Picture
Press Release

Voting for the 6th annual Inkwell Awards has ended, the ballots have been tallied and the comic book inking advocacy now prepares for its third live awards ceremony at the 2013 Heroes Con June 7-9 to reveal the highly-anticipated results.  Voting was done online through the group’s web site and heavily promoted through Facebook, Twitter, comics sites and other outlets.

“After a long year of fundraising, programs, conventions, promotion, various duties and all of the passion and effort involved, the Inkwell family is always ecstatic to celebrate our goal of promoting the art form of Inking and the industry’s best Ink Artists” said Bob Almond, the non-profit organization’s founder and director. “We can never show enough gratitude to Heroes Con promoter Shelton Drum and his staff for making this mission an annual reality, supporting inkers in the community with the respect and recognition they deserve.”

This year the organization will have several members in attendance including ambassadors Adam Hughes, Cully Hamner and Mark Brooks, contributors Louis Small, Jr., Randy Green, Jay Leisten and Dan Panosian, plus committee members past and
present, and many more. The Inkwell Awards plan to have model Chrissy Cutler, the first and original Ms. Inkwell from Pittsburgh Con in 2010, return to portray the Ms. Inkwell spokesperson character this year at this show.

The Inkwells will be set up in Artists Alley, offering for sale their annual 2013 Donation Drive book, which sports a sexy Ed Coutts Ms. Inkwell cover (based after the likeness of Chrissy), as well as previous donation books, which collect submitted donation art from contributors. Fans can also purchase the best-selling Joe Sinnott Inking Challenge books, color art and model photo prints, t-shirts and various donated items. Proceeds help fund ongoing efforts to fund operations, philanthropic programs like the Dave Simons Inkwell Memorial Scholarship Fund to the Kubert School and their mission to educate the public & promote the art form of inking.

The award ceremony is scheduled for June 8, Saturday afternoon at 12:30 in room 209/210. Guest speakers include Almond as host, Cully Hamner as Presenter, Jimmy Palmiotti as Keynote Speaker, and tentative surprise guests.

The organization will present the winners from the five categories of nominees, as well as the recipients of the Joe Sinnott Hall of Fame Award (now handled internally by the core committee, associates and former award recipients) which each year recognizes two artists for a minimum of 25 years of outstanding career achievement.

Former Joe Sinnott Fall of Fame winners include Joe himself, Terry Austin, Dick Giordano, Klaus Janson, Al Williamson, Kevin Nowlan, Wallace Wood, Mark McKenna and Scott Williams. Current nominees included Murphy Anderson, Dick Ayers, John Beatty, Ernie Chan, Frank Giacoia, Dan Green, Tom Palmer, Mike Royer, Josef Rubenstein, Joe Simon, Bernie Wrightson; plus Special Recognition nominations for Joe Kubert (legendary creator, Editor and former Inkwell Ambassador) and Violet Barclay (AKA Valerie Smith), one of the few female Inkers during comics’ Golden Age of the 1940s.

Almond continued, “Choosing was tough for all. Each nominated artist certainly deserves the award but we could only choose two masters to be recognized this year. We hope to see an even better turn out this June in order to celebrate along with them.”


 
 
Picture
by Brian LeTendre

I am really digging the new FF series. not only does it feature a colorful cast of characters, including Dragon Man, She Hulk and Medusa.

In this issue, Dragon Man notices that Medusa and Bentley-23 have disappeared, and the gang begins a search that brings the Inhumans into the picture. Meanwhile Darla Deering has become the target of the Yancy Street Gang, who see her as trying to replace The Thing. It’s another fun-filled story installment that feels more akin a Scooby-Doo epsiode than a Marvel superhero book. And that’s one reason I love it.

The most amazing thing about this issue though, is fill-in artist Joe Quinones. It’s not easy to step in for Mike Allred, but he does an amazing job, keeping the feel of the book consistent. Now, much of this has to do with laura Allred’s coloring as well, but Quinones really does capture the spirit of Allred’s stuff, which is so important to this book

FF continues to be one of the most fun books in the Marvel universe right now. Here’s hoping the Fantastic Four stays away a lot longer.

4 out of 5 Lockjaws


 
 
by Brian LeTendre

Animal Man #18 ended with quite a shocker, as Buddy Baker's son Cliff died. As you might imagine, for a family that was already pushed to the breaking point through the events of Rotworld, such a heartbreaking loss pushed them over the edge.

This issue is a very sad one, as we watch Buddy’s family fall apart before our eyes. Jeff Lemire does a great job of conveying the cycle of emotions that buddy goes through as he first loses his son, and then the love of his life. The real star of this issue is artist Steve Pugh though, as every single page of this issue feels heavy. Lemire doesn’t bog things down with dialogue, he lets Pugh carry the story, and it really pays off.

It’s hard to imagine things getting worse for Buddy coming out of Rotworld, and it will be interesting to see where Lemire goes with a character who can’t help but be transformed by the recent events in his life.

4.5 out of 5 Tragedies

 
 
Picture
by Matman

Buck Rogers has a long and incredible history in both print in film! If you were lucky enough to pick up the Free Comic Book Day 'Buck Rogers 25th Century A.D.'.

Written and drawn by Rick Yager,we get two complete stories originally printed in 1936 and 1937. Here you get to see Buck and Wilma Deering as he was introduced and dare i say it...it's purely magical. 

Up next is a few pages of memorabilia featuring some of the coolest toys, books and film posters celebrating our favorite hero from the 25th Century.

The biggest treat in this comic in the reproductions of the first seven Buck Rogers newspaper strips from 1929. Here you see what people saw almost 80 years ago. 

Then we get a look at the two new Buck Rogers books coming out this summer. First is the collection of the 1980's Western Publication, based on the hit TV show starring Gil Girard and Erin Gray. 

And if that wasn't enough... Hermes gives us a glimpse into their new monthly series coming in August, 'Buck Rogers' written and drawn by Howard Chaykin. This series will be based on the original 1920's - 1930's Buck Rogers and with Chaykin's art promises to be exciting!   


To find out more, go to www.HermesPress.tumblr.com


 
 
Press Release

Dark Horse announced today that two of the hottest names in comics, writer Fred Van Lente and artist Ariel Olivetti, will reunite for a Conan epic like no other!

In Conan and the People of the Black Circle, a four-issue miniseries set a decade after the current Conan ongoing series, fans will find Conan like they’ve never seen him—fully painted by Olivetti!

“I’m thrilled to be working from one of the best Conan stories Howard ever wrote, with the most interesting female lead and one of the Cimmerian’s most compelling adversaries,” stated Van Lente. “But what I’m most excited about is seeing what Ariel Olivetti does with my scripts—he was born to draw Conan, and his painted artwork should attract anyone who doesn’t know anything about Conan or Robert E. Howard but just loves things that are awesome.”

Assassins, dark magic, and a beautiful noblewoman mean trouble for the Cimmerian barbarian unlike he’s ever seen in this full-tilt escapade through the mountains of Afghulistan!

With The Legend of Conan in development with Universal Studios, Dark Horse’s Conan is essential reading.

Conan and the People of the Black Circle #1 is on sale October 16 in comic shops everywhere.

 
 
 
 
 
 
Picture
by Brian LeTendre

I will do this with as few spoilers as possible, but there is one I am going to talk about.

Iron Man 3 is a very interesting movie, and a very good one, overall. But, I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of disappointment after leaving the theater, as Iron Man 3 does not live up to post-Avengers expectations.

For starters, this movie is much more about Tony Stark than it is about Iron Man. I can’t be sure, but it felt like he spent less time in the suit than in either of the previous movies. Much of the movie’s focus is on what the events of the Avengers have done to the psyche of Tony Stark, and how he can’t just go back to life as normal after the things he’s seen. I really liked this angle for the movie, as you don’t usually get these kind of character examinations in superhero movies, much less sequels of superhero movies. I was reminded of Superman II, and how well that movie depicted Clark’s struggle and the emotional gauntlet he went through in deciding to give up his powers. Tony isn’t really faced with the same choice in this movie, but the struggle is there, as he can’t unsee the things he’s seen, and the scope of what happened in The Avengers is constantly weighing on him, affecting his every decision.

All of that stuff is great and makes for an interesting movie, just not an action-packed one. In fact, Iron Man 3 feels more like some of the less action-y Bond films than it does a superhero film. There are some great set pieces to be sure, but you’ve already seen most of them in the trailers. When the action does come, it certainly delivers, and it may actually be more satisfying because the movie issn’t just a series of explosions.

[SPOILERS BELOW]

What disappointed me about Iron Man 3 was how it had absolutely no connection to the rest of the Marvel universe. SHIELD is nowhere to be found in this movie. The rest of the Avengers are nowhere to be found (unless you count a pretty lame after-credits scene). In fact, if you take out the references that Tony makes to “New York,” this movie has nothing to do with the alrger marvel universe. Which is really sad, because Marvel was so careful to build that universe during Phase 1 of it’s movie plans. It just made no sense to me that they did not capitalize on anything having to do with The Avengers in this movie. I kept waiting for it, but it never came.

[END SPOILERS]

So, overall, I really enjoyed Iron Man 3 as a standalone movie. It’s a great end to the trilogy for Robert Downey Jr. and the supporting cast. If they never make another Iron Man movie, this series can still stand tall. But as a part of the larger Marvel universe, Iron Man 3 lacked the connective tissue we’ve come to expect from all Marvel movies now.

4 out of 5 Stark, Tony Starks


 
 
Picture
by Matman

I hope one of the Free Comic Book Day books you picked up was IDW's 'Judge Dredd Classics'.

This book takes some of the best and most love Judge Dredd stories, gives them to you for free and hopefully this will hook you into getting some of the books and collections that IDW has to offer.

Judge Dredd - The monthly series by Dwane Swierczynsji and Nelson Daniel has the look and feel of the old school '2000 A.D.' stories; short, to the point and full of explosions.

Judge Dredd Year One - A look at the rookie year of Dredd by Matt Smith and Simon Coleby.

Coming in July is 'Judge Dredd Classics'. The original stuff but re-colored! This is a must have.

The fall of 2013 brings us 'Judge Dredd Mega City 2' by Douglas Wolk and Ulises Farinas! I don't know anything about this book but it looks awesome!

And for those who have to have it all in one book, look for 'Judge Dredd Complete'! These hardcover themed collections The two volumes available now feature the art of the Dredd masters; co creator Carlos Ezquerra and the master himself, Brian Bolland!

See why I rank Judge Dredd one of the greatest comic book characters of all time. And thanks to IDW you can see a whole lot of it!


 
 
Press Release

If you missed out on picking up your Free Comic Book Day comics at your local comic-book store, you can get them from Dark Horse Digital for a limited time!  

Both Mass Effect/Killjoys/R.I.P.D. and Star Wars/Captain Midnight/Avatar: The Last Airbender will be available for free download through Dark Horse Digital starting today.

Dark Horse Digital is available through all modern web browsers and features cloud storage in both the Google Play and Apple Store apps. 

Make sure to check out these awesome titles from Dark Horse and support Free Comic Book Day! Free Comic Book Day has happened the first Saturday in May every year since 2002—eleven years in the running!

For more information on Free Comic Book Day, visit FreeComicBookDay.com.