Michael D Hamersky On Comics Presents: Spotlight On... Jamilyn Parks!     - Above Photo: Jamilyn Parks at the recent 2010 Long Beach Comic Con. Top Left Photo: A closer look at what Jamilyn is holding in the above photo: Tales From The Comic Bug: Infected #1 -

TODAY'S FEATURE - Blog #3343:

I have seen Jamilyn Parks at several comic cons during the last couple of years. Usually he is in an 'Artists Alley' area, busy illustrating commissioned sketches for fans of his.

Here is an earlier blog where Jamilyn was also featured in, when I review blogged Pink Power #1. I had picked up the comic book at the 2010 Wizard World Anaheim Comic Con.  Jamilyn is pictured there along with Zen, and Lindsey Zimmerman.

At the recent 2010 Long Beach Comic Con, (LBCC), I asked Jamilyn if he had any recent published comic book work that I could possibly review in this blog of mine.

Jamilyn pulled out a copy of 'Tales From The Comic Bug: Infected! #1' that I had see around at other comics creators tables in Artists Alley.

I figured that this had to be an 'anthology', which are usually very hard to review blog, as there are so many contributions of works to these.

I was right, so instead of 'reviewing' this comic book, I'll just center on what Jamily contributed to this comic book, which BTW, is a publication from one of the better known LCBS in the Los Angeles Metro Area!

Jamilyn was the cover colorist, and was involved with the design & production of the comic, as well as a letterer on it.  The comic book's front cover definitely sets the tone for what is on the interior pages! 

If you haven't seen this yet, you should check it out... Besides Jamilyn's works on it, there are contributions by Ralph Miranda, Bobby Mort, Chris Patton, Luis Calderon, Dean Yeagle, Evan Ferrell, and others. The comic book was first published July of 2010, so there are still probably copies available, as I saw it on several of the creators tables at the LBCC.

You can see more of Jamilyn's works, plus even 'commission' him, by checking out these websites:

ComicArtCommission.com, Jamilyn Parks on DeviantArt.com, The Sketch Files blog by Jamilyn, and Jamilyn's web site at Carbonmade.com. Note: Jamilyn's works also show up on other sites, but I'm just listing his sites here.

Plus if you are in the SoCal area, be sure to check out when he will be at another comic convention, where you can 'commission' him to illustrate a sketch for you.

Thanks again Jamilyn, for the review copy that included your work!

~Michael D Hamersky

BTW, You can 'follow' this Blog by clicking the 'Follow' Button at this NetworkedBlogs app!  We currently have over 2,187 'Followers'!  Thanks to ALL of YOU that have already clicked that button!  And for those of YOU that haven't yet... I would appreciate it if YOU would!!!

~ Michael D Hamersky 

If I have it... You can find it 'Under The Big Top Of Comics' at:   ComicBooksCircus.com 

Web Page Note:  This blog post is written for the IE Browser standards.  Chrome, Safarai, Netscape, Firefox and the other browsers serve the page up differently, sorry about that!

The screen display resolution is best seen at the setting of 1024 x 768 on your laptop or desktop computer.

NOTE: All images and characters within this blog post are copyright and trademark their respective owners.

Comics Creators: If you are breaking into, or already work in the comic book industry or other pop culture productions, you are welcome to email or mail us press releases, news items, and updates that you feel would be of interest to our blog readers. Including YOUR own works!!  (Note:  I don't list my email address here, due to 'spambots' gathering it and 'spamming' me. 

To mail printed items to us for possible review, send to:

Make It So Marketing Inc., PO Box 130653, Carlsbad, CA 92013, USA

 Also, if you are a Facebook member, I would have liked you to have sent me a 'Friend Request'. However, I have reached the maximum limit of 5,000 Facebook Friends and Fan pages in my network already, so I've added a New 'Facebook Fan Page' for myself so that even more of YOU can 'Like' what I am doing, and be interactive with me and others there.   Here is the link to that 'Facebook Fan Page': Michael D Hamersky On Comics! Please click the 'Like' button on that page! 

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Michael D Hamersky On Comics: Ronald Reagan's Centennial  A New USPS Stamp And A Look Back At... Reagan's Raiders!     - Above Photo: The Front Cover to Reagan's Raiders #2 - From 1986. Top Left Photo:  2011 USPS Forever Stamp - Honoring Ronald Reagan's Centennial -

TODAY'S FEATURE - Blog #3342:

Last year at this time, I blogged about the 99th Anniversary of Ronald Reagan's birth, as seen in this blog post.

I was going to wait to post this blog about the Centennial of Ronald Reagan's birth to coincide with the 1st Day of Issue of the new stamp honoring President Ronald Reagan on February 10th, but there has been so much on what has been going on in Simi Valley, California at the Ronald Reagan Library this past week, that I decided to go ahead and post this blog today on the anniversary date, and then re-mention it at my Facebook 'Fan Page' on the 10th again.

Today is also Super Bowl Sunday, and I didn't want that to overshadow this blog post... So posting it today and then mentioning it again on my Fan Page on the 10th is probably the best way of celebrating / honoring him.

First of all, there will be a new US Postal stamp issue as stated above on February 10th.  That stamp is shown at the top left of this blog.  Here is the info from the USPS about the stamp itself:

The Postal Service recognizes the centennial of the birth of Ronald Reagan (1911-2004), America’s 40th President. The stamp issuance is one of a number of centennial events taking place across the nation in 2011 to commemorate Reagan’s life and legacy. The stamp goes on sale Feb. 10.

Ronald Wilson Reagan was a well-known Hollywood actor who appeared in more than fifty films before becoming a prominent political leader. Distinguished by his charisma and oratorical skills, he was one of the most influential Presidents of the 20th century.

In the year following Reagan’s death on June 5, 2004, the Postal Service issued a memorial stamp honoring him for his service as a U.S. President.

The stamp art, by Bart Forbes of Plano, TX, was created in oil wash on board. It is based on a photograph of Reagan taken in 1985, during his second term as President, at his beloved "Rancho del Cielo" (Ranch in the Sky), near Santa Barbara, CA.

So, after the 1st Day of Issue ceremony is completed, the USPS will be selling the stamps at your local post office.  Since it is a 'Forever' stamp, there will be many of these printed, so the odds of it being a 'collectible' stamp are pretty slim.  However, being an ex-stamp collector, it is pretty nice to see our 40th President of the United States being honored this way.

In addition, as I mentioned in my blog post from last year at this time... Ronald Reagan was also the 'Star' of a really curious comic book series from SolSon Publications.

Yes, Ronald Reagan had been shown on comic book covers before, after all he was a Movie and TV Star... but it was the SolSon Publications' Limited Series (Mini-Series?) from 1986, titled "Reagan's Raiders" that a LOT of people still don't know about.

That's Right!

The Ultimate Patriotic Super Heroes Team 'Reagan's Raiders' Existed Back In the 1980's!

Actually published in 1986-87, there were three issues of this title of 'Reagan's Raiders'.

Created by artist Rich (Deathlok / Black Panther) Buckler and actor Monroe (Alice's Restaurant / Goodbye Columbus) Arnold, this was part of the black and white comic book explosion when hundreds of new comics were published by many publishers now defunct!

How did this happen??  Well their secret origin is as follows:

Using a 'physo-nuclear conversion process', Project Alpha Soldier staff scientist Professor Cashchaser transformed President Ronald Reagan, Vice President George Bush Sr., Secretary Of Defense Casper W. Weinberger,  and Secretary of State George P. Shultz into the patriotic super-team known as Reagans Raiders!

Such an 'Oddball Comics' series, (acknowledgment to Scott Shaw! for the term), as it may seem, this series was actually a good read, and not derogatory to the then President as you may think it would be!

Here is the link to the GCD gallery of comic book covers for this 3 issue comic book series.

I keep coming accross issues of this comic book here and there, and usually pick them up for resale, because of the 'cross-over effect' between comic book collectors, political items collectors, and Hollywood memorabilia collectors.

If you don't have a copy, well... we currently have listed a few copies in our own online store at: ComicBooksCircus.com!

An interesting side note:  In researching for any updates since last year, I came across another "Reagan Raiders", a high school in Austin, Texas! However this high school was NOT named after Ronald Reagan.)

For more in-depth articles on Reagan's Raiders - the Comic Book Series, please see these links:  Don Markstein's Toonopedia entry, the Wikipedia for Solson Publications, and those found in Google among others. 

Please note:  Almost all of the articles that mention this comic book series either pan it or deride it.  I would assume that would be due to the 'politics' of the writers of the articles themselves, plus the premise was a little 'out there'.  I normally don't 'play politics' in this Blog of mine.  I present articles for my readers and usually keep 'my own political beliefs' out of the blog.  I have blogged on a wide range of comics related themes from Barrack Obama to Joe Biden to John McCain to Ronald Reagan and several persons inbetween those political viewpoints.

This blog post is to honor Ronald Reagan the man and celebrate his Centennial. 

For more info on him, you can multiple links in Google.  However I would start with the Wikipedia entry as found here.  Which does not seem to carry as much political bias.

I was 28 years old when Ronald Reagan became President.  I lived through the 8 years that he was President.  That period was among the best years of my life, both personally and professionally.  This blog today is my way of honoring his memory during the Centennial Celebration...

~Michael D Hamersky

BTW, You can 'follow' this Blog by clicking the 'Follow' Button at this NetworkedBlogs app!  We currently have over 2,210 'Followers'!  Thanks to ALL of YOU that have already clicked that button!  And for those of YOU that haven't yet... I would appreciate it if YOU would!!!

~ Michael D Hamersky 

If I have it... You can find it 'Under The Big Top Of Comics' at:   ComicBooksCircus.com 

Web Page Note:  This blog post is written for the IE Browser standards.  Chrome, Safarai, Netscape, Firefox and the other browsers serve the page up differently, sorry about that!

The screen display resolution is best seen at the setting of 1024 x 768 on your laptop or desktop computer.

NOTE: All images and characters within this blog post are copyright and trademark their respective owners.

Comics Creators: If you are breaking into, or already work in the comic book industry or other pop culture productions, you are welcome to email or mail us press releases, news items, and updates that you feel would be of interest to our blog readers. Including YOUR own works!!  (Note:  I don't list my email address here, due to 'spambots' gathering it and 'spamming' me. 

To mail printed items to us for possible review, send to:

Make It So Marketing Inc., PO Box 130653, Carlsbad, CA 92013, USA

 Also, if you are a Facebook member, I would have liked you to have sent me a 'Friend Request'.

However, I have reached the maximum limit of 5,000 Facebook Friends and Fan pages in my network already, so I've added a New 'Facebook Fan Page' for myself so that even more of YOU can 'Like' what I am doing, and be interactive with me and others there. 

Here is the link to that 'Facebook Fan Page': Michael D Hamersky On Comics! Please click the 'Like' button on that page! 

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Michael D Hamersky On Comics: The Killer Vol. 3 - Modus Vivendi Collected Edition Hardcover     - Above Photo: The Front Cover to The Killer Vol. 3: Modus Vivendi - Collected Edition Hardcover- From Archaia Entertainment -

TODAY'S FEATURE - Blog #3341:

I started reading this mini-series with Issue #3 back in October of  2010.  As I said in my Blog #3261 that reviewed Issues #3 & 4, I normally don't start reading a series that has already started... But the artwork of these two issues made me change my mind. 

After reading both issues, I found myself enjoying the theme, and then read the monthly publications since then, most recently blogging about issue #5 in Blog #3281, and issue #6 in my Blog #3329.

As you can see by reading those earlier blogs, this series kept my interest and I found that I would enjoy seeing the collected series come out in a collected edition...

Well, my PO Box had the above shown hardcover collected edition in it on Friday evening, so I just had to read the two issues I hadn't read already!  And then moved it to the top of the 'to be reviewed' stack!

Here's what the publisher uses for the 'promo blurb':

"A professional assassin comes out of retirement--out of boredom, out of necessity? He takes a job and soon finds himself emeshed in an international conspiracy, and when he begins to question the identies of his employers, he find himself seeking new allies to cover his back.  This third volume of the Eisner Award-nominated 'The Killer' collects the six-issue MODUS VIENDI series."

So what's my take on this 'collected edition'?

Well, I'm not going to recap the 3rd through 6th issues again that were collected in this hardcover edition.

Nor am I going to cover what happened in the first two issues that I missed out on reading early on.

What I am going to say is this:  Even though the 'politics' expressed in this series / hardcover edition are NOT my 'politics', I still found that the storyline was a 'satisfying read'.  Again, it was the artwork that first pulled me into reading it, starting at issue #3 for me.

This is a good enough read to suggest to your non-comics reading friends, to introduce them to sequential art in a 'collected edition'.  If you have to tell them it's a 'graphic novel' to get them to even touch it, go right ahead!

I will touch upon what I said in my review blog of issue #6.  I was a little 'surprised' to find out that the 'story' would be 'continued', after reading what I thought was issue #6 of 6 issues in the series.

The Killer Vol. 3: MODUS VIVENDI Collected Edition Hardover - For mature audiences. It went on sale: January 26th... Check it out TODAY at YOUR LCBS before it's gone!

Retail Price $24.95   Page count: 176 pages

Format: hardcover book with dust jacket, 6.875" x 10.25", full color

Mature Readers (series contains Nudity, Graphic Violence, and Adult Content) 

BTW, You can 'follow' this Blog by clicking the 'Follow' Button at this NetworkedBlogs app!  We currently have over 2,210 'Followers'!  Thanks to ALL of YOU that have already clicked that button!  And for those of YOU that haven't yet... I would appreciate it if YOU would!!!

~ Michael D Hamersky 

If I have it... You can find it 'Under The Big Top Of Comics' at:   ComicBooksCircus.com 

Web Page Note:  This blog post is written for the IE Browser standards.  Chrome, Safarai, Netscape, Firefox and the other browsers serve the page up differently, sorry about that!

The screen display resolution is best seen at the setting of 1024 x 768 on your laptop or desktop computer.

NOTE: All images and characters within this blog post are copyright and trademark their respective owners.

Comics Creators: If you are breaking into, or already work in the comic book industry or other pop culture productions, you are welcome to email or mail us press releases, news items, and updates that you feel would be of interest to our blog readers. Including YOUR own works!!  (Note:  I don't list my email address here, due to 'spambots' gathering it and 'spamming' me. 

To mail printed items to us for possible review, send to:

Make It So Marketing Inc., PO Box 130653, Carlsbad, CA 92013, USA

 Also, if you are a Facebook member, I would have liked you to have sent me a 'Friend Request'.

However, I have reached the maximum limit of 5,000 Facebook Friends and Fan pages in my network already, so I've added a New 'Facebook Fan Page' for myself so that even more of YOU can 'Like' what I am doing, and be interactive with me and others there. 

Here is the link to that 'Facebook Fan Page': Michael D Hamersky On Comics! Please click the 'Like' button on that page! 

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Michael D Hamersky On Comics: The Undersea Adventures of Capt'n Eli Vol 2     - Above Photo: The Front Cover to 'The Adventures of Capt'N Eli - Vol 2 from Nemo Publishing, LLC. Top Left Photo:  Jay Piscopo - Creator -

TODAY'S FEATURE - Blog #3340:

If the title of the today's featured publication sounds familiar to you, that could be that you've seen it here in my blog before.

My youngest son, Vinnie, blogged about the one-shot comic book, Sea Ghost #1 back in December, when both that comic book and this graphic novel came in the mail for possible review, from Nemo Publishing, LLC.

I don't make it a habit to review blog the same publication that either Vinnie, or my wife, Tina LoSasso, has already blogged on.  I usually save that for either joint blogs or separate blogs on comic book movies that we attend.

So I'm going to go straight to the publication that you can see the front cover of at the top right of this post.

Here's what the publisher has for the promo blurb:

"Fans of classic adventure, meet Capt'n Eli! Created in the tradition of Flash Gordon, Buck Rogers, and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, The Undersea Adventures of Capt’n Eli is the story of a boy with extraordinary scientific abilities and unusual ties to the sea.

For all ages, this book is an imaginative blend of traditional comics storytelling and contemporary 3-D CGI. Written and illustrated by Jay Piscopo, The Undersea Adventures of Capt’n Eli graphic novel series is distributed nationally to comic shops, book stores, and libraries through Diamond Comic Distributors.

Capt'n Eli's origins are quite unique! He’s the namesake of real-life World War II veteran Eli Forsley who was also the inspiration for a line of hand-crafted sodas from Portland, Maine!"

So when starting to read this...(after reading the Sea Ghost #1 first), I found that what the publisher stated above was actually understated!

I found myself 'transported' back to my own childhood, during the 'Silver Age of Comics', because of the storyline, the ease of reading the story even though this is Volume 2, and I hadn't read Volume 1, and the great artwork!

First, the storyline:  Just like Stan Lee did during the 'Silver Age of Comics', Jay uses the 'splash page' to recap what has gone on before, making it 'reader friendly' and not leaving a new reader wondering what they have gotten into!

Also, just like Stan did in connecting the early comics titles he and Jack / Steve / Don & others produced, Jay ties in the Sea Ghost to this title, by showing the 'Origin' of Sea Ghost, starting on page 15!

The ease of reading is because this volume is for all ages.  I don't mean 'dumbed down' either for a younger reading audience, as I am definitely not 'young', and found this to be quite an enjoyable adventure story!  It kind of reminds me of the fun I had reading Jules Vernes classics and then seeing thosestories on the big screen! It would also be enjoyable to read to a much younger audience.

The artwork is 'current' and even a little 'futuristic', what with the 3-D CGI included.  Yet, although a few pages are a little dialogue heavy, the story and art mesh together very well.

Also included were pin-ups by Herb Trimpe, Joe Zierman, and Lauren Monardo.  I've blogged about Herb a few times before, and yes, he was part of the 'Silver Age of Comics', as well as the 'Bronze Age', and 'Copper Age' of Comics!

This second volume publishes Acts 4 through 8, and is continued in Volume 3. Which is understandable, as Jay includes a lot of characters in this series.

My Review Rating for this publication is NEAR MINT (NM) 9.4 out of a possible 10.0 Comic Book Grading scale. 

Nemo Publishing, LLC has their marketing act 'together', as besides having their web site, CaptainEli.com, they also have separate Facebook Fan Pages for both Sea Ghost, and The Undersea Adventures of Capt'n Eli, which I suggest YOU 'Like' after reading this blog / and reviewed publication!

You can purchase this at several different venues.  Diamond Comics Distributors has this volume and the others in their catalogs, so your LCBS should be able to back order it if they don't have it in stock, or you can purchase it direct from Capt'n Eli's own online shop! Or you can purchase it via my Amazon link as seen here: The Undersea Adventures of Capt'n Eli Volume 2

My thanks to Tami Kennedy of Nemo Publishing, LLC, for following up with me on the status of a possible review blog for this volume!

~Michael D Hamersky

BTW, You can 'follow' this Blog by clicking the 'Follow' Button at this NetworkedBlogs app!  We currently have over 2,210 'Followers'!  Thanks to ALL of YOU that have already clicked that button!  And for those of YOU that haven't yet... I would appreciate it if YOU would!!!

~ Michael D Hamersky 

If I have it... You can find it 'Under The Big Top Of Comics' at:   ComicBooksCircus.com 

Web Page Note:  This blog post is written for the IE Browser standards.  Chrome, Safarai, Netscape, Firefox and the other browsers serve the page up differently, sorry about that!

The screen display resolution is best seen at the setting of 1024 x 768 on your laptop or desktop computer.

NOTE: All images and characters within this blog post are copyright and trademark their respective owners.

Comics Creators: If you are breaking into, or already work in the comic book industry or other pop culture productions, you are welcome to email or mail us press releases, news items, and updates that you feel would be of interest to our blog readers. Including YOUR own works!!  (Note:  I don't list my email address here, due to 'spambots' gathering it and 'spamming' me. 

To mail printed items to us for possible review, send to:

Make It So Marketing Inc., PO Box 130653, Carlsbad, CA 92013, USA

 Also, if you are a Facebook member, I would have liked you to have sent me a 'Friend Request'.

However, I have reached the maximum limit of 5,000 Facebook Friends and Fan pages in my network already, so I've added a New 'Facebook Fan Page' for myself so that even more of YOU can 'Like' what I am doing, and be interactive with me and others there. 

Here is the link to that 'Facebook Fan Page': Michael D Hamersky On Comics! Please click the 'Like' button on that page! 

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Michael D Hamersky On Comics   Today, It's Vinnie's Take On:  Space Punks #2 from The Blas Studios     - Above Photo: The Front Cover of Space Punks #2. Published by the Blas Studios. Photo to the top left: Josep Blas at the 2010 Long Beach Comic Con (LBCC)! -

(Vinnie) Today I will be reviewing Space Punks issue #2. I was visiting my dad this weekend, so I asked if I could do some review blogs for him.

The web site to buy from is at: SpacePunks.com 

BTW, You can 'follow' this Blog by clicking the 'Follow' Button at this NetworkedBlogs app!  We currently have over 2,195 'Followers'!  Thanks to ALL of YOU that have already clicked that button!  And for those of YOU that haven't yet... I would appreciate it if YOU would!!!

~ Michael D Hamersky 

If I have it... You can find it 'Under The Big Top Of Comics' at:   ComicBooksCircus.com.

If it isn't available in my online 'Local Comic Book Shop, (LCBS), then you may be able find it in my Amazon affiiate link, as seen here:  Comics & Graphic Novels at Amazon!

Web Page Note:  This blog post is written for the IE Browser standards.  Chrome, Safarai, Netscape, Firefox and the other browsers serve the page up differently, sorry about that!

The screen display resolution is best seen at the setting of 1024 x 768 on your laptop or desktop computer.

NOTE: All images and characters within this blog post are copyright and trademark their respective owners.

Comics Creators: If you are breaking into, or already work in the comic book industry or other pop culture productions, you are welcome to email or mail us press releases, news items, and updates that you feel would be of interest to our blog readers. Including YOUR own works!!  (Note:  I don't list my email address here, due to 'spambots' gathering it and 'spamming' me. 

To mail printed items to us for possible review, send to:

Make It So Marketing Inc., PO Box 130653, Carlsbad, CA 92013, USA

 Also, if you are a Facebook member, I would have liked you to have sent me a 'Friend Request'. However, I have reached the maximum limit of 5,000 Facebook Friends and Fan pages in my network already, so I've added a New 'Facebook Fan Page' for myself so that even more of YOU can 'Like' what I am doing, and be interactive with me and others there.  Here is the link to that 'Facebook Fan Page': Michael D Hamersky On Comics! Please click the 'Like' button on that page! 

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