Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Review: The Midas Flesh #1


Publisher: BOOM! Box
Writer: Ryan North
Artist: Shelli Paroline, Braden Lamb
Letterer: Steve Wands
Cover Artist: John Keogh
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: December 18th, 2013

Earlier this year, BOOM! Studios unveiled their new imprint, BOOM! Box, which allows creators to create unique and outrageous content simply for the love of comics and storytelling. Writer Ryan North, artists Shelli Paroline & Braden Lamb along with letterer Steve Wands kick off the fun with The Midas Flesh #1. What does this sci-fi adventure have to offer readers?

In this first issue, Ryan North presents two parts of a story. The first introduces us to a small crew of space-travelers: Joey, Fatima and Cooper. Cooper is the dinosaur on the cover. He’s a Utahraptor to be specific. I had to look that up. In the second, we see how the roots of this tale rest in ancient Greece. King Midas, Silenus and Dionysus are all true to their roots. Even with my personal tolerance for Greek mythology being rather low, I was pleased with how North used these elements. I didn’t feel overwhelmed with ancient references.

North deserves a lot of credit for pacing in The Midas Flesh. We get a solid idea of the character’s personalities and the relationships between them. The two halves of this story are given roughly the same amount of attention, which is more than enough to pull you in. Just as it’s all about to come together, the issue ends.

Shelli Paroline and Braden Lamb give the book an animated and expressive look. Even with North’s narrative, Paroline and Lamb’s visual storytelling shouldn’t go unnoticed. Just from a design standpoint, a few elements standout: the crew’s spaceship, the Prospect, and Cooper, both in his spacesuit and glasses and tie.

The Midas Flesh fuses together the mythology of ancient Greece, futuristic space travel and a techie dinosaur. This is exactly what BOOM! Box is all about. There’s a sense of wonder here that perfectly captures what the sci-fi genre is about. Discovering how the various elements tie together will bring you back for issue #2. Judging from this first issue, we're going to hear a lot about The Midas Flesh and BOOM! Box come 2014.

Verdict: 4/5

This copy of The Midas Flesh #1 was provided by BOOM! Studios.

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Preview: Hit #4


Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Writer: Bryce Carlson
Penciller: Vanesa R. Del Rey
Colorist: Archie Van Buren
Letterer: Ed Dukeshire
Cover Artist: Ryan Sook
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: December 18th, 2013



There’s no honor among thieves, and the same goes for crooked cops… Beaten, bloodied, and betrayed in an abandoned junkyard, the end looms near for Slater as Blair reasserts his control over the Hit Squad and exacts his plan to bring Los Angeles to its knees.

Preview: Imagine Agents #3


Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Writer: Brian Joines
Artist: Bachan
Colorist: Ruth Redmond
Letterer: Deron Bennett
Cover Artist: Khary Randolph, Matthew Wilson
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: December 18th, 2013



Elliot is kidnapped and Dapple’s sinister plan is in full effect. With imaginary friends from all around the world gathering together, mankind may finally lose the upper hand. IMAGINE agents, Terry and Dave, may not have the wits to save the day, but with the help of Elliot’s mother and imaginary friend, they may just have a chance.


Preview: The Midas Flesh #1


Publisher: BOOM! Box
Writer: Ryan North
Artist: Shelli Paroline, Braden Lamb
Letterer: Steve Wands
Cover Artist: John Keogh
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: December 18th, 2013



WHY WE LOVE IT: We have been having so much fun with writer Ryan North (Dinosaur Comics, To Be Or Not To Be: That Is The Adventure) on ADVENTURE TIME that we couldn’t resist the opportunity to publish a new original idea of his. And it is original.

WHY YOU’LL LOVE IT: We’ve all heard of The Midas touch. You know, the Greek Mythology about the man who did a number on himself by wishing for everything he touched to turn to gold? Who better to turn that tale on its head with a heavy dose of sci-fi than Ryan North? Also, did we mention the Utahraptor?

WHAT IT’S ABOUT: Fatima and her space crew have decided to return to Earth—a planet completely sectioned off, abandoned, and covered in gold—to find out exactly what happened to this once thriving planet and see if they can use that knowledge against the evil empire that’s tracking them down. As luck would have it, they just landed the most powerful weapon in the universe: some ancient dead guy’s body.


Friday, November 29, 2013

ComiXology Black Friday Sale

ComiXology's Black Friday Sale starts today with two big sales that run through Cyber Monday. First up, there's Marvel's Avengers vs. X-Men Sale running from 11/29 - 12/2 and also a sale on Image trades that also runs 11/29 - 12/2. Complete details are below. Stay tuned for another email late Sunday night as we will have additional sales debuting on Cyber Monday!

11/29 - 12/2 - Avengers vs. X-Men Black Friday/Cyber Monday Sale:

All the following issues are marked down to $0.99 each

Avengers vs X-Men #0-12
AVX: VS #1-6
AVX: Consequences #1-5
Avengers vs X-Men Infinite #1, 6, 10
Avengers Academy #29-33
Secret Avengers #26-28
Avengers #25-30
New Avengers #24-30
X-Men Legacy #266-270
Wolverine & The X-Men #9-16, 18
Uncanny X-Men #11-20
A-Babies vs. X-Babies #1

Avengers vs. X-Men: Collected Edition - marked down from $39.99 to $19.99

11/29 - 12/2 - Image Black Friday/Cyber Monday Sale:

East of West Vol. 1 $4.99
Fatale Vol. 1 $5.99
Fatale Vol. 2 $5.99
Five Ghosts Vol. 1 $4.99
Five Weapons: Making the Grade $7.99
Great Pacific Vol. 1 4.99
Happy! 3.99
It Girl & The Atomics Vol. 1 4.99
Lazarus Vol. 1 4.99
Mind the Gap Vol. 1 3.99
Mind the Gap Vol. 2 4.99
Mind the Gap Vol. 3 5.99
Peter Panzerfaust Vol. 1 3.99
Prophet Vol. 1 4.99
Revival Vol. 1 3.99
Saga Vol. 1 4.99
Saga Vol. 2 4.99
The Legend of Luther Strode 7.99
The Manhattan Projects Vol. 1 3.99
The Manhattan Projects Vol. 2 4.99



About comiXology
ComiXology has revolutionized the comic book and graphic novel industry by delivering a cloud-based digital comics platform that makes discovering, buying, and reading comics more fun than ever before. ComiXology’s Guided View™ reading technology transforms the comic book medium into an immersive and cinematic experience, helping comiXology become one of iTunes top 10 grossing iPad apps in both 2011 and 2012. Offering the broadest library of comic book content from the top 75 publishers, and including independent creators as well, comiXology will not stop until everyone on the face of the planet has become a comic book fan. A privately held company, comiXology is based in New York City. For more information visit www.comixology.com.

BOOM! Studios Announces Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday Sales

Nov. 26, 2013 - Los Angeles, CA - BOOM! Studios is happy to announce several sale promotions in its webstore for Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday to kick off the 2013 holiday shopping season! The BOOM! Studios webstore can be found at boom-studios.com.

The promotions are as follows:

ALL WEEKEND LONG (starts Thursday, Nov. 28, 8:00 p.m. PST; ends Monday, Dec. 2, 11:59 p.m. PST)

· Every order over $25.00 qualifies for free domestic shipping

· All trade paperbacks of licensed titles (i.e. ADVENTURE TIME, ROBOCOP, PEANUTS, BRAVEST WARRIORS, PLANET OF THE APES, and more) in stock are 15% off

· Several bundle packs will be discounted (check the site for details)

BLACK FRIDAY (starts Thursday, Nov. 28, 8:00 p.m. PST; ends Friday, Nov. 29, 11:59 p.m. PST)

· Get 25% off all orders from $60.00 to $99.99

· Get 35% off all orders from $100.00 and up

SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY (Nov. 30, starts 12:00 a.m. PST; ends 11:59 p.m. PST)

· All leather-bound Archaia editions in stock are 50% off

· All other Archaia items in stock are 25% off

BONUS BOOM! SUNDAY (Dec. 1, starts 12:00 a.m. PST; ends 11:59 p.m. PST)

· All trade paperbacks of licensed titles* in stock jump to 25% off (*Excludes ADVENTURE TIME products)

CYBER MONDAY (Dec. 2, starts 12:00 a.m. PST; ends 11:59 p.m. PST)

· Free mystery gift packed with every order

· Buy one, get one free for all main covers (A or B) to single issues in stock

· Any order over $50.00 is automatically entered into a raffle to win THE ULTIMATE GIFT PACK, featuring one copy of every single issue** BOOM! Studios and KaBOOM! has released in 2013 to date (**Some issues may be filled with variant covers)


BOOM! Studios wishes everyone a happy and safe holiday season!

ABOUT BOOM! STUDIOS
Founded by Ross Richie in 2005, Diamond Gem Award-winning “Best Publisher” BOOM! Studios (boom-studios.com) generates a constellation of best-selling Eisner and Harvey Award-winning original and licensed comic books and graphic novels with the industry’s top talent. BOOM! Studios is the home of Mike Carey’s SUICIDE RISK, Clive Barker’s NEXT TESTAMENT and HELLRAISER, Paul Jenkins and Humberto Ramos’ FAIRY QUEST, PLANET OF THE APES, Max Bemis’ POLARITY and Mark Waid’s IRREDEEMABLE. Steven Grant’s graphic novel 2 GUNS was recently released as a feature film from Universal Pictures, starring Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg. BOOM!’s all-ages imprint KaBOOM! publishes Charles Schulz’ PEANUTS, Jim Davis’ GARFIELD, Cartoon Network’s ADVENTURE TIME and REGULAR SHOW, Mike Kunkel’s HEROBEAR AND THE KID, and Roger Langridge’s Eisner Award-winning SNARKED. In June 2013, BOOM! acquired Archaia Entertainment (archaia.com). Archaia is the Eisner and Harvey Award-winning graphic novel publisher of MOUSE GUARD, COW BOY, GUNNERKRIGG COURT, RUST, SPERA, JIM HENSON’S TALE OF SAND, RETURN OF THE DAPPER MEN, and many other great titles. In October 2013, BOOM! Studios entered into a unique first-look relationship with 20th Century Fox, giving the studio access to its library of titles and giving the publisher access to Fox's vast catalog of films.

Saturday, November 23, 2013

Polar: Came from the Cold HC Preview


Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Creator: Victor Santos
Page Count: 160
Cover Price: $17.99
Release Date: November 27th, 2013


Ripped out of retirement by an assassination attempt, the world’s most deadly spy—Black Kaiser—is on a collision course with a stab-happy torture expert and a seductive but deadly redhead. His mission only ends if he dies or kills everyone out to get him, and he’s not in the habit of dying. This webcomic hit has been rescripted for print!

* A guns-blazing espionage action-adventure in the grand tradition of Jim Steranko and Frank Miller.

* By Victor Santos (Mice Templar)!

Dark Horse Presents: STAR WARS BLACK FRIDAY!

For 72 hours, Dark Horse Digital will offer 150 single-issue Star Wars comics for $100! A savings of over $300!

November 22, MILWAUKIE, OR—Dark Horse Comics is rocking Black Friday madness with a very exclusive limited offer for its digital-comics readers . . .

Feast your optic sensors on this year’s Black Friday MegaBundle. For one weekend only, you can get over 150 digital Star Wars comics for the crazy-low price of only $100.

Get classics like The Clone Wars, The Old Republic, and all three arcs of Crimson Empire. Get a taste of Brian Wood’s critically acclaimed Star Wars series. Your favorite Sith friends are here too, with Darth Maul and Darth Vader series, plus the latest series, Lost Tribe of the Sith. Your favorite bounty hunter, Boba Fett, is here, plus the Imperial spy comic Agent of the Empire. Go back in time to the origins of the Jedi in Dawn of the Jedi, travel to hundreds of years after the films end with Legacy, and more!

Over 3,500 pages of Star Wars goodness! This sale goes live at midnight (PST), Friday, November 29, and runs through midnight, Sunday, December 1.

Get this MegaBundle here: http://goo.gl/bZwZpM, before Chewie punches it, and it jumps to hyperspace!

The free Dark Horse Digital comics app is now available worldwide through all modern web browsers and features cloud storage in both the Android and iOS apps.

Stop by Dark Horse Digital and get all the Star Wars comics you could want and more!

About Dark Horse Digital
Founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson, Dark Horse Comics has grown to become the third-largest comics publisher in the United States and is acclaimed internationally for the quality and diversity of its line. In 2011, the company that revolutionized the comic industry proudly presented its groundbreaking digital-publishing program, Dark Horse Digital.

Having launched with hundreds of titles, Dark Horse Digital offers its most popular titles at an unprecedented value, while providing the highest-quality reading experience possible. Single-issue comics are priced as low as just $0.99, and there is also an extensive list of free introductory #1 issues. Additionally, DH Digital’s “bundles” group together story arcs spanning multiple issues into affordable packages, allowing readers to get the three or four issues that comprise a complete narrative, starting at just $3.99 and up. And through cloud-based technology, Digital Store purchases can be read and enjoyed on your laptop, desktop, mobile browser, and Dark Horse Bookshelf app, available now on iTunes.

To get started, simply log on to Digital.DarkHorse.com or download the app to create an account, and begin building your collection today. ***

Monday, November 18, 2013

ComiXology Unveils eGift Cards Just In Time For The Holidays

November 18th, 2013 – New York, NY. – Want to give the gift of comics, but don’t know which to buy? ComiXology makes it easy with today’s debut of our new eGift Card. With over 40,000 comics and graphic novels to give this holiday season or any time, comiXology – the revolutionary cloud-based digital comics platform – lets you give that special someone eGift Cards ranging from $10 to $500 redeemable at www.comixology.com with no hidden fees or expiration dates.

“Shopping for friends, family and loved ones is hard, especially if they’re comic fans, so the comiXology eGift Card takes out the guess work and makes it easy to be a comics gifting hero,” says comiXology co-founder and CEO David Steinberger. “The comiXology eGift Card is another way we’re making it easy for comics fans to get and give the comics they love. “

Getting a comiXology eGift Card is easy! Just visit www.comixology.com/egift-cards, choose the value of the eGift Card, from $10 to $500. Next, specify who will be receiving the eGift Card and decide if you want your gift to go out same day or on a later date. That means you can shop now and have it delivered just in time for the Holidays. You can even purchase multiple eGift Cards at the same time! No need to worry about hidden fees or expiration dates – there are none.

When delivered, recipients of your comiXology eGift Card will receive an email confirmation with a code to redeem the gifted amount via their comiXology account on www.comixology.com and purchases can be read there or sync to any device. If your recipient doesn’t have a comiXology account they’ll be prompted to create one and then their eGift Card credit will show up in their account.

For more info about comiXology eGift Cards take a look at the FAQ.

With over 40,000 comics and graphic novels from more than 75 publishers, comiXology offers the widest selection of digital comics in the world. ComiXology’s immense catalog and unique Guided View reading experience is available across the iPhone, iPad, Android, Kindle Fire, Windows 8 and the Web—making it the best digital platform for comic and graphic novel fans worldwide.

About comiXology
ComiXology has revolutionized the comic book and graphic novel industry by delivering a cloud-based digital comics platform that makes discovering, buying, and reading comics more fun than ever before. ComiXology’s Guided View™ reading technology transforms the comic book medium into an immersive and cinematic experience, helping comiXology become one of iTunes top 10 grossing iPad apps in both 2011 and 2012. Offering the broadest library of comic book content from the top 75 publishers, and including independent creators as well, comiXology will not stop until everyone on the face of the planet has become a comic book fan. A privately held company, comiXology is based in New York City. For more information visit www.comixology.com.

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Is the Call of Duty Going Straight to Voicemail?

As gamers, likely numbered in the millions, gather online to shred each other in a stream of gunfire in Call of Duty: Ghosts, the reviews fall a few rounds short of a full mag. We all know reviews are opinions of fellow gamers, so they're expected to fall within a range. The annualized Call of Duty franchise maintains a unique place in the industry because of its perception. If you visit the comments on any Call of Duty article on IGN, you know what I mean. That sentiment can be found on other sites as well including GameTrailers and GameSpot.

IGN reviews tend to stand out because they're radically different from other reviews in terms of scoring. It's become a humorous among their followers. This is especially true for the Call of Duty series. The site's readers often expect them to rate each entry with a score in the mid-9 to 10 range. IGN gave Ghosts an "8" and called it "great." They added the comment "old dog, new tricks" to go along with the introduction of sidekick German Shepherd, Riley. Over at Destructoid, the reviewer called it mediocre, scored it a "5" and labeled it "old dog, old tricks."

Here are scores from some other sites:
Game Informer: 8/10
Giant Bomb: 3/5
GameSpot: 8/10
GameTrailers: 7/10
OXM: 8/10
Polygon: 6.5/10

By themselves, the scores aren't all bad. Some of them are decent in fact. What's important to note is the decrease across the board from previous entries. While many players use the scores as a guide, I find the review content to be the most informative. A common theme running through these reviews details how Ghosts doesn't bring anything new to the genre. This isn't (just) about highlighting the flaws in the yearly series such as "dynamic events" which are actually just scripted sequences, lackluster narratives or the technical deficiencies. No, this is more about the perception from the gaming community. I enjoy the campaigns for their fast-paced, intense shoot-outs and playing with a group of friends online is always a fun experience, so I'll play it to find out for myself.

There seem to be two big camps: those who play and love it and the people who don't and see it as a yearly re-hash. A portion of the latter is comprised of people who gave up on the series for the lack of innovation. It seems some of the gaming sites are just now acknowledging this and it's reflected in the reviews. Is it as simple as Ghosts just being inferior to previous games? Or has fatigue spread to the gaming media? I'm looking forward to early December when it's been in rotation for a couple weeks and Xbox One owners have it to see how people feel about it then.

Could this be the point where it changes? Until the numbers come in, it's too early to tell. Knowing how much of an entertainment monster Call of Duty has become, it's going to SELL. There certainly isn't anything wrong with high sells. The issue comes from the lack of pressure to make any changes to the formula.

What do you think about the reviews? Did you pick it up or plan to? What are your thoughts on the series overall? Let me know below.

Thursday, October 31, 2013

Halloween Five-Pack Part 4: Who To Avoid

Happy Halloween! For this fourth and final segment of Halloween Five-Packs, here are the houses you should stay away from. They won't ruin your night, but you'll be better off avoiding them.

The Riddler
Imagine walking up to Edward Nigma’s house and upon screaming out the customary “trick or treat,” you are met with a riddle. Not only is the man donned in green question marks not answering you, but he’s putting YOU on the spot. You just want some Starburst, not figure out the answer to “what is Batman’s greatest defeat,” as seen in Batman #619. Edward, sir, you should get comfortable hearing trick if you keep up with your antics.

Superior Spider-Man
Yes, you read that right: Superior Spider-Man. Why would going to Doc Ock’s house be a bad idea? If you didn’t know, the guy can be a bit of a jerk. Assuming he’s home, he’ll spout off some nonsense about not having time for such juvenile antics. Again, you just want to show off your costume and get some candy. Being belittled was not on the itinerary.

Guy Gardner
This ornery Lantern will likely engage in some Halloween festivities. But he’s the type of guy to give out all the candy no one wants such as Good & Plenty or some weird peanut butter candy. I’m cringing at the thought. Let’s just hope Oa is in dire trouble today. While he’s saving that planet, he’s saving trick-or-treaters from having to throw out terrible candy.

Madame Web
Oh my, what couldn’t go wrong at Madame Web’s house? Oh, you couldn’t wait to show off your cool costume? Well prepare to be covered in webs. You want some flavored Tootsie Rolls, but you’re going to hear about your future. And the word “bleak” may define it for some of you. You’d best avoid this web of weirdness.

Hulk
Let’s take a look at the reasons to avoid Bruce Banner’s home. First, imagine this uptight guy being interrupted regularly throughout the day. Yeah. He’s too busy trying to figure out when ANOTHER Hulked up character is going to appear. Second, after he doesn’t offer up the expected Halloween sacrifice of tasty treats (and this is Bruce Banner, so you know he won’t), his house will be covered in toilet paper. That’s bound to happen to many people, yes. But we’re talking about the Hulk here. When Bruce sees his front yard looking like the aftermath of a mummy hurricane, he’s going green and I don’t mean in the separation of glass and plastic sort of way. Just keep walking.

Halloween Five-Pack Part 3: The Ruiners

Happy Halloween! In this third segment of Halloween Five-Packs, we're taking a look at characters who will completely destroy any Halloween fun you were having. You're wondering how it could get worse if you had your candy stolen in part two. It could get MUCH worse. Read on to find out how.

Judge Dredd
If you couldn’t tell by the chin, Dredd isn’t exactly the fun-loving type. He is the law. You may set out into the streets of Mega-City One in your costume, expecting tons of fun and sweets, but that’s all out the window when you come across Dredd. Of course, I don’t expect trick-or-treating to be a community effort in Mega-City One in the first place. Hey, what’s your costume? Doesn’t matter. Because you just threw a candy wrapper on the ground. You like to litter, huh? One year in the cubes. How’s your Halloween now?

Zatanna
You’re asking yourself “how could Zatanna ruin Halloween?” Mostly out of boredom. She’ll do some cool tricks in the street, but now she has everyone’s attention. This means no more candy for you. And the candy you already have? She’s going to make it disappear. Not to be greedy, but because the art demands it.

Carnage
Cletus Kasady is not the dude you want to come across while trick-or-treating. Or any other time for that matter. Where’d you get your costume? No one cares because you’ve been decapitated. How much candy did you get? Doesn’t matter, you just got impaled on a symbiote tendril. Being ripped to shreds and/or being eaten on Halloween is not a good look. She might also do that just for the fun of it. Either way, your night is over.

Poison Ivy
Dr. Pamela Isley can come from multiple standpoints to throw off your trick-or-treat fun. She might attack you out of anger because of all the kids trampling her plants. “Trick or treat?” If she says “trick,” don’t pull out those eggs. She’ll string you up on a tree. By its branches. Now you’re stuck and other people are running up to steal your candy.

Dreadnoks
You might think the Dreadnoks might be a fun bunch on Halloween. Well you’re right about the fun, except you won’t be having any. This group is going to steal your candy, make fun of your costume and try to tear it off you. Then they might decide to beat you up and probably kill you. Happy Halloween?