I Know You Want This: Limited Edition Dead Pool-Aid Shirt

Usually when I posted about limited edition T-Shirts it's because I like them, but I know that the comic majority loves Deadpool and all his wise-crackin' ways... hence why I'm posting about a shirt that I would never buy myself. The design is by artist Joe Wight and is available on Graphic Lab for the low, low price of $11 bucks plus about three for shipping. If you're interested you have five days and counting to get it before it's gone! Source: Graphic Lab Design

Marvel NOW: Marvel Uses One Word To Describe Rebooted Series

No the word is not "Terrible" or even "Now" which would have been funny at least. Nope today Marvel announced with the word "Invincible" that Kieron Gillen and Greg Land would be working on Invincible Iron Man... I know that because it's in the Iron Man font and coloring as well. My first thought was, "Man we're going to see Iron Man in that one pose that Land draws... a lot, which will probably be a tracing of Archangel." Then I had to remember why Gillen's name was rubbing me wrong. It was a title called S.W.O.R.D., and it was possibly one of the worst things I read in 2010... and he wrote it. Will they somehow be the magical dream team everyone's been waiting for to replace Fraction and Larroca? Wait they're replacing them? Fuck that sucks. marvelnow_teasernew3_02

Then Marvel announced "Worthy" in the Thor font and slapped Jason Aaron's and Esad Ribic on the book. So it's going to look futuristic and take two months per an issue unless they started a year ago... which they didn't. I'm sure that all the Jason Aaron lovers in the world just creamed themselves, but I will go in with a clear mind and clear shorts before I decide if it's good or not. Perhaps Aaron can be the first writer since JMS to make Thor interesting and not a drunk guy that smashes shit.

I'm sure another word is on its way as we speak to describe another book in another notable font like "Mutant Scum" or "Smash" or "Snikt" or even "THPT." That last one was Spider-Man in case you didn't get it, or didn't care to.

Trailer Time: Dark Knight Returns

Well a couple of notes about this trailer, let's see; Animation style very cool even if it's super clean-looking. Tone of the story... completely missed. Batman's voice... sounds like every other Batman animation and not an old man that's old as fuck. And then what's this Part 1 business all of a sudden? I don't recall that being a thing when first announced, but it looks like the WB felt that fans would buy a two parter... so enjoy those thoughts before you watch the trailer.

Episode 40: You Can't Withstand The Speed Bro, The Speed of My Love

This week CBMFP is greeted by a ton of comic to television news that we cover lightly. Then we are joined by the talented Patrick Shand who is writing the new Zenescope title, Robyn Hood! He gives us the skinny as he shares a few sweet details! Comic wise we shoot the breeze about Batman: Earth One, Dark Blue, Bottom of the Ninth, Major Eazy and Lenore, The Cute Little Dead Girl. Oh and we ask the question, What Tears Your Turd Box? bad-batman-brushing-teeth

How to Fix the Comic Industry: The TV Approach

It’s very bold and presumptuous of me to say, “This will fix the comic industry.” Let’s clarify from the beginning that this is just one possibility that could help ensure the longevity of the industry before it completely subsides to movies, TV and video games. For a while now comics have tried to follow the movie formula with its huge crossover events that span a company’s entire line of books. Let’s not kid ourselves into thinking this is limited to just DC and Marvel either; Image has attempted a couple of crossovers and in most recent years Zenescope and Aspen have also had big crossovers. These "big enents" work of course and the sales back it up; just look at Marvel’s Avengers Vs. X-men. Our entire staff checked out after reading the first issue and yet it’s still dominated the sales chart. The problem that all companies face is that after the crossover the sales dip and so does the interest, sending the companies back to the drawing board for another big event. Even with DC’s reboot, they’re already talking about an event spanning their 52 books. The problem is that comics by nature are formatted closer to TV shows. The biggest framework example I have of this is the Cliffhanger. There are several comics each month that end on a cliffhanger scene that it’s used to entice you back for the next issue; now ask yourself how many movies end on a cliffhanger? Okay I’m sure you’ve thought of a few, but how many were actually good? Therein lies the problem with Comics mimicking Movies, the storytelling framework is very different. Additionally we could all name a few writers that have gone on to write TV after comics.

The “solution” I’m presenting came to me as I’ve been watching more and more Anime actually which has a Fall and Spring season of shows; and I thought that would be perfect for comics. Even Holloywood has adapted to this with summer TV shows to keep the viewers interest with something other than reruns and reality TV. Now I know the charm of comics is that they arrive monthly and basically never take a break ; you can go in each month and get a new issue of Spider-man, Walking Dead or Green Lantern. I completely understand the charm of that, but I think I can change your mind about the season format.

Better Storylines and Art

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Obviously the biggest advantage is going to be bigger and better storylines and due to the current scheduling that comic company’s follow this would mean six months on and six months off for books. In that time writers could pour everything into six to eight issues of story rather than creating the inevitable “filler” issue or stretching out a storyline to make it easier to put into a trade. Rather they’re could be multiple storylines running in the six issues making the scope of the story wider and fuller.

The other plus is better art work as you could actually tie one superstar artist to a book and give them enough time to deliver a great product. This would lengthen the career of the artist as they wouldn't burn themselves out doing monthly work. Sure they probably would work just as much, but the stress of deadlines wouldn’t be as bad considering they’d be six months ahead. Personally, I think this would raise the bar on the quality and expectations and we wouldn't be forced to settle for mundane art bringing down a great story.

There are a lot of great comics that have a closed number run and really the industry should have realized this and found a way to apply it to the business long ago. The only difference now is that after six fantastic issues there are six more... and then six more and so on.

More Pages…and Possibly More Money

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It would be complete bullshit if companies continued to deliver only 22 pages a month at the current pricing, but if they gave you six to eight issues with a 38-40 page count then that $3.99 price tag wouldn’t be so bad. Honestly they’d probably raise it to $4.99, but I'll get to how to counter that later. With more pages though stories wouldn’t need to rely on cliffhangers as much and frankly the pacing and structure of issues could drastically change opening new challenges and opportunities for creators.

The Return of Ads

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I know everyone in the world hates ads, but they are the only reason the entertainment industry survives. Eventually we’ll have an Ad break in the middle of our video games because the publishers want the extra money. With the season format the interest in comics would be much higher as fans would have months to wait for the next issue and the hype would help the comic each time; meaning that advertisers would have a reason to return to comics with their money. Granted this wouldn’t happen overnight since the formula and sales history would need to back it up, but the potential is there and if it happened then it could subsidize the cost of production for the publishers and they in return could pass on the savings to us... hopefully.

What About The Digital Age?

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The season format only helps the digital side of the business as well. You could buy a season pass or even a two season pass and then your digital reader of choice would just ping you when the next chapter arrived. You could even fend off the day and date digital by releasing the print version a month ahead, but in all actuality they’d probably just release the books in print and digitally until someone develops cheap technology that prevents people from scanning comic books. An additional benefit is that the casual reader is more likely to continue reading a comic that is released less often because they won’t take it for granted for always being there. The other effect is that the casual reader will find something else to fill that void while waiting for their favorite book to return. One comic book is like a gateway drug, you read one and then suddenly you’re reading more and more.

Who’s Close?

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Probably the closet company to the season format is Image Comics, there is no denying it. The problem is there is no consistency to their scheduling. You cannot currently count on the return of any one mini-series that you’re enjoying and frankly it could be over a year before you see the next chapter. Another company that dabbles with this is IDW, but mostly with their support mini-series rather than main titles. With so many licensed franchises that are based off of cartoon and TV shows it should actually be a very natural switch for them.

The companies that will struggle, but benefit the most are Marvel and DC. The thing is they have the perfect opportunity to switch with so many spin-offs of main series already. For instance they could run X-Men for six months and then switch off with Uncanny X-Men; the same goes for DC by having Green Lantern and then trading off with Green Lantern Corps. These other less successful spin off’s could actually benefit a lot from this structure as one writer could take over both books or the at least the partnership on franchises would be greater. As long as they didn’t abuse the system and actually delivered two different series it would work. I could potentially see them just continuing the story from one series into the next and calling it two different things to fool people with the marketing; which would be disguising the monthly format within the season format thus breaking the system for everyone.

Start Small Think Big

The beauty of this system is that new comic companies could easily adapt to it and make real head way in the industry. It’s a system that benefits both large and small companies as even the “Big Two” could slowly switch over after a title is cancelled. The possibility and the potential are there. I know that a lot of others have said, “Do what TV does”, but I doubt many have thought through how to make it work with the scheduling and business end of everything. The industry is always talking about the aging fan base buying fewer books at a higher price and that’s because the industry hasn’t changed how it presents the material on a retail level. The industry can adapt to the digital age and add bells and whistles all it wants, but it’s the scheduling and marketing that needs to adapt as well.

Currently Dustin is watching 90% Anime and 10% American TV and that 10% is Wipeout/The Glass House.

Review: Resident Alien #3

It’s great when you get fooled by a mystery and boy did the conclusion of this book fooled me something bad. It became kind of obvious at one point where the story was going, but the journey was so rewarding and full that it was something very special. The great news was that a second volume of the series is promoted at the back of the issue which I was very happy to see considering how this issue ends. In our last issue we learned that there was one man in town that fit the bill as the murderer due to his past with several of the victims. Boldly, Dr. Harry goes and visits Mr. Whitehead the man he suspects of the murders that sucked him into becoming the towns doctor. He enters Whiteheads house and finds a man in shambles after his wife’s own death. He asks about his sleeping pill prescription as a way of playing off his visit; Whitehead explains that he didn’t like the way they made him feel and prefers booze. It’s clear that he’s not the person Harry is looking for as he looks at the liquor store of alcohol around the house.

Resident Alien #3 CoverHe leaves Whiteheads place feeling like a fool and wondering who could possibly be the murderer if it’s not Whitehead. As he drives back towards the doctor’s office he’s suddenly followed by a person on a motorcycle. Soon a report of comes into the police station about a naked person near a motorcycle and it’s clear that Harry is about to find out first hand who the killer is.

The conclusion to this story is great; mostly because it keeps it simple and fast. It doesn’t draw out the mystery any more than it has too. The wrap is very strong and even though the story continues from here it still has its own conclusion and a full/rewarding ending. In general the series has been very different, but captivating with its unique take on an Alien crash landing on earth.

If you missed this series then you really need to check it out from the beginning because it’s very different and interesting. It focused on one element of a Sci-Fi world, but in doing so it created a larger much more rewarding world in its wake. I was happy with this series and it’s ending and if it ended here that would be okay, but thankfully it continues on.

Score: 4/5

Writer: Peter Hogan

Artist: Steve Parkhouse

Publisher: Dark Horse Comics

Price: $3.50

Release Date: 7/25/12

Review: Mind MGMT #3

Let’s begin with the composition of the cover. From a distance it looks like a woman’s face, probably Meru’s. The first thing you’ll notice is the dragons and fire acting as her hair, but that will take you deeper into the face where you’ll notice a tree for the nose. At the bottom of that tree is man bleeding which runs down creating the lips. You think we’re done, but if you look at the eyes you’ll now notice that they’re the heads of two people. This cover is amazing and plays into the fact that the story is all about the mind and its unlocked power. I’ve see a lot of amazing comic covers, but this one is definitely a contender for best ever. Meru is in China tracking Henry Lyme; well actually as Henry tells us with the narration she’s being led by him to the next clue. Meru and the FBI agent find the dolphins that Lyme left donated and they spell out the next clue for them: Guangzhou. Literary the dolphins spell out the clue on a special device for them. They grab a boat and a guide and head down the river; for the first time the FBI agent reflects upon how he got there and the fact that he lost his partner. They come across another boat and for some reason the driver of their boat feels compelled to help them. Knowing that it’s a trap our FBI agent tells Meru to jump overboard and to continue on without him. Sure enough, the Immortals spring up and kill the drivers of both boats. Now Meru is up against an even bigger race against the clock and for the first time is concerned that her FBI agent friend won’t make it.

Mind MGMT #3It’s stupefying how good this issue is. It answers a lot of questions and yet opens the doors to so many more. There are inconsistencies with the art that cannot be called inconsistencies because they are so obvious that they become clues to something not yet revealed. I have a strong suspicion that body swapping went down and if so that’s fucking amazing. The pacing for this story is deliberately fast as it continues the intensity with each scene building the tension until the final page. There is so much going on in this issue that it's really incredible; both with the story and the dialog.

The art is some of the finest in comics today. It appears to be quite simple, even overly simplistic, but the composition of each panel is as carefully thought out as the cover. Looking through it again I can find so many scenes of beauty and intensity that it’s just crazy. It makes me wonder how a comic book can be this good when it only has one creator. The style and technique are an inspiration to any creator/artist out there looking to make their own book.

I seriously got chills when I looked at the cover of this issue and it only got better inside. The side stories are still a fantastic read that add to the depth of the story and I could honestly read an entire issue of just those stories. Perhaps they’ll make a one-shot issue collecting them so readers can see just how much of the world they already know about. I don’t know if there are any better books shipping this week because this one stole my heart instantly. If you’re not reading this book you need to be, it will be talked about for years to come and is sure to win all kinds of awards at the end of the year. Personally, I just want a poster of the cover to stare at all day for inspiration and beauty.

Score: 5/5 (I would break the scale and give it a 10/5, but that would be two weeks in a row.)

Writer/Artist/Creator: Matt Kindt Publisher: Dark Horse Comics Originals Price: $3.99 Release Date: 7/25/12

Episode 39: You Don't Know What Cut Off Jeans Look Like?

This week your two favorite guys on the CBMFP tackle the Dark Knight topic. Then they try to brighten up the podcast by talking about Zenoscope’s Grim Fairy Tales animation. There are some Hellboy 3 and Rock Lobo rumors running a muck. After that we shift to some crazy Cyberforce news. Comic wise we talk about Night of 1,000 Wolves, Masters #2 – X-O Manowar #3, Harbinger #2, and so much more! CBMFP 39 is GO! matarms

Episode 37: I'll Be A Monkey's Uncle

Wow, what a super awesome podcast we have for you-- the people we love! This week we have a very special guest! It's Info Zombie founder and Comic Bastard contributor Carl!  Not only that-- in this episode we chat about the new Marvel NOW and what it really means for you. Not really. Then we talk about a  few creator “shake ups”  in the DC world. Followed by us rambling about some books, because they got read. The titles include: October Girl, Vision Machine, Creepy#9, Spawn #221, and more!! three-xmen

Review: The Thirty-Six Vol. 1

After reviewing the first two chapters of this series I was excited for the creative team when they announced that the first volume of the series was being collected into print. The first issue was previously the only issue that made its way into printed format and I made a big fuss over its print quality being very good. Well the trade has a great paper quality for the interior and while the cover stock is thick it also has some give which is nice in a trade since the covers can crease or dent easily at times. It’s kind of weird at first since it doesn’t appear as thick as it actually is, but it’s a nice surprise. After the first two chapters of the comic the story dives into Noam’s wife and how she is the Leviathan and that her power as one of the 36 is to bring about the end of the world. This storyline is touched upon in the first two issues, but its the focus for the last three chapters. The woman Noam saved in the first two issues Lenore has become very interested in Noam and it creates a bit of a love triangle. I honestly liked this aspect of the story the most as it added a weird human element to the story. Lenore can’t hide the fact that she’s taken back by Noam and at times doesn’t even realize it herself. It’s heart breaking for Noam’s brother who is infatuated with Lenore as well. All the while, Noam could care less since he only has eyes and a heart for his wife.

The story dives into Noam’s past as a member of the military and how he meets his wife Shira. It’s a very cute story and their flashbacks run throughout the issue as we see Shira becoming more and more in tune with the Leviathan. The two of them together look for a way to stop the creature inside of her, but ultimately they run out of time. Noam puts her into a controlled coma to prevent Leviathan from awakening. The problem is that the man who was once the shepherd of the Thirty-Six wants to wake her and use her to remake the world the way he so desires.

Amazon.com- The Thirty Six Vol. 1 9780985361204- Kristopher White George Zapata Micki Zurcher- BooksThere are a lot of intense battles in the story; magical battles between the thirty-six and their different powers to gunplay and finally giant monster battles. This book really kicks it up a notch each time. In another review I talked about how creating a story with a history is a difficult job when you’re not showing all of the details of that history. The Thirty Six gives you a little of both worlds, there is the eluded past between Noam and the previous Shepherd and then the government organization that’s interested in the Thirty-six as well. At best we have vague details about them both, but that’s enough for them to play their part in the story and make the world real enough to believe in.

I don’t go crazy for the art style, but it’s very consistent and dynamic. The battles and gun play moments are solid pieces and give the scene a real sense of intensity. I’m not 100% partial to the character designs and at times Noam’s face varies a bit too much giving him an inconsistent look. The final chapter of the volume is definitely the best as the art captures all of the different elements at play. One thing I will say is that the art is very good about capturing the raw emotion that the characters are experiencing.

As a trade this book reads very well and honestly the chapter breaks showing the issue covers isn’t even needed; it’s that tight of a story. I personally enjoyed the book a lot and reading the first volume from start to finish was a great complete read. You can of course buy the book from the36.net or from online retailers like Amazon, or if you “Like” The Thirty Six on Facebook you’ll be able to follow the updates of the comic shops now carrying the trade so check it out.

Score: 4/5

Writer: Kristopher White Artist: George Zapata Publisher: Fossil Creek Productions Price: $18.99 Website: the36.net

Comixology Link - Price $10.99 

Talking With David Peterson About Mouse Guard

Well after a long weekend and a longer week we're back with our first video from C2E2. If you follow the site then you know that we're pretty big fans of Mouse Guard around here, especially the guy mentioned at the end. We cover the board game and the second volume of the Legends of Mouse Guard. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMvBMWi7_NM

Comic Bastards at c2e2 2012

Here is the video you've all been waiting for, but didn't know you were waiting for it! Kevin does an amazing job on this video as he delves into the world of Cosplay asking some of the attendees about their costumes. Lessoned learned as he soon finds out... they're not costumes! All in all it was a pretty damn good trip! A big thanks to Erin Bush who was once again our Videographer, editor, sound person and Podcast producer extraordinaire. You can check out her own web series Cha Cha Cha on the web. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rewq5unKVZA

Talking With Frank Cho About Liberty Meadows

I may not do a ton of videos and let's be honest I'm still pretty bad at the ones that I do, but at least they're fun! Point in case, talking to Frank Cho will always be a highlight of working on Comic Bastards. I've enjoyedLiberty Meadows since discovering it and more so I've enjoyed Cho's art since the first panel the blessed my eyes. I would rank this interview thingy up there with my video with Chynna Clugston Flores since it had the same effect on me where my Fanboy metered was spiking. Hope you enjoy it! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVdh8E_VTfM

PINWHEEL PRESS AND MAN OF GOD

A while back we reviewed a book called Man of God from Pinwheel Press. It scored pretty high in my book so when the opportunity to talk to them at C2E2 came along I did that! I'll admit it wasn't my best interview, but hey... I'm growing. At any rate check out the video and the review, I highly encourage you to check out the book that goes on sale soon! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pd6W16oayuI

Talking to Robert Pereyda of Namco/Bandai

If there is one other major hobby that we enjoy around Comic Bastards its video games, so when we found a bunch of arcade cabinets with old school games we had never heard of it was kind of a no brainer to check it out. Soon enough we were talking with Robert Pereyda about Bandai Namco's comic initiative that will hopefully help in the revitalisation of this old school games. If you want to read the comics check out Shifty Look. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEq_t_7XawE