Triple Shot: CONSTANTINE: THE HELLBLAZER #1, CLARENCE #1 & NEGATIVE SPACE #1 AT FORCES OF GEEK

Triple Shot: CONSTANTINE: THE HELLBLAZER #1, CLARENCE #1 & NEGATIVE SPACE #1

Three new number ones this week for our Triple Shot!

Ming Doyle teams up with James Tynion IV for the DCYou take on Constantine: The Hellblazer, Liz Prince (Tomboy) and artist Evan Palmer (Munchkin) step into the world of Cartoon Network’s newest creation, Clarence and we preview next month’s Negative Space #1 from Ryan K Lindsay.

CONSTANTINE: THE HELLBLAZER #1
WRITER: Ming Doyle, James Tynion IV
ART:  Riley Rossmo
Publication Date: June 10, 2015
Price: $2.99
Publisher: DC Comics
UPC: 76194133011200111
Buy it HERE

 

New creative team Ming Doyle (Mara, The Kitchen)
and James Tynion IV (Talon, Batman Eternal) relaunch Constantine for the #DCYou.

The much beleaguered title and main character has to be an
intimidating one — Constantine has seen many forms, from
a Vertigo comic to a movie starring Keanu Reaves (what?)
and riding the recent wave of comic book television with 2014’s Constantine (RIP).

Getting a handle on the character is no easy task —
Vertigo writers in the past include Garth Ennis, Warren Ellis,
Peter Milligan, Andy Diggle and many more.

Constantine in the DCU is a younger character and Doyle and Tynion
are allowed to play him that way, hopefully to generate a new
audience for Constantine as well as bridge the gap with older readers.

This being a DC Comic and not Vertigo hurts the book in my opinion.

John Constantine should be able to swear and be raunchy.

Issue #1 isn’t a bad go at the old guy, though.
Our demon whisperer shows up naked in a clothing shop covered in blood
and brains. Later in the story, he is drafted by Blythe for a quick shag
and his first ‘mission’ against some demons.

Riley Rossmo has great stylistic choices for his art, including a
landscape splash page cutaway view of the club and by the end of the book gets to draw some cool looking demons.

I’m interested to see where this goes, issue #1 had enough bite to
want me to pick up the next issue. This book doesn’t seem to be
pandering to any fans of any Hellblazer incarnations — that could be a blessing or a curse once the story develops more.

[READ MORE AT FORCES OF GEEK]

Get $1 off your purchase of 3 or more tickets to Jurassic World with promo code: TREX. Offer valid 6/2 - 6/14 11:59 PM PST or While Supplies Last. Terms Apply.

DigBoston and LeaguePodcast Comics Picks of the Week for Wednesday, November 12, 2014

COMICS

Ming Doyle (Mara, FF #400) signs her new book Vertigo book, The Kitchen #1, at New England Comics Harvard Sq. today from 4-7pm. This ’70s gangster story written from a new view. … The penultimate issue of the purple Avenger, Hawkeye #21 finally makes it’s way to the shelves. What will we do without Pizza Dog and The Tracksuit Draculas? This is one of the most memorable runs in comics. … Fred Van Lente has a new series at Dark Horse about past lives and being able to relive them! Resurrectionists #1 stars architect turned thief Jericho Way in grave robbing heist action! Picks this week from LeaguePodcast.com.

Learn how we can increase your sales, develop your brand, and generate interest in your site.

BOSTON COMIC CON 2014: NOTES FROM THE IMAGE COMICS PANEL by David Brooke

[READ MORE AT ADVENTURES IN POOR TASTE]

Honored to moderate this one!

DigBoston and LeaguePodcast Comic Book Picks of the Week for December 4, 2013

 


COMICS

Get ready for a new chapter in Jack Boniface’s afterlife as Peter Milligan (Shade the Changing Man, Justice League Dark) takes over Shadowman at Issue #13. Looking to rid himself of the Shadowman Loa, he seeks the ‘Punk Mambo’ in a swamp. But the loa is not easy to get rid of. Points for the Babaloo (JP’s punk mambo band) reference! … Quantum and Woody #6 puts the boys on a suicide mission. Art by DigBoston pal Ming Doyle! … Glen Brunswick’s Reality Check comes to a close this week with Issue #4 - what happens when you superhero comes to life an asks for advice! Picks from LeaguePodcast.com!

DailyDig - @DigBoston

Facebook

Twitter

digboston.com

Google Plus

ADS:

NYCC - VALIANT COMICS Panel Report

Convention Report by Clay N Ferno

Valiant Comics remains committed to their rabid fans with a series of announcements tied to top industry talent and is expanding on the current Valiant Universe with new titles and crossovers in 2014.

Valiant Comics Director of Marketing Hunter Gorinson introduced an impressive series of panelists including Greg Pak, Fred Van Lente, Matt Kindt, Clayton Henry, Dinesh Shamdasani, Alejandro Arbona, ChrisCross and more at the Must Read Valiant panel on Saturday.

The panel starts off with the reveal to the pre-con teaser about the return of “The (Original) World’s Worst Supehero Team”.

The lead off announcement is that series creators Christopher Priest and M.D. Bright are returning to Quantum and Woody for a limited series set in the original Valiant Universe. No plans on expanding on the original universe beyond this series, we’re told, this is a special exception to reunite the team.

Starting in issue #5, fan favorite Mara artist Ming Doyle joins James Asmus on the current Quantum and Woodytitle, introducing the goat! 

Costumes

80sTees.com, Inc.

EARTH PRIME TIME: THE WATCHER’S LOOK AT BOSTON COMIC CON

This past weekend, citizens of Earth Prime finally got their Boston Comic Con at The Seaport World Trade Center. After much anticipation, the show was a glaring success for the fans, promoters, organizers and vendors. I am Uatu, The Watcher. I have taken an oath to aid humanity and monitor key points in human history without interfering. Here just some of the events happening at Boston on Saturday and Sunday, for us Watchers to study.

Boston Comic Con is angling to be a major independent comic book show in the country, and even after a reschedule and change of venue, founder Nick Kanieff has his target on being the number #3 show in the country behind touchstone San Diego Comic Con and New York Comic Con. If what I have seen from this past weekend is any indication, they may just make it. From the long entry lines, to the elaborate cosplay, to the amazing panel artists and guests the Beantown nerd and geek culture crowd uproariously rejoiced, seemingly forgetting about the unfortunate events of the Marathon Bombings in April that caused the show to move.

Observe! Boston Comic Con Fans Fanning Out on Fan Pier

As The Watcher, I’ve seen some things. but never have I seen a line for tickets in Boston for something other than October baseball.

Nick Kanieff’s initial attendance prediction of 12,000—15,000 people was exceeded, and with a venue three times the size of The Hynes, one wonders if this is the best spot for the convention in 2014.

But I am just an observer, sworn not in interfere with my cosmic juju.

[READ MORE at DIGBOSTON.COM]

DigBoston and LeaguePodcast Comic Book Picks of the Week for July 17, 2013

COMICS

What’s that around the corner? Boston Comic Con August 3-4! All Ages Comic Panel artist Shelli Paroline Lamb will be there to sign copies of the TOTALLY MATH Adventure Time #18. … Ming Doyle and Brian Wood’s Mara comes to a conclusion as her powers fully manifest themselves in Mara #6. … Boom! Studios is making news by offering work from industry giants. This week we see the debut of Day Men #1 from Brian Stelfreeze and Matt Gagnon. Human servants of the mighty vampire masters face the day with a cup of coffee to do the bidding of the undead! … Picks this week from LeaguePodcast.com.

Pass the Daily Dig along! Your friends can sign up here!

Triple Shot: THE X-FILES #1, HARBINGER #13, MARA #5 (of 6) at FORCES OF GEEK

We’ve got a peek inside the military industrial complex this week at Triple Shot.

Mara and Harbinger books both show the importance of a best laid plan while we marvel at the return of X-Files: Season 10 and a Pentagon break-in that could doom Mulder and Scully.

THE X-FILES #1
WRITER: Joe Harris
ART: Michael Walsh
COLOR: Jordie Bellaire
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Chris Carter
Publication Date: June 19, 2013
Price: $3.99
Publisher: IDW Publishing
UPC: 82771400475500111
Buy it HERE


What better way to revisit the X-Files than in comic book form?

Do you want to believe in good comics?

IDW has teamed up with Executive Producer Chris Carter to tell new tales of Mulder and Scully set in the present day.

FBI Deputy Director Skinner pays a visit to the home of Mr. and Dr. Blake—the pseudonyms of Mulder and Scully in the Witness Protection Program or new identities formed after they were last seen in X-Files: I Want to Believe. 

Skinner warns the couple that FBI archives and personnel have been compromised, including the X-Files. Scully is concerned about the safety of her son, William, who was put up for adoption in case his records were also compromised. 

Mulder, struggling to work on his memoir gets a call from Skinner’s hotel room, eking out that he is in danger there. Mulder heads to rescue him, leaving Scully vulnerable to a similar attack by hooded mystery men and women. With Scully away from the boys will she also get to make a plea for help, or will she succumb to the attack by the young girl patient she was treating earlier?

This book captures the voice of the show and the actors and is setting us up for a great mystery. Are the people who adopted Scully’s son William responsible for the attacks? Michael Walsh’s art reminds us of Chris Samnee or the work Antonio Fuso is doing on G.I. Joe: Cobra Files, a simplified but sophisticated line with good storytelling.

This book is highly recommended for fans of the show!

HARBINGER #13
WRITER: Joshua Dysart
ART: Khari Evans & Trevor Hairsine
Publication Date: June 19, 2013
Price: $3.99
Publisher: Valiant Comics
UPC: 85899200304801321
Buy it HERE


The Harbinger Wars continue in this, the first crossover event for the new Valiant Universe.

Psiot Peter Stanchek leads fellow teenage super powered kids in the fight against master Toyo Harada, head of The Harbinger foundation.

This issue leads the fight to Vegas for big action, as well as a trip down Harada’s past to his first Harbinger War in 1969 at Project Rising Spirit R & D Headquarters in flashbacks.

Peter and his crew lay a well thought out plan to attacking the oncoming Bloodshot and rescue the kids under Bloodshot’s watch. What they don’t plan on is that the kids aren’t exactly looking to be rescued and that Bloodshot is way more powerful than they can imagine. The man/machine has more firepower than the five Harbingers combined, they barely slow him down.

This Harbinger Wars tie-in was action packed and we get to see how all of these teams and powered beings deal interact with each other in the Valiant Universe. While not a fan of huge crossovers in the Big Two books, the clarity of focus for these stories in a much smaller universe makes for compelling storytelling.

MARA #5 (of 6)
WRITER: Brian Wood
ARTIST: Ming Doyle 
COLOR: Jordie Bellaire
Publication Date: June 19, 2013
Price: $2.99
Publisher: Image Comics
Buy it HERE


Mara Prince is the ultimate sports hero, or rather was until her secret superpowers started to manifest themselves in front of a global audience.

She has since rejected moves made on her by the military to be the ultimate weapon.

In the penultimate issue of this acclaimed mini-series the stakes are higher.


The military has her brother detained for the crime of being her brother and is tested with violence to see if he can withstand the same punishment that is superpowered sister can (he cannot, he has not manifested any powers). 

What we see here in this issue is an increasingly used psychological theme in comics with a nigh-invulnerable lead character (powers like Superman for example). Seen in The Mighty(Tomasi/Samnee/Snejbjerg) and Irredemable (Waid/Krause/Barreto) are tales of heroes being callous with their powers or more simply turning from good to bad. It is hinted that Mara’s story could end similarly or that we will be surprised at Mara’s actions in the conclusion of the story.

Wood and Doyle have created a strong female lead here not typical of the genre and we look forward to the end of this story to be able to recommend the trade to our friends. There is no doubt that no matter what the outcome of issue 5 will be, this story will sell well in trade on art alone.

[READ MORE at FORCES OF GEEK]

EARTH PRIME TIME: MARA INTERVIEW WITH MING DOYLE

Ming Doyle is a Boston-based illustrator and comic book artist whose amazing Mara is now on sale from Image Comics (Issue #2 out today!). Writer Brian Wood (DMZ, Northlanders, Wolverine and the X-Men, Star Wars) pens the tale of a superstar athlete, Mara Prince, and the manifestations of her superpowers to the public eye. Ming is here with us to talk about Mara and her start in comics, that includes milestone contributions to Womanthology, Jonathan Hickman’s Fantastic Four #600, and Marvel’s 2010 Girl Comics.

DIGBOSTON: Thanks for joining us to talk today, Ming. Boston has a great community of comic book artists and writers. Congratulations on the success of Mara. Issue #2 is out today. How has the reaction been to your work on this title since issue one came out last month?

MING DOYLE: Thanks so much, and I do agree that the Boston area is lucky enough to be home to a lot of talented people in the comic industry. It’s kind of a fun hidden perk for nerds in the know to discover whenever they go to local events like Comicazi’s Drink ‘n’ Draw or the Boston Comics Roundtable meetings, not to mention shows like MICE (the Massachusetts Independent Comics Expo) and Boston Comic Con.

Overall, I think reaction to the story’s been positive! It’s my first miniseries and largest project in mainstream comics so far, but the story is only just beginning so there’s still lots to learn before it wraps up in issue #6.

[READ MORE at DIGBOSTON.COM]

DigBoston and LeaguePodcast Comic Book Picks of the Week for January 30, 2013

 



COMICS

Ming Doyle (Womanthology, FF# 600) and Brian Wood (Star Wars, DMZ) have teamed up for the story of Mara Prince-a super athlete in the future in a society where the only heroes are sports heroes. Issue #2 of the Image series is out today, and so is our interview with Ming about the book at EARTH PRIME TIME: MARA INTERVIEW WITH MING DOYLE. There wouldn’t be DailyDig Comic picks if it were not for Larry Hama’s G.I.Joe #21, The Silent Issue (1984). IDW caps off their run with Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow #21 by Chuck Dixon and Cobra Commander artist Robert Atkins. Both creators were mum about the issue for after interview requests, so quietly pick this one up! … Classic Eisner Award winning Silver Surfer tale Parable is reprinted this week, written by Stan “The Man” Lee and drawn by the late great Mœbius featuring an alternate Norrin Radd facing a ravenous Galactus … Picks this week from LeaguePodcast.com.

Pass the Daily Dig along! Your friends can sign up here!

DigBoston and LeaguePodcast Comic Book Picks of the Week for September 19, 2012

COMICS

Kelly Sue DeConnick and Phil Noto revive spectral heroine Ghost from Dark Horse in Ghost #0. A device used on the TV show Phantom Finders reveals the spirit of Resurrection Mary. Kelly spent some time with real g-g-g-ghost investigators to get a feel for the story set in Chicago. … John Byrne surprises us every year by revisiting old characters, reinventing licensed properties and drawing the heck out of every page. We missed these three classic Romulan trek tales in our EARTH PRIME TIME: STAR TREK COMICS AT IDW so be sure to check out Star Trek Romulan Treasury Edition. … Kickstarter success story Womanthology; Massive All Female Comic Anthology! takes us bang zoom to the moon. Womanthology Space #1 goes lunar and features our good friend Ming Doyle! … Picks this week from LeaguePodcast.com.

Pass the Daily Dig along! Your friends can sign up here!