Comic Book Feeds

Currently, I'm alternating my reading time between two pulp science fiction novels from the 1960s: Lin Carter's Tower of the Medusa and Gardner Fox's Warrior of Llarn. Neither writer is hailed for their great literary accomplishments, though Gardner Fox made substantial contributions to Silver Age comic book history. Both write in a style that harkens back to the days of the actual pulp magazines (which, in Fox's case is where he got his start) and whatever their deficiencies can occasionally turn out a serviceable yarn.
originally published in an Ace DoubleCarter has a flare for world-building, if occasionally done in too formulaic and always pretty derivative sort of way. He has a "genius" of combining subgenres that no one had put together before: His Lemuria stories, for instance are basically Conan in a Edgar Rice Burroughs yarn. His Gondwane tales are a faux Vancian mix Oz, Flash Gordon, and the Dying Earth. Tower of Medusa here feels a bit like a C.L. Moore riff in conception: In a future interstellar civilization where less of old knowledge makes ancient tech seem as magic (or maybe it was a fusion of the two?) a tough guy thief and his side kick are coerced into a difficult job: the theft of a jewel called Heart of Kom Yazoth. The story reads more like Moore's husband Henry Kuttner in his early pulp stuff. It has none of Moore's atmosphere. Still, it's an above average Carter effort, I feel like.

Warrior of Llarn is a Sword & Planet yarn. Earthman Alan Morgan gets transport to a distant world by means as yet mysterious. He saves a princess and gets involved with a war between two civilizations. The level of technology of the world is a bit higher than Barsoom, and Fox provides a Dune-esque (a year before Dune) explanation for why people with energy weapons might still use swords. Like Fox's earlier Adam Strange stories for DC, the planet has suffered a nuclear war in the past, which is the cause of it's strange creatures and current lower level of civilization. Fox's story is old fashion, even quaint in many ways, but he's accomplished at delivering the goods. It is not boring.

Button Men has been around for a while now. Debuting back in 1999 when the characters were actually on pin-backed buttons, which was a rather cool idea.

You wore your button, and others, during game conventions and the like, wore theirs. Players would meet up and start rolling dice in a game based on the ‘button men’s’ stats.

In brief, “Button Men is a dice game about fighting. Each fighter is represented by a set of dice, and players take turns capturing each other’s dice. It’s a compact game that only takes about 10-minutes,” details the ruleset.

The game was popular and won the Origins Award for Best Abstract Board Game and Best Graphics Presentation of a Board Game.

“Over the years there have been several expansions to the game, from Cheapass Games and many licensees. There are more than 300 characters in the game, with new ones being added all the time.”

Fast forward to 2017 and the game has been re-released sans buttons, with the characters now on cards. The game lost a touch of its character with the switchover, but there is a cost-saving to production I am sure.

The game setting is now one centered on gangsters.

“Selaria, better known as Fight City, is a lawless town on America’s Gulf Coast. The year is 1952, and Fight City is in the middle of a never-ending crime war,” details the rules sheet.

“Fight City was founded in 1788, by shipwright Solaris Kronauer, and it has always been a strange world unto itself. The city sits at the mouth of the Lawaree River, between Alabama and Mississippi. Fight City is a haven for crime, double-dealing, and shady characters from all walks of life.

“Needless to say, everyone in this city has a good reason to pick a fight with just about everyone else.”

Of course, the background doesn’t influence gameplay, but it is a nice add-on in terms of flavour.

Button Men does remain a strategy dice game. It was designed by James Ernest.

The new ‘starter set’ contains 48 characters and enough dice to play. The suggestion it is a starter hint at expansions to come, which is not surprising given the number of characters in the earlier button run.

While this is basically players rolling a handful of dice, D4s through to D20s, and comparing numbers, there are some nice options to play as well.

For example, poison dice are worth negative points. If you keep one of your own poison dice, subtract its full size from your score. If you capture an opponent’s poison die, subtract half its size.

Poison dice can often be the deciding factor in a game, and they do influence play when used.

Shadow dice are another option. They cannot make power attacks. Instead, they make shadow attacks, which works slightly differently: use one of your shadow dice to capture one enemy die. “The captured die must show a number greater than or equal to the attacking die, but not greater than the attacker’s size,” states the rules.

And there is a rush attack: “use one of your rush dice to capture two of your opponent’s dice. The numbers on the target dice must add up exactly to the number on the attacking die…

“Rush dice also have a weakness. They can be captured in a rush attack by any type of die.”

The game could benefit with some alternate coloured dice to easily designate the specialty dice, although most gamers have tons of dice on-hand.

You will have to play with the specialty dice because they add some nice strategy to an otherwise rather boring dice-rolling contest. With the special dice, the game is well worthy of exploring.

It is very hard to beat an abstract strategy game that has wood pieces and a wooden board as well. Aesthetically, it is the epitome of beauty for me in terms of board games.

So when I first laid hands on Dikarya from designer and craftsman Nick Ryan I was immediately smiling.

Of course, good looks only go so far.

A game should be fun to play, and in the case of an abstract strategy game, it should be challenging as well. Perfect information games, in particular, two-player games of the genre, should make you think as you play.

In the case of Dikarya I was first aware the game was very much a tweaked version of a much older game, so thanks to email, I asked Ryan about this game’s specific origins.

“Dikarya is basically latrunculi which is an ancient Roman game,” he explained via return email.

For those not familiar latrunculi, www.boardgamegeek.com gives a quick history; “roughly translated as ‘Robbers’, this abstract battle game was known to be played by the Romans, and versions of the same game may well have been played before by the Ancient Greeks and Egyptians, and afterward by the Persians. Games archaeologists and historians disagree hotly about just about every aspect of this game: board size, number, and distribution of playing pieces, use of a king piece, age, priority, etc, etc; the list goes on. However, there is evidence that the game existed, both in literature and in archaeological finds.”

It was this ancient game from which Dikarya was born.

“I was searching for wholesale wooden pieces to purchase to produce my own Latrunculi game (Idyllwild games.com),” said Ryan. “I had a hard time finding the right pieces but did come across little mushroom-shaped wooden knobs, it sparked the idea of ‘Hey, I could make a mushroom themed Latrunculi!’(Dikarya is a subkingdom of fungi). Then I was thinking about the fungus theme and thought little spores would be a cool idea and would make the game unique.”

So how exactly does Dikarya play?

Each player places their 12 Soldiers along one side of the board and places their King on the row forward, four spaces from the right. Each player receives 3 Spores each, and are placed in the circles on their side of the board.

All pieces may move any number of spaces in the horizontal or vertical direction, except a placed Spore piece.

A single Soldier is captured if it is surrounded on two opposite sides. If a Soldier is “captured” remove it from the board.

Multiple Soldiers can be captured along a line.

Up to this point, the game mimics what many think the ancient game played like.

As Ryan noted the ‘spores’ add a new twist.

When an enemy Soldier is captured, the capturing player may place one of their Spores in the captured Soldier’s place.

When a Spore is placed, it becomes a “blockade” and cannot be moved for the remainder of the game.

A Spore placed on the field may be used – by either player – to capture another enemy Soldier(s).

The spores are an interesting addition to gameplay, adding a level of strategy regarding when to place them, and recognizing how that placement will affect the game moving forward.

Ryan said he developed the game because he likes the genre to start with.

“I love chess but when I played Latrunculi, I really loved the simple ‘back to basics’ gameplay,” he said. “It’s easy to teach newcomers. And if you like chess, Dikarya / Latrunculi is fresh, yet similar feeling.”

So are there tricks to being good at Dikarya.

“My wife is actually better than I am,” offered Ryan. “I would say stay focused and don’t be too aggressive. Also moving a piece to a square that is diagonal of an enemy piece is usually a good move.”

You will want to note the suggestion because this is a beautifully made game that really should be on a gamer’s want list.

Check it out at the above-mentioned website.

Thanks to fellow gamer Adam Daniels for his help in running through this game for review.

 

 

 

ELKS DAP (Drug Awareness program) and the DEA create new video in partnership with SMOSH and Stan Lee’s POW! Entertainment

 

 

October 4, 2018; ELKS DAP (Drug Awareness Program), the nation’s largest all volunteer drug education group, and the DEA, today released a national awareness video “A Single Moment Matters” as a powerful campaign to bring awareness to the long-term effects of drugs. The video will premiere on SMOSH, the largest digital comedy brand in the world, and was created in partnership with Stan Lee’s POW! Entertainment.

 

The video is available on SMOSH’s hugely popular SMOSH Pit YouTube channel starting today, October 4th 2018, along with additional content running on SMOSH’s Twitter & Instagram pages using the hashtag #ElksDAP. Viewers can watch the full video or a short overview using the following links:



 

The drug awareness video is created to show how easily a single moment in your life can put you on a path to drug addiction and severe consequences in your life. The video is shot using popular SMOSH talent. In the video the SMOSH cast members Courtney Miller, Keith Leak Jr., and Noah Grossman are thrust into a situation in which, unbeknownst to them, they will meet an alternate version of themselves and see what life could have been like for them had they gone down a different path. The stories show how easy it can be to slip into an addiction, with one story showing how Noah had become addicted to drugs after an accident.

 

Celebrity make-up artists helped depict the physical effects of various narcotics and prescription drugs on the young SMOSH talent to create a real-life before and after transformation of the actors, leading to dramatic and emotional reactions as they see themselves in these devastating situations. The video shows the shocking effects each drug has had on them and in each case the SMOSH actors struggle to grasp what they are seeing. The experience is shocking and genuinely emotional as they see their own reality recreated in such a dramatic and devastating way.

 

The video is produced by SMOSH, in partnership with ELKS DAP, the DEA and Stan Lee’s POW! Entertainment. Stan Lee’s POW! Entertainment joined as a producing partner and was passionate about the project as co-founder Stan Lee has been including real-life issues in his superhero characters since the 1970’s. In 1971, Stan Lee was asked to include an anti-drug story line in the Spider-Man comics while at Marvel and now in 2018, Stan Lee and his company, Stan Lee’s POW! Entertainment, continue this tradition by partnering with YouTube sensation SMOSH, the DEA and the nation’s largest all-volunteer drug awareness program ELKS DAP to create a very special anti-drug video for release on the SMOSH Pit YouTube Channel.

Give people easy access to what they want, at a reasonable price, and they will gladly become your customer. It’s a mantra that has seen the rise of many an internet streaming giant in the last ten or so years.

And now, we have two new contenders for our viewing dollars.

Officially launched on September 15, DC Universe ($7.99 per month or $74.99 Year) is a bright shiny new streaming service that promises subscribers a mix of “new original live-action and animated series,” along with “classic TV series and films, a curated selection of comic books, breaking news, an expansive encyclopedia, and access to exclusive merchandise.”

We all know how popular comic characters are these days, and Warner Bros is jumping in with both feet in an attempt to capitalize on the DC comic franchises.  https://www.dcuniverse.com/join/

Not simply a place to stream new TV shows and old episodes of DC properties. DC Universe also features “a rotating, curated selection of digital comic books” that you can read on your phone or tablet as well as plenty of merchandise offerings you won’t find anywhere else.

The crown jewel of this new streaming service is a gritty and dark series, Titans following

Dick Grayson (Brenton Thwaites) and a rag-tag group of soon-to-be superheroes including Starfire (Anna Diop), Raven (Teagan Croft), and Beast Boy (Ryan Potter).

Their initial offerings sound tempting but it should be noted that many of the DC properties and blockbuster movies like Wonder Woman, Man of Steel, or Justice League are still under contract with other streaming platforms. It’s unlikely they’ll be popping up on DC Universe any time soon. The same goes for the CW’s Arrowverse. This undercuts the “exclusivity” angle this service is aiming for and if their initial offerings are not enough to hold consumer interest, it is likely they’ll see subscription numbers decline quickly.

 

While DC Universe might have a huge mountain to climb to become a streaming giant in its own right, another major player, Disney is also developing their own exclusive streaming service. And unlike DC, they have plenty of exclusivities to offer right off the bat. Hello Disney Vault… Yeah, well played.

Disney Play – Will launch in 2019 (Estimated between $8 and $14 a month.)

In August of last year, Disney CEO Bob Iger announced that the company would soon pull its beloved animated titles from the streaming service and all other competitors.

CEO Bob Iger revealed that about 500 movies from the Disney library, along with about 7,000 episodes of Disney TV shows, will hit the service. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/disney-ceo-bob-iger-says-marvel-star-wars-movies-will-be-streaming-service-1034566?_ga=2.77822932.1373301270.1538144346-7329109.1538144346

The entire output of the studio, animation, live action at Disney, including Pixar, Star Wars and all the Marvel films. Star Wars and Marvel fans will have plenty to be excited about.

Jon Favreau is making a live-action Star Wars series that’s set three years after Return of the Jedi. MCU fans can look forward to live-action Loki and Scarlet Witch shows, starring Tom Hiddleston and Elizabeth Olsen.

https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/whats-on-disney-play-disneys-streaming-service

While Disney will launch with plenty of exclusivity, there will be some initial comingling of Disney owned properties as contracts and rights expire.

Netflix currently has a deal with Disney for the streaming rights to Marvel and Star Wars movies until 2020. This means after Ant-Man and the Wasp, there will be no more MCU movies on Netflix. Starting with Captain Marvel, Disney Play will be the only place to stream the franchise.

Netflix also holds streaming rights to the Netflix original series featuring Marvel characters: Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, The Defenders, and The Punisher. This is unlikely to change.

Hulu’s original Marvel series Runaways will also likely remain on Hulu, as Disney hasn’t indicated that it will be nabbing that series. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/05/business/media/disney-streaming-service-ricky-strauss.html

In addition to the Netflix and Hulu offerings, there will be some delay on Star Wars Movies reaching the Disney Play service. Television rights to Episodes 1-6 of the movie franchise are currently held by Turner Broadcasting and do not expire until 2024

It should be noted that the Disney brand is considered family friendly (though they own studios that produce adult oriented content) so there won’t be any R-rated movies on Disney Play platform

With all the exclusive content, these services seem like true contenders to the three giants currently dominating the internet streaming services. But I have to wonder if Warner Bros and Disney have considered the implications of adding to the glut of streaming services already available to consumers. What impact will this additional exclusivity mean in the digital marketplace? Would it have been more prudent to team up with a current giant and share in the profits?

Looking back at the impact of the rise of streaming media, there is a very clear correlation between cost and ease of access that allowed the current giants to get where they were.

In the early aught’s Cable reigned supreme offering upwards of 400 channels to consumers for roughly $200 a month. Then between 2006 and 2008 consumers were introduced to streaming services like Amazon Video(06), Netflix (07), Hulu (08).

Hulu, at $14.99 a month, promised next-day views of most current cable Television season shows.

Netflix, at $10.99 a month, promised full season binging at the click of a button as well as a huge list of popular movies.

Amazon, (Included with a Prime Membership) $8.99 monthly, hosted a seemingly unending library of movies, television, and niche documentaries.

Give people easy access to what they want, at a reasonable price, and they will gladly become your customer.

These three giants changed the way we watched television. Their offerings overlapped some, but each had its specific target and hit the bullseye every time. Cost played a huge factor in consumers adopting the new platforms. Combined at just under $35 a month, consumers could stream all three for a fraction of the cable bill they were currently paying and switch to a lighter, and easier to afford internet service bill.

The rise of these three streaming services had another unexpected corollary effect. BitTorrent, commonly used to share files and known as a marketplace for media piracy began to see a serious decline. According to Sandvine’s new Global Internet Phenomena report: sandvine.com

In 2011, file sharing was huge on fixed networks and tiny on mobile. In the Americas, for example, 52.01% of upstream traffic on fixed networks and 3.83% of all upstream mobile traffic was BitTorrent. In Europe, it was even more, with 59.68% of upstream on fixed and 17.03% on mobile. By 2015, those numbers had fallen significantly, with Americas being 26.83% on the upstream and Europe being 21.08% on just fixed networks.

During the rise of the three major Streaming services (potentially unethical) file sharing via BitTorrent was on the decline. Pirate streaming sites like TVShack.net, PlanetMoviez.com, ThePirateCity.org and Ninjavideo.net, found their end between 2010 and 2012 (Some still continue to operate, though less trafficked today) as the three streaming giants beefed up their video offerings while keeping cost low.

Give people easy access to what they want, at a reasonable price, and they will gladly become your customer.

Today there are countless streaming outlets and smart TV’s capable of connecting consumers with the shows they want, but the top three remain so because they have grown and adapted with the times.

New players emerged during the rise of streaming, offering specialty content, access to cable television channels without the high price tag, and seasonal favorites only available through their connection.

Showtime

Price: $11 per month, or $9 per month when purchased through certain services, such as Amazon Prime and Hulu.

HBO Now

Price: $15 per month.

Starz

Price: $9 per month.

Sling TV

Price: Sling Orange costs $25 per month; Sling Blue costs $25 per month. A combined package still costs $40 per month. Add-on packs cost $5 to $10 extra per month.

While these offerings are not a complete list, they are at the top of the list. They represent services that consumers use when they want exclusive content, and cancel when they’ve finished watching. HBO for example, with its hit series, Game of Thrones, sees its subscriber’s rise and decline yearly as the season runs its course.

When you add up all the potential channels and offerings, the resulting monthly cost begins to rise to the levels of Cable TV subscriptions. A fact the big Cable companies are aware of and use to lure consumers back to their annual contracts.

Along with the rising cost of accessing all this exclusive content, the corollary effect we saw between 2011 and 2015, with the decline of BitTorrent, has begun to reverse course in the last two years. The rising cost of specialty streaming services with exclusive content are beginning to push consumers to seek other methods of finding what they want without going over budget.

Too many services, not giving people easy access to what they want, while adding to consumer’s financial burden, will undoubtedly see their customer base dwindle.

The market is already flooded by an overwhelming assortment of specialty streaming services and piracy on the rise again. I have to wonder whether or not the exclusivity of these two new streaming platforms was truly the best idea. And as I asked above. Would it have been more prudent for these media giants to team up with the current streaming platforms? Would that have been the more profitable move? Only time will tell.

Guests: Matt Taven, TK O’Ryan & Vinny Marseglia. The Kingdom has been a great stable for ROH for over two years. Colt and the whole crew get together and talk wrestling and life.

Sponsor:
www.BlueChew.com (Code: COLT)

Music:
www.youtube.com/TheUkuleleTeacher
www.superfunyeahyeahrocketship.com

Image Photo:
www.portraitofawrestler.com/

Image Design:
Jimmy Lee

Limited edition comics are available for purchase while supplies last.

Action Lab Entertainment will be exhibiting several limited edition New York Comic Con exclusives at Booth 3044. In addition to their mature Danger Zone imprint exclusives, they’ll have an exclusive cover for MIRACULOUS ADVENTURES OF LADYBUG & CAT NOIR.

MIRACULOUS ADVENTURES OF LADYBUG & CAT NOIR #5
Created by: Thomas Astruc
Written by: Thomas Astruc, Mélanie Duval, Fred Lenoir, Bryan Seaton & Sébastien Thibaudeau
Artist Name(s): Zag Entertainment
Cover Artist(s): Brian Hess
Letters by: Justin Birch
Edited by: Nicole D’Andria and Bryan Seaton

This issue of Miraculous: Adventures of Ladybug and Cat Noir collects four Zag Entertainment webisodes: “Inspiration”, “Busy Day”, “Homework Essay” and “The Notebook”. Join Marinette as she gets inspired by the amazing city of Paris, tries to bake enough macaroons in order to spend time with Adrien, writes an essay about a person who inspires her and helps Rose (along with the rest of her friends) try to feel better after Chloé insults her.

Let’s hear it for the Main Man!

At San Diego Comic-Con this summer, the producers of Krypton announced that Lobo, the intergalactic bounty hunter known for his mean attitude and meaner right hook, would be prominently featured in the SYFY Superman prequel’s second season. Today, it was announced that Irish actor Emmett J. Scanlan will be the man bringing the universe’s last Czarnian to life.

Krypton’s take on Lobo will be a ruthless bounty hunter who murdered his entire species, and who possesses a genius level intellect when it comes to matters of warfare, making him a deadly adversary. Imbued with superhuman strength and virtually immortal, Lobo will keep coming until the job is finished. His word is the only thing Lobo holds sacred; and although he’ll never violate the letter of an agreement, he might disregard its spirit from time to time!

That description sounds pretty true to Lobo’s comic book iteration as well. Lobo was born into the utopian society of Czarnia, but left after wiping out his entire race. Since then, he has worked as one of the universe’s most effective, relentless and violent bounty hunters. Part of what makes him so good at his job is his ridiculous power set. The guy has super strength that rivals Superman’s (and let’s not forget, in Krypton, Superman doesn’t yet exist), plus he has powerful regenerative healing and is essentially immortal. And that’s to say nothing about his practical skills. Lobo is one of the best brawlers in the universe, as well as an excellent tactician.

It remains to be seen how Lobo is portrayed on Krypton, but as his fans know, he isn’t always a villain, and lately has been portrayed as more of an antihero. While Lobo’s not above lying, cheating, stealing and killing, he is a man of his word when it comes to any contract he takes on, and sometimes those contracts are actually to the benefit of the universe. In fact, this code of his has allowed him to forge understandings and alliances with many of the DC Universe’s heroes, including some of the Green Lanterns, Superman and most recently, Batman, who enlisted Lobo into the Justice League of America.

Scanlan has had a long career in the Irish, British and American film and TV industries, with hefty roles in Safe, The Fall and long-running British soap Hollyoaks, and will appear in this season of Amazon’s Lore. On the film side, his most notable role was in Guardians of the Galaxy, but if he looks familiar to DC fans it’s likely because he played Det. Jim Corrigan in two episodes of NBC’s Constantine. (Sadly, though, we never got to see his Corrigan become host to the Spectre before the series was cancelled.)

While Lobo has appeared in a large number of DC’s animated series, including Superman: The Animated Series, Justice League, Young Justice and Justice League Action, as well as in 2013’s Injustice: Gods Among Us, this will mark his very first appearance in live action.

Acclaimed Writer Brian Michael Bendis Reveals His Curated Wonder Comics Imprint

DC Icon Marv Wolfman Talks About His Upcoming Comic Book Based on Funko’s New Line of DC Primal Age Action Figures

Whenever DC publishers Dan DiDio and Jim Lee host a “Meet the Publishers” panel to kick off New York Comic Con it’s always full of surprises for the fans who attend, and this afternoon’s curtain-raiser was no exception.

In addition to talking about the success of books like Tom King’s HEROES IN CRISIS and the success of the Walmart 100-Page Giant comics, the publishers revealed their first surprise to fans when they invited superstar writer Brian Michael Bendis to the stage to talk about his work on SUPERMAN and ACTION COMICS, as well as his creator-owned stories from Jinxworld.

But Bendis came with news of his own, revealing the first details of WONDER COMICS, his personally curated line of teen-focused, in-continuity comic books scheduled to debut in early 2019. The line will be anchored by the return of Impulse (Bart Allen) and Superboy (Conner Kent), teaming up with Robin (Tim Drake) as the nucleus of an all-new YOUNG JUSTICE, which Bendis will write with art by his ACTION COMICS partner in crime, Patrick Gleason. As a tease for his Saturday evening spotlight panel, Bendis also announced the rest of the first wave of titles:

• NAOMI, which Bendis will co-write with David Walker (CYBORG), featuring art by Jamal Campbell (JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA: VIXEN)
• WONDER TWINS, written by Mark Russell (THE FLINTSTONES, EXIT STAGE LEFT: THE SNAGGLEPUSS CHRONICLES, DC Black Label’s SECOND SON) with art by Stephen Byrne (JUSTICE LEAGUE/POWER RANGERS)
• DIAL H FOR HERO, an updated take on the Silver Age classic series from the team of writer Sam Humphries (HARLEY QUINN, GREEN LANTERNS) and artist Joe Quinones (BLACK CANARY/ZATANNA)

The panel had even more surprises in store: Dan DiDio made reference to a recent interview on DC Daily where he talked about finding some old sketches and designs for a 1980s-era comic and toy line called Primal Age. With an announcement by Funko of a new retro-style barbarian fantasy-themed action figure line called DC Primal Age, Dan had to confess that the interview he did was part of a larger stunt and there was never a comic planned.

However, the joke was on Dan when DC writing icon Marv Wolfman took the stage. Wolfman spoke with Dan and Jim about his plans to write a comic book based on this new line of toys by Funko, with art provided by Scott Koblish. Titled DC PRIMAL AGE, Wolfman revealed initial details about his story, explaining the mythos behind the toy line and how it will be rooted in the sword and sorcery genre, reminiscent of DC comics like WARLORD and HERCULES UNBOUND. In addition, the DC PRIMAL AGE comic will also include several short stories featuring DC characters rendered in the style of Funko’s new action figure line.

Fans received a firsthand look at the new line and were treated to a special surprise, receiving a New York Comic Con exclusive Mr. Freeze DC PRIMAL AGE figure.

PORTLAND, OR, 10/04/2018 — Robert Kirkman took to the stage today at New York Comic Con to announce the series’ final story arc of his co-created horror series with Paul Azaceta, OUTCAST BY KIRKMAN & AZACETA. The final arc will kick off in December with issue #37.

The final arc will build to a crescendo of plot twists over the course of twelve issues and end on issue #48 will the long-planned ending to the psychological horror series first launched in 2014 to critical acclaim.

“It’s been a long road getting here–but I’ve said since the beginning Outcast was the first series I started where I had the ending planned before we began,” said Kirkman. “We’ve been building to what’s coming since the very first issue and it’s great to finally be at the point where we can tell this final epic storyline! Working with Paul has been an absolute thrill and I’m extremely proud of what we’ve done together over what will be a five year journey.”

OUTCAST BY KIRKMAN & AZACETA follows Kyle Barnes, a young man who has been plagued by demonic possession all his life and now he needs answers. Unfortunately, what he uncovers along the way could bring about the end of life on Earth as we know it.

OUTCAST BY KIRKMAN & AZACETA #37 (Diamond Code OCT180225) will hit stores on Wednesday, December 19th. The final order cutoff deadline for comics retailers is Monday, November 26th.

BLOSSOMS 666 #1: CVR A Braga

BLOSSOMS 666 #1 cover art by Laura Braga

Comics horror-meister Cullen Bunn and artist Laura Braga are bringing the trouble-making Blossom twins into the Archie Horror stable with a brand new mini-series!

In BLOSSOM 666, launching January 2019, Cheryl and Jason Blossom seem like the wealthy, popular, and likeable teens we know and love, but in this world they harbor a deep, dark secret — one of them is the Anti-Christ! Both want the title, and no one in Riverdale is safe. As Cullen puts it, the new mini is “one part Omen, one part Cruel Intentions, all Archie!”

And Archie Horror has one more surprise up its sleeve next year — two popular series will collide in JUGHEAD: THE HUNGER VS. VAMPIRONICA! The mini-series, from the HUNGER creative team of writer Frank Tieri and artists Pat & Tim Kennedy, will be an all-fangs-bared fight to the gory finish as each world’s dominant monster faces a brutal challenge to the status quo. As Frank says, we can be pretty sure that “all hell breaks loose (maybe quite literally).”

JUGHEAD: THE HUNGER VS. VAMPIRONICA Teaser Art

JUGHEAD: THE HUNGER VS. VAMPIRONICA teaser art by Pat & Tim Kennedy, Bob Smith, and Matt Herms

Art by Don DixonStill ruminating on my Dark Sun riff, I figure first things first: that dark sun. Smith and Vance provide the prototype. As the Smith writes in the "Dark Eidolon": "...the sun no longer shone with the whiteness of its prime, but was dim and tarnished as if with a vapor of blood."

Not that it needs to be even vaguely scientific, but the usual way people give this a scientific veneer is to have the Sun (or whatever star) have turned red giant in old age. In our solar system, current theory suggests the Earth will have been scorched by the Sun's increasing luminosity billions of years before it goes red giant and consumes the planet entirely, but again fantasy. Also, even a red giant star burns white hot, so would hardly be "tarnished as if with a vapor of blood," but that's seldom concerned sci-fi writers, and shouldn't unduly concern us.

Another option, rather than the very luminous red giant, is the small, dark, and cooler red dwarf star. It is true that our Sun (or any star) won't become a red dwarf as it's dying--in fact red dwarfs are very long lived--but hey magic or sufficiently advanced science, right?


A red dwarf wouldn't typically look red in the sky either, but it's light diffused through dust or clouds would definitely be more orangish, at least, and it would be dim enough that you could look at it and see flares and things on it's surface. Dim enough, and close enough, because the habitable zone of a red dwarf would be very close to the star, so an Earth like world would be huddled in like a person around a campfire on a cold night.

The thing about being so close to the star as that it would likely mean the world was tidally locked; It might well present the same face to the star at all times and have a dayside and a nightside. This could then be a world with a scorching day time desert and a freezing night time desert, but it also offers other possibilities. Of course, the planet could have a 3:2 resonance like Mercury, rather than a 1:1 tidal lock like the Moon, too.

So doing a little bit of calculation, and a little bit of making stuff up, here's what I came up with: An world tidally locked to a dwarf star. It's day side is a scorching desert, dotted with dead cities and desiccated sea basins from before whatever happened happened. On the day side over the equator, the sun would be white and a little over 3 times as large as the Sun is in our sky.  Further from the equator and the prime meridian (not as arbitrarily placed on a world where the sun doesn't move) the sun is lower in the sky and redder in color.

Moving toward the night side, the land would become a little less dry by stages until you reached the terminator (no, not that one) where there would be forest and jungle cloaked in eternal twilight and wracked by fierce storms caused by the meeting of the hot air from dayside and the cold air of the nightside. Here be monsters.

Most of the night side, lit only by the stars, is a cold ocean. As we all know places of eternal night are havens of undead, and so must it be here. And of course, sea monsters.

TwoMorrows just released a new retrospective on the creator of Warlord, Sable, and so many others, titled Mike Grell: Life Is Drawing Without An Eraser. The hardcover clocks in at 178 pages (full color) and is of course full of Grell art from his start on Brenda Starr, through his work for the Big Two and creator owned work.

There are chapters on all of his major works (the Legion, Warlord, Sable, Green Arrow, Shaman's Tears, and Starslayer) and own his work on the Tarzan newspaper strip and James Bond graphic novels. Interspersed are mostly reprint but still interesting interviews with Grell or collaborators. There's also a checklist of Grell's work in comics.

The hardcover has an additional gallery section in the back that the paperback lacks. This has several more Warlord images.

LOS ANGELES, CA (October 2, 2018) – BOOM! Studios announced today the company’s exclusive merchandise debuting at New York Comic Con 2018 to be held at the Javits Center from October 4-7.

These exclusives will be available at its booth (#1828), near the front of the convention floor, bringing with them a diverse array of panel programming and special guests including WWE Superstar Sami Zayn; Goosebumps creator R.L Stine; The Magicians creator Lev Grossman; former Power Rangers actor Steve Cardenas (“Rocky DeSantos”); and a diverse lineup of talent from BOOM! Studios award-winning graphic fiction lineup.

The exclusive merchandise available at BOOM! Studios’ booth includes:

• Adventure Time Season 11 #1 NYCC Variant Cover by Sweeney Boo
  • $10 each, limited to 250 units

• Firefly #1 11” x 17” Print by Lee Garbett
  • $10 each, limited to 150 units

• Just Beyond 11” x 17” Poster by Julian Totino Tedesco
  • Free, available during signing opportunity with R.L Stine at the BOOM! Studios booth on October 5th

• Over The Garden Wall: Hollow Town #1 NYCC Variant Cover by Pat McHale
  • $10 each, limited to 500 units

• Saban’s Go Go Power Rangers: Back To School #1 NYCC Variant Cover by Sean Galloway
  • $20 each, limited to 250 units
  • Writer Marguerite Bennett will be signing at the BOOM! Studios booth on October 5th -7th

• The Magicians: Alice’s Story 11” x 17” Print by Steve Morris
  • $20 each, limited to 150 units
  • The Magicians creator Lev Grossman will be signing at the BOOM! Studios booth on October 5th

• WWE: Sami Zayn 11” x 17” Print by Dan Mora
  • $20 each, limited to 150 units
  • WWE Superstar Sami Zayn will be signing at the BOOM! Studios booth on October 6th. This is a ticketed event.

For more news on BOOM! Studios, stay tuned to www.boom-studios.com and follow @boomstudios on Twitter.

October 2, 2018) In 2019, fans of FIGHT CLUB, FIGHT CLUB 2 and Tyler Durden will learn the answer to a most unexpected question: “What’s the first rule of fatherhood?”

Bestselling novelist Chuck Palahniuk, Eisner Award winning artist Cameron Stewart, letterer Nate Piekos of Blambot, colorist Dave McCaig and acclaimed cover artist David Mack will collaborate on the follow-up to the NEW YORK TIMES bestselling graphic novel FIGHT CLUB 2. In the 12 part monthly comic book maxi series FIGHT CLUB 3, Marla Singer is about to deliver her second child, but the daddy isn’t her husband—it’s Tyler Durden, who’s very invested in his heir, and the world he’ll inherit.

Marla, her first son, and her husband—the unnamed narrator in the novel, who now goes by Balthazar—live in a run-down motel in a sketchy neighborhood. In the FIGHT CLUB 2 graphic novel Tyler transformed Project Mayhem into Rize or Die. Now, a new group has implemented a ruthless and deviant plan to fine-tune mankind, leading Balthazar to forge an unlikely alliance … with Tyler Durden.

“FIGHT CLUB 3 is about what happens when you need to team up with your enemy,” said Chuck Palahniuk. “And the situation is even more complicated here, given Tyler Durden and Balthazar’s unique relationship.” Palahniuk promises this go-round will unite the most unlikely elements of his fictional worlds.  “And, yes, bodily fluids will be exchanged.” said Palahniuk.

FIGHT CLUB 3 issue #1 will have variant covers by David Mack, Kirbi Fagan (Bait), and Duncan Fegredo (Hellboy: The Wild Hunt). Upcoming issues will have variant covers by a bevy of all star creators, including Colleen Coover, Francesco Francavilla, Steve Morris, Cameron Stewart, and Eric Wilkerson.

Dark Horse Comics will publish the first issue of FIGHT CLUB 3 on Wednesday January 30th.

Valiant is proud to present another stunning look within the pages of FAITH: DREAMSIDE #2, the second installment of critically acclaimed writer Jody Houser (Stranger Things) and rising star MJ Kim’s (FAITH’S WINTER WONDERLAND SPECIAL #1) spectacular spook-filled miniseries!

On October 31st – that’s right, Halloween! – the best and brightest fangirl in superhero comics, Faith “Zephyr” Herbert, finds herself in an unforgettable new adventure that takes her out of her comfort zone and into the Dreamside!

Something strange in your neighborhood? Renowned ghost whisperer Shan Fong Mirage knows how to fix it. But it’s going to take more than stories of supernatural-tinged nightmares to convince her that the young psiot Animalia truly needs her spiritual guidance… Now it’s up to Faith, L.A.’s highest-flying hero and Doctor Mirage’s number-one fangirl, to get the world’s leading parapsychologist to take the case!

Things will get downright frightful in the Valiant Universe when FAITH: DREAMSIDE #2 busts onto the scene and into comic shops everywhere on October 31st – featuring covers by Marguerite Sauvage (DC Bombshells) and Sibylline Meynet (SECRET WEAPONS)!

PLUS: If you’re coming to New York Comic Con this weekend from October 4th to October 7th, be sure to stop by Booth #1635 for all things Valiant – including signings by FAITH: DREAMSIDE creative team Jody Houser, MJ Kim, and NYCC Exclusive Variant cover artist Becca Farrow!

FAITH: DREAMSIDE #2 (of 4)
Written by JODY HOUSER
Art by MJ KIM
Colors by JORDIE BELLAIRE
Letters by DAVE SHARPE
Cover A by MARGUERITE SAUVAGE (AUG182308)
Cover B by SIBYLLINE MEYNET ( AUG182309)
$3.99 | 32 pgs. |  T+ | On Sale OCTOBER 31st (FOC – 10/8/18)

FAITH: DREAMSIDE #2 –  Cover A by Marguerite Sauvage

FAITH: DREAMSIDE #2 –  Cover B by Sibylline Meynet

FAITH: DREAMSIDE #2 – Interior Art by MJ Kim with Jordie Bellaire

FAITH: DREAMSIDE #2 – Interior Art by MJ Kim with Jordie Bellaire

FAITH: DREAMSIDE #2 – Interior Art by MJ Kim with Jordie Bellaire

FAITH: DREAMSIDE #2 – Interior Art by MJ Kim with Jordie Bellaire

FAITH: DREAMSIDE #2 – Interior Art by MJ Kim with Jordie Bellaire

New York, NY—October 2, 2018—There’s no rest for the heroes who protect Earth…not even when it comes to the Avengers! Earth’s Mightiest Heroes will find themselves facing some of their harshest battles yet – including Namor’s fearsome new Defenders of the Deep and the reimagined Russian Super-Soldiers of the Winter Guard!

 

To celebrate this jam-packed, landmark 700th anniversary issue, Marvel is excited to reveal an all-new cover by legendary artist David Finch!

 

It’s an issue fans won’t want to miss, as the mystery of the 1M BC Avengers continues! Plus, an intriguing and important surprise about Wolverine’s return is revealed…as well as one brand-new Avenger! It all happens in AVENGERS #700, arriving in local comic shops this November!

 

AVENGERS #10 (#700)

Written by JASON AARON

Art by ED MCGUINNESS, DAVID MARQUEZ, ADAM KUBERT and ANDREA SORRENTINO

Cover by ED MCGUINNESS

 

Variant Cover by DAVID FINCH

 

On Sale 11/14/18

Pulp Illustrations on display starting October 12, 2018

 

Auburn, NY (October 2, 2018): The Underground Bottle Shop, Auburn’s unique wine, cider and spirits retailer, will be celebrating the art of The Adventures of Captain Graves with a tasting and a month-long exhibition of the interior illustrations of Ed Catto. This event, scheduled for Friday, October 12, 2018, is part  of The Underground Bottle Shop’s unique weekly tasting series.

 

Local artist Ed Catto is a marketing consultant and recently joined the faculty of Ithaca College’s School of Business.  This exhibit marks his recent work for publisher Airship 27’s line of pulp novels.  As is tradition, each book contains nine interior black and white illustrations.

 

The Adventures of Captain Graves by Thomas McNulty is a South Seas thriller set in the 1930s and written in the tradition of Indiana Jones or Errol Flynn movies.  The original artwork will be on display and available for purchase.  Copies of the book will also be available for purchase at the exhibit’s opening night event.

 

For this project, Catto’s work embraces a traditional illustration style with lush inking.  This exhibition at The Underground Bottle Shop show marks his first exhibition in Central New York and the Finger Lakes.  Catto, who recently returned to Auburn, traces his Auburn roots back three generations. “So much of my wonderful extended family still resides in Auburn and the Finger Lakes region, so I’m just thrilled to exhibit my work here.”

 

The exhibit will augment The Underground Bottle Shop’s weekly Friday Night Tasting Event and will be pouring wines from the islands of Corsica, Sardinia, and the Canaries.  “We’re committed to the region, and continue to offer the best products, knowledgeable customer service and unique events,” said Rob Hickson of The Underground Bottle Shop. “This exhibition offers our customers a chance to experience the adventure of the high seas without having to travel.”

 

Catto will also preview works from his next assignment, The Company of Shadows by Wayne Carey, a thriller that explores the subculture of Civil War Re-enactors.

 

This exhibit is also a part with the nationwide Inktober movement, which celebrates inked artwork.

The Underground Bottle Shop’s Street Art Exhibition featuring Ed Catto starts at 5:00 pm and runs until 9:00 pm Friday, October 12, 2018.  The Underground Bottle Shop is located at  29 East Genesee Street in Auburn, NY.  For more details, please visit www.undergroundbottleshop.com or call 315-262-5896.

Sinner: Sacrifice for Redemption, the boss battler from publisher Another Indie and the AAA veterans at developer Dark Star Game Studios, will strike at the heart of Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on Oct. 18.

After committing heinous crimes, a soldier named Adam must embark on a quest for redemption by taking on monstrous bosses based on the seven deadly sins. Journey through bizarre dark landscapes set to a haunting score, giving up stats and equipment before each fight as a payment to undertake each challenge.

Sacrifice a part of Adam before each duel and receive a permanent debuff, resulting in reduced health, strength or equipment for the entirety of the journey. Each battle will become tougher than the last as debuffs stack, but new gear can be obtained by successfully conquering trials.

If all hope is lost, revive a defeated enemy to regain a sacrificed attribute and revisit the battle later. Experiment to find the optimal path to redemption or take on all debuffs simultaneously from the start for a challenging and rewarding journey.

“Sinner allows the player to choose a difficulty that fits them best while facing off in diverse battles,” says Iain Garner, director of developer relations, Another Indie. “Whether they are in search of the easiest order of bosses to fight or if they want to start the game with the most difficult conditions, Sinner tailors the adventure to them.”

Sinner: Sacrifice for Redemption will be available for $18.99

Armello, the fantasy digital board game from League of Geeks, is now available for Nintendo Switch for $39.99.

A game of wits, Armello drops players into a storybook arena where they battle for the crown. A mad king rules the land, and it’s up to each individual to decide how they’ll try to claim the kingdom.

Choose from one of 20 heroes from different animal clans, then tailor strategies around each character’s distinct sets of strengths, weaknesses, and abilities. Use blades, magic, cunning, political savvy, or even the treacherous power of rot to wrest control of the throne.

Armello – The base game including eight playable Heroes (two from each of the four Great Clans), Classic Armello dice, four rings per clan (three per clan unlockable), thirteen amulets (nine unlockable), two board skins, 150+ animated cards, and well over 200 quests.

The Bandit Clan – Four playable Bandit Clan Heroes, Bandit Clan dice, two rings, one amulet, Guppy (Squire) card skin, and 50 additional quests.

The Usurpers Hero Pack – Four playable Usurper Heroes (One for Wolf, Rabbit, Rat and Bear) and four rings.

The Rivals Hero Pack – Four playable Rivals Heroes (One for Wolf, Rabbit, Rat and Bear), four rings and one amulet.

Hero Skins Pack – Alternate skins for the original eight Heroes and the Usurpers Heroes.

Seasons Board Skins Pack – Two alternate board skins; Spring and Autumn.

Premium Dice Pack – Four Clan Legends dice, Rot dice, and Royal dice.