Blogs
Here at Fanboy Comics, we strive to provide an outlet for up-and-coming creators to promote and showcase their incredible works. With thousands of creators utilizing crowdfunding platforms like Kickstarter and Indiegogo to make those works a reality, we will highlight these talented creators and their noteworthy campaigns through #CrowfundingFridays! We hope that you will join us in giving these projects a moment of your time (and possibly your support)!
As we approach some important dates in the wheel house of American politics, election life has become so intolerable it’s one of the reasons I’ve scrapped the Facebook app from my phone (momentarily, anyway). Not only is it nauseating (Didn’t people used to treat who they were voting for as a relatively private matter? Does that make me sound older than I want to admit to?), but it’s frightening - the dissolution of any level of wisdom or sensibility, fervor feeding of fervor, equal and opposite reactions even from people who should generally be agreeing with each other. There was never so big a gap between a 7% difference in belief than there is now.
Brian Wood is one of those crazy people who puts out a new book every three months it seems. I’m constantly seeing “Issue #1 . . . Brian Wood.” The amazing thing is, he is always on point. There is an effortless literary quality in his voice, an intelligence, an uncomplicated cleverness that probably takes a lot more hard work than it initially appears. Regardless, his words slip through your mind with ease.
It was almost thirty years ago that comic book readers were first introduced to an icy Earth environment, a man named Scully, and his companion Rah-Rah the badger in Winterworld, a post-apocalyptic tale penned by comic book writer Chuck Dixon and illustrated by Jorge Zaffino. A follow-up story arc was unrealized and, eventually, the series went out of print. Fortunately, IDW released the original story as well as the sequel a handful of years ago which has led to the series' rejuvenation. Winterworld: Better Angels, Colder Hearts is the latest IDW title that includes four Dixon tales that were originally published as Winterworld #0-7 and Winterworld: Frozen Fleet #1-3.
Remember that time when they were making Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and George Lucas convinced Steven Spielberg that they didn’t need to really go on location this time, that they could just create an entire jungle set digitally and it would be perfectly fine? The result was a jungle way less than convincing (further confounded by a bizarre army of horrifying CG monkeys and poor Shia LaBeouf swinging on vines like Tarzan), and it added to that droopy vibe that permeated Crystal Skull.
Last month, I was very excited to have found Karma Police, a fantastic, creator-owned series from ComiXology's Comics Experience that is overflowing with stellar writing, beautiful illustrations and coloring, and a phenomenal cast of characters. Written by Chris Lewis (Drones), illustrated by Tony Gregori, colored by Jasen Smith, and lettered by Nic J. Shaw, Karma Police exists as a four-issue mini-series with a solid story arc that is equal parts humorous, action packed, and heartfelt. On the heels of the series' trade paperback release, I eagerly finished the remaining three issues and devoured every thrilling moment!
Starting with the 2014 direct-to-video animated movie Justice League War, Warner Bros. Animation has slowly, but surely, been crafting their DC Animated Universe. Each of the films since then has been introducing new elements of the Justice League and Batman continuities while utilizing the same voice actors, directors, and storyboard teams. The latest and, in my opinion, best entry to this series is Justice League vs. Teen Titans. This film ties together the stories of the newly formed Justice league as well as the continuing saga of Batman’s son and new Robin, Damian Wayne. The film follows Damian as he joins the Teen Titans and must learn what it means to be a part of a team and a family as dark secrets of Raven’s past threaten to tear the Titans apart.
Moro Rogers’ City in the Desert is an immensely charming series. I’ve previously reviewed the first two books for Fanboy Comics, though I missed out on the third when it released alone. Now, though, the whole trilogy has been brought together in one nice volume, as it should be, given that the books previously left off on such cliffhangers that waiting between them could be agonizing. This is the tale of Irro, the last monster hunter in the city Kevala, which is, as you’ve probably guessed, in the desert. He’s accompanied by Hari, his moody, not-quite-human assistant, and Bok, and ox/robot/thing that is never quite explained (though he doesn’t really need to be). Kevala’s establishment clearly is more bothered by Irro these days than they are gratified by his presence, and Irro, for his part, takes this in somewhat misanthropic stride. Things start to change with the arrival of strangers from the north, and Irro and Hari find themselves the city’s last line of defense against potentially catastrophic changes.
IDW has released a brand new trade paperback that collects three individual comic book stories into Dungeons & Dragons: Forgotten Realms Omnibus. “Forgotten Realms” was written by Ed Greenwood and illustrated by Lee Ferguson, while “Cutter” and “Drizzt” were written by R.A. Salvatore and Geno Salvatore and featured the art of David Baldeon and Agustin Padilla, respectively. Each story includes their original covers in this edition.
Another month of great independent comics for our perusal, and another month of IndyStash working to not only get creators in front of audiences, but also helping other creators to get their projects moving. Ryan Wise and the team are using the subscription model to help fund other creators who want to get their stories out there and doing so by getting already published work into the hands of readers is a great double whammy. Anywho, on to this month’s offerings.
