Bryant Dillon (330)
Favorite TV Show: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Love is in the air at Fanboy Comics! In this magical month of romance and enchantment, the FBC Staff and Contributors decided to stop and smell the roses. In the days leading up to Valentine's Day, a few members of the Fanboy Comics crew will be sharing their personal love letters to the areas of geekdom they adore the most.
Dear Star Wars: The Force Awakens,
How can I ever possibly express my passionate, undying love for you in mere words? As many before me have said, quite genuinely, to their true loves, I could have never imagined something as beautiful and fulfilling as you before you came into my life. Furthermore, every time I see you, I fall further and further in love with the wondrous, awe-inspiring, and emotional satisfying movie that you are. You’re graceful, thrilling, thoughtful, classically-influenced, and cutting edge all at the same time. Simply put, you’re one hell of a Star Wars film, baby.
While the world eagerly awaits to see what Shane Black’s Predator reboot will bring to the enduring franchise, Dark Horse Comics continues to point the way with an exciting return to the glory days of Predator (and Aliens) comics with their new book, Predator: Life and Death #1. Written by Dan Abnett (Tomb Raider: The Ten Thousand Immortals, The Thanos Imperative) and featuring the art team of artist Brian Albert Thies (Star Wars: Legacy) and colorist Rain Beredo (Batman & Robin Eternal), Predator: Life and Death seems like the perfect comic book miniseries for those who have always wished to see a “frosty” pack of Colonial Marines take on “ . . . the demon who makes trophies of men.”
The DC Animated films have long been praised among geeks as some of the best representations of the DCU ever brought from page to screen, and their latest release, Batman: Bad Blood, is another example of the craft and care put into these high-quality adaptations and original adventures. Batman: Bad Blood is also one more rock-solid chapter in DC Animated’s episodic film installments set in a New 52-esque universe. Bringing the conflicted Nightwing front and center and expanding the Bat Family in new and exciting ways, Batman: Bad Blood is sure to please Batman fans with no only its action-packed plot, but the future potential it builds and bestows upon future releases.
The themes of self-sacrifice, faith in a better future, and change vs. the status quo run throughout the final issue of Bornhome, written by Paul Tobin (Prometheus: Fire and Stone, Gunsuits) and featuring the art team of Jeff Johnson (Wonder Man, Way of the Rat) and Anthony Diecidue (Red City, Moriarty). With the wrap up of this series, American Gothic Press continues to establish itself as a publisher that not only tackles monster-filled and creature-centric stories, but also as a company that respects its late Honorary Editor-in-Chief Forrest J. Ackerman’s love and fostering of thought-provoking science-fiction.
As Disney is about to remind the world once again (courtesy of John Favreau’s upcoming The Jungle Book film), the works of Rudyard Kipling are ripe for retelling in multiple mediums. For instance, another excellent example of this is the enjoyable and charming graphic novel, Rikki, written by Norm Harper and featuring the artwork of Matthew Foltz-Gray.
The second issue of Monster World, American Gothic Press’ 1930s noir monster comic miniseries (written by Steve Niles and Philip Kim, and featuring the work of artist Piotr Kowlaski), is now available for purchase and, as expected, adds a few new wrinkles to the creepy caper being investigated by Los Angeles-based private investigator Hank Barrymore.
This week was Buffy Summer’s birthday (January 19th, my fellow Scoobies!), and, appropriately, Buffy the Vampire Slayer fans everywhere were gifted with the latest issue of the fantastic Buffy: Season 10 comic series published by Dark Horse Comics! Writer Christos Gage and artist Megan Levens continue to be a dynamic duo this month, crafting another excellent issue that is the full package: fun, emotional, and layered storytelling that’s full of that classic Buffy “feel” fans know so well.
In the following podcast, Fanboy Comics staff members Bryant Dillon, Barbra Dillon, Drew Siragusa, and Sean Foster discuss their reactions to Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the rumors surrounding the film and its characters, and their predictions for what's to come in a galaxy far, far away.
The final issue of Broken Moon, the dark, dystopian, post-apocalyptic, monster vs. monster comic series by writer Steve Niles (30 Days of Night, Criminal Macabre) and artist Nat Jones (28 Days Later: The Aftermath, Frank Frazetta's Death Dealer) dropped last week with a bang. While Niles and Jones don’t leave the battlefield so devastated that there couldn’t be more stories in this universe down the road, they certainly don’t hold back in their final issue. Readers who’ve been following the series, published by American Gothic Press and Famous Monsters of Filmland, won’t be disappointed in the ultimate showdown that’s been building between the armies of the vampire nation, the tribal werewolves, and the reanimated ranks of Frankenstein’s monsters.
Monday night, January 11th, 2016, saw the team behind Sci-Fest LA continue to hold up their growing reputation for delivering bold and brilliant sci-fi stage productions in the Los Angeles area. This enjoyable and entertaining evening not only served as a fundraiser for the upcoming, annual Sci-Fest LA one-act play festival, but provided attendees with the chance to be included in on the presentation of the first-ever Sci-Fest LA Icon Award, witness a star-studded performance of the 1944 radio version of Frankenstein, and, potentially, even take a piece of iconic sci-fi history home with them!
