Yesterday was the birthday rememberance for Boris Karloff.  I neglected to blog about that fact, although I have done so in previous years...

I noticed that a few other bloggers are running Karloff Blogathons this week or other events in rememberance for Boris.

However, what I am going to do today is blog about just one of several magazines that are being printed Today that remind me of stories that Boris Karloff and others like Rod Sterling presented to me when I was younger.  Yes, even though those two persons were on TV with their shows, Boris Karloff with 'Thriller', and Rod Sterling with 'Twilight Zone', both of those TV Shows had printed format version of those shows also!   Namely comics!

Well, Jim Main of Main Enterprises isn't printing a comic book here, but his magazine 'Dark Corridor' issue #3 had several features that reminded me of what I liked about the two above mentioned TV Shows / comics publications.

Before I start with my review, here is an excerpt from the press release for Issue #3:

What has been described as our best issue yet of our horror/fantasy/suspense fiction and illustration magazine is now availble. Cover art by Scott McClung, The Iguana and John Lambert. Interior art by Dan Taylor, Terry Pavlet, Jack Bertram. Fiction by Sam Gafford,(A Gathering Deamonica) Mark Orr (The Doll) and Michael Vance (In The Out Door). Plus our review section, Den Of The Dark(with reviews by Dennis Kininger and Glenn Walker as well as out letters page section. A 32 page full sized magazine with full color front and back covers.

I did not receive a review copy for issue #1, but since I published a photo of it above, here is the press release for that issue:

The long anticipated horror, fantasy, suspense fiction and illustration publication from Main Enterprises is finally here and is definately worth the wait! Michael Vance contributes the offbeat tales "The Zoo" and "Picked Clean" , while Sam Gafford is responsible for the mesmerizing piece,
"Showtime!" Artists Greg Woronchak, Dan Taylor and Sam Gafford handle the illustrations for the stories respectively. Rounding out the issue is the illustrated poem, "Siren's Song", by Brian Osborne and Armando Abeleda. Additional illustrations by Larry Johnson, Michael Connolly, Mike Roden, color back cover by Roger Foucault...and a stunning front cover illustration by Dan Taylor!

Okay... So reading the above press release excerpts you should get an idea of what the magazine presented to the reader.  So how did I find this magazine?

Well, the front cover of issue #3 that I received promised some dark experiences inside! The splash page had a message from the publisher "Grim" Jim Main, which reminded me of some earlier hosts both on TV and magazines and comics, which helped to set the stage. 

The 'Dark Correspondence' was next, which was the 'letters page'.  Since I had not seen the previous issues, the letters were okay, but probably would have been better to be at the back of the magazine, so that other 'newbies' to the mag like myself could have gotten right to the stories... However, having illustrations inbetween the letters was a good thought, and the letters printed were informative.

I liked the fact that the first story, 'The Gathering Daemonica' had four illustrations to help break up the text.  The next story by Michael Vance also had illustrations, in this case five of them.  Having illustrations interspersed in the story continued with the next story by Mark Orr.  Being a reviewer that likes sequential artwork, I appreciated having illustrations in this magazine's stories.  Not that I couldn't visualize the settings that the authors were attempting to portray to me, but that I enjoy having illustrations with my reading text.

The next section was called 'Den Of The Dark', which was the review section of the magazine.  Wasteland #1 was reviewed by Dark Dennis Kiniger, and then he went on to review four more publications.  Those included 'Coraline' by Neil Gaiman, 'Dark Delicacies' by  several authors, edited by Del Howison and Jeff Gelb.  Plus 'Duma Key' by Stephen King, and 'The Pines' by Robert Dunbar.  So again if you are a fan of this genre of fiction, you should be able to see if this reviewer's reviews matched your own if you had those selected books.

Added to the above were two inside cover illustrations, and a back cover illustration. Thus you have the complete package to Dark Corridor #3!

I believe this issue to be a well crafted magazine for those that enjoy this genre of story.  The illustrations added to the stories presented.  The letter section and the review section would make the reader of this magazine feel 'included' as part of a group, and 'feel' invited to follow the magazine next issue.  

Details on ordering these issues are as follows:

For issue #3 that I reviewed... Cost of this issue is: $3.95 plus 1.70 S&H. $5.65 total.  Personal checks only please, made out to Jim Main. 

For issue #1 that I did Not review... Cost of this issue is: $5.50 per issue postpaid in the USA.  Personal checks only, with checks made out to Jim Main.  

Jim's web site to order is at:

http://www.mainenterprises.ecrater.com/ 

Thanks to Jim Main for sending me this magazine and other items from his Main Enterprises catalog to me for possible review!

AND... Thanks again to all of YOU reading our current and archived blog posts!  We do blog daily on comic book creators, comic book reviews, comic cons, and other pop culture news and events including some TV shows and theatrical films as they are shown!  

Last Monday I started blogging about "The State Of Comics Retailing In 2009 Metro San Diego", as told by Jamie Newbold  of Southern California Comics in San Diego, (click here for Part I)...

Southern California Comics, a.k.a. SoCal Comics, is owned by Jamie Newbold and is one of the major places in Metro San Diego area that I stop in at for comic book supplies and new comics for myself. 

When I stopped there the previous week for the FACTION comic book signing, (click here for that blog), Jamie and I went over what's been going on in San Diego sales wise for comics. 

Part I of this series was an introduction to the Store, Store Sales, and New Comics. The following is from Jamie's own words about individual Comic Book Publishers' titles sales at his store:

"MARVEL COMICS: The Dark Reign event is entertaining. I like what’s been played out so far in the storylines. I think “Dark Avengers“, “Wolverine“, and “Invincible Iron Man” have been both well drawn and written. Although these series were enjoyable, some of the limited Dark Reign series and one-shots alternated between necessary and wastes of money. Spider-Man was retooled and continued to succeed even though I lost track of exactly who knows what about Peter Parker/Spider-Man. I was surprised with the return of the clone legend. That old chestnut bore Marvel shame in the 90s. Now, it’s back for reasons unknown and without much fan desire at my store.

Marvel’s concern for its standard bearer titles reflected in the overall quality of art and writing. I sold generous helpings of titles like “The Avengers“, “Hulk“, “Thor“, “Daredevil” and more because they continue to be that good. Brilliant titles like, “The Torch”, “The Marvels Project“, “Doctor Voodoo”, and Icon’s “Incognito” rocked! Marvel’s “Noir” titles sold in small numbers contrary to their potent entertainment value. It’s just hard to push variety onto a money-tight clientele.

 Disappointing fans with delivery delays and high cover prices slowed the momentum on heavily publicized “Captain America Reborn“, “The Twelve“, and upcoming movie phenomenon “Kick-Ass“. “Captain America Reborn” ran out of steam so fast that it literally chopped the sales of the regular title in half.
The “War of Kings” story event was surprisingly entertaining for me. I’d long since lost touch with the back stories of many of Marvel’s space-based heroes and villains. Bashing Inhumans into the Kree and others was fun. With the Skrull invasion all but forgotten, the War of Kings stories were briefly entertaining and offered suitable space opera replacements.
Marvel trade paperback book sales increased and continue to generate steady revenue through the year.

Marvel’s success formula for Wolverine in 2009 = “Old Man Logan”. Formula for a successful Wolverine story in 2010 = repeat the same as above!
Marvel continues to dominate back issue sales. 1960s Marvels remain on many buyers’ fantasy purchase lists. Conversely, new Marvel comics can be just as difficult to obtain after a sell-through as they were when Marvel began its “no over-ship” policy years ago.

DC COMICS: DC titles showed surprising resiliency in an unsteady market. I found a handful of their comics held their own sales weight against Marvel in numbers I don’t usually see. The “Blackest Night” story arc overwhelmed anything Marvel had. Blackest Night had the luxury of promotion at San Diego’s Comic Con and the wealth of Green Lantern merchandising in ‘09. Blackest Night sales began shortly before that show and caught fire with its inception.

I’ve enjoyed the new characters inhabiting the roles of Batman and Robin. The sales figures on the Bat titles remained consistent and I received favorable feedback from my customers. DC failed to produce much splash with the overworked Superman family. Flash and other frontline DC characters waded in shipping delays or uninteresting stories.

Vertigo usually produces several interesting titles each year, one or two which resonate strongly with my readers. “Sweet Tooth“, “Haunted Tank “, and “Unknown Soldier“ were tremendously entertaining. The emergence of Sgt. Rock in the hands of Billy Tucci was a supreme attempt at blending DC fiction with World War Two fact. Ongoing series such as “Northlanders” has sold steadily while former strong sellers (“Y, The Last Man“, “Preacher“, “100 Bullets“, and “Fables“) continue to dominate at trade paperback sales levels.

Wild Storm’s “Ex Machina” continues to be a strong trade paperback seller. “Gen 13” and “Authority” were best sellers in my store. At last, the final issue of “Planetary” arrived. However, their video game-based monthly titles have done less than I anticipated. They have a strong talent pool and many tradesmen to draw from. I’m anticipating that they must have something heavy waiting just behind the curtains.

IDW, IMAGE, DARK HORSE AND EVERYBODY ELSE: IDW works hard to find new subject matter and talent to bring to market. IDW is a company that works hard at their craft and keeps trying new things. It’s always fun to see what they produce next.

Retooled “Transformers” and “GI Joe” comics spotlighted IDW’s licensed titles. Their sales numbers plateaued after this year’s movie releases. A promising “The Ghoul” from Niles and Wrightson looks like fun. The “Angel” TV show comics continue to do real well. Joe Hill’s “Locke & Key” title has also been a store favorite with customers eagerly anticipating the upcoming third series.

Image Comics delivered with “Chew” this past summer. The first 5-issue storyline was great fun and sold extremely well. In fact, it met “Walking Dead” sales numbers quickly! Walking Dead is the king of trade paperback sales and sells constantly. “Back To Brooklyn” is a violent, tough-gangster 5-issue story. Garth Ennis and Jimmy Palmiotti captured a lifestyle that comics rarely engage at that depth (unless you read any Garth Ennis Punisher story!). “Haunt” with McFarlane’s cover art started well and with Kirkman’s writing, it proves to be a big hit with the customers.

Dark Horse has entertaining comics but customers are not purchasing them. Conan’s re-launch as “...The Cimmerian” is a great read and should sell better. “Kull” was exciting, well-done, and should have brought more attention. Even the Star Wars titles have left more unsold copies behind than in the past. “Aliens” and “Predator” were re-launched with little fanfare. I liked both but the franchises as comic books have slowed way down over the years.

Avatar’s “Crossed”, “Chronicles of Wormwood” and “Ignition City” should be avoided unless you really want to be highly entertained!

In my opinion, these companies and other independent publishers have suffered from uneven sales in 2009. It’s clear from a drop in our new comic’s sales that my customers have sacrificed almost everything to satisfy their Marvel and DC demands. That is a shame. Dynamite Entertainment (“The Boys”, “The Boys: Herogasm“, and “Garth Ennis’s Battlefields“), Boom Studios (Various Disney/Muppet titles and “Irredeemable“) and Zenescope (anything from the Grimm Fairy Tales series) make good reads and deserve to sell more copies than I’m currently able to sell."

Jamie went on to talk about Convention Sales / Web Site Sales / and eBay & other Auction Site Sales... I have titled today's blog post as 'Part II'.  If YOU would like to read more of Jamie's thoughts on comics retailing in the San Diego Metro Area and world-wide... Please email me, message me, or write on my Facebook Wall that YOU would like to read more and I'll move 'Part III' up quicker in the timeline for posting here! Thanks again to Jamie Newbold for sharing the above with me and giving me permission to post it in my Blog!

For those of you that are looking at visiting the San Diego area soon, be sure to visit Jamie's SoCal Comics store.  There is much more to comics in San Diego than just the once a year Comic Con International: San Diego (CCI / SDCC) that over 125,000 people attend!

Here's the direct link to Jamie's store:  http://www.socalcomics.com/!

Shawn Granger, writer and publisher of the comic book series 'Family Bones', sent me a copy of that series that was compiled into a trade paperback / graphic novel format recently.

I had not read this story when it was first published in comic book format.  So I was wondering what this book was about after first thumbing through  it, deciding on which publication to read next.  I  had opened up the mailing package that contained this and another one of Shawn's works that I had also not seen before. 

What I found was that this is a 'trade paper back / graphic novel' printed format of the collected FAMILY BONES comic book issues 1-5 that were previously published by King Tractor Press.

Also I found the following press release for the series:

FAMILY BONES is based on the TRUE STORY of the oldest married couple on Missouri's death row, as experienced one summer by their unwitting nephew. The writer, Shawn Granger, is a close relative to Ray & Faye and based the story on his experiences as well as those told to him by other family members.

Additionally here is more info:

FAMILY BONES is based on the TRUE STORY of the oldest couple of serial killers, as experienced one summer by their unwitting nephew.

This first volume collects issues 1 – 5 of the popular comic book series based on the lives of serial killers Ray and Faye Copeland.  They were the kind, elderly grandparents who murders farm hands at their home.

Sean is trapped on the Copeland farm, a slave for his uncle.  The heat simmers his skin to a full boil until the neighbor's beautiful daughter appears.  Wendy quickly becomes his hope, desire, and fear; not to mention his one trusted friend.  Together they discover each other and some very bloody family secrets.

The following are the credits and details for this compilation:

Written by:  Shawn Granger

Art by Orlando Baez, Kenneth Landgraf, Benito Olea Bellido, Mannie Abeleda, Pablo Agustin Lordi

ISBN 978-0-9787486-0-9
Publisher Shawn Granger
Copyright ©2007 Standard Copyright License
Language English
Country United States
Publication Date April 9, 2007
   
Page Count 176 pages
Size (Was a Comic Book printed format originally but reduced in size for book)
Binding Perfect Bound
Interior Color: Black And White

Okay... this is not the usual fare that I read.  However, after thumbing through the black and white art interior pages, I saw enough that made me want to read it first. Please note: I am not into the current vogue of TV shows that are in the CSI vein, nor shows like 'Medium', 'Ghost Whisperer', etc.  My personal tastes for murder mysteries is more like 'Castle', 'Monk', etc., with some 'Fringe' type of shows thrown in.

However, this story, although bizarre, was undeniably compelling to keep me coming back for the next chapter.  I'm glad that this series was printed in this format, as if were only left in series of single issue 'floppy' comic books format published once a month, I don't think I would have continued to pick this series up each month.  So this published format to read all of it, chapter by chapter in a book style is probably the better way to read this series for persons like me.

Also, even though this storyline is one that I wouldn't normally pick up, I can see it being a good introduction to graphic novels for those readers that enjoy this genre of story, but wouldn't read a 'comic book'. Because it is in sequential art format, it would be a good way of introducing those that don't normally read 'graphic novels', but instead read text / prose story books of the same genre.

So what about the artwork?  Well, I'm glad to see this series published in black and white format.  Black and white would have been my choice for this series also.  The different artists in the series have different styles, yet black and white 'blends' them together in a compilation much better than color would have.  The difference in art styles would have been a lot more noticeable in color, even possibly glaring.  Yet in black and white format the art flows well with the storyline and when breaking the reading time into chapters, it really isn't that 'different' from each artist that contributed.

The lettering by Richard Nelson was a consistent factor in the series, and worked well.

The color covers used for the front covers of the comic book series were well drawn and colored.  Each cover used was a good point-of-purchase display cover, and would have caused me to at least pick it up at my LCBS.

In summary, this story is a compelling read, and the artwork flows with chapter breaks for the reader to stop and then pick it up again to continue reading. A good introduction to those that have not read King Tractor Press publications before...

The following link is where You can see where to purchase this trade paper back / graphic novel: 

http://www.kingtractorpress.com/

Thanks to Shawn for sending me this and his other graphic novel to me for possible review!

AND... Thanks again to all of YOU reading our current and archived blog posts!  We do blog daily on comic book creators, comic book reviews, comic cons, and other pop culture news and events including some TV shows and theatrical films as they are shown!  

Earlier this week I received my regular emailed notice of my Facebook Friends that are celebrating their birthdays this week...

One name that jumped out at me was that Melody Mooney was going to be celebrating her birthday this upcoming Sunday.  I had suggested to Melody when I first met her at the LBCC in early October that I thought she would be perfect for one of my Blog's "Spotlight On..." Main Feature articles whenever she was ready. 

So I contacted her shortly after receiving the emailed notification and was pleased to receive the publicity photos published above, and a bio on herself, along with a personal note.

Here is what Melody sent me for this 'Spotlight On... Melody Mooney!': 

Melody or HYGENA from ‘Who wants to be a Superhero’ Season two was thrilled to be one of the three finalists and the last Super Girl Standing on the show! Her tag line is 'Fighting Grime and Crime' and her Hero was born at a Convention when she saw a need for someone to clean up after others and teach them proper Hygiene.

Melody is a Canadian born transplant that lives in LA with her Husband. She is involved in Children's Theatre and works with LA Unified School District Inner City Arts program to bring Theatre and fun to under privileged children. Melody loves Star Wars and has a huge Action figure and toy collection. She is a fan of Sci-Fi in general; so much so, she makes her own fan films and enjoys editing them as well. You can currently catch Melody on Youtube and in two independent films. Melody's dream job would be to join the cast of 'Capria' the Battlestar Galactica prequel.

Melody raises money and awareness for The March of Dimes , The Epilepsy Foundation and Pet Orphans.org.

The following are the links to keep up with Melody, who you can see is a very busy person!

http://melodymuse.wordpress.com/

http://www.shareyourstory.org/webx/.ef4474d/

http://giving.epilepsyfoundation.org/site/TR/Events/Tributes?pxfid=9700&fr_id=1060&pg=fund
 
http://www.cafepress.com/hygena 

My wife Tina LoSasso, President of Make It So Marketing Inc, just loved the way that Melody had her booth at the Long Beach Comic Con set up.  Besides being dressed as 'Hygena', Melody also had hygenic products with the Hygena label. What a heck of a marketing idea!  Plus, Melody was genuinely outgoing with all those that walked by, even though it had to be a looooong three day comic con standing on her feet most of the time!

As you can tell by this blog post and earlier blog mentions, I was also impressed by Melody when meeting her in person.  She is someone You should make a point of seeing at a comic con or pop culture convention that is being held in your local area!  Until she makes it out toward your area... check out the links she provided above to see what else is going on with Melody!

Thanks to Melody for the above photos and info... and most of all...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to You Melody on Sunday!

From Michael & Tina at ComicBookCollectorsBlog.com !

Yes, I did find a wealth of new comic books series and graphic novels at the recent 2009 Long Beach Comic Con!

Which is probably why I enjoyed this 1st Annual Convention so much!  The organizers made sure that Artists Alley was the main feature of this event!

Anyways, this blog post is about another series that I found at the TAT booth, (The Antidote Trust).  TAT isn't just one publisher, it's a 'collective' of independent publishers who have joined to better promote their own comics offerings under the TAT banner.

I have been amazed at the scope of comics being offered by those creators / publishers under the TAT umbrella!

Joseph Patrick Gauthier, pictured above top left of this blog post holding all four issues of 'Lazarus: Immortal Coils'  invited me to read and posibly review his series.  The top right photo of this blog shows the front cover of the 1st issue, 'The Director's Cut' version.  Joseph is also pictured in the video shown below the first issue, welcoming You also to see what 10WorldsStudio is offering.

The following are the creator credits for the first issue of this series:  

Created & Written by:    Joseph P. Gauthier
Art by:                            Carlos Rafael Duarte
Colors by:                        Frank Martin Jr.
                                       Vinicius Andrade
Lettering by:                   Dave Lanphear
                                       Art Monkeys
Book Design by:               Chris Colbert

Standard Comic - Full Color - Page Count: 28

So what's this series about?  Here's the PR for the series:

“A LONG TIME COMING…” It begins here, the New Testament character that disappeared from history is back, but this is no bible tale! On the surface, Gehenna City is any other metropolis. Its citizens are unaware they are raw material for an invasion! Demons rule Gehenna, possessing citizens and spreading like an infection. Only Lazarus can stop them! Discover the origins of this eternal warrior. His death, resurrection, and what fuels his one-man war for over a millennia! The comic 1,974 years in the making!

LAZARUS: Immortal Coils starring the Biblical figure as an immortal warrior in a city built by demons where humans are used as hosts for an invasion. The miniseries is created and written by Joseph Gauthier, penciled by Carlos Rafael Duarte (Highlander: Way of the Sword), with covers by Casey Edwards and Kevin Sharpe.

OK, I gotta tell you that the front cover of the first issue kind of threw me off at first.  Because I hadn't read the Press Release printed above!

True, I figured it must have something to do with 'Lazarus' or even the 'Lazarus Concept'.  After all it did state on the cover:  "The True Immortal Returns...".

But the front cover showed kind of a modern looking figure, a type of super-hero, so I figured that maybe just the name was being used from the biblical tale.

But no... the Splash page, indeed the first four pages were illustrated so fine that I believed I was reading a biblical tale!  It wasn't until page five that the story moved into the present day.  And then the action began!  Almost non-stop action with many illustrations and much less text and dialogue.  But a lot of sound effects!  Plenty of sound effects!

There was also four pages of bonus material, including character designs / concepts. Not a bad start for a series I thought...

So I went right into reading the following issues since I had them in hand.

What I found in reading all four issues is that I was actually more interested in the olden time scenes that were presented as flashbacks than the modern day scenes. Not that I wasn't interested in what was happening in the present, but the art style would change back to a simpler presentation when the biblical times were shown.  I liked that back and forth direction in art style, even though both eras were shown in a grim n' gritty way.

The storyline was really presented well, and the dialogue fit the characters that were presented.  The artwork flowed through all four issues, with great coloring especially on the olden days scenes.  The lettering did not get in the way of the art, and I enjoyed the sound effects lettering a lot!

This is a pretty good presentation from 10 Worlds Studio in my opinion as I enjoyed the 'Lazarus' concept updated for comic book format...

To see more of what's happening at this comic book universe:

http://www.10worldsstudio.com/

To order the first issue of Lazarus: Immortal Coils:

http://www.indyplanet.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=2132

My thanks to Joseph for bringing his series to my attention at the LBCC!