Secret Identity--What's New?

Let Them Eat Cake...Or 'Chew' # 30

11/30/2012

Press Release

CHEW #30, which closes out the "Space Cakes" story arc, sold out at the distributor level on the same day of its release, November 28. Fans of the series, by John Layman and Rob Guillory, should rush to their local comic book stores to pick up issue #30, which will be reprinted only in CHEW VOLUME SIX: SPACE CAKES, the trade paperback out on December 19, and volume three of the CHEW: THE OMNIVORE EDITION, out in March.

CHEW #30 is a milestone issue, the halfway point in a planned 60-issue run of the popular dramedy about a family with a very special relationship with food. (It is in development as a television series with Showtime.) Comic Book Resources, noting the series' layered storytelling, says of the issue in a four-star review: "You'll read it once for the roller coaster ride, and then immediately read it a second time in a different light, knowing the impact the issue's outcome places on the earlier events."

The second half of the series begins with CHEW #31 — and a funeral. It will be in stores on January 23. Readers should get their pre-orders in now to be sure they get a copy of what is sure to be another fast-selling issue.

CHEW is also available digitally on comiXology, Graphic.ly, and ComicsPlus.

Late To The Party--Arrow Is Awesome!

11/28/2012

by Brian LeTendre

Well, color me embarrassed. Here we’ve had a fantastic comic-inspired TV show going on since early October, and I just checked it out last week. What I had assumed would just be another Smallville-like take on oliver Queen, turns out to be the anti-Smallville.

The pilot episode of Arrow wastes no time in setting the tone for the series. Ollie is coming back to civilization after being shipwrecked on an island for five years. Rather than come back and try to find himself, however, Oliver comes back with a mission. He made a promise to his dying father that he would be the savior of Starling City, by taking down the corrupt and evil people that had brought the city to the sad state it was in.

I really like Stephen Arnell as Oliver, and Katie Cassidy is great as Dinah Laurel Lance. It was also cool to the The Dresden Files’ Paul Blackthorne and Resident Evil’s Colin Salmon rounding out the supporting cast.

The show is well-paced, and the action is well done. The “villain of the week” setup might be cliched, but it’s executed well.

All in all, this show is progressing much faster than Smallville ever did, and I’m only a few episodes in. I can’t to catch up and jump on weekly for the rest of the season.

It Ends With 'The Book Of Revelation'

11/27/2012

By Matman

The final book of the New Testament has it all; action, monsters and a lot of spooky stuff, too. Revelation was written by the apostle John as he was shown what was going to come. Full of imagery, symbolism and of course...the final battle of good versus evil.

From 'every i publishing' and Zondervan comes an amazing and absolutely beautiful visualization of the final chapter of the Bible, 'The Book Of Revelation'.

First of all, this book absolutely lends itself to the visual presentation. Matt Dorff who did the adaptation of the book told me in an interview that 'Revelation' is like 'Lord Of The Rings' on steroids, and it certainly is.

But the books true power of this book is the stunning art of Chris Koelle. For this, Chris drew hundreds of powerful panels that reinforce what was revealed to John over 2000 years ago. For me it was reminiscent of Alex Ross' work on DC's 'Kingdom Come' series. You deserve the comparison, Chris!

This book would be a hard sell to readers if it wasn't for the easy to follow translation of Father Mark Arey and Father Philemon Sevastides. Since the text of Revelation is open for many visual interpretations, the team did an amazing job giving it that needed comic book flow.

'The Book Of Revelation' is more than just a comic version of the last book in the Bible. It is a classic story of good vs. evil at the highest level that Christian and non Christian will enjoy.

To find out more including how to order a copy, please go to http://zondervan.com/9780310421405

Matman Rating: 5 out 5 scary monsters and great endings!

Get 'Courting the King in Yellow' for 40% Off Today Only!

11/26/2012

If you haven't picked up the digital version of my book Courting the King in Yellow yet, now is the time!

From 4PM EST until 9PM EST tonight, you can get the PDF, ePub (Nook) and Mobi (Kindle) versions of Courting the King in Yellow for $2.99! That's 40% off the launch price. You get all three versions for the same three bucks, so you can read the book on whatever device you want!

Click here to grab it before the price goes back up to a whopping five bucks!

Thanks for your support!

--Brian

Dark Horse Brings The Savings Again With A Huge Cyber Monday Sale

11/26/2012

Close on the heels of the infamous holiday shopping weekend, Dark Horse Comics is giving you another killer deal for Cyber Monday. Dark Horse Digital is offering comics fans 50% off their entire order for 24 hours!

You can redeem this 50% discount with the coupon code “dhdcyber”

This offer is good for 24 hours beginning at midnight (PST) on Monday, November 26 ($15 cart minimum).

The free Dark Horse Digital comics app is now available worldwide through all modern web browsers and features cloud storage in both the Android and iOS apps.

Stop by Dark Horse Digital and get a massive discount on all the Dark Horse Comics you could want and more!

Marvel Says 'NOW' With Cap # 1

11/25/2012

By Matman

There was a time when it was a big deal to have a 'Captain America' # 1. But what makes this one different then the last 3 or 4 is Marvel is looking to the past to start the future!

When I first started to collect Captain America in the 1970's it was during the epic Jack Kirby run (volume one # 193 - 214) and because of that I was spoiled. Many folks didn't like the far fetched sci-fi element of Cap featuring such awesomeness as Mad Bomb, The Swine and my favorite Cap villain of all time Arnim Zola, the Bio Fanatic.

So as Marvel NOW begins to reshape the Marvel Universe it was with excitement and a bit of apprehension I dove into the Rick Remender / John Romita, Jr. version of Captain America. With big shoes to follow (Ed Brubaker) how would the team play it?

Following an almost real world Cap moment, we are flung into some fast paced insanity that at first was a little hard to wrap my mind around. As my brain caught up and I read a little further in I felt like I was brought back to those fun filled Kirby moments. Without giving away any details, all I can say is WOWZA!

Remender and Romita Jr. are joined by Klaus Janson (inks), Dean White (colors) and the hunky Joe Caramagna (letters) in what could be the start of the next legendary era for Captain America. I'm looking for less real world and more crazy monster stuff and I think I found it. Might I suggest going back and reading those Kirby classics. If you do, it'll turn this great comic into something real special.

Matman Rating - 5 out of 5 needles to the chest!

Get Ready For The Further Travels Of Wyatt Earp!

11/24/2012

We are very happy to announce that our good buddy Joe Caramagna's Kickstarter project has been funded! The Further Travels of Wyatt Earp finished with a little over $8000, $500 more than the project goal of $7500.

227 people backed the project, which will tell the stories of what happened to the famous gunman after the events of Tombstone.

Joe had this to say on his blog:

"Thanks to you, The Further Travels of Wyatt Earp will become a reality! Thank you for your hard-earned dollars, but also for spreading the word to your friends and followers on social media. And thank you for the words of support that kept me going during this really stressful time."

Stay tuned to Joe's blog (getyourmustacheon.tumblr.com) for updates, and for an overview of the book, check out the Kickstarter page.

Congrats to Joe!

Writer Martin Popoff's 'Free For All'

11/23/2012

by Matman

Everyone who listens to Secret Identity know that Brian and I are huge music fans! Next to comic books, music is probably our biggest passion. For me it has never just been about listening to the music, I needed to know everything about the bands I love.

For the past four years I have loved the music bios written by Martin Popoff! Martin's writing is not only clear and easy to understand, but the way he puts the books together (year by year, album by album) is the only way to write a music biography. In fact, Martin is the single biggest influence on my writing style.

His latest release is a must read for any music fans; 'Epic Ted Nugent'! In this almost 300 page read, we will see and hear the Motor City Madman like we never have before. If you know anything about Ted Nugent he doesn't hold back and according to Martin "Ted’s an amazing interview and one of the ones I had with him, is like one of the most outrageous I’ve ever seen."

To find out more info about this book, as well as other books I recommend (with the highest possible rating) about UFO, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Judas Priest and RUSH. He has other books about Thin Lizzy, Blue Oyster Cult, and an incredible art book featuring the images of Derek Riggs, the artist of all things Iron Maiden.

To start your (and my) Christmas shopping now, just go to www.martinpopoff.com and shop, shop shop!

Review (Spoiler-Free)--Amazing Spider-Man #698

11/22/2012

by Brian LeTendre

As I wrote this, Amazing Spider-Man #698 was being released, and readers were finally getting to see what all the hype was about. There are no spoilers in this review, and shame on anyone who spoils this issue for someone else. I’m not even posting this until a day after the issue came out, because if you picked it up, I didn’t even want to influence your feelings about it.

But I need to talk about it, because man, it’s huge. And I loved it.

I cannot remember having butterflies before reading an issue of Amazing Spider-Man, and that includes the big twist in One More Day (which, whether you loved or hated it, was pretty darn big). I wasn’t scared, mind you--it was nervous excitement. Because for me, Dan Slott has written the characters of Peter Parker and Spider-Man better than anyone who came before him, even his creators. You may think I’m crazy, and that’s your opinion. But for me, Dan Slott is the definitive Spider-Man writer.

So I wasn’t nervous about what might happen to who in the issue, I just wanted Slott to nail it from a story standpoint. And boy, did he.

When that certain moment in the story happened, I gasped. And then I reread it. And then I said “Holy crap.” And then I reread the whole issue. And then I said “Holy crap” again.

This moment in the history of Amazing Spider-Man was earned. It wasn’t some cheap twist that didn’t make sense. Sure, there are many questions to be answered in the wake of what happened, but the who and the why is a story that’s been building for over three years and 100 issues. Actually, it’s been building for Peter Parker’s entire life as Spider-Man. But Dan Slott brought it all together, and it’s a thing of beauty.

There are so many issues I want to go back and read now. There are so many questions I want to ask Dan Slott (when he comes out of hiding, that is). And I could not be more excited about what Superior Spider-Man will bring.

In the larger scheme of things, we all know that many stories don’t stick--that many changes aren’t lasting. And that’s even truer for the flagship characters like Spider-Man. But I would love to see this one stick. And if it doesn’t, I hope Marvel at least gives Slott time to explore the new landscape he’s created, because the story possibilities are endless.

With ASM #698, Slott cemented his run as the best ever in my book. And I thank him for making the last few years the most fun I’ve ever had reading about the superhero I grew up with.

5 out of 5 Defining Moments

ECBACC Name Their New Leader!

11/21/2012

Press Release

The Glyph Comics Awards (GCA) Committee, in partnership with the East Coast Black Age of Comics Convention (ECBACC), has officially named Pamela Thomas the new chair of the committee. She replaces original chair and GCA founder Rich Watson and will run the awards program.

Thomas, a.k.a. “Sista ToFunky,” is the curator of the online website The Museum of Uncut Funk (www.museumofuncutfunk.com), a Black pop culture site and blog with an emphasis on the 1970s.

“We’re very fortunate to have found someone not only willing to carry the torch for us, but someone who has a deep and abiding love and appreciation for Black pop culture in general,” says Watson in a statement. “With our support, we believe Pam is the one who can not only keep the GCAs going, but to take it to the next level.”

A former art gallery owner and current college professor, Thomas maintains a large collection of Black memorabilia from the 1970s, including movie posters, animation cels and comic books. Her posters have been written about in several magazines, including King and Savoy, and they have been featured on Black Entertainment Television. This past January, she debuted her traveling animation exhibition, “Funky Turns Forty: Black Character Revolution,” at the ToonSeum in Pittsburgh.

The 2013 GCA season will begin next month when the open call for submissions will be announced. At this time, comics publishers from around the industry will be invited to submit their work for consideration in the 2013 awards.

For more updates, head over to www.ecbacc.com.

<<Previous

Let Them Eat Cake...Or 'Chew' # 30

Late To The Party--Arrow Is Awesome!

It Ends With 'The Book Of Revelation'

Get 'Courting the King in Yellow' for 40% Off Today Only!

Dark Horse Brings The Savings Again With A Huge Cyber Monday Sale

Marvel Says 'NOW' With Cap # 1

Get Ready For The Further Travels Of Wyatt Earp!

Writer Martin Popoff's 'Free For All'

Review (Spoiler-Free)--Amazing Spider-Man #698

ECBACC Name Their New Leader!

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