TODAY'S 'MAIN FEATURE':

Tina and I saw a lot of comics creators at their tables in the Artists Alley at the 2009 Long Beach Comic Con (LBCC)...

But none so wild and crazy as Iota_Arcane and D. Castr at their Taco Comics Table!

Indeed, I've held off blogging about their works for a while, because they just didn't 'fit into' this blog in the 'normal' sense.

Now that doesn't mean their work isn't good, it's just that the work is more of what used to be called 'underground' style, and their music is more hip hop style than what I usually would mention here, if I mentioned music at all.  It's a comic book blog after all, you know! 

What grabbed Tina's attention was that the comic book shown at the top right was generated from a 'track' on Iota_Arcane's CD titled 'Imaginary Slave'.  So the fact that the music media spawned a comic book was interesting to Tina.

For myself, I thought it was a cool background story.  The music is hip hop, not my normal listening to music venue.  The comic book as you can see from the front cover is kinda weird, but just as 'far out' as the underground comics from the 1960's - 1970's we are selling in our online store.

The tune that plays in the background on the video presented above is kinda catchy... more so than the CD, but again, that is my personal taste in music.  I blog about what I like here, and the combo of a CD track to a full blown Comic Book is a story that I like.

As a side note, here's Iota_Arcane's notes on the CD itself: This is a collection of old songs & poems I have been performing live for years. I linked up with a old friend Deadend from Head Hunterz Crue and I was lucky enough to have him do all the production and recording for this project with Dj Step Daddy on the Cuts. This is me doing me. It is super unorthodox with no standard or rules. Just shredding in Rhymes. D. Castr did the cover art. D. Castr and I also have a comic book out based on the "Imaginary Slave" song on this album that correlates with the comic book".

I'm presenting their story here for YOU to check it out further, IF this style of art and / or music is more your speed than mine.

They were fun guys and passionate about their Taco Comics Table at the LBCC.  They deserve to have some publicity about their creative products.  They are not sitting around waiting for fame to come to them. And also not sitting at their table not paying attention to those passing by. Indeed, they both could have figured that Tina and I were definitely not 'hip' enough to share their creations with, but they were definitely energetic and friendly enough when then realized that Tina and I expressed interest in what they were doing. 

Since the LBCC, they have since gone on to do a couple more comic cons that you can see at their websites.

You can check that and them out further at the following links:

Iota_Arcane Band on MySpace Music - Free Streaming MP3s, Pictures & Music Downloads at: http://www.myspace.com/xnationalz

For the Taco Comics Facebook Member Page:

http://www.facebook.com/tacocomics?ref=ts

Iota_Arcane & D.Castr's Comics Page: http://www.TacoComics.com

Taco Comics Blog at: http://www.TacoComics.WordPress.com

My thanks to both Iota_Arcane & D. Castr (David Castro) for the time they spent with us at the LBCC.  And for the promo comic and CD for a possible mention / review in this Blog.

PLUS: Thanks again to all of YOU reading this blog and our archived blog posts! We usually blog on a daily basis during the 'work week' on comic book creators, comic book reviews, comic cons, and other pop culture news and events, or TV show based on comics, such as the one blogged aobut here today! 

Join us again soon, as we publish another 'Main Feature'.  And don't forget to check out the 'Featurette' shown below this article!

TODAY'S 'MAIN FEATURE':

Tina and I watched the Season Premiere Episode of the 'Human Target' Sunday Night...

Which is being rerun tonight, (Tuesday - January 19th, 2010). I'm blogging about this TV show because it is loosely based on a comic book series co-created by Len Wein and Carmine Infantino back in 1972. 

1972?  Yes, that far back!

Too often the co-creators of properties that old don't even get mentioned in the 'credits' of new works.  Or, possibly the co-creators don't even want to be associated with the new works.

In this case I went to the member page of my Facebook Friend, Len Wein, to see what he said about the TV Show.  What I found there was:  "(Len Wein) is pleased that Cartoon Network is rerunning his first Ben 10 today at Noon. Tonight, at 8 on Fox, the premiere of Human Target! Watch 'em both if you can".

So I felt good about seeing this on his page, and wanted to blog about the new series today as a 'Main Feature'.

Which is doubly good, because I really like two of the main cast members of this new show.  More on that later in this post.

First I want to give a little history on "The Human Target". The Human Target is actually named Christopher Chance, and he is an American comic book character co-created by Len Wein and Carmine Infantino. (Len is pictured at the top left of this post.)

Christopher Chance in the comic books is what I would consider a 'unique' combination of both private detective and bodyguard, who operates by impersonating his clients in order to eliminate threats to their safety. (Yes, I know, that's not what he does in the Premiere Episode of this 2010 TV Show.)

The first appearance of 'The Human Target' was published in Action Comics #419 back in December of 1972, (pictured at the top right of this post. See the blurb for 'The Human Target' above the Action Comics Logo.)

This early appearance, and others in Action Comics are known as "back-up stories".  Action Comics is of course published by DC Comics. Later on the feature appeared in core 'Batman' titles such as 'The Brave and the Bold' and 'Detective Comics'.

It wasn't until much later that DC Comics gave this feature its' own comic book title, in 1991. The one-shot comic book, (shown to the left) was titled: The Human Target Special.

This was during the time that The Human Target was adapted as a Summer Televison Series in July of 1992 that starred Rick Springfield.  (Yes, THAT Rick Springfield!) It lasted 7 episodes, and had Danny Bilson and Paul DeMeo as writers.  

After that, it wasn't until 1999 that Christopher Chance then starred in a limited series, followed up by a one-shot, and then in an ongoing Human Target series written by Peter Milligan and published under DC's Vertigo imprint. That run lasted the longest, with 21 issues in total. For a full listing of these titles and issues please click this link.

Okay... I've brought you up to date on the history of this comic book feature and its' earlier incarnation as a brief TV Series.

Now for the current series which premiered Sunday, January 17th of 2010 as a Fox television series starring Mark Valley, Chi McBride and Jackie Earle Haley.

First: I like the choice of two of the actors for sure...

That of Mark Valley as Christopher Chance.  I think it is about time that he was given the chance to headline a series. 

I thought he had a good role in the TV Series, 'Boston Legal', as Brad Chase, from 2004 - 2007.

His role in 'Fringe' on FOX TV was too short. But then again, he did marry Anna Torv, his co-star on the show in December 2008. (Anna plays agent Olivia Dunham.)

But now, he has a 'chance' to become a major TV Star...

Additionally I liked Chi McBride on 'Pushing Daisies'.  Tina saw the special panel at the San Diego Comic Con before that show premiered, and I wound up watching the series with her, althought I wasn't as excited about it as her.  However, I thought that Chi McBride and Kristin Chenowith were two of the best actors on that series...

I mentioned that I liked the choice of two of the actors for this series. It's not that I don't like Jackie Earle Haley, it's just that I've only remembered seeing him in the Watchmen film, where he had the role of Rorschach.  His role in the premiere episode of this new series was a vital one, and his look fit the role.

Speaking of roles, of course it is the guest stars that help make a series when the show itself is set in different locations with different characters for each episode.  I'm looking forward to the episode with Moon Bloodgood myself!  I've liked her ever since first seeing her on 'Journeyman'.  Her role in the film Terminator: Salvation, (seen to the left), wasn't bad either!

My thanks to the FOX Network for airing this premiere a second time... as it was up against the Golden Globes on Sunday.  The second episode of this new show airs Wednesday night.  Tina and I will be watching it!  Good luck to this new series!

TODAY'S 'MAIN FEATURE':

I received the following press release from the Hero Initiative which I wanted to share here today...

That's because the press release is about Ed Hannigan, whose works I enjoyed reading while he was at Marvel Comics.

The following is about the book, the exhibition, the charity auction, AND the man, Ed Hannigan:

"The Cartoon Art Museum and the Hero Initiative proudly present Ed Hannigan: Covered, a retrospective exhibition celebrating the art of Ed Hannigan.  This retrospective features a selection of covers and original artwork created by Hannigan for Marvel Comics and DC Comics in the 1970s and 1980s, including such popular characters as Batman, Superman, Spider-Man and The Defenders.  

Today, Hannigan is 58 years old and has multiple sclerosis.  The Hero Initiative, a charitable organization that provides financial assistance to comic book professionals in need, and Marvel Comics have collaborated on a tribute book, Ed Hannigan:  Covered, that features highlights from Hannigan’s artistic career. 

The Cartoon Art Museum will display some of Hannigan’s most notable covers alongside the cover and complete interior artwork for one of his most famous single-issue stories, The Spectacular Spider-Man #64, which introduced the crime-fighting duo Cloak and Dagger.  

Sponsorship for this exhibition has been provided by The Comic Outpost.  The Comic Outpost, located on 2381 Ocean Ave. San Francisco, CA has been fulfilling the needs of comic book lovers for well over 15 years.  Current owners Gary Buechler and Roger Yan firmly believe their customer service and subscriber program is second to none.  For more questions, visit their website at www.comicoutpost.net.

SAVE THE DATE:  An auction of original artwork will be held at the Cartoon Art Museum on Friday, April 2, 2010, in conjunction with San Francisco’s WonderCon Comics convention.

About Ed Hannigan:

Ed was born August 6, 1951 in Newport, Rhode Island, the first of what would become eight children. His dad was an officer in the U.S. Navy, and later an engineer/sales executive for Tidewater Oil (later to become Getty Oil). He grew up throughout the Northeast, where his grandmother used to give him comic books. With their help, he learned to read at a young age, particularly impressed with World's Finest, featuring Superman and Batman.

Ed soon became a Marvel fanatic, and was determined to draw comic books some day. In high school in Ashland, Massachusetts he practiced drawing constantly and produced comics of his own. He also illustrated the senior yearbook.

In 1971, after moving to New Jersey, he managed to wrangle an invitation to visit Marvel Comics’ offices. He showed his art samples to the folks there—Marie Severin, Mike Esposito, Herb Trimpe and others. They were polite, but less than impressed. But he still kept coming around. Then one day Sol Brodsky needed someone to do some lettering corrections on the British weekly reprint series, Mighty World of Marvel. Ed volunteered and for a short while, became a letterer.

Sol then needed someone to do some zip-a-tone shading on the same reprint line. Ed and Klaus Janson took on that job and were friendly rivals for a while as they shaded photostats of old Spider-Man, Fantastic Four and Thor stories. But Ed did not give up on drawing comics, practicing and learning from the pros at Marvel.

Eventually he was allowed to do some sketches for those same British reprints and finally was given a Planet of the Apes cover to draw. After that he started helping Art Director John Romita to design covers for other artists and occasionally himself to draw. He also illustrated some stories. By and by, Ed became the busiest comic cover sketch artist in the place. At one time or another he did cover designs for just about every comic in the line.

Ed tried to tailor cover designs to the style of whichever artist was going to do the final art, but he also introduced some trademark features of his own, most famously, "messing with the logo" in some way or another, destroying or distorting it. The sketches became more elaborate and often were fully colored.

He continued to draw some stories ands even wrote a few (Defenders was his longest run), but cover sketches were his mainstay for the next several years, and that's what he is best known for in the industry.

When the comics business contracted in the early 1990s, Ed was forced to find other employment. He end up doing computer graphics for a publisher in Massachusetts for nine years.

In the course of those years, he was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, which at first was a minor annoyance, but soon progressed to a major disability. He now lives in New Hampshire with his wife and two children."

I wanted to add that Ed also pencilled the cover of Fantastic Four #170 cover dated May 1976 with inks by Joe Sinnott.  I always want to mention work done on that series by comic creators as it has been my all time favorite comic book run. 

The Facebook Group Page for the HERO Initiative can be found by clicking here.

The Facebook Fan Page for the Cartoon Art Museum can be found by clicking here.  

I am a member / fan of both of these pages on Facebook, and there is good reading there as well as updates by both organizations.

My thanks to the HERO Initiative people for sending me the Press Release.  I invite my blog readers to either / or / and attend the exhibit / charity auction event / pick up the book. 

TODAY'S 'MAIN FEATURE':

As Tina would say:  Woo-Hoo! 

Yes, that is right... '24' is FINALLY returning this weekend for a Season 8!

We've had to keep ourselves busy reading the '24' graphic novels & TPBs that we bought to read and resell later in our online store, otherwise we would have bought the '24' Omnibus from IDW Publishing pictured at the top left of this post that is a compilation of them! 

That's because Tina is such a BIG Fan of '24'.  That is the one TV Series that she will NOT tape to watch later, period!

So yeah, we will definitely be watching the two night / four hour Season 8 Premiere this upcoming Sunday and Monday nights!

For those of you that don't know, the show will return on Sunday, January 17 at 9/8c and Monday, January 18 at 8/7c. Then it replaces the 'Lie to Me' Fox TV Series on Mondays at 9/8c for the rest of its run during Season 8. For our international blog readers, '24' premieres in the UK on Sky One on January 24, 2010, and in Australia on 7TWO on January 26, 2010.

The 'Big Draw', Kiefer Sutherland, will return for the 8th season. Kiefer, as Jack Bauer, is the only actor that has been in every episode since the start of Season 1.

Kiefer, who we have seen before at this Comic Con, was very pleasant, well spoken, and entertained by the crowd.  Of course the crowd was defintely hanging on every word he uttered!

Mary Lynn Rajskub (pictured to the left), Cherry Jones, and Annie Wersching are the only main cast members from season 7 who will also be returning as main cast members in season 8.

A special note here:  Tina and I both noticed how quiet Mary Lynn usually was during the special panel at Comic Con, but every time Katee Sackhoff would speak, Mary Lynn would roll her eyes, or make some sort of face.  Very interesting, and something you wouldn't probably 'catch' from still photos.  If you can find some videos from this Con, take a look at what I'm talking about...

Others returning, but not as main cast members are: Elisha Cuthbert as a "Special Guest Star", and Bob Gunton back as Ethan Kanin, who is now the Secretary of State.

We didn't see Carlos Bernard at the Comic Con International: San Diego (SDCC) this year at the panel.  His role as Tony Almeida returning or not, was Not answered by the show's producers at the panel.

Season 8 is supposed to be set 8 months after season 7. Of course being '24', Season 8 begins and ends in a '24' hour period, this time at 4:00 PM.

And yeah, Tina, (shown to the left by the 24 Poster), is excited that the Season 8 is unfolding in New York City, amidst the shadows of the Statue of Liberty! Tina was born in the area, and still has a lot of family around there that we visit when we go back East.

No spoiler here, but the reason New York is where the action takes place this Season 8; is because CTU has been upgraded and is now operated by the MBA-schooled Brian Hastings (Mykelti Williamson) out of  New York.

Cole Ortiz (Freddie Prinze Jr.), is a former Marine who wants to follow in Jack Bauer’s footsteps. He is running the division’s Field Operations. 

Freddie was pretty quiet during the special SDCC panel, but came over as a 'nice guy'.

Expert data analyst Dana Walsh (Katee Sackhoff - who is shown to the left), collaborates with systems analyst & drone pilot Arlo Glass inside CTU's New York branch.

I have liked Katee in a couple of other shows, and am interested to see how she does on this series.  She was asked a lot of questions, and appears to have a large fan base...

Who else is there this Season 8?  Well, Rob Weiss serves as President Allison Taylor’s new Chief of Staff, and Meredith Reed is an ambitious journalist with ties to the unfolding situation.

As for Jack Bauer, he is simply a man who wants to move on with his life and to be with his daughter and granddaughter. Of course those plans come to a halt when, once again, America needs his help!

Additional new cast members include Anil Kapoor (TV Host - Slumdog Millionaire) (as a Middle Eastern leader named Omar Hassan), and is pictured to the left.

With so many people on the panel, (there were also production people), not everyone got a lot of time to talk. This picture was one of the few times that he addressed the audience.

Also new to this Season 8 are: Jennifer Westfeldt (Kissing Jessica Stein) and John Boyd (The Notorious Bettie Page), who were confirmed on the day production was slated to begin. Westfeldt will play journalist Meredith Reed, while Boyd will play CTU systems analyst Arlo Glass.

Again, this is one Premiere we aren't going to miss! And if you are a 'Jack Bauer' fan, we know you won't either!  And we are going to be along for the '24 Hour Ride' until the Season Finale on May 24, 2010!

Our thanks to the folks that brought down the cast and production staff of '24' to the Comic Con International: San Diego last July.

And thanks to the folks at IDW Publishing for taking this TV Series and publishing great stories in a graphic novel format!

TODAY'S 'MAIN FEATURE':

I recently received the above comic book from publisher Martin T. Pierro of Cosmic Times for a possible mention or review....

If you have been around in comics for a while like me, you would think I've heard that name before... Cosmic Times... and yes, back in 1984 Cosmic Times was a fledgling comics news fanzine.

However, last year, 2009, they were reborn as an independent publishing house.  Their first title was “Arthur: The Legend Continues”, an ongoing epic adventure that will be followed by the anthology series “Decisions” along with several other titles currently in various stages of production.

I hadn't yet heard of their rebirth or the fact that 'Arthur: The Legend Continues" had been started, even though they were at the 2009 Mega Con in Orlando, Florida.

Martin became aware of this Blog during the Indy Comics Book Week series I was blogging here in December, and sent the comic book in for a possible mention.

So what is the comic book about?  Here's the press release info:

Written and Illustrated by Martin T. Pierro & Cristhian Zamora

Standard Comic
Black & White
Page Count: 48
POD - $3.50 cover price

On an ancient battlefield King Arthur gives his final order - Excalibur is to be returned to the Lady of the Lake. As the last shadows fall on Camelot Arthur is carried off to Avalon where he will wait until his people need him once more. On a post-apocalyptic battlefield a mystical sword appears - is this the return of the once and future king? Can the prophecy finally be fulfilled before all hope is lost? Faith and courage are put to the ultimate test in this self-contained “pilot” issue of “Arthur: The Legend Continues”.

With the world as we know it gone, mankind is on the verge of extinction yet still struggling to find purpose and hope. From the ancient past a glimmer of light shines and a legend returns to claim his throne. Facing challenges never imagined in his time, King Arthur shall rise again and bring the mighty Excalibur to the throats of all who wish to do harm to his people.

Arthur: The Legend Continues TM and © Martin T. Pierro. All rights reserved.

So I read this comic book and found the following:

The comic book is illustrated with black and white interior pages.  This after a great color front cover by Artula Siriwardane, whose works I see a lot online as Artula and I are Facebook Friends. His works never disappoint me.

The black and white interior pages illustrated by Cristhian 'Crizam' Zamora fits the tone of this storyline, and I didn't miss it not being in color.  The facial expressions were vivid in the illustrations, and the backgrounds were good enough to make me believe that the scenes were truly happening in both the early period of the comic book and the future years.  There was no skimping on backgrounds in this issue.

The storyline by Martin T Pierro was an interesting read. Yes as most others, I was familar with the original story of Arthur, but this "continuation" is set in the far future of mankind.  

Yeah, there are a lot of stories out there that are set in post-apocalyptic environments. And after a while that scenario can be kind of tiring as more comics / graphic novels / books are published in this vein...

Yet here in this storyline I found myself continuing to read page after page.  Why?  Well, in this story, hundreds of years after the apocalypse, mankind has rebuilt its' civilization. And after the intro pages of the earlier Medieval Era with King Arthur, it now appears that mankind is now going through what could be called a Second Medieval Period.

It appears that history is repeating itself. So although this is a 'double-sized' issue, the intro and the bringing the reader into the future is done pretty smoothly in the still limited amount of pages.

That's because about a quarter of the comic's pages are used to familiarize readers with the end story of the 'Legend of Arthur', then a short recap of how mankind's civilization ended, and then the remaining pages is about the aftermath... and the return of Arthur. 

I believe that this comic book would fare well with readers of this genre of story. My only semi-negative thought about this comic book issue is the 'readability' of it.

That is, I realize that great care was taken in the early pages of the comic book to be authentic, what with the language used, but the text font is something I believe would keep this comic from not being read by more people.

I'm not blaming the letterer on this.  The placing of the word balloons, etc., is well placed.  It's just that the font is hard to read, and in my opinion could make those that are just picking this comic up at their LCBS possibly place it back on the rack, because of that 'readability' factor.

So even though the artwork, the storyline, the dialogue, and the characterization appears to be very authentic, I believe that to become more of a periodical with 'mass appeal', that the font should be looked at closer for a possible change.

Other than that possible 'issue', this comic book was a good read and should be checked out by those that enjoy this genre of literature.  

The web site for this comic book is at:

http://www.CosmicTimes.net  

There you can read more and also see the places either at LCBS or online that you can buy or order this comic book for reading.

My thanks to Martin for sending in this publication for possible review.  I do appreciate that, and wish you well for 2010, as well as a good showing at the upcoming Mega Con in Orlando.