THE REALM SOUNDTRACK

I've been enjoying reading the new series from Image Comics called THE REALM. It is a comic book apocalyptic adventure that has a Dungeon & Dragons meets The Walking Dead vibe to it. The story is set fifteen years after a cataclysmic event impacted the Earth which involved an energy burst that destroyed the ability for anything using electricity to operate causing technology and vehicles to be inoperable.  This was followed by mystical portals opening up around the world unleashing hordes of invading mythical creatures like goblins, trolls and even dragons from another dimension.

The story combines realistic elements from everyday life and spins them together with a fantasy landscape filled with monsters and magic creating a captivating supernatural drama. In THE REALM, a group of humanity's survivors embarks on a quest to reclaim our planet from the growing darkness that is enveloping it unleashed from mysterious portals that arrived the day electricity stopped working. Can they find a way to reverse the dampening field that is hindering people from using the technology and transportation that society had become dependent on? Can our heroes shut down the portals transporting these alien invaders to the Earth? Or is the planet destined to end up looking like the setting for J. R. R. Tolkien's novel Lord of the Rings.

THE REALM is released in monthly installments and I've looked forward to getting my hands on each new comic book issue as it comes out.  The creative team has taken what could have been a really cheesy concept and portrays this nightmare scenario as if it crazily actually happened.  It provides a gritty drama that is interesting to read complimented with excellent artwork that draws you into the story. This series provides an entertaining escape from reality for its readers which in my opinion is what comic book authors and artists should always be striving to achieve. This comic book series is rated M for Mature Audiences.

To further immerse readers into THE REALM experience, its creators have teamed up with the Indie rock band Me Like Bees to create a musical soundtrack for the comic book series.  Me Like Bees has created a five track album titled "Songs from the Realm" as well as a music video for the first song, The River Divides to give readers a multi-media experience when it comes to reading these comic books. Movies and television shows have music soundtracks so why not comic books too?!



You can take a listen to THE REALM's musical soundtrack for FREE on Spotify:

You can also purchase a compact disc of "Songs from the Realm" from Me Like Bees website or buy digital downloads of the songs from iTunes.

Great comic books … great tunes … I encourage you to pick up THE REALM from your local comic book shop, tune in to the soundtrack from Me Like Bees and imagine yourself in a world where scary creatures have come to life. How would you cope in a world without automobiles, lights, the internet, refrigeration, and other conveniences we've become accustomed to that has suddenly become filled with monsters straight from the pages of a Dungeon and Dragons fantasy game? Reading THE REALM will immerse you in that world and have you anxiously looking forward to each new issue.

CALEXIT

** A Geek Daddy received a complimentary comic book to review ** 

Could a situation like what is going on in Syria with a country falling into anarchy as everyday citizens revolt from an authoritarian government and fanatical groups jump into the fray causing mass casualties and destruction throughout the land ever happen within the United States?  Author Matteo Pizzolo and artist Amancay Nahuelpan portray a dystopian near-future where California becomes embattled territory as its residents begin to battle against the federal government, and each other, over the state's withdrawal from the United States.  In the CALEXIT comic book series being published by Black Mask Studios, when a Trump-like President becomes empowered by a second term re-election, he orders the mass deportation of all non-citizen residents.  California responds by declaring itself a "Sanctuary State" and resisting the policy resulting in all of its federal assistance and funding being cut off.  This leads the State Legislature and Governor to declare, similar to the Great Britain exiting the European Union (Brexit), that California would be withdrawing from the United States.

In response, local authorities begin taking sides with liberal urban areas supporting CALEXIT and  conservative rural regions standing up against it.  Citizen militias begin to form as well supporting each side and armed conflict erupts.  California is thrown into a chaotic civil war scenario and the President then takes control of the state's national guard to secure major cities and infrastructure while supporting local efforts to extinguish the rebellion.  In areas occupied by the federal government such as Los Angeles life goes on as if a state of emergency isn't taking place with tourists still coming into town to visit place like the Hollywood Walk of Fame and Disneyland creating a very odd dynamic.  Especially when the occasional sniper takes out a soldier guarding the tourist spots! 

This is where readers find themselves in the first issue of  CALEXIT that arrived at comic book shops today.  The ongoing series will tell the story of Jamil, a 25-year old man working as a courier (aka smuggler) that has a knack for slipping between secessionist and federalist battle lines, and Zora, a 27-year old woman who was adopted by an American family as a baby and is now facing deportation after having been told she is no longer a citizen because the law that allowed her adoption and citizenship has been invalidated. Zora has become a figurehead for the California resistance movement being tracked by a diabolical homeland security field agent who will do anything it takes to eliminate the rebellion.  Jamil and Zora are trying to escape a Los Angeles occupied by the United States military to keep her out of the hands of Agent Rossie who is engaging in a merciless hunt for the young woman.


Black Mask Studios aims to bring a punk rock ethos to comics and it hits that mark with this comic book series.  A fictional warfare themed suspense story with realistic plot undertones, CALEXIT is a great pickup for adults who enjoy comic books.  Fans of comic book/television series such as The Walking Dead and The Strain will appreciate the material in this gritty series that has its characters dealing with political drama and overcoming dangerous situations.  Instead of battling against supernatural horrors though the characters in CALEXIT must overcome situations arising out of sociopolitical issues pulled from today's news headlines.

I really enjoyed reading this comic book and am looking forward to the next issue.  This looks like a series I'll be adding to my pull list at the neighborhood comic book shop.  Beware that while CALEXIT is a comic book it isn't meant to be read by kids.  It is meant for an adult audience and is full of mature content.  The first issue includes swearing, lots of killing (a severed head is delivered as a warning in one scene), and sexual situations including a couple getting at it on while riding a merry-go-round at a playground.  This is a grown-up story that is full of shocking and thought provoking situations that will really draw you into its characters, plot and setting.  While it is full of shoot outs and other action scenes, CALEXIT also incorporates plenty of drama making Pizzolo's writing as interesting to read as it is entertaining to peruse through the comic book's nicely done illustrations by Nahuelpan.

ABOUT THE CREATIVE TEAM:

Named Wired Magazine's 'World's Most Wired Comics Creator' and included in Bleeding Cool's 'Top 100 Most Influential People in Comics,' Matteo Pizzolo is a comic book writer-creator, award-winning filmmaker, and co-founder of Black Mask Studios. He is currently focused on writing comic books such as CALEXIT that explore and challenge the dynamics of today's political hot topics.

Amancay Nahuelpan has worked on ROBOCOP (Boom!), BOY-1 (IDW) and co-created YOUNG TERRORISTS and CLANDESTINO (Black Mask Studios).  He broke into the field of comic book artistry by participating in the Zuda Comics Competitions and his first published work was in OCCUPY COMICS.  Nahuelpan provides the visual vibe of CALEXIT by creating the interior illustrations and cover artwork for the comic book series.

Leapin Bedbugs - Check out this new family friendly comic book!

Looking at comic books from the perspective of a dad, Scott Rogers felt that modern day superheroes were too violent, depressing and not really relatable to young children.  So he created stories for SHOOTING STAR COMICS ANTHOLOGY, which was a quarterly collection of  comics by independent artists that ran from 2002-2005, which featured the "Bedbug" in several issues. The Bedbug character is a single-father by day and a crime fighting super hero by night.  Rogers had wanted to expand the Bedbug character into a stand-alone comic book series when Shooting Star Comics concluded its run in 2005, but his focus at the time was on his full-time job as a video game designer (God of War, Maximo, Pac-Man World, among others).  Then fate interceded.

In 2012, Rogers became very ill.  He was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma early this year and told he would need to undergo six months of treatment and have to be on disability from work during that time. While undergoing extensive chemotherapy to keep himself occupied and upbeat, Scott worked on writing, drawing and publishing Issue #1 of Bedbug.  He received some assistance from others in the comic industry along the way, such as Erik Burnham (IDW’s Ghostbusters), Chad Jones (Bluewater’s Wrath of the Titans) and Sam Ellis (the lead illustrator for Archer on cable’s FX) in the scripting and artwork for the comic to get it print ready.  Several months later, Rogers has finished his treatments and the first issue of this brand new comic book.  Bedbug #1 is available for purchase now and Scott will be getting an update on his recovery from his doctor in a few weeks.

Bedbug #1 is a 32 page full-color comic packed with character bios, pin-ups and stories - featuring the NEVER-REVEALED ORIGIN of the leapin lawman.  Crime won't be sleeping tight once they feel the Bedbug's bite!  If you are a parent interested in a superhero adventure suitable for kids of all-ages look for the Bedbug as he battles the forces of evil in Silicon City; that is when he’s not taking care of his young daughter, Elvira.  

Check out a few preview panels from the comic:

 

Bedbug #1 is priced at $3.99 is available at a select number of specialty comic book retailers in June or you can order a copy online by visiting www.mightybedbug.com.