Blog Archives
Dream Thief Dreams Of Being A Superhero On The Wednesday Run–May 15, 2013
Who doesn’t like a good “possession” story?
Yep, those sorts of ghost/demon/entity tales wherein a strange force takes over the body of a living host are where it’s at. I mean, The Exorcist, written by William Peter Blatty and directed by William Friedkin, is one of my favourite films. “Wolf in the Fold”, written by acclaimed horror author, Robert Bloch, is one of my favourite episodes of the original 1960’s Star Trek series. At their essence, those types of stories remind us that we’re not always in control of our actions; that human beings can still revert to their base, most wild forms.
But what happens when the ghost/demon/entity takes over the human host and turns him into a superhero…that kills villains?
That’s the intriguing question that today’s release of Dream Thief asks.
A Love Of Comics, Art, Storytelling, And Libraries: The Toronto Comics Arts Festival (TCAF)
If you’re living in the Toronto area or are thinking about visiting the city this weekend, you’re in for a treat. The 10th anniversary of The Toronto Comics Arts Festival (TCAF) is happening on Saturday and Sunday – and if you’re a fan of sequential art and storytelling in all of its forms, TCAF is the place for you to be!
If you haven’t been before, this isn’t your usual run-of-the-mill comic book convention. No, it’s much, much more interesting: truly a celebration of art, storytelling and the small-press and independent comic book industry by and for the people that love to create in unison with the people that love to read.
Love is a word that can be used often with TCAF.
The festival is indeed an international love affair and you can find out more info and some highlights after the jump!
Get Caught Red Handed On The Wednesday Run–May 8, 2013
A sly, feline hand slips into the back pocket of an unsuspecting businessman, gently pulling, in an unnoticeable fashion, at a black leather wallet.
A small pill made of unknown chemical substances is quickly and reprehensibly dropped into the hot cup of coffee of an oblivious newspaper reader.
A fry cook and a waitress antagonistically raise spatula and bagel knife against one another, the comedic scene betrayed by tempers raised amid overcooked hash.
These are the crimes, or perceived crimes, that exist on the front cover of Red Handed: The Fine Art of Strange Crimes, a promise to the even stranger wrongdoings found within the inside pages, not to mention the back cover. Strange crimes, indeed.
Got your attention? Good. With crime, not all is as it seems.
Walks, Landscapes, And A Swear Down – Biff Bam Pop! Speaks With Comic Book Artist And Writer: Oliver East
Many in North America first became aware of Manchester, England based artist and writer, Oliver East, through his album cover work for the acclaimed English alt-rock musicians, Elbow. His drawings and paintings for the band’s seminal albums, The Seldom Seen Kid and Build a Rocket Boys!, perfectly captured the spirit of that music: at once puzzling and implicit, melancholy and joyous. But East had been hard at work making comics too, eventually releasing four books over the last five years through publisher, Blank Slate Books.
Renown for landscape-fuelled inspiration, his latest comic book offering, Swear Down, is also his most personal story. It debuts at the upcoming Toronto Comics Arts Festival (TCAF), an event that East will fly over the Atlantic Ocean to attend and exhibit as well as meet and greet like-minded sequential art lovers.
JP Fallavollita got a chance to speak with Oliver East via email about his love of exploring the world and understanding life through walking, his evolution as a writer and an artist, and his affinity for American comics.
X Marks The Spot With Mister X: Eviction #1 On The Wednesday Run–May 1, 2013
Let me take you back for a brief moment:
It’s 1983 or 1984 and I’m into reading science fiction and fantasy stories. I start picking up Epic Illustrated, an SF&F magazine imprint of Marvel Comics. The publication often premiered burgeoning North American and European talent such as Jim Starlin, John Bolton, Kent Williams and J.G. Jones and I had no business, at such a young age, leafing through pages of mature storylines and (oh my God!) drawings of naked women!
It’s there that I first came across Dean Motter and Ken Stacy’s The Sacred & The Profane, a story about the Catholic church and its’ interstellar mission to spread the good word. No, I didn’t understand it back then, but I started paying attention to Dean Motter.
At better comic book shops, I noticed the incredibly striking imagery of his Mister X series, released by Vortex Comics. I was floored by his take on The Prisoner mini-series, published by DC Comics, a sequel to the cult-classic television show. It was absolutely brilliant. Everyone should read it. And then came Terminal City followed by a return to Mister X.
Ok. Enough of the walk down memory lane.
2013 marks the 30th year anniversary of Mister X, one of the most acclaimed and highly regarded comic book series’ to see print. Celebrate it by picking up the first issue release of a new mini-series, Mister X: Eviction #1.
Here’s why you should:
Hyperbole Abounds With Jupiter’s Legacy #1 On The Wednesday Run – April 24, 2013
When a comic book company advertises one of their new publications as the comic book event of the year, you’ve got to assume that it’s just hyperbole. Heck, it happens all the time. The big spring, summer and fall franchise crossover stories get all of the headlines. Many comic book fans are embroiled in one or two of those titles right now.
But when you put a genre-smashing and well-regarded (if polarizing) writer together with a fan favourite artist, and have their work published by a company that is known to let their creators create, you get the possibility of something special.
That’s what we get today. The fist issue of the long-awaited series, Jupiter’s Legacy is finally released. And it might very well live up to the hyperbole!
Star Wars Episode 7 According to Patton Oswalt
Patton Oswalt reveals his suggestions for J.J. Abrams’ new Star Wars movie. I don’t really need to say more… but fans of Star Wars and Marvel should enjoy this:
Pay What You Will For The Private Eye
O brave new world, where comic book creators can go the indie route and give us a tablet ready, unique story with a pay what you will mandate.
That, in a nutshell, is what Brian K. Vaughan, Marcos Martin and Muntsa Vicente have come up with thanks to their Panel Syndicate publishing initiative and their first comic out of the gate, The Private Eye.
Rather than try and come up with a description, here’s the one direct from the site:
Set in a future where privacy is considered a sacred right and everyone has a secret identity, The Private Eye is a serialized sci-fi detective story for mature readers.
Tailor made for widescreen reading, the first 32-page issue of the planned 10 issue is gorgeously drawn and well-written. No surprise there. And I appreciate the whole DIY, pay what you will aspect that Vaughan and Martin are offering. For the record, I chose to pay 99 cents for the first issue. Some will say I cheaped out, while others will say why not just pay the least amount possible. For the later, I’d say that’s simply wrong. As for the former, I’m always cautious when I’m trying out a new series via Comixology, but I’m usually willing to spend 99 cents on something I’m unfamiliar with. Will I pay more next time out? Likely, seeing the quality of the work, which is loaded with eye candy and clever references.
Regardless of what you pay, The Private Eye is well worth your time and your money. Check it out here.
