act structure to it. I was actually surprised when the story started the next chapter of the book because I thought it was done.

The first half is about Machi aka Shortwings coming out of her cocoon. Mauricio our main character prepares for her arrival and it’s a great moment that shows his compassion and care. The characters share some banter and then they break into Machi’s experiences within the cocoon. She was transported to her home which is another dimension, but it’s under attack due to the scales of good and evil being tipped to far one way. She learns a life lesson from Mauricio’s mother and grows her new wings.

The second story is strange, highly sexual and ridiculously funny at the same time. The gist is that a cyborg, Batan is on a case for Cybercan that involves the death of several of their employees and the gathering of the employee’s brain data. That’s my wording by the way; it was the easiest way to describe it. Batan uses his gay lover as bait for the ripper (dual meaning), but doesn’t know that Mauricio has been hired to find the same man on behalf of Vescell. The two groups run into each other and more hilarity ensues… but the tale ends very somberly.

The story wasn’t as balls to the wall as the last issue, but it was fun and tried something different. More importantly, it worked. This issue gives the reader the perfect chance to get to know the characters and find out what they’re going to be up against in the future. I hope that there is a similar issue in the future that reiterates the different plot lines of the story since being a new reader I’m still a bit in the dark. In general though, the writing was very good and even though the characters all tend to share the same tone, they’re still very unique with their own quirks and dialog mannerisms.

There are a lot of… stereotypes that are reinforced in this series, but I don’t think it’s done in an offensive way. Hell, I could be wrong. All I know is that it didn’t offend me and gave the book a very mature tone and attitude. Enrique Carrion has created an ambitious world and populated it with characters that are unique and as ambitious as the world. It’s fun in a mature well. It’s clear that this story will not be censored or controlled if it doesn’t make sense to the plot and I like that. Frankly, everything is pretty much face value and sometimes it’s nice to have a book like that.

It might be the sixth issue, but if you’re like me and new to the series this isn’t a bad place to start. Like I said you really get to know the cast of characters and they’re settled in to their roles in the story. Sure you may be in the dark on a few details like me, but unless you’re going to track down all of the other issues and fall behind even further… you’ve got to start somewhere. A good read with a dose of maturity that is simply fun.

Score: 4/5

Writer: Enrique Carrion Artist: John Roc Upchurch Publisher: Image Comics Price: $2.99 Release Date: 2/29/2012

Review: Transformer - Autocracy #4

The first glimpse we ever saw of Transformers was the start of the cartoon which was during and after The Great War and the search for energon. I’m enjoying this story because it tells event that lead up to this moment in time. This is a time before the greatest Transformer became Prime and when the greatest Transformer villain was seen as nothing more than a terrorist leader. With Bumblebee captured by the Decepticons we find Megatron and Orion talking about fate. This fate in which they speak is the system of government must change; Orion believes the system can change within and Megatron believes in a revolution will change the system a very Xavier/Magneto moment. Megatron demonstrates this by telling Orion that his team was sent into an ambush intentionally. The ambush was set up to lose Orion and his team which would be enough fuel to start the war. Why does Zeta Prime want war? Simple he has the most powerful weapon known to the Transformers and wants to use it and show his supreme power.

Orion only has one sense of duty that out-weighs his sense of commitment to the Prime and that's his team so he doesn't follow orders in order to save Bumblebee. Ironhide and the rest of the team bust trough the roof of the stronghold to rescue Bumblebee. Back in front of Zeta Prime Orion explains what happens. Zeta explain that Orion is a failure and give them one last mission and not to fail him.

For a short bi-weekly release there is a lot of action and story crammed into one issue. This is written well and keeps moving that leaves you wanting to keep reading. Let’s just say sometimes there are monthly issues that have more filler than story than this series which is released bi-weekly. It’s especially interesting to see how Megatron is shown as the good guy against Zeta Prime's rule. But there is one line that stands out in this book. Orion calls Megatron “A criminal posing as a revolutionary” which Megatron responds saying “You’re a revolutionary posing as a cop”. I believe this just fore-shadows to a much deeper plot point further in the story.

I like the art in this book and the detailed poured into it. You can see the details of battles from the bots lives before with fading of paint and scratches in the metal. You can also see the detail in rubble of buildings and broken glass and how it’s used to portray action. The one thing I’m getting tired of is the backlighting always being one color. It seems to be used so there is less detailed in the background.

Overall, the story moves along and grabs enough of your attention to keep reading. The detail in the Transformers is amazing and portrays them realistic. This is a good read for a Transformer fan and the story is still building here. Just a reminder you won’t find this book it your LCS it’s a digital only and priced to move!

Score: 3/5

Writers: Chris Metzen & Flint Dille Artist: Livio Ramondelli Publisher: IDW Publishing Format: Digital Only Release: 2/29/2012

Guess What Sucks? Avengers Movie Poster

Man, that is one bad movie poster.

Review: Fractured Fables (OGN)

I feel like we’ve been here before. This modern spin on classic children’s stories and fables; the only added difference being the addition of nursery rhymes. This entire book confused me. Who’s the audience that this is geared towards? Children? Comic book readers? Casual readers? The only logical conclusion that I could come to is that it’s for fathers that read comics and find the idea of taking simple stories and making them demented cool. I don’t mean demented in a mean-spirited way either, I have absolutely no problem with demented. For instance one of the stories Jack, yes the Jack as he heads out to look for food due to his life being one of poverty. He finds a castle with a giant and the giant delivers his famous lines of, “Fee fi fo fum…” and so on. This gives Jack an idea as he trips the giant and then eats him. Demented right? It’s a bit strange to have a young boy portrayed as a cannibal and this is about the second story in.

There are several other stories that are simply goofy twists on the stories like “The Old Woman that Lives in a Shoe” which is more from the giant who owns the shoes perspective. Probably the cheesiest one was “Little Red Riding Hood” which also pulls from the opposite perspective this time from the Wolf and ends with Grandma’s house being Grandma’s Martial Arts School for Young Ladies. You can fill in the rest of the story for yourself I’m sure.

Personal favorites included Doug TenNapel’s “Rumplestiltskin” which was very fun and actually tried to do something different with the story in his own quirky way. It worked and stood out the most to me. Shannon Wheeler’s “Row, Row Row” also tickled my fancy with its simple idea and brilliant execution.

One thing is for sure, there is a lot of big name talent on the book. That doesn’t mean that it was all good and in fact most of the stories are just meh. Even the good ones didn’t smack me in the face and proclaim, “This is the best thing ever!” Rather it was more like, “You don’t have children why are you bothering to read this book while trying to find some redeeming value!?!” That’s the thing, this book is for a very niche audience and if you’re not a dad trying to introduce your child to a new generation of kids stories there is little to no reason to pick this book up.

It’s not bad by any means, but it’s so average that it basically makes it bad because of that fact. The art is really good, but not stand out good and the stories are just well told. The fact remains that there is nothing new here; no twist on an old idea that will do anything more than make you turn the page and wonder why you’re still going.

Score: 2/5 (Mostly because of the art throughout)

Publisher: Shadowline and Image Comics Price: $19.99 (They must be charging by the page for how long it will take you to read it and fully appreciate each page of art) Release Date: 2/29/12

You Sir Are An Asshole, A Complete Asshole!

"One of the most unique leather uniforms created for the screen can now be yours. Every feature as seen on film in Captain America: The First Avenger has been replicated in form-molded leather from the classic color-scheme to the aluminum accent emblems on the back, arms and forever iconic silver star emblazoned on our hero's chest. Perfectly crafted gloves, boots, functional belt and detailed rigging complete this iconic battle-uniform that captures the retro 1940s Captain America: The First Avenger design." Jacket: $598.00 CAN Pants: $298.00 CAN Gloves: $98.00 CAN Boots: $198.00 CAN Belt: $98.00 CAN TOTAL SUIT AS A SET: $1,290.00 CAN

Oh yeah the shield and helmet not for sale. They're for promotional purposes only suckers.

Episode 18: Smelly Pee

I’m real sorry about the title of this week’s CBMFP but I couldn’t think of anything that could capture the vibe of this episode more than pee that smells… To kick things off we pick a winner of the 1,000 post caption contest and we talk about the comic book inspired movie, Chronicle. Dustin brings up The Darkness 2 video game even though I think we all ready talked about it. But it’s cool The books that got read this week include: Reign, Hell Yeah. Holliday, Turning Tiger and more! So the CBMFP turns 18 and she’s ready to party!

End of the Exclusive Era

There will always be exclusive contracts in comic books, but the last decade saw a huge boost in exclusive creator contracts at both Marvel and DC that seems to be dwindling down to a close. This may actually be a good thing as we’re starting to see more creators spread their wings and do creator owned projects like those announced at Image’s Expo this weekend. A few years ago you would never have had a Grant Morrison book not published by DC or one of its off-shoots. The exclusive contracts even changed the way both companies did business by allowing them to have creator owned projects at their companies to basically keep the creator from leaving. This is 100% true of Vertigo’s books, but DC did allow far more creators the ability to work on Vertigo titles with no penalty of breaking their contract. Marvel’s ICON imprint basically became the creator owned division of their print business. Now with some of its biggest selling names such as Mark Millar and Ed Brubaker taking their business to Image you have to wonder how long the imprint will say open. After all the only other creator on the imprint is Bendis.

The true sign that the exclusive contract wars are over is reflected in the creators working at Image. Nick Spencer was the last big signing that Marvel had and he’s already out of his contract. In fact, he has more work for Image this year then probably his entire contract with Marvel. He just never caught fire there like he did at Image, but that was the start of the writing on the wall. Marvel flat-out offered him a contract to stop him from working at DC before really testing the waters. Now Image is working with practically every top talent that’s been locked down on an exclusive contract for the past ten years.

What doesn’t help is the fact that both Marvel and DC are trimming the exclusive contracts to help their bottom line. Nothing helps profits on paper like a layoff and that’s what both are doing. This great for comic fans though because you’re no longer left wondering what else these creators have locked in their brain.

There was a time when exclusives would really piss me off. Grant Morrison has been stuck over there for years and I frankly was not impressed with a majority of his work. I know, begin hating and booing but it’s my opinion. Sure he had some great stuff, but I have to wonder if we were missing out on some great Daredevil or Spawn storylines because he was busy fucking up Batman. Sadly though, that’s what DC wanted. The exclusive contract became the golden ticket for struggling creators looking to buy a home or support their family and it kept them from working for the competition. In a way that’s all it was, “don’t work for those guys.”

Now as I said in the beginning there will always be exclusive contracts like Bendis and Johns and sadly they are probably the two talents I would love to see working for the other teams the most. Maybe one day when new editors are in control and they’re completely sick of them we’ll see them work for the counter parts, but until then Bendis will make his Marvel and Johns will fix DC one character at a time.

The end of the exclusive wars is definitely ushering in a new era in comics. Creator owned books have been huge in the past few years and they seem to only be getting bigger thanks to series from Millar, Kirkman, Hickman and new and up-and-comers. It also says a lot about the “big two” as it truly shows that it matters very little of who is writing or drawing the books, just as long as they show up on time.

Note: I am aware that this article is heavily focused on writers mostly because they've had the most exclusive contracts. Also I did not forget about JMS, Mark Waid, Gail Simone, Warren Ellis and others but this would have been stupid long if I gave an example for each.

Why in The Hell Not? A Documentary About Comic Con

Hey remember that Super Size Me movie and 30 Days television show and well basically a ton of other cheeky documentaries by or involved that Sperlock guy? We he’s at it again by producing a Comic-Con: Episode IV - A Fan's Hope. The best thing here is this documentary has a topic that you geeks may love more than McDonalds…maybe…I doubt it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZN41gXXUlLI

This... Is Not This: Michael Kormack Is Not The Next Alex Ross

I'm not attempting to start shit, but if that's what happens it happens. I was on reddit not too long ago down voting anyone who posted a stupid picture of them reading a book or a recent trendy purchase that they made and wanted everyone to be proud of when I came upon this:

The person was insane enough to say that this piece made the artist Michael Kormack the next Alex Ross...

Now I want you to take a good look at this Alex Ross piece.

Now besides the fact that they're two different characters, what do you notice? Well, one is painted by hand with oil paints and the other is digitally colored. Both are good pieces, but when I look at Ross' there is far more skill going into it. We can all agree that Ross' art can look waxy or even stiff at times, but the majority of the time his work is pretty damn amazing. Frankly the first piece is great piece as well, but it's digitally colored and really there's not comparison when it comes to actual painting. Add the fact that both the Hulk and Banner look photo referenced and I question how much is real and how much was digital.

We all know (or you're about to) that Ross uses a life model or occasionally a photo when painting, but by the end of the piece you're not looking at the photo you're looking at the Green Goblin or Superman. They character is recognizable as the classic character you've always known and seen in the comics. That Hulk and more importantly that Banner, could be anyone. Banner looks like the guy from Revengeand Hulk's right arm doesn't even make since it's so close to his body. Did Hulk's chest size slim down?

My point is you're an idiot if you think that Michael Kormack is the next Alex Ross. The guy has talent that's for sure, but the skill sets are completely different. If anything we all learned a valuable lesson, just because it's painted looking doesn't make it Alex Ross.

Review: Astonishing Adventures #1

Looking at the new release shelf today, I found myself drawn to this title. Why you ask? Well for 1) it’s not from any big comic company and 2) it’s a book about a dad and son adventure. We start out in suburbia with two kids, Harrison and Grace, who are in their backyard playing while their Dad, Parker, is cooking lunch. Their Grandma and Grandpa show up for lunch and ask the kids what they were doing outside. Harrison explains that they are battling Lord Zynismus, who rules the evil part of the universe and that he is trying to take Grace captive.

After lunch Grandpa has a surprise... Parker’s old toys. Upon receiving the toys Parker then hands them off to his son and daughter. There is one toy in particular that catches their eyes, an old teddy bear, Cedrick. It is one of the oldest of the bunch and they learn it kept their Dad safe when he was growing up. Grandma and Grandpa leave while Harrison and Grace head back outside to conquer evil. As Parker is doing the dishes Harrison yells "They took Grace!". Realizing she is missing, they call the police and file a report. After the police leave Harrison expresses that he is so sorry for letting them take Grace. His dad tries to console him and assure him it wasn't his fault. Parker heads to bed to lay down, when Harrison brings him his teddy bear, Cedrick. Just as Parker starts to fall asleep, Cedrick wakes him to explain what's going on.

The world that the kids imagine is actually real. The reason they are able to see it is because they are open-minded. Most adults aren't able to see the world the kids see because they believe less in fairy tales, myths and legends. The kids see a dragon climbing up the Eiffel tower and spaceships flying down Broadway. Cedrick explains to the kids that they actually protect the adults from the world because they can see what the adults can't. Parker and Cedrick flashback to his room when he was growing up. Cedrick shows him that both he and his other stuffed animals were there to protect him when he was most vulnerable. Parker starts to wake up thinking it's a dream, but he sees that it is real when Harrison busts thru the door with a jet pack and his teddy bear, Go-Go, to go save his sister from Lord Zynismus.

The writing in the book has a good flow to it and for me, the story is relatable. All kids have some great imagination before someone tells them it isn’t real or they are being silly. It also reminds me of the fake adventures a lot of kids have had while growing up. Not to mention all the cool toys you had and played with. This story just keeps moving and doesn’t have any lull. I love this idea and sure, there are other variations out there, but this one is executed well and sets up the story nicely as it moves forward.

The art is in black and white, giving it that newspaper comic feel. Something I did growing up was look over my dad's shoulder to while he read comics in the paper, the book gives me that nostalgic feel and that's one reason I like it. The emotions of the characters are drawn well, down to the tears running down Harrison’s face. I also like how the toys are recognizable, they bring back some memories you may have had playing with them. Sure, some of the art is simple but it tells the story because it's detailed enough to make the characters unique. Cedrick looks pretty badass when he is protecting Parker in his younger years, even in his bowtie.

All and all this book is great and I can’t wait to share it with my son when he gets older. You just can’t find many books like that out there. This is a perfect book for all ages. Pick this book up if you can, but it most likely won’t be in your local shop. Not to worry though, you can find it online at Indyplanet.com.

Score: 5/5

Writer/Artist/Creator: Chad Blakely Publisher: Pathetic Aesthetic Comics Price: $2.99

Artist Feature: Jerry Gaylord Artist of Boom's Fanboys vs Zombies

I don't want to brag too much, but this here is Jerry Gaylord's first interview. That's right, I read his name when Fanboys vs Zombies was announced and I tracked him down via his deviantART page. The rest of the story goes a little something like the form of this interview so check it out as we get the dirt on Boom's newest title and Jerry's first comic. Also we have a three page preview from the first issue of Fanboys vs Zombies that you'll get to see here first. We'll re-post the preview for you in a more concentrated form later, but for now enjoy the interview! Dustin Cabeal) I read that you were a well-known caricature artist in the D.C. area. That’s quite the success story. What’s your background with art and how did you go from one art medium to the other?

Jerry Gaylord) I'm a self taught artist. I've been drawing since I was about 4yrs old. I've always loved the Super Friends and Superman cartoons and those are what really inspired me to pursue a career in art, comics specifically. When I was 18, right after my first year of college, I lucked into a job at Six Flags in Maryland doing caricatures. It wasn't something I planned, it just kinda happened. I ended up managing all the art operations in the park for a few years, then I gradually got into doing caricatures at parties & events in the DC area. All that time I never stopped pursuing a career in comics. My wife & I found some extremely talented artists in the area who were as motivated as we were & we created Identity Comics Studios. We started doing comic cons & getting our names out there doing projects for indie comic companies as well as our own. Then this opportunity came along and I couldn't say no to drawing zombies.

DC) I think that caricature art is really under appreciated. What skill sets do you need to have to do that type of art and how do you think it’s benefited your style and career?

JG) The most important thing about doing caricatures is simply confidence. You just have to be willing to draw in front of people and be ready to accept the harsh criticisms when they come. You learn early on that you can't please everyone so you just have to do the best you can. Doing caricatures at live events has really helped me build my confidence in my art & my speed. I can do a black & white caricature face in just under 60 seconds with people watching. But honestly I think my comic book style has helped my caricature art, and not the other way around.

DC) How did you get attached to Fanboys vs Zombies? Can you also tell us a little about the book in your own words?

JG) One of my studiomates pointed the book's editor, Eric Harburn, to my portfolio. He shot me an email, told me about the project & asked if I was interested. I sketched up some sample pages and we were on our way.

I think the book is pretty straightforward. It's got characters that have relatable problems and takes place at one of the coolest comic conventions ever. It just happens to be under siege by a zombie horde. It's really good times.

DC) What was your involvement in the character design process? Did you create the look for all of the characters we’ve seen on the covers or were they already designed for you?

JG) The design work I saw of most of the characters were already drawn by Humberto Ramos. I did get to design Amanda and 1 other character. Amanda is a cute teenager who's eerily obsessed with slaying zombies. Her smile seems to get larger with every zombie she destroys. She is on one of the covers for Issue 2. I think she's probably my favorite character to draw in the book. Even beyond me having created her look, she has some of the cooler scenes in the book in my opinion.

DC) What’s been your best experience working on the title thus far?

JG) Honestly, completing the first issue. I've done sequentials on a deadline before, but never 22 pages in 1 month - pencils & inks. It was a lot of work but it was very satisfying to upload the last page when it was all done.

DC) Are there any moments that have fulfilled a Fanboy dream of yours? And do we have plenty of on the nose humor and dialog from the Fanboys?

JG) Well, I thought it was really cool to sneak in cameos of myself and a couple of people I know into the book. I think there's plenty of fanboy humor & fun stuff for readers to grab on to.

DC) What’s after Fanboys vs Zombies for you or is it still too soon to tell?

JG) Hopefully Fanboys vs. Zombies will last a long time but I keep myself busy with projects. Our studio is currently working on our own title "Brotherhood of Fighters" which is an action-packed story and will be released in July. Other than that I'm always looking forward to con season.

DC) Who are you rooting for to win in this fight, the Fanboys or the Zombies? Personally, I always back Zombies.

JG) I'm totally rooting for the fanboys. Statistically speaking, they have to win some time.

DC) Something I always like to ask, what’s the number one thing you hate to be asked? (Hopefully I didn’t ask it)

JG) I hate to be asked "so what's your REAL job?" I get asked that a lot, especially at caricature events.

In April you'll have the chance to support Jerry's book Fanboys vs Zombies being released by Boom Studios, so be sure to check it out. I mean the first issue is only a buck so how can you go wrong? We'd like to thank Jerry for his time and Boom for helping out with the interview and wish the both the best of luck on FVZ! Hopefully Jerry will check back in with us when "Brotherhood of Fighters" is released so that we can also check the book out.

Episode 17: A Bottomless Bag of Reese's

What a week we've all had huh? We hit our 1,000 th post and then totally forgot to pick a winner on the podcast which buys all of you more time! This week we discuss the first episode of Comic Book Men and how much it bored us, then we dive right into books we've read. For myself it was Project 17, The Pack and the Black Swan. On Kevin's side of things he talked about Rotten from Moonstone Books and the new Dragon Age digital only comic book coming out this week from Dark Horse Comics. I think we talked about cocaine as well, but not in a positive way... I think.

Episode 16: Suit In Law

Wow what a week! Lawsuits, lawsuits everywhere. If you worked in the world of comics there's a good chance you caught a case. Not only that, I read some Planetary (by some I mean two issues). Dustin read Harbor Moon and HunterPrey from Broken Icon Comics. To add to the madness, we also debate whether or not people should see The Avengers and Ghost Rider movies because of all the B.S. involved. Oh and there's an Earth 2 in your new 52!

Episode 15: The Safe Answer

First off, there's a little Watchmen news in this one in case you missed it. Then we ask the burning question, what is the "Safe Answer" when it comes to comic books? Something tells me you guys already know. Then there's a little dialog about some books we read like: The Waking, Robin: Year One, Batman: Noel, RatFist, Snowed In and more! Sit back, relax and experience an hour of Comic Bastard power!