Secret Identity--What's New?

Preview: Vandroid #1 (Dark Horse)

1/31/2014

by Brian LeTendre

Man, I really love the grindhouse renaissance that Dark Horse comics is leading right now. From their Grindhouse: Doors Open at Midnight title, to miniseries like Clown Fatale and Kiss Me, Satan, Dark Horse has become an amazing resource for comics that capture the feel of the movies we thirty and forty-somethings grew up watching. This week Dark Horse released a preview for their latest '80s action movie come to comics, and it's called Vandroid.

Vandroid is the creation of Tommy Lee Edwards (The Question), and it feels like equal parts Blue Thunder, I Come in Peace and Cobra (at least to me, anyway).

You can watch a live-action trailer for Vandroid below, and then check out the preview in the gallery. You can also head to the official website to find our more about the project.

Vandroid #1 is hitting stores on February 26th.

Matman's Hometown Gets CONNED!

1/30/2014

by Matman

How cool is to have the town you grew up in host a comic show? Super Cool! Want details? Sure you do!!!

SUNDAY, February 23rd, 2014.
10 - 3
Golden Gavel Plaza
149 North Road (Route 140)
East Windsor, CT 06088

(Off of I-91, exit 45 - Follow Route 140 east for 1 mile, the plaza is on left)

Our Guests will include:

Steve Kanaras and Matt Ryan, writer and artist from Free Lunch Comics, co-owners and teachers from Free Lunch Studios and creators behind Junk Food, Bigger, Beyond the Kuiper Belt, Only In Whispers and Pork 'N Beans.
www.freelunchcomics.com

TC Ford of United Comic Works will be there doing caricatures. www.unitedcomicworks.com

99 cent admission
NEW VENDORS!
CHILDREN FREE UNDER 10!
FREE GIVEAWAYS AT THE DOOR!
HOURLY RAFFLES

http://eastoftherivercomics.blogspot.com

Preview--Adventure Time: 2014 Winter Special

1/29/2014

by Brian LeTendre

It's Comics Wednesday, so how about a free preview of one of the books hitting store shelves today?

Adventure Time: 2014 Winter Special is described by BOOM! as a collection of "snowy Adventure Time tales to curl up with by the fire and a cup of hot chocolate."

You can click on any of the images below to check out the preview, and then pick up the book at your LCS later today! You can also grab BOOM! comics on the ComiXology app as well.

Image Presents 'Genesis'

1/28/2014

by Matman

Nathan Edmondson (WHO IS JAKE ELLS, The Punisher, Black Widow) and debut artist Alison Sampson’s, GENESIS, pairs sweeping visuals with poignant writing to bring readers a one-shot that cannot be missed.
GENESIS is a trippy journey of creation and destruction as one man finds himself with the ability to manifest anything by thinking it—only to learn that with seemingly unlimited power comes unstoppable terror. "Genesis was a fun opportunity to let storytelling and art run wild with the idea of creativity itself—of the boundlessness of imagination and the inevitable vertigo that comes from the unlimited ability to manifest anything into being," said Nathan Edmondson.

Sampson has a background in architecture which informs her style. “The comic page is built up like I'd design a bit of architecture, with leading and secondary spaces and places and so on. I found it hard to be linear, to cater to a reader—comics and architecture are not always the same,” explained Sampson. “It amazes me what level of design skills comic artists bring to their pages, even as someone who designs every day. I miss the excitement of being on site, but you can do all sorts of things on paper you can't do in real life, and there is a lot of that still to explore.”

“I'm really grateful for Nathan asking me to do this. The script let me draw on my architectural background (twenty five years of it) to bring something special of my own to the project and I hope that comes across—Nathan is a designer's writer,” said Sampson. “I'm relatively new to comics and there was a steep learning curve, but Nathan works with some amazing artists, so there was a standard to meet and this made me work harder.”

GENESIS (ONE-SHOT) arrives in stores on 4/16, and will be available for $6.99. It can be pre-ordered using Diamond Code: FEB140504.

Today Only, Get The First Four Issues Of 'Witch Hunter' For Free!

1/27/2014

Our good pal Vin Ferrante let us know that over on Comic Plus! (Comics+) right now, you can grab the first four issues of Witch Hunter for free.

The offer ends tomorrow, so act fast and check out a comic that captures the feel of EC Comics, Saturday morning cartoons and Universal monster movies!

You can click here to head to the Comics+ page for Witch Hunter. If you have the Comics+ app already, you can check them our there as well. And after you check out the free issues, show your support for Monarch Comics and Witch Hunter by picking up the rest of the series.

Witch Hunter is the number one free comic on Comics Plus! right now, so congrats to Vin!

Li'l Dynamites Battlestar Galactica

1/26/2014

by Matman

Li'l Dynamite is a five issue arc featuring some of Dynamite's biggest and best properties drawn all little like. Featuring Vamperella, the Bionic Man, Evil Ernie, Red Sonja and the one that got me the most excited...'Li'l Battlestar Galactica'

The survival of the human race at the hands of evil robots certainly shouldn't be funny and made light of, but thanks to two of my favorites (aw yeah Art Baltazar and Franco) the quest for Earth has never been better.

Based on the classic series, the crew of the Galactica try to fight the Cylons who have entered their ship. Sure this is an all ages book but like the duo did in their classic 'Tiny Titans' run, it's the appearances of obscure and sometimes forgotten characters like Zac (complete with Rick Springfield in jokes), Muffet, Imperious Leader and the awesome Lucifer that make this book magical.

Comics don't always have to be ultra real, violent and full of angst to be good. For years Art and Franco have created a legacy of amazing books and characters now including the lost 13th Tribe. Sometimes a comic just needs a li'l Athena collecting Cylon heads and using them as baby dolls.

Every once in a while I need a book like this to remind me why I love comics.

Matman Rating: 5 out of 5 Balta-Who?

Get Caught Up On MO STACHE!

1/26/2014

by Brian LeTendre

In 2014, the final chapter of the epic adventure that is Mo Stache will hurtle toward its conclusion. Are you ready?

What began in 2010 as a man waking up with an alien on his face has turned into a fight for survival, featuring mustachioed robots, alien invaders and Sasquatch-like, mind-controlled beasts wreaking havoc throughout the city!

If you haven’t checked out Mo Stache yet, now is the perfect time to jump on. If you’ve falled behind--catch up! Because from here on out, it’s only going to get crazier.

Oh yeah, did I mention you can read the entire story so far FOR FREE just by CLICKING HERE?

What are you waiting for, for crying out loud? Do it!

The Origin Of 'Mattie-Speak'!

1/25/2014

by Matman

I got a message last week from a friend / listener from Canada and he first complemented Brian and I on a great show (thank you) and then said he loved to hear me speak when my Canadian accent comes out. Interesting point, but despite my love of all things 'Great White North', I'm not Canadian. So I thought now would be a good time to explain a little about 'The Language of the Matman' and explain where my voice comes from.

It all started when I was a little guy (about 5 years old) and I developed a stutter. This came from the fact (like many do) I try to speak before my brain catches up. I became so embarrassed about this I tried to fix it on my own; by listening to the radio and developing that fast, rapid fire DJ delivery.

Next I would memorize movie and TV dialogue to get my mouth and brain in synch, since it was someone else speaking. As the years went on I realized that I could do impersonations (still don't know how) and i could sing like the singers on the radio. When I sang 'Hey Deannie' I SANG it like Shawn Cassiday, not 'little Mattie'. This would come in handy when I started singing in bands. But the drawback was I never quite developed my own style, I just sang the way I heard it.

Now my rapid fire speech worked to my advantage when I was a radio DJ (the Matman on 99.3, Northampton, MA), but I never quite learned to turn it off when in simple conversations... but I wasn't stuttering anymore. That voice is what you hear most on the podcast or in conversations when I'm trying to compete with John Cimono for face time.

But the biggest goof is the way I pick up accents and how cetain words just come out Canadian like 'that is what this book is abooot!" or when I've been watching too much BBC and I need to go see my "doctah". If I hang out with friends from the Baaston area, I do notice I say 'cah'. But it isn't just accents I pick up from 'over listening'... it's voice or vocal patterns. I have an old UPS friend that when we would be working together I'd walk away sounding like he did. If i'm hanging out with my friends 'Picu' or Luis you would think I was born in Puerto Rico like they were. I also have a deaf cousin who people used to think I was making fun of when we hung out together.

So I guess for all the problems I could have, this isn't so bad. The drawback is when I stutter now (and i do occasionally) I get mortified and embarrassed like I was 5 years old. The other is that I get insane if anyone picks on someone because of a stutter. I do realize that I was so stinkin' lucky to overcome it because no one ever really made fun of me and put the pressure on which would only make the problem worse.

Spelling and Math? No cure for that one I'm afraid.

TwoMorrows 'Modern Masters' Spotlights Cliff Chiang

1/24/2014

Press Release

As the artist of DC's New 52 breakout hit Wonder Woman series, Cliff Chiang's star has never shone brighter. His bold, graphic style has a classic feel with a modern sensibility, and it's no wonder he's become one of the industry's top illustrators. Now comics journalist Chris Arrant and editor Eric Nolen-Weathington reveal just how Chiang went from promising assistant editor to in-demand freelance artist in Modern Masters: Cliff Chiang.

Upon first seeing Chiang's work, Eisner Award-winning comics creator Paul Pope felt "the work was distinct and had an aura of European cartooning, clean-lined and crisp, yet still playing within the arena of American contemporary comics. The brush was his evident weapon of choice, the work breathed. One could see the thumbprint of Vittorio Giardino, a little Crepax, Steranko, and even Javier Pulido in Cliff’s work. Some Mazzucchelli. There was a grace and urgency coming to the front, his stuff stood out, and happily it still does." Pope was so impressed with Chiang's comics that he penned the introduction to the new Modern Masters book.

Modern Masters: Cliff Chiang features a career-spanning interview and loads of both iconic and rarely seen artwork from Cliff's personal files. In addition to talking about his celebrated runs on Wonder Woman, Green Arrow/Black Canary, and Detective Comics, Cliff also pulls back the curtain on never-before-seen projects including a Aquamangraphic novel and a pulp Batman series. There's also an in-depth look into the artist's work process, and an extensive gallery of commissioned pieces, many in full-color.

"I'm fascinated by the different creative and professional paths an artist can take, and as an avid fan of the Modern Masters series it's really an honor to be included," Chiang said. "With hours of in-depth interviews exploring the evolution of my career and artistic process and many pieces of unseen and unpublished art, it's my hope this volume is as interesting to read as it was to put together."

Modern Masters: Cliff Chiang will arrive in comic book stores and booksellers on February 5, 2014, and is available for pre-order now at www.twomorrows.com. The 120-page trade paperback retails for $15.95, and a digital edition is also available from the publisher's website and App Store app.

You can check out a free preview by clicking here.

The print edition can be ordered at any comic book shop using Diamond Comic Distributors Order Code: OCT131328 and through major booksellers and Amazon.com with ISBN-13: 978-1-60549-050-2

Swass-Cast: Talkin' Toys And Comics!

1/23/2014

by Matman

The Swass-Cast is back with an all-new audio format!

A bunch of months ago I got together with Keith Gleason and John Cimino from the Swass-Cast / Hero Envy and recorded a show where we discussed our favorite comic books based on toys! Sadly Brian couldn't make this little get together, but we pressed forward anyway.

In the player below you can listen to the entire episode, as well as check out some great pics from the boys at comic shows over the years, and some behind the scenes of the Hero Envy comic.

Like every time we all get together, you can hear a real passion for the subject matter because we love what we talk about and love to talk about it with each other. People have described this episode as a lion tamer (Keith) getting in the middle of two nutty lions (me and John).

So sit back, relax and enjoy the show! Then go to www.heroenvy.com and catch up on the rest!

<<Previous

Preview: Vandroid #1 (Dark Horse)

Matman's Hometown Gets CONNED!

Preview--Adventure Time: 2014 Winter Special

Image Presents 'Genesis'

Today Only, Get The First Four Issues Of 'Witch Hunter' For Free!

Li'l Dynamites Battlestar Galactica

Get Caught Up On MO STACHE!

The Origin Of 'Mattie-Speak'!

TwoMorrows 'Modern Masters' Spotlights Cliff Chiang

Swass-Cast: Talkin' Toys And Comics!

Sponsored by:

What's New?

Archives

Categories

Get Social With Us

Subscribe To Our RSS Feed

Looking For The Old SI Website?