LEGENDARY COMICS GODZILLA AND KING KONG COVERS

King Kong and Godzilla will be rampaging on movie screens and streaming on HBO Max beginning March 31, 2021 but fans of these monster movies will also want to keep an eye out for some comic books that will be coming out soon. Legendary Entertainment, the production company behind this year's GODZILLA VS KONG blockbuster is also releasing a number of graphic novels featuring the movie monsters. The three books (Kingdom Kong, Godzilla Dominion, and Monsterverse Titanthology Volume 1) will all feature covers by acclaimed artist Arthur Adams.

KINGDOM KONG 

 A sequel to the graphic novel Skull Island: Birth of Kong and a prelude to the film Godzilla vs. Kong, the upcoming prequel graphic novel, Kingdom Kong, will follow a group of highly skilled military pilots gathered together on Skull Island to see who has ‘the right stuff’ to take on a dangerous mission into the hollow earth. One of the pilots, Audrey, is haunted by the memories of a monstrous clash with one of Godzilla’s titanic rivals that left deep scars. When Skull Island is attacked by Camazotz, a bat-like Titan, Audrey must come to terms with her inner demons, and finding his home newly threatened, Kong must rise to face this usurper that would plunge the world into perpetual night. Kingdom Kong is written by Marie Anello (Shout Out) with art by ZID (Legendary Comics’ Skull Island: The Birth of Kong; Trick ‘r Treat: Days of the Dead; Spectral: Ghosts of War).

GODZILLA DOMINION 

Godzilla Dominion—the prequel graphic novel written by Greg Keyes (the Age of Unreason trilogy; three New York Times bestselling Star Wars novels in the New Jedi Order series) with art by Drew Edward Johnson (DC’s Wonder Woman, Supergirl; Legendary Comics’ Godzilla Aftershock)—will feature a unique story that picks up after the events of the film Godzilla: King of the Monsters, where the Titans have risen and the reign of Godzilla has begun. As told entirely from Godzilla’s point of view, the graphic novel brings new insights into the King of Monsters: his habitats, ancient rivalries, encounters with new Titans, and other challenges. As his new era of dominance is tested, a coming confrontation with another King looms.

MONSTERVERSE TITANTHOLOGY VOL 1

For new readers wanting to discover the backstories of Godzilla and Kong for the first time or fans revisiting their favorite adventures, the Monsterverse Titanthology Vol 1 brings the previously released graphic novels, Skull Island: The Birth of Kong (2017) and Godzilla: Aftershock (2019), together in one legendary volume for the first time ever.

Kingdom Kong and Godzilla Dominion can be purchased from book stores and comic shops beginning March 30th and Monsterverse Titanthology will be out on May 11, 2021. For more information go to www.legendary.com/comics/

Kids earn free books during the Passport To Adventure with Papercutz Graphic Novels!

When your child brings home one of the graphic novels from PaperCutz's GERONIMO STILTON or THEA STILTON adventure series from his or her school library, like my son did the other day, it could earn your family some FREE books.  During PaperCutz's #PassportToAdventure promotion that runs through May 31, 2017, if your child's teacher or school librarian validates that the student has read four of either the GERONIMO STILTON or THEA STILTON graphic novels then you'll receive four books from these STILTON series for FREE! Plus your child's school will be mailed a complimentary book as well.  Their interesting plots and enjoyable illustrations make these graphic novels a hit with kids in the 6 to 12 year old age range.



In Geronimo Stilton's stories, readers follow the adventures of the editor of New Mouse City's newspaper, The Rodent's Gazette, as he travels through time and across the globe outwitting his adversaries the Pirate Cats.  Geronimo is an intelligent, mild-mannered mouse who keeps getting swept into fantastic adventures.  He is often joined in his exploits by his younger sister Thea, who based upon the popularity of the GERONIMO STILTON stories also has her own book series.  The interesting plots and enjoyable illustrations make these graphic novels a hit with kids in the 6 to 12 year old age range.  For more information about these book series, visit papercutz.com -- the #1 Kids Graphic Novel Publisher.  My kids love reading the books published by Papercutz and I love that these stories have them enjoying reading.

Encourage your child to earn four free STILTON books by just reading GERONIMO and THEA  STILTON graphic novels from his or her school library.  Print out the Passport To Adventure below and once kids finish reading a Geronimo or Thea graphic novel have their teacher or librarian confirm it on the form.  Once a child has read four graphic novels from any of the selections in either series, a teacher or librarian can mail in the passport to redeem four FREE books for the student and one for the school.

Fuzzy Baseball by John Steven Gurney

** A Geek Daddy received the featured product for free to review**

If you are a fan of the game of baseball, you'll love the graphic novel FUZZY BASEBALL by author and illustrator John Steven Gurney published by PAPERCUTZ which specializes in the creation of comic book stories for young readers and teens.  Enjoy America's pastime all year long within the pages of this wonderful story that promotes themes of perseverance and good sportsmanship through a tale of ninth inning heroics during a baseball game between two rival teams.  These aren't just two ordinary teams though -- the Fernwood Valley Fuzzies and Rocky Ridge Red Claws are long time rivals ... and they're rosters are made up entirely of animals such Jackie Rabitson the bunny playing in centerfield for the Fuzzies to Gator Gibson the alligator who pitches for the Red Claws inspired by real athletes like the Dodger's Jackie Robinson and the Cardinal's Bob Gibson.  A dominating pitcher for St. Louis, Gibson earned 17 strike outs versus the Detroit Tigers in Game 1 of the 1968 World Series.  Jackie Robinson is know not just for being a gifted athlete who played second base for the Dodgers but also as the first African American to play in Major League Baseball.  In addition to enjoying the well drawn illustrations of the characters in the book, readers can also delve deeper to learn more about the real people that inspired the play on names used in the book plus learn a bit about baseball strategy as they read through the story.

The Rocky Ridge Red Claws are the dominant team composed of rough and tough players who will do whatever it takes to win a game.  Though they have a hyena playing shortstop the way this team plays is no laughing matter.  Let your guard down playing against this team and Snaps Tortelli will put a bite into you or you'll get gored by Reggie Rhino going yard against you.

 The Fernwood Valley Fuzzies are the underdogs in this match up of long-time rivals.  The team is led by a grizzly veteran manager who also plays first base may be out-sized by their opponents but they don't give up.  With players like Pony Perez, Pepe Peritto and Jackie Rabitson the Fuzzies have the agility and speed on the field and the base path to give any team a run for their money.

Who wins the game?  You'll have to read the graphic novel to find out!  What I can say is that the pages are incredibly drawn so that flipping through the pages of this graphic novel to take in the illustrations is a very enjoyable experience as Gurney brings to life the players on these two teams as well as the audience taking in the game, as adorable animals that kids, and kids at heart, will be delighted by.  Despite the wild characters in the book, it's story stays grounded with realistic sports premises and examples that make the fantastic elements relatable to actually feeling like you are taking in a baseball game.  In addition to its excellent artistic attributes, the author also does a nice job scripting out the story so that in addition to enjoying the artwork the book is also a very entertaining read.

FUZZY BASEBALL is a book that my son and daughter both will regularly pick out from our book shelf to read over and over again.  It's also a story that this passionate Detroit Tigers fan will even admit to enjoyed reading through on his own and thoroughly enjoying because hey who says parents can't embrace enjoying a children's book too!  With well-developed and well-drawn characters and a fun baseball story that my children love this comic book aficionado and life long baseball fan gives FUZZY BASEBALL a nod of approval from A Geek Daddy.

For more information, visit fuzzybaseball.com

PAPERCUTZ publishing graphic novel tie-in to DreamWorks Animations TROLLS movie

Our family really enjoys the children's focused comic books and graphic novels created by Papercutz, so we were excited to hear the publisher is going to be producing an ongoing series of graphic novel tie-ins to DreamWorks Animation's feature film Trolls.  Papercutz's first Trolls graphic novel "Hugs and Friends" which will arrive at bookstores on September 27, 2016 is meant to serve as an introduction to the upcoming animated film that will be released at theaters across the United States on November 4th.  Subsequent graphic novels are planned to expand upon the Trolls story following the movie's release.

From the creators of Shrek comes the most smart, funny and irreverent animated comedy of the year, DreamWorks’ Trolls.  This holiday season, enter a colorful, wondrous world populated by hilariously unforgettable characters and discover the story of the overly optimistic Trolls, with a constant song on their lips, and the comically pessimistic Bergens, who are only happy when they have trolls in their stomach.



Papercutz’s “Hugs & Friends” sets the stage for the movie adventure by asking important questions like Who are the Trolls? Who are the Bergens? Why is there one Troll who isn’t happy like all the other Trolls? And why does this Troll know more about the Bergens than any other Troll?  The answers to these questions appear with "Hugs & Friends" Trolls Volume 1 on September 27th.

"Hugs and Friends" is just the start though notes Papercutz Editor-in-Chief Jim Salcrup.  "While our first graphic novel features the main characters from the film, later volumes will focus on the supporting players of the Trolls world as well," Salcrup mentioned to A Geek Daddy.  "With such a fully developed world being created by the DreamWorks team, we anticipate entertaining fans and telling Trolls stories for a very long time!"

If you have school aged children you should know about Papercutz Graphic Novels for Kids

August is Kids Comic Month so I thought it was a good time to give a plug to one of our family's favorite comic book publishers Papercutz.  Papercutz specialized in producing graphic novels ( aka  comic books ) for kids.  Whether you have a preschooler, tween or teen, Papercutz will have something of interest that will encourage girls and boys to enjoy reading and appreciate artwork.

My 6 year old daughter loves Papercutz's Disney Fairies collection which portray the adventures of Tinker Bell and her fairy friends.  Many of these comic books are illustrations of the Disney's Fairies lineup of movies and as a parent I appreciate that Papercutz provides a way for her to enjoy these stories through reading versus her just watching the dvds all the time.  Reading these comic books has encouraged her to go looking for a book rather than just turn on the TV when she is looking for something to entertain herself.

My son enjoys reading Papercutz's Dinosaurs series which are full of humorous stories that also provide a lot of educational insights into these prehistoric beasts.  He's always providing family and friends Dinosaur related insights and trivia since he started reading these comic books.

Both of my twins enjoy reading the adventures of Geronimo Stilton and Thea Stilton which feature brightly illustrated tales of perilous journeys, solving mysteries, investigating wrong doings, and time travel by some adventurous mice.  Geronimo Stilton is the Editor-In-Chief of the Rodent’s Gazette, the most famouse newspaper on Mouse Island. Geronimo's comic book adventures often involve spoiling the hijinks of his archenemies the Pirate Cats.  Geronimo isn't the only world-famouse adventurer from New Mouse City though - his sister Thea has her own comic book series.  In this series, Thea teaches a journalism class at Mouseford Academy and narrates the stories of five of her students who call themselves the Thea Sisters whose desire to be real, live journalists tend to get them mixed up in a whole lot of adventures.

Some people consider reading comic books a lazy effort at reading for kids. I've found though our family's experiences that the pictures in comic books have built my kids' confidence as beginner readers.  The visual context from the illustrations provides them with clues and cues about the words and sentences they are reading through.  Plus since the text in comic books tends to be one or two line sentences at a time broken up through panels and artwork it helps keep early readers from becoming over-whelmed as they spell out words and look for sight words.  I've also found that when I read these comic books to my kids the pictures tend to help my kids follow along and pick up the spelling and meaning of words as they relate to the illustrations also boosting their literary skills.  My personal feeling is that comic books are great for kids as long as they are reading age appropriate content.

That's where Papercutz comes in!  They have a great selection to choose from for various age groups.  For younger children they have the title's I've already mentioned plus others like Smurfs, Rio, and Disney Graphic Novels.  Tweens may like The Garfield Show, Sybil the Backpack Fairy, Toto Trouble, Lunch Witch, LEGO Ninjago, and Power Rangers.  Teens aren't left out either with titles like Annoying Orange, The Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, The Three Stooges, Tales from the Crypt, and WWE Slam City.

Do you know kids that are reluctant readers?  Many of Papercutz titles are tied to television shows and movies which create a tie-in to encourage kids to dive into the books.  Maybe a child is behind in their reading skills, these comics can be a non-intimidating way to help.  Once a child starts reading, if they are enjoying themselves that can help them become avid readers and transition to more text based books as they improve on their literacy skills.  Pulitzer Prize winning comic book artist and editor Art Spiegelman once said "Comic are a gateway drug to literacy."  Plus there is nothing wrong with children growing up to appreciate and enjoy comic books as a leisurely activity as adults.  I still enjoy reading comic books myself as a 40 year old as a way to unwind from daily grind of career and parenting responsibilities.

Whether a child is in elementary school or high school, you should have them pick up some of Papercutz's Classics Illustrated which do a great job of portraying some of history's greatest works of literacy through graphic novels.  Once a kid understands that these stories aren't a bore they often times will be more inclined to pick up the real novel and potentially not throw a fit about reading one of the "classics" for a homework assignment.  Even better they might even select a classic novel to read just for the enjoyment of it.  Reading has to start somewhere and Papercutz comics are a great way to ignite a child's interest.

If you are a parent with kids from preschool to high school in age you should know about Papercutz. To check out Papercutz's catalog of products, visit papercutz.com
 
Papercutz gets A Geek Daddy nod of approval for providing age appropriate comic book content that allow children and teens to enjoy quality stories that aren't filled with violence, sexual content and other topics that make parents wince. Papercutz has a niche that caters to kids and does an exceptional job of providing products that will make both their reading audience and parents happy.

Humble Bundle Celebrates the Magic of Jim Henson

There is a new Humble Bundle that celebrates the magic and wonder of Jim Henson's imagination and creations. The Humble Jim Henson: The Jim Henson Company Comics Bundle provides the opportunity for people to enjoy Boom Studios print portrayals of puppets that have been beloved by generations of fans.  You can name your price to purchase a basic bundle of The Dark Crystal and Fraggle Rock digital comic books.  HumbleBundle.com allows consumers to purchase a bundle of video games or digital publications for any price they choose with that money being split three ways amongst a designated charity, the publisher, and the website.  The focus of these bundles is normally to raise awareness and funding for charities, in this particular case it being the Center for Puppetry Arts.

In 1978, Kermit the Frog and Jim Henson cut the ribbon to open the Center for Puppetry Arts. Since then, the Center has inspired generations of children and adults through our performances, educational workshops, and exhibitions. The Center uses the art form of puppetry as a means to provide educational experiences that encourage creativity, support school-day learning, fuel holistic development, and provide accessible, hands-on opportunities to participate in arts activities. The Center’s live puppetry performances, hands-on workshops, and guided museum tours provide creative arts experiences to students that aren’t available in classrooms while also providing teachers with opportunities to infuse the arts into their curriculum goals.  The Center for Puppetry Arts is opening a new museum space this year which will feature expanded exhibit areas for both its Global Collection and the Jim Henson Collection. This new space will provide immersive and interactive, exhibitions allowing guests of all ages to explore puppetry in unique ways, challenging preconceptions and giving a new appreciation of the global scope and universal power of the art form. As part of this project, the Center will be protecting and preserving hundreds of international and Henson treasures for future generations to enjoy and understand. 

If you spend more than the average amount people are paying for the basic bundle,  you will get some extra bonus e-books added to your shopping cart which include Jim Henson's The Musical Monsters of Turkey Hollow and The Storyteller comic books and novelizations of Storyteller and Labyrinth.

Additionally, if you spend $2 more than the average amount spent on the basic bundle, the graphic novel Jim Henson's Tale of Sand will be thrown into your package as an extra thank you.  Discovered in the Archives of the The Jim Henson Company, A Tale of Sand is an original graphic novel adaptation of an unproduced, feature-length screenplay written by Jim Henson and his frequent writing partner, Jerry Juhl. A Tale of Sand follows scruffy everyman, Mac, who wakes up in an unfamiliar town, and is chased across the desert of the American Southwest by all manners of man and beast of unimaginable proportions.  A Tale of Sand will allow Henson fans to recognize some of the inspirations and set pieces that eventually appeared in later Henson Company productions.


These digital comic books are DRM-free which means that they aren't tied to a particular website or computer program to be able to read.  Download them onto whatever device you want and read them at your convenience where and when you want.  I've heard that accessing these comics works great from a PC or laptop but some people have had difficulties with them on smart phones and tablets. Here's a hint...download these files to your PC, save them as .pdf and upload to your mobile device by dropbox.  Voila! that has worked every time for me!

This deal, like all Humble Bundles is for a limited time so if you are a fan of Jim Henson's work beware because if you snooze you'll loose and this offer will be gone. Check out the clock in the top right corner of Humble Bundle deals right under the green Pay What You Want box to check out how much time is left before an offer expires.

Teen Detective Turns 85: Happy Birthday Nancy Drew

Before there was Veronica Mars or Katniss Everdeen, the teenage detective Nancy Drew opened the door setting an example that women can be strong leading characters on their own merit.  This year marks the 85th anniversary of the first Nancy Drew mystery novel, The Secret of the Old Clock, which have been since followed by numerous books, television shows, movies, and video games featuring the female sleuth.  As a father who doesn't want his daughter limited in life by stereotypes, I appreciate that Nancy Drew sets an example of women being able to be the standout hero of a story without a man coming in to save the day.  What was unheard of at the time the stories first came out in the 1930s, this girl drove a car, packed a gun, didn't hesitate about getting into a brawl, and most importantly relied on herself to get out of tough jams.

The Nancy Drew Mystery Stories were created by publisher Edward Stratemeyer after marketing research showed his successful Hardy Boys detective stories were very popular with girl readers.  He set about creating a similar series for girls featuring an amateur teen detective as the heroine.  Stratemeyer himself didn't write the stories though, the very first books were authored by a woman named Mildred Wirt under the pen name Carolyn Keene.  Wirt wrote 23 of the original Nancy Drew Mystery Stories with numerous other ghost writers joining her in drafting stories under the Carolyn Keene name over the years resulting in 175 novels being published between 1930 and 2003.

I've noticed that there is a lot of lip service by brands about providing more hero characters in books, movies, toys and video games but much of what I've seen out there in that regard has been more contrived at getting into parents pocket books rather then really addressing the need for such things.  The nice thing about Nancy Drew is that she really is genuine.  In fact, Wirt whose work really established the foundation and identity for Nancy Drew stated that she wanted to create a "genuinely adventurous heroine" that would inspire girls with stories featuring someone like themselves.  I wish more brands took this approach which seems so simple yet seems to confound so many in our society.

While I don't notice Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew books lining the book shelves at libraries and stores like they did when I was a kid, Nancy Drew is still out there solving mysteries and inspiring new generations of boys and girls to be inquisitive and adventurous problem solvers.  While the original Nancy Drew Mysteries Stories series was canceled in 2003, here are a few new adventures people can still enjoy.

Simon & Schuster is currently publishing a series of contemporary books titled Nancy Drew Diaries and penned by Carolyn Keene aimed at children 8 to 12 years old which has the young detective traveling the world and using her brain to solve brand new mysteries.  Nancy and her friends Bess and George tackle everything from sabotage to kidnapping, using impressive powers of deduction and reasoning to creatively crack cases and outsmart their enemies.  So far Simon & Schuster have published eight books in the series with two more set to be released in 2015 - Clue at the Black Creek Farm on May 12th and Script for Danger coming out on September 22nd.

Papercutz also publishes graphic novel adventures featuring Nancy Drew in a series also called Nancy Drew Diaries. There newest issue Nancy Drew Diaries - Volume 5 hits stores July 7, 2015.  This comic book story features Nancy Drew teamed up with an eccentric scientist to find a prototype engine that can operate at 200 miles per gallon that was lost during an experiment on a tank during the final days of World War II.  In addition to finding the engine there is one other problem to deal with...the engine and tank are haunted.

Additionally, Papercutz has 21 volumes of Nancy Drew stories available in an older series called Nancy Drew - Girl Detective that have more of a similarity to the original Nancy Drew Mystery Stories books and three other graphic novels Nancy Drew The New Case Files that have more of a trendy supernatural vibe to them and also feature the Hardy Boys joining her in the stories. Papercutz focus is providing quality comic books for kids and if you haven't checked out their products you really should.

By Her Interactive has an iPad app that allows you to solve a mystery as Nancy Drew titled Ghost of Thornton Hall which has some good reviews on the App Store.  Her Interactive's focus though has been more on PC games for Nancy Drew with several titles having been published over the last few years that have sold more than 9 million copies.  Their 32nd Nancy Drew video game - titled Sea of Darkness is scheduled to be released on May 19, 2015 and will be available for Windows and Mac PC operating systems. In the game, players take on the role of Nancy Drew as they must solve the mystery through interrogation of suspects, solving puzzles, and discovering clues.  These Nancy Drew games are also available through STEAM for cloud based play on your home computer.

Happy Birthday Nancy Drew! Thank you for being an inspiration for so many years and wishing you many more adventures in your future.

Papercutz announces partnership with Nickelodeon

One of our family's favorite publishers is a company called Papercutz which specializes in producing graphic novels aimed for children and teens.  Whether you have a preschooler or a high schooler at home, Papercutz has something of interest to kids of all ages with titles ranging from Disney Fairies and Dinosaurs for younger children to The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew Diaries for older ones.  So we were excited to hear that Papercutz is expanding its offerings through a new partnership with Nickelodeon.

The partnership will give Papercutz the first option to adapt all new Nickelodeon original properties into comics and graphic novels.  The new partnership will allow Papercutz to work with Nickelodeon at the earliest stages of a show's development, ensuring that the graphic novels based on these new programs are as faithful to the original look and spirit of the series as possible. This arrangement will also allow Papercutz to make graphic novels available to book and comic stores closer to the debut of new animated series on Nickelodeon then previously possible.  Under this deal, Papercutz already has plans for publishing two new series titles in 2015 and two more graphic novel series beginning in 2016.  Plus beginning in June 2015, Papercutz will also begin publishing an all new Nickelodeon Magazine which will preview the comics content that will be featured in the graphic novels, debut new properties in comics form and also feature a variety of games, puzzles and other activities for kids.

The first two Nickelodeon-based titles to be launched by Papercutz will be SANJAY AND CRAIG debuting in September 2015 and BREADWINNERS which will debut in October 2015.

SANJAY AND CRAIG is the story of an adventurous 12-year-old boy who proves the old adage: there's nothing you can't accomplish (or destroy) as long as your best friend is a talking snake. The adventures of this dude-snake duo have been a ratings smash for Nickelodeon with the series ranking as the #2 animated show across all TV among kids 2 to 11.  The first SANJAY AND CRAIG graphic novel is set to debut just in time for the premiere of the series’ third season on Nickelodeon.

BREADWINNERS features the adventures of SwaySway and Buhdeuce, two carefree ducks who fly around in a super sweet rocket van, delivering bread to hungry beaks everywhere. Like SANJAY AND CRAIG, BREADWINNERS has been a popular program on the Nickelodeon's cable television lineup.

"Papercutz's strong track record with licensed properties for kids made them our ideal choice for a publishing partner,” stated  Linda Lee, VP of Nickelodeon Domestic Publishing, in a press release sent to A Geek Daddy Blog. "As we grow our stable of original animated properties, we wanted to work with a company that could reach the broadest possible audience. We're excited to work with the Papercutz team and we look forward to adding the Nickelodeon characters to one of the most diverse lists offered by any children's publisher."

For more information about Papercutz's graphic novel offerings, visit www.papercutz.com.

Star Trek Stories Continue Between Movies in the Pages of Comic Books

Star Trek is riding a wave of popularity again after the success of its two most recent feature films that rebooted the franchise, STAR TREK (2009) and STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS (2013).  Yet while the franchise was supported for years by television shows to build a foundation of stories and characters...in addition to the original series that started the adventure which ran from 1966 - 1969 there continuously was a Star Trek series airing on television from 1987 through 2005 starting with The Next Generation and ending with Enterprise...there hasn't been a Star Trek show on television in nearly a decade.  So without a television series to serve as a bridge between movies for character and plot developments, comic books have taken on that role to provide a continuation of Star Trek adventures for fans to enjoy.

So I've wondered if the events that took place in the 2009 STAR TREK movie totally rebooted the franchise essentially wiping the slate clean of all the franchise's existing canon and starting everything over from scratch.  Does that mean the stories from the original 1960's era series, The Next Generation (1987-1994), Deep Space Nine (1993-1999) and Voyager (1995-2001) plus the movies that were released between 1979 and 2002 now officially never transpired when it comes to Star Trek lore?!  For example, we saw in STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS how they recreated the story and plot around the nemesis Khan and switched around Kirk from Spock in who sacrifices their lives for the good of the crew from what took place in 1982's The Wrath of Khan movie. Well I have an answer now after recently reading the graphic novel STAR TREK: The Q Gambit which collects issues 35-40 of IDW Publishing ongoing monthly comic book serial that follows the new adventures of James T. Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise following the events of the 2009 motion picture.  "The Q Gambit" is the ninth volume that collects these issues in a graphic novel format where you can read a bundled story arc rather than going through and separately buying a comic book each month.

The story begins with Captain Jean Luc Picard aboard the Enterprise mourning the news that Spock had recently sacrificed himself by flying an experimental ship into an energy wave to avoid it destroying the planets of the Federation in the same way it wiped out the Romulan Empire as occurred in 2009's STAR TREK movie.  Nothing has has changed from the "original Star Trek" timeline as far as they know Spock died saving the universe and the cast of characters from THE NEXT GENERATION is moving forward as if their past wasn't altered in any way by the events, like the planet Vulcan being destroyed, that took place in the recent movies. Picard's long-time adversary the omnipotent being called Q (on a side note I've always wondered if Q and Wesley Crusher are the same person - has anyone else ever thought that?) materializes in front of him.  Q shares some news with Picard in this comic book story that defines the whole Star Trek franchise from here on out and explains how the old Star Trek and new Star Trek can both exist simultaneously. Q tells Picard that Spock isn't dead but rather was transported to another timeline in a parallel dimension. Voila - there you have it!  The events in the movies are a separate dimension that is similar yet different from the one of previous Star Trek lore!  So in the 2009 movie Spock went back in time but not in his own timeline.  Having watched the Star Trek tv series and movies from elementary school through college this revelation just made me so much more comfortable with the whole reboot of the franchise.

Picard urges Q not to interfere with this alternate timeline as the character fades away.  You just know that Q is heading to the Star Trek movie universe as Picard yells out "Q! No!" 

We are taken to a scene where the alternate timeline Enterprise with Kirk, Spock and crew have just arrived at a previously unexplored star system.  Suddenly, they receive a distress call from a Federation supply ship that is being attacked by Klingons. The Enterprise heads to provide aid to the civilian ship called the Smallwood when they become ensnared in a trap with five Klingon war ships circling them on the attack.  Uhura exclaims "Smallwood! no way in Japanese that would be KOBAYASHI!"  The name of the unwinnible test simulation Kirk cheated on at the Star Fleet Academy to win.  The Enterprise is then blown up by the Klingons.

Kirk finds himself on the bridge of the Enterprise as Q sits in the Captain's Chair clapping.  He congratulates the crew on seeing through his illusion of replicating the Kobayashi scenario but tells Kirk that people can't cheat their way through every obstacle they face.  Q than tells Kirk he is going to present the crew of the Enterprise with a true no-win scenario and see how they handle it.

The Enterprise finds itself approaching a space station...the one from the television series DEEP SPACE NINE (1993-1999).  Q has transported the Enterprise to yet another parallel timeline/dimension where the Dominion has won the war the Federation had won in the television series.  The Enterprise is boarded by the Dominion's warriors, a genetically-bred for fighting race known as the Jem "Hadar.  They are taken prisoner and begin interacting with the characters from Deep Space Nine who are obviously in different circumstances then the ones from the television program.  Is this an unwinnable scenario for the crew of the Enterprise?

I'm not going to spoil the rest of the story by giving the outcome, though hint hint there is a STAR TREK 3 movie coming out in the not too distant future, so you'll have to read Star Trek Ongoing Volume 9: The Q Gambit which is being published on March 24, 2015 to find out how this drama concludes.  I will say it was nice seeing a story arc involved the characters from The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine television shows interacting with those from the new movies.  Other than Q, and brief cameo by Jean Luc Picard, the focus of the story is primarily a Deep Space Nine plot just saying so any The Next Generation fans who pick up the graphic novel aren't expecting more.  I really enjoyed the read myself and appreciated how it gave an explanation that binds together the differing aspects of the Star Trek franchise we've witnessed since the movies came out.

STAR TREK - VOLUME NINE: THE Q GAMBIT

The crew of the new Star Trek film franchise encounters the classic Trek villain Q for the first time in this galaxy-spanning adventure developed in association with screenwriter/producer Roberto Orci!

The mischievous Q sends James T. Kirk on a quest that will see the Enterprise joining forces with familiar faces from Star Trek lore, in “The Q Gambit!”

For more information about STAR TREK comic books, visit idwpublishing.com/product-category/star-trek

Adapting Lost Screen Plays to Comic Books is the Newest Trend

 DC Comics recent release of Batman '66: The Lost Episode is the most recent addition to a new trend of adapting unused screen plays into a comic book format. Renowned Sci-Fi author Harlan Ellison developed a script for the 1960's Batman television show that aired for three seasons on the ABC network which was never produced.  Ellison's story would have introduced the villain Two-Face but the show never made it to air and the character never became a part of the television show's Rogues Gallery.  This lost script titled "The Two-Way Crimes of Two-Face" has now been created into this comic book written by Len Wein and illustrated by Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez.  In addition to the comic portrayal of the script Batman '66: The Lost Episode also includes the original prose story outline by Ellison and the complete original pencils for the story by Garcia-Lopez.

Batman '66: The Lost Episode follows the recent comic book adaption of another Harlan Ellison script from the 1960s era of television by IDW Publishing.  IDW published a five issue mini series based on Ellison's original teleplay for the Star Trek TV episode The City on the Edge of Forever.  Ellison's script was used to create one of the most popular of the original Star Trek series episodes but was significantly rewritten by producers before the show was filmed and aired.  Now 50 years later, Ellison has worked with IDW to illustrate this famous show in the manner he originally intended.  Check out this nice review of the IDW series by Ian Dawe which points out the differences between Ellison's original teleplay illustrated in this IDW comic book series and the television episode which TV GUIDE ranked #68 in their 100 Most Memorable Moments in TV History ranking and won a HUGO Award in 1968 for "Best Dramatic Presentation."  Have a Star Trek fan you are holiday shopping for? The graphic novel compilation of this five issue mini-series may be the perfect gift for the Trekkie in your life.

What appears to have started this trend is THE STAR WARS eight issue mini-series published by Dark Horse Comics that portrayed the story of George Lucas' first draft for his famous 1977 movie.  This comic is a vastly different story then the one most of us are familiar with.  Dark Horse did an incredible job of bringing George Lucas vision to life.  Unfortunately, while Ellison's script was an enhancement beyond an already great Star Trek episode Lucas work shows us how close the world was to never having Star Wars.  Lucas original story is really bad and is much closer to the prequel movies which may be a clue to why those movies were worse than the original trilogy.  That is not to say THE STAR WARS is bad because Dark Horse creative team has done an exceptional job in giving readers an inner look into the mind of George Lucas through exceptional drawings and illustrations.  Die hard fans will most like want to peruse this comic series to see what might have been and be thankful that producers stepped in to assist with drafting the script that became the Star Wars movie that is so beloved by people around the planet.  If you missed THE STAR WARS mini-series when it was on store shelves you can purchase a graphic novel compilation to add to your book shelf.

These three examples of "lost scripts" were all published in 2014 and it will be interesting to see if this trend continues into the future.  What other unknown scripts might be lurking out there to be brought to life by comic books.  Keep an eye out in 2015!

Disney Channel Hosts Fall Fairy Festival

My daughter is a big fan of Tinker Bell but she doesn't identify the character from the Peter Pan story but rather from a series of straight to DVD movies that Disney has released over the last few years.  There are six Disney Fairies animated movies out, with a seventh being released on March 3, 2015, that feature the character Tinker Bell and her fairy friends from the land of Pixie Hollow.  This isn't the mean-spirited sprite as portrayed in Disney's 1953 animated film Peter Pan who really wasn't that nice but rather a kinder gentler likeable version that is easier for audience to embrace as a loveable character.  I have to say that not only does my daughter love watching these films, but our whole family finds them enjoyable to watch together with their top notch animation, excellent musical soundtracks, and interesting stories.  Any of these movies would be a great selection for a family movie night.

If you haven't seen the Disney Fairy movies or would like to see one or all of them again, you are in luck this week as they will all be shown on cable television.  The Disney Channel is hosting a Fall Fairy Festival from November 10-13, 2014 showing these movies in the evening throughout the week.

MONDAY - NOVEMBER 10 @ 8 PM: TINKER BELL (2008)
Young fairy Tinker Bell causes chaos in Pixie Hallow when she rejects her predestined occupation as a fixer of broken objects and tries to learn a new trade instead.

TUESDAY - NOVEMBER 11 @ 6:30 PM: THE PIRATE FAIRY (2014)
Tinker Bell and her friends go in search of a wayward fairy who fled Pixie Hollow and joined up with a band of scheming pirates led by the future Captain Hook.

TUESDAY - NOVEMBER 11 @ 8 PM: TINKER BELL & THE LOST TREASURE (2009)
Tinker Bell journeys to save a Pixie Dust Tree.

WEDNESDAY - NOVEMBER 12 @ 8 PM: THE GREAT FAIRY RESCUE (2010)
Tinker Bell and her fairy rival strive to keep secret from humans the very existence of fairies.

THURSDAY - NOVEMBER 13 @ 8PM:  SECRET OF THE WINGS (2012)
Tinker Bell and her friends venture into the winter woods to find the secret of fairy wings.

A sixth movie the Pixie Hollow Games (2013) isn't being broadcast as part of Disney Channel Fall Fairy Festival and a seventh movie Legend of the NeverBeast is coming out in 2015.

For more information regarding anything Disney Fairies related visit: www.fairies.disney.com

As we all know kids spend too much time watching television, so I'd encourage you to also check out a great line of comics published by PAPERCUTZ if your children appreciate Disney Fairies. This company has published graphic novel portrayals of many of the Disney Fairies movies plus other comic books containing brand new stories of unique adventures featuring Tinker Bell and her friends.  CLICK HERE for a preview of the PAPERCUTZ Disney Fairies collection.  We have a few of these graphic novels and my daughter cherishes them. They are very nice to take along on a trip, reading on a rainy day or bedtime stories. 

A Geek Daddy Blog gives a nod of approval to both the Disney Fairy animated movies and the PAPERCUTZ comic books as both are very well done family friendly entertainment options.

Dynamite Entertainment to Explore Early Years in the Career of 007 in Comic Books, Graphic Novels & Digital Comics Beginning in 2015

Bond, James Bond, the British Secret Services' agent 007, will begin to have his adventures chronicled in comic books beginning in 2015 with the announcement of Dynamite Entertainment acquiring the license rights to publish comic books, graphic novels and digital comics starring the character from Ian Fleming Publications Ltd. The fictional secret agent was created by author Ian Fleming in 1953 who featured James Bond in 12 novels and 2 short-story collections.  007 has also been the inspiration for 23 movies ranging from DR NO in 1962 to SKYFALL which was released in 2012. A 24th James Bond film is currently in production slated to open in US theaters on November 6, 2015.  According to the licensing agreement the upcoming comic books by Dynamite Entertainment featuring Fleming's iconic 007 secret agent will re-live the exploits that have thrilled and captivated fans for over half a century in fresh visual adaptations of the classic Bond stories.

Dynamite Entertainment is planning on creating a series of brand new adventures with a focus on the defining, yet largely undocumented, early years of James Bond's career.  These comic books will draw inspiration from the James Bond canon to explore 007's origins, those raw early years before he gambled with his life in the franchise's first novel by Ian Fleming, Casino Royale.  Dynamite is also promising to include familiar faces from the 007 mythos in their series including criminal masterminds, hired henchmen, those glamorous Bond Girls, and secret service allies.

"James Bond is one of the greatest cultural icons in the world.  His author and creator, Ian Fleming, was not only in touch with popular culture in his time, but also saw ahead of his time, and his written work will outlive us all<" said Nick Barrucci, CEO and Publisher of Dynamite Entertainment in the announcement of the publisher gaining the 007 license.  "The character, the structure and the source material is so incredibly strong.  The original prose storytelling serves the basis for one of the most successful film franchises ever, a franchise that reinvents itself to be in tune with each generation.  By doing so, it allows the character to be an ever-progressive pop culture phenomenon, one that energizes existing fans and engages new fans, thus helping to ensure that Bond's relevance and importance will live forever.  The high-octane action, the charm, the unquestionable allure of this man of action - it all stems from Ian Fleming.  We are excited to build upon Fleming's source material with new canonical stories, and are honored at Dynamite to be a small part of his legacy, to be able to bring new stories to fans around the world."

Corinne Turner, Managing Director of Ian Fleming Publications, added during the announcement of this new partnership, "It's over sixty years since the publication of Casino Royale and now more than ever it's an exciting time to be a Bond fan. We're thrilled that 007 will be revisiting the world of comics, as Fleming's novels have a long and successful history in this medium, ever since  they began to be published as newspaper comic strips in the late fifties.  Dynamite are the perfect partners to take on the challenge of continuing this legacy, and we are very much looking forward to working with them."

Dynamite Entertainment is actually one of A GEEK DADDY blog's favorite comic book publishers because it has created itself a retro niche in restoring the glamor to fictional and fantasy heroes of past generations for the enjoyment of today's audience.  Their titles include Battlestar Galactica, The Bionic Woman, Buck Rogers, Dresden Files, Flash Gordon, The Shadow, Green Hornet, The Lone Ranger, Lord of the Jungle (Tarzan), The Six Million Dollar Man, The Twilight Zone, and John Carter Warlord of Mars.  Dynamite does a nice job of presenting these titles with an artistic nod to their original portrayals ( a 1940's vibe for Flash Gordon, 50's for the Lone Ranger, 60's for the Green Hornet and 70's for Battlestar Galactica and The Six Million Dollar Man for example) and through writing intriguing and interesting stories that mix in classic characters and themes from these franchise's canon while also expanding on the adventures and journeys by adding new elements and figures to the mix. 

Now James Bond is joining the lineup and A GEEK DADDY is excited to see what Dynamite does to bring 007 to life in a comic book format.  Keep an eye out on book store shelves (brick & mortar and digital) in 2015 for this new comic book series.