Wednesday, December 23, 2009

1001 Arabian Nights: The Adventures of Sinbad - Issue #9
Mood:

caffeinated
Topic: Comic Books - New

1001 Arabian Nights: The Adventures of Sinbad - Issue #9

From Zenescope Entertainment

Above: Dan Wickline, as seen at his table in Artists Alley at the 2009 Long Beach Comic Con, (LBCC)!

To the Right: Issue #9's Cover 'A' by Marat Mychaels!

TODAY'S 'MAIN FEATURE':
Last week I blogged about the upcoming 'Indy Comic Book Week' that starts December 27th, 2009....
The above pictured comic book is one that could be at your Local Comic Book Shop, (LCBS) during 'Indy Comic Book Week', depending if there are any copies left! If not, then ask for issue #10 of the series that should be out by then!
So what's this issue #9 of the series about? Here is the press release:
"The adventure continues! The search for the ‘City of the Dead’ heats up as Sinbad and his band of loyal followers travel deep into the heart of Egypt to find the Crown of Anubis, the second piece of the Jericho Visor. Adding to the intrigue is Sinbad’s decision to place his trust in the mysterious tracker Osmium, a woman from his past, and her wolfhound Zawj. As always, things are never as they appear for Sinbad and his men as the deadly desert looks to claim more victims and retain its secrets."
Written by: Dan Wickline
Artwork by: Eduardo Ferigato
Colors by: Jason Embury
Cover by Marat Mychaels
OK, so that's what this issue is about and the credits.
The above issue was sent to me by Tyler Draguet, Personal Assistant / Editor to Dan since March of 2008. She noticed me taking multiple photos of others in Artists Alley at the 2009 LBCC and talking with them about their publications. She asked me if I had talked with Dan about his works. I told her no, as each time I had gone by, he was swamped with people!
She took me over and introduced me to Dan right then and there!
Not being overly familar with Dan's works, she showed me a couple publications that she had a hand in while editing. I have already blogged a featurette about Tyler earlier back on November 5th,(click here for that link).
Even though Dan was a Facebook Friend of mine, I didn't know all that much about his past credits. For those of you that also don't know, here is a brief bio:
"Dan Wickline is a writer who has worked on the 30 Days of Night franchise (Dead Space and Spreading the Disease), Grimm Fairy Tales and Strange Cases. He is currently scripting the on-going 1001 Arabian Nights: The Adventures of Sinbad and the Beyond Wonderland Annual. He is also working once again with Steve Niles and Mike Mayhew on SAVAGE. He has written short prose stories of the classic characters of THE PHANTOM and THE AVENGER for Moonstone."
I took a look at the covers for the earlier issues of this 1001 Arabian Nights: The Adventures of Sinbad comic book series, and the credits. It appears that Dan Wickline has written all the issues since #0 except for issue #7.
Okay, so now knowing what the comic book is supposed to be about, and knowing the background of the creator, plus already meeting both the writer and the editor in person...What did I think about this issue?
Well, first is the cover, and the 'Cover A', (there are two different covers), was very fetching and striking at the same time! If it was in my LCBS, I would have picked it up just because of the cover to at least look at!
The interior illustrations by Eduardo Ferigato fits this adventure genre very well. His characters were well drawn, and the backgrounds filled in enough to identify where the scenes were taking place.
The colors used by Jason Embury were very vivid, but not overwhelming, and also meshed well with this genre of story.
The storyline by Dan Wickline was a 'setup' for the following issue, as this is a two part story arc. The dialogue for the characters were fine, and I found myself going along with the adventure.
However there were two pages of action taking place on the 'high seas' that I didn't quite follow, probably because I hadn't read the earlier issues, and those characters were just in a fleeting two pages. I'm sure that they would be showing up in another issue. But for a 'newbie' like me to the comic book series, I just didn't 'get' that part of this issue...
The rest of the cast of characters that were with Sinbad meshed well with him and this storyline. So all in all, I believe that this could be a good starting point for a new reader as it is the start of a two part story arc, plus probably keep a reader who has followed the series this far satisfied as well.
For more of what Dan Wickline is creating, please see his web site at: http://www.danwickline.com/site/works/
To purchase a copy of this issue #9 check out the publisher's web site at http://zenescope.com/bookpages/an09.htm .
My thanks to Tyler Dranguet for bringing this comic book series to my attention!
I will be blogging about more indy comics series right here at ComicBookCollectorsBlog.com in the days to come, straight into the New Year itself, as that is how long 'Indy Comic Book Week' continues into!
You can follow what is happening and how you can participate in 'Indy Comic Book Week' by checking out the details at:
http://indycomicbookweek.com/index.html.
For our part...Tina and I will be having all the independents comics / graphic novels that we have ready to be sold listed in our online store at low, low prices at:
http://www.makeitsomarketing.com/
BTW, If YOU are a comics or graphic novel creator, and would like to possibly see Your work reviewed here in my Blog, please check this following link, where I tell you: "How To Best Submit YOUR Publication For Possible Review!"
AND... Thanks again to all of YOU reading our current and archived blog posts! We do blog usually on a daily basis during the work week 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.
PLUS... Be sure to check out our own new listings of comics, graphic novels, Comic Con exclusives and more pop culture items for sale in Our online eBay Featured Store that several of our blogs are based on! It's due to sales at this online store that keep us going with the ability to post blogs like the one you have read here today!
~ Michael D Hamersky @ ComicBookCollectorsBlog.com

"Hammering Out the Web For You Since May 12th, 1998!"

Note: If you are breaking into or already work in the comic book industry or other pop culture productions, you are welcome to email us press releases, news items, and updates that you feel would be of interest to our blog readers. Including YOUR own works!
To mail printed items to us for possible review, send to:
Make It So Marketing
PO Box 130653
Carlsbad, CA 92013

We also have an on-line exhibitor table at the virtual Facebook Comic Con. You can view the table by clicking this link.
If you are a Facebook member, please join our Facebook Comic Con | Make It So Marketing exhibitor table for updates, specials, and other wall posts!

If you are a Facebook member and would like to join my Facebook Network, feel free to send a 'friend request' to 'Michael D Hamersky'.



TODAY'S FEATURETTE:
SAN DIEGO COMIC CON 2010 UPDATE:   Yesterday on my Facebook Comic Con | Make It So Marketing exhbitor table wall I posted the following wall comment: "Saturday One-Day Passes are Sold Out for this Con... However, Thursday, Friday and Sunday One Day Passes are still available at this time. Sheeesh! Saturday Sold Out... And it's not even the first day of 2010 yet!"
I thought it best that I also mention that fact in my Blog, as I know that many people were disappointed last year by being unable to attend the Comic Con International: San Diego on the day(s) that they wanted to. There were a lot of surprised people coming there thinking they could just walk up and get in!
Tina and I have opted once again to pay for our tickets, instead of going through the press pass line. After seeing how the pros were forced to stand out in the sun in line to get in last year, we found it so much easier to go up and stay in the shade 'under the sails' in the Sails Pavilion. The 4 day check in at preview night was the smoothest ever for us last year!
So I realize that a comic con that is seven months away may not be on Your 'radar' right now, what with the Holidays Season and all, but folks, if YOU were even thinking about attending, you better buy your passes Now!

The Four Day Passes, both with and without the 'Preview Night' were already SOLD OUT, and now this news about the single day: SATURDAY also SOLD OUT! Plus Friday appears to be approximately 50% on the way of being 'Sold Out' also...
If you are even thinking of being close to the vicinity of San Diego near the end of July, you might either ask 'Santa Claus' for a one day pass, or a couple of different one day passes before this Friday comes around!
For how to buy your one day passes online go to:
http://www.comic-con.org
There are several interactive Facebook Groups and Fan Pages for the CSI:SD / SDCC, but here is the link to one of the larger ones that I am currently aware of in terms of numbers of members and interactivity:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=22003002761&ref=mf
As long time readers of this Blog know, I started selling at the 1972 San Diego Comic Con, when it was at the El Cortez Hotel. The photo I use for this Blog and my Facebook Comic Con | Make It So Marketing exhibitor table is from the 1973 San Diego Comic Con held at the Sheraton Hotel on Harbor Island in San Diego.
Tina and I do not set up at the San Diego Comic Con International. Instead we mostly attend programs or panels, plus make our rounds to the Artists Alley of over 200 creators, plus check out the Small Press Section. If YOU are a comics creator, feel free to let us know, as starting early next year we will be blogging about select creators that will be set up in either of those two areas.
In the meantime if you aren't a comics pro, dealer, or press member, you better get your single day passes now for Thursday, Friday, or Sunday before they are Sold Out!
~Michael

WEB PAGE NOTE: This blog post is written for the IE Browser standards. Netscape, Firefox and the others serve the page up differently. The screen display resolution is best seen at the setting of 1024 x 768.
All images and characters within this blog post are copyright and trademark their respective owners.

Posted by makeitsomarketing at 12:01 AM PST

Updated: Wednesday, December 23, 2009 5:51 AM PST

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Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Have You Seen... The Cardinal?
Mood:

caffeinated
Topic: Comic Books - New

Have You Seen..

THE CARDINAL?!

Above: Kurt J Kolka, creator of The Cardinal!

To the Right: The front cover to the Special Edtion #1 of THE CARDINAL! Cover painting by Doug Klauba (Moonstone Books). Logo & Cover design by Sherwin Schwartzrock!

TODAY'S 'MAIN FEATURE':
Last week I blogged about the upcoming 'Indy Comic Book Week' that starts December 27th, 2009....
The above pictured comic book is one that could be at your Local Comic Book Shop, (LCBS) during 'Indy Comic Book Week', depending on what part of the country you are in.
Kurt J Kolka, a new Facebook Friend of mine, saw my Blog, and one of my latest posts, "How To Best Submit YOUR Publication For Possible Review!", and thus decided to send in his very FIRST Comic Book for possible mention / review!
So what's this first issue about? Here is the press release:
"The story appearing in this comic book was created to appear as a newspaper strip. Not until the tale was near completion did the idea to edit it into a comic book come about. Realizing that adventure strips in newspapers are struggling but that the characters in my strip seemed to naturally fit into that more widely-read format, I tried to create a hybrid strip, blending elements of adventure, soap opera and life humor strips (like “For Better Or For Worse”) into a strip which would hopefully appeal to a wider audience than a simple adventure strip.

“THE CARDINAL Special Edition #1” presents the struggle facing the Midwest community of Arbor City. A police detective struggles to keep the streets safe with ever dwindling funds and an understaffed department. The middle-aged newspaper editor struggles to keep up with ever-changing technology as newspapers die away in communities all around her. Meanwhile the mayor finds herself a mere pawn of a serpent she has released into the beautiful community.

Enter Rich Benton, an idealistic college freshmen, who wants to help the poor and homeless. When he realizes the local political system is actually working against the needy and criminals control portions of the city, it becomes evident someone outside the system must take a stand. That’s when Rich discovers his calling -- to help feed and clothe the poor as a volunteer by day and become the city’s reluctant protector by night.

The Cardinal is set apart from many superhero characters in that he is motivated by compassion to help his fellow man. He is a hero who is not out for vengeance (violence makes him sick to his stomach), but wants to be a positive force. And unlike other similar characters, he has one super power -- he can fly. No super strength or speed; able to be killed by a single bullet. Yet, he puts his life on the line regularly to help the helpless of Arbor City."
OK, that's a good pitch for a comic strip and possibly a comic book. So who's Kurt Kolka, and what's his background? Well, Kurt also sent in the following bio:
Kurt J. Kolka (creator/writer/artist)

K.J. Kolka’s father grew up during the Great Depression reading “Flash Gordon” and passed his enjoyment of the two-dimensional artform on to his son. While Kolka eventually discovered comic books also, he never lost his appreciation for newspaper strips like Alley Oop, Mandrake the Magician, The Phantom, Dick Tracy, Funky Winkerbean and many others.

During sixth grade, Kolka became quite ill with what was later diagnosed as Crohn’s disease, an infammation of the intestines. He spent much of that year in and out of hospitals. To keep himself occupied, he spent time drawing, writing short stories and reading a steady supply of comic books which included the Incredible Hulk, the Astonishing Ant-man (Marvel Feature), Tomb of Dracula, and Werewolf By Night, among others.

Later in college at Concordia University in Ann Arbor, Kolka created “The Cardinal” for the student newspaper. The character’s image was based on the college’s athletic teams. The strip started out as a spoof on superheroes, but Kolka developed an affection for the characters and saw some possibilities for a serious strip.

Years later, Kolka was given the opportunity to do a weekly comic strip for a local shopping guide he worked for. Making revisions to his college strip, he relaunched The Cardinal in more serious adventures for a three-county area of Northern Michigan. The concept caught on with readers.

Today Kolka works at a newspaper in the small community of Gaylord, Michigan. He is married and has one daughter. This year he is spending much of his spare time promoting his new Cardinal comic book at bookstore signings and comic cons.
Okay, so now knowing what the comic book is supposed to be about, and knowing the background of the creator, plus already reading the special edtion...What did I think about it?
Well, I'll deal with the cover first: BEAUTIFUL cover, well done and grabbed my interest immediately when opening the package that the comic book came in. Kudos to Kurt for having Doug Kaluba do the painting for this. Also the logo and cover design by Sherwin Schwartzrock was striking.
Okay, you can't always tell "a book by its cover". So I'll next mention that this comic book also has a back cover that ISN'T an ad. Well, okay, it's not an ad, but a collage of photos promo of 'The Cardinal' posing in front of mnay locales that those in 'the know' would recognize. Not being a native of the area, I couldn't tell where these places were, but it was the IDEA of showing 'The Cardinal' at all these places on the back cover that was great! As if 'The Cardinal' were a 'real' hero! And titling the back cover "Cardinal Sightings" was cool. Good idea there.
So now both covers are 'covered'. BTW, both covers are in color. So when opening the inside, you are shown black and white pages. Okay, I pretty much expected that. After all, wasn't this 'The Cardinal' idea first meant to be published in a newspaper? OK, so I next read the 'Preface'.
The 'Preface' was an interesting read, written by David Crumm, Founding Editor of 'ReadTheSpirit.com'.
Then it was on to the 'splash page' itself. However since it wasn't truly first devised as 'comic book' but instead as a 'comic strip', the 'splash page' was a modified one.
I am pleased that Kurt decided to place at the top of the 'splash page' the following: "The Following story was originally published online at ComicsSherpa.com from April 27, 2008 to May 17,2009". That was helpful to a new reader like myself!
I settled in to read the comic book. There was a use of flashbacks to tell the origin story. The story flowed for me, once I realized that it would be semi-restarting for several of the pages. That would be because of the fact that I was reading a comic strip, which meant that there was a possibility that the reader may have missed the earlier installment.
That could have been annoying in this 'comic book' format, but I understood the reason behind it, thus it didn't 'bother' me when reading. After all, don't I sometimes wish that other writers would treat each issue of their comic book as if someone was reading the latest issue as 'Their' first issue of the comic book series?!
Too often I see new issues of comic book seriess continue on their way, figuring that the reader is aware of what happened before, and wondering what the heck I've missed?! I remember when Stan Lee was actually writing comics, and he never treated his readers that way, even it was only a one line intro, he would bring a new reader 'up-to-date' with what was going on!
So, other than that bit of 'repeating' what went on earlier in some of the strips, the story flowed for me. I enjoyed the background of the story, both of the characters and how the locale The Cardinal lived in fit in with the world-wide picture.
This is a good read, and a long one at that, although it is 'only' 32 interior pages. It seems like a lot more for your money. Probably because of the comic strip aspect of the pages. I personally liked this 'comic book', and would probably follow the ongoing series online, and / or wait until another 'special edition' was printed.
Oh, did I say online? Yes, you can read the ongoing tales of 'The Cardinal' at: http://www.thecardinal.org .
How do You purchase a copy of this 'Special Edition'? Well, Kurt tells me that "A few area comic shops carry it and I will be signing copies at Motor City Comic Con in Novi, MI in May (2010)". However, if you aren't in the Michigan area, please check the following web site for purchase details:
http://communitycomics.webcomics.cc/ !
My thanks to Kurt J Kolka for bringing this comic book Special Edition to my attention, PLUS following my submittal guide "How To Best Submit YOUR Publication For Possible Review!". Thanks Kurt, I really do appreciate that effort on your part. Plus it got your publication to the top of the pile of comics to mention or review here!
I will be blogging about more indy comics series right here at ComicBookCollectorsBlog.com in the days to come, straight into the New Year itself, as that is how long 'Indy Comic Book Week' continues into!
You can follow what is happening and how you can participate in 'Indy Comic Book Week' by checking out the details at:
http://indycomicbookweek.com/index.html.
For our part...Tina and I will be having all the independents comics / graphic novels that we have ready to be sold listed in our online store at low, low prices at:
http://www.makeitsomarketing.com/
BTW, If YOU are a comics or graphic novel creator, and would like to possibly see Your work reviewed here in my Blog, please check this following link, where I tell you: "How To Best Submit YOUR Publication For Possible Review!"
AND... Thanks again to all of YOU reading our current and archived blog posts! We do blog usually on a daily basis during the work week 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.
PLUS... Be sure to check out our own new listings of comics, graphic novels, Comic Con exclusives and more pop culture items for sale in Our online eBay Featured Store that several of our blogs are based on! It's due to sales at this online store that keep us going with the ability to post blogs like the one you have read here today!
~ Michael D Hamersky @ ComicBookCollectorsBlog.com

"Hammering Out the Web For You Since May 12th, 1998!"

Note: If you are breaking into or already work in the comic book industry or other pop culture productions, you are welcome to email us press releases, news items, and updates that you feel would be of interest to our blog readers. Including YOUR own works!
To mail printed items to us for possible review, send to:
Make It So Marketing
PO Box 130653
Carlsbad, CA 92013

We also have an on-line exhibitor table at the virtual Facebook Comic Con. You can view the table by clicking this link.
If you are a Facebook member, please join our Facebook Comic Con | Make It So Marketing exhibitor table for updates, specials, and other wall posts!

If you are a Facebook member and want to join my Facebook Network, feel free to send a 'friend request' to 'Michael D Hamersky'.



TODAY'S FEATURETTE:
COMIC BOOK CREATOR TV INTERVIEW:   Last night I got back in after attending our HOA meeting. There was 'nothing' on TV, or so I thought after coming back in and finishing the 'Survivors 19th Season Reunion' show that we taped from late Sunday night. While waiting for the tape to rewind so as to put in another to watch, I channeled surfed and accidentally saw that someone I recognized was on channel 4 of our local cable station.
That was Jim Lee! What was he doing on... being interviewed? Well, he was on 'Forefront'. To those of you that don't get our local San Diego station, here's an explanation of that show:
Welcome to Forefront
San Diego is full of amazing people. Industry leaders. Rock stars. World-renowned artists. Champions of the homeless, animals and the environment. Now you can hear their story in their own words and find out the secrets to their success. Inspiring, insightful and often surprising...
Who is in the Forefront? There’s only one place to find out.
I decided to catch a few minutes of the show, and ended up seeing the rest of it, it was that interesting to me!
Jim Lee impressed me years ago in the early 1990's when he was at a comics show in Mission Valley, San Diego. He and the other comics creators there were overbooked for signatures, and it was late. However he and just one other of the several creators that were there got up and went down the whole line signing one comic book for each person in line before he left the show.
In that line was one of my sons, who had patiently waited to get Jim's signature. I won't forget that day and what Jim did for my son and the dozens of other kids that weren't going to get a signature until he got up out of his chair and went down the line on his own accord! Thanks Jim for that memory!

Here is what the 'Forefront' TV show has about Jim Lee on their web page:
"Jim Lee is a legend in the comic book industry. He’s worked on some of the most popular characters in history including the X-Men, Batman and Superman.

Lee was born in Seoul, Korea and moved to the U.S. with his family when he was 5. His passion for drawing started at a very early age and even as a young child, Lee was an avid comic book collector. After high school, Lee prepared to follow in his physician father’s footsteps and went to Princeton as a pre-med major. His senior year at Princeton he decided to follow his dream and pursue a career in comics instead of medicine; a decision that was hard to sell to his parents.

The decision turned out to be the right one. Not long after graduating, Lee landed a job with Marvel Comics, working on a book called Alpha Flight. A few years later Lee began working on Uncanny X-Men and eventually became the series’ regular artist. In 1991 Lee helped launch a second series called X-Men, as both the artist and co-writer. X-Men #1 holds the record as the best-selling comic of all time – 8 million copies.

In 1992, Lee left Marvel Comics and created his own company, Wildstorm Studios in La Jolla. He and the Wildstorm artists created many comic characters including Wild CATS and Gen 13. He eventually sold Wildstorm to DC Comics, but continues to run the company under the DC banner.

Currently, Lee is working on a Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game. The project will allow players to virtually explore and interact with the DC Universe and will bring Jim Lee’s artwork to life for his fans."
For more on this half hour interview, here is the link:
http://4sd.com/pages/landing?Jim-Lee=1&blockID=102254&feedID=2740
My thanks to 4SD for broadcasting this Jim Lee interview on their half hour show 'Forefront'. Hopefully those of You reading this can check it out via the web for more!
~Michael

WEB PAGE NOTE: This blog post is written for the IE Browser standards. Netscape, Firefox and the others serve the page up differently. The screen display resolution is best seen at the setting of 1024 x 768.
All images and characters within this blog post are copyright and trademark their respective owners.

Posted by makeitsomarketing at 12:01 AM PST

Updated: Tuesday, December 22, 2009 7:53 AM PST

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Monday, December 21, 2009

Have You Experienced... 'The Enchanting Essence'?
Mood:

caffeinated
Topic: Comic Books - New

Have You Experienced... 'The Enchanting Essence'?!

Above: Harold Dean Cupec, who provided the art & colors to this issue!

To the Right: The front cover to Enchanting Essence #1 from the Ultimate Comics Group!

TODAY'S 'MAIN FEATURE':
Last week I blogged about the upcoming 'Indy Comic Book Week' that starts December 27th, 2009....
The above pictured comic book is one that can be ordered direct from Indy Planet, or could be at your Local Comic Book Shop, (LCBS) during 'Indy Comic Book Week'.
John B. Lai, Chief Operating Officer/Editor in Chief of the Ultimate Comics Group, LLC, was kind enough to send me a preview copy of the issue. This after I found that Harold Dean Cupec, a Facebook Friend of mine, had mentioned this project on his Facebook Wall.
So what's this issue about?
Art & Colors: Harold Dean Cupec
Story & Letters: John B. Lai
Standard Comic
Full Color
Page Count: 24
POD - Cover Price $3.99
"You asked for it? You got it! In this inaugural issue of The Enchanting Essence’, Jessica risks her neck defending an ‘undead’ servant against his master, Ran-Dax, the LORD of the VAMPIRES! You’ll have to check your pulse when you see surprise ending! Don’t miss ‘Love Bites’ Part 1.
Jessica Gates never quite fit in. With a childhood full of overwhelming emotion, insecurity & alienation, she struggled to find the truth behind her father’s mysterious death while ALSO trying to develop her self-confidence. Follow the adventures of this telepathic SUPERMODEL as she discovers the security of friendship in between her constant battles against Earth’s deadliest villains, as the enchanting ESSENCE!
The Enchanting Essence TM and © Ultimate Comics Group, LLC. All rights reserved."
So what did I think about it?
Well, I've always liked Harold's artwork that he has posted on his Facebook Wall. Enough that I was looking forward to seeing a sequential art story illustrated in his style.
This issue #1 of 'Enchanting Essence' did not disappoint me!
Harold can draw great looking gals and illustrated this story in a sequential manner that held my interest.
I've already mentioned here in my Blog before that vampires and zombies are not my usual reading niche, but since I blog about comics and pop culture for others as well as myself; I feel that I should include those of that niche that are more than just run-of-the-mill publications.
I do feel I missed something by not previously reading issue #0 of this series, but this first issue was the 'set up' for the next in this story arc. Additionally the action in this issue kept me from wondering muchon what I had missed with the intro of Essence in issue #0.
John B. Lai's dialogue kept the story flowing, and the storyline was well paced in this setup issue.
The colors were vivid, and meshed well with the genre of this story.
After reading issue #1, I would look forward to issue #2 of this series. The nice thing about this series is that if You are interested in reading this series and don't have a LCBS near you, then Indy Planet has issues #0 & #1 for sale via ordering on the web, plus will probably have issue #2 in the future...
For more info on this series and others that the Ultimate Comics Group has in its' run of titles, please check the following web site: http://www.ultimatecomicsgroup.com/ !
As a side note, I am wondering as to what audience age group this comic book publisher is aiming for, as the following verbage was on the 'home' page of their site:
"Welcome to the Ultimate Comics Group Universe! Brace yourself for 20+ full color pages in every issue and a comprehensive world that you’ll almost recognize as your own.
These AREN’T the comics your parents read."
The last time I saw or heard this was during the days of the early 'Image Comics', whose books were definitely not for the older crowd. After hearing that spoken aloud by the Image Comics creators a few times at different programs and panels at comic cons, I definitely was 'turned off', being an older reader. Which by the way, influenced my talking with my peers about the then new 'Image Comics'...
However, My thanks to Harold Dean Cupec for making me aware of this comic book series. Pretty darn good for a vampire series!
I will be blogging about more indy comics series right here at ComicBookCollectorsBlog.com in the days to come, straight into the New Year itself, as that is how long 'Indy Comic Book Week' continues into!
You can follow what is happening and how you can participate in 'Indy Comic Book Week' by checking out the details at:
http://indycomicbookweek.com/index.html.
For our part...Tina and I will be having all the independents comics / graphic novels that we have ready to be sold listed in our online store at low, low prices at:
http://www.makeitsomarketing.com/
BTW, If YOU are a comics or graphic novel creator, and would like to possibly see Your work reviewed here in my Blog, please check this following link, where I tell you: "How To Best Submit YOUR Publication For Possible Review!"
AND... Thanks again to all of YOU reading our current and archived blog posts! We do blog usually on a daily basis during the work week 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.
PLUS... Be sure to check out our own new listings of comics, graphic novels, Comic Con exclusives and more pop culture items for sale in Our online eBay Featured Store that several of our blogs are based on! It's due to sales at this online store that keep us going with the ability to post blogs like the one you have read here today!
~ Michael D Hamersky @ ComicBookCollectorsBlog.com

"Hammering Out the Web For You Since May 12th, 1998!"

Note: If you are breaking into or already work in the comic book industry or other pop culture productions, you are welcome to email us press releases, news items, and updates that you feel would be of interest to our blog readers. Including YOUR own works!
To mail printed items to us for possible review, send to:
Make It So Marketing
PO Box 130653
Carlsbad, CA 92013

We also have an on-line exhibitor table at the virtual Facebook Comic Con. You can view the table by clicking this link.
If you are a Facebook member, please join our Facebook Comic Con | Make It So Marketing exhibitor table for updates, specials, and other wall posts!

If you are a Facebook member and want to join my Facebook Network, feel free to send a 'friend request' to 'Michael D Hamersky'.



TODAY'S FEATURETTE:
COMIC CON PHOTOS:   At each comic convention that we go to, Tina and I take photos, either together or individually, depending whether we attend the same programs or panels.
That way we can take in more of a con, and compare notes later, as well as possibly blog about different aspects of the con.
I particularly am finding that the Artists Alley of cons is becoming more central in my interest in attending comic cons. There at the Artists Alleys is where I find either new 'up and coming' creators, or 'established' creators that enjoy sketching for their fans that atttend.
Pictured below is Ray-Anthony Height that I first met at the 2009 Long Beach Comic Con, (LBCC):

Ray was holding a copy of his publication 'The Grind', which is his Sketchbook that featured 'The Art of Ray Anthony Height'. Cover price is $17.99.
The promo for the book is: "The Grind is 48-page, full color, sketchbook that gives you a peek behind the curtain of up and coming comic book artist Ray-Anthony Height. Ray has produced is an exciting collection of character designs, sketches, pinups and more!" 48 Pages | Color TPB.
Unfortunately, Ray had no press kit for distribution, and I've not see his other publications that he has been featured in. Thus I have no review on this sketchbook or his other works.
However, Ray says this about himself on his Facebook Group Page, 'Art of Ray-Anthony Height':
"Ray-Anthony Height is an up and coming comic book penciller and freelance artist who's steadily carving out a career for himself. He's worked for Marvel and Image Comics, Hasbro,and Upper Deck with the list of assignments getting longer each year."
For more on his works, please see his Facebook Group Page by clicking here!
My thanks to Ray-Anthony for stopping long enough to pose for the above picture at the 2009 LBCC! Ray-Anthony was a friendly comics creator and I was pleased to meet him!
~Michael

WEB PAGE NOTE: This blog post is written for the IE Browser standards. Netscape, Firefox and the others serve the page up differently. The screen display resolution is best seen at the setting of 1024 x 768.
All images and characters within this blog post are copyright and trademark their respective owners.

Posted by makeitsomarketing at 12:01 AM PST

Updated: Monday, December 21, 2009 9:00 AM PST

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Friday, December 18, 2009

Penance - The Premise For The War Of The Independents!
Mood:

caffeinated
Topic: Comic Books - New

Penance:

The Premise For The War Of The Independents!

Above: Dave Ryan at his Artists Alley Table during the 2009 Long Beach Comic Con (LBCC)!

To the Right: The front cover to Penance #1 from Red Anvil Comics! (See Dave at the top right of the cover as a superhero!)

TODAY'S 'MAIN FEATURE':
Earlier this week I blogged about the upcoming 'Indy Comic Book Week' that starts December 27th, 2009....
The above pictured comic book is Not part of this upcoming event, but I still wanted to bring it to my Blog's readers today.
That's because when I met Dave Ryan again at the 2009 Long Beach Comic Con, he gave me a comic book that he had printed years earlier to read, saying that it had something to do with a project he was working on.
It took me a while to figure out which project he referred to, but now that I've read the Penance comic book issue #1 and researched his websites and more, I've figured it out!
So what is this 'Penance' publication about? Well first, it was printed in the year 2000. So I'll just briefly print what the earlier promo info said:
"In ancient times twenty four gemstones were scattered through out the world in an attempt to find worthy bearers. Eash is a conduit to it's local mythos. Whom so ever finds a gemstone shall be endowed with a power of a god. Now in a race for omnipotence, mankind will tip the scales in the war between heaven and hell."
The first reason I am bringing this previously published comic book up today in my blog, is that You don't have to search back issue bins to find it!
It can be found here on the web to read for Free! It's at: http://www.myebook.com/index.php?option=ebook&id=5296 . I enjoyed the work by Dave Ryan and Peter Palmiotti. It's a little 'out there' storyline wise, but the art and colors kept my interest throughout the pages!
The next reason I'm blogging about this is because it contains the premise for the series 'War of the Independents'! What's that about???
Here is the promo info for 'War Of The Independents from Dave:
"The inspiration came to me one day as I sat next to the recently finished Infinite Crisis and Civil War issues and glanced at the ‘friends list’ on my MySpace profile. It had occurred to me that no one has ever tried to unite the independents for a mega-crossover, but just as important to me was all the creators who have a dream but are stuck in a nightmare of self-publishing and will probably never be able to deliver their characters to the public. This was a way to do both."
Dave goes on to say:
"The story revolves around the villains Kain and Orcus trying to create a reverse tower of Babel to open the doorway to RazorJack's world and conquer Earth. The villains make their first appearance in Ryan’s own book “Penance,” The heroes in Penance are not strong enough to deal with Orcus and Kain, so they recruit heroes from throughout time and space."
The series will feature a variety independent characters such as:
Flaming Carrot (Bob Burden)
SCUD THE DISPOSABLE ASSASSIN (Rob Schrab)
Milk & Cheese (Evan Dorkin)
Bone (Jeff Smith)
The Maxx (Sam Keith)
Popbot (Ashley Wood)
Zippy the Pinhead (Bill Griffith)
Cowboys & Aliens (Platinum Studios)
Buzzboy (John Gallagher)
Johnny Raygun (Rich Woodall)
Too Much Coffee Man (Shannon Wheeler)
...And then Dave lists a lot more characters... way too many to list here!
The creative team for this six issue series is:
Writer(s)    Richard Kane Ferguson & Dave Ryan
Penciller(s) Dave Ryan
Inker(s)     Peter Palmiotti
Colorist(s) Greg Waller
You can find out more about 'The War Of The Independents' by either becoming Facebook Friends with Dave Ryan by clicking here!
Or check the following web site on occasion for possible updates: http://www.waroftheindependents.com/home !
My thanks to Dave Ryan for making me aware of his Penance comic book series and what makes that series important for his next series!
I will be blogging about more indy comics series right here at ComicBookCollectorsBlog.com in the days to come, straight into the New Year itself, as that is how long 'Indy Comic Book Week' continues into!
You can follow what is happening and how you can participate in 'Indy Comic Book Week' by checking out the details at:
http://indycomicbookweek.com/index.html.
For our part...Tina and I will be having all the independents comics / graphic novels that we have ready to be sold listed in our online store at low, low prices at:
http://www.makeitsomarketing.com/
BTW, If YOU are a comics or graphic novel creator, and would like to possibly see Your work reviewed here in my Blog, please check this following link, where I tell you: "How To Best Submit YOUR Publication For Possible Review!"
AND... Thanks again to all of YOU reading our current and archived blog posts! We do blog usually on a daily basis during the work week 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.
PLUS... Welcome to ALL of You that were reading the eBay Version of our Blog prior to eBay closing 'their eBay blogs platform' on October 31st, 2009. That version of our Blog had 1.37 MILLION page views before the closure...
However, This Blog version is the same Blog that has been published at the same time the eBay version was being published. I've been publishing this version since September 2007, so it has the same 'Fun Stuff' you are used to reading on the eBay version of our Blog!
Speaking of eBay... Be sure to check out our own new listings of comics, graphic novels, Comic Con exclusives and more pop culture items for sale in Our online eBay Featured Store that our blogs are based on! It's due to sales at this online store that keep us going with the ability to post blogs like the one you have read here today!
~ Michael D Hamersky @ ComicBookCollectorsBlog.com

"Hammering Out the Web For You Since May 12th, 1998!"

Note: If you are breaking into or already work in the comic book industry or other pop culture productions, you are welcome to email us press releases, news items, and updates that you feel would be of interest to our blog readers. Including YOUR own works!
To mail printed items to us for possible review, send to:
Make It So Marketing
PO Box 130653
Carlsbad, CA 92013

We also have an on-line exhibitor table at the virtual Facebook Comic Con. You can view the table by clicking this link.
If you are a Facebook member, please join our Facebook Comic Con | Make It So Marketing exhibitor table for updates, specials, and other wall posts!

If you are a Facebook member and want to join my Facebook Network, feel free to send a 'friend request' to 'Michael D Hamersky'.



TODAY'S FEATURETTE:
INDY COMIC BOOK HISTORY:   Today's 'Main Feature', as shown above, was on an Indy Comic Book which is begetting another comic book series, which is in keeping with my blog series celebrating the upcoming Indy Comic Book Week at the end of this month.
Today's Featurette section is a mini-history of 'Soldiers Of The Dead', of which issue #1 published earlier by Atlantis Studios is pictured below:

So what is this issue about? Here's the promo info:
"Paul Fusco converted his unsold screenplay "Soldiers of the Dead" into a comic book with the help of custom publisher Atlantis Studios.
Atlantis Studios connected Fusco with a comic artist, Ulises Roman, of Argentina, who illustrated the visual side of the script.
Fusco describes the action-horror tale as "Black Hawk Down" meets "Aliens" - with zombies, of course!
The 24-page preview issue of "Soldiers of the Dead" is on sale now and full 96-page graphic novel is scheduled to be published in the future.
"Soldiers of the Dead" tells the story of a U.S. Army Green Beret team dispatched to Haiti on a mission to suppress a military conflict. However, the troops discover a town infested with voodoo-induced zombies."
Okay... here's my thoughts for this issue:
I'm not really into Zombies or Vampires reading per se... although I do blog about ones that catch my interest at times.
The writing of this comic book was interesting enough that I would check out the future graphic novel.  Plus the artwork is different enough to make this more than just a run of the mill zombie comic book. The colors are very vivid in the issue.
The publication I have in hand is not the one shown above. I have the one published by Eyes On Hand On Entertainment in Agoura Hills. The credits for that issue are Paul Vincent Fusco and Ulises Carpintero.
I had more info on this comic book's history, but that data seems to have been removed...
For more on this work, please see the web site at:
http://www.atlantisstudios.net/soldiersofthedead/creator.html
My thanks for the preview comic being submtitted here for possible review!
~Michael

WEB PAGE NOTE: This blog post is written for the IE Browser standards. Netscape, Firefox and the others serve the page up differently. The screen display resolution is best seen at the setting of 1024 x 768.
All images and characters within this blog post are copyright and trademark their respective owners.

Posted by makeitsomarketing at 12:01 AM PST

Updated: Friday, December 18, 2009 11:56 AM PST

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Thursday, December 17, 2009

Comicbook Artists Guild Anthology: Issue Seven
Mood:

caffeinated
Topic: Comic Books - New

Comicbook Artists Guild Anthology:

Annual Issue Seven

Above: Comicbook Artists Guild (C.A.G.).

To the Right: The front cover to the C.A.G. Anthology Issue Seven (7).

TODAY'S 'MAIN FEATURE':
Earlier this week I blogged about the upcoming 'Indy Comic Book Week' that starts December 27th, 2009....
The above pictured comic book was issued prior to that period of time, but still fits in with my blog series on Indy Comics. Plus you can still buy copies of it at the address I'll be providing below.
I have already blogged about 'Iconic', which is also from C.A.G. That annual anthology, (#8), in graphic novel format was published in time for the 2009 MoCCA Fest.
So what is this publication about? Here is the promo info:
CAG # 7 is six short stories filled with Action, Adventure and Honor packed in 56 glorious black and white pages. Included is Three J Productions own western hero, Jonas McCabe™ Bounty Hunter in "Reflection in the Water".

Okay, so what are my thoughts on this issue?
Well, the issue was sent to me courtesy of Carl Hering Jr. owner of Three J Productions, who as mentioned in the above promo release, has a feature in the comic book.
As I have mentioned numerous times here in my Blog, reviewing an anthology is one of the hardest publications to review. That's because too often stories are published together that don't mesh well when reading in one publication in my opinion. However, when the stories don't clash with one another, then that is when reading them is a pleasure. So how did this anthology do?
Here in CAG #7 are the following stories:
Agent Unknown: Kill Zone - Story and art well done by Robert Sodaro and Chris Torres. The shades of gray / black / white are fitting for the genre of this story.
Recollections of a Commander - I go back to my earlier statement. This doesn't flow after the first printed story, and doesn't with the next one either. In another anthology with more stories like this one, it could fare better.
Reflection In The Water - Story by Carl Herring Jr. with art by Ed Coutts. Story and art flowed well. Enough for me to want to seek out more of this Jonas McCabe - Bounty Hunter series.
Steel and Paper - Written by Ed Pereira with artwork and lettering by Ed Traquino. Well plotted story, with art that flowed with that genre.
Rockabilly Rex: Riders In the Sky - Story and art presented well by several persons. Having the story title and the credits on the last page of the story was the only aspect of this story that didn't work for me. Would have preferred to see that on the first page of the story.
Then the rest of the 'comic book' is printed in a 'flip' option.
The story there is called 'A History Lesson starring: Tarchaka and Squeeature' - I'm glad that this segment was in a 'flip' option printing with a 'flip' back cover. That's because this story didn't mesh with any of the earlier stories! But I can forgive that because of the 'flip' printing. Reading it from this side is like having an xtra comic book for 'free'. So okay... taken by itself, the story and art were OK for me. (Maybe the second story could have been placed at the end of the stories presented, before the flip option?)
So for an anthology publication, I would have to rate it as a pretty good read. There was enough in here to make it worth the cover price. Plus as a reader, you are exposed to creative teams that you probably don't see that much. I recognized several of the names, but not all of them...
I stated earlier that I would give you the address on where to obtain this comic book. Carl Herring Jr.'s web site has this available for purchase at $5.00 by clicking here!
Plus, while you are there, take a look at his Crime Wave Anthology Volume 1 that I blogged about here! That was a great read, and I'm looking forward to Volume 2 of that anthology series!
I will be blogging about more indy comics series right here at ComicBookCollectorsBlog.com in the days to come, straight into the New Year itself, as that is how long 'Indy Comic Book Week' continues into!
You can follow what is happening and how you can participate in 'Indy Comic Book Week' by checking out the details at:
http://indycomicbookweek.com/index.html.
For our part...Tina and I will be having all the independents comics / graphic novels that we have ready to be sold listed in our online store at:
http://www.makeitsomarketing.com/
BTW, If YOU are a comics or graphic novel creator, and would like to possibly see Your work reviewed here in my Blog, please check this following link, where I tell you: "How To Best Submit YOUR Publication For Possible Review!"
AND... Thanks again to all of YOU reading our current and archived blog posts! We do blog usually on a daily basis during the work week 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.
PLUS... Welcome to ALL of You that were reading the eBay Version of our Blog prior to eBay closing 'their eBay blogs platform' on October 31st, 2009. That version of our Blog had 1.37 MILLION page views before the closure...
However, This Blog version is the same Blog that has been published at the same time the eBay version was being published. I've been publishing this version since September 2007, so it has the same 'Fun Stuff' you are used to reading on the eBay version of our Blog!
Speaking of eBay... Be sure to check out our own new listings of comics, graphic novels, Comic Con exclusives and more pop culture items for sale in Our online eBay Featured Store that our blogs are based on! It's due to sales at this online store that keep us going with the ability to post blogs like the one you have read here today!
~ Michael D Hamersky @ ComicBookCollectorsBlog.com

"Hammering Out the Web For You Since May 12th, 1998!"

Note: If you are breaking into or already work in the comic book industry or other pop culture productions, you are welcome to email us press releases, news items, and updates that you feel would be of interest to our blog readers. Including YOUR own works!
To mail printed items to us for possible review, send to:
Make It So Marketing
PO Box 130653
Carlsbad, CA 92013

We also have an on-line exhibitor table at the virtual Facebook Comic Con. You can view the table by clicking this link.
If you are a Facebook member, please join our Facebook Comic Con | Make It So Marketing exhibitor table for updates, specials, and other wall posts!

If you are a Facebook member and want to join my Facebook Network, feel free to send a 'friend request' to 'Michael D Hamersky'.



TODAY'S FEATURETTE:
NEW INDY COMIC BOOK:   Today's 'Main Feature', as shown above, was on an Indy Comic Book, which is in keeping with my series celebrating the upcoming Indy Comic Book Week at the end of this month.
Today's Featurette section is an update on a mini-series from Bluewater Comics that I first blogged about when issue #1 came out. (Click here for my review blog on issue #1.)
Below are shown both variations of the front cover to the issue #3 of this 4 issue mini series; with cover B at the left, and cover A at the right:

So what is this issue about? Here's the promo info:
"Tom, Astro and Roger have discovered the origin and the goal of the robot army called the One State. To fight these deadly robots, though, they need to solve a mystery, and, to solve that mystery, they must enlist the help of Joan Dale."
Writer: Bill Spangler
Art: John DaCosta
Letterer: Wilson Ramos Jr.
Colors: Niko Anaya
Okay... here's my thoughts for this issue:
I enjoyed the first issue enough to continue with the series. Bill's plotline and dialogue have kept me interested to this point, and I look forward to the ending of the story arc next issue.
John's artwork as I stated in my earlier blog post is a different style when he illustrates the characters. After three issues I find it still appropriate for this story genre. I really do like the background scenes he puts in, which gives me the illusion of being in space with the characters.
The lettering by Wilson continues to be one of his good lettering works.
The colors by Niko are vivid and mesh well with the artwork.
I'm looking forward to the wrapping up of this four issue mini-series. So far the ride has been a good one. I don't see any reason not to enjoy the fourth and final installment...
For more on this Tom Corbett: Space Cadet mini-series, please check out their web site at:
http://www.bluewaterprod.com/
My thanks to the folks at Bluewater Productions for submitting the 3rd issue of this series being reviewed here today in this blog post.
~Michael

WEB PAGE NOTE: This blog post is written for the IE Browser standards. Netscape, Firefox and the others serve the page up differently. The screen display resolution is best seen at the setting of 1024 x 768.
All images and characters within this blog post are copyright and trademark their respective owners.

Posted by makeitsomarketing at 12:01 AM PST

Updated: Thursday, December 17, 2009 1:48 PM PST

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