Category Archives: The Comic Stop
Titanic Teams: Avengers Vs X-Men, Comixology and Marvel – The Perfect Digital Revolution
If you’re a comic book lover (and if you’re reading Biff Bam Pop I’m guessing you do love your comics), you likely know that it’s a huge day for Marvel Zombies like myself, thanks to the release of the first issue of Avengers Vs X-Men. Marvel has been teasing this massive event for months now, so it’s pretty exciting to finally be able to see the teams get ready for battle. If you’re going to read the issue, and I recommend you do (the script from Brian Michael Bendis hits all the right note and the art by John Romita Jr is solid), you really want to make sure you check out the digital version available at comixology.com or via the comixology App.
It’s pretty much the future of comics.
Biff Bam Pop’s The Comic Stop Exclusive Interview: Evan Dorkin Talks Beasts of Burden
I’m a die-hard digital comics convert, for many reasons. I’m not going to get into them all now, but I will let you in on one particular reason. You get to discover series’ that you might miss otherwise. Such is the case with Beasts of Burden, which I came across one day while going through the Dark Horse Comics App Store. I took a chance on the first issue about the town of Burden and its supernatural investigators, consisting of dogs and cats, and completely fell in love with it. Written by Evan Dorkin and illustrated by Jill Thompson, the series is a fantastic horror tale, one of the best I’ve read in forever. With talking animals as your stars, you might think Beasts of Burden would be all cutesy. How wrong you would be.
Evan Dorkin was kind enough to answer some questions via email about Beasts of Burden - where it came from, his collaboration with Jill Thompson, and much more, including his other work appearing in the legendary anthology series, Dark Horse Presents.
Andy Burns: I was a late comer to Beasts of Burden, having first discovered it on the Dark Horse Digital App. For Biff Bam Pop readers who might also just be discovering the series, could you give me the background on how Beasts of Burden was developed?
Evan Dorkin: In 2003 Scott Allie asked me to contribute to a horror anthology called The Dark Horse Book of Hauntings, and I came up with an idea for an 8-page story about a haunted dog house and how the neighborhood animals help solve the mystery behind it. I had Jill Thompson in mind for the art, specifically her watercolor work, which I knew from her Scary Godmother books. Jill agreed to illustrate the story, which was called Stray, and which got a nice reaction. Stray was done as a standalone story but when Scott was putting together a second anthology, The Dark Horse Book of Witchcraft, we ended up doing a follow-up with the characters dealing with an invasion of black cat witches familiars in their neighborhood. Then we did two more stories for the Book of the Dead and the Book of Monsters, by which time we realized we were developing a series with a continuity about these dogs and cats dealing with the supernatural. That led to a mini-series, which is when we actually started calling it Beasts of Burden. The series developed in fits and starts into an ongoing concern, and Jill and I work on it whenever schedules permit. We’ve done twelve stories so far, the first four anthology appearances, a four-issue mini-series, a one-shot crossover with Mike Mignola’s Hellboy and three short stories in Dark Horse Presents. The first eight stories were collected in a hardcover book called Beasts of Burden: Animal Rites which is currently in a second printing. That’s probably more than any of your readers wanted to know, but there it is.
Like this:
Biff Bam Pop’s The Comic Stop Exclusive Interview: Chris Ryall and Tom Waltz Talk IDW’s New KISS Comic!
A brand new KISS comic is coming???
I’m there, just like I have been for the band (or brand, depending on your point of view) since the summer of 1996, when I first saw the original line-up at their make-up clad best (I did see the band on their 1992 Revenge tour, and while it was good, it’s just not the same as Klassic Kiss). Every since the Alive! Worldwide tour, I’ve been a member of the KISS Army, collecting figures and comics, and buying and rebuying their albums in various configurations.
So when I say I’m stoked that KISS is teaming up with IDW for a new comic books series, you know I’m not foolin’. What’s even more exciting is the fact that the forthcoming series is in the hands of two diehard KISS fans, IDW Chief Creative Officer and Editor-In-Chief Chris Ryall and Senior Staff Writer/Editor Tom Waltz. The duo talked to me via email about the new series, how it ties in to the KISS comic mythology and so much more. So put on your favourite KISS album (I’m hitting play on Sonic Boom) and let’s get this place…hotter than hell!
The Comic Stop Exclusive Interview: Caitlin R. Kiernan on Alabaster: Wolves, now appearing in Dark Horse Presents
One of the great things about the return of the legendary anthology series Dark Horse Presents is the great tastes of various authors readers get to check out in every issue. Lately, we’ve seen the return Beasts of Burden from Evan Dorkin and Jill Thompson, along with new stuff from Brian Wood (you can read our interview with him regarding The Massive here). The latest issue of DHP presents a first look at Alabaster: Wolves, the new series from author Caitlin R. Kiernan. Caitlin was kind enough to talk to Biff Bam Pop! via email about the series, its protaganist, Dancy Flammarion, her creative process and much more.
The Comic Stop: Put Down Whatever You’re Reading And Go Experience Preacher Again
Earlier this week, Biff Bam Pop’s David Ward nominated Preacher’s Tulip O’hare and Jesse Custer as one of Our Favourite Couples. It was a suggestion David had a made a few weeks previous when we were talking about who to feature and as a result, he inspired me to go back and reread the original 66 issue run of the Garth Ennis/Steve Dillon series. Reread for the fourth time.
That’s just how awesome Preacher is.
