Press Release
A meme is an idea that spreads rapidly through various social media channels, and is usually something funny and innocuous. It was only a matter of time before a weaponized meme led to the utter annihilation of the human race...in 72 hours, to be exact. Award-winning publisher BOOM! Studios is pleased to announce the new original title MEMETIC, a three-part limited series of oversized issues (each issue covers a 24-hour period) that shows the true terror of the internet. The world will end not with a bang, but with a single online image when creator and writer James Tynion IV (THE WOODS, Batman Eternal) teams up with newcomerEryk Donovan (In the Dark Horror Anthology, House in the Wall) to bring horror to a whole new generation this October. “THE WOODS is just the beginning,” said BOOM! Studios Editor-in-Chief Matt Gagnon. “James Tynion IV is one of the brightest new voices to emerge in recent years, and it's been a flat-out joy to make a home for his original projects at BOOM!. With MEMETIC, James and Eryk show us the destructive power of the internet, a terrifying look at how imagery and ideas can shape the behavior of our culture.” In MEMETIC #1: A Meme is an idea that starts with an individual, and then spreads to multiple persons and potentially entire societies. Richard Dawkins suggests a meme’s success comes from its effectiveness to the host. But history shows that destructive memes can spread just as rapidly through society. MEMETIC shows the progression of a weaponized meme that leads to the utter annihilation of the human race within 72 hours. The root of this apocalypse is a single image on the internet, a “meme” in the popular sense. A meme that changes everything. The 48-page MEMETIC #1 arrives in comic book shops on October 22nd with a main cover by series artist Eryk Donovan for the price of $4.99 under the Diamond order code AUG140952. A Meme variant cover will be available in limited quantity. Not sure where to find your nearest comic retailer? Use comicshoplocator.com or findacomicshop.com to find one! by Matman It is hard to believe we are now mere days from ConnectiCon 2014 and the excitement is mounting! If you are on the Facebook page you will see that everyone is getting excited, posting their plans and pictures of what they will be wearing. But ConnectiCon isn't just about costumes and cosplay... it's so much more. Expect everything! Jam packed in the four days you'll be able to experience almost 700 different events including panels, meet and greets, gaming exhibitions and so much more. As we get closer to the event you will need to check the website HOURLY for all the guests that will be announced and the announcement of even more events! To see the site go to www.connecticon.org and friend them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/2216035481 by Brian LeTendre Way back in 2011, I reviewed an iOS game called SQUIDS, a turn-based RPG that combined solid mechanics, bite-sized missions and an undersea aesthetic designed to appeal to gamers of all ages. SQUIDS was a micro transaction supported game that struck a nice balance with its currency system, so you could actually progress without having to spend additional money if you didn’t want to. The Game Bakers also released a sequel called SQUIDS: Wild West, which was also well received. Fast forward to 2014, and developer The Game Bakers has brought SQUIDS to Nintendo’s 3DS and WiiU platforms. This new iteration is called SQUIDS: Odyssey, and it brings the first two games together and some additional content as well. There are no microtransactions this time around--the game is a $14.99 digital download from the eShop. I spent a good amount of time with the WiiU version this past weekend, and I’m really impressed with how well the game has been adapted for Nintendo’s console. SQUIDS: Odyssey retains the same story and core gameplay from the original games. Players control a group of squids who are thrust into the role of both protectors and recruiters when their underwater home is threatened by a mysterious Black Ooze that corrupts undersea creatures, turning them evil. Players control a party of squids that consist of different classes--Scouts (speedy rogue), Shooters (ranged combat), Troopers (tanks) and Healers. As you unlock more characters in the game, you can swap them in and out of your party, and customize that party for each type of level you’re facing. In addition to customizing your party, you can level up your characters, as well as find and purchase gear that gives characters bonuses to certain stats.
Each bite-sized level features enemies that must be defeated and hazards that must be navigated. So in addition to making sure you have the right members in your party, you also have to make sure you’re using them strategically. You move the squids around each level by pulling back their legs and aiming them in a certain direction. There are obstacles littering each level, and some levels have area that you can actually fall off. So each turn is spent positioning your characters to not only defeat enemies, but support one another and navigate the level effectively. What’s impressive to me about SQUIDS is that all of the systems in the game are well balanced and simple to understand. None of the systems I mentioned above ever feels overwhelming, and each time I failed to complete a level, I knew exactly what I did wrong. More impressively, the game has transitioned well from a microtransaction-based model to one in which all of the currency is unlocked through playing. Gear and upgrades are reasonable priced, and because you can go back and play any level you’ve beaten, you can always grind for more loot and currency before taking on more challenging levels. On the WiiU front, The Game Bakers have flawlessly adapted SQUIDS for the console. You can play with either button-based controls or touch controls on the GamePad, and at any time, you can switch the TV mode off and just play entirely on the GamePad. This game actually feels like it was made for the WiiU, and it uses the GamePad better than most of the games I’ve played on the console. All in all, SQUIDS: Odyssey is a great adaptation of the series that is perfectly at home on the WiiU. It’s a game you can play with your kids, or enjoy as an adult, and it’s got plenty of content for the $15 asking price. Definitely worth checking out. And if you need any hints or tips as you play through, the devs have put a complete strategy guide up on The Game Bakers website. You can check it out here. 4.5 out of 5 Undersea Adventures by Matman A few years ago I was introduced to writer James Patrick with BATMAN CONFIDENTIAL #49, an incredible issue he did with our friend penciller Steve Scott. Within that story I thought (and still do) that James could easily be the writer on Batman, Moon Knight or Daredevil; characters that spend time living in the dark. Recently James has announced his latest project, THE MONSTER OF JIMMY CRUMB. " The story is basically a slasher book about a little boy who can control urban legend monsters like Cropsey from campfire tales, Bloody Mary, and the Nightmare Killer" James tells Secret identity via the interweb. "It basically allows me to play with the archetypes of some of slasher movies' greatest archetypes, many of which originated from the urban legends used in this book. So it's more going back to the source so that we can play in the genre created by movies like Friday the 13th or Nightmare on Elm Street." As James puts this project on Kickstarter, I had to ask him, who will like this book? "The target audience is slasher film lovers. I commonly say to the artist, "Make it bloodier!" "More gore!" "Oh," adds James, "Oh, it's also the first book from the new imprint 21 Pulp." To find out more you can click here to head to the Kickstarter page. by Brian LeTendre
BOOM! Studios is releasing big news every day as they head toward SDCC, and this week brought some very exciting news for fans of Mark Waid (like me). Mark is coming back to BOOM!, the company he was once the EIC and CCO of, to launch a new creator-owned series with an as-yet unnamed artist (although he hints it's a big name). I'm guessing we'll be hearing more details around SDCC, but this teaser is good enough for me right now. I'm already on board. Oh, and stay tuned to Secret Identity in the near future to hear the interviews Matt and I did with Mark Waid at New York comic Fest 2014. by Matman A few weeks back, Brian was mentioning how he wanted to have a Secret Identity World Tour 2014! He had an idea about he and I rockin' on stage with a monster playing drums behind us in an Archie / kid friendly style. Taking up the challenge was writer / artist / friend Emilio Velez, JR. who did an amazing job on this in the style that he does in his amazing comic, The Dodgeball Teens! You can see more at www.dodgeballteens.com including information on the latest issue of this way cool series! We would like to thank Emilio on taking the time to do this for us and look for the Secret Identity World Tour 2014 shirt... coming soon! by Brian LeTendre
Star Wars fans should get a real kick out of this. A gentleman by the name of Michael Heilemann has put together a pretty amazing film that examines the cinematic influences behind George Lucas' Star Wars. The film is part of a research project for an ebook Heilemann is writing called Kitbashed, and while its a work in progress, you can actually view the film so far right now in the player above. If you're into DVD extras like I am, this is fascinating. You can also head over to the Kitbashed site and check out shorter videos and articles that take individual pieces of the film and look at their influences. by Matman With ConnectiCon less than two weeks away, the guest list of creators, actors and other guests has grown in the time it took me to type this post! Today we are going to look at actor Diedrich Bader, who I first doscovered on the 'Drew Carey Show' but as you will read, has done so much more including the voice of Batman in the underrated 'Brave and the Bold' animated series. "Diedrich Bader was born in Alexandria, Virginia, but moved to Paris, France, with his family at age two. While in the "City of Light" he developed an appreciation for movie legends like Fred Astaire and Charles Chaplin. So, when a fragile "Chaplin" movie reel burned in the theater's projector, four-year-old Bader hopped on stage and entertained the crowd with an imitation of the "Little Tramp." The standing ovation he received set the course for the rest of his life--he knew he wanted to perform. He returned to the United States for high school and attended North Carolina School of the Arts. During spring break he was discovered by a casting director in Santa Fe, New Mexico. That meeting led to an audition for a small role in a TV pilot. Bader landed a starring role instead. Although the pilot wasn't picked up, Bader moved to Los Angeles and began auditioning for other roles. He landed guest spots on several series, including Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987), The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990), Cheers (1982) and Quantum Leap (1989). Filmmaker Penelope Spheeris liked his tongue-in-cheek delivery when he read for her action-adventure spoof series, Danger Theatre (1993). She hired him in that role and for the feature film The Beverly Hillbillies (1993), which she directed. Bader played the dual roles of twins Jethro and Jethrine Beaudine. He also filmed the political thriller The Assassination File (1996) for the Encore Entertainment Group. Bader was excited to work on the project, as it allowed him to be shot in the head -- a first for the actor. Bader's father, William, was Chief of Staff for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and is president of the Eurasia Foundation on Capitol Hill. His mother, Gretta, is a sculptor whose portrait of the late Sen. J. William Fulbright sits in the National Gallery in Washington, DC. For more visit www.connecticon.org. |
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