'My Take' On: the BEAN #1 By Travis Hanson From BeanLeaf Press! -------------- Above Photo: The Front Cover to The Bean #1 - the Back Cover is part of a 'wrap-around' cover presentation. At the Left: The creator of the Bean, Travis Hanson at his booth at the 2009 Comic Con International: San Diego!

TODAY'S FEATURE - Blog #3168:

Today I am blogging a review on a publication that was sent to me by Amy Ratcliffe, on behalf of Travis Hanson of BeanLeaf Press.

That would be the 1st issue of 'the Bean'.  I was not familar with this publication or the project itself before receiving this copy, even though it would appear that BeanLeaf Press had a booth at the 2009 San Diego Comic Con, (SDCC), as pictured at the above left.  (Hey! I can't see all of the Con, you know how large it is?!  LOL.)

So what's this publication about?  Here is the promo blurb from Amy:

"The Bean comic is about:
The adventure of a young dishwasher named Bean. Kidnapped from the Silver Dagger, by a Troll, known only as the Collector, he is thrust into the hunt of a precious item deep underground.  Meanwhile, his companions from the Silver Dagger, begin their hunt for their young charge."

So what's 'My Take' on this publication?  I keep calling it a publication, because to me it is not a comic book, even though the creator / publisher calls it a "landscaped comic book" in this published format. 

Inside Front Cover:  It's an illustration of the Bean in Black & White.  Still doesn't look like a comic book to me...

Splash Page:  Not a comic book splash page presentation.  More like an illustrated book with this opening page.

The Rest of the Pages: Turning over the 'splash page', there is another page with the credits and publishing info.

The story gets going right away.  I already started liking the art style from the cover itself, which was in color.  The interior pages I find are all in black & white.  But the lack of color does not affect my enjoyment of the story, as I find myself drawn into the storyline right away.

I find the unusual print format to be the size and shape of the web comic, which is where this project started.  Having read web comics before, the odd sized publication doesn't affect my continued reading of the storyline, although I don't 'feel' like I'm reading a 'comic'.

Last Page: Is the first time I feel like I'm reading a comic book, as there is a 'To Be Continued' box! LOL! However, I for one am so caught up in this storyline, I would be more than inclined to seek out issue #2!

Inside Back Cover:  Was left blank...Why, I don't know. Even a 'house ad' could have been used here, to entice me to go immediately to the web comic itself to see the next storyline.  Yeah, the story thus far is on the web, and could be read for free.  But I am a 'tactile' reader, and would prefer to read it in print. 

Back Cover:  Is the second part of the wrap-around cover, with just a little bit of inhouse advertising for the rest of the adventure.  

So, after all of the above...what is 'My Take' on all of this?

Well...First of all, I thought I was receiving a comic book in the mail.  Everything that I ask for from a creator / publisher / publicist as shown at: How to Submit Your Publication for Possible Review link was there. (BTW, Amy, that was a great package you sent me!)

But the odd shaped publication wasn't in the form of what is considered a 'comic book' sized publication by the comic book rading public, nor comics fan base.

I didn't let that stop me from enjoying the issue. 

I definitely found that the B&W illustrated artwork to be perfect for this genre of story.  The storyline itself flowed.  I was drawn into this adventure, and would have been sad to see it end, but for the 'To Be Continued' box.  So there is more to the main character's adventure!

That is good! I look forward to checking this out further, now that I know about it.  In fact, I'll let Vinnie take a look at it, and see if he wants to blog about any future issues. (Click here for Vinnie's guest review blogs.)

I would grade this first issue of 'the Bean #1" as a 'Very Fine / Near Mint' (VF/NM) 9.0 out of the 10.0 Grading Scale. That's because even though I enjoyed the storyline and art, the printed format of this publication is a little tough to 'bag & board' it as a 'comic'.  That is the only thing I believe that the creator / publisher has to deal with here, as the project is an entertaining one!  Matter of fact, take a look at the following bio, where he himself discusses the format publishing problem he has run into.  Still, I believe that this issue, in this format, would be a great introduction to someone that doesn't read comics, and would enjoy it just for the story and art.  It's almost a 'mini-graphic novelette', in this presentation format!

As a Note:  I mentioned that 'the Bean' started as a web comic. Amy tells me the following: "As a webcomic, it is published biweekly (on Mondays and Thursdays), but the printed comic is farther ahead.  For example, though Hanson just sent issue 5 to press, the webcomic is only at Issue 2".

Here's the publisher's site so you can read additional pages and introduce YOUR friends to this project: BeanLeafPress.com

How to purchase:  Readers can keep up with the webcomic and purchase all issues of The Bean (up to 4 issues now, the 5th issue to be released soon) at http://beanleafpress.com.  It is a self published comic, so as of right now, that's the only place to get it, UNLESS you see Travis at a comic con.

Talking about Travis, here is a brief bio / message from him:

I am an artist and storyteller.  I have been illustrating stories for several years now and have finally come back into my own with the comic “the Bean”.

The bean is a story I developed over 12 years ago as a struggling cartoonist. I started posting it as a web comic and was finally convinced to take it to press as a regular comic book. After 2 issue my dream fell apart. So what I do I picked up the pieces and tried again this time as a written illustrated novel, with the help of the very talented Aimee Duncan. It too fell apart before book 3 and so once again I was left with a huge debt and a lot of pieces to pick up. After a year of brooding and a lot of frustration I realized that for this dream to happen I would have to return to my roots.

So I picked up my pencil and re-scripted the books into the format that I had originally envisioned so many years ago. I am now on issue 4 and going very strong. There are some minor changes since the comics are an adaptation of my novels, but the story is still very much the same.  Of the major differences is the format, which is a landscaped comic book (I know an uphill battle) but I have a vision and I know it will work.

I am also posting it online as a comic, for the world to see. I felt this was needed, in part, for all those that were expecting book 3. I apologize for the novel being shelved, sometimes things do not work the way you planned. Yet, I believe in my story and I want to get it out and so this is the format that it will be in. I will finish it in this format as well and one day I will revisit the novels, but honestly my passion has always been and always will be comic books.

It has been a story that has stuck with me for many years and changed very little. I am already finishing issue 4 (meaning I better pay attention to this blog and update the issues as I move along) and have started issue 5. The web comic is far behind yet updates twice a week. So please sit back and enjoy.

thanks

trav

The above is pretty straight forward.  I like that in this creator. I will be sure to stop and say hello to him when I see him at any upcoming comic cons that we are attending. I urge you to stop at his booth at any comic con you are attending to check this out in person!

Until then the publisher also has a Facebook Group Page, which I am suggesting YOU click on and 'join' as a member.  I just did! 

My thanks to Amy Ratcliffe, who's also known as "geek with curves" as seen at: http://geekfemme.blogspot.com.  

She can be followed at Twitter at: http://twitter.com/amy_geek!

Amy is shown to the left with Travis Hanson at the BeanLeaf Press booth during the 2009 Comic-Con International: San Diego (SDCC / CCI)!

AND My thanks again to all of YOU reading this blog and our archived blog posts, now over the 3,165 total posts in number!

~ Michael D Hamersky @ ComicBookCollectorsBlog.com

Note: Our online comic book store carries many different genres of comics, magazines and graphic novels at:

http://www.comicbookscircus.com/

 

---

 

"Hammering Out the Web For You Since May 12th, 1998!"       Note: If you are breaking into, or already work in the comic book industry or other pop culture productions, you are welcome to email us press releases, news items, and updates that you feel would be of interest to our blog readers. Including YOUR own works! To mail printed items to us for possible review, send to:     Make It So Marketing Inc. PO Box 130653 Carlsbad, CA 92013

My thanks to those of YOU that have read today's blog post! I do appreciate that! For those of you that didn't know me before today...I first set up as a 'dealer' at the 1972 San Diego West Coast Comic Con (SDCC) at the El Cortez Hotel. So I've been around comic conventions for a little while, LOL!   My wife Tina and I now have an on-line exhibitor (dealer) table at the first "virtual" comic con titled the "Facebook Comic Con" (FBCC)! You can view our dealer table and interact with us there on Facebook by clicking this link, which takes you to our table named: 'Facebook Comic Con | Make It So Marketing'.  So if YOU are a Facebook member, please 'join' our Facebook Comic Con - Make It So Marketing exhibitor table for updates, specials, links to this blog, and other wall comments that we post every day!     Also, if you are a Facebook member and would like to also join my Facebook Network, feel free to send a 'friend request' to 'Michael D Hamersky'. I am reaching the maximum of 5,000 Facebook Friends soon, and I don't want YOU to be left out!         ------------------- Talking about comics: if YOU are a comics creator, (writer, penciler, inker, colorist, letterer, etc.), OR even a Comics / Magazine Publisher, feel free to contact me regarding YOUR works for a possible mention / review! I've made a special blog post about: "How To Best Submit YOUR Publication For Possible Review!" for those creators / publishers that would like to possibly have their publications mentioned or reviewed. Just click on the link provided in this paragraph! ~Michael @ ComicBookCollectorsBlog.com   WEB PAGE NOTE:  This blog post is written for the IE Browser standards. Chrome, Safarai, Netscape, Firefox and the others 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.

 

-------------- 'My Take' On the 2009 Film: 'SHERLOCK HOLMES' PLUS: Tina LoSasso's 'Mini-Take' on the Film! Above Photo: One of the Film's Many Posters! At the Top Left: Film Poster of Lord Blackwood - Played by Mark Strong At Middle Left: Film Poster of Adler - Played by Rachel McAdams At the Bottom Left: Film Poster of Watson - Played by Jude Law

TODAY'S FEATURE - Blog #3167:

Last night we rented the DVD version of the Sherlock Holmes Film that was shown in theaters starting last Christmas Day of 2009.

I had some thoughts back then to see this film, because of the trailers, and TV commercials, but my wife Tina, who is a much bigger fan of Sherlock Holmes just didn't want to see it on the Big Screen.

Which was strange IMO, because she 'loves' Jude Law and Robert Downey Jr, and they were together in this film?!

Well, the Holiday Season went over pretty fast for us, and I never made the time to go see this at the Big Screen alone...

So when we had an opportunity to rent a film last night, after exhausting the last of the taped TV shows from this past season, I suggested she choose something from the Redbox kiosk while we were out picking a card for someone.

She didn't come up with anything, and I had in the back of mind this Sherlock Holmes film on DVD.  So that's what we went home with.

So what is this film about? Below are two promo blurbs from the time of this film being released:

"The game is afoot – and astounding! Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law put memorable imprints on the roles of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson in a bold reimagining that makes the famed sleuth a daring man of action as well as a peerless man of intellect. Guy Ritchie directs this dazzling adventure."

And: 

"Set in 1891, the film revolves around Holmes and Watson as they try to stop a conspiracy that could destroy Britain, opening with Holmes apprehending cult leader ‘Lord Blackwood’ (Mark Strong), who promises he will return from the dead and exact his revenge, while being led to the gallows."

So...What's 'My Take' on this Film?

Well, the actual film itself was NOT as action packed and as exciting as the trailers and TV commercials made it out to be, at least for me.

The actual 'Sherlock Holmes' property has been around for what seems forever, and I have over my many years of going to movies, and reading the books, and even the comic books on Sherlock Holmes was both intrigued by the re-imagining of Sherlock Holmes and yet not thrilled by total package.

Here's why: 

Sherlock Holmes, played by Robert Downey Jr., was just a little too different at times portraying Sherlock Holmes during the film. 

I was surprised at Sherlock's actions during the 'action' scenes, yet during the slower scenes I couldn't always make out what he was saying.

I enjoy Robert Downey Jr., as 'Iron Man' in those recent Marvel Films, he has the character 'Tony Stark' down pat.  Perfect, period. 

Not here.  Maybe it's the muttering of the lines, or the strange hat he wears during the film, but it just wasn't the Sherlock Holmes I've been used to during the years of reading & watching Sherlock Holmes...And Yes, I know this film was to be a 'reimagining' of the character.. 

And trust me, I've seen a lot of Sherlock Holmes from British productions since being married to Tina since 2001! 

Jude Law, who plays Watson in this film, came across too different as Watson for me.  Yet playing against Downey's Sherlock Holmes, was a more calming influence in the film. So I'm OK with this portrayal.

What's a film without a villain?  Well, in this case, Mark Strong's portrayal of Lord Blackwood was definitely creepy. Not over the top, yet not too unbelievable for me.

Usually the women in the Sherlock Holmes stories, (what women? LOL), don't really stand out.  In this film, Adler, played by Rachel McAdams, does.  Yet is she really part of the Sherlock Holmes 'Canon', that purists kept blogging about months ago?

I couldn't find a film poster for Inspector Lestrade, played by Eddie Marsan. I found his portrayal to be the most similar to what I've seen on film or TV productions in the past. I was fine with his role in this film.

Overall for this film, I would give it the comic book grade of Fine Plus (F+) 6.5 out of a 10.0 grading scale.  Not because of the film itself, as the film itself is beautiful in the scenery, the mood, the action, and the overall filming...But because it wasn't like the trailers and TV commercials that induced me to possibly want to see it on the Big Screen.  That would have been a lot of money for both of us to go to, AND I would have had to hear about from Tina after dragging her there, who...Well, I'll just post a few of her verbal comments starting here:

"I love Robert Downey Jr., but he wasn't my idea of Sherlock Holmes at all."

"He always uses his brains, not brawn."

"It's punch after punch after punch."

"Sherlock Holmes would take a person down with a punch or with his cane."

"Watson would come in and punch somebody."

"Jude Law as Watson, was NOT Watson."

(Note from Michael:  THAT from a woman who loves Jude Law.  I can't count how many films I've watched with Jude Law in the last few years!)

Tina's comic book grade for this Sherlock Holmes film: Fine (F) 6.0 out of a 10.0 grading scale.

Now that we are near the end of this review blog, I want to mention again the comic book aspect of Sherlock Holmes.

After all, this is 'ComicBookCollectors Blog.com', right?!

Well, believe it or not, there have been 24 different comic book titles, either one-shots or series, with 'Sherlock Holmes' as part of the title during the years, as seen by this link to the GCD web site!

You see...Comic Books are NOT all Zap! Pow! Cronk! type of reading!

The Sherlock Holmes comics with 'Sherlock Holmes' in the title, have been published by different publishers since 1975.  The one-shot to the left is the first with 'Sherlock Holmes' in the title that I could find.  I'm sure there were other series with Sherlock Holmes as a character, but this one was the first as a stand alone comic book title.  After the above reviewed film came out, I haven't been able to keep it in stock for sale, so there has been a renewed interest in this character since the Holiday Season of 2009.

One last thing before I wrap up this blog post:

The film itself is discussed of course at the Wikipedia entry for this film.  Plus the old web site that was originally for the promotion of this Film before and during the Holiday Season, has now gone to basically promoting the film on DVD, so I am providing you a link to that web site here. The old url for the film actually redirects you to the Warner Bros web site, which in turn directs you to the WB web store to purchase the DVD.

AND My thanks again to all of YOU reading this blog and our archived blog posts, now over the 3,165 total posts in number!

~ Michael D Hamersky @ ComicBookCollectorsBlog.com

Note: Our online comic book store carries many different genres of comics, magazines, graphic novels, and even DVDs like this one being blogged about today at:

http://www.comicbookscircus.com/

 

---

 

"Hammering Out the Web For You Since May 12th, 1998!"       Note: If you are breaking into, or already work in the comic book industry or other pop culture productions, you are welcome to email us press releases, news items, and updates that you feel would be of interest to our blog readers. Including YOUR own works! To mail printed items to us for possible review, send to:     Make It So Marketing Inc. PO Box 130653 Carlsbad, CA 92013

My thanks to those of YOU that have read today's blog post! I do appreciate that! For those of you that didn't know me before today...I first set up as a 'dealer' at the 1972 San Diego West Coast Comic Con (SDCC) at the El Cortez Hotel. So I've been around comic conventions for a little while, LOL!   My wife Tina and I now have an on-line exhibitor (dealer) table at the first "virtual" comic con titled the "Facebook Comic Con" (FBCC)! You can view our dealer table and interact with us there on Facebook by clicking this link, which takes you to our table named: 'Facebook Comic Con | Make It So Marketing'.  So if YOU are a Facebook member, please 'join' our Facebook Comic Con - Make It So Marketing exhibitor table for updates, specials, links to this blog, and other wall comments that we post every day!     Also, if you are a Facebook member and would like to also join my Facebook Network, feel free to send a 'friend request' to 'Michael D Hamersky'. I am reaching the maximum of 5,000 Facebook Friends soon, and I don't want YOU to be left out!         ------------------- Talking about comics: if YOU are a comics creator, (writer, penciler, inker, colorist, letterer, etc.), OR even a Comics / Magazine Publisher, feel free to contact me regarding YOUR works for a possible mention / review! I've made a special blog post about: "How To Best Submit YOUR Publication For Possible Review!" for those creators / publishers that would like to possibly have their publications mentioned or reviewed. Just click on the link provided in this paragraph! ~Michael @ ComicBookCollectorsBlog.com   WEB PAGE NOTE:  This blog post is written for the IE Browser standards. Chrome, Safarai, Netscape, Firefox and the others 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.

 

-------------- 'My Take' On the Book: 'MY BAT BOY DAYS' By Steve Garvey with Candace Garvery & Ken Gurnik PLUS: My Thoughts on Baseball Cards & Comics! Above Photo: Front Cover to the Book! At the Top Left: Front Cover of Roy Campanella - Baseball Hero from 1950! At Middle Left: Jackie Robinson #2 from 1950 From Fawcett Comics! At the Bottom Left: Mickey Mantle #1 from Magnum Comics in 1991.

TODAY'S FEATURE - Blog #3166:

Today I am blogging a review on a book that has NOTHING to do with comics!

What?!  Nothing to do with comics?!  Well, not directly, but indirectly, at least for me!

You see, I used to be a big baseball fan.  Went to a lot of baseball games here in San Diego after moving back here from Los Angeles. 

Actually I moved back to San Diego from the Los Angeles Metro Area the same year that Steve Garvey left the LA Dodgers and played for the San Diego Padres back in 1983!  And then the Padres went to the World Series in 1984 thanks to Garvey and so many others that jelled into a Championship Team!  But I get ahead of my self.

Back when I was a kid, we moved a lot due to my Dad serving in the US Navy.  So the only 'stable' thing was baseball.  I liked the NY Yankees, who had won the American League Pennant almost every year from 1947 - 1964, with the exceptions of 1948, 1954, & 1959. So 15 out of 18 Seasons wasn't bad at all!

So of course I wanted to 'collect' baseball cards. Unfortunately there wasn't enough allowance to collect both comics and baseball cards, so I ended up 'collecting' the baseball cards off the backs of cereal boxes that my folks bought at the Navy Exchange.  Yeah, really!  I would carefully cut them off of the back of the boxes. Some of them are actually worth a little bit of money today due to kids not cutting most of them carefully!

One of the teams that I also would listen to or follow the scores in the newspaper were the Brooklyn Dodgers, who in 1958 became the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Years later, after I had grown up, I found myself moving to Los Angeles Metro Area to work after college.  I of course found myself listening to the LA Dodgers games, catching them on TV, and several home games in person.  It was just coincidence that Steve Garvey and I left LA the same year to go San Diego, when he went to play for the Padres.

So this book that I found by Steve Garvey, Candace Garvey, and Ken Gurnik caught my attention real quick when I saw it on the shelves!  

Here is the promo blurb about the book:

"An uplifting chronicle of the author's years as a bat boy under such players as Jackie Robinson, Sandy Koufax, and Mickey Mantle imparts the life lessons he learned from them about the virtues of leadership, dignity, fortitude, compassion, faith, and honesty.

60,000 first printing.

Cover Price USA: $21.00  Canada $24.50

Length:     149 pages
Height:     7.8 in.
Width:      5.3 in.
Thickness:  0.5 in.
Weight:     8 oz.

So what's 'My Take' on this book and why am I blogging about this here?

Well, I have been blogging about a recent comic con I attended in Anaheim recently.  That was the Wizard World Anaheim Comic Con. 

That comic con is more like a 'pop culture con', which several conventions have evolved into.  I missed seeing Steve Garvey on Saturday when he was there signing autographs.  I had a couple of these books along with me in case I was there at the same time he was.

So besides all of the Batman TV Show Stars that I've been blogging about here, (Yvonne Craig, Malachi Throne, etc.),plus more to follow, I had hoped to see Steve in person. Why?

Because this book was a Great Read!  Of course I knew that Steve had been a bat boy before breaking into the Big Leagues years later.  But I didn't how or what it did for him in his formative years.

He chose nine baseball stars to talk about. Several of whom have had comic book issues or even comic book series published about them!

I've already posted comic book covers of three of them at the above left of this blog post.

What this book was about Steve's personal experiences knowing these ball players, and what "Lessons I learned from the Boys of Summer".

It was Sandy Koufax's "Faith" that struck Steve as his standout quality.

Steve wrote about Roy Campanella's "Compassion".

He wrote about Jackie Robinson's "Passion". 

It was Mickey Mantle's "Fortitude" that Steve wrote his chapter about this NY Yankee great.

Pee Wee Reese's "Leadership" was what struck Steve the most, and what that chapter was about.

The chapter of Gil Hodges was about "Dignity", which is what I remember of Gil when he was playing.

Carl Erskine's "Honesty" is the topic of the chapter that Steve wrote about him.

Duke Snider's "Persistence" was the topic about Duke.

Al Kaline's "Perfection" was written about.

Hey, it just doesn't get any better than this!  A 'bat boy' who got to know these baseball stars during their playing days, and who then went on to become the 'Iron Man' of Baseball, playing for 1,207 consecutive games in the National League, setting a new record!  (Couldn't resist mentioning the 'Iron Man' connection, LOL!)

Back to the book, I would grade this book as a 'Near Mint' (NM) 9.4 out of a 10.0 grading scale using the Overstreet Comic Book Grading Guide.

Normally I would next list the publisher's link for you to obtain this book, but since I purchased several copies for resale, here is the link to where YOU can buy a copy for yourself at our own ComicBooksCircus.com web site for a LOT LESS than the book's cover price!  (Even including the shipping charge!)

My thanks to Steve Garvey who has given me many hours of entertainment when he was playing both for the LA Dodgers, and then later the SD Padres!  And to Candace Garvey and Ken Gurnik for assisting in getting this book written. It was definitely worth the effort!   

AND My thanks again to all of YOU reading this blog and our archived blog posts, now over the 3,165 total posts in number!

~ Michael D Hamersky @ ComicBookCollectorsBlog.com

Note: Our online comic book store carries many different genres of comics, magazines, graphic novels, and even BOOKS like this one being blogged about today at:

http://www.comicbookscircus.com/

 

---

 

"Hammering Out the Web For You Since May 12th, 1998!"       Note: If you are breaking into, or already work in the comic book industry or other pop culture productions, you are welcome to email us press releases, news items, and updates that you feel would be of interest to our blog readers. Including YOUR own works! To mail printed items to us for possible review, send to:     Make It So Marketing Inc. PO Box 130653 Carlsbad, CA 92013

My thanks to those of YOU that have read today's blog post! I do appreciate that! For those of you that didn't know me before today...I first set up as a 'dealer' at the 1972 San Diego West Coast Comic Con (SDCC) at the El Cortez Hotel. So I've been around comic conventions for a little while, LOL!   My wife Tina and I now have an on-line exhibitor (dealer) table at the first "virtual" comic con titled the "Facebook Comic Con" (FBCC)! You can view our dealer table and interact with us there on Facebook by clicking this link, which takes you to our table named: 'Facebook Comic Con | Make It So Marketing'.  So if YOU are a Facebook member, please 'join' our Facebook Comic Con - Make It So Marketing exhibitor table for updates, specials, links to this blog, and other wall comments that we post every day!     Also, if you are a Facebook member and would like to also join my Facebook Network, feel free to send a 'friend request' to 'Michael D Hamersky'. I am reaching the maximum of 5,000 Facebook Friends soon, and I don't want YOU to be left out!         ------------------- Talking about comics: if YOU are a comics creator, (writer, penciler, inker, colorist, letterer, etc.), OR even a Comics / Magazine Publisher, feel free to contact me regarding YOUR works for a possible mention / review! I've made a special blog post about: "How To Best Submit YOUR Publication For Possible Review!" for those creators / publishers that would like to possibly have their publications mentioned or reviewed. Just click on the link provided in this paragraph! ~Michael @ ComicBookCollectorsBlog.com   WEB PAGE NOTE:  This blog post is written for the IE Browser standards. Chrome, Safarai, Netscape, Firefox and the others 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.

 

'My Take' On: MYTHOI #1 By James Ninness & Jed Soriano From Semantink Publishing!       -------------- Above Photo: James Ninness - Writer of Mythoi #1! At the Left Top: A Close Up of The Front Cover to Mythoi #1! At the Left Bottom: The Publisher of Semantink Publishing - Benjamin Glibert (l) with James Ninness (r).

TODAY'S FEATURE - Blog #3165:

Today I am blogging a review on a publication that was handed to me at the May 16th of 2010 Semantink's Comic Savvy!

That would be the 1st issue of MYTHOI.  I was not familar with this comic book or the project itself before receiving this copy. So what's this comic book about?  Here is the promo blurb from the web site itself:

"MYTHOI is Semantink’s inaugural title and the brainchild of writer James Ninness.

Wiglaf, Vito, Yuki, Taros and Touch are five unique beings from various mythologies thrust together to defend humanity from an ancient enemy…

MYTHOI is set now, not the now of mythological fiction, but the now of flesh and blood monsters where nightmarish beasts have skin, folklore wears clothes and the dreams of humanity hitchhike the roads of earth.

With stories from James Ninness and art from the incredible Jed Soriano, Semantink couldn’t be prouder of this flagship title."

 

Front Cover:  The front cover has an interesting title logo concept. The creators credits are seen above that.  The three graphics do not give me an indication of what the interior of the pages will be about. The publisher's logo and the comic's cost at the bottom left of the front cover are placed in an unusual area for a comic book.

Inside Front Cover:  Looks like an ad...And yeah, it is an ad. Kind of unusual for that to be on the inside front cover, especially after the front cover doesn't indicate to me at least, what genre this comic book is in...

Splash Page:  Starts off with a quotation from William Wordsworth.  Okay...I'll go along with that, (for starters).

The Rest of the Pages: Turning over the splash page, the story gets going right away.  I find I like the interior artwork right away. The word balloons are placed pretty well, and the colors on these pages are better than the splash page. 

Talking about the splash page...I started to think that the splash page looks so much like a continuation of the inside cover page that both pages looked at first glance to be a 2 page ad, now that I think more about it. The splash page just didn't seem to go with the opening interior pages.

I hit the centerfold, a nice two page spread.  Good visual effects and colors.

I go on to the next pages.  The story picks up the pace. A lot of action.  Then on the next to last interior page it cuts off abruptly, with no 'to be continued' blurb. 

Last Page: Is actually a page about Semantink Publishing and what it wants to do.  Plus a bio on the 'Team Mythoi': Jed Soriano and James Niness.  All of this is fine, but I'm still thinking about the abruptness of the story being ended for this issue...

Inside Back Cover:  This is a presentation of the next issue's cover.  With a banner at the bottom right stating 'Coming In November!'. So the reader knows now that this is a bi-monthly publication, but not if it is an ongoing publication, or a limited series. 

Back Cover:  It's an add for NSP (North Shores Printery), the printer for this publication.  It's a local company in the San Diego area, which is where Semantink is also located. Ad pages are needed, and after all, this is where another printer, say like Ka-Blam, would have their ad placed. So this back cover page is fine in presentation.  

So, after all of the above...what is 'My Take' on all of this?

Well...First of all, I would have to say after meeting the writer of this series, I find that James Ninness has a passion for this industry. Leaving that aside, and seeing this as one that either ordered it from the publisher's web site, or found at my LCBS, I have this to write:

The storyline is one that could hold my interest to buy additional issues if the presentation was done a little differently. The front cover's title font and layout doesn't tell me what the series is about at first glance.  Neither do the graphics shown on the front cover.

When I go to the inside front cover and the splash page and look at it as a 2 page spread instead of 2 individual pages, it truly looks like a 2 page ad spread to me. 

However, once I get past that, the art and coloring pulls me into the storyline, and I start enjoying the writing, art, coloring and action. 

The abruptness of what turns out to be the last page of storyline, with no 'to be continued' blurb or any indication if this is an ongoing series, or if it is Issue 1 of 6, leaves me a little 'lost'.

The last page is good, in showing what the publisher, artist, and writer are about.  It probably should have been placed as the inside front cover in this instance.  An 'intro' page as to what the series was about would have better as there is no real 'presentation' to a potential buyer at a LCBS to continue on with it.

Showing that there is an issue 2 projected for publication two months later was good.

I would grade this first issue of Mythoi as a 'Fine / Very Fine' (F/VF) 7.0 out of the 10.0 Grading Scale, because the layout and presentation of the issue at the beginning and end affected my enjoyment of the issue.

After reading the storyline with the good art, I would want to read the next issue, but if it was one of hundreds of new comics at a LCBS, would it have been bought by another browser in the LCBS, or placed back on the rack?  That is the question I pose...

Here's the publisher's site: Semantink.com.

The publisher has a really well laid out web site. Plus there is a special section just for Mythoi, where you can find out more about the characters and the title itself.

If YOU can't find Mythoi at your LCBS, then I would suggest buying an inexpensive digital copy, (if you like reading that way), at the web link here.

The publisher also has a Facebook Fan Page, and an ongoing comics fan group that meets in person in the San Diego Metro area title: Semantink's Comic Savvy! 

I attended the May group meeting, had a fun time meeting others from Semantink Publishing, and other comics fans in the area.  It was NOT about Semantink's comics, it was about comics in gen eral, so it is NOT a 'sales pitch' for Semantink. If YOU are in the San Diego Metro Area, I would suggest checking this monthly meeting out!

My thanks to James Ninness, for bringing this comic book of his for possible review at the last meeting. The team of James, Jed Soriano, and Christopher Henderson, (letterer), should make this a publication an interesting one to watch unfold.  (Addendum:  I have been told on June 17th that Jed Soriano did the colors for issue #1, but with issue #2 is doing only the pencils and inks.)

Plus my thanks to Ben Glibert, Publisher, for publishing this series.  It's good to see another publisher in the San Diego Metro Area!

AND My thanks again to all of YOU reading this blog and our archived blog posts, now over the 3,160 total posts in number!

~ Michael D Hamersky @ ComicBookCollectorsBlog.com

Note: Our online comic book store carries many different genres of comics, magazines and graphic novels at:

http://www.comicbookscircus.com/

 

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"Hammering Out the Web For You Since May 12th, 1998!"       Note: If you are breaking into, or already work in the comic book industry or other pop culture productions, you are welcome to email us press releases, news items, and updates that you feel would be of interest to our blog readers. Including YOUR own works! To mail printed items to us for possible review, send to:     Make It So Marketing Inc. PO Box 130653 Carlsbad, CA 92013

My thanks to those of YOU that have read today's blog post! I do appreciate that! For those of you that didn't know me before today...I first set up as a 'dealer' at the 1972 San Diego West Coast Comic Con (SDCC) at the El Cortez Hotel. So I've been around comic conventions for a little while, LOL!   My wife Tina and I now have an on-line exhibitor (dealer) table at the first "virtual" comic con titled the "Facebook Comic Con" (FBCC)! You can view our dealer table and interact with us there on Facebook by clicking this link, which takes you to our table named: 'Facebook Comic Con | Make It So Marketing'.  So if YOU are a Facebook member, please 'join' our Facebook Comic Con - Make It So Marketing exhibitor table for updates, specials, links to this blog, and other wall comments that we post every day!     Also, if you are a Facebook member and would like to also join my Facebook Network, feel free to send a 'friend request' to 'Michael D Hamersky'. I am reaching the maximum of 5,000 Facebook Friends soon, and I don't want YOU to be left out!         ------------------- Talking about comics: if YOU are a comics creator, (writer, penciler, inker, colorist, letterer, etc.), OR even a Comics / Magazine Publisher, feel free to contact me regarding YOUR works for a possible mention / review! I've made a special blog post about: "How To Best Submit YOUR Publication For Possible Review!" for those creators / publishers that would like to possibly have their publications mentioned or reviewed. Just click on the link provided in this paragraph! ~Michael @ ComicBookCollectorsBlog.com   WEB PAGE NOTE:  This blog post is written for the IE Browser standards. Chrome, Safarai, Netscape, Firefox and the others 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.

 

---------------- Al Williamson March 21, 1931 - June 13, 2010  Above: Probably the best known of Al Williamson's early photos in the industry.  At The Top Left: During Al's EC Days - His pencil art to the cover of Weird Fantasy #18 from March / April of 1953 with inks by Al Feldstein! At The Middle Left: During Al's Tower Comics Days - His pencil art to the cover of THUNDER Agents #10 with inks by Wally Wood from November of 1966! At the Bottom Left: Al's pencil art to the cover of Blade Runner #1 with inks by Carlos Garzon from Marvel Comics! Below: The photo shows some of the EC gang at a panel from a con in 1972, which is the first year I started selling as a comic book dealer at a con. Missed several great panels like this one due to manning my table...

TODAY'S FEATURE - Blog #3164:

Yesterday I mentioned that I wanted to go back to blogging review blogs on publications that had come in.

Unfortunately after posting yesterday's blog, I found out about the passing of Al Williamson, a comic books great.

So today it seems that I once again am blogging about another person who has passed away this year, after influencing so many current artists, and also having won new comics readers during several of the 'Ages of Comics' with his pencils and / or inks... 

Al Williamson passed away on Sunday, June 13th.   He was 79 years of age.

I'll let the entry on him in Wikipedia give you his early history and how and what he did in comics.

Here's the link to the 1,355 listings in the Grand Comics Database, (GCD) that you can go to and enjoy the massive amount of works that he produced in comics during his long career.

In case there are any missing in the above reference source, here's a link to the Comic Book Data Base.

You'll see at the top left of this blog, three comic book covers that I chose that Al Williamson penciled.  That's because even though he is mostly known now for his great inking skills, he was also a penciler during his career.

I chose the Weird Fantasy #18 from 1953, because it reminded me of the 'Star Wars' comics he was involved in for Marvel.  Great detail in 1953, which carried over to the 1980's for Star Wars.

The T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents #10 was during my formative years reading comics.  I was only a young teenager at the time when Tower Comics was publishing.  The cover was inked by Wally Wood, so you'll see a lot of the Wood style on that cover.

The third cover is the one that Al penciled for the movie comic book adaptation of 'Blade Runner' for Marvel Comics.  Probably one of my favorites of Al's later works.

I chose the above covers because they showed Al's pencil artwork.  However for interior pages of actual issues, I mainly have read a lot of Al's western works for Atlas Comics. I found to those to be some of my favorite works of his during his long career. I didn't see a cover to choose from from that period of time to post here.

Although I have not mentioned Al Williamson in this blog very often, he was truly one of the All-Time Greats in this industry.

His craftsmanship will be missed...
 

I have thanked Al before for his works; he was a guest of honor at the San Diego Comic Con since at least 1984 and was a repeat guest during the years since then.  Those photos from those earlier years are not yet scanned and thus not available for blogging purposes.

I want to add my thanks again to all of YOU reading this blog and our earlier archived blog posts, now numbering over 3,160 in number. I urge you to check out comic cons and introduce yourself to these comic greats at panels, programs, and even their tables or booths at a comic convention near you. I am so grateful that I've had the opportunity to do so during the years.  Sad to say, I've had to blog about the passing of several already this year.  Don't YOU miss out on talking with your favorite comic book writers and illustrators...

~ Michael D Hamersky @ ComicBookCollectorsBlog.com

Note: Our online comic book store carries many different genres of comics including Sci-Fi, HoRRoR, MoNSTer, Westerns, and of course Superheroes at:

http://www.comicbookscircus.com/

 

---

 

"Hammering Out the Web For You Since May 12th, 1998!"         Note: If you are breaking into, or already work in the comic book industry or other pop culture productions, you are welcome to email us press releases, news items, and updates that you feel would be of interest to our blog readers. Including YOUR own works! To mail printed items to us for possible review, send to:     Make It So Marketing Inc. PO Box 130653 Carlsbad, CA 92013

I mentioned in the above 'Main Feature' today that YOU should check out comics greats in panels, programs and their own tables at comic conventions. I want to also mention that YOU should check out panels that feature those that have been either reporting on comics or published fanzines or other publications during the 'fan years of comics'! Above is a panel from the 2001 Comic Con International in San Diego on fanzines. Left to right, moderator (name n/a), Maggie Thompson, Mike Vosburg, James Van Hise, and Fred Patten. Not shown but also there to the right were: Camille Cazedessus, Gary Brown, and Paul Levitz! My thanks to those of YOU that have read today's blog post! I do appreciate that, whether YOU are a First Timer here, or a regular reader of this Blog! For those of you that didn't know me before today...I first set up as a 'dealer' at the 1972 San Diego West Coast Comic Con (SDCC) at the El Cortez Hotel. So I've been around comic conventions for a little while, LOL!   My wife Tina and I now have an on-line exhibitor (dealer) table at the first "virtual" comic con titled the "Facebook Comic Con" (FBCC)! You can view our dealer table and interact with us there on Facebook by clicking this link, which takes you to our table named: 'Facebook Comic Con | Make It So Marketing'.  So if YOU are a Facebook member, please 'join' our Facebook Comic Con - Make It So Marketing exhibitor table for updates, specials, links to this blog, and other wall comments that we post every day!     Also, if you are a Facebook member and would like to also join my Facebook Network, feel free to send a 'friend request' to 'Michael D Hamersky'. I am reaching the maximum of 5,000 Facebook Friends soon, and I don't want YOU to be left out!         ------------------- Talking about comics: if YOU are a comics creator, (writer, penciler, inker, colorist, letterer, etc.), OR even a Comics / Magazine Publisher, feel free to contact me regarding YOUR works for a possible mention / review. I'm always ready to be knocked over into a great storyline! I've made a special blog post about: "How To Best Submit YOUR Publication For Possible Review!" for those creators / publishers that would like to possibly have their publications mentioned or reviewed. Just click on the link provided in this paragraph! ~Michael @ ComicBookCollectorsBlog.com   WEB PAGE NOTE:  This blog post is written for the IE Browser standards. Chrome, Safarai, Netscape, Firefox and the others serve the page up differently. The screen display resolution is best seen at the setting of 1024 x 768.             ------- NOTE: All images and characters within this blog post are copyright and trademark their respective owners.