Backstory:

I happened to wander into the mall the other day. Well, not really wander as the Chipotle I’d just had dinner at didn’t have a working bathroom; so I moaned, groaned, and headed to the mall itself. I did wander into a Hot Topic as it’s fun to see how their product selection changes. About seven years ago or so I was heavily into Western occultism/mysticism and also into the Goth scene as well. It’s a huge departure from fishnet shirts and leather pants to almost only geeky graphic tees and jeans, lemme tell ya. Anyway, back then Hot Topic had a much more focused product lineup with the tell-tale, trip pants, cd’s, piercing paraphernalia, etc. In other words, their focus wasn’t so much on a broader cross section of pop culture as it is now. That being said, I rather like the change as it makes shopping there a more fun and varied experience.

Now that you’ve sat through my hideously boring background, let’s get to the meat of the story. As I saunter into the Hot Topic, almost immediately my eye is drawn to the veritable wall of Funko Pop figures. I’ll admit that I’ve seen them before and they never appealed to me but the sheer number and variety of them was impressive. After browsing for a little bit I saw a Magneto one and was instantly intrigued as he’s my favorite Marvel character and has been my whole life (even with his flip flopping personality). I spent at least half an hour walking around, deciding if I really wanted to spend my money on these figures that were, in general, too cutesy for me.

I was offered help at least five times by very friendly employees but I always declined. I finally broke down and decided to get some, the sale being the most compelling reason. Surprisingly, my first choice after Magneto was Ant Man because he looked awesome! There was so much detail invested in the figure plus Hot Topic’s version glows in the dark. After examining the paint jobs on several of them, I settled on one, then repeated the process with Magneto and Earth 2 Batman (how random is that?!).

Gallery

There are definitely a lot of positive aspects of these figures that appealed to me as a first time buyer/outsider. First and foremost was the sheer variety and number of them. There were X-Men, The Walking Dead, Skyrim (Dovahkiin), Breaking Bad, Star Wars, Harry Potter, Attack on Titan, DBZ, Orange is the New Black, and the list goes on and on. If you’ve watched any t.v. in the past few years you’d recognize some of the collectibles.

Conversely, there were a few less appealing aspects as well. I hate to play the male card but, in general, as I mentioned earlier, the majority are just too cute looking to make me want to buy them. Granted, given how serious of a character Magneto this contrast is part of what actually drew me to it. Additionally, a lot of the basic molds and sculpts look the same and the faces are often pretty plain looking and lacking expression. Case in point - Earth 2 Batman should obviously be scowling. Notable exceptions that I can remember now are (the Hulk, Professor X, and Lord Voldemort). This lack of expression and their tendency to not have mouths makes their heads look even bigger. I know, I know, they also function as bobbleheads so this makes sense.

This next point is also something that comes with the territory but the paint jobs can also vary drastically. I don’t know what compelled me to take such a close look at each and every figure, but I noticed some blemishes on the faces and bodies of some; so I passed on them for more consistent, better done paint jobs. This is weird to me ‘cause I don’t even grade comics, paint figures or anything else like that, so there’s nothing obvious that would make me this detail oriented.

Overall though, if you like this kinda thing you have a huge playground to jump into and many sources to turn to in order to satisfy your collector’s craving. Despite my initial misgivings I’m still tempted to back and buy Xavier as his expression on his big, bald head is just hilarious and the Ted one was fitting as well. Plus, what’s wrong with having a few things that can give you an instant smile or laugh. That’s always welcome.

What’s your take on these? Sound off in the comments section and thanks for bearing with me. I’ve not written anything on here in a long time. :)

Here's my review of the Phantom Stranger 17. Check it out and let me know your thoughts. Thanks for reading!

In the interests of more writing practice, I figured I'd review some older (pre 90's) back issues that I have. As an added bonus I get to re-read some old comics which is generally a treat. I have a list that's a work in progress here that I'll be updating with more back issues as I go through the ones I already have and buy new ones. If you all have a preference for which issue you'd like to be reviewed just let me know and said issue(s) will take priority. I've already done three and will keep going more or less randomly unless you all give me some guiding feedback.

For the time being I'd like to restrict these to books I actually have in stock, but it'd be great if I could hunt down issues you all recommend in the future and do those as well. That's a ways off but is something that would be pretty sweet.

Thanks for reading!

1. Retro Review 1
2. Retro Review 2
3. Retro Review 3

Opening remarks:

Prepare for run-ons, randomness, and disjointed thoughts.

Meat and potatoes:

So, given that I've had tons of time off I figured I'd get back into writing, and what could be better than writing comic scripts? Well, doing so for fun, personal progress, and any reason other than a for profit purpose makes it seem like such an endeavor can only end well, right? I don't intend to answer that any time soon, by the way. I figured, why not hone my basically nonexistent craft while I have the time to do so? Done. I started rehashing stuff I wrote from five-ish years ago and what have you, only to discover that I stupidly left a good portion of my already somewhat fleshed out story arcs, character profiles, and issue breakdowns back in Pennsylvania! I was (and still am) so pissed at myself for doing this as I wouldn't have had to "waste" time redoing stuff that was already done. That being said, I've mostly worked on expanding story ideas, character interactions, and individual issue plots, so too much time hasn't been wasted on recovering old ideas.

There aren't too many helpful guides to writing comic scripts out there, at least not as far as my dumbass has been able to find, so I started scouring the bonus sections of those more expensive (read deluxe, limited, or whatever ) collected editions that I did bring over with me for sample scripts. Thankfully I found one in Batman: Year One, several in the three volumes of Y: The Last Man, and even a good bit from Daredevil: The Man Without Fear. I'll also mention Storm Dogs as I take any excuse I can to bring up that series. Daredevil's features both more of a traditional script that I assume most publishers have adopted some form of, as well as that of a short story format that gets reworked into a more manageable script. Since I find it easier to start out in short story format, this one got me more interested, but strangely, it's not as helpful as the more traditional one. Color me confused. A while back, I stumbled upon (found by Google searching) some online script samples and someone from here also helpfully posted the same link. (I'd forgotten about it, hence the helpfulness) Additionally, there are guidelines that can be found on both Darkhorse and Image websites for both writer and artist submissions so I've included those for any who are interested. Phew! Time to break up this huge wall of text.

Advice:

Some helpful advice that I've heard about aspiring writers is to write every day and to write different things. Easier said than done definitely applies here but it makes total sense. Also, don't worry about getting everything perfect the first time- that's what drafts are for. Sadly, I can't remember who said that. Some other advice I saw on ehow was to just grab a random comic, and break it down page by page by analyzing what happens in each panel. It seems legit but I've yet to do it with a whole issue as that seems thoroughly exhausting.

Hilary Goldstein, offers some helpful insight into writing a comic script here. He also recommended DC comics guide to writing which I'll definitely end up grabbing. I bring him up yet again as I recently an invaluable tool from backing his kickstarter for his comic series Golem- a script book which features art layouts in addition to the script so it helps to better illustrate how the gap is bridged between the word and the art.

Closing remarks:

For now, especially that I have the luxury of time on my hands, I'll keep trucking along and doing something that involves writing or learn about writing every day. Thankfully, this also includes reading comics more conscientiously and paying more attention to what happens in each panel, how many on are the page, POV's, and the like. Best of luck to all of you aspiring artists! I wish you all the best as now is an awesome time to be a comic creator/collaborator. Comments, criticisms and advice are always welcome, especially from published authors. :-)

Opening remarks:

None this time. You have been spared.

Meat and potatoes:

By now, I'm sure that all of you awesomely rabid (I mean that in the best possible sense) comic readers have heard of Kickstarter, Indiegogo, and other sites I don't know about, that are used to crowdfund creative projects. My best friend turned me onto Kickstarter in August of last year and my life, financial life in particular, has never been the same since.

Why, you ask? Well, it's mostly because there are so many good looking projects out there I end up backing quite a few of them. Let's not kid ourselves here, I tend to go overboard with them. If you're a subscriber/regular visitor at your lcs, this could pose a potential "conflict of interest." How do you balance keeping up with your pull list and these unknowns? Well, for those of you smarter than me (i.e. everyone), you'd just set aside a small portion of available funds, limit your pledge amount and number of projects you can back, and move along. Not so for this one. I find it hard to withhold support from potentially promising titles, and I do love trying new things. I can't stand people who singularly adhere to a single brand or publisher-they're just missing out on so much other goodness out there. What do you all do? Do you find it easy to turn off the funding urge, can't control it, are independently wealthy so this doesn't apply or has never occurred to you?

Closing remarks:

This doesn't even address other classes of comic readers such as those who mostly buy digital books, wait for trades, etc. Everyone's story/input is welcome. Thank you for reading and sharing.

Opening Remarks:

So, having been jobless for months now, I've had much more time to write so I've decided to jump into it. As of now, this will be the first of three recent blogs I'm posting, even though it should be the third. The reading order should be Kickstarter Conundrum, The Writing Game Part 1, and then The Writing Game Part 2. It's my crazy head so don't ask questions. :-) I may edit this later and add a link to Part 1.

Meat and Potatoes:

Naturally, I've been working on comic scripts and have recently expanded my resources to include screenwriting aids. Unfortunately, the library here has nothing on the one in Pittsburgh that I'm used to so that was depressing, but moving on. One of the first books I started reading is called Screenwriting From The Soul which I found immediately engaging and am enjoying thus far. There was another very short introductory book for youths (Screenwriting a practical guide to pursuing the art) which I got through pretty quickly given its target audience, but it was kind of neat and did what it was supposed to.

One of the few things that I've finally managed to learn is to never narrow your focus too much on one topic because you'll miss out on a number of potentially very helpful information. As I begin a new stretch of this journey I wonder what'll happen. For those of you who are interested (i.e. nobody :-) ) a list of the books I grabbed from the library follows.

1. Emotional Structure: creating the story beneath the plot: a guide for screenwriters by Peter Dunne
2. Top Secrets: Screenwriting by Wolff and Cox
3. Writing the character-centered screenplay by Andrew Horton
4. The Writer's Journey: mythic structure for writers (3rd ed.) by Christopher Vogler

Closing Remarks:

Recommendations and reviews are always welcome.

Dear readers, I am both thrilled and honored to bring you a review of a Kickstarter comic by Ashley Cope. As the title suggests, it’s called Unsounded, and with her somewhat recently ended Kickstarter project she was able to compile the first three chapters of her webcomic into a tpb. The cover alone hints at both the humor and beauty that are found within.

Plot Summary:

We find ourselves with the hilariously mismatched duo of Sette, a young, brash, human girl with the heart of a true rogue, and Duane, a Galit. As far as Sette is concerned, a Galit is a zombie; although Duane disagrees with this. Given that he is skilled in magical arts, quite well-spoken educated, and carries himself with the utmost dignity, I’m inclined to agree. The unlikely partners are on a quest to investigate why Sette’s cousin Stockyard Frummagem, hasn’t been turning in his proper share of tribute to Sette’s father, the “boss-king” of thieves.

Gallery

Reasoning:

Honestly, there’s nothing not to love about this. The story is good, the action is nicely placed, well laid-out, the humor is always spot on, and the serious issues touched on give one thoughtful pause. Much like the pairing of Sette and Duane, the juxtaposition of the never-ending banter between the main characters, and issues such as human trafficking and enslavement (not just that of humans mind you) may seem odd, but they go together very well; however, the fact that Ms. Cope can both skillfully and deftly deal with both lighthearted humor as well as more adult issues speaks volumes to her skill as a writer and storyteller.

As far as the art’s concerned, I literally have no complaints. What immediately struck me was the vibrancy of the colours she uses. Every single page, nay panel, brims with detail, life, and beauty. Facial expressions and outfits stand out and are memorable, and the panel layouts chosen in certain scenes perfectly help convey a sense of action and urgency or even bewilderment and awe. Some of her creations immediately call to mind Princess Mononoke (see below for an example) and it’s clear that Cope has invested a large amount of time, love, discipline, and passion into designing this rich, perplex, and intriguing world.

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Final rating: 5/5. By far, this is my favorite Kickstarter comic and one of my favorite collections. You owe it to yourself, and to Ms. Cope, to check this out. Once again, thank you for taking the time to read this and have a great day! I saved my personal favorite page for last as it really made me see more of The Spectre in Duane.

Intro

Yes, it's going to be that kind of blog, but please bear through it, dear readers. :) My good friend turned me on to kickstarter about two weeks ago and this was a financially fatal mistake for me. I've seen so many good-looking projects with tasty looking awards (didn't know books could look delicious, huh?). Every few days I just keep seeing awesome sounding and eye-catching ideas and I just wanna jump on board. However, just pledging a dollar, the minimum pledge amount, doesn't do it for me. I want to have some decent, physical goodies that I can read, re-read, show off to friends and the staff at the lcs, and file away for posterity. I love the feel of kickstarter-from how you can hear/see the creators' pleas "directly," to the more or less immediate feedback you can get from said creators and other supporters called backers. The project updates, if done in a timely fashion, do a lot to keep momentum and excitement going, and if you include the "word of mouth" that occurs with social media, you've potentially got an unbelievably huge pool of backers. Now that I've gushed about the site, let's explain how it works.

How to

Navigating the site is really easy to do and intuitive but I'll give a rundown all the same for those who are curious. If not, feel free to skip this section. Naturally, you have to create an account, but it's easy and you can even sign in with your facebook one. At the top of the page in blue it says discover and create. This get you started either searching through projects you may want to support, or you can set up your own. We'll just focus on the searching, though. To help make things a little easier to navigate, there are categories on the right of the page that narrow the search. You probably wanna choose "comics," but there's also theater, music, and even photography . Once you find an intriguing looking project, just click and visit the page. Creators often have videos that introduce their projects followed by descriptions of what they're trying to accomplish, what the funding will go towards, and any "stretch" or extra rewards that are given as another token of appreciation for backers support. Creators establish pledge levels which are listed on the right with descriptions of what rewards/goodies are included for that level of financial support. After you pledge, you'll confirm the amount and corresponding reward and you can even manage your pledge if you want to change the amount or even just give it all without getting a reward in return, most generous you. :) After you confirm, you'll be taken to amazon where you'll further confirm your payment method and address, so make sure your amazon account is up to date with accurate address and payment info. That's it! You'll be redirected to a kickstarter page saying "You're a backer of x project," and from there you can-pledge more, post comments, or just browse to your heart's content.

Wrap Up

There have been a number of posts about kickstarter projects and I'll post them later for easier referencing. A lot of big names in the industry such as Gail Simone and Jamal Igle have projects on kickstarter (Igle's was successfully funded already), but there are tons of other ones from "amateur" creators who are taking a chance with the public to make their dreams come true. *Cue the sugar overload and subsequent barf bag* I say all of this because I think these projects are neat, comic based, have good rewards, and worth the support. Although I'm not one for facebooking, skyping, or the like, I feel like this is the way that I can help promote these projects, even if it's only a little bit. Take a look around and maybe you'll see a project or ten you feel like throwing a buck at. The friend of mine who turned me on to kickstarter has backed (i.e funded) several video/card games so there's a lot here to appeal to everyone, I hope. Thank you all so much for bearing through this. Blessed be.

Links

• Gail Simone and Jim Calafiore's project Leaving Megalopolis
• Venezia by Wolf Beaumont
• Endtime: Book 1 by Tim Kenyon
• Nowhere Man by Jerome Crawford
• Blast Furnace by Ryan Rowe (Here's a link to the web comic that this project will be compiling. It's funny and random but I stopped reading as to not ruin the future reading experience.)
• I Draw Comics by Matt Marrocco (G-Man did an interview with Marocco here)
• Human by Gabe Smith and Ryan Merrill (This is one I really want to succeed.)
• Black Lotus Empire #1 by Moneyhorse (no writer's name available but the artists are Carlos Gomez and Neeraj Menon; here's the cv thread )

Dealing with partners who aren’t into comics

Over the past few weeks I’ve been catching up on a small portion of the many comics I missed during my 15 year absence. Scary, I know. My local library has come quite in handy with this as I just check out trades, HCs, Essentials, etc. and have at it. Given that I work at a dormitory that doesn’t have many kids I have a lot of time to read these stories so that’s what I do for most of my shift. Unfortunately, try as I might, I’ve not been able to win my fiancée over. She likes to write rather creepy short stories but can’t get into comics.

This weekend I tried getting her to read Batwoman: Elegy, not only because of the awesome character that Katherine Kane is (traditional alliteration notwithstanding), but also because of the jaw-droppingly gorgeous artwork. Alas, due to her general lack of interest and our wedding planning, she did not. A few months ago when we were collectively less busy, I tried getting her to read Aquaman Vol 7 #6 as I found Mera’s treatment of the groping, scumbag boss to be utterly satisfying but she kept “forgetting.” Perhaps she truly did or maybe it was motivated forgetting. Who knows?

To her credit, whenever I discuss comic things she will both honestly and seriously engage me in conversation, and we do have fairly frequent comic book based discussions. A few days ago I brought up Colossus’ betrayal in UCXM Vol. 1 #304 (remember when getting holographic covers got you really psyched?) for some reason other than the fact that her brother in law is Russian, I think.

The point of all this is to get others’ input as to how they deal or don’t deal with being with a significant other who isn’t into comics the way you are, or at all? This blog was sparked by jloneblackheart's "A Milestone" blog as I've been wondering about this for a while now.

Disclosure: As I've not been creative of late but still wanted to get some perspective on this topic, I re-posted an older blog of mine with appropriate updates

First off, let me say that I love being a subscriber as it is a great way to not only support your local comic shop and the titles you love, but also allows you to connect with other comic book geeks/fans. Social perks aside, there are also the discounts you can get if you subscribe to enough titles. Currently, I'm at 15% off which definitely helps financially (helps me to spend more, that is) but I wonder if that amount will/can go up as my "Master List" now contains 38 titles.

Also, because the majority of titles are ones you can't have access to ahead of time,there may come a moment when you will stumble upon one that really clicks with you. In other words, taking a chance with a subscription can certainly pay off if you find a series you like and expand your comic repertoire. In a forum, some members mentioned that their LCS gave them bags and boards for free, or even bagged and boarded their purchases. This is great.

Case in point #1: The Goon, Journey Into Mystery, Uncanny X-Force

Cons:

On the other hand, what if you take a chance on a title and don't like it? And I just don't mean don't like it, maybe you ''hate'' it. What do you do? Do you cancel it? Surreptitiously slip the book back onto the shelf but quickly grab another title out of guilt (Edit-I've done this twice)? Buy it but rage about it to the online community/friends later?

Case in point #2: Batman: The Dark Knight- I've yet to remove this from my pull but will soon. Even the inclusion of Bane couldn't help this series.

Also, can you unwillingly of course, "go crazy" with subscriptions and end up eating cheap Ramen for a month or two? I haven't reached this point yet, but could (Edit- I've been there a few times this year). The requirements of physical storage also potentially apply to the cons but I'd be particularly interested in hearing about cons (if any) for those who do comics digitally that don't deal with sensory aspects of the reading experience.