TODAY'S 'MAIN FEATURE':

First, Happy New Year to All of our readers! And yes... I'm up way toooo early this first day of the New Year!  I guess I can't wait for the New Year to begin!

Anyways, last week / year I blogged about the 'Indy Comic Book Week' that started December 27th, 2009 and ends this Saturday January 2nd 2010.... 

The above pictured comic books are not ones that could be at your Local Comic Book Shop, (LCBS) during 'Indy Comic Book Week', because they aren't available as of yet!

However, I have seen .pdf preview copies of these projects, and wanted to bring them to your attention also, as they should be ready to read in the early part of this new year, 2010!

So what are they about?  Here is the first one's press release:

Project: Archangel is the story of a covert, government sponsored team of psychic operatives formed to combat an exceptionally unique enemy; the population at large, or rather the monsters we unleash upon ourselves.

We live in an age of evolution but also of fear and angst. Though they may be unaware, the human mind emanates psychic energy more now than ever before. “The Crookes Omnibus” called such in honor of Sir William Crookes, a 19th century physicist who made strides in the study of psychic phenomena, describes this accumulation of energy. Most will never know how to utilize the power emanating from their own minds but that doesn’t mean they are powerless to affect it and in turn to affect the “Crookes Omnibus”. The strongest of emotions are most often reflected in this otherwise neutral mass. Fear and worry of a world that grows ever more dangerous serves as a catalyst for the sculpting of the Omnibus into the very fears we dread. The result is the physical manifestation of some of the worlds most infamous lore; monsters, demons, and ghosts.

Joseph Netette codename: Helix is the world’s authority on the subject. His years with the top secret Men in Black within the NSA served as his laboratory for exploring the phenomena, but growing up in a Voodoo neighborhood in New Orleans prepared him for the discovery, a reality that would drive most men to madness. It is this fear of that which they do not understand that drove his superiors to placing Helix as the director of his custom designed Project: Archangel. As soon as the Project got the ‘green light’ Helix began assembling his team.

Ultimately Project: Archangel serves two purposes. Their primary mission is to monitor and respond to spikes in the Omnibus, events that almost always mark the psychic manifestation of some horrible fear. Secondarily the Project must study and if possible, learn to control the Omnibus for the good of the United States and the world. It is set in a mature, ‘cloak and dagger’ setting where people, even those gifted are unwitting pawns in a grander scheme and where nothing is at it seems. It is intended for mature audiences.

Creator/Writer: Keith Holmes
Inks, Colors, Letters: Todd Rayner
Pencils: Ken Hensley.

Okay.... So what is the second project about?

Templar is the story of Isaiah, the fledgling Knight Protectorate of New York City. Set in fictional Fort Hunt, NY, a modern day throwback to the violence-scarred South Bronx of the late 1970’s and early 1980’s. Templar chronicles the life of Isaiah, New York’s Fledgling Knight Protectorate assigned to hunt down the children of the mysterious Lost Tribe of Israel; the Nephilim. Weighted with vows of poverty, celibacy, and obedience Isaiah must use his Templar training, blessings of cognition, and physical prowess to defeat the spawn of Heaven’s fallen angels hidden among us (vampires, werewolves, flesh-eaters), keeping his duties a secret from the “mortals” he is sworn to protect.

Although Isaiah has returned to his home in New York from Templar training in Africa, his interactions with the two friends he holds dearest, Jason and Katie Gida, whom he grew up with in St. Thomas orphanage before leaving for “The Secret Place”, are complicated by the Order of Knights Templar who forbid pursuit of past relationships.

Jason Gida has become the young Parishioner of St. Thomas Catholic Church and Orphanage. The Occulus Dei, a fringe exorcism-based order of priests to which Jason belongs has long been an ally of the Templars. Because it is acceptable for a Knight to contact an Occulus Dei Priest when aid is needed, a loophole exists that allows the two friends to reunite. However, this revival of their friendship is strained by each man’s approach to this secret war between good and evil and their roles within it.

Katie Gida is a beautiful young woman who from the moment she met Isaiah on the orphanage playground, dreamed of the day they could be together as one. At seventeen Katie was removed from St. Thomas and put to work as a stripper and escort by “Fat” Tony Valentino, a mid-level Mafia boss who was responsible for the death of her parents. It is a sacrifice she willingly makes for the life of her brother whom Tony vowed to kill in retribution for their parent’s betrayal. She still dreams of Isaiah, but present circumstances make that dream unattainable. She is aware of his return to New York but unaware of the nature of that return.

Templar is a dramatic work containing violence, sexual situations, and harsh language. It’s set in a gritty, true-to-life world mixed with the horror stories of religion and folklore. The story references accurate historical content, fogging the lines of reality and making suspect the believability in “truth”. It is intended for mature audiences who enjoy reading about the supernatural, secret societies, organized crime, and man’s influence on his own destiny.

Creator/Writer: Keith Holmes
Inks, Colors, Letters: Todd Rayner
Pencils: Dave Dabila.

So why did I pick these two projects to start off the New Year?

Well, both Keith Holmes and Todd Rayner are Facebook Friends, and I've seen mentions of their endeavors off and on since August of 2009.  Plus I was sent preview copies starting back in August and as recently as Christmas Eve.  So I thought that even though the series aren't totally ready yet, I would mention them here.

Templar was first sent to me as a two page .pdf preview.  Although I thought the cover and interior page were illustrated well and with vivid colors, I wasn't sure the series was 'for me'.  There was a severed head of a creature flying around on the cover, with blood gushing...

A second preview .pdf was sent as a follow up. This was a nine page preview, with the cover shown at top right of this blog post. This was starting off differently than the first preview that was sent to me... but then included the same interior page I had been sent before, along with the severed head cover from the earlier preview.

Now I've read EC Comics, underground comix, HoRRoR comics, etc., so I've seen a lot of different genres.   I haven't figured this one out yet, but the art, other than the violence depicted, was something that drew me back in to see the second preview.  I'll have to wait to see the full issue before commenting further on this project. 

Please Note: This issue is not yet rated, but intended for mature audiences.

Project Archangel's storyline wasn't as 'graphic / grim n' gritty' as 'Templar'.  I was sent an 8 page preview .pdf, that had a cover and 7 interior pages.

The storyline was more 'reader friendly' for me, but that is just according to my 'tastes'.  The intro of the 7 pages led me to wanting to see more.  So this is a project I'll keep closer tabs on, and probably blogging about again later.

So, since these two projects were just sent in preview form to me, I'm reserving 'judgement' on them until I see more.

You can see more yourselves by checking out their web site at:  http://www.enterlightstudios.com !

Even better, if You are a Facebook member - (and why aren't you if you aren't already!), by becoming a 'fan' at their FB Fan Page here:  Enterlight Studios - Graphic Entertainment! That way you can be 'inter-active' with the creators of these two series!

I will be blogging about more proposed or published indy comics series right here at ComicBookCollectorsBlog.com in the first days of the New Year.  This is my 'contribution' to 'Indy Comic Book Week'!

You can follow what is happening and how you can participate in the final days of 'Indy Comic Book Week' by checking out the details at:

http://indycomicbookweek.com/index.html.

Additionally, 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 intro prices at:

http://www.comicbookscircus.com/   

TODAY'S 'MAIN FEATURE':

As the title of this blog post states, it is the last one for 2009! Thus I want to finish up the year by mentioning a few things that are ending for this year, some things that are extending into the new year, and some new projects planned for 2010.

First, I have had several Facebook Friends thank me  for publicizing the current 'Indy Comic Book Week' that started December 27th. The 'Week' itself continues into 2010, so be sure to go to your LCBS for indy comics, although the largest publishers don't have new issues out this week. We ourselves have seen an increase in 'indy comics' sales this week in our online store also!

You can follow what is happening this week 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: ComicBooksCircus.com!

TODAY'S 'MAIN FEATURE':

I had several Facebook Friends thank me  for publicizing the current 'Indy Comic Book Week' that started December 27th.... 

Since today, December 30th, 2009 would be a 'new comics day' at your LCBS, I am repeating the blog post here with a few updates.  Here is the press release for this current event:

"Indy Comic Book Week is not only an event, but also a call to action.

Diamond Comic Distributors announced they will not ship any new comics for the last week of December. This company is the primary distributor of comic books in North America. What some would call a sad week without our favorite mainstream titles, we are calling an opportunity. This vacancy allows independent and small press comic book creators to claim this week as their own.

We challenge writers and artists to self publish new material for this week, and offer it to their local stores. We ask for retailers to take this as an opportunity to showcase local independent talent on the new release shelves. We encourage fans to break from their buying habits and try something new.

Raise your fist and proudly declare that comic books are more than an industry, more than a handful of corporations – it is a creative outlet for independent-minded artists and storytellers. This last week of 2009 belongs to you. Power to the people. Right on."

I've been blogging about many indy comic books, both one-shots and mini-series, since beginning this blog back in June of 2006.  So I am pleased to see others taking the lead in promoting indy comics at the end of this year!

I have been blogging about newer indy comics series  that I picked up at recent comic cons right here at ComicBookCollectorsBlog.com for the past few weeks, only stopping to mention the changes that Tina and I are doing in our websites for the year 2010. (See yesterday's blog for news on those developments.)

You can follow what is happening this week 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.ComicBooksCircus.com/ 

TODAY'S 'MAIN FEATURE':

That's Right! As previously announced at the beginning of this Holiday Season, I mentioned that I was revising Tina LoSasso's domain name of 'MakeItSoMarketing.com'.

That's because I had taken that domain name and used it for our online store division.  Then I had used that domain name in thousands of references in the eBay version of our Blog since 2006. 

Well, with eBay closing down 'their blog format' this past October 31st, that meant that the thousands of archived blog posts with that domain name mentioned were no longer pointing toward our online eBay Featured (Premium) Store.

So, when Tina asked about increasing the presence of MakeItSoMarketing.com as her book launch and promotion site, this seemed to be a good period of time to do some de-construction and reconstruction of web sites!

Note: ComicBooksCircus.com came about because back in 1999 I had named my own eBay sales page a generic 'comic book marketplace'.  Gary Carter, who then owned the magazine 'Comic Book Marketplace' (CBM) based in Coronado, California, asked me if I would change the the generic reference to something else so there would be no confusion. 

That's when I came up with the many 'tents' idea of web pages in my off-eBay web site. It only seemed natural to have a 'Big Top of Comics' to 'house' those 'tents'.  So I built a portal (home) page for the site and started adding multiple pages with different genres of comics, ending up with over two dozen pages in the web site!  

However, I found that listing comics in my own web site and also in eBay auction listings a little too time consuming while working a full time job.  So when eBay started the 'stores' format of listing, I went to that style of listing.  Ebay didn't like non-eBay links on their pages after time went by... so I decided to just emphasize the eBay store with my email addy, letting the ComicBooksCircus web site dwindle down in size and scope.  Then I just started referring potential buyers to the eBay Store from the ComicBooksCircus web site 'tent' pages itself.

So, starting this week, and going into the new decade, I'll be revising the old web site, and re-directing those 'tent pages' to the corresponding eBay store page that carries that 'genre' of comics.  

What was once Old is now New Again!  Funny how things seem to go around in cycles, or is that circles??? 

Besides having an exhibitor table at a virtual comic con, (Facebook Comic Con), I've now got what feels to be another exhibitor table at the eBay 'comics show'. All I need now are 'real' creators signing there!  

So, very soon http://www.ComicBooksCircus.com and corresponding pages will only be going to the eBay Featured Store, and http://www.MakeItSoMarketing.com will be going to Tina's Corporate web site only, which is almost ready for re-launch.  Of course there will be some additional links at that site pointing viewers to Tina's and my other endeavors because it does take search engines a while to re-discover links!

Whew!  A lengthy explanation, but I wanted to explain why the change in scope of this Blog for the past few days!

I'll be back with more mentions and reviews of comics and graphic novels in a few days! Especially with this week being 'Indy Comic Book Week'! (Click here for details on what that is all about!)

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TODAY'S 'MAIN FEATURE':

It's almost the end of the 2009 year, which means we still have Stan Lee's Birthday to celebrate!  Today, December 28th, 2009, is Stan's 87th Birthday! Happy Birthday to You, Stan! 

The above photos were taken the last time I saw Stan, which was at the Opening Day of the Ignaural 2009 Long Beach Comic Con.

Stan was the Guest of Honor, who cut the Opening Day Ribbon, but not until after he was also honored by the City of Long Beach by having the Day, October 2nd of 2009, declared 'Stan Lee Day'!

Plus he was also given another 'honor', which was read by Jeph Loeb, who is also pictured above.

It has been my honor to blog about Stan Lee several times during this Blog's "life".  Stan was and still is my 'hero', after all these years!  

It was his participation in the 'Silver of Age of Comics' that kept me reading and collecting comics during the 1960's into the 1970's, when so many others my age dropped reading them because comics weren't 'cool'.  That's a different story today, as it is the twenty-somethings and plus that keep this industry busy by buying comics and graphic novels!

I'm not going to go into Stan's history with comics... heck, it would several blog posts to do just that! Instead I'm just going to post the following link from Wikipedia.org that gives a fair representation of Stan Lee's background and accomplishments. (Click here for the Wikipedia entry'.)

Plus to see what Stan Lee is doing nowadays, check out his web site at POW Entertainment!

Plus, You can be a 'Fan' of Stan's at his Facebook Fan Page like I am!

Suffice to say, if it wasn't for STAN LEE, and his multiple co-creators like Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, Don Heck, Joe Maneely, etc., I wouldn't have the several websites and this blog to be busy with! For that Stan, I thank you from the bottom of my heart!

Enjoy Your Special Day, Stan!  Let there be many more!  'Nuff Said!

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