COSMIC TREADMILL: RYAN K. LINDSAY TALKS HEADSPACE FROM MONKEYBRAIN! - AT FORCES OF GEEK

I’m fortunate enough to have made some friends online that live on the other side of the planet!

Aussie Writer Ryan K. Linsday (My Little Pony, Fatherhood, Ghost Town) burns the rubber of off his Converse in this edition of the Cosmic Treadmill to talk about Headspace from Monkeybrain, which was released today.

The book features an imaginative world full of bartending dogs, fear monsters and other creeps. But that’s not all, in this Take on Me twist, the other half of the story exists in the real world.

To call this Inception meets They Live will either delight or offend Ryan. Find out after the jump!

FOG!: Thanks for joining us today, Ryan! Care to tell us the quick elevator pitch for Headspace?

Ryan K. Lindsay: A strange town full of unfulfilled people suddenly discover they are actually in the mind of a killer and they had forgotten the real world and their old lives. Cue the sheriff, Shane, hustling to get back to his old life but finding that a killer’s brain throws up more roadblocks than you want it to.

[READ MORE AT FORCES OF GEEK]

DigBoston and LeaguePodcast Comic Book Picks of the Week for March 5, 2014

COMICS

Rogue Trooper #1 from IDW brings the classic blue-skinned genetically modified soldier to the States from the pages of 2000AD. A must read for fans of Judge Dredd and the Terminator! …An All New Wolverine and the X-Men #1 hits shelves as Jason Latour and Mahmud Asrar (Supergirl) take over the book and Wolvie and Storm take over the Jean Grey School. …The Fox #5 is the finale for this great pulp series celebrating the the fun to be had in a comics series. Good for all ages! …Picks this week from LeaguePodcast.com.

KING OF COMICS: A TRIBUTE TO ILLUSTRATOR RALF KÖNIG (REVIEW) at FORCES OF GEEK

Germany has it’s own King of Comics, and that man is Ralf König.

The 2012 documentary of König’s life is now streaming on digital platforms and is a wonderful exploration of cartooning dealing with sexuality, censorship, religion and König’s rise to popularity and his life today as a treasured hero to both the comic book and homosexual communities.

Filmmaker Rosa von Praunheim (The Einstein of Sex, I Am My Own Woman, Rent Boys) invades Ralf’s loft for some heartfelt interviews as well as connects with the important people in Ralf’s life.

König’s most infamous comic, The Most Desired Man, was made into a film in 1994 starring Til Schweiger. Der bewegte Mann (International title: The Most Desired Man, U.S. title: he Most Desired Man) is a highly regarded cult film in which König makes an appearance as a drag queen.

The 53 year-old Ralf König came to prominence after coming out in the early 80s by producing humorous cartoons about the gay lifestyle, dating, drag queens and gay fantasies.

In the past couple of decades, König has taken on religiosity, live-in relationships and even the radical Islam.

Many German homosexuals credit König for the bravery to come out, via his humorous and matter-of-fact take on gay stereotypes in his early comics. Of course König’s comics deal with 80s AIDS fear as well, encouraging safe sex and dealing with the death of his friends from the disease as well.

[READ MORE AT FORCES OF GEEK]

KICKSTARTER KORNER CHATS WITH MARK MCKENNA ABOUT COMBAT JACKS! AT FORCES OF GEEK

Legendary Big Two Inker and Inkwell Awards Hall of Famer Mark McKenna joins Kickstarter Korner to tell us about his latest campaign to unleash issue #2 of Combat Jacks! 

An alien prison planet Maia lives on the other side of our sun, occupied by killer pumpkins! We don’t see how a pumpkin planet can be more sincere than this one! Space Marines are sent to investigate AWOL prisoners and pesky pumpkins in Combat Jacks!

FOG!: Thanks for joining us, Mark. Combat Jacks originated as a dinner table conversation. Why Jack-O-Lanterns?

Mark McKenna: It was around Halloween and something clicked in my mind that Jack O’ Lanterns are meant to be scary, yet there weren’t really any amazing Jack monsters in movies or books that I could think of, with a few exceptions, so along with my son, it became dinner table banter and went on from there.

Most people know you as an inker for the big two and Inkwell Awards Hall of Famer. Is Combat Jacks your first foray into writing?

I have also created and written my kids books, Banana Tail and Friends.  But other then those books, this is my first writing for this genre.

Jason Baroody’s pencils are great too, how did you hook up with him and the rest if your art team including our friend John Hunt?

Jason came to me by way of our, at the time, mutual art rep, Bob Shaw. I had met Jason at a few shows, but really didn’t know his work. When we got to talking and he was gung ho to take a shot at it, I believe I flattered him by offering it to him and he told me, in fact, that if he didn’t need to make a living, he’d have worked for free on it just to have the chance to work with me.. so, in essence, flattery gets you everywhere.

I cant recall where I met John Hunt, but I do know he was hungry and multi-talented and you can never have enough guys that have a wealth of digital and artistic knowledge.

[READ MORE AT FORCES OF GEEK]

ENROLL NOW! 3.21 MMMMAVEN SOCIAL MEDIA WORKSHOP

I’m teaching my first class at MMMMAVEN in March. FRI 3.21 at 6pm. $50.

Stacey made the cool animation!

SOCIAL MEDIA WORKSHOP FOR BANDS, DJS, ARTISTS, COMIC CREATORS and MORE!

Join Clay Fernald (@ClayNFerno) for an intensive first level course in using social media for DJs, producers and bands. 

Designed from the insider’s view of the music industry, this class will teach the basics of setting up profiles, checkins, username claiming and more for all of the major social media apps and platforms. The class will prepare you to use your phone, computer or tablet to generate buzz about your latest release, your next event, or strengthen your relationship with your established fans by creating a conversation that goes both ways. Are you a Boston band that’s been around forever but doesn’t have a twitter? This class is also for you. Recommended for musicians of all types, no genre or labels allowed! The class will be structured for beginning to intermediate understanding of Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, but more concepts will be introduced in the short class, allowing some time at the end for student questions.

ClayNFerno
www.claynferno.com

Clay landed on the cover of The Boston Phoenix in 2005 for being the ‘Most Popular Man in Boston’ — according to social networking site MySpace. He has since made a career making social connections online and off by following marketing trends and staying ahead of them. By establishing best practices at Middle East Nightclub (@MidEastClub — verified) for social media, he has set an example there for other businesses, venues and independent promoters in town.

When not working in various roles for popular Boston bands, Clay also runs social media for band clients and fine artists. You may find his comic book and pop culture news columns on local and national websites. When comic book conventions roll into town, Clay is asked to moderate panels of top industry talent or can be found scouring the quarter bins for lost comic book gems.

http://bit.ly/1lZwXXq

MMMMAVEN.COM | CLAYNFERNO.COM

EVENTBRITE:

tiny.cc/mmmmferno

FACEBOOK EVENT:
https://www.facebook.com/events/266851030145788/

DISCOUNT FOR MMMMAVEN STUDENTS & ALUMNI

ALL AGES — $50 (one TIME WORKSHOP)

mmmmaven.com | CLAYNFERNO.com

EVENTBRITE: tiny.cc/mmmmferno

614 Massachusetts Avenue, Suite #203Cambridge, MA 02139 | 617.849.9321 | [email protected]

ENDORSED!

An Endorsement from David Buckley Borden, Artist.

“If you are a creative type looking to make your own thing happen, sign up for this session. I worked with Clay over the last three months and as an direct and/or indirect result of working together landed exposure in the Boston Globe Arts Blog, the Weekly Dig, Boston Magazine, Boston Hassle and other online outlets..not to mention the growth of my own social media network. Clay’s techniques, tips and tricks of the trade will afford you an effective online hustle. 

Clay gets a 5 Star rating and all the affirmative emoticons I have stored on my legacy iphone. Do yourself a solid and sign up.”

DigBoston and LeaguePodcast Comic Book Picks of the Week for February 26, 2014

COMICS

Fraction and Aja’s Hawkeye #15 puts the focus on back on Barton and Barton face to face with..themselves as the building goes into lockdown! … A cinematic grind house masterpiece Vandroid was destroyed in a fire in 1985. Tommy Lee Edwards resurrects the android built out of van parts in Vandroid #1 from Dark Horse. …Butch is paired with the drug-addled Gun face off with the super boss in Repo City State in Ballistic #4 drawn by Darick Robertson (The Boys). … Picks this week from LeaguePodcast.com!

KICKSTARTER KORNER: 'Ghost Source Zero' - A Sci-Fi Film by LARRY HAMA and MARK CHENG - FORCES OF GEEK & LEAGUEPODCAST!

Double Post! Want to hear the audio of this interview? LeaguePodcast #182 has you covered, full interview there!

YO JOE!

We spoke with filmmaker and G.I. Joe fan Mark Cheng (Operation: Red Retrieval -G.I. Joe Fan Film, 2011) about his newest project, an idea that impressed G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero writer, comic book legend Larry Hama.

As issue #200 of G.I.Joe: RAH approaches, another milestone will be met as the original sci-fi film Ghost Source Zero reaches it’s funding goal.


Mark joins us to talk about his collaboration with Larry on this exciting film, his background, education and his favorite Joe!

FOG!: Welcome, Mark how are you doing today?

Mark Cheng: Great, it happens to be my Birthday!

Tell us a little about your filmmaking history.

Like every kid, I loved watching movies when I was young. I really got into comic books as a visual storytelling medium, I was one of those guys who went to college to study film at Cornell University as a Political Science major. I dropped out of that, and pursued film production.

I spent about 8 months after college working on music videos, commercials, a memorable Chef Boyardee commercial, spinning a ravioli can on the table and filming it from 1000 different angles. I was a lowly Production Assistant, driving a prop truck from location to location.

I worked on a Blues Traveler video in the summer. Then I called it quits. 

I looked at the crew, three levels above me, and the tiers didn’t make sense to me, so I taught myself web design and that led to corporate America and getting a real job.

[READ MORE AT FORCES OF GEEK]

[LISTEN TO THE FULL INTERVIEW AT LEAGUEPODCAST.COM]

3 DAYS TO KILL (REVIEW) AT FORCES OF GEEK

Kevin Costner stars as Ethan Renner in the latest action adventure mixed with family drama directed by McG (Charlie’s Angels, Terminator Salvation) with screenplay by Luc Besson (Taken, The Fifth Element).

The PG-13 spy movie just barely meets the basic requirements for an action movie, and is mostly about the relationship Renner has with his daughter, Zoey (Hailee Steinfeld—Enders Game, True Grit).

With only 3 days to live, Renner takes the experimental drug treatment from his boss Vivi Delay (Amber Heard) to summon the strength to take on Russian gangsters as an American living in Paris.

The whole operation could have used a bit more sting, to tell the truth.

In all the movie was not for me but has potential to introduce teenage girls and boys to the spy genre with dashing and distinguished Kevin Costner in a borrowed suit and loose tie.

[READ MORE AT FORCES OF GEEK]

BLASTOSAURUS Walks On THE COSMIC TREADMILL: An Interview With Richard Fairgray at FORCES OF GEEK

A dinosaur detective living in the present day fighting raptors in a time-spanning adventure?  Sign me up!

ComiXology Submit brings us Blastosaurus, from New Zealand’s talented Richard Fairgray and Terry Jones.

Writer Richard Fairgray was kind enough to take this colorful noir dino for a workout on the Cosmic Treadmill and tell us about his favorite toys and turtles!


FOG!: Thanks for joining us, Richard! What’s the elevator pitch for Blastosaurus?

Richard Fairgray: In short, he’s a crime fighting dinosaur, it’s just that in the real world that isn’t super helpful. He fights raptors, robots, travels through time but at the heart of it all he’s a curmudgeonly old man who wishes he wasn’t dinosaur shaped.

I love how you’ve tapped into the aspect of childhood play and storytelling with the book. Does that imagination stay with all people or just creative types as they get older?

I think it’s just a different way of looking at the world. All kids have that default of asking ‘why’ to anything and everything they discover and I think as we get older we stop needing to know, we become happy to just accept ‘because’ as an answer.

I was also very aware that in the early issues of Blastosaurus there’d be a lot of exposition to set up the story and, more importantly, the rules of this universe.

[READ MORE AT FORCES OF GEEK]

DigBoston and LeaguePodcast Comic Book Picks of the Week for February 18, 2014

COMICS

The Man Without Fear packs up his law books and billy clubs to move to San Fran…But he brings Mark Waid and Chris Samnee with him. Marvel closes this volume of Daredevil on number 36!…Bacon, Coffee, Robots and Romance fill Vol. 2 of R.Steven’s Diesel Sweeties….Dark Horse brings back cold war politics and Russian mobsters in the gritty The White Suits #1! … Picks this week from LeaguePodcast.com.

MIGHTY Q&A: STEVE ORLANDO GOES FOR A DEEP DIVE WITH IMAGE’S UNDERTOW AT 13TH DIMENSION

Steve Orlando and Artyom Trakhanov’s Undertow takes a new look at the Atlanteans — and Steve invites us below for a taste of the salty brine before the launch this Wednesday, Feb. 19.

By CLAY N. FERNO

Clay N. Ferno: How long have you been working on this concept?

Steve Orlando: Undertow has been coming together in one way or another for almost four years. From early development as an underwater police procedural, it grew into something more, something less rooted in Dick Wolf story structures and more launched out of Jules Verne adventure. Artyom and I bounced around two years ago with some short stories, and when I told him what I was thinking about for a longer story, he was instantly sold on my strange fish people.

This is a very different world in which the Atlanteans are exploring the world on land as explorers. It does not look like surface humans are using tools yet. And the Atlanteans are as advanced as space explorers. Did I catch that right?

The feral humans actually can use tools, but that’s about as sophisticated as they get. Atlantis, though, is far more advanced. It’s almost like the spark that jumpstarted our evolution maybe sparked somewhere else. Being under water, there’re some things they just don’t have that we have, and some things they have that we wouldn’t think of. It’s maybe not taking place during human development, but maybe in place of it. The humans have developed in a different way. They kept evolving and specializing physically, with different coats and furs for different climates, but they never quite developed higher consciousness.

[READ MORE at 13thDIMENSION.COM]

FRI 3.21 - MMMMAVEN SOCIAL MEDIA WORKSHOP

NOW JUST $30! - choose MMMAVEN current student or alumni rate - everyone eligible.

I’m teaching my first class at MMMMAVEN in March. FRI 3.21 at 6pm. $50.

Stacey made the cool animation!

SOCIAL MEDIA WORKSHOP FOR BANDS, DJS, ARTISTS, COMIC CREATORS and MORE!

Join Clay Fernald (@ClayNFerno) for an intensive first level course in using social media for DJs, producers and bands. 

Designed from the insider’s view of the music industry, this class will teach the basics of setting up profiles, checkins, username claiming and more for all of the major social media apps and platforms. The class will prepare you to use your phone, computer or tablet to generate buzz about your latest release, your next event, or strengthen your relationship with your established fans by creating a conversation that goes both ways. Are you a Boston band that’s been around forever but doesn’t have a twitter? This class is also for you. Recommended for musicians of all types, no genre or labels allowed! The class will be structured for beginning to intermediate understanding of Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, but more concepts will be introduced in the short class, allowing some time at the end for student questions.

ClayNFerno
www.claynferno.com

Clay landed on the cover of The Boston Phoenix in 2005 for being the ‘Most Popular Man in Boston’ — according to social networking site MySpace. He has since made a career making social connections online and off by following marketing trends and staying ahead of them. By establishing best practices at Middle East Nightclub (@MidEastClub — verified) for social media, he has set an example there for other businesses, venues and independent promoters in town.

When not working in various roles for popular Boston bands, Clay also runs social media for band clients and fine artists. You may find his comic book and pop culture news columns on local and national websites. When comic book conventions roll into town, Clay is asked to moderate panels of top industry talent or can be found scouring the quarter bins for lost comic book gems.

http://bit.ly/1lZwXXq

MMMMAVEN.COM | CLAYNFERNO.COM

EVENTBRITE:

tiny.cc/mmmmferno

FACEBOOK EVENT:
https://www.facebook.com/events/266851030145788/

DISCOUNT FOR MMMMAVEN STUDENTS & ALUMNI

ALL AGES — $50 (one TIME WORKSHOP)

mmmmaven.com | CLAYNFERNO.com

EVENTBRITE: tiny.cc/mmmmferno

614 Massachusetts Avenue, Suite #203Cambridge, MA 02139 | 617.849.9321 | [email protected]

LEGO MOVIE: FUN FOR THE WHOLE FREAKING FAMILY - JIMSULLIVANINK.COM

My first for legendary Boston journalist Jim SullivanInk.com!

I received three texts from my girlfriend telling me that “Awesome,” the Tegan and Sara song from The LEGO Movie has been stuck in her head all day: “Everything Is Awesome!!!” And I streamed the song a few times today (Sara Quin told Billboard:“Whether you think it’s funny or annoying, there’s no denying that it’s a ridiculously hooky thing,”

So we went to the movie. The LEGO Movie itself is awesome, bricking together generations of builders, movie stars and imagination for a truly all ages movie to be enjoyed by all.

The prologue features god-like Vitruvius (Morgan Freeman, perhaps reviving his holy Evan Almighty role) facing down an evil and maniacal President Business/Lord Business (the always funny Will Ferrell). They speak of the prophecy, where one MasterBuilder will one day stop the evil tyrant from making permanent changes to the world of LEGO with his many tentacled Kragle gun.

Next we cut to everyman, our faithful builder Emmet Brickowkski (Chris Pratt, star of Parks and Recreation and the upcoming Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy). Emmet heads to work, where he follows President Builder’s instructions for his city of Bricksburg, singing (literally) all day, the theme song, “Everything Is Awesome!!!” before running into our strong female lead Wyldstyle (Elizabeth Banks). Wyldstyle’s snooping around triggers the alarms and our next big star is on the hunt for them, Badcop/Goodcop (Liam Neeson). Using the swivel head to switch from evil to nice is the typical LEGO touch, as soon as you start thinking of the bricks as people, the writers put in a clever reference to the toy parts that makes you giggle.

[READ MORE AT JIMSULLIVANINK.COM]

Matt Hawkins Takes THINK TANK for a Ride on the COSMIC TREADMILL - FORCES OF GEEK

Last week, we took a look at Think Tank Season #1. In celebration of today’s release ofThink Tank #12, we caught up with Top Cow President/COO Matt Hawkins about the latest issue, time management, and of course the genetic viruses in his science thriller.

Plus, Matt talks Minotaur Press and what we can expect from Top Cow on Free Comic Book Day!

FOG!: Hi Matt - thanks for joining us today to talk about the end of Think Tank Season 1. Care to tell is what to expect in Think Tank #12?

Matt Hawkins: The 12th issue is the finale of the first long story arc that kicked off with issue 1. All of the lingering threads are sort of resolved. David faces death his mortality and realizes that there’s not really much he can do to stop the geopolitical forces in motion. The looming confrontation between China and the US kicks off and the collusive nature of it is frightening in its repercussions. That and the virus is out!

David is in a lot of trouble in this issue. In fact, the latest arc, Outbreak, is very dangerous for a lot of the characters. Are targeted genetic viruses possible or even probable in the near future?

They’re viable now. The completion of the Human Genome Project opened up a pandora’s box of possibilities both good and bad.

Had you expected to go this far with the series? This was initially a shorter run, am I correct?

Yes was originally planned as a 4 issue mini series. Reaction to it was stronger than I expected so we kept it going. A book about a research scientist trying to fight the system isn’t your typical comic book, so I wasn’t sure we’d find an audience.

[READ MORE AT FORCES OF GEEK]

ROBOCOP (2014 review) at FORCES OF GEEK

Produced by Marc Abraham, Eric Newman

Screenplay by Joshua Zetumer

Based on Characters Created by Edward Neumeier and Michael Miner

Directed by José Padilha

Starring Joel Kinnaman, Gary Oldman, Michael Keaton, 

Samuel L. Jackson, Abbie Cornish, Jackie Earle Haley, 

Michael K. Williams, Jennifer Ehle, Jay Baruchel

While certainly not set in a desperate and dystopian Detroit of the future, the new Robocop movie is full of huge movie stars, video game action and a compelling storyline to take the franchise in a more modern direction.

Joel Kinnaman stars as cop Alex Murphy, and dons more than just a metal suit this time around to become a Robocop out for vengeance. Samuel L. Jackson is news anchor Pat Novak, Gary Oldman is Dr. Dennett Norton who brings Murphy back to life with his research funded by Omnicorp’s Raymond Sellars played brilliantly by Michael Keaton.

[READ MORE AT FORCES OF GEEK]

DigBoston and LeaguePodcast Comic Book Picks of the Week for February 12, 2014

COMICS

 “I’d buy that for a dollar”!, that’s a dollar each for a story set in New Detroit for the new Robocop movie (which is actually pretty good). Joe Harris, Ed Brisson, Frank Barbiere and Michael Moreci take Murphy to the streets in Robocop: To Live and Die in Detroit. Your move, creep! … Another movie property worth checking out is Kick-Ass 3 #6 (of 8). Millar promises that this is the end of Dave and Hit-Girl’s adventures, so if you liked the movies, here is the end game as the meta superhero story curses its way to the end. … Think Tank #12 from Top Cow President Matt Hawkins closes out Season One before going into full color mode later this year. The science thriller uses real science and theoretical government weapons to at the very least make you paranoid and also makes your heart race with all the action! … Picks this week from LeaguePodcast.com!

CAITY LOTZ on the Stunning Developments on ‘Arrow’ Tonight! (BIG SPOILERS!) - at 13th Dimension

OK, have you watched ARROW tonight? Holeeeeeee … As promised, here’s CAITY LOTZ with her take on everything that happened!

Yesterday, Lotz spoke to our Clay N. Ferno (I spoke to Stephen Amell last week) about her thoughts ahead of tonight’s “Heir to the Demon.” Now, here’s her take on the aftermath … and Sara’s big smooch with Ollie!

Uh, oh Olicity ‘shippers … Team Sara is in the lead!

Caity Lotz as Canary — Photo: Cate Cameron/The CW

Clay N. Ferno: This season, fans have been debating who Ollie should be with: Sara, Laurel or Felicity. Now we see Sara and Ollie in a passionate embrace. What effect will that have on all of these relationships going into the second half of the season. How will Felicity and Laurel take this?

Caity Lotz: There’s some fun stuff planned with Felicity’s character. I think it is a bit of a transition for Felicity to have Sara being in Ollie’s life and Ollie having “this girl.” It changes the dynamic between Oliver and Sara because they finally have someone that really understands what they’ve been through together. But there is still a lot of external things that make that difficult.

With Laurel, it is a little messed up — you can only imagine how difficult that would be to see that happen. And I understand how she would be not so happy about it.

At the same time, for Oliver and Sara, they have been denied so much happiness in their life and have given up so much for everyone else. They’ve never really been able to have love. I think for them to get this kind of chance, both characters really do deserve it. Even with all the drama it might bring.

[READ MORE at 13th DIMENSION]

THINK TANK - SEASON 1 (Issues #1-#12) — COSMIC TREADMILL at FORCES OF GEEK

The last issue of Top Cow’s President and COO Matt Hawkins’ Think Tank: Season 1 hits shelves next Wednesday, February 12th.

Imagine being a successful comic book bigwig and a physicist and television producer and on top of all that, write a number of titles for Top Cow and Image!

With an insider’s view of the comic making industry, the back matter for Think Tank often has Matt speaking on readership numbers, legal and illegal. The Science Class at the end of the book also goes in-depth to his research and theoretical military tech used in the book.

Issue #12’s glossary announces what is next for the black and white spy-fi series as it embarks on a newly colored life in Season 2 and a one shot in March!

Review copies come my way, and also I am willing to try new books when one catches my attention from the media or by its cover on my weekly trip to the shop.  

 

[READ MORE AT FORCES OF GEEK]

EARTH PRIME TIME: LIZ PRINCE ‘ALONE FOREVER’ SIGNING AT BROOKLINE BOOKSMITH

Somerville comic artist Liz Prince celebrates the release of her first feature length graphic novel Alone Forever (Top Shelf Productions) at Brookline Booksmith on Tuesday, February 11. She tells us about the book, OkCupid dates, Valentine heart captions, and fleeting and awkward MBTA romances.

DIGBOSTON: Hey Liz! Thanks for joining us today. Wow, Alone Forever is actually a thing now. Congrats! How excited were to to open your advance copies?
Liz Prince: It was really exciting. The books came while I was visiting my mom in New Mexico, but my boyfriend sent me a photo of a pile of boxes that arrived, so I made him open it and send me photos of the book. Kind of funny that I saw my book for the first time over the phone, but it was awesome to get off the plane and come home and have 3 boxes full of Alone Forever: The Singles Collection waiting for me.

Now I can’t wait to show the world my comics about sadness and cats.

DIGBOSTON: I love the idea of a Singles Collection for your webcomic. Is there any new heartbreak in the book or are these all on your site?
There are about 20 pages of new material, including a comic essay on all of the OkCupid dates I’d been on, that’s embarrassing enough to make you want to get pick up the book for sure.
There are also some comics from other anthologies and zines in the book that never made it online, but definitely fit into the Alone Forever oeuvre. Plus, it’s way easier to read my books on the toilet in paper form. If that isn’t the ultimate endorsement, I don’t know what is.

DIGBOSTON: From Boom to Top Shelf, to making art for one of the most popular break-in related pop punk bands, Masked Intruder, you’ve gotten some great attention lately! How are you coping with the fame?
Easy: I agreed to write and draw a 250+ page graphic novel in under a year, so I really don’t leave the house much. I’m almost done with that project, which is a graphic memoir (buzzword alert) about my childhood called Tomboy; it will be out in the fall (like how I slipped that in there?). There is also more Masked Intruder stuff going on, that band got huge and I couldn’t be happier for them. I’ve always wanted to be a band’s Chris Shary, so I’m trying to take the Masked Intruder thing in that direction.

[READ MORE at DIGBOSTON.COM]

MIGHTY Q&A: Caity Lotz Talks Canary’s Turning Point in Wednesday’s ‘Arrow’ Episode, Heir of the Demon - 13th Dimension

No spoilers, but the actress who plays Sara Lance has a lot to say about her character’s future in anticipation of Wednesday night’s major episode of “Arrow.”

Caity Lotz as Canary in “Heir to the Demon” Photo: Cate Cameron/The CW

Last week, we gave you Stephen Amell, this week it’s Caity Lotz, who plays “Arrow’s” version of Black Canary. Tomorrow night’s episode (the last new one for several weeks because of the Olympics) promises a major turning point for the troubled heroine, and Lotz was very candid when talking with our Clay N. Ferno today about Sara’s place in Starling City — and Oliver’s personal life.

But that’s not all! We’ll have a post-mortem with Lotz right after the credits roll on “Heir to the Demon,” so bookmark13thDimension.com and make sure you see what she has to say then. Because you dare not miss it!

Katrina Law as Nyssa al Ghul and Caity Lotz as Canary. Photo: Cate Cameron/The CW

Clay N. Ferno: There’s a lot of buzz that tomorrow night’s episode will have some major developments for the show. Without giving anything specific away, what can viewers expect?

Caity Lotz: They can expect that Sara’s past is going to come back again. This time it is the real depth of it, the emotional core of her past is coming back. She’s going to have to come to a place where she feels like she has no options. I think it’s really about this big, gray area. It’s not figuring out what to do, and how to handle the situation, there’s a lot of emotions with it.

Another part of the episode, which is really cool, is we get some Lance family flashbacks. We get to see a little bit of the story of what their family was like before all the drama and everything that happened, before all the death. You’ll see the lightness that they had, which is a really cool thing to do, we had fun shooting it. It’s a cool thing to watch on screen.

[READ MORE at 13th DIMENSION.com]