Tag: Comic Books

Geekscape 547: Making Your Indie Graphic Novel From The Ground Up!

by Jonathan

How do you make an original graphic novel? And how hard is it? Writer Chris Mancini and artist Fernando Pinto are longtime Geekscape friends with a brand new graphic novel called ‘Rise of the Kung Fu Dragon Master’ and are here to tell us all about it and offer some advice! Enjoy!

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Crowdfund This: Volume 2 Of Jason Inman, Ashley Victoria Robinson, and Ben Matsuya’s ‘Jupiter Jet’!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Back in January of 2017 we featured Jason Inman, Ashley Victoria Robinson, and Ben Matsuya’s Jupiter Jet in a Crowdfund This column.

The project ended up clearing over 180% of its Kickstarter goal, and the first volume of Jupiter Jet was even nominated for a Ringo award for Best Kids Comic or Graphic Novel.

Naturally, a single volume of the celebrated series wasn’t enough for fans, and today Jason, Ashley, and Ben (and publisher Action Labs) have finally unveiled a new crowdfunding campaign for a 120-page Jupiter Jet volume 2, Jupiter Jet and the Forgotten Radio!

The Kickstarter campaign for the new volume has only just launched, and features tons of goodies for new and old fans of Jupiter Jet. The creative trio is looking for a cool $17,500 to fund the book, and if early pledges are any indication, Juper Jet and the Forgotten Radio should fly past its goal very quickly.

Robinson notes that a “book about space lizards, asteroid belt chases, and fighting with your family, combines three things I love reading the most. Bringing some of my favorite things to one of my favorite characters I’ve created has been such a blast,” and having had an opportunity to read the first 20 pages of the book, her passion for the project (and Inman’s and Matsuya’s of course) seeps across every panel.

Described as Kim Possible crossed with A Fistful of Dollars (two IP’s that I never imagined would be mentioned together), Jupiter Jet and the Forgotten Radio is:

One girl’s journey on the brink of adulthood to remind herself that the world will always be bigger than you think and that your parents aren’t always perfect. Jupiter Jet and the Forgotten Radio celebrates the confidence that comes on the precipice of adulthood and the hard lessons we learn when we don’t know everything – and introduces a brand new jetpack!

Just like last time around, there are some amazing rewards available for backers. These include exclusive early copies of the book with cover art by Spawn’s Jonboy Meyers, prints from Nicola Scott (Earth 2), and b2rianls (painter Brian Lopez who Ashley also collaborated with on Aurora and the Eagle), and incredibly, script and portfolio critiques by industry professionals including: Steve Lieber (Superman’s Pal: Jimmy Olsen, Detective Comics), Mitch Gerads (Mister Miracle, Batman), and David Booher (Canto, Alien Bounty Hunter).

There’s a lot to love about Jupiter Jet — take a look at the Jupiter Jet and the Forgotten Radio Kickstarter video below, and head to the official Kickstarter campaign page for more information, and to back this fantastic project!

Can’t get enough of Jason or Ashley? Ashley was just a guest on one of Geekscape’s newest podcast’s, My Favourite Episode Of, and Jason was on Geekscape this past Summer!

Geekscape 529: Talking Disney+ And Writing With Chris Mancini!

by Jonathan

Longtime Geekscape friend Chris Mancini of the Comedy Film Nerds returns to Geekscape to talk about his new graphic novel project ‘Rise of the Kung Fu Dragon Master’ and how you can be involved! Along the way, we espouse our love for artist Fernando Pinto, break down Disney+, The Mandalorian and all of its offerings and talk about writing! Chris is actively navigating the shifting landscape of creator owned, original content and it’s always interesting to talk to him about the best ways to write a book proposal, approaches on outlining your scripts and distribution methods. He’s so busy, in fact, that the weekly Comedy Film Nerds podcast and Comedy Film Nerds as you know it is coming to a close with a big live event on December 12th that we’ll be a part of! The world is changing, Geekscapists, but we can always rely on friends like Chris for an insightful and entertaining episode! Enjoy!

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Geekscape 523: Talking Creativity And Careers With Sandy King!

by Jonathan

Sandy King isn’t only one of the heads of Storm King productions and John Carpenter’s wife and frequent collaborator… she’s a huge genre movie and comic book creator and fan! From making horror films to producing comics to coming up in the Roger Corman system, Sandy and I spend an hour sitting in her office and discussing a career that spans over 40 years! Along the way we talk about working with film legends like John Cassavetes, Francis Ford Coppola and her husband John, what led her to creating comics and how she got into script supervision and producing the first place! What does Sandy think about the changes in filmmaking through the years, the technology we use to make it and why the focus should always be on story… no matter the medium! This conversation is heavy on the story and filmmaking talk, as well as some fun anecdotes about some of your favorite films so enjoy!

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Geekscape 518: The 2019 Summer World Tour Wrap Up!

by Jonathan

The 2019 Summer World Tour is over! I went to Russia (well… Crimea) to be a part of the Tavrida 5.0 Art Forum and it was completely insane! What is Tavrida 5.0 and what was I doing there? Can I still do live comedy and what does it mean for Geekscape? Are Russian fans just like fans from English speaking countries? What were some of my concerns about the trip? And does Super Action Man know that I went? Also, SDCC wrap up! We have a new site! You should be reading Jonathan Hickman’s X-Men titles! And I said goodbye to my best boy Rufus… the greatest dog I’ve ever had. It was a real whirlwind of a summer, which means this is a real whirlwind of a Geekscape! Enjoy!

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Geekscape 507: Get Personal! Talking WonderCon And More!

by Jonathan

It’s WonderCon weekend! So why am I not feeling so Wonderful? Is there a new existential crisis in the air? You know it! I take this opportunity to do a little bit of a State of the Union, talk about my experience at WonderCon, tell you that Tim Burton’s ‘Dumbo’ really flies for me and that you should catch up on those old Daredevil comics! On top of that, I discover the true meaning of Geekscape, look forward to Comic Con and receive a message from an unknown Geekscapist that reminds us that what we’re doing is working! Enjoy this special solo cast!

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Geekscape Comics Interviews: Norm Harper Talks “The Sequels”, Writing Comics, And More!

by John Moorehouse

Norm Harper‘s roots in nerd culture run deep. For proof, just check out his house.

“I actually have a custom Lego city in a permanent state in my house where I built Ghostbusters and GI Joe and M.A.S.K. and Masters of the Universe and all that living together in a little city,” Harper told Geekscape in a telephone interview.

Harper tapped into his love for the pop culture of the 1980s for his latest project. His four-issue miniseries, The Sequels, recently was announced by Fanbase Press.

Harper expounded on the project, which he described as a mash-up of The Breakfast Club and The Avengers.

“This is the story of four people who, in 2019, are in their early 40s but back in the 1980s they were each sort of the protagonist in their own Spielberg-style movie adventure story,” Harper explained. “Now they’ve grown up, and they’re actually meeting for the first time … they discover a way to tap back into the adventures that they had before.”

Once the protagonists meet as grown-ups, the shenanigans begin in earnest in this action-comedy miniseries.

Along the way, Harper dives rather deep into the entire subject of nostalgia.

“It’s a little bit of a very bittersweet look at nostalgia and how it can impact your life,” he said. “My whole generation is holding more tightly to things from childhood than any generation before it. …I certainly approached it with a great deal of reverence and love for the things that I was going to homage. At a certain level, you have to put that aside to make the story work. You have to be willing to find the drama within that.”

After moving to Los Angeles and trying to carve out a career as a screenplay writer, Harper turned back to his childhood love of comics and hasn’t looked back. In 2017, he was nominated for an Eisner Award in the Best Publication for Kids (age 9-12) category for Rikki, a comic adaptation of the classic Rudyard Kipling short story, Rikki-Tikki-Tavi.

“I enjoy comic writing a lot more, because I usually know who my artist is going to be at some point during the process. The comic script can just be a letter to the artist. You can be a lot less formal. You can literally just say, ‘Here’s a link to what I’m trying to reference.’ … it’s like I’m making something with a friend.”

According to a press release from Fanbase announcing the series, it will be available first digitally through Comixology with an approximate launch date some time in February of 2019. A printed TPB will follow, scheduled for a July 2019 release. Pre-order your trade paperback now through www.fanbasepress.com and receive an exclusive set of prints representing each of the four covers.

Jason Inman’s Jawiin Comic Drive For Service Members Now Under Way!

by John Moorehouse

Veterans Day is less than two weeks away, and comic book writer Jason Inman is “rallying the troops” once more for the fourth annual Jawiin Comic Drive for Service Members!

Read on for all the details about this very worthy cause, and how you can donate family-friendly comics to service members and their families. The drive is now under way and continues through November 30!

Comic Book writer and host Jason Inman (Love is Love, Jupiter Jet, Science!), has teamed up with Operation Gratitude to send 15,000 comic books to US military members deployed overseas and their communities at home. Inman, a veteran himself, served in the Army and spent time overseas in Iraq. This is why we are pleased to invite you to support the service members in the fourth annual Jawiin Comic Drive for Service Members!

 

Over the last three years, the Jawiin Comic Drive for Service Members has sent over 112,000 comic books in care packages to US soldiers and their families.

 

Every year, Operation Gratitude, sends 250,000+ individually addressed care packages to Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines deployed overseas, to their children left behind, and to New Recruits, Veterans, First Responders, Wounded Heroes, and their Caregivers. Each package contains food, hygiene products, entertainment, and handmade items, as well as personal letters of support.

 

From November 1st through November 30, Jason is looking to collect 15,000 comics for Operation Gratitude to send to the service members to read in their care packages through the holidays and the new year. The comics can be from any company or genre and can include graphic novels and trade paperbacks!

 

(All the instructions plus frequently asked questions can be also be found at www.comicdriveforservicemembers.com)

Here are all the steps on how to donate to the drive!

1 – Fill out the donation form at

If you want to add other items that you see on their list — batteries, deodorant, sunscreen. Please donate those as well!

Put Jawiin Comic Drive for Service Members in Product Donation Information Section. The rest of the form is pretty self-explanatory.

2 – Box and ship the comics and the donation form to

Operation Gratitude

21100 Lassen St.

Chatsworth, CA 91311

(Please include a donation form in EVERY box even if they’re part of the same donation. Sometimes cartons don’t all arrive at the same time.)

3 – Send a picture of your comics and the number of books you are donating to jawiincomicdrive@gmail.com.

(If you don’t send your number to the email, they will have an inaccurate count and the drive could fail. Let’s get these soldiers some comics for the new year! )

 

Old and new comics in new and fine condition are welcome, but please make sure the comics are in good reading condition. If you wouldn’t read a book that’s falling apart, please don’t gift it to a soldier. Please only send family-friendly comic books, as some comics will be sent to soldiers’ family and children that remain Stateside (rating PG-13 or lower.) Plus, if you wish to include personal letters of support to the servicemen, send them along with your comics!

 

If you’re looking for the nerdy way to give this holiday season, please support the Jawiin Comic Drive for Service Members!

Be sure to watch the campaign video below, and if you’re looking for more from Jason, you can hear him and his wife Ashley Victoria Robinson talking science and comics on Geekscape 495!

Geekscape 499: Yuri Lowenthal Swings Into Spider-Man!

by Jonathan

Longtime Geekscape friend Yuri Lowenthal has been keeping a secret… that he’s Spider-Man! But now, the entire world knows because Spider-Man on PS4, in which Yuri plays Peter Parker and Spider-Man, is one of the hottest, system selling games of the year! In this episode, Yuri talks about the long process of auditioning for the roll, having to keep such a giant secret and performing as one of the most iconic characters of all time! What was the process of performing some of the action packed mocap sequences? Did he get to adlib any of the lines? What were some of his favorite parts of the whole experience and would he be up for a sequel? Also, we talk about Yuri’s live, user interactive sci-fi series for Project Alpha, ‘Orbital Redux’, and what an insane and brilliant idea it is for a web series! There’s a lot here to process, Geekscapists, so enjoy!

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Geekscape 495: Exploring Science (And Comics) With Jason Inman!

by Jonathan

Jason Inman (and his wife Ashley Victoria Robinson) have been personal friends of both myself and Geekscape for a long time! And they’re also burgeoning comic book creators with last year’s successful ‘Jupiter Jet’ hitting stands! They’re back now with their really cool second comic ‘Science!’, about a school for young genius that may be home to more than just a good education! Jason and Ashley join me to talk about the graphic novel, the Kickstarter campaign going on RIGHT NOW for the book and much, much more! And once Ashley bows out of the episode, Jason and I keep the party going by talking about Grant Morrison’s upcoming ‘Green Lantern’ run, if the Marvel Universe needs a complete reboot and we even create our own Avengers team in the process… which pretty much just consists of D-Man! Enjoy!

Check out Science! on Kickstarter RIGHT NOW!

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Geekscape 480: Dan Fogler Geeks Out With Us In A Big Way!

by Jonathan

You know an episode is going to be great when we bring up ‘Beastmaster’ in the first 5 minutes! And multi-hyphenate Dan Fogler, who you may know from the ‘Fantastic Beasts’ Harry Potter films, definitely doesn’t disappoint. We talk about his new graphic novel ‘Brooklyn Gladiator’ and the long writing and creative process that started in theater, wound through filmmaking and ended up as a beautiful 100 page book! And how does this book tie into Dan’s earlier graphic novel anthology ‘Moon Lake’ and the ideas he’s got spinning in his head for more stories? Dan discusses his fascination with conspiracy stories and then takes the time to answer your fan submitted questions! And obviously, we geek out and talk about a lot, lot more! Enjoy!

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Geekscape Origins: War Stories From The Comics Shop!

by Jonathan

Here’s a special episode to ring in 2018… and you longterm Geekscapists are going to love it as we explore a time before Geekscape! Before there was Geekscape, before there was Geekdrome, before there was college radio… there was my first job: at Westlake Comics And Cards in Austin Texas. Over 2 decades later, I’m joined by my two friends and coworkers, Daryl Beard and Adnan Qureshi, as we share war stories from our time at the shop. From the dangers of Crazy Charlie to mysterious Folgers Crystals cans to hazardous spills to run ins with the cops to camping out for Episode 1 tickets to the girl at the pet store and more, this episode is packed with stories. You’ll either love them or hate them as we take you down memory lane to show you a big stop on the path that led to Geekscape.

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Geekscape 457: Trading War Stories With Jay Wertz Of World War II Comix!

by Jonathan

It’s time to talk some real world history on Geekscape! Jay Wertz from World War II Comix is my guest this week to talk about his new World War II real history comic books and why it’s important to tell these stories in a comic book format. Along the way, we talk about the status of the comic book industry, a ton of history in regards to Japan and the Pacific Theater of World War 2 and why the U.S. is less of a comics friendly society than others. This really was a great episode and I easily could have talked to Jay for another few hours! Enjoy your history class, Geekscapists!

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Geekscape 443: Delivering Hatchet Justice With Hannibal Tabu!

by Jonathan

Hannibal Tabu is a comic book writer, web designer, futurist, DJ and much much more! And we met through a ridiculous circumstance of me trying to piss people off and in turn getting serious points in Hannibal’s book! And now he arrives on Geekscape to talk about ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’, Netflix’s ‘GLOW’, his new series Irrational Numbers and our plans for SDCC! Along the way I profess my love for ‘Baby Driver’ and Hannibal discusses carrying a hatchet around L.A. just in case justice calls! It gets a little silly so listen up and enjoy!

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Geekscape 442: Taking Comic Books Seriously With Oliver Ridge!

by Jonathan

Actor, Writer, Director and film Producer Oliver Ridge may not be a household name but that doesn’t mean he shouldn’t be taken seriously. He arrives on Geekscape to tell us about his brand new comics to film project ‘Powerless’, bases on the Vault Comics title, and how he found it while walking the floor at WonderCon. We talk about the world of comics to film, do some superhero deconstruction and Oliver tries to persuade me to give Batman another chance! Pretty sure you’re going to love this guy!

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Geekscape 434: Celebrating Free Comic Book Day With Mike Wellman!

by Jonathan

Mike Wellman is a comic book creator and owner and operator of The Comic Bug, a two store chain of comic book shops here in Los Angeles! In anticipation of this weekend’s Free Comic Book Day, we get together to talk about the history of Free Comic Book Day, what it means for retailers and what awesome events and creator signings he has planned for The Comic Bug shops! We also talk about the big fuss surrounding Marvel’s big event book ‘Secret Empire’, in which Captain America is revealed to be a Hydra Agent, and answer some of YOUR burning questions! It’s all on Geekscape so enjoy!

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Crowdfund This: Jason Inman, Ashley Victoria Robinson, and Ben Matsuya’s ‘Jupiter Jet’!

by Derek Kraneveldt

This is a phenomenal looking book from a fantastic team, and we can’t wait to read it!

Yeah, we’re a little biased due to the fact that our pals Jason Inman and Ashley Victoria Robinson are a part of this high-flying, all-ages adventure, but the book also looks (and sounds) damned cool.

Jason is the host of DC Comics All Access, podcast Geek History Lesson and more, while Ashley is a  Top Cow Talent Hunt winner turned Head Editor (“Apollo IX #1”, “Witchblade #175”). Both of them co-wrote a multitude of episodes of popular webseries The Red Shirt Diaries.

The duo, along with artist Ben Matsuya (Criminal Macabre) have teamed up to create a 5 issue mini series through that stars a spunky teenage girl with a jetpack, her genius mechanic brother and a bad guy who wants to end the crusade of the “flying girl”!

The book’s called Jupiter Jet, and it follows the origin story of the eponymous superhero as she must find a way to balance her Robin Hood-esque activities, support the family repair shop and keep her secret identity – Jacky Johnson – out of the hands of the mobsters that are always on their
trail … and the mysterious man who controls them all.

It sounds incredibly fun, and it looks great. Naturally, based on the ‘Crowdfund This’ prefix of this article, the team needs some help if this fantastic idea is set to come to fruition. Book one has already been written and drawn, but that leaves four more issues in the story, and the team is looking for a cool $14,500 to make everything happen.

The team notes that “money earned will go to covering fees, production, postage, and printing of the collection. Any leftover money will be used to pay for new artwork that will be used in the series…maybe some back-ups by other creators? Variant covers? All money will go back into the book, period. The first goal of this campaign is to give our readers a high-quality product.” They even created a sweet pie chart that breaks things down:

The project just launched this morning, and at the time of writing, it’s already raised an impressive 27% of its goal.

There are some fantastic backer rewards up for grabs with this one, including copies of the book (digital or physical), social media follows, sweet prints, original pages, portfolio reviews, lunch with the creators (and Jon Schnepp) and even more.

You can take a look at some slick preview pages below (along with the Kickstarter video). Head here to check out the Kickstarter campaign (and back, of course), and be sure to share the project with your friends! These are some amazing creators with a great idea, so let’s help them out any way that we can!

Geekscape Comics: Best Bets for 01/11/17

by Karson

It’s that wonderful time of the week again, new comic book day! Choosing what to read can be daunting (and expensive!). Don’t worry though, Geekscape has you covered. Each week we give a few best bets for a comic book that you’re sure to enjoy. Let’s get into it!

DC

DC is on such a high right now. Their Batman books are solid, their Superman books are solid. Young Animal is maturing. They’re pumping out tons of awesome content, but this week there is one title that jumps off my pull list…


Justice League/Power Rangers #1
📝 Tom Taylor
🎨 Stephen Byrne, Eduardo Nunez

Two of comics greatest teams team up for the very first time! Something terrible has happened in Angel Grove! When the Command Center is breached and the teleporters are damaged, Zack is flung into another universe, where he’s mistaken for a villain by a mysterious masked vigilante. Can the other Power Rangers get to their friend in time to save him from Batman? Co-published with BOOM! Studios.

Well, I’m sure we’ve all thought of it before in either our dreams, action figure battles, or discussions with friends and now we finally get to see it unfold in comic books! That’s right, it’s Power Rangers + Justice League. Need I say more?

Marvel


Jessica Jones #4
📝 Brian Michael Bendis
🎨 Michael Gaydos

Jessica Jones latest case has revealed a new hidden evil in the Marvel Universe. An evil so terrifying she was willing to rip her family apart to save them from it. But was the sacrifice enough? Another all-new blistering chapter of Marvel’s premier detective.

This series is getting good. It’ll scratch the itch while you wait for more Marvel Netflix content.

Geekscape Comics: Best Bets for 11/30/16

by Karson

It’s that wonderful time of the week again, new comic book day! Choosing what to read can be daunting (and expensive!). Don’t worry though, Geekscape has you covered. Each week we give our best bet for a comic book that you’re sure to enjoy. Let’s get into it!

It’s a quiet week on my pull list, nothing I’m stoked for and definitely no best bets, so this article is going to be brief.

Batman Annual #1 is out, most of the Batman books are killing it right now so this may be an annual worth reading if you don’t mind spending a little more than your average issue.

It feels like the current Suicide Squad arc has been going on forever, and I guess that’s because it sort of has. Part seven of The Black Vault is out. Suicide Squad is going to get hot once DC’s first Rebirth event, Justice League vs. Suicide Squad, begins but you can probably sit the remainder of this arc out.

I’ve been praising Black Widow forever. It’ll be one of my books of the year. The latest issue is out this week. Check out the series if you haven’t yet, this is a perfect week too.

I should mention that IvX (Inhumans vs. X-Men) sort of kicks off this week with IvX #0. I fell off the X-Men books a few months ago and $4 is steep for an issue 0 so I’ll probably sit this one out… Hah. Whom I kidding. I’ll probably dip my toes in the water once the series actually kicks off.

Geekscape Comics: Best Bets for 11/23/16

by Karson

It’s that wonderful time of the week again, new comic book day! Choosing what to read can be daunting (and expensive!). Don’t worry though, Geekscape has you covered. Each week we give our best bet for a comic book that you’re sure to enjoy. Let’s get into it!

It’s a quiet week from the big two publishers if you’re tastes are anything like mine. So let’s brush over them before getting to Image, who is responsible for all of this week’s sexy releases.

Marvel

I’m sure someone, somewhere once said “war never ends” or something like that. Well, I doubt they would have been referring to Marvel’s Civil War II, but they definitely could have been. Despite Marvel’s New or Now or Whatever the Heck reboot being in full effect, we still haven’t learned the conclusion of Civil War II. We get one step closer today though with the series’ seventh issue. If you’re caught in the web of Clone Conspiracy, the second Prowler tie-in issue is also out today.

DC

Nothing too crazy out of the DC camp this week. A lot of good titles but nothing I’m dying to read. Titans #5 is probably the book I’m anticipating the most, with Action Comics #968 in a close second.

Image

Get ready. There are a ton of great Image titles to read this week!

Outcast has lost a lot of it’s steam for me the past few issues, but I’m still excited to be reading another one this week.

Perhaps the series I’ve been most surprised by this year is
Bryan Lee O’Malley’s Snotgirl. I started reading this solely because O’Malley’s name was on it but after three issues I’ve really enjoyed the fresh feeling art and surprisingly interesting story line. Hopefully it gets even better with the fourth issue.

It seems like forever since we’ve had a new issue of Jason Aaron’s The Goddamned, and that’s because it has been! Well, since June. In case you forgot, here’s a snipped of the book’s description:

It’s 1,655 years after Eden, and life on Earth has already gone to hell. The world of man is a place of wanton cruelty and wickedness. Prehistoric monsters and stone-age marauders roam the land. Murder and destruction are the rule of the day. Humankind is a failed experiment. This is life before the Flood. The story of man on the verge of his first apocalypse. Welcome to the world of the Goddamned.

If I recall correctly, the first four issues were solid, so it’ll be fun to get back into this world.

Since it’s release, I’ve been saying Jonathan Hickman’s The Black Monday Murders is a book you’ll probably want to read in trade. Well, now is our chance! Sort of. The book’s first arc concludes in issue #4 today. So however you get your hands on the four issues is up to you but rest assured, you won’t regret doing it. Honestly, that’s probably what I’m most excited for this week. However, Image has one more title up it’s sleeve that I think’ll be even better!

Best Bet

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A.D.: After Death Vol. 1
📝 Scott Snyder
🎨 Jeff Lemire

WHAT IF WE FOUND A CURE FOR DEATH? Two of comics’ most acclaimed creators, SCOTT SNYDER (WYTCHES, Batman, American Vampire) and JEFF LEMIRE (DESCENDER, Moon Knight, Sweet Tooth) unite to create a three-part epic like no other, set in a future where a genetic cure for death has been found. Years after the discovery, one man starts to question everything, leading him on a mind-bending journey that will bring him face-to-face with his past and his own mortality. A unique combination of comics, prose, and illustration, A.D.: AFTER DEATH will be serialized monthly as three oversized prestige format books written by SNYDER and fully painted by LEMIRE.

All I had to do was see that creative team and I knew this book was on my pull list. Having an innovative storyline and blending mediums together takes it to another level. While we won’t get it’s conclusion until the end of January, this has book of the year potential written all over it.

Geekscape Comics: Best Bets for 11/09/16

by Karson

It’s that wonderful time of the week again, new comic book day! Choosing what to read can be daunting (and expensive!). Don’t worry though, Geekscape has you covered. Each week we give our best bet for a comic book that you’re sure to enjoy. Let’s get into it.

Regardless of how you feel about last night’s election, there is one thing that can’t be disputed: there are a lot of great new comic books out today! Oh man, so many that I’m excited for! Let’s start rattling them off.

Joshua Williamson and Felipe Watanabe’s Flash is kicking ass and kicks off a new storyline this week. The most exciting and refreshing of the ongoing Batman titles, All Star Batman, has it’s third issue hitting shelves today. If you’ve been Gerard Way’s Young Animal line of comics (I have been, but they’re a little out there), their latest, Mother Panic is out today.

Marvel’s new Invincible Iron Man (Iron Woman? .. Mmm, no.. Ironheart!) makes its debut this week, even though I’m not a big fan of the trend of new characters taking on the mantle of old heroes, I think this title will be worth checking out.

Mosaic, starring Morris Sackett, the brand new Marvel super hero, is rolling onto issue #2 today. First one was solid, and left me wanting more.

I want to say I’m the most excited for Amazing Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows, where Gerry Conway is going to be taking the character back to the roots of what makes Peter Parker, Peter Parker, because that is SO up my alley… but that won’t be the first title I read…

Most Excited For

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The Clone Conspiracy #2
📝 Dan Slott
🎨 Jim Cheung

Yeah, no surprise here. I’m just hooked on this story line, I can’t help it! Am I a fan of Peter Parker bank rolling the entire Avengers team over in Avengers #1? Not really. Does it indicate that he might become a lot less relatable? Maybe. BUT Slott has been delivering great issue after great issue here (including some very powerful “Peter Parker” moments) so I’m not worried at all… yet ☺️

Who else will come back from the dead!? Does someone have a bingo card? Someone should make a bingo card.

Best Bet

Let’s mix it up…

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Doctor Strange: The Oath
📝 Brian K. Vaughan
🎨 Marcos Martin

Well, if jumping into Spider-Man isn’t your thing, maybe you’re looking for a little Doctor Strange in your life? Comixology has you covered, their running a sale on Brian K. Vaughan and Marcos Martin’s iconic Strange story, The Oath ($1 for each of the five issues). Strange simultaneously tries to find the person who nearly murdered him as well as find a cure to Wong’s terminal cancer.

So that feels like kind of like an advertisement but hey, it’s a good story and I didn’t want to leave you without a Best Bet for two weeks in a row!

And with all that Stranger Things 2 news over the past week, how about checking out Vaughan’s Paper Girls too. Sorry, too lazy to find a link 😝

What books did you pick up today?

Happy reading.

Geekscape Comics: Best Bets for 11/02/16

by Karson

It’s that wonderful time of the week again, new comic book day! Choosing what to read can be daunting (and expensive!). Don’t worry though, Geekscape has you covered. Each week we give our best bet for a comic book that you’re sure to enjoy. Let’s get into it.

Unprecedented in the history of Best Bets, there is no issue in particular that I’m most excited for or think is worthy of being a best bet. This week it is all honourable mentions. Is that even the right phrase when there is no true winner? How about the Most Exciting of the Not Most Exciting? I don’t know. Enough of that, let’s talk this week’s comics!

Honorable Mentions

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Champions #2
📝 Mark Waid
🎨 Humberto Ramos

When Champions debuted, I discussed how I believe Marvel replacing their tried and true super heroes in their comic books with new ones is a bad idea. Despite Champions arguably being the flag bearer of that movement, I gave the book a chance. It’s written by Mark Waid after all. While I wouldn’t put it in the same category as his work on Daredevil, Black Widow, Archie, etc. it still stuck it’s claws deep enough in me that I’ll be coming back for issue #2 today.

Speaking of tried and true, the original God of Thunder is back this week in The Unworthy Thor!

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The Unworthy Thor #1
📝 Jason Aaron
🎨 Olivier Coipel

The Odinson’s desperate search to regain his worthiness has taken him out into the cosmos, where he’s learned of the existence of a mysterious other Mjolnir. This weapon of unimaginable power, a relic from a dead universe, is the key to Odinson’s redemption — but some of the greatest villains of the Marvel Universe are now anxious to get their hands on it as well. Can The Odinson reclaim his honor, or will the power of thunder be wielded for evil? The quest for the hammer begins here.

Helmed by the great creative team of Jason Aaron and Olivier Coipel, this book is probably going to be good, just not enough for me to pull the trigger on it being a best bet.

How about a little DC love too?

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Superman #10
📝 Patrick Gleason, Peter J. Tomasi
🎨 Patrick Gleason

Coming off the conclusion of the awesome two-parter Return to Dino Island, I’m hoping Superman can continue to gather steam. Tomasi has been doing a great job exploring the father son relationship, and now it looks like we might see another father/son combination join the action. Also, the Watchmen references have been happening consistently in this series so hopefully it will continue to unveil how these worlds mix!

Edit: So yeah, Avengers #1 is a thing too. By Mark Waid and Mike Del Mundo and a gorgeous cover by Alex Ross.

Geekscape Comics: Best Bets for 10/26/16

by Karson

It’s that wonderful time of the week again, new comic book day! Choosing what to read can be daunting (and expensive!). Don’t worry though, Geekscape has you covered. Each week we give our best bet for a comic book that you’re sure to enjoy. Let’s get into it.

Sadly, Steve Dillon passed away this past week. For me, Dillon was on of the first artists I learned by name and style. Nothing against Garth Ennis but it was Dillon’s art that drew me into Preacher for multiple readings. It was his artwork that had me excited about the ongoing Punisher series. It’s hard to believe just a few months ago we were raving about how awesome it was to have him back on Punisher, and now he’s gone. His work will live on forever though, and I highly encourage you to check some of it out if you haven’t yet. 🙏

Honorable Mentions

With all the Super characters going on in the DC Universe right now, you’d think I would be suffering from Super fatigue. That’s not the case yet though. Action Comics #966 is out and I couldn’t be more excited. Lois is back to work at the Daily Planet and Superman continues to investigate who’s responsible for Doomsday. Maybe another Mr. Oz appearance? My enthusiasm for Outcast has been waining, but maybe this issue will bring it back up. After being wowed by the last issue of Civil War II, I’m mildly intrigued by Civil War II #6, is Spider-Man going kill Steve Rogers?

Most Excited For

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Seven To Eternity #2
📝 Rick Remender
🎨 Matt Hollingsworth, Jerome Opeña

Now face to face with the God of Whispers, enslaver of worlds, all that stands between Adam Osidis and his heart’s every desire is one simple compromise, to bend the knee.

Honestly, there wasn’t anything I was waiting all week to read but the first issue of this series was solid. It’s always fun to witness Remender construct a world, especially with Hollingsworth by his side.

Best Bet

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Black Widow Vol. 1: Shields Most Wanted
📝 Mark Waid, Chris Samnee
🎨 Chris Samnee

Collects Black Widow (2016) #1-6.

They wowed you with DAREDEVIL, now the Eisner Award-winning team of Mark Waid and Chris Samnee take Black Widow to new heights — by forcing her to go on the lam! Natasha has a lifetime of secrets, and when some of the darkest ones are made public, nobody is safe. As S.H.I.E.L.D. turns on its once-greatest asset, she seeks out her own answers in a knock-down, drag-out tale of action and espionage! But the Widow’s hunt for the Weeping Lion sends her back to the one place she never wanted to go! With a little help from old friends — and old enemies lying in wait — she’ll face the new incarnation of the Red Room: the Dark Room! But as S.H.I.E.L.D. closes in, Natasha finds herself on a collision course with the Invincible Iron Man!

I raved about it last week, and I’m going to do so again this week. Black Widow is go-go-go. It experiments with new ideas and ways of storytelling every issue. There are action moments, high tension moments and even some funny ones. Waid and Samnee are proving to be masters of the comic book medium. This series will be on my Best Of Year list (and I’m sure many other people’s) if you haven’t checked it out yet I highly encourage you to do so!

Geekscape 428: Daniel Corey Expands Our Comic Book Reality!

by Jonathan

Daniel Corey is a longtime Geekscape guest! And this time he’s back on the show to talk about Blood Worth, his new futuristic CSI comic that goes into the minds and memories of the criminals! There’s a new Kickstarter going on for it… and you should help it out! Daniel also talks about the new comic book VR project he started up and how VR can work bring you on to the comic book page! We discuss ‘Luke Cage’ on Netflix and at what episode the series hits its stride! PLUS! We open up the Loot Anime box and share the goods with everyone! Enjoy!

Support the ‘Blood Worth’ Kickstarter now!

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Geekscape Comics: Best Bets for 10/05/16

by Karson

It’s that wonderful time of the week again, new comic book day! Choosing what to read can be daunting (and expensive!). Don’t worry though, Geekscape has you covered. Each week we give our best bet for a comic book that you’re sure to enjoy. Let’s get into it.

Wow. We have a ton of awesome looking new releases this week! It’s hard to pick just one, but here we go…

Best Bet

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Champions #1
📝 Mark Waid
🎨 Humberto Ramos

Following the fallout of CIVIL WAR II, Avengers Ms. Marvel, Nova and Spider-Man strike out on their own — joined by Cyclops, Viv Vision and the Totally Awesome Hulk! Six young heroes determined to change the world — and they’re only the beginning!

This title has me torn, but I’m giving the benefit of the doubt to the creative team. I have been saying since the spring that Marvel is sinking it’s own ship, and I disagree with the what the company is doing with their characters. That said, I’m willing to give Marvel NOW a try. Currently, I can’t find a book with Waid’s name on it that isn’t amazing so hopefully that trend will continue with Champions. Despite all my doubts over Marvel, I think it’ll be refreshing to get into the post-Civil War II Marvel Universe, and Waid is just the man to take us there.

Honorable Mentions

Gerard Way’s Young Animal imprint latest title Shade, the Changing Girl #1 is out, Jessica Jones #1, Eclipse #2 (the first issue was a best bet a few weeks back), Superman returns to Dinosaur Island, and of course Before Dead No More continues with Amazing Spider-Man #19.

Geekscape Comics: Best Bets for 9/28/16

by Karson

Best Bet

No best bet this week. If you haven’t yet, check out last week’s best bet Seven to Eternity #1.

Most Excited For

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Outcast #21
$2.99
Writer: Robert Kirkman
Artists: Paul Azaceta, Elizabeth Breitweiser

“Blood is Spilled” Kyle is in danger, and Anderson will risk it all to help him. But is it a sacrifice he can’t recover from?

I started reading the comic book when I heard it was being made into a television show. I fell off after the first volume. I started reading it again after watching the television show and wanting more of it. This has become one of my favourite properties of 2016. The comic series differentiates itself enough from the television show to not be bored if you start reading it from issue #1, which I recommend!

Honorable mentions to Snotgirl #3 and Lake of Fire #2

Geekscape 426: Having A Comix Celebration With Michael Valentine!

by Jonathan

We first met filmmaker and comic book fan Michael Valentine several years ago at WonderCon when he told us about his film ‘Comix: Beyond The Comic Book Pages‘! We were excited for him to finish the documentary on the comic book industry so that we could see it for ourselves… and now he has! We talk to Michael on this latest Geekscape about his reasons for making the film, the challenges he faced and what it was like interviewing comic book legends like Stan Lee, Neal Adams and Frank Miller! If you’re a comic book fan, this episode (and Michael’s movie) is just for you!

Get your own Loot Crate subscription! And use the offer code ‘Geekscape’ for a discount!

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Geekscape Comics: Best Bets for 9/07/16

by Karson

Best Bet

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Eclipse #1

Imagine if sunlight burned you alive. In the near future, a mysterious solar event has transformed the sun’s light into deadly immolating rays. The world’s few survivors now live in nocturnal cities. But a killer emerges who uses sunlight to burn his victims, and when he targets the daughter of a solar power mogul, it falls to a disillusioned solar engineer to protect her.

I don’t have any knowledge of the creative team of this title, and that’s because this is pretty much their big debut. Regardless, I’m betting it’ll be good from the plot description alone (and the three page preview looks good too). If you consider yourself a sci-fi fan, you should be checking this book out.

Most Excited For

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Kill Or Be Killed #2

There are a lot of awesome Image titles coming out this week. The tried and true Paper Girls has a new issue hitting shelves but the book I can’t wait to read is Brubaker and Phillips’ the second issue of Kill Or Be Killed! The first issue took some turns that I didn’t see coming and I can’t wait for what’s next. It’s not too late, pick up issue #1 and #2 tomorrow and get into what could be one of the greatest comics of the year.

Geekscape Comics: Surprise! Mark Waid’s ‘Axiom’ Is Now Available!

by Pandageddonnn

Legendary Comics has surprised comic book fans everywhere with the release of Axiom, which is now on store shelves! Most noted for his work on comics like The Flash, Captain America, and Kingdom Come, Mark Waid teams up with artists Ed Benes and Dinei Ribeiro to create a gorgeous graphic novel about superheroes gone wrong.

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Super-powered beings come to Earth with the intent of protecting it. But what happens when things go terribly wrong? The cover gives a pretty strong impression that things might not be going too well on Earth.

The official description goes:

Axiom and Thena, aliens from another world, arrive on earth and exhibit extraordinary powers. Benevolent and godlike, they cure humanity’s ills and usher in an era of peace, prosperity and complacency.
 
A series of tragic events reveals another side of Axiom: humanity’s savior becomes its worst nightmare. A Defense Department analyst, armed with only scientific knowledge and courageous spirit takes on the turned hero in a fight for mankind’s survival!

The 144 page graphic novel is available in stores starting today for $19.99. Grab a copy today and let us know what you think!

Geekscape Comics: Weekly Reads!

by Karson

👎 – Skip, read at your own risk
👌 – Okay, not great, not bad, you might find something to like here
💪 – Great, highly recommended

DC

We have a quiet week in the DC Universe with Rebirth taking a week off. I didn’t jump into anything but the latest issue of Dark Knight III…

👌 Dark Knight III – The Master Race #5

I haven’t been a big fan of Dark Knight III, however, this issue is probably my favourite so far. Much like Nolan’s Dark Knight Rises, this doesn’t feel like it’s a Batman story, in fact, it feels much more like Snyder’s Man Of Steel. I wouldn’t say the story is stronger in this issue than the previous ones, but it was just a lot of fun seeing Kubert’s take on all the different characters of the DC Universe (Aquaman, Flash, etc.). I don’t think this book is ever going to earn must read status, or be on a lot of Best of 2016 lists, but there is some enjoyment to be had if you go into it with an open mind.

Marvel

Taking a much needed break from Civil War II…

👌 Black Panther #3

This is a title that lends itself to being read in trade. This book goes much deeper than what’s on the surface and, to be honest, I haven’t given Coates’ writing the time and thought it deserves. Even if you aren’t analyzing all the great writing, Stelfreeze’s stellar art ensures you are going to enjoy this title from issue to issue.

👌 Spider-Man #5

This might be the book with the most obvious tie in to Civil War II and yet it isn’t included as a Civil War II book!? What’s going on at Marvel!? The ending leaves us thinking that Spider-Man’s identity is going to be playing a crucial role as Civil War II develops. Spider-Man continues to be enjoyable read but nothing more. Seriously though, I saw more Civil War II tie in with this than any other Marvel Civil War II tie-in to date.

👌 Uncanny X-Men #9

The Archangel portion of Apocalypse Wars continues in Uncanny X-Men #9. From big action pieces to basic character expressions, I’m really starting to dig Ken Lashley’s art. Bunn’s writing is solid. Remember, you can ignore the Apocalypse Wars logo on these books, as there is essentially zero overlap. If you like Magneto, Mystique, Psylocke, Sabretooth, or Archangel this is the book for you, if you’re into other X-Men you’ll probably want to look elsewhere.

👌 Extraordinary X-Men #11

The X-Men continue to battle Apocalypse’s new horsemen in Extraordinary X-Men #11. I pretty much have the same feelings towards this book as Uncanny. If you’re a fan of Ramos, you’re going to love his art in this. Lemire’s writing is pretty tight. It’s just a matter if you are interested in the characters or not. We have Storm, Iceman, Jean Grey, Magik, Logan, you interested in them, this book is for you, otherwise, you’ll want to look at a different X-Men title.

💪 Captain America – Steve Rogers #2

Honestly, I probably like this series more because of how many people are complaining about it. In a time where Marvel’s mainstay characters are all being replaced, I’m not going to complain about any Steve Rogers story. This issue explains what happened to Roger’s to bring him to the side of Hyrda and I’m digging it. When all is said and done, I think this is going to be a great Captain America story.

Image Comics

💪 Outcast Vol. 2 and Vol. 3

If you are a long-time reader you’d know we discussed the first volume a few months ago. Despite finding it confusing initially, by the end of the volume I was into the book and wanted more… I just never went and got more. Well, after getting all caught up on Cinemax’s Outcast, I couldn’t wait to find out what happens next so I went and read the next two volumes. These books are a lot of fun and are full of plenty of “Holy F” moments. If you are watching Outcast (and you should be!) and want more, you’ll love the comics, if you just want to watch the story unfold on television too, I don’t blame you. Both are great!

Book of the Week

Nothing really stood out this week, so I have to give it to Outcast! Whether it’s the comics, the television show, or both, you have to check this series out!

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That’s all for this week, come back next week to discuss the rebirth of The Justice League, more Civil War II, and a bunch of other great comics!

Hey, who else is digging the new Blink-182 album!?