My First Book Is Out!

I must say, after over a year of focused work, it’s a great feeling to open a box and see books with my name on it. It’s a grand feeling to finally hold it in my hands and know it’s real! 🙂

Beautiful Nonsense is an anthology of 35 funny and odd short stories, in the vein of Monty Python, Blackadder, Jack Handey, Peter Cook and Dudley Moore. Here’s my official description below the photos.

BN2

BN1

An out of touch father trying to teach his bored son a unique form of martial arts.

A flashy superhero who cares more about his image than actually doing anything heroic.

A shy Martian longing to fit into high school in the American Mid-West.

The thirty five short stories within Kris Bather’s debut range from the bizarre (elderly friends hazily recounting their glory days) to the even more bizarre (competitors in a chili eating festival happily willing to die for first prize).

Surreal and silly, Beautiful Nonsense embraces the inherent oddness of interactions, both human and otherwise, and takes them to hilarious extremes.

You can buy the digital version for only $1.49 from the Amazon Australia store. The print version as well as the digital version are also available from Amazon’s other sites worldwide, including America and the UK. Canada! France! Brazil! India! Germany!

You can check out a preview of my book on the links above, but it is a random preview, so you may not get my complete stories. However you can check out full previews on my Wattpad.

It’s published through CreateSpace, which is effectively Amazon’s self-publishing arm, and I highly recommend it. Anyone can publish their books via CreateSpace and with Amazon’s global reach, it makes a lot of sense for indie authors like myself.

It’s been a challenging process at times, but also a very rewarding one. If you do buy a copy, I hope you like it and please let me know what you think.

April 27, 2017
Categories: Books, My Funny Stories, News, Ramblings, Short stories . Tags: , , , , , , , , . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: Leave a comment

Broken Frontier Anthology

Kickstarter. All the cool kids are doing it, including the entertaining and diverse site I contributed to for a few years, Broken Frontier. Below is all the info you need to know from EiC Frederik Hautain about their new anthology which has a stellar array of comics talents.

About the Broken Frontier Anthology

The Broken Frontier Anthology is a fully creator-owned book about breaking boundaries and exploring the great unknown. This 250-page full color hardcover contains 27 stories by over 40 creators from around the world, ranging from multiple award-winning writers and artists to bright, up-and-coming talent, including Greg Pak, Nathan Fox, Cullen Bunn, Noah Van Sciver, Alison Sampson, Josh Fialkov, Fred Van Lente, Box Brown, INJ Culbard, Toby Cypress and Marguerite Bennett. They’ve united for an amazing book that has everything from outer-space sci-fi and time travel to dystopian deserts, cosmic horror and much more.

First up is the teaser image for Dark, Dark World, the all-new story created by Cullen Bunn and Nathan Fox. Dark, Dark World is a gothic fantasy tale of heroism… in a world where there is only one hero left.
And then there’s the great new trailer for the project put together by Greg Pak, highlighting the many amazing characters deputing in the anthology. You can watch it here: https://youtu.be/jsqsR8bOyVk

Put together in support of creator-owned comics, the Broken Frontier Anthology is a unique book in the sense that we’re paying creators up front, while they at the same time keep all the rights to their creations.

Here’s a word by contributing writer David Hine on why it’s so important that this book gets funded:

“It’s a model that the comics industry needs to enable established creators to work on personal, creator-owned projects, and for new and upcoming creators to reach a wider audience.”

We thank you for your support in giving our campaign a push in its last few days. Here’s the link again:br.oken.fr/anthology

All the best,

Frederik Hautain
Editor in Chief, Broken Frontier

Dark Dark World

BF Anthology

May 19, 2015
Categories: Comics, New To Comics?, News . . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: Leave a comment

I’m Back

I started this blog in 2008. I’m not the same man today that I was then.

I’ve written reviews about comics and films, both mainstream and independent. I’ve interviewed over 120 writers, artists and creative people across a variety of websites, plus the Extra Sequential magazine and podcast. It was fun, and exciting and eventually it became less so.

Then last year, I stopped. I stopped because the joy in doing those things stopped. I was no longer motivated to spend hours at home on my keyboard every week showcasing the artistic and diverse forms of expression that gave me pleasure. A number of quiet yet powerful events occurred to bring this shift in my focus.

Some health hiccups, tremendous travel opportunities, a new job. All these things exploded in my life in and they’ve opened my eyes to see things anew.

That’s given me a renewed sense of purpose, refined by God and some beautiful people I’m blessed to call my friends.

And that’s why I want to start blogging about stuff that matters to me, and I’m sure you’ll find it interesting. I have new priorities now. The last three years have seen a dramatic turn in the way I eat, dress, and generally live. I’m twenty kilos lighter. I read and watch more diverse media. There’s an incredibly exciting opportunity within the theatre world, plus I’m starting to write again. You can catch my stories on Wattpad.

I’ve also just had a short story published in the latest issue of the new digital magazine, Phantasmagoria (such a cool name).

Have a read of my fanciful tales, and let me know what you think. There will be more. Oh yes.

May 18, 2015
Categories: My Funny Stories, News, Ramblings, Uncategorized . . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: 2 Comments

Batman vs Terminator Fan Film

This is a good week to be a Terminator fan. It’s an even better week if you’re a Terminator team-up fan. Announcement below from Dark Horse Comics about their classic Robocop vs Terminator deluxe collection.

And underneath that is a 5 minute animated short film set in a Skynet driven future, in which The Dark Knight Returns-era Batman does what he does best. It’s almost dialogue free, but has great visuals and direction. Well done to Tony Guerrero and Mitchell Hammond for crafting this beauty.

DARK HORSE ANNOUNCES TWO ALL-NEW EDITIONS OF FRANK MILLER AND

WALTER SIMONSON’S CLASSIC

ROBOCOP VS. THE TERMINATOR SERIES!

Nearly twenty years after its first publication, the classic four-issue miniseries that teamed two great characters with two great creators, Frank Miller and Walter Simonson’s RoboCop versus The Terminator, returns to print in two formats: a hardcover graphic novel and a gallery edition!

Comics’ greatest creators pit the supreme machine killer against the ultimate cybernetic cop in one of the most celebrated crossovers ever! When fate reveals that the technology that built RoboCop will lead to the creation of Skynet, Alex Murphy must engage in time-twisting battle against both the murderous computer network and the human resistance fighters out to destroy him! This newly restored collection features remastered colors from Steve Oliff and an introduction by 2 Guns writer Steven Grant!

The super deluxe RoboCop verus The Terminator Gallery Edition ushers in Dark Horse’s new gallery series format—reprinting Walter Simonson’s original art at full size, exactly as it appeared on his drawing table! Relive Simonson and writer Frank Miller’s seamless blend of the RoboCop and Terminator worlds while marveling at the sheer virtuosity of Simonson’s draftsmanship in all its original glory.

In addition to the full story, the gallery edition provides the greatest insight available into Simonson’s process, with pages of his original pencils and promotional art faithfully reproduced, along with a revealing foreword by the artist himself!

“When Frank first sent me the story for the series, I loved it. And it was both a treat and a challenge to try to bring it to life in pictures,” said Walter Simonson. “I couldn’t be more pleased to see RoboCop versus The Terminator back in print after all these years. I can only hope that a new generation of readers will take as much delight in discovering the series as we took in creating it.”

The RoboCop versus The Terminator hardcover graphic novel collection arrives on sale at finer comic shops everywhere on July 2, 2014, for $24.99. The gallery edition will be available on July 9 for $125.

RVT GALLERY

RVT-Hardcover-WALT

February 26, 2014
Categories: Cartoons, Comic Art, Comics, DC Comics, Movies, New To Comics?, News . Tags: , , . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: Leave a comment

Max Brooks’ Extinction Parade

Coming soon (no exact release date is available) from Avatar Press is author Max Brooks’ latest foray in to comics. Brooks wrote the cool World War Z novel which is much more original than the film, although I didn’t mind the cinematic adaptation either.

Avatar Press Announces Extinction Parade by Max Brooks!

New York Times Bestselling Author of World War Z and The Zombie Survival Guide Max Brooks, along-side artist Raulo Caceres (Crossed), create a violently original graphic novel horror series and a new subgenre of fiction: zombies vs. vampires.

In a world where the zombie plague has put the human race on the endangered species list, another predatory undead species realizes that to stand by idly means the end of their food supply.  Vastly outnumbered by the zombie hordes, vampires descend into all-out subdead war, with humanity caught in the crossfire.  This series further examines Brooks’ fascination with the lethal races of the undead and brings his unique voice to comics at a time when horror fiction is at an all-time high in popularity.

Extinction Parade collects comics issues #1 – 5, as well as a massive undead zombies vs. vampires cover gallery!

Extinction Parade trade paperback releases soon, pre-order it now from your favorite retailer!  Available at comic shops and retailers including Amazon.com and BN.com.

Extinction Parade, a softcover graphic novel with color interiors, 6.5″ x 9.5″, 160 pages.
– ISBN 978-1-59291-234-6
– $19.99 (US)

ExtinctionParade-vol-1 (2)

 

February 20, 2014
Categories: Comics, New To Comics?, News . Tags: , . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: Leave a comment

Bad Dreams and Haunted from Red 5 Comics

Two new series are being released in late April from Red 5 Comics, publisher of the always entertaining Atomic Robo. Official info for the all-ages Bad Dreams, and the amazing looking Haunted below.

Haunted, by the way, is on the way to being adapted by the production company of Bryan Singer, director of The Usual Suspects and the upcoming X-Men: Days of Future Past. Cool.

Comic Promises BAD DREAMS for All Ages

Mary doesn’t remember being afraid of the dark. In fact, since waking up in a dream world of eternal day, she doesn’t remember much of anything. When night vanished, so did her memory, and now maybe it’s time to be afraid of the light…

baddreamscoverBAD DREAMS — a somewhat twisted tale of whimsy — chronicles the adventures of an odd group of Dreamworld characters: Mary, Nimrod, Sir Spanks (a Night Mouse Knight), Spide, and Shroom. Mary wakes to discover both her memory and Night have gone missing from the land. Mother Night’s absence is causing havoc as everyone slowly goes insane from lack of sleep. The friends must pool their resources, working together to uncover the strange secret of their past and exactly who’s behind it all.

BAD DREAMS is a five-part fantasy adventure by Gary Winnick, a comic book writer, illustrator, and game designer best known for co-designing Lucasfilm Games’ Maniac Mansion. The lavishly illustrated tale will capture the imagination of all comic readers, in the tradition of Red 5’s ATOMIC ROBO and BODIE TROLL.
“BAD DREAMS truly resonates from my creative core,” said Winnick, “that’s why I’ve spent all these nights and weekends on it. I think it’s my best work. I hope the audience agrees.”

“During my time at Lucasfilm and LucasArts in the 2000s, Maniac Mansion was considered one of those legendary titles that we were inspired by and aspired to,” said Red 5 Comics co-founder, Paul Ens. “When I heard that Gary was completing his graphic novel passion project, I knew it would be a perfect fit for Red 5 — imaginative, clever and fun.”

As Red 5 is an independent publisher, the best way to ensure your copy of “Bad Dreams” this spring is to pre-order it before February 28 from your comic shop using order code FEB141419. “Bad Dreams #1” of the five-issue series is set for release on April 23, 2014.

Ghosts Overrun the Earth in HAUNTED

In the story of HAUNTED, the barrier between our world and the spiritual realm was mysteriously torn apart allowing the Earth to be overrun by ghosts, demons and poltergeists. Creatures once thought to be mythological terrorized mankind and society collapsed. Thirteen years later, Sarah McCallister manages to survive by being tough, smart, and looking out only for herself. But when a chance to set the world back to normal arises, she finds herself in the compromising position of putting her faith in strangers for the first time.

HAUNTED is a four-part horror action-adventure written by Scott Chitwood (DRONE, AFTERBURN, DEAD OR ALIVE), illustrated by newcomer Danny Luckert, and colored by Ivan Plascencia (NEOZOIC: TRADER’S GAMBIT). It is also featured in Red 5’s 2014 Free Comic Book Day issue.

“The problem with most ghost stories is that if the characters simply leave the haunted house, all of their problems are over,” said Chitwood. “But if the entire world is the haunted house, there’s nowhere to run or hide. Imagine the end of ‘Ghostbusters’, but with the heroes failing and Gozer taking over the world.”

HAUNTED’s lead character is as broken as the world that shaped her. “Sarah survived a traumatic and dangerous childhood, constantly on the run from all manner of horrors,” said Chitwood. “But if she is to have any hope of saving the world, she must go against every instinct that has kept her alive so far.”

While not yet on shelves, HAUNTED has already attracted the attention of Hollywood and has been optioned by Bryan Singer’s Bad Hat Harry Productions to produce the adaptation of the comic. “As a long-time fan of THE USUAL SUSPECTS and Singer’s X-MEN films,” Chitwood explained, “it was very gratifying to find Bad Hat so enthusiastic about the story and premise of HAUNTED. They have been incredibly supportive and great to work with.”

As Red 5 is an independent publisher, the best way to ensure your copy of HAUNTED this spring is to pre-order it by the end of February from your comic shop using order code FEB141420. Haunted #1 of the four-issue series is set for release on April 30, 2014.

Haunted-Issue1_cover

 

Continue reading →

February 17, 2014
Categories: Comic Art, Comics, New To Comics?, News . Tags: , . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: Leave a comment

Perth Writers Festival

The Perth Writers Festival is now underway until March 1, in the capital city of Western Australia with a host of events, including some that will be of interest to pop culture curious, such as The Game Changers about the video game industry, and a free screening of the recent TV documentary Comic Book Heroes about Perth publisher Gestalt Comics. That follows Graphic Detail, a talk focused on print vs digital comics.

The Game Changers Event

February 17, 2014
Categories: Comics, Games, Movies, New To Comics?, News . Tags: , , , . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: Leave a comment

Beware the Batman: Shadows of Gotham Release

Another DC Comics/ Warner Bros. cartoon that ended too soon, much like Green Lantern, and Young Justice, is getting a Blu-ray and DVD release next week. Beware the Batman never aired here in Australia, but I’m certainly intrigued by this latest take on The Dark Knight.

BEWARE THE BATMAN

SEASON 1 PART 1 AVAILABLE FEBRUARY 18, 2014

ON DVD FROM WARNER BROS. HOME ENTERTAINMENT,

AND ON BLU-RAYTM FROM WARNER ARCHIVE COLLECTION 

The caped crusader continues to conquer Gotham City’s villains with the Blu-ray™ and DVD release of Beware The Batman: Shadows of Gotham, Season 1 Part 1 from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, Warner Bros. Animation and DC Entertainment. Batman and his trusted friends Alfred and Katana band together in the series’ first 13 episodes to face the twisted machinations of Gotham City’s criminal underworld.

Beware the Batman Season 1 Part 1 is available for the first time on both Blu-ray™ and DVD next Tuesday, February 18, 2014. Warner Bros. Home Entertainment offers a two-disc DVD set ($19.97 SRP), while the single-disc Blu-ray™ is available from Warner Archive Collection for $19.95 via shop.warnerarchive.com and wbshop.com.

Batman swings into an exhilarating new age, teaming with a powerful allies old and new for a thrilling new take on the classic Dark Knight franchise in Beware the Batman: Shadows of Gotham, Season 1 Part 1. The new action-packed detective thriller incorporates Batman’s core characters with a rogue’s gallery of criminals as the Caped Crusader faces some of Gotham City’s most despicable villains. Through the show’s first 13 animated adventures of this two-disc collection, ex-secret agent Alfred and lethal swordstress Katana join Batman to takes on an array of evildoers including the likes of Anarky, Professor Pyg, Mister Toad and Magpie. This thrilling series redefines what we have come to know as the “Batman show” and is sure to excite fans with cutting-edge CGI visuals. 

“Warner Bros. Home Entertainment is delighted to begin this exhilarating animated Batman series with the release of Beware The Batman: Shadows of Gotham, Season 1 Part 1,” Mary Ellen Thomas, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Vice President, Family & Animation and Partner Brands Marketing. “Fans will be excited to see their favorite super hero up against a whole new set of villains from the DC Universe to continue the expansion of the Dark Knight franchise!”

Episodes:

Beware the Batman Season 1 Part 1

  1. Hunted
  2. Secrets
  3. Tests
  4. Safe
  5. Broken
  6. Toxic
  7. Family
  8. Allies
  9. Control
  10. Sacrifice
  11. Instinct
  12. Attraction
  13. Fall

BewareTheBatmanS1

Beware the Batman still

Beware the Batman Pyg and Mr Toad

 

February 15, 2014
Categories: Cartoons, DC Comics, Movies, New To Comics?, News . Tags: . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: Leave a comment

Comic Book People Photo Book

Jackie Estrada (not to be confused with Jackie Estacado, the wielder of The Darkness), is a longtime comics insider and she currently has a Kickstarter project on the go, with the aim of releasing a book filled with candid shots of comics pros in the ’70s and ’80s. Imagine famed creators before cynicism took its toll! Imagine the fashion! Imagine Alan Moore’s mighty beard looking exactly the same!

Jackie Estrada’s Kickstarter-Funded Comic Book People Provides Unique Peek at Industry’s Greats

Longtime comics industry insider Jackie Estrada is running a Kickstarter campaign to fund her book Comic Book People: Photographs from the 1970s and 1980s. The book offers a unique peek at the early days of comics conventions before they were big pop culture events, when the giants of the industry mingled casually with their peers and fans.

The high-quality hardcover coffeetable book will feature some 600 candid photos of comics creators taken in the 1970s and 1980s, along with commentary and anecdotes about each person.

According to Estrada, the book combines two of her lifelong passions: comics and photography. She has been a comics fan since the 1960s and has been to every San Diego Comic-Con, as well as to numerous other comics, science fiction, and similar fan events over the last four decades. Her involvement in comics has included editing publications for Comic-Con, serving as the administrator of the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards since 1990, serving as president of Friends of Lulu, and being the co-publisher of Exhibit A Press, which produces her husband Batton Lash’s Supernatural Law graphic novels. Exhibit A will publish Comic Book People as well.

Estrada’s passion for photography also goes back to the 1960s, when she learned to shoot and develop film in college. In the mid-1970s she began serious study of photography and became part of the local San Diego photography scene.

Her photos of comics creators have appeared in numerous books and publications, from Paul Levitz’s 75 Years of DC Comics and Julius Schwartz’s autobiography Man of Two Worlds to Alter Ego and Comics Buyer’s Guide. Most prominently, dozens of her photos were used in Dark Horse’s Comics: Between the Panels and in Comic-Con: 40 Years of Artists, Writers, Fans, and Friends. Most recently, her photos could be seen in the PBS special on the history of superheroes.

“I had the opportunity for thousands of my negatives to be digitized in high-quality scans, and I thought this would be the perfect time to put together a book,” says Estrada. “To make it manageable, I’m focusing on shots from the 1970s and 1980s. But it’s still going to be hard to narrow the choices down.”

The book is projected to be 160 pages, with mostly black-and-white images but a 16-page color section. Estrada’s goal is to raise $18,000 to cover the costs of design, production, printing, shipping, distribution, and backer rewards.

The candid photos depict not only Golden and Silver Age comic book greats and mainstream creators of the period but also publishers and editors, underground and alternative cartoonists, big-name fans, comic strip cartoonists, animation directors and voice actors, science fiction and fantasy authors, and movie and TV celebrities.

Among the premiums being offered to Kickstarter backers (and the backer levels are all named after fictional photographers in comic books and comic strips, such as Peter Parker and Vicki Vale) are postcards of images from the book, a 16-month calendar, and a rare 1986 Comic-Con poster featuring a collage of Jackie’s pictures.

The Kickstarter campaign can be found here.

Note: The cover image is a mock-up; some of the photos may change.

Comic Book People D1.indd

February 10, 2014
Categories: Comics, News . Tags: , , , . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: Leave a comment

Dark Horse on YALSA List

What’s YALSA? A youth-targeted salsa? Nope. It’s the Young Adult Library Services Association. Every year they release their best comics list, as do lots of other sites and organisations. I’ve only read The Massive Volume 1 and Hellboy: Midnight Circus, but both are fantastic.

DARK HORSE TAKES HOME SIX

SPOTS ON THE 2014 YALSA

GREAT GRAPHIC NOVELS FOR TEENS LIST!

Last week, the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) committee published their much-anticipated 2014 Great Graphic Novels for Teens list, adding, for the first time, a top-ten list. Not surprisingly, given the tremendous success of Dark Horse’s 2013 publishing line, the publisher landed six titles on this year’s list, with two making it into the top ten—The Adventures of Superhero Girl and MIND MGMT!

This year’s Dark Horse selections are as follows:

“Dark Horse has always considered librarians to be essential to the cause of bringing graphic novels to a broader audience, just as we feel visionary writers and artists push the boundaries of the medium,” said Dark Horse’s VP of book trade sales, Michael Martens. “With the selections of these titles to the 2014 YALSA Great Graphic Novels for Teens list, the boundaries will be pushed and the audience broadened! Thanks to both YALSA and our authors for making this happen!”

Dark Horse congratulates the editors, writers, and artists who worked on each of the above titles, and thanks the Young Adult Library Services Association for recognizing these works!

The Massive TPB

 

Hellboy- The Midnight Circus

February 5, 2014
Categories: Comics, News . Tags: . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: Leave a comment

Dragon Ball Manga Now in Colour

I confess that my exposure to the hugely popular Dragon Ball manga is only limited to the occasional glimpses on Saturday morning during my teens, and the more recent, and disappointing, live action film. Now though, you can see the original manga in colour.

Experience Akira Toriyama’s Bestselling Martial Arts Action Adventure In Vivid Color

VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest distributor and licensor of manga and anime in North America, brings Akira Toriyama’s classic manga (graphic novel) series DRAGON BALL back to fans in an entirely new way with the release of DRAGON BALL FULL COLOR Volume 1 on February 4th.

The new edition from the Shonen Jump imprint features a special full-color treatment of the first DRAGON BALL Z manga volume in a larger 6 5/8″ x 10 ¼” size. The volume is rated ‘A’ for All Ages and will carry an MSRP of $19.99 U.S. / $22.99 CAN / £12.99 U.K. Future volumes will be published three times a year.

DRAGON BALL FULL COLOR Vol. 1 also will be available for digital download for $12.99 (USD/CAN) from VIZManga.com and the VIZ MANGA App for the Apple iPad®, iPhone® and iPod® touch, Android-powered smart phones, as well as through the Nook, Kobo, Kindle, iBooks and GooglePlay stores.

In the series, Son Goku is the greatest hero on Earth. Five years after defeating the demon king Piccolo, he’s grown up and has a family. But what is the real reason for Goku’s incredible strength? A visitor from outer space arrives bearing terrible news – Goku is an alien, and the visitor, Raditz, is Goku’s brother! When Raditz turns out to be a ruthless killer, Goku must fight his incredibly strong brother to save his family and the entire human race. A surprising alliance may be Earth’s last hope: Goku will team up with his old enemy Piccolo to save the world!

“Akira Toriyama’s bestselling manga series has thrilled generations of readers, and this new release lets fans revisit his groundbreaking martial arts action adventure in vivid full color,” says Mike Montesa, Editor. “Goku has become a skilled fighter, but new foes threaten his family and the Earth, and he must form new alliances in order to win the day. Fans current and new won’t want to miss the gorgeous new release of this classic series!”

Renowned worldwide for his playful, innovative storytelling and humorous, distinctive art style, Akira Toriyama burst onto the manga scene in 1980 with the wildly popular DR. SLUMP. His hit series Dragon Ball(published in the U.S. as DRAGON BALL and DRAGON BALL Z; both published by VIZ Media) ran from 1984 to 1995 in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump magazine. He is also known for his influential design work on video games such as Dragon Quest, Chrono Trigger, Tobal No. 1, and Blue Dragon. His other manga works include COWA! (also published by VIZ Media), Kajika, Sand Land, Neko Majin, a children’s book Toccio the Angel, and his newest series, Jaco the Galactic Patrolman.

For more information on DRAGON BALL, or other Akira Toriyama manga titles from VIZ Media, please visit www.VIZ.com.

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January 29, 2014
Categories: Comics, News . Tags: . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: Leave a comment

Kirby Krackle’s New Site and Album

Named after legendary artist Jack Kirby’s explosive renderings, nerd-rock band Kirby Krackle continue to wow audiences at conventions around the world. Why, they even came here to Perth! They just relaunched their website and have also announced that their latest live album will be released next month. Look for the Live in Calgary EP on February 4. The album includes 6 songs from their recent tour with Weird Al Yankovic. The guys will laos be performing at Emerald City Comicon on March 28 and Spokane Comicon on March 31.

Kirby Krackle Live EP

January 23, 2014
Categories: Comics, Music, News . Tags: , . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: Leave a comment

Archaia’s The Joyners in 3D

Publisher Archaia (now part of BOOM! Studios) have been producing gorgeous graphic novels with great production values, and this tome, (a rare 3D presentation) will hit stands next month.

 

ARCHAIA INNOVATES WITH FIRST 3D GRAPHIC NOVEL WITH 

‘THE JOYNERS IN 3D’

 

Award-winning publisher Archaia, an imprint of BOOM! Studios, is excited to announce the February debut of THE JOYNERS IN 3D, the first, full-length, original graphic novel presented in red-blue anaglyph 3D. The book is the culmination of almost three years of research, development, and painstaking execution by writer R.J. Ryan (SYNDROME) and New York Times best-selling artist David Marquez (Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man, All-New X-Men).

 

“THE JOYNERS IN 3D is not only a labor of love and storytelling for R.J. and David, but a crowning achievement in presentation,” said BOOM! Studios Editor-in-Chief Matt Gagnon. “Archaia has consistently pushed the boundaries with the types of stories it publishes, and JOYNERS is no exception. I love that the use of 3D here is not a gimmick. It’s an essential tool for the narrative, and one you’ll enjoy discovering while reading the book.”

 

WHY WE LOVE IT: We’ve been fans of R.J. Ryan and David Marquez ever since we published their first collaboration (along with co-writer Daniel Quantz), SYNDROME. When they came to us with this idea—with Marquez proclaiming he and his studio assistant, Tara Rhymes, were going to teach themselves how to do all the 3D conversion—we knew it was exactly the ambitious challenge we love to take on. Add to that the fantastic book design by Eisner Award-nominated Jon Adams (TRUTH SERUM), and the final result simply blew us away.

 

WHY YOU’LL LOVE IT: On the surface, you’ll be attracted to THE JOYNERS IN 3D for its 3D novelty, but once you read it, you’ll be engrossed by Marquez’s line work, the visions of a possible future (flying cars, floating skyscrapers, and robot butlers!), and the haunting story of a successful businessman whose deteriorating life at home leads to a tragic conclusion. This is the idyllic 1960s Jetsons-inspired vision of the future turned on its head with a deconstructive eye in the spirit of Warren Ellis.

 

WHAT IT’S ABOUT: Regardless of the technological advances made by the year 2062, people are still just as fallible as they’ve been for thousands of years. Brilliant engineer George Joyner and his team have just invented a revolutionary device that will change the course of human history, yet George is teetering on the edge of self-destruction thanks to his selfishness, narcissism, and relentless pursuit of success in the business world. THE JOYNERS IN 3D is the complete account of the sudden unraveling of the “perfect” family of the future, and the hubris that brings about George’s professional demise.

 

THE JOYNERS IN 3D arrives in comic shops on February 19th with a cover price of $29.95 under Diamond order code SEP130875. Every copy ships with a pair of custom “his” and “hers” 3D glasses. Not sure where to find your nearest comic retailer? Use comicshoplocator.com or findacomicshop.com to find one! It’s also available for order directly from boom-studios.com.

The Joyners 3D

 

 

 

January 23, 2014
Categories: Comics, New To Comics?, News . Tags: , , . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: Leave a comment

Godzilla Comic, Storykiller and JLA Film

Legendary Pictures turned their hand to comics a while ago, and although they don’t produce a lot of sequential art, it’s always pretty slick, such as The Tower Chronicles, and Shadow Walk.

Like they did with Pacific Rim, Legendary Comics is producing another prequel. Their latets project is a comic tieing in to the May 16th release of the Godzilla cinematic reboot, which is directed by Gareth Edwards (the excellent, low budget Monsters) and starring Bryan Cranston and Aaron Taylor-Johnson. The original graphic novel will hit stands a week before the film’s premiere, and is set a few decades before the events of the film. Below you can see Edwards’ announcement about the project.

Continue reading →

January 23, 2014
Categories: Art, Comics, DC Comics, Movies, New To Comics?, News . Tags: , , . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: Leave a comment

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