Dig Boston and League Podcast Comics Picks of the Week for Wed. January 20, 2016

COMICS

The princess kidnapper Ice King from Adventure Time gets his due in a new #1. We’re pretty sure is penguin pal Gunter is around for the ride too! ,,,Things are heating up in G.I.Joe as Cobra World Order #224 as the ruthless terrorist organization is determined to rule the world! … Also by sensei Larry Hama is Call of Duty: Black Ops III #3 — this prequel comic is written by someone very familiar with ordinances and strategy of modern warfare and we have been enjoying it so far! … Picks this week from LeaguePodcast.com.

Triple Shot With a Heavy Metal Chaser: SUPERMAN: AMERICAN ALIEN #2, THE LEGEND OF WONDER WOMAN #1, EVIL DEAD 2: CRADLE OF THE DAMNED #1 & NARCOPOLIS: CONTINUUM #1 at FORCES OF GEEK

From Krypton to Themyscira to the Deadite infested woods of North Carolina, we are kicking off 2016 with a return to form of the classic Triple Shot comics review column! 

Can’t make heads or tails of a pull list? Are you easily confused by staring at rows of comics on the shelf? We hope these recommendations do you well. Why think when we can tell you what comics to buy!

This week, Max Landis and Joëlle Jones give you a unique spotlight on a young Clark Kent, Renae De Liz (Peter Pan, The Last Unicorn) and Ray Dillon retell Wonder Woman’s origin in Legend of Wonder Woman and lastly Ash is back, baby, inEvil Dead 2: Cradle of the Damned!

This week you get an extra bonus Heavy Metal chaser as one of our very own FOG!’s very own (Steven) Scott Duvall! drops his new book Necropolis: Continuum #1 from Heavy Metal Comics.
That’s right, that Heavy Metal!

Groovy!

SUPERMAN: AMERICAN ALIEN #3 (of 7) 
Writer: Max Landis

Artist: Joëlle Jones
Publication Date: January 13, 2016
Price: $3.99
Publisher: DC Comics
UPC: 76194133061700311
BUY IT HERE

Max Landis (Chronicle, Dirk Gently) has been surprising comic fans the past few months with his take on different eras of Clark Kent, Superboy and Superman. With different artists assigned to each chapter of this mini-series, we are able to appreciate different aspects of Clark’s home life. 

Of course, this is the almost predictable ‘modern retelling’ of the Superman origin. What sets it apart, besides the art treatment, is a feeling that Superman is a legend.

No chapter picks up where the last story left off.

Much like in American television, each artist on a chapter shows a different era of Clark’s life, and each of the artists would be the guest director of the episode.

This particular chapter’s director is the talented Joëlle Jones (Lady Killer, Adventures of Superman).
The story takes place on Bruce Wayne’s yacht, but master Bruce is not even there to celebrate his birthday. Clark stands in for the absent Bruce, who is ‘Never at his (own) parties’. 

A young Clark lives it up, hooks up with a lady, gets drunk and has all of the fun Bruce Wayne would only pretend to have. 

There have been plenty of stories where these two have switched places but what sets this story apart is that they have yet to be acquainted. 

It’s not all booze and cupcakes as a popular DC villain is after Bruce Wayne and Clark has to face him.

In conclusion, this a fun issue, even if it just stands alone. It is a fun take for fans of the classic Batman and Superman dynamic that flashes back to the pre-superhero days.

The art is gorgeous and I’m enjoying what Max has to say with ‘his’ Superman!

[READ MORE AT FORCES OF GEEK]

Dig Boston and League Podcast Comics Picks of the Week for Wed. January 13, 2016

COMICS

Sometimes an event comic can change the world, and here it is, FINALLY. Big things happen (or have already happened) over at Marvel as Secret Wars concludes with issue #9. We loved Gail Simone’s Leaving Megalopolis graphic novel, and here comes the sequel in comic form. Good guys have gone bad in Leaving Megalopolis: Surviving Megalopolis #1 — one of the best superhero stories of the past few years from the former Batgirl writer. … Clark Kent is confused for the rich kid of instagram Bruce Wayne in Superman: American Alien #3 (of 7) from Max Landis and Joëlle Jones!… Picks this week from LeaguePodcast.com.

FOG! Remembers DAVID BOWIE - at FORCES OF GEEK

Clay N Ferno

“All I have is my love of love  And love is not loving” — Soul Love, David Bowie 1971

Coffee shops, bars and cubicles today are to be filled with an air of sadness but also the notes, songs and incredible lyrics of David Bowie. I grew up in he sweet spot of growing up in a world where girls where more than aware of Labyrinth around the same time us boys got a lightning bolt in the pants for the Blue Jean video.

Bowie stayed with me through all of the Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes and Greatest Hits as I graduated from The College of Classic Rock Knowledge. Real world Art College brought me into the superhero world of Ziggy Stardust just as my first live-in girlfriend enlightened me to ‘the early years’ era of Hunky Dory and David Bowie. Now, when I need to listen to some rock and roll and remember a world before Cyrus and Skrillix and Drake, Bowie is what dominates the earbuds and I dare say the record player.

Bowie is the stuff of legend, the stuff of love, the stuff of sex, the stuff of women and men and being both at the same time. Rest in peace, Goblin King, Ziggy the guitar superhero, avatar of my adolescence. I’m sure you faced your Golden Years and cancer with as much strength as you gave us all.

[READ MORE AT FORCES OF GEEK]

Cartoonist CHRISTINE LARSEN Unleashes ORCS! on The Cosmic Treadmill! at FORCES OF GEEK

Christine Larsen has worked on some of your favorite properties over at DC, Boom!, IDW and more. Alongside that, she is a new mom and college professor. Christine is here to join us today on the Cosmic Treadmill to tell us about her self published comic, Orcs! #1, that grew out of an obsession with the monstrous creatures and demanded their story be told.

FOG!: Thanks for joining us to talk about Orcs! #1. How long have you been obsessed with orcs?

Christine Larsen: I’m not sure I would say obsessed… Well, okay, maybe obsessed is fair.

Since I read The Hobbit as a kid, and subsequently The Lord of the Rings. My notion of orcs in terms of temperament and character fall most in line with Tolkien orcs, so I guess they are equal parts goblin in their design and characterization. They are my favorite kind of monster, because they have strong roots in folklore, but also have a strong showing in contemporary fantasy.

We have seen some of your work elsewhere — can you tell us what are the challenges of putting this book out yourself? 

Do you mean instead of bringing it to a publisher I’ve worked with? I actually feel like there are more bonuses. Yes, I have to deal with finding a printer and shipping and press packages and submitting to Comixology for the digital version… but I also can set my own schedule and write whatever I want for it, so it’s really very freeing.

Are issues of Orcs! on a limited print run?

No. I found a very reliable small run printer, so when this issue runs out, I’ll probably order up more. But not right away. I’ll probably wait until the next book is out, since there will be a digital copy on Comixology.

[READ MORE AT FORCES OF GEEK]

BEST OF 2015 over at FORCES OF GEEK!

Clay N Ferno
FOG! Columnist
@claynferno | leaguepodcast.com

Best Movies: Ant-Man, Mad Max: Fury Road, Star Wars: The Force Awakens (duh)
Best TV Shows: Jessica Jones, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Mr. Selfridge, Transparent, Orange is the New Black
Best Books (fiction): Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens Smuggler’s Run: A Han Solo Adventure by Greg Rucka 
Best Video Game: Fallout 4, Arkham Knight
Best Songs: “Infinite Lives” by Mega Ran (RNDM)
Best Albums: RNDM - Mega Ran
Best Music Video: Taylor Swift: Bad Blood
Best Comic Books / Graphic Novels: Jupiter’s Circle/Jupiter’s Legacy, Invisible Republic, The Fade Out, Bitch Planet, Midnighter
Best Blu-ray/DVD Release: Ant-Man, Mad Max: Fury Road, Star Wars Digital Collection on iTunes & Disney Movies Anywhere
Most overrated thing about 2015? Mad Max: Fury Road
Most underrated thing about 2015? Amazon Prime video selection
Thing that you were most excited about in 2015? Star Wars, Ant-Man, Stan Lee coming to Boston
Thing that disappointed you most in 2015? Random shootings and violence
Thing that you’re most looking forward to in 2016? Star Wars: Rogue One, Batman V. Superman

[READ MORE AT FORCES OF GEEK]

Dig Boston and League Podcast Comics Picks of the Week for Wed. January 6, 2016

COMICS

Uncanny X-Men return with a new #1 from Cullen Bunn (Magneto) with Greg Land on art. This team stars Magneto and Sabertooth at the helm of these baddies that also includes Psylocke and Archangel. … Swamp Thing returns to form with co-creator Len Wein and gorgeous art by Kelley Jones as Alec confronts the forces of dark magic! … Escape from he prison planet as Kelley Sue’s Bitch Planet #6 starts a new arc with guest artist Taki Soma. Are you Non-Compliant? … Picks this week from LeaguePodcast.com.

NINTENDO QUEST (review) - Forces Of Geek

There were 678 Nintendo games releases for the Nintendo Entertainment System in North America.

This is the story of lifelong friends issuing a challenge to one another to collect them all in 30 days.

Jay Bartlett is a super-fan of Nintendo and Star Wars, already has most of these games but must start from scratch using his own money and no online purchases in a race against the clock.

Nintendo Quest is the documentation of that journey and the hero’s challenges along the way as real life and anxiety set in as stumbling blocks toward achieving the goal.

Jay Bartlett and friend Rob McCallum (writer/director) have been friends for 30 years.

To channel the thrill of the hunt and also to showcase some great Nintendo trivia and history, Rick started a Kickstarter under the name NES Club. Nintendo Quest is the successful product of a crowdfunded movie, at the very least. They incorporate some great original 8-bit graphics for titles as well as an 8-bit soundtrack to set the mood.

[READ MORE AT FORCES OF GEEK]

Dig Boston and League Podcast Comics Picks of the Week for Wed. December 30, 2015

COMICS
That’s not a name I’ve heard in a long time, a long time. Obi-Wan and Anakin #1 has all the midichlorians Episode VII was afraid to give you. … All-New Wolverine #3 is one of our favorite run of these new Marvel books. Tom Taylor’s spotlight on X-23 faces her up against the deadly Taskmaster! … I keep reminding you that Warren Ellis (Moon Knight, Iron Man) is writing THE James Bond 007 book for Dynamite, but you won’t listen. Issue #3 is out today, I guess, but you don’t care. … Picks this week from LeaguePodcast.com.

FOG! Chats With Will Tracy and Gabe Koplowitz About ALLEN: SON OF HELLCOCK at FORCES OF GEEK

I was at first skeptical to read yet another brightly colored Conan-sword-tale. With space lasers the fashion this week, this seemed like a step backward back in time to a place I didn’t need to revisit.

And the creators are comedians, and we all know how those people are.

This all came to a climax when Z2 Comics forced me at dagger point to read issue one of their Allen: Son of Hellcock to prepare for an interview with their famous funny people Will Tracy (HBO’s Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, The Onion) and Gabe Koplowitz (VH1).

I finally relented. Mead in hand, I had some questions for these guys because I was only two pages in when I realized this might be the funniest book of the year.

Will and Gabe joined us to answer our questions about the new publisher and disappointing the person that brought you into this world. Allen: Son of Hellcock debuts today in stores and digital comic shops.

FOG!: Will and Gabe — thanks for joining us today, what’s going on these days with Allen: Son of Hellcock? How did this come about? Where do you guys know each other from? Do you even know each other?

Will Tracy: I just met Gabe for the first time literally 15 minutes ago, and I can already tell I’m going to hate him. I think it’s his face, voice, and personality that make him hateable. Also his clothes and his smell and his glasses. And his stupid feet and hands. 

However, on a professional level, we wrote Allen: Son of Hellcock together about, oh, seven or eight years back. And we could not be more thrilled or proud to see it finally unleashed upon the world this Wednesday, December 16th!

[READ MORE AT FORCES OF GEEK]

Dig Boston and League Podcast Comics Picks of the Week for Wed. December 16, 2015

COMICS

Something about this movie coming out this week getting everyone’s wizard robes in a bunch! The Darth Vader Annual #1 will give you something to read in line when Fox News shows you getting ready for the thing at 7pm Thursday. Take your first step into a larger world. Mark Millar’s (Kick-Ass, Kingsmen: Secret Service) Huck #2 is the story of a quiet but very sincere superhero, now getting some unwanted attention from the media. …Star Trek Academy #1 might stand a fighting change against the other franchise as we learn more about students joining Starfleet! … Picks this week from LeaguePodcast.com.

Dig Boston and League Podcast Comics Picks of the Week for Wed. December 8, 2015

COMICS

Peter Milligan (Shade the Changing Man) returns to Vertigo with a new #1 for New Romancer. It’s Lord Byron meets Tinder in this comic’s app economy. BKV’s We Stand on Guard #6 concludes the Canadian Cold War season, but is it really the end for the Tim Horton v the Dunkin Donuts crowd? Star Trek / Green Lantern #6 concludes as Starfleet teams up with the Corps to defeat the galaxy’s greatest threat! … Picks this week from LeaguePodcast.com.

FOG! Chats With B. CLAY MOORE About His Tiki Noir Masterpiece, HAWAIIAN DICK at FORCES OF GEEK

Aloha, comics fans! As if the embarrassment of riches for comic book properties on TV weren’t enough, one of our favorite creators, B. Clay Moore (Bad Karma, JSA: The Liberty Files, Bloodshot) is exercising options that go beyond choosing a banana hammock or full trunks. 

His first comics creation, Hawaiian Dick is in development at NBC with Johnny Knoxville (Jackass) and we’ll also see morefloppy Hawaiian Dick from Image Comics very soon.

In this, our double-entendre dipped interview with B. Clay we get to hang ten on the new Kickstarter for the 100 page hardcover, Great Big Hawaiian Dick. 

Get out a tiki glass and enjoy a tall glass of Hawaiian Dick on this cold winter day.

FOG!: Aloha, B. Clay! Thanks for joining us today to chat about Great Big Hawaiian Dick! We can’t avoid the Hollywood news. Tell us about Hawaiian Dick on TV!

B. Clay Moore: NBC has picked up the rights to Hawaiian Dick, and we’re in the process of developing it right now. 

Writers Paul Lovett and David Elliott are working on the pilot script as we speak. Among others, Johnny Knoxville is on board to produce the show. Knoxville was attached to Hawaiian Dick years ago when the film rights were optioned by New Line, so getting him back on board was big.

How long have you been sitting on this news yourself?

Well, we’ve been working on the television stuff for about a year and a half. Things really came together in the past two or three months. It’s always hard to sit on news you’re happy to report, though.

On to the Kickstarter — is this a new adventure for Byrd?

This is actually a series of stories starring Byrd and the supporting cast that we’ve introduced over the years, as well as a variety of pieces by various artists. While I wrote most of the stories, I invited some friends to contribute their takes, as well.

[READ MORE AT FORCES OF GEEK]

Dig Boston and League Podcast Comics Picks of the Week for Wed. December 2, 2015

COMICS

Back to the world of NYC, Daredevil #1 puts lawyer Matt Murdock in the DA’s seat as DD gets a new costume. Written by Charles Soule, an actual lawyer and actual (gasp) professional comic book writer! … We’re huge fans of Nathan Edmondson’s creepy Jake Ellis espionage book as Where Is Jake Ellis? #5 of 5 wraps up today. The voice in your head is real! … Before comics were the pulp heroes of yesteryear and Doc Savage was the Batman meets Indiana Jones of his day. Doc Savage Spiders Web #1 from Chris Roberson (iZombie) unravels the web of the past today! … Picks this week from LeaguePodcast.com.

Kickstarter Korner! Chatting With Dan Parent About DIE KITTY DIE! at FORCES OF GEEK

You all know Dan Parent and Fernando Ruiz even if you think you don’t! Dan and Fernando have been taking care of the Archie Comics characters for years now and this Kickstarter Korner is dedicated to their latest creator owned project,Die Kitty Die!

By the time you read this on Wednesday, they’ve reached their goal, but that doesn’t mean you can’t contribute. On the contrary, the model for this Kickstarter is that the rewards get better as the stretch grows.

Dan took the time to talk to us today about this very exciting new universe of characters and the world of Kitty Ravencraft, comic book hero and real life witch who is being hunted down by her greedy comic book publisher in Die Kitty Die!


FOG!: Dan, congratulations on the funding, it looks like it is going pretty well so far!

Dan Parent: Yeah, we’re at 71% (at time of interview) which is pretty good for our third day! We want to hit our goal but we want to go over because we are going to add more incentives, we’ll add pages to the book. The more money, the better the project gets.

Tell those out there that don’t know, what is Die Kitty Die!?

Die Kitty Die! is about a comic book character, who in our universe has been around for a long time and her sales are low. Her publisher asks, “What are we going to do to generate publicity or sales? We’ve got to kill her off”!

In our world it’s a little different because in our world the characters are also real. So, they have to really bump her off. 

Not just bump her off in the story, they really have to get rid of her.

Things get a little more complicated because Kitty is a witch, so how do you kill a witch?

[READ MORE AT FORCES OF GEEK]

Dig Boston and League Podcast Comics Picks of the Week for Wed. November 25, 2015

COMICS

Mark Millar (Kick-Ass, Wanted, Kingsman: Secret Service) continues his own Golden Age comics history with Jupiter’s Circle Vol. 2 #1, recommended for fans of Mad Men, The Monkees and Batman ‘66. Read more over here. It’s the end of an era as Witchblade has a final issue after an impressive 27 year and 185 issue #1. Say so long to Sara Pezzini with this double size FINAL ISSUE. …Malcolm Dragon faces the most intense enemy of all - Marriage! Malcolm gets married in issue #209 of Savage Dragon. … Picks this week from LeaguePodcast.com.

Classic PEANUTS Return To Ride THE COSMIC TREADMILL - at FORCES OF GEEK

Charles Shultz’ comic creation The Peanuts Movie hit the big screen earlier this month and Titan Comics has been releasing volumes all year to commemorate the occasion.

Snoopy and the kids looked a lot different in the early strips, (Charlie Brown himself sometimes missing his signature zig-zag shirt) but the timeless humor of the daily and Sunday Peanuts comics can still resonate with children of all ages today.

Titan Comics offered us a look at these modern day reprints of classic black and white Peanuts strips from the early days before Snoopy took on The Red Baron.

Titan has the rights to reproduce favorites from my childhood, the Rinehart & Company (Holt, Rinehart & Winston) collected black and white paperbacks accumulated from yard sales or perhaps even my parent’s well spent youth.

It had been years since I remembered even reading these books, and as an adult a new appreciation and nostalgia sets in.

[READ MORE AT FORCES OF GEEK]

Dig Boston and League Podcast Comics Picks of the Week for Wed. November 18, 2015

COMICS

Mark Millar (Kick-Ass, Kingsman: Secret Service) tells the story of Huck #1 with Raphael Albuquerque (American Vampire). A small-town Huck does good deeds every day in this new twist on your typical super-hero story. Douglas Adam’s Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency #5 wraps up like the mummies in the museum for issue #5. All-New, All-Different Jughead #2 from S3X Criminal Chip Zdarsky wages the war against Gym Class Heroes (no, not the band). … Picks this week from LeaguePodcast.com!

FOG! Chats With Master of The Millarverse MARK MILLAR! at FORCES OF GEEK

Superstar writer and undisputed Hollywood hitmaker Mark Millar (Kick-Ass, Wanted, Kingsman: Secret Service) took some time to talk with us about the continuation of his multigenerational superhero team Jupiter’s Legacy and the prequelJupiter’s Circle. 

Jupiter’s Circle Volume 2 debuts later this month on November 25th, just as fans are reeling from his his Millarworld 2016 creative team announcements. Frank Quietly rejoins Mark for Jupiter’s Legacy Volume 2 next year.

Chris Sprouse (Tom Strong) will takes over on Circle next year, and details of books with both Greg Capello and Jae Lee have yet to be announced. We’ll also see more volumes of Chrononauts and Hit-Girl. 2016 will be another great year for one of the most genuine fan and creator of super-hero comics we’ve ever spoken too.

That’s a lot to keep up with, so follow #millarworld2016 on Twitter for more info, but join as we orbit Jupiter right now!

FOG!: We’ve just finished the last issue of Book One of Jupiter’s Circle. Did you always know you were going to do the two books together, Jupiter’s Circle when you came up with Jupiter’s Legacy?

Mark Millar: Not really, actually, no. For about two months before I started writing Jupiter’s Legacy, I stood in my office and I had all of these yellow post-it notes working out all the history of all the characters in the series because I was building like the Star Wars universe or the Lord of the Rings universe. It was a working body that needed to have everything connecting properly. 

I just made a point of making sure I knew all of the back histories of everything. So I was like a crazy guy, I actually had all of these stories that no one would ever read as crazy as that sounds. I had yellow post-its in my office and even into the dining room and I worked out all the back stories for the parents and how everybody felt about each other.

Then what I did was I connected it all and my agent said to me when Frank Quitely was taking a while for Volume Two, where we were stockpiling it, “Why don’t you write that story you have up on your wall”? 

I said, “Yeah, I love that story”! And I had always wanted to do a period super-hero thing, something set in my favorite American era which is that Mad Men era, I feel its the beginning of the DC or Marvel Universe, the Silver Age. I just started putting it together.

I think its the most fun I’ve ever had writing anything, it’s been so easy, I think because I’m so passionate about it. It’s everything I wanted to say about super-heroes.

[READ MORE AT FORCES OF GEEK]

Dig Boston and League Podcast Comics Picks of the Week for Wed. November 11, 2015

COMICS

X-23 fulfills her destiny as the All-New, All-New Wolverine in All-New Wolverine #1! She is the best there is at what she does, but what she does isn’t just picking up where Logan left off! … Chronicle screenwriter Max Landis takes us back to Smallville for a retelling of Supe’s origin with superstar artist Nick Dragotta (East of West) in Superman American Alien #1. Chris Roberson (iZombie, Superman) debuts Black Bag #1 from Legendary. Suburban housewife Renear with a criminal past sets to break all expectations in this spy comic. … Picks this week from LeaguePodcast.com.