… saying yes to Slave-Dude Leia.

Another Weekly Webcomic Report for the week of 2/14/11 – 2/20/11.

(via ifanboy by austin)

Joe Stone returns with another amazing family tree… but this time, it’s fantastic.

(via ifanboy by austin)

It’s that time of year again. In what’s become an annual tradition here at iFanboy we have our version of Shark Week on Discovery.

It’s the start of the week and Austin plans his attack on the menacing stack that stares him down. See how he plans to fight back in Part 2 of the 2011 Stack Week!

(via iFanboy by Austin)

A review of Jason Little’s amazing second publication, released in December 2010.

(via ifanboy by austin)

Are you looking to get into webcomics? This new column highlights the best in webcomics for the previous week!

(via ifanboy by austin)

Long time Disney animator, Robb Pratt, proves to be a big fanboy with his new Superman animated short.

(via ifanboy by austin)

With the Judge Dredd reboot, DREDD, coming out late this year, you should consider revisiting the 1995 Stallone version – and here’s why!

(via ifanboy by austin)

This new fan created DKR poster gets two thumbs-up and has me enthused for (the possibility of) Catwoman!

(via iFanboy by austin)

Now that Constantine is dealing with married life, Deadman isn’t so dead and The Phantom Stranger is still… strange… Who would make for a good modern-day mystic team-up?

(via ifanboy by austin)

[The X-Men Family Tree via ifanboy posted by austin]

A Geek’s Guide to Surviving Broken Bits & the Winter Blues.

Does a broken bone or heart have you on the disabled list? Does the winter have you down? Here are a list of tips and tricks to surviving the season.

(via iFanboy)

Crowning the New King of Comic Book Cinema! by Austin Hartman. via iFanboy

Normally my highlights of the week are driven by new and various titles that I picked up. And I have to say, that after three weeks of working so very hard, I was able to pick up a large stack of comics. Whew – it was great! However, this week’s picks weren’t chosen by their titles, but by the authors.

There were two authors this week that stole the show, my imagination and love for comics with their works that came out and/or debuted.

The first is an author who I’ve written about before, met, interviewed and have been a long time fan of his work: JEFF LEMIRE. This week Mr. Lemire had two titles out, his current monthly Sweet Tooth #15 and the debut of Superboy #1.
Having loved and read Essex County and The Nobody, I’ve found a familiarity with Lemire’s emotion filled writing style. With that said, the actions developed in Sweet Tooth #15 and the emotions that it stirred within me as a reader, I can tell this story is coming to a point wherein I will be emotionally devastated and wishing for more than 34 pages of the single issue. In the fifteen issues of Sweet Tooth currently out, I have created an emotional bond with Gus, and a hope for Jeppard. It’s that building of emotional ties to his characters that makes Jeff Lemire such a strong force in comics today. Lemire also, through the reading of a note written by Gus’ father long ago, creates a montage that collaborates images of the story and a dream that Gus and Jeppard share which is beautiful to read, along with including a new illusory element to the narrative. Confusing the reader of the narrative’s problems between science and fantasy.

Next is Superboy #1 which is written by Jeff Lemire and illustrated by Pier Gallo. I’m not going to lie, I know/knew very little about Superboy. I know, in brief, his origin and his role in Blackest Day/Brightest Night. This first issue though, tastefully introduces his origin and his current situation as a nerdy high-school student living in Smallville. Similar to his moniker-sharing man-of-steel, Smallville offers Connor a similar youth. Which, knowing Lemire’s great ability to write small-town narratives, it would only make sense that he was picked to pen this revamp title. Within this first issue we saw some cameos from a number of characters including one of my favorite Vertigo men of magic, The Phantom Stranger. And while this is no complaint, it is weird to read a book written by Lemire and not see his art go along with it. Pier Gallo’s art is amazing. ‘Nuff said.

The second author that makes the pick list is Sarah Glidden with her debut graphic novel, published by Vertigo/DC, How to Understand Israel in 60 Days or Less. Living now in Brooklyn, I am happy to find myself, alone and nervously drinking the free beer, at a number of book release parties. And it was at Desert Island Comic Shop in Williamsburg that I attended and purchased this autobiography written and illustrated by Ms. Glidden.

This story follows her and her friends, new and old, on their birthright trip to Israel. Once I picked this book up Wednesday evening, I couldn’t put it down and here is why:
This is a book, that as an autobiography, mentally engages the reader and asks them to think through the experiences, questions and political situations being outlined and address in the book. With scenes that run through the emotional spectrum over the narrative, it follows an excited but skeptical (in regards to the ‘conflict’) woman on her trip to Israel. Being a, now somewhat, politically aware individual I know and am aware of the conflicts between Israel and Palestine, and have had similar questions about the situation which Glidden takes on in the book through her own voice, and executes magically.
All in all, this narrative had me deeply engaged, the art is very well done and written with a touch of sincere emotionality.

Go pick ‘em up, readers!

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This article was originally posted in the newest edition of The Greenpoint Gazette (and you can read the original here). Some material has been added to this article that were, because of GG readership and their general relationship to the material, edited out.
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Superman, giant robots, the Predator and Michael Jackson seem like an unlikely list of characters you might see gathered in one room, but for those in attendance at the New York Comic Con, it was just another (awesome) day. This past weekend NYCC took place at the Javits Center, which was an amazing and festive celebration of all things nerdy! Not only was this the location of NYCC, but the event also went hand in hand with New York Anime Festival (NYAF. Both were, for lack of a better word – ‘nerd-gasmic’. lived up to the hype and excitement: the two proved to be perfect outlets for festival-goers to interact with varying appendages of geek culture.

Sadly, for those who attended the con from Brooklyn, especially in the Greenpoint, Williamsburg and Bushwick areas, a obstacle was tossed in our paths: the L train was out of service from 8th Ave in Manhattan to the Myrtle-Wyckoff stop in Brooklyn. Nonetheless, thousands of Brooklynites crowded into the con as they do each year come hell, high water or screwy subway service.

Despite the brilliant weather, thousands chose instead to spend the day indoors, indulging in a wide array of activities, attending panels and meeting some of the most popular icons of the Sci Fi universe. The center was divided into several zones. The first was designated for small press, artists’ alley and new video game demonstrations.

The second was the main floor, where big-name companies strutted their stuff with exclusive news, demonstrations, sneak peaks and signings as eager souls, often dressed in extravagant costumes or nerd cloth, flooded the isles trying to get a piece of the action. And downstairs, along with the expensive food court, were the panel rooms. Sticking to my own advice, I had scheduled my day around two panels then planned to spend the remainder of the afternoon walking the two exhibiting floors meeting up with old, and visiting new, friends at their booths. The two aforementioned panels were the Marvel/X-Men panel that featured the current pens of the X-U and the plans for the future, along with Adult Swim’s Children’s Hospital panel – which was gut busting funny.

J.D. Arnold and I.

While Friday was the kick-off, Saturday proved to be the real money-maker, as the major companies like DC and Marvel comics made many anxiously-awaited announcements regarding the future related film titles for the next year. As other companies revealed the release dates and demonstrations of new video games like the Michael Jackson Wii dance challenge or the Red Dead Redemption zombie expansion, all had fans waiting in long and motionless lines. Personally, the longest and most feared line I found at NYCC was the ATM line, where it took me forty-five minutes to withdraw the remaining money in my bank account to purchase original artwork from a friend’s comic, BB Wolf & The Three LPs by J.D. Arnold and Rick Koslowski

Paul Duffield & Kate Brown

With the constant inundation of ocular wonders ranging from large and detailed costumes or expensive booth displays to fan-made replicas—the best of which was a functioning life-size R2-D2; my jaw actually dropped—one could have easily become overwhelmed and exhausted by the endless eye-pulling oddities that inhabited the main floor.

One of the more fantastical elements of larger conventions such as the New York Comic Con is the opportunities it affords fans to interact with contributors (artists, writers, editor and actors) of the various media featured. I elated as I hopped the floor meeting and interviewing industry stars, one of whom was writer Jeff Lemire who authored the famous comics Essex County, The Nobody and the forthcoming Sweet Tooth. Or artist Paul Duffield and inker Katie Brown who worked with writer Warren Ellis on the Avatar title FreakAngels.

[note: these interviews will be posted shortly - still transcribing the interviews off my recorder.]

I find that these experiences strengthen the community by bringing the purveyors of the industries closer to the fans that keep them afloat. I also got to meet-up with Brooklyn’s very own Travis Nichols, the author/ illustrator of Punk Rock Etiquette and the forthcoming The Monster Doodle Book; Colleen AF Venable, the author of the Graphic Universe’s Guinea Pig graphic novel series for kids; and the art and design editor for First Second Books, to get their thoughts on the Con.

Greenpoint Gazette (me): You both go to cons all over the country every year. How is it different to have NYCC in your own backyard?

Colleen: When you’re out of town for a convention your whole world is the convention. When it’s at home, you have to balance the convention with your normal life: work, non-comics friends—I’m supposed to have those, right?

Travis: I forget to go to parties when cons are local. Instead of “I’m tired… but, yeah, let’s go to the hotel bar,” it’s “I’m tired. Let’s go home. We can see these jerks in the morning.”

GG: What are your thoughts on this year’s con, from the crowd and attendance to its overall execution?

C: The crowd smelled better than in 2006, and no fire marshals were needed. Woo-hoo! In all seriousness (though I’m quite serious about 2006—it was like 90 degrees in here!), the show is so well run this year. Programs are more packed than ever, books are selling great, and while Saturday’s crazy crowds meant I got smacked in the face by not one but TWO giant fake axes, the energy was hard to deny.

T: This is my first NYCC. I went to San Diego Comic Con in 2002, and it seemed about the same size. Madness. I mostly go to more indie-ish cons: SPX, MoCCA, APE, STAPLE! But both extremes are super fun.

GG: Highlight of the con for you?

T: Live action D&D was awesome! Yeah, we totally vanquished the Mad King! Rollin’ on 20’s.

C: It should have been when a Muppeteer told me that his niece is a fan of my books, but really, it was watching a person dressed as Gumby dance Badly (capital B intended) in that slightly-terrifying Michael Jackson dance game booth.

But even without the element of industry stars wowing the crowds, what I love about conventions is the camaraderie of the con-goers. At the end of the day, no matter what borough, city or state you are from, this is an event that allows all the nerds in the world to congregate, un-judged, with others and freely express who you are and what you love.

Another highlight that happened outside of the convention was on Saturday night, the 9th, at Bergen St. Comics located in Brooklyn and was hosted by comics blog iFanboy that had an open beer/wine bar, the contributors of the site and special appearances by Geoff Johns and Francis Manapul.

Geoff Johns & I cheers the beers

Even though I was extremely exhausted after Saturday, the thought of missing this party seemed like an impossibility. For one, it was my journalistic duty to attend these after hour events. Secondly, the words ‘open’ and ‘bar’, when put together, make magic. Not to mention, one of the coolest guys working and writing in comics was going to be there. The shop was packed and a frenzy of fans swarmed around Johns. To eliminate waiting in the drink line again I double fisted two beers and started in on Geoff. A really nice and laid back guy, we chatted for a few, created a cheers with out beers and took a picture. It was a nice little highlight and I would like to say thank you to Bergen St. Comics and iFanboy for putting the event on.

At the end of the day(s) my mind and body may feel a bit overwhelmed and exhausted, but it was such an exciting and fun event through every minute and will be missed dearly until next year.

… is attending the New York Comic Con. If you’re not doing that, than you should be following me (Austin) on twitter for the coolest and newest updates con related.

DO THAT HERE:

http://www.twitter.com/arhartman

This was quite an exciting week in comics all over the board and, unlike the past month, I really opened my wings and picked-up more then just X titles. Of the large lot I picked up this week which included Brightest Day #11, Red Hood: The Lost Days #5 and more, there were two that I saw as absolute must reads!

The finest read I found this week was Uncanny X-Force #1 written by Rick Remender and art by Jerome Opena. There were several factors that made this ish so strong. First and foremost, X-Force was/is/has been one of my favorite titles since its debut. It brought some of my favorite characters, new and old, to the brink of utter chaos and madness in ways I hadn’t thought they would try.
I mean, it’s the X-Men’s black-ops kill squad. As I mentioned, collectively the team features some of my favorite characters – and now, in the new UNCANNY X-Force, they have replaced some with other awesome characters (i.e. Deadpool – woot). Another amazing part of the new X-Force title is the return of En Sabah Nur (Apocalypse), who was for the greater part of my childhood the revered villain that dominated the X pages with the “Age of Apocalypse” arc. I was further impressed with the way they are now integrating the various character’s voices into the book. Before, X-Force was a killing machine that had little thought outside of the darkness they were doomed to. But now, with characters like Deadpool, Fantomex and the romantic relationship between Psylocke and Archangel we will be show different perspectives to the dark and deadly missions they are yet to endure – a voice(s) that will most likely include humor and lewd criticisms through out all the missions. Thus far, the writing seems strong, the art is awesome and this is a must read that will remain to be on my single -ish pick list. The only downside is that they got rid of Domino – hubba-hubba. Also, I am now waiting for Deadpool to be in a near death experience in which he notes that he cannot die because he is involved in too many Marvel titles this month… think about all the money they would lose if they killed him.

Sweet Tooth #14
Jeff Lemire remains to be one of my favorite authors that I have found over the past couple of years. He brought me to tears with Essex County, wowed me with The Nobody and again continues to keep me utterly interested with his Vertigo title Sweet Tooth. With the newest issue, things are picking up and beginning to come around to suspense and excitement. This issue was well balanced between Jepperd and Gus and the new characters that are following them. Lemire remains to have amazing sequential art, whether it be a full page panel with action or multi-panel pages – his visual narration is told without a hitch. With action and emotion pressed into every page, this was a highlight of a read, and a title that everyone should be keep up with.

I love all things geeky and nerdy – no matter what the medium (just about). Along with being a life long nerd, I am also a male that is now in his early twenties. Thusly, it would be a fair assumption that I also have a taste for ‘adult material’. Sadly, in my years of experience, I’ve found that I prefer to keep the artifacts and iconic characters of my geeky interests separate from my illicit indulgences. Listed below are examples of what could be the worst nerdy parody pornos. I will note that I have not seen all of these films, but am judging them solely on posters or DVD covers.

10. World of Whorecraft:
I think by the time they were done filming this movie they were over budget and couldn’t put together a more creative poster. I am curious to whether or not they even bothered with a make-up department to make the actresses look more like Night Elves or Orcs… Nonetheless, that combo does not sound appealing whatsoever.

9. Whore of the Rings:
This film is a poor knock-off of a preceding porn parody. A sad, sad knock-off. But nonetheless, the film does appear to be more like a parody of the Broadway theatrical play Wicked (which is a title I am having trouble creating a parody-type name for).

8. Lord of the G-String:
Being honest, I have seen this. It was late, it was on one of the movie channels late one evening and I was interested to see what they were going to do with it – and, I was amused to say the least. With the characters names ‘Dildo Baggins’ and ‘Schmirnoff – the Wizard’ (who was drunk the whole time) that resulted as an interesting experience that lacked any real form of eroticism.

7. Deep Space 69:
My word, this sci-fi series lends itself quite well to a porn parody. I haven’t seen it, nor do I have interest – UNLESS there is a cameo, in the form of a flashback, of Sisko’s wife and family interacting with Borg Picard. That would be horrifying. Like I said, the only way I would watch this.

6. Penetrator:
Well done with this poster, porn folk. Well done. Another thing that could possibly work for this film, and its actors, is that porn stars often have an acting range the same as Arnold Schwarzenegger. But, if they keep with the character of the Terminator I foresee some very awkward sex scenes.

5. 2069: A Space Odyssey:
This movie was made in 1974, and it’s cover looks like a paperback sci-fi pulp novel. What I’m guessing you should expect from this porn: lots of bush, bad effects and very boring sex – regardless who it is between. But I would like to watch it to see how they incorporate any of the themes from the films source material, 2001: A Space Odyssey. Is HAL some artificial intelligence programmed for sex and revelry?

4. Batman XXX:
This is the Dark Knight. This is the Dark Knight on porn. A modern day porn that seemed to have a bigger budget then most, so they spent it all on sets and sultry costumes. Here is the trailer:

BATFXXX trailer

3. The Big Lebowski XXX:
What I appreciate about this parody nerd porn is that they didn’t even bother adjusting the name to give it a porny-pun. They simply took the clout of this cult hit and added boobs and screwing. But, judging the poster I guess even Jesus and Donny might get some action. I would also anticipate several sexual innuendos regarding bowling balls – like a lot of them.

2. Buffy the Vampire Layer:
So… umm… if Buffy has sex with a vampire they die? Or is she the chosen one that is destined to have sex with vampires because no one else will? Oh wait, she did have sex with multiple vampires in the original series. I guess it makes more sense now…

1. Final F%*K X:
I have not seen this… but I am not going to lie, I would. And, don’t lie – you would too. ‘Nough said.

The Greenpoint Gazette Guide to Attending New York Comic Con

“New York City Comic Con, the second largest comic convention is rapidly approaching and, if you are attending the convention, October 8th-10th at the Javits Center (655 West 34th St, Manhattan), your should be prepared to manage your way through the masses and chaos of the con…”

(read more at The Greenpoint Gazette)

“We All Gotta Make Tough Choices”
And here is another installment of ‘WWTT?’ I apologize for my lack of consistency, but funds have been limited and I had to make a cut back in the comics department. Nonetheless, with a new ‘ish’ of Walking Dead out this week I had to get my butt back in the shop. Another change I am making is that I will not be sticking to the original model of this segment. While I originally was planning on critiquing the bad and weird of the week’s comic issues, I am generally just going to be reviewing that best of what I’ve read each week. Primarily because I can only read so many comics a week and they are usually specific titles. So… lets jump into the goodies of this week!

**warning: this post contains some spoilers!!!**

X-FORCE: SEX & VIOLENCE (3of3):
For the past year, and then some, the re-vamped X-Force title has been one of my favorite monthlies because it’s a title that has shown deep and dark development for some of my favorite characters that I’ve grown up with. This three-issue story arc was an adventure between Domino & Wolverine as they, after some bad choices made by Domino, fight the Guild of Assassins and The Hood. Issue three, the final to the story, keeps up at being 32 pages of blood, guts, action and some sexy-time which made for a read I could be pulled away from. The most appealing aspect of this series, and was flawlessly executed in this particular comic, is the art work by GABRIELE DELL’OTTO (who also has a really cool website, where you can see more of this beautiful artwork).
The panel work and two-page spreads were done so well, it made the fight sequences feel alive and very fluid to the reading eye. Craig Kyle and Christopher Yost keep well at keeping X-Force dark and gritty while the cleverly included hilarious comedic timing between the two ass-kickin’ characters – not to mention turning Domino into the most arousing comic character in the Marvel U. This comic, if not the whole series, is a must read.

Walking Dead #77:
Wow…. OKAY… WOW… Alright, I am going to do something that I probably shouldn’t do and that is post the most amazing and powerful panel sequence in comics single issues that I’ve read in the past couple of months.It was in the end of this ish, that already had plenty of good content for this relatively slowly moving arc. I guess, out of context it wont make a whole lot of sense, but here is it at the bottom of the page. Whew. Nonetheless, this arc is finally starting to build into something that I foresee not ending well for certain members of Rick’s band of zombie survivalists.

Brightest Day #10:
For a series that I, at times, begrudgingly purchase because I am not sure which of the several stories will be featured in the issue. Luckily, issue ten focused on one of my two favorite story arcs and managed to make my least favorites, the Firestorm arc, seem very appealing. The cover showing Aqua Lad standing over and injured Deadman – so I thought that this ish would consist of my two favorite stories, but with a psyche out and keeping Deadman clear of all the stories, the mainstays were Aquamanm/AquaLad and Firestorm. They handled both very well, and in the end turned the Firestorm story into something that excited even me and left me wanting issue #11 (but, really we probably won’t see these characters until another two or three issues). Another appealing part of the Firestorm arc is the art by Scott Clark that commands the eye.

Thor #615:
I don’t read Thor, I have very little connection or knowledge of what is going on in the stories and/or the Asgardian characters. But I do know that Matt Fraction, the mind behind the mutants trials and troubles for the past year, is now ALSO penning Thor. He is one of my favorite big title comic writers and will read just about anything by him at this point. This issue was fun and Fraction again showed that he rocks. Thor now torn between a broken kingdom that has no king, there were certain elements that seemed sluggish and redundant that included a repetitive explanation to the workings of multi-verses. A fun read, for sure.

Until next week, read on!