MIGHTY Q&A: Caity Lotz Talks Canary’s Turning Point in Wednesday’s ‘Arrow’ Episode, Heir of the Demon - 13th Dimension

No spoilers, but the actress who plays Sara Lance has a lot to say about her character’s future in anticipation of Wednesday night’s major episode of “Arrow.”

Caity Lotz as Canary in “Heir to the Demon” Photo: Cate Cameron/The CW

Last week, we gave you Stephen Amell, this week it’s Caity Lotz, who plays “Arrow’s” version of Black Canary. Tomorrow night’s episode (the last new one for several weeks because of the Olympics) promises a major turning point for the troubled heroine, and Lotz was very candid when talking with our Clay N. Ferno today about Sara’s place in Starling City — and Oliver’s personal life.

But that’s not all! We’ll have a post-mortem with Lotz right after the credits roll on “Heir to the Demon,” so bookmark13thDimension.com and make sure you see what she has to say then. Because you dare not miss it!

Katrina Law as Nyssa al Ghul and Caity Lotz as Canary. Photo: Cate Cameron/The CW

Clay N. Ferno: There’s a lot of buzz that tomorrow night’s episode will have some major developments for the show. Without giving anything specific away, what can viewers expect?

Caity Lotz: They can expect that Sara’s past is going to come back again. This time it is the real depth of it, the emotional core of her past is coming back. She’s going to have to come to a place where she feels like she has no options. I think it’s really about this big, gray area. It’s not figuring out what to do, and how to handle the situation, there’s a lot of emotions with it.

Another part of the episode, which is really cool, is we get some Lance family flashbacks. We get to see a little bit of the story of what their family was like before all the drama and everything that happened, before all the death. You’ll see the lightness that they had, which is a really cool thing to do, we had fun shooting it. It’s a cool thing to watch on screen.

[READ MORE at 13th DIMENSION.com]

MIGHTY Q&A: Tim Gibson Expands Moth City with ‘The Reservoir’

Tim Gibson is back to talk with us about his first Moth City expansion, The Reservoir. While still an amazing use of the digital and tablet comics page, this black-and-white stark Western is as home on the range as it is forward thinking. Meant as an introduction to the Moth City world, this standalone one-shot is coordinated with a ComiXology sale on Wednesday, Feb. 5.

By CLAY N. FERNO

Clay N. Ferno: Tim — thanks for joining us again and giving us a preview of your latest. You’ve returned to the frontier for a prequel to Governor McCaw’s Moth City years. What is different about this McCaw?

Tim Gibson: McCaw has been doing some pretty bad things in the Moth City series, I mean really reprehensible. In ‘The Reservoir’ he is a much younger man on the cusp of great things. Life is looking up — he has a new wife, baby on the way, and he and his brother are venturing into the plains of Texas to make their fortune.

McCaw is a messy and complicated guy, and this one-shot explores what makes a man what he is and looks at the events that create (or possibly just reveal) our darker tendencies.

Besides the landscape and webcomic format used to tell the story, you’ve chosen to keep this black and white, a change from Moth City. The change seems quite deliberate, care to tell us more?

The art is all full-screen — everything is a splash page from a moment of realization to a murder. It gives some real impact, both to the art and the writing. It just seemed a good fit for a Western, those expansive vistas and small figures in large landscapes. In New Zealand, we have our own Western sub-genre — ‘The Man Alone,’ which McCaw is, emotionally.

[READ MORE at 13th DIMENSION]

'DUPPY '78' Writer Casey Seijas Chats Aboard The Cosmic Treadmill at FORCES OF GEEK

This February British publisher Com.X releases a supernatural murder mystery in the midst of the Rastafarian movement in Jamaica, Duppy ‘78.

Ex-Vertigo editor Casey Seijas joins us to talk about Obeahman, reggae music, comics and writing for Com.X.

FOG!: Hi Casey, thanks for joining us today! What exactly is a Duppy Conqueror?

Casey Seijas: In Rastafarian culture, a Duppy is a ghost that can be benevolent, or more often than not, mischievous or even able to inflict bodily harm. A Duppy Conqueror — who’s also called anObeahman — has the ability to control Duppies, so they can defend against them, chase them away or set them upon people.

I come to this era in Jamaica by way of The Clash. Besides the obvious callout to Marley, what’s a good soundtrack for this comic?

Yes! I’ve been waiting for someone to ask me this!

I listened to a ton of old school dancehall, reggae and dub (not that Skrillex nonsense, I’m talking Lee Scratch Perry style here) while researching and writing this.


Here’s the unofficial soundtrack:

Sister Nancy “Bam Bam”

Lee Scratch Perry “Heads of Government”

Smiley Culture “Police Officer”

Bob Marley “Mr. Brown” & “Small Axe”

Ken Boothe “Live Good”

Jimmy Cliff “The Harder They Come”

Alton Ellis “Willow Tree”

Peter Tosh “Stepping Razor”

Ernie Smith “Duppy Gun Man”

Melodians “Rivers of Babylon”

Tron $tyler “Untitled” — this is the song that’s featured in the Duppy ‘78 trailer that went around a few weeks back that my friend made. You can download the full track and more of his music here: https://soundcloud.com/tronstyler

[READ MORE at FORCES OF GEEK]

EARTH PRIME TIME: INTERVIEW: MIKE KADOMIYA OF “LIFE IS POSERS”

Mike Kadomiya, aka Rufio (of War of Words), teams up with our very own Brian Connolly (Nothing Mattress) for a punk rock book release this Thursday at Lorem Ipsum. Rufio joins Earth Prime Time to let us know what we may expect from the event, including the live Q&A from alien expert Chris Pittman! 

DIGBOSTON: Rufio, thanks so much for joining us today! Tell us about your book release at Lorem Ipsum.
Mike Kadomiya: Thanks for having me! The book release party will be this Thursday, January 9th. We are celebrating the release of Life is Posers Volume 2: Aftermath, as well as Brian Connolly’s second book, How Come Nothing Mattress. Admission is FREE and there will be CHEAP BEER! It will be a rare, fun night in Adult Allston (Inman Square).

Life is Posers – MIKE KADOMIYA

DIGBOSTON: Do you expect a bunch of decked out punks there, or can I come as well? Who else is going to be there? Chris Pittman?

The last book release party was a healthy mix of boners, normaloids, punks, punx, hippies, and herberts.

I am anticipating a similar crowd. All with a willingness to laugh at moronic cartoons are welcome! Chris Pittman will be conducting a live interview with Brian and I, followed by an audience Q & A.

DIGBOSTON: When did the online version of Life is Posers start and why?
Life is Posers was born online at the very start of 2011. I believe Nothing Mattress started at almost exactly the same time.

[READ MORE AT DIGBOSTON.COM]

2013 YEAR IN REVIEW: TOP 10 EARTH PRIME TIME INTERVIEWS

Taking a look at last year’s list proves that there are no shortage of favorites here, in fact there were some great columns like my Man of Steel review I didn’t get to include. One thing is for sure, it really was an honor to speak with and hang out with some of my childhood heroes for DigBoston’s Earth Prime Time this year.

1. EARTH PRIME TIME: BABYLON CONFIDENTIAL WITH CLAUDIA CHRISTIAN (PARTS 1and 2)
Babylon 5 Actress Claudia Christian talks JMS, getting Clean and Sober and her tales in Hollywood as a young actress.

2. EARTH PRIME TIME: G.I. JOE #1 WITH FRED VAN LENTE Fred Van Lente talks his run onG.I. Joe – the most important comic book being published today!

3. EARTH PRIME TIME: BOSTON COMIC CON WITH NICK KANIEFF (PARTS 1 and 2)
A major terrorist attack stuns and locks down the City of Boston. Nick and Boston Comic Con proved everything will be OK with a change in date and venue combined with an outpouring of supportfrom creators and fans from across the country.

4. EARTH PRIME TIME: INTERVIEW WITH PETER BAGGE (PARTS 1 and 2)
Peter Bagge of Hate takes on the biography of one of history’s greatest controversial feminists. And I got to grab a burger with the guy.

Robin Hood – Outlaw of 21st Century – Variant by Clay N. Ferno and colors by Stacey B. Rizoli

5. EARTH PRIME TIME: ROBIN HOOD: OUTLAW OF THE 21ST CENTURY WITH MATT DURSIN 
The bandleader of LeaguePodcast, Matt Dursin launches a Kickstarter and gets it funded. ThinkSherlock (BBC) for Robin Hood. His concept predates Sherlock, so “Patent Pending!” Thanks to him!

6. EARTH PRIME TIME: PRIMATES INTERVIEW WITH MARIS WICKS & JIM OTTAVIANI 
Maris Wicks and Jim Ottoviani educate, preen and eat bananas in the jungle with this great First Second book.

7. EARTH PRIME TIME: MOTH CITY INTERVIEW WITH TIM GIBSON 
New Zealander Tim Gibson creates a tablet ready comic that is “genre spanning… an instinctual approach to digital-native comics”.

8. EARTH PRIME TIME: MARA INTERVIEW WITH MING DOYLE 
Mara was one of the most praised mini-series of the year from Image Comics. Local comic superstar Ming Doyle gave us a preview of this strong female sports super hero.

9. EARTH PRIME TIME: MIRIAM KATIN ON ‘LETTING IT GO’ AT BROOKLINE BOOKSMITH 3.19.13 
Miriam was so sweet at Brookline Booksmith, I thought I’d cry. Thanks Miriam! This is a story about New York and visiting the home country as well as relationships with your family. A great book or gift for family this year.

10. EARTH PRIME TIME: NATHAN EDMONDSON OF THE ACTIVITY AND WHERE IS JAKE ELLIS?
Two great spy-fi books covered in this interview from Nathan Edmondson, writer of the upcomingPunisher and Black Widow series for Marvel.

Have a Happy New Year, everyone! Thanks again for checking in with us at EPT!

[READ MORE at DIGBOSTON.COM]

THE MIGHTY Q&A: Ben McCool - 13th Dimension

British comic creator Ben McCool has a string of indie Image Comics books you’d be familiar with from the racks (Pigs, Choker, Memoir) as well as more mainstream titles such as Justice League Unlimited. He also has the honor of being the only comic creator who lives in New York that I’ve done any barhopping with, including a stop at Fenway Park’s Bleacher Bar.

In November, Ben and Valiant Comics released a new type of digital comic combining the best parts of digital native storytelling with 8-bit video games of our youth. I quite literally bought an iPad days later. Here at the Mighty Q &A, Ben tells us about Valiant 8-Bit Adventure: Unity.

Thanks for joining us, Ben! Writing Valiant 8-Bit Adventure, a prelude to Unity, must have been different for you. Did you work with the artist Donovan Santiago on the pacing and animations?

My pleasure, good sir! And for sure, the Valiant 8-bit Adventure was a break from the norm for me. In the best possible sense, though! It’s also the first project I’ve written for Valiant, and it appeared to go down very well with fans.

Donovan Santiago was brilliant to work with — the guy’s skills are off the charts, especially as he’s producing such unique and imaginative art. My script was put together in a format I’d never really used before, mainly due to the “motion” effects that incorporate two, three, sometimes even four different images within a single (oversized) panel. And Donovan was certainly a big help in me figuring that out, along with our top-notch editor, Josh Johns. But once I’d got the hang of it the transition was pretty straightforward, not least because the story was so much fun!

[READ MORE at 13th DIMENSION]

Dan Goldman Discusses 'RED LIGHT PROPERTIES' on The Cosmic Treadmill at FORCES OF GEE

Last week it was announced that IDW Publishing would be printing Dan Goldman’s cult web-comic Red Light Properties.

The weird Floridian paranormal real estate agents will be unleashed in a remastered print edition in January.

Forces of Geek’s Clay N. Ferno put on his fanny pack and asked Dan some questions about the upcoming release and early digital native comics storytelling!

FOG!: Thanks for joining us to talk Red Light Properties, Dan!

Dan Goldman: Well, thank you for having me over, Clay! I promise not to spill my Slurpee on this nice rug. 

IDW is publishing Red Light Properties in January, but the series was started digitally. What’s new about the ‘remastered’ version we’ll see in print? Were the revisions all yours?

Aside from the 20+ pages the world has never seen before, I’ve recolored and re-lettered literally the entire book as well as redrawn many panels, swapped out early 3D modeling work for updated models, clarified some initially sloppy storytelling and tweaked a good deal of the dialogue. Lettering is normally my final pass at my own scripts, so this was, as they say, another chance to get it right.

I worked with editor Joan Hilty as the book came into its final shape, and having her eagle eyes were invaluable as I’ve been deep into RLP for years now, but ultimately all the revisions made were my decisions to make.

[READ MORE AT FORCES OF GEEK]

MIGHTY Q&A: DARICK ROBERTSON AT 13TH DIMENSION

Artist Darick Robertson of Transmetropolitan, The Boys, and Butcher, Baker, Candlestick Maker joins the punk rock Occupy Comics crew at Black Mask Studios for his talking-gun tale in Ballistic. This week also sees the deluxe hardcover release of Happy! from Image Comics, a hard-boiled Christmas story about an imaginary horse friend, written by Grant Morrison. Darick joins us today for the Mighty Q&A.

By CLAY N. FERNO

Clay N. Ferno: Hi Darick! We’re just though with reading Ballistic #3 from you and Adam Egypt Mortimer. As bonus fodder there are some script notes in the back about odd science and weird history. Are you at home working in this hyper-future? Butch and Spider might be related somehow, right?

Darick Robertson: Well, world building is something I’m familiar with, but Spider and Butch wouldn’t really exist together. Transmetropolitan is a future where the world we live in now just kept expanding and expanding, and we built upon and into what exists to maintain an ever-growing population and city life. Butch inhabits a world where it’s utopia by technology. The West as we know it is a crumbled, environmentally destroyed memory and the entire truly surviving civilization is inhabiting a continent born of bio-formed trash and manipulated DNA that rests upon terraformed rock, twice the size of Texas. Where Spider Jerusalem’s Government was ridiculous, it was still a government. Repo City State is run by a cabal of glorified gangsters.

[READ MORE AT 13th DIMENSION]

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MIGHTY Q&A: TIM GIBSON AND MOTH CITY - DEBUT AT 13TH DIMENSION

New Site! New Column! Same Great Comics Coverage!

Really stoked to be writing for these guys! Thanks for checking it out. - Clay

Tim Gibson’s murder mystery Moth City is a genre-spanning digital comic that draws from the Western, Kung Fu, zombies and historical fiction. The slippery ink line work and muted palette is combined with an instinctual approach to digital-native comics creation, made of hundreds of swipes per issue, animating and exposing sections of the page. The New Zealander, whose tale is based in a place similar to 1930s Hong Kong, joins us today to preview his latest issue.

Clay N. Ferno: Hi, Tim. Moth City returns to ComiXology today. When we last spoke in June, you said you wrote this first as a narrative piece. Issue #6 is bringing all of the story lines to a head. Is the pacing on point to end at issue #8?

Tim Gibson: Yes, the story is definitely ramping up. A lot of the characters are reaching breaking point, having already made some decisions that they can’t come back from. The last few pages of Issue #6 imply that the characters are going to be coming back together again. Last time they were in close proximity, a man got his throat cut. This time there’s a heck of a lot more teetering on the edge. Issues 7 and 8 are going to play that out, and not many characters are going to be happy with the result (evil grin).

Going through the issues, almost each added a new twist or an entirely new genre to the book. Can we expect genre exploration in the home stretch?

We’ve had mystery and crime/detective, a bit of thriller, some horror, this issue has some Western tones with the showdown on the roof, so yeah, it’s a nice little gumbo. The story dictates a lot of conflict and drama to wrap it all up so the remaining issues are moving towards all-in action. Which is great because previously we’ve only had moments interspersed here and there.

[READ MORE at 13th DIMENSION.COM]

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KICKSTARTER KORNER: 'Phileas Reid Knows We Are Not Alone' with Scott Fogg

Awoooogah! 

Sound that alarm kids and stop the Word-Presses!  

*Klanging noises *

We’re blowing that Fogg Horn today for our latest Kickstarter Korner to help out our new friend Scott Fogg with his all ages 60’s science family adventure bookeeking toward its campaign goal for December 1st.

Share the story, delight in its majesty, donate what you can but most importantly listen to what Scott has to say about Phileas Reid Knows We Are Not Alone  because he has insights into the future you cannot predict!

Forces of Geek!: Hi Scott! Thanks for joining us for our second Kickstarter Korner. We like to put the focus on some cool comics campaigns that might be ending soon with only a minimal amount of awesome alliteration! First off, tell us who you are and who else is working on Phileas Reid Knows We Are Not Alone? 

Scott Fogg: Thanks so much for having me! I’m Scott Fogg and I’m a writer based out of Chattanooga, Tennessee. Joining me on this project are Marc Thomas, Dean Trippe, and Vito Delsante. 

Have you worked with any of these talented gentlemen before? Vito was the inspiration for our very first Kickstarter Korner! And the art is amazing. We saw the first pages today!

That’s really cool, I didn’t know about that. Sounds like we have a lot in common. Vito is really the one responsible for Phileas Reid existing in this form and medium. We met at Heroes Con and I was telling him about this story I was wrestling with. “I’m having trouble finding my narrative voice,” I said. “I know the story and I know how it looks, but I’m struggling with how to tell this story.”

“You can’t force it,” he said simply. “If it’s a visual story, you need to tell it visually. Make it a comic book.” I had originally thought of this story as a graphic novel but since I can’t draw and don’t have the money to pay an artist, I didn’t think it was possible. I was in the middle of my second draft of Phileas Reid: The Prose Novelwhen Vito assured me, “we can make it happen.”

[READ MORE AT FORCES OF GEEK]

    

EARTH PRIME TIME TIME: GENE LEUN YANG [INTERVIEW]

This Thursday at the Brattle Theatre, Gene Luen Yang discusses Boxers and Saints, his latest two-volume work from First Second Books. Joining him for the discussion is author M.T. Anderson. The two books tell the story of the Boxer Rebellion from the different perspectives of Bao and Four-Girl. Boxers and Saints illustrates how how Eastern and Western spirits can color the experience of those growing up and getting involved in a conflict of different cultures. Gene was kind enough to tell us a bit about the book, Avatar: The Last Airbender, The Green Turtle, and what we can expect on Thursday.

DIGBOSTON: Hi Gene! Thanks for joining us today to talk about Boxers & Saints. Why revisit The Boxer Rebellion in comic book form?
Gene Luen Yang: The Boxer Rebellion is a war fought on Chinese soil just over a hundred years ago, in the year 1900. It was the first global conflict involving both Western and Eastern nations. Many historians believe it to be a harbinger of the World Wars that followed.

It was also the first military conflict in the age of mass media, the first conflict that people all over the world followed through their newspapers.

On one side of the conflict were European and Japanese soldiers, Europeans missionaries, and Chinese Christians. On the other was an army of poor, uneducated young people from the Chinese farmlands. These Boxers, as they came to be known, believed that they could call the Chinese gods down from the heavens by performing a mystical ritual. The gods would possess their bodies and give them superpowers. Given the fact that superheroes have been the dominant genre in American comic books for decades, the Boxer Rebellion and comics are a great fit. To me as a comics fan, the Boxers seemed like a Chinese version of Shazam!

[READ MORE at DIGBOSTON.COM]

Gene Luen Yang

GENE LUEN YANG DISCUSSES BOXERS & SAINTS
IN CONVERSATION WITH M.T. ANDERSON

THURSDAY 11.21.13
BRATTLE THEATRE
40 BRATTLE ST.
CAMBRIDGE
6PM/$5
EVENT PAGE

HARVARD BOOKS: (617) 661-1515
BRATTLE THEATRE: (617) 876-6837
HARVARD BOOKS | LeaguePodcast | BRATTLE THEATRE
TICKETS | FACEBOOK EVENT

    

EARTH PRIME TIME: BOSTON COMIC CON WITH NICK KANIEFF (PART 1)

Boston Comic Con has been rescheduled for this weekend, August 3-4, at The Seaport World Trade Center. Founder Nick Kanieff joins us for a two part interview about the challenges of moving this great independent comic book show and the incredible growth Boston Con has seen since its first years. The Boston comics community was looking forward to the show in April, and now are even more ready to get together this summer as a celebration of comic books and pop culture at the rescheduled date and venue.

DIGBOSTON: Can you tell me how you started running this show?
NICK KANIEFF: We had our first show in 2007. I had been a collector most of my life. I got to a point where I decided to sell my collection. I had some good friends that ran a comic book store, I asked them the best way to liquidate the collection, they suggested a combination of eBay and going to Cons and setting up as a vendor. There is a little show that’s been run here for 15 years. I set up there, was selling my comics and I noticed that it was a small show and the vendors were unhappy. It wasn’t what I remember as a kid. I remember there was an electricity in the air. It was crowded with people, it was colorful. It was a huge trading floor, it was a stock exchange with so much excitement. I started poking around, how come Boston doesn’t have a major comic book convention? No one could give me a good common sense answer to that question.

If I could start a show and bring back the magic, the allure, the electricity that I felt as a kid, then this thing can go through the roof.

I did just that. I started the show in 2007 at the Back Bay Events Center with 900 attendees. Three-four times the amount of the existing show, that had been there for 15 years.

The show has gone from 900 people to last year’s 10,000. We moved from Back Bay Events Center to The Hynes. Unfortunately, the Boston Marathon tragedy happened and we postponed and rescheduled to The Seaport. Our estimated attendance for 2013 is between 12-15,000 people.

It’s just gotten bigger and better and we are now nationally recognized and ranked and a show people come to from all over the country.

We’re putting Boston back on the map as a major city that has a major comic book convention for fans that deserve it. Boston deserves a well-run, big comic book convention. We’ve hopefully given that to them. My goal at the end of the day is to put on the best show that I can. The way I know that I’m successful is if the fans, the vendors, and the artists all walk away saying we had a great time, a lot of fun, we made some money and that was the best show I’ve ever been too.

I just want to make it bigger and bigger and better.

That’s great. I’ve been going since 2009, and each of the Cons keeps getting bigger and bigger — to the benefit of the Con. There was plenty of space, and lots of happy people last year. I have just as good a time at Boston as I do at New York.
That’s the barometer, when a fan like yourself says that, I know we are doing our job right.

[READ MORE at DIGBOSTON.COM]

HEY…PART 2 is HERE!