Showing posts with label image comics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label image comics. Show all posts

Wednesday, November 1, 2023

GHOST MACHINE: A NEW ERA FOR CREATOR OWNED COMIC BOOKS

ghost machine

In recent years, the comic book industry has witnessed a remarkable transformation, thanks to a wave of innovation led by a group of talented comic book writers turned entrepreneurs. These writer-founded comic book companies are not only revolutionizing the way stories are told but are also empowering creators to take more control over their work, bringing fresh ideas, perspectives, and originality to the forefront.

One shining example of this innovative trend can be seen in the creators behind Ghost Machine, a media company with a unique approach to storytelling. Ghost Machine was co-founded by a group of exceptionally talented individuals who have not only excelled in the art of comic book writing but also have a deep passion for the medium.

Brad Meltzer, known for his acclaimed work in both comics and best-selling novels, is a pivotal figure in Ghost Machine's lineup of creators. His diverse experience in crafting gripping narratives has allowed him to bring a new perspective to the world of comic books. Meltzer's vision, combined with the expertise of other accomplished creators, has given birth to an entirely fresh approach in storytelling.

This innovative approach allows comic book writers to directly shape their narratives, eliminating many of the traditional constraints often imposed by larger publishing houses. This newfound creative freedom enables writers to tell the stories they are truly passionate about, unrestricted by market pressures or commercial considerations. As a result, readers are treated to a richer, more diverse array of stories that reflect the true creative spirit of the authors.

Ghost Machine is not alone in this movement. Across the comic book industry, similar initiatives led by writers have started to emerge, challenging the status quo and ushering in a new era of storytelling. These writer-driven companies are not just focused on superheroes and capes but also on diverse genres, pushing the boundaries of what comics can be. It's a revival of the medium, attracting a broader range of readers and telling a wider range of stories.

One notable impact of these writer-founded comic book companies is the rise of independent creators. These companies often provide a platform for up-and-coming talent to make their mark in the industry. The Ghost Machine website lists several creators, Jason Fabok, Gary Frank, Bryan Hitch, Geoff Johns, Lamont Magee, Francis Manapul, Brad Meltzer, Peter J. Tomasi, Maytal Zchut, Brad Anderson and Rob Leigh, who will be pivotal in the success of the company. These individuals have the opportunity to flex their creative muscles, experiment with new ideas, and reach a global audience thanks to these writer-driven companies.

Furthermore, the industry benefits from the unique visions of these comic book writers. Having spent years honing their craft, they bring a wealth of storytelling techniques and experience to the table. This adds depth, nuance, and sophistication to comic book narratives, elevating the medium and appealing to a broader audience, including those who might not have previously been avid comic book readers.

The success of writer-founded comic book companies is also a testament to the power of collaboration. By coming together, writers and creators can pool their talents, resources, and networks to reach a wider audience and compete with the industry giants. These collaborations lead to more refined stories, intricate world-building, and dynamic characters, enriching the comic book landscape and broadening its appeal.

In conclusion, writer-founded comic book companies like Ghost Machine, spearheaded by the likes of Brad Meltzer and a team of talented creators, are breathing new life into the industry. They are reshaping storytelling, empowering independent creators, and challenging the conventions of the medium. This movement heralds a brighter, more diverse future for comic books, captivating a broader audience and ensuring that the comic book industry remains a thriving and innovative art form for years to come.

Monday, December 5, 2022

COMIC BOOK BRINGS TOGETHER BATMAN AND SPAWN

batman spawn comic book 2022

Comic book fans are getting an early Christmas present when a special one-shot comic book arrives at stores on December 13, 2022. Publishing companies Image and DC are teaming up to bring together two iconic comic characters into one jumbo sized story. DC's Batman and Image's Spawn will be battling it out in a 48-page prestige format special issue.

To close out Image Comics' 30th anniversary they are joining Spawn, the longest running independently published comic book series of all time, with Batman, one of the longest running publishing house comic book series of all time. Image Comics was created by artists who wanted to retain ownership of their art rather than it just becoming the intellectual property of the big publishing companies like Marvel and DC. Spawn became a fast horse out of the game for Image with its first issue selling 1.7 million copies. Over the years, the adventures of this Hellspawn have kept Spawn a prosperous comic book property with a loyal legion of fans.

batman spawn

Artist Greg Capullo has been in charge of painting the portrait of Batman imagery in DC Comics for awhile now. But prior to his stint drawing Batman, he was bringing Spawn to life as an illustrator for Image Comics. To celebrate Image Comics' 30th anniversary he wanted to bring two characters that have been heavily influenced by him together for an epic encounter. Thus, this Batman/Spawn one-shot comic book hitting comic book shop shelves on December 13th was born.

Two dark heroes, cursed by tragedy find their paths crossing ... but not by choice! What sinister foe is at work pitting the Dark Knight against the Hellspawn? From the shadows of Gotham City to New York City, this promises to be a blockbuster story three decades in the making!

SPAWN

VS

BATMAN


Being from the Motor City I have to appreciate Spawn being a kick-ass anti-hero from Detroit; but yet having a career in criminal law have to respect Batman being the World's Greatest Detective. So, I'm interested to see what happens when these two cross paths. Are you geeked about this DC Comics and Image Comics crossover event? I sure am!

Friday, November 11, 2022

SOLDIER STORIES

soldier stores

On comic book shop shelves this Veterans Day is a one-shot collection of stories created by veterans who are aspiring authors paired with professional artists. SOLDIER STORIES from Top Cow Productions, an imprint of Image Comics, is an anthology taking examples of real-life warfare reimagined to be told in a variety of genres including sci-fi, horror and personal memoir. These four military tales are written by veterans who served in conflicts ranging from Vietnam to Afghanistan. I picked up a copy for myself while perusing the new comic books that were out this week.

The SOLDIER STORIES in this comic book include the horror genre "All Clear" written by Megan Ferrell Burke with art by Arture Lauria. This story pits soldiers against one another after a squad survives a chemical attack but finds itself short on the gear needed for everyone to make it safely to a rendezvous point for extraction. Brian Anthony shares the perils of interpreters that help foreign forces in their homelands from a science fiction angle. His story "Terps" features artwork by John Bivens.

Jalysa Conway makes readers ponder if utilizing military drones makes killing too easy and desensitized to being like playing a video game. Her editorial "Game Over" features art by Annapaola Martello. "The Great Man" by Reverend William Bellamy shares an autobiographical moment of a man who goes from battling in Vietnam to fighting discrimination in America. Unfortunately, Rev. Bellamy passed away before this comic book reached publication, but his story lives on through the people who read it. 

soldier stories veterans

SOLDIER STORIES came about when novelist and screenplay writer Ken Pisani served as an instructor for a Writers Guild of America workshop for veterans. He pitched a partnership between Top Cow Publications and the United States Veterans Artists Alliance which resulted in the SOLDIER STORIES comic book. Pisani created a writers room where Anthony, Burke, Bellamy, and Conway worked together to cultivate their stories with some help from his mentoring. The writers then worked with artists from Top Cow Publications to combine their words with illustrations to be published as the comic book on store shelves now.

sci fi comic book story
It made for a nice Veterans Day read. I'm glad I picked up SOLDIER STORIES to bring home with me. Whether you are geeked about military adventures or are just looking for something out of the ordinary to read, SOLDIER STORIES is a comic book you should check out.  A nice reminder that the comic book medium is so much more than just superheroes and monsters. It is art and literature as well as the effort and experiences of people like these four veterans who want to entertain and educate people with the stories they tell through comic books.

image comics soldier stories

Monday, June 7, 2021

ANSWERING YOUR QUESTIONS ABOUT THE NEW GEIGER SERIES


If you're a serious comics fan, you know and love DC's superhero comics series. From 2004's The New Frontier to 1986's The Dark Night Returns, DC artists are famous for delivering great stories and artwork that fans devour. If it's been a while since you started a new series, get ready for Geiger, which is created by experienced DC artists. Here are the answers to your top questions about the comic.

Who Is Behind It?

Geiger is the brainchild of Geoff Johns and Gary Frank. Johns, who is famous for characters such as Stargirl and Amazing-Man, is the series' writer, handling the story and dialogue. Frank, who is known for illustrating Batman: Earth One and Midnight Nation, is the artist. The pair have collaborated in the past, but this is the first Image Comics series they have made with an original universe. They're also joined by Brad Anderson, a colorist who has worked on Action ComicsBatman Allies: Secret Files & Origins, and DC Universe: Legacies, among many other series from DC Comics.

What Is the Plot? 

When the first issue of Geiger opens, Earth has undergone a devastating nuclear war that destroyed the natural environment. While this war did not kill everyone, those who survived must be willing to fight every day to stay alive. With no sense of order or law, the Organ People and Nightcrawlers engage in a rugged and violent quest for survival. However, no matter how violent these outlaws are, no one can match the danger and power of Geiger, who lives alone. Referred to colloquially and fearfully as Joe Glow, Geiger initially appears to be a monster, but his mysterious past holds many secrets.


What Is the Atmosphere?

Johns, Frank, and Anderson are famous for their work on superhero stories, but Geiger has a much darker tone than their earlier pieces. Thanks to its setting after a nuclear apocalypse, the series is distinctly dystopian. Characters such as the Casino Warlords, Dr. Molotov, and the King of Las Vegas are completely new, so all readers are in the dark about the series' origins and future. 

Who Is the Publisher?

Image Comics publishes Geiger, and it sells the series through its website and at a variety of comics stores. The company is owned by comic creators who encourage artists and authors to retain ownership of their work. Seven illustrators worked together to found the company in 1992:

  • Erik Larsen
  • Marc Silvestri
  • Jim Lee
  • Todd McFarlane
  • Jim Valentino
  • Rob Liefeld
  • Whilce Portacio

With impressive credits such as Spider-ManX-Men, and Wolverine, these artists created a highly successful publishing company. It's currently the third biggest publisher of graphic novels and comics in the United States.

What Is the Release Schedule?

New issues of Geiger come out monthly, with the first two issues debuting on April 7, 2021, and May 12, 2021, respectively. There are six issues in the series, which should finish in September 2021.

If you're interested in a comic by top superhero content creators, check out the first few issues of Geiger and get caught up in the dystopian story and gripping artwork. 

Friday, April 16, 2021

SCI FI REIMAGINING OF JULES VERNE NOVEL

Image Comics

Author Jules Verne (1828 - 1905) set the foundation for the action adventures and science fiction stories enjoyed today by writing novels such as Around the World in 80 Days, Journey to the Center of the Earth and Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. He explored technological themes when many of these topics were fantasies rather than the reality we know today. To his credit many of Jules Verne's stories are still amazing to read even though they are more than a hundred years old and I've encouraged my kids to pickup some of his titles when selecting library books to bring home. Captain Nemo isn't just the name of my favorite sub shop, he is an incredible literary figure created by Jules Verne.

Stopping by my local comic book store to look for something new and interesting to read, I discovered LIGHTHOUSE by Image Comics. This comic book is a reimagining of a lesser known Jules Verne novel "The Lighthouse at the End of the World." It takes an adventurous tale set in a time on Earth filled with wooden sailing ships and pirates and retells it with a science fiction twist featuring rocket ships in outer space.

lighthouse comic review

Jules Verne's "Lighthouse" is set in the 1850s in a time before the Panama Canal when rickety sailing ships from Europe and the East Coast of the United States must make a hazardous voyage around South America's Cape Horn to get to the West Coast of America and Asia. To try and make the voyage safer a lighthouse is built along the ocean coast of Argentina to assist passing ships in navigating treacherous waters. A small skeleton crew maintains this lighthouse built at the "End of the World" and is relieved by new staff to maintain the facility via a supply ship which visits every three months.

The story begins with head lighthouse keeper Vasquez along with helpers Moriz and Felipe beginning their shift in this out of the way local. Shortly after the supply ship departs though there is a new arrival at the lighthouse ... Pirates! They plan to utilize the lighthouse to wreck ships instead of guide them. The pirates will then scavenge the wrecks for booty. 

The pirates quickly dispatch Moriz and Felipe but Vasquez escapes into the wilderness surrounding the lighthouse. Vasquez then struggles to stay alive while also circumventing the pirates efforts to utilize the lighthouse to misguide passing ships into crashing their vessels. Can Vasquez hold out until the supply ship arrives with help?

Jules Verne Lighthouse

Image Comics "Lighthouse" takes the plot of the 1850s era Jules Verne novel and sets it in a distant future sci fi setting. This lighthouse is a giant super computer on a space station in a far off corner of the galaxy that assists space ships in navigating transit through wormholes which allow mankind to travel millions of light years in short periods of time. Without this space station to guide ships traveling via wormholes is very tricky and dangerous. The lighthouse though has made traveling throughout outer space almost routine.

At the edge of the galaxy, there is a giant supercomputer known as the Lighthouse. The only brain powerful enough to navigate ships through a sargasso of naturally occurring wormholes, potentially cutting months or even years off a spaceship’s journey. Three humans, one alien, and a nanny bot have manned the remote station for years in relative peace until the arrival of Captain Kongre and his band of cutthroat pirates threatens the future of civilization and reveals that each of the Lighthouse crew has been hiding a shocking secret.

Like in Jules Verne's original story, the small crew maintaining this remote space station finds itself highjacked by pirates. Why try and take over ships when they can just crash them into asteroids and scavenge the wrecks with help from the Lighthouse. This comic book adaption of the Jules Verne "Lighthouse at the End of the World" adds a sci fi twist to the plot and takes the story off in a few different directions from the original novel adding some originality to the inspiration material. 

Geek Daddy

Image Comics' first issue in a 5-part mini series is on comic shop shelves now. Featuring captivating artwork by Brian Haberlin and a fun science fiction spin on a classic adventure tale with this adaption written by David Hine, I'm enjoying reading the first installment of Image Comics Lighthouse which starts off the mini-series with a double-sized issue. I'm geeked to keep reading the rest of the Lighthouse story from Image Comics!

Friday, September 14, 2018

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.


Sunday, April 30, 2017

SURGEON X

Antibiotics have revolutionized medicine over the last century saving millions of lives.  Overuse though is starting to have consequences as more and more bacteria are developing resistance to these drugs.  Image Comics' medical thriller SURGEON X portrays a future where antibiotics are no longer effective creating a deadly impact on society.  SURGEON X is the comic book writing debut of documentary, factual drama and animation filmmaker Sara Kenney (Angels & Ghosts) and features artwork from acclaimed artist John Watkiss who recently passed away last January.

It is the year 2036 and there are great futuristic advancements available in medicine and surgery, yet in this near-future reality what was once a simple treatable infection can now kill because antibiotics are no longer effective.  Rosa Scott, a brilliant and obsessive surgeon becomes Surgeon X, a vigilante doctor who uses experimental surgery and black market drugs to treat patients.  As Surgeon X, Rosa develops a godlike-complex, deciding who will live and who will die.  Risking everything to save lives, Rosa believes that to survive she must follow her own moral code which ultimately warps her Hippocratic Oath to suit her own decisions.  These actions though begin to endanger those closest to her that trying to protect led her down this slippery slope of ethical decisions in the first place.


If you missed the initial monthly issues at your local comic book shop now is your chance to catch up reading the first story arc of this series.  SURGEON X Volume 1: The Path of Most Resistance will be available everywhere books are sold as of May 2, 2017 both in print and digital editions.  The 208 page  graphic novel is a collection of issues #1 - #6 from the comic book.  This is John Watkiss' last published work and the graphic novel also features a gallery of his incredible charcoal development drawings used to set the tone and imagery for SURGEON X.


In addition to the graphic novel, Image Comics has also just published an all-new digital exclusive 10 page comic book called SURGEON X SPECIAL: Trial and Error that is available on Comixology for .99 cents.  This standalone story featuring art by Warren Pleece (Incognegro) set in Bristol, England in 2037 introduces readers to Rosa's cousin Sun Walker.  Rosa decides to help Sun, a chemical scientist with a risky plan that could either kill or cure a loved one.


Publication of Trial and Error was subsidized by the Royal Society of Chemistry.  Join in a FACEBOOK LIVE conversation on Wednesday May 3, 2017 with SURGEON X author Sara Kenney, artist Warren Pleece and chemical scientist Dr. Jess Healy who is serving as a science advisor to the comic book series.  Kenney and Healy will discuss the scientific aspects portrayed in SURGEON X while Pleece will do some live sketching for the audience. The FACEBOOK LIVE event will be for a 1/2 hour beginning at 3pm (British time) and if my calculations are correct that would be 10 am (ET) here in the United States.



For more information about this sci-fi franchise, please visit surgeonx.co.uk

Friday, May 6, 2016

FREE COMIC BOOK DAY 2016

It's become an annual family tradition that we swing by the local comic book store on the first Saturday morning in May to enjoy FREE COMIC BOOK DAY.  This is a special event hosted by comic book retailers and publishers to entice new customers and reward existing ones for their loyalty.  Free Comic Book Day provides a selection of specially printed issues for this event that provide a sample of a publishers work or an interesting one-shot story to promote a particular character or series.  This year there will be 50 free comic books that people can select from and pick up from participating locations on Saturday, May 7, 2016.  A nice aspect of this annual event is that there are always a variety of comics to select from that will be of interest to children, teens and adults so there is something for everyone in the family to pick up and bring home to enjoy.

Comic books catering to children this year include DC Super Hero Girls, the Pink Panther, Strawberry Shortcake, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Pokemon.  Boom Studios always provides a nice comic book for youths to enjoy and this year's Summer Blast 2016, which features original stories of Dave Peterson's Mouse Guard and Jim Henson's Labyrinth, continues their streak of providing quality content on Free Comic Book Day.


Tweens and Teens will want to get their hands on Bongo Comic's Simpsons, IDW Publishing's ROM, Marvel's Avengers and Captain America Free Comic Book Day editions, and Image Comic's Camp Midnight.


Adults stopping by themselves or along with their kids should look out for Bruce Lee: The Dragon Rises, Con Man! Spectrum, Dark Horse Comics' Serenity/Hellboy/Aliens compilation, Doctor Who: Four Doctors, and The Phantom 80th Anniversary Special.  For the ladies in attendance this Mothers Day Weekend, Lady Mechanika and Grump Cat are two titles that have a large female fan base you may want to check out.



Adding an educational aspect to Free Comic Book Day, March provides a historical look at the 1960s civil rights movement from Congressman and Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient John Lewis, the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund provides a social studies lesson about the First Amendment in Defend, and Science Comics contains non-fiction stories that help explain how the world works.



The highlight of Free Comic Book Day is always picking up the special issue published for the event featuring one of my all time favorite super hero characters THE TICK.  He's back again in 2016 with a 32 page full-color comic book featuring a brand new lead story that is being published for the first time in honor of Free Comic Book Day. SPOON!!!



2016 is FREE COMIC BOOK DAY'S 15th Anniversary and will be the fifth year in a row our family will be stopping by our local comic book shop to enjoy some freebies.  To participate yourself, visit FreeComicBookDay.com and use the website's Store Locator to find local participating retailers in proximity to your zip code.  Because of the increasing popularity of the event, you should contact participating locations in advance to confirm their hours, what their rules are (some stores let you take one of every available title while others limit peoples' selections to just 1 or 2 of the Free Comic Book Day publications), and if they are hosting any special events in conjunction with the comic books giveaway (artist signings, character appearances, costume contests, store discounts, etc.) to be prepared. Throw on your favorite sci-fi or super hero t-shirt, grab the kids and have some fun enjoying the comic book genre on Saturday, May 7, 2016.


#FreeComicBookDay #FCB2016

Sunday, March 30, 2014

A New Take on the Story of Noah

FILM MAKER PORTRAYS ORIGINAL VISION 
OF MOTION PICTURE VIA GRAPHIC NOVEL


Ever wonder the image of a film’s story that is in a Director’s head in the early days of production before a script’s been finalized and scenes have been shot?  While the movie NOAH opened this weekend in theaters across the country its Director, Darren Aronofsky, in partnership with IMAGE COMICS (the publishers of The Walking Dead) also released a graphic novel which portrays his original vision of his film based on the first draft of its screenplay.  

Aronofsky known for his artistic flair in movies like ”Black Swan” and “The Wrestler” works with artist Niko Henrichon (who has received acclaim for his work on creating the graphic novel  Pride of Baghdad) to take the biblical story of NOAH from the Book of Genesis and infuse them with elements of science fiction and fantasy.  This isn’t the story of an elderly, white-bearded, Santa Claus looking Noah marching the animals two and two onto his ark that you learned in Sunday school. 

The graphic novel is full of crisp artwork that helps amplify the grimy vibe of the story.  The character’s in the comic aren’t illustrated to portray Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, Hermoine (ooops I meant Emma Watson) and the rest of the actors from the film but rather shows them as Aronofsky was looking to find people to cast for the movie.  This was nice because you weren’t reading the comic book thinking it was just a print version of the movie rather it presented itself as its own story.  Because it is based on a first draft script of the movie some elements of the graphic novel are the same as the film but some things are vastly different.  It is interesting to read this print version and then view the movie looking for the differences.  If you do that, send us an email ( thegeekdaddy [at] yahoo [dot] com ) or leave a post with your thoughts if you liked the first draft script or the final cut of the film better.


I appreciated the visual approach the book took with illustrating Noah’s grandfather, he looks like what I imagine a 900-year-old person would appear, and the fallen angels known as the Watchers are sketched out to fittingly play out their role in the story.  The drawings of the primary bad guy, Tubal-cain and his warriors do a nice job of conveying the debauchery and degeneracy that lead the “Creator” to cleanse the world for a fresh start.


This NOAH portrays its central character as more tormented and turmoiled  than people may be used to as he struggles with whether his family is meant to repopulate the human race or just serving as stewards assisting with allowing the animals to survive in a new world void of mankind.  This really adds as much of a dramatic and dark element to the story as his battles with the Tubal-cain do.  Some readers may find this compelling and intriguing but I’m sure others may find it somewhat despairing and troubling. 


I found NOAH to be an interesting read and give it a positive recommendation.  Just be prepared that this isn’t a “religious” story but rather a “story” taken from a religious source.  That may be a plus for some but I’m sure it will sour the graphic novel, and movie, for others.  If you take this work on its own for itself though, it is a nice piece of drama that I’d encourage you to check out for yourself.

For more information on this graphic novel, visit: http://imagecomics.com/comics/releases/noah-hc 
It was released on March 19, 2014 and is available now at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and local comic book retailers.

DISCLAIMER:  I received a complimentary digital pdf of NOAH from the publisher to review.  I was not mandated to write a positive review to receive the digital copy.  The views and opinions in this post are my own.   

Friday, May 3, 2013

Free Comic Book Day will have special THE WALKING DEAD exclusive comic issue


When it comes to comic books I don’t tend to buy monthly individual issues but rather purchase the graphic novel compilation of story arcs that I want to read.  For example with THE WALKING DEAD I’ve never bought one of the comic’s serial issues, but rather purchased the two compendiums  to enjoy reading all at once rather than wait to follow the story in monthly  installments.  That has worked out well so far because all of the stories thus far have been reprinted in graphic novels bundling together all the monthly issues of the comic. That won’t be the case this month though as IMAGE COMICS is releasing a special issue of THE WALKING DEAD comic book for FREE COMIC BOOK DAY that won’t be reprinted in the graphic novel collections of the series.

The FREE COMIC BOOK DAY issue will include an exclusive short story featuring the character Tyreese – WARNING SPOILER - who was recently introduced to the AMC tv show at about the same point in the comic book timeline that he was killed off.  I think it’s great how the tv show incorporates characters and elements from the comic books yet presents the show in a different perspective so that you can enjoy both mediums together without either necessarily spoiling the suspense  or drama of the other. Tyreese has been a fan favorite of the comic book crowd and from his portrayal on the tv show I believe will become a central character for that series too.  The FREE COMIC BOOK DAY issue should be both an interesting story to read and a nice collectible for THE WALKING DEAD fans.  Additionally, the comic will also feature previously published short stories about Michonne, Morgan and the Governor.  I’ll definitely be picking up a copy of this exclusive issue at the local comic book store on May 4 for myself.

THE WALKING DEAD creator Robert Kirkman provided a nice interview on the FREE COMIC BOOK DAY website about this special issue saying he wanted to “provide fans something cool for free.” CLICK HERE to read the full Robert Kirkman interview about FREE COMIC BOOK DAY.

While FREE COMIC BOOK DAY will have a lot of nice issues to pick up for children, if you haven’t read THE WALKING DEAD or watched the tv show please note this comic is absolutely not for perusing by kids.  Robert Kirkman actually notes in his FREE COMIC BOOK DAY interview that its “a great time for parents to bring their kids out to a comic store as a lot of the books (NOT The Walking Dead) are geared towards younger readers.” CLICK HERE to read my previous blog  post on some of these comic books that will be available geared towards a younger audience.

Not sure where to go to pick up a FREE comic book for FREE COMIC BOOK DAY – just go to the website www.freecomicbookday.com and enter your zip code.  Their easy search feature will provide you with the information on the closest comic book shop(s) participating in the event.