Tme to go viral

OK, this is wicked-cool, I know that I told you already about my on-line comic, Girl Skout Warz, but now I’ve just cut a deal to have it appear on a new web-comic site (InkBot) that will post both of the existing pages (which currently now reside on GWP’s new website) and will continue to post the remaining three (all inked by the incomparable Rusty Haller), and then InkBot will move forward with all new material (just as soon as I write it).

Sweet, eh?

Hell's Blood is here!

I just wanted to shout from the rooftops that the second issue of my good buddy, Hector Rodriguez’s comic, Hell’s Blood, has come out from Guild Works Productions. Now I want to say right off the bat that I really like Hector, and I was looking forward to this comic for quite a time, and have long been associated with both Hector (Through CAG) and with GWP, so it should be no surprise that I’m pimping his book in my space here.

Still, I want you all to know that Hector is a phenomenal artist, and if you want to experience some truly outstanding art, you need to acquire a copy of this issue. I was very impressed with the first issue (copies of which are still available), so needless to say, Hector has not disappointed with this follow-up issue.

The Story (penned by Chris Buchner and Liam Webb) picks up from where last issue left off and pits young Hector (the main character, not the esteemed Mr. Rodriguez) against all the demons of Hell (or so it seems). As expected, an all-out knock-down brawl occurs. To find out more, you’ll need to acquire a copy for yourself.

Remember, that’s Hells’ Blood from GWP

* * * * UPDATE * * * * * UPDATE * * * * * UPDATE * * * *

I just learned that Hector was also interviewed on Jazma online, you can read that interview here where he talks more about Hell’s Blood.

Bring out your (un)Dead!

Hey folks, you need to check out this hot new blog by my good friend Shawnti Therrien, she is the creative force behind Am I Immortal, a wicked-cool Vampyre comic that I totally love. You need to read it (both the blog and the comic itself).

The book is great, and the blog is...well, every bit as good. Shawnti published the first two issues with Free Lunch Comics, but has not taken back full control of the book, and is going it solo, so she really could use your support.

Oh yeah, in case I didn’t mention it, the book is about Vampyres, and ties in with Meth, that appeared in Psychosis! (formerly under GWP, and soon to appear under Atlas Unleashed).

Got to jam now, but we’ll talk more about this soon.

(Not so) Creepy

The first comics I read were newsstand comics, Harvey, Gold Key, Archie; I then grew into the world of Superheroes (DC, Marvel), but when I got to High School, I discovered Warren’s line of horror mags (Creepy, Eerie, and the rest of the Horror-verse that was Warren Comics), Along the way I was also exposed to the old EC-style comics (both from EC and the mass-market pablum that filtered into DC, Marvel, and the rest of the mainstream, newsstand books), so in spite of my admitted bent towards guys and gals wearing Spandex and punching the crap out of each other, I do know a bit about the history of horror in comics.

(Unavoidable aside, I not only interviewed Steve Bissette for four hours about his then-upcoming book Taboo (and remained friendly with him for several years afterward until we lost tough with each other) but I also interviewed Jim Warren (several years later) and still (occasionally) get a Christmas card from him (no, really!).)

Anyway, a couple of years ago Papercutz (helmed by my friend and former editor Jim Salicrup) re-launched the classic EC Comic, Tales From The Crypt. This version was re-imagined for kids (sort of an illustrated Goosebumps). Not bad, but not really horror either. Well this month, Dark Horse has relaunched Creepy. Well, in spite of the fact that I’ve written a horror story or four (the first three issues of Psychosis! for GWP, and issue #3 of Only In Whispers for Free Lunch Comics, plus am continuing my Wülf Girlz series for Atlas Unleashed) I really wasn’t interested in picking up Creepy #1, that is until Mark Mazz, my editor, publisher and friend prompted me to do so.

Well, I did, and wow, was I extremely disappointed. For whatever reason, Dark Horse (or, more specifically, New Comic Company who — I believe — packaged the material for Dark Horse) chose to not so much relaunch the title but essentially pick up with stories that could have very well been published by the title some 30 or 40 years ago.

Please note, this is so not a compliment.

Let me digress for a moment. As good and ground-breaking as those stories were all those years ago, for the most part, they were all what I term “Turnabout Revenge Fantasies”. That is to say, (and this is an oversimplification) a young boy would pull the legs off spiders, and then get trapped in the web of a giant spider. Effective stories for a 12-year-old, but not so scary for an adult read. (I say that even though to this day I’m not entirely unconvinced that when a smash insects in my house that someday soon a hoard of gigantic insects wont swarm me and kick me to death.)

Still, to return to Dark Horse’s Creepy. It just isn’t scary The stories are all cast in the precise mold of its earlier incarnation, and just don’t do it for me any more. Now, while it may be possible that these stories just might be scary to a younger generation that didn’t grow up reading these stories already, I am highly suspect. If only due to the vast expanse of Freddie Kruegers, Michale Myers, and Jason Voorhees populating the movie landscape. It could be me, but I just don’t see this stuff as scaring anyone.

I realize that this may come off as professional jealousy (because of my association with Psychosis!, even in spite of the fact that this version of Creepy (at least in it’s packaging) looks nearly identical to Psychosis!. Still, it has no teeth. This Creepy still thinks the stuff that scared me at 15 in 1970, is going to scare me (or someone else) in 2009. I think not. At least in Psychosis we tried to update the fear-mongering to relate to issues and fears of the 21st century (the schoolyard Bully, Predators that stalk our children, global warming, eminent domain, shadow conspiracies, and the like.

Our fear base has changed over the past 30 years, unfortunately the storytelling in this tome has not.

If you want to see what I mean, write to me and I’ll sell you copies of the GWP issues of Psychosis! that I still have. Or, if you are going to be at the Wizard/Big Apple show in NY this October You can look up Atlas Unleashed in Artist Ally, and check out what we are doing with the genre.

Until then. See you in the funnypapers!

More Indies you should be reading

I know that I’ve been saying that quite a bit these days but man do I have a couple of books that you should be reading now. Both of the stories that I am going to be discussing occurred in Mysterious Visions (#s 7 & 15) from Spa Comics.

The first one is from issue #7, and cover-features Shawnti Therrien’s Am I Immortal I’ve been a fan of Shawnti’s sings I first saw her work (Meth) in Psychosis! #1. Shawnti has, over the course of a number of years, and the span of a number publishers has been build quite an impressive universe. Her Gothic vampire lore is both erotic and compelling as she interweaves her story it simply draws you into the mythos and makes you believe that it is all possible.

Hey, forget that vampire-lite teen whinny angst of Twilight, all the really cool vampire stuff is happening here.

This issue of Visions is rounded out by Ill (Ryan Cox & Al Ullman) and The History Collective (Terry Montimore). Ill is the story of someone who seems to have voices going off in his head, while The History Collective is part one of a story that involves time travel and the space-time continuum. Both deliver solid art and intriguing premises.

Issue #15 gives us the debut work of Liz Ortiz’s Rasgal who place high in last years Comicbook Idol thus ensuring her this stand-alone issue of her work. The Manga-style story involves other-worldly creatures, swordplay, and high adventure. It marks an impressive debut of an obviously talented individual who is certainly worth watching.

I do, however have one (smallish) nit to pick about this issue, in that I totally didn’t like the lettering on this story, which was (for some inexplicable reason) was rendered in Times Roman (a serif font) rather than in a tradition comicbook-style (sans-serif) font.This proved to be the most jarring element of this otherwise wonderful comic. After over 40 years of reading comics it just didn’t look right to me.

Still, this is a small point, and I still recommend acquiring this comic.

Enigma Works Comics

One of the artists I met at the recent National comicbook convention was Luke Mierisch. Luke has this great, clean style to his art. I was privileged to score a pair of comics he produced for Enigma Works. One comics — Tall Tales of Non-Fiction — was written by Dean A. Selleck; the second — Papillon Black — was written by Jason Cookingham.

Both comics are done is a very noir-like stark black and white. both show a skill that totally impressed both myself and my editor, Mark Mazz. After Mark arranged the introduction between the both of us, Luke and I spoke for a bit, and I invited him to contribute to my upcoming Agent Unknown graphic Album. I passed along to Luke the three issues of AU that Dell Barras drew for me back in the mid-‘80s.

Luke and I have chatted at length,and I’ve asked (and he’s agreed) to illustrate the new Stacy Anne Duncan story that I’ve written. I have to tell you that this excites me a great deal, as Stacy Anne was one of the original Division agents that I developed, and I have more stories of her that I not only want to tell, I want Luke to illustrate them.

Anyway, if you attend a show, and wander past Luke in Artists’ Ally. Stop at his table and pick up whatever he is selling, you’ll be seriously very happy that you did. I know that I was.

Trolling the Convention Trail

Last weekend (Sunday, November 19, 2006) I went into NYC to attend Big Apple’s humongous comicbook and Sci-Fi show (The National). As usual, I was there representing both Guild Works Productions, and the Comic Artists Guild. I am, you see, the Communications Director for GWP (that’s our comic over there on the right, click the link and go buy a copy). It was a very entertaining show that I attended. Interestingly enough, walking around a convention with a name badge on garners some interesting attention. You see, folks would read my name, recognize it, and then asked me how they know me.

My response is usually the same, “Well I’ve been writing in the fields for quite some time with credits going back to Amazing Heroes, The Comics Journal, Wizard, CBG and elsewhere.” This usually gets a response that they remember my name. Well one of the fellows that I ran into over the weekend (Dan Fogel) was the publisher of an underground price guide, when he realized that I was an editor for an overground price guide (Comics Values Annual) he invited me to join him on the dais for his panel.

Unable to turn down an invitation to pontificate about comics, I accepted. Granted his panel was the last of the day, and there were only something like 15 or 20 folks who attended, it was still both an honor and fun. While at the show, I was (along with GWP Creative Director Mark Mazz and CAG Art Director James Rodriguez, and Rammer Martinez) interviewed by The Horror Channel (hey, I didn’t even know that there was a Horror Channel!) I can’t tell you how cool this was. So, you just know that I’m going to register for and go to the NY Comicbook Con in Feb.

Also While I was at this convention, I ran into my old Marvel Age editor, Jim Salicrup (back when it was an internal Marvel promo mag) — who very generously gifted me with the con sketch that you see here (Jim also works with the Museum of Comic and cartoon art in NYC) — as well as Danny Fingeroth (author of Superman on the Couch — a very fine discussion of superheroes). Of Course my favorite cover artist Melvin Ylagan was also there, as were other CAGers and folks I know. So yeah, I’m really enjoying going to conventions these days.

This past Thursday was Turkey Day, and I spent it at my Brother-In-Law’s place, and he told me that the Spider-Man reprints that are currently running in the NY Post are also appearing in the Danbury News-Times, and that he has been saving them for me. He forgot to actually give me the copies that he has collected, but not that I know he has been collecting them and will continue to do so it quite cool.

Well, that’s about it for this week., got to get back to the grind (hey I’ve gotten two or three new scripts written that are targeted for the upcoming CAG/GWP comics. and now I have to type them up). Ciao.