Michael D Hamersky On Comics Mentions The KickStarter Campaign For:     The Werewolf of New York!   From Batton Lash & Exhibit A Press!

TODAY'S FEATURE IS BLOG #3864 -    This blog is on the KickStarter campaign that Exhibit A Press is running for Batton Lash's latest TPB!

Jackie Estrada of Exhibit A Press brought this campaign to my attention last week, and this was the earliest I could 'slot' a mention in my Blog... But don't worry, there is still plenty of time for YOU to check it out, and make a contribution!

First of all, I've got to let you know... I am fan of Batton's work, and have already blogged about a book signing that he did back in September of 2012 for his then newly published KickStarter campaign TPB titled 'The Monsters Meet On Court Street'.

After that I was the interviewer on his 'Spotlight On... Batton Lash' program at the 2012 Long Beach Comic Con.  As seen at this link.

So yes, I do enjoy seeing Batton & his works.   But don't let that personal bias affect your thoughts on this worthy campaign!

Here's what the campaign says it is about:

Beware the creatures of the night—they have lawyers! Wolff & Byrd, Counselors of the Macabre, have had a lot of interesting supernatural clients over the years, but this one warranted their longest story ever!

The Werewolf of New York originally appeared online in the Supernatural Law webcomic (www.supernaturallaw.com).  It is the story of Leon Reed, a werewolf who was stalking New York until he was arrested. Thanks to attorneys Alanna Wolff and Jeff Byrd, Leon catches a break. However, a shapeshifter advocacy group disagrees with how Wolff & Byrd handled the case and influence Leon to make a decision that has the counselors putting their reputations on the line as they try to save their client.

The Werewolf of New York has plenty of plot twists and introduces some new characters, such as Sister Mary Maledict who runs a 13-Step Program in her Halfway House of Horrors, for monsters who want to get “clean” and go “human.” Plus longtime Wolff & Byrd fans will be treated to more of the antics in the office with some wacky clients and, of course, the trials and tribulations of Mavis, their intrepid secretary.

It's time this story became available in print. The book will be 96 pages, 7" x 10 1/2" in full color. (As anyone who got to read the story online will tell you, the coloring on this story is terrific and is essential to reproducing it in print.)

Our goal of $7,000 will go toward  the costs of printing and production of 500 copies of the book; production of premiums such as the bookmarks, calendar, and T-shirt; shipping; and Kickstarter and Amazon costs. The idea is to have the book out in July, in time for Comic-Con in San Diego.

The web page then goes on to list the pledge rewards for the different levels of making pledge donation amounts.

Here is the link to the KickStarter campaign, so that YOU can take a closer look, and check out the video that is shown there also.

I'm sure that you will enjoy whatever pledge reward that you sign up for!

~ Michael

NOTE FROM Michael D Hamersky On Comics:  My thanks again to all of YOU reading this blog and our archived blog posts, now at 3,864 total posts in number!   I do appreciate your continued reading and support of this Blog!

BTW, You can 'follow' this blog by clicking the 'Follow' Button at this NetworkedBlogs app link!   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!!!

Note:  My online 'Local' Comic Book Shop (LCBS), carries many different genres of comics, magazines, graphic novels, and comic con promotional items. Possibly even copies of the item(s) that was mentioned here today...!  If I have it, you'll find under the BIG TOP of Comics, at Comic Books Circus.com!     

Web Page Note:  This blog post is written per the IE Browser standards.  Chrome, Safari, Netscape, Firefox and the other browsers serve the page up slightly 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:  Your computer's resoulution may be set differently, but the above resolution is the most commonly used resolution at the time of this blog post. 

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! To mail printed items to us for possible review, send to:  Make It So Marketing Inc., PO Box 130653, Carlsbad, CA 92013

 Also, if you are a Facebook member, I would have liked you to send me a 'Friend Request'. However, I have reached the maximum limit of 5,000 Facebook Friends and Fan pages already, so I've added a New 'Facebook Fan Page' 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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In Addition, I started a YouTube Channel just before the 2011 Comic-Con International, where I am slowly uploading videos from conventions or other events that we attend that are also pop culture related.  You are invited to 'subscribe' to that channel also!  As found at 'HamerskyOnComics'!

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Michael D Hamersky On Comics Mentions...    Agents of S.H.I.E.LD.!       Above is the Promo Image for the New TV Show!

TODAY'S FEATURE IS BLOG #3863 -    This blog could have been posted last week, when the trailer for the upcoming TV show was first released.  However, I've limited myself to blogging to no more than once a day at the most, and I have had a few other topics that came up for blogging before this one.

So... I first want to mention that the TV show that is written about in this Wikipedia entry, is one that I've already mentally bookmarked to watch during the 2013-2014 TV season!

That's because the trailer looks 'hot', and the info in the Wikipedia entry added to what the TV show should be about.

Being a long time comics fan of S.H.I.E.L.D.,  (started with Strange Tales #135 back in August of 1965), I've got to watch this show!  

Yeah, while I am not fond of Nick Fury being re-cast ethnically in the Marvel Films, (even though Samuel L Jackson did a good job in the films role), I've got a fondness for this strip when it was penciled by Jack Kirby, and then Jim Steranko!

So I'm suggesting that you look at the trailer, the Wikipedia entry, and whatever else you need to sell yourself into watching this TV show series!

Oh, and be sure to 'Like' the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Facebook fan page!

I should be back the beginning of the new TV season with my review blog on the Premiere episode.  The show is to be broadcast on ABC on Tuesday nights at 8PM.

Till then, Don't Yield... Back S.H.I.E.L.D!

~ Michael

NOTE FROM Michael D Hamersky On Comics:  My thanks again to all of YOU reading this blog and our archived blog posts, now at 3,863 total posts in number!   I do appreciate your continued reading and support of this Blog!

BTW, You can 'follow' this blog by clicking the 'Follow' Button at this NetworkedBlogs app link!   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!!!

Note:  My online 'Local' Comic Book Shop (LCBS), carries many different genres of comics, magazines, graphic novels, and comic con promotional items. Possibly even copies of the item(s) that was mentioned here today...!  If I have it, you'll find under the BIG TOP of Comics, at Comic Books Circus.com!     

Web Page Note:  This blog post is written per the IE Browser standards.  Chrome, Safari, Netscape, Firefox and the other browsers serve the page up slightly 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:  Your computer's resoulution may be set differently, but the above resolution is the most commonly used resolution at the time of this blog post. 

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! To mail printed items to us for possible review, send to:  Make It So Marketing Inc., PO Box 130653, Carlsbad, CA 92013

 Also, if you are a Facebook member, I would have liked you to send me a 'Friend Request'. However, I have reached the maximum limit of 5,000 Facebook Friends and Fan pages already, so I've added a New 'Facebook Fan Page' 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!

---------------            

      

In Addition, I started a YouTube Channel just before the 2011 Comic-Con International, where I am slowly uploading videos from conventions or other events that we attend that are also pop culture related.  You are invited to 'subscribe' to that channel also!  As found at 'HamerskyOnComics'!

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Michael D Hamersky On Comics Shares His Take On The...    Guinness World Records Attempt For World's Largest Private Comics Collection That Took Place Saturday May 18th!     TODAY'S FEATURE IS BLOG #3862...   Well, I've got just a short blog to post today, on where my youngest son, Vinnie, and I travelled to on Saturday!   That would be in Orange County, California, where Bob Bretall lives.   Bob was last mentioned in my blog #3854, where I mentioned he was hosting a panel at the 2013 Long Beach Comic Con Expo on Saturday, May 11th.   The title of that panel was 'Building Your Comic Book Collection'. Bob mentioned during that panel that he was having an attempt to claim the Guinness World Records feat for having the largest private comics collection in the world.   Well, I just hadda attend that event!   So here are photos from that event on Saturday.  You'll see photos of his 89,613 different comic books collection here and at the special photo album I've posted at my Facebook Fan Page.   Bob also had 7 long boxes of comics that were duplicates of his collection that he gave away during the day to 43 attendees.  That amounted to approximately 33 comics per attendee!   Bob Bretall also has a new web site titled 'Comic Spectrum', which I invite you to check out. Here is the link to his blog post on what happened yesterday.   That should do it for this blog post.  I'll keep you updated at my Facebook Fan Page, Michael D Hamersky On Comics on the success of Bob's Attempt on making the Guinness World Record, after the authorities award him the record!   ~Michael       The Total Number of Comics Books In This Collection!  As shown at the top of the pyramid standing in the middle of his garage for this event.   Bob Bretall showing Michael D Hamersky the software that he uses to compile his comic book collection... ComicBase.  This was prior to physically looking at and in the long boxes that Bob uses to store his comic book collection!  The Long Box Pyramid that was the focal point of the exhibit!    Just one of the stacks of rows of comics in Bob's Collection!  Be sure to check the special photo collection at my Facebook Fan Page to all!     Michael D Hamersky certifying the amount of comics found in Bob Bretall's Largest Private Comic Book Collection for Guinness!

NOTE FROM Michael D Hamersky On Comics:  My thanks again to all of YOU reading this blog and our archived blog posts, now at 3,862 total posts in number!   I do appreciate your continued reading and support of this Blog!

BTW, You can 'follow' this blog by clicking the 'Follow' Button at this NetworkedBlogs app link!   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!!!

Note:  My online 'Local' Comic Book Shop (LCBS), carries many different genres of comics, magazines, graphic novels, and comic con promotional items. Possibly even copies of the item(s) that was mentioned here today...!  If I have it, you'll find under the BIG TOP of Comics, at Comic Books Circus.com!     

Web Page Note:  This blog post is written per the IE Browser standards.  Chrome, Safari, Netscape, Firefox and the other browsers serve the page up slightly 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:  Your computer's resoulution may be set differently, but the above resolution is the most commonly used resolution at the time of this blog post. 

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! To mail printed items to us for possible review, send to:  Make It So Marketing Inc., PO Box 130653, Carlsbad, CA 92013

 Also, if you are a Facebook member, I would have liked you to send me a 'Friend Request'. However, I have reached the maximum limit of 5,000 Facebook Friends and Fan pages already, so I've added a New 'Facebook Fan Page' 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!

---------------            

      

In Addition, I started a YouTube Channel just before the 2011 Comic-Con International, where I am slowly uploading videos from conventions or other events that we attend that are also pop culture related.  You are invited to 'subscribe' to that channel also!  As found at 'HamerskyOnComics'!

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Michael D Hamersky On Comics Presents Tina LoSasso's Review of The    Star Trek Into Darkness Film!

TODAY'S FEATURE IS BLOG #3861 -    Today's blog is guest blogged by my wife, Tina LoSasso! (Pictured at the top left photo.)

Review: Star Trek Into Darkness

WARNING: if you haven't seen Star Trek Into Darkness, this review contains mild spoilers.

As the title indicates, this second installment in the J.J. Abrams reboot of Star Trek is darker. What exactly is darker? Is it the villian? Is it the setting? The events? The motivations? I leave it for you to decide for yourself. For me, it was humanity. But don't worry, this is after all, Star Trek and we still have the five year mission of peaceful exploration that is the Original Series ahead of us, assuming the timeline is intact. Of course after Abrams' prequel maybe I shouldn't even mention "timeline". My apologies, purists.

Unlike previous movies in the franchise, Star Trek Into Darkness pits Kirk and crew against a human threat, a bio-engineered one, but human nonetheless. After a terrorist destroys a secret Star Fleet facility hidden under the Kelvin Archives (a nod to J.J. Abrams' grandfather), the Star Fleet command convenes to deal with the threat. Apparently Kirk never saw Godfather III. He realizes too late that When you've been attacked, never gather everyone in the same room...in a high story building...with really big windows. In this case, a gunship manned by our terrorist villian does the job. Kirk and the Enterprise is then dispatched to terminate him in his Klingon hiding place.

This leads to a scene that will thrill Star Trek fans the world over -- Uhura conversing with a Klingon warrior. I've never heard so much extended Klingon dialogue since I stumbled into that Klingon play at San Diego Comic Con. For the rest of you, no worries, there are sub-titles.

I mention the Klingons only to point out that there's very little in the way of non-human characters in this Star Trek. Aside, of course from Spock, the aforementioned Klingons and assorted aliens of the Enterprise crew (it felt a bit like the  Star Wars cantina - forgive me, I had to say it), that was pretty much it for aliens after the opening scene. All of which serves to keep us focused on the emotional elements of the story.

The cast does a commendable job of reintroducing us to the younger versions of themselves that we met in the previous film. Not an easy task. The jokes already out. We've already seen young Kirk, Bones, Scotty, Chekov, Uhura, and Zachary Quinto's amazing Spock. Instead we see more of their mannerisms, how they bond, and how they become the crew of the Original Series. It's good stuff. For me, the most fun of the movie.

If the crew doesn't hook you, then this Star Trek movie's villian, well played by BBC Sherlock's Benedict Cumberbatch, will. I hate to name his character because that might ruin some of the fun for you. But suffice it to say, I kept wondering if that coat he ran around in was made of rich Corithian leather. Cumberbatch is fun to watch and his character is an interesting twist for a Sci-Fi villian and fun foil for Kirk.

I enjoyed Star Trek Into Darkness. It was much less Sci-Fi than the previous prequel. At the same time, there were plot points I could see a few light years ahead. (Although they did fool me with Kirk insisting that Chekov change into a red shirt; I kept thinking he'd be a goner.) Happily for me and perhaps you, Star Trek into Darkness focuses on the human element in Sci-Fi which makes us care about what happens to the crew and manages to set us up nicely for the Original Series.

Rating: 8.5 (Very Fine Plus) VF+ out of a possible 10.0 comic book grading scale.

~ Tina

NOTE FROM Michael D Hamersky On Comics:  My thanks again to all of YOU reading this blog and our archived blog posts, now at 3,861 total posts in number!   I do appreciate your continued reading and support of this Blog!

BTW, You can 'follow' this blog by clicking the 'Follow' Button at this NetworkedBlogs app link!   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!!!

Note:  My online 'Local' Comic Book Shop (LCBS), carries many different genres of comics, magazines, graphic novels, and comic con promotional items. Possibly even copies of the item(s) that was mentioned here today...!  If I have it, you'll find under the BIG TOP of Comics, at Comic Books Circus.com!     

Web Page Note:  This blog post is written per the IE Browser standards.  Chrome, Safari, Netscape, Firefox and the other browsers serve the page up slightly 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:  Your computer's resoulution may be set differently, but the above resolution is the most commonly used resolution at the time of this blog post. 

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! To mail printed items to us for possible review, send to:  Make It So Marketing Inc., PO Box 130653, Carlsbad, CA 92013

 Also, if you are a Facebook member, I would have liked you to send me a 'Friend Request'. However, I have reached the maximum limit of 5,000 Facebook Friends and Fan pages already, so I've added a New 'Facebook Fan Page' 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!

---------------            

      

In Addition, I started a YouTube Channel just before the 2011 Comic-Con International, where I am slowly uploading videos from conventions or other events that we attend that are also pop culture related.  You are invited to 'subscribe' to that channel also!  As found at 'HamerskyOnComics'!

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Michael D Hamersky On Comics Presents His Take On...    Star Trek Into Darkness!       Above is just One of the many film posters that the Star Trek Into Darkness film has out! Featuring (l-r) Captain Kirk, Lt. Uhura, 1st Officer Spock & Commander John Harrison!

TODAY'S FEATURE IS BLOG #3860 -    Tina and I just got back from seeing this film at our local theater!

Tina's review blog will be posted later this weekend...

In the meantime, here is My Take on the film:

First of all, here is the link to the Wikipedia entry for the film.  If you don't want to see spoilers... Then don't click on the link!

Secondly, it has been four years since the first Star Trek reboot, (film #11).  Here is the link to to that Wikipedia entry for that film.  I for one just saw most of that film earlier this week on TV, and didn't remember most of what was shown.   It has been that long since the first one was released!  So, I wasn't overly excited to go see this second film.   Matter of fact, it wasn't even in my list of events for 2013 I was going to.  But I did 'bug' Tina about going to see it this week!

Oh, and also while I say I wasn't that excited about seeing this film, I have already seen the first eleven (11) films of the Star Trek franchise, as seen in this link.  It was just that this film kind of snuck up on me when laying out the films I wanted to see on the Big Screen this year at my 2013 events blog.

Thirdly... Here's what I thought about the film...

Storyline:  This film dove right into the story... No stopping to introduce the characters at all.  Which if you have already seen the 11th film of the Franchise, you didn't need any introductions!

The storyline was presented in what I believed to be episodic mini-features, which was okay with me! The storyline didn't ramble though, and went from scene to scene pretty smoothly.  The writing was fine, and the characters were voiced properly.

I still can't get over the 'romance' between Uhura and Spock though...

The CGI in the film didn't overwhelm the storyline, it all fit in rather seamlessly.

The ending was pretty good too... And the film didn't feel 'overlong' at 2 hours & 3 minutes.  However our theater showed 25 minutes of 'previews' of upcoming films, sheesh! 

Characters:  The characters were repeats from the first film in this reboot.  I liked them all, but some more than others.  Quinto as Spock was so darn right on it wasn't funny!

Chris Pine still didn't seem totally right for the Capt. Kirk role though.  By the end of the film he was better, and maybe a third film with him would fit him properly into the role.  But then again, I grew up with William Shatner as Capt. Kirk.

Zoe Saldana was better as Uhura... And was actually more believable in this film in the role.

Karl Urban as Lieutenant Commander Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy, chief medical officer, was even better in the role in this film, and he actually received more film time, I believe.

John Cho as Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu, third officer and helmsman, had a good scene in the film, when he took over the Captain's chair.

Benedict Cumberbatch as Commander John Harrison, later revealed to be someone else, couldn't have matched up to the original actor that played the role... but did a serviceable job in the role.

Anton Yelchin as Ensign Pavel Chekov, navigator, was kind of out of the role for this film, but he did play in a different arena of the ship, so I won't be too hard on him.

Simon Pegg as Lieutenant Commander Montgomery "Scotty" Scott, second officer and chief engineer, played a good role in this film.  More believable in the role.

Bruce Greenwood as Rear Admiral Christopher Pike, was good as always.  I like this actor, and he did the Pike role very well.

Peter Weller, as Starfleet Admiral Alexander Marcus, Dr. Carol Marcus' father, did an okay role in the film, which was expanded at the end of the film.  I liked him better in his two RoboCop film though.

The characters in the film fit pretty smoothly into the storyline, and it was worth the money paid to see the film on the Big Screen!   

My comic book grade for this film is a Near Mint Minus (NM-) 9.2    out of a possible 10.0 comic book grading scale.

If you enjoy Star Trek, or JJ Abrams work... Then you gotta see this film on the Big Screen!

Oh, and as soon as Tina has her review ready... I'll blog it!

~ Michael

NOTE FROM Michael D Hamersky On Comics:  My thanks again to all of YOU reading this blog and our archived blog posts, now at 3,860 total posts in number!   I do appreciate your continued reading and support of this Blog!

BTW, You can 'follow' this blog by clicking the 'Follow' Button at this NetworkedBlogs app link!   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!!!

Note:  My online 'Local' Comic Book Shop (LCBS), carries many different genres of comics, magazines, graphic novels, and comic con promotional items. Possibly even copies of the item(s) that was mentioned here today...!  If I have it, you'll find under the BIG TOP of Comics, at Comic Books Circus.com!     

Web Page Note:  This blog post is written per the IE Browser standards.  Chrome, Safari, Netscape, Firefox and the other browsers serve the page up slightly 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:  Your computer's resoulution may be set differently, but the above resolution is the most commonly used resolution at the time of this blog post. 

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! To mail printed items to us for possible review, send to:  Make It So Marketing Inc., PO Box 130653, Carlsbad, CA 92013

 Also, if you are a Facebook member, I would have liked you to send me a 'Friend Request'. However, I have reached the maximum limit of 5,000 Facebook Friends and Fan pages already, so I've added a New 'Facebook Fan Page' 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!

---------------            

      

In Addition, I started a YouTube Channel just before the 2011 Comic-Con International, where I am slowly uploading videos from conventions or other events that we attend that are also pop culture related.  You are invited to 'subscribe' to that channel also!  As found at 'HamerskyOnComics'!

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