Talkshoe Podcast with Dan Burke

Comics Cafe. Making comics.
Listen to the APE report podcast for early reports of my (Allen Freeman) going to San Francisco and this huge small press comic show.

Then listen to all of the other great podcasts by Dan!

Things Undone - Shane White (NBM Publishing)

Things Undone was one of my best finds at APE this year. Yes, my first time to be at this show in San Francisco. Lots and lots of books to look at and this was my favorite, so that says one heck of alot! I must admit that I only found the book because Shane White the artist, writer, genius showed it to me at his booth, and I was at his booth because he and I go way back when we both worked at the gaming company his character in this book works at. Don't for a minute think that my opinon of this book was swayed due to the fact that I know Shane, and know he is a comic mastermind and artist extrodinare. No, I liked the book the minute I flipped through it. First of all it is mostly based on Shane's life and I love true stories. It is also about 20 percent fantasy (The zombie parts.) and I feel that this just brought his story to a more interesting avenue. I can't say enough for the art in this book. The way Shane can grab you and carry you along from panel to panel is masterful. His unique use of orange to shade the black and white line art is fantastic. But just because the art is very, very good, don't be fooled. The story is amazing. It takes you into the characters life and you "feel" for him. Let's just say things are not going well for this poor guy. I can't say enough great things about this book. You simply need to go to this link: http://www.nbmpub.com/comicslit/white/whitehome.html buy the book today....and see for yourself.

I also shot a video interview with Shane and will post a link to this YouTube video once I've edited it and posted it there. Yes, Shane likes orange.

5 out of 5 stars!!!!! Read an interview with Shane White, see more about this book, with some comic pages here: http://www.newsarama.com/comics/070907-ThingsUndone.html And while you are at it, visit Shane's web site here: http://www.shanewhite.com/index.htm

Captain Cure #1-Alternate Reality Comics-Ty Wakefiled

Captain Cure #1 is a $3, full size, color comic by Alternate Reality Comics. 22 pages, slick covers and with a slick poster bound in. Ty Walkefiled seems to be the artist and colorist and letterer and writer. I see a name at the bottom of the poster Ty Douglass. Anyway, the art is very good, the coloring appears to be done with markers and is a bit rough. The lettering is also rough and sometimes doesn't fit in the balloons. But ignore all that. The story pulls you along starting out realistically then taking you into a superhero world with Captain Cure fighting Cancer, a Villian-monster with his evil cell cronies. The intro, and the article in the back about Lance Armsrong's Foundation to help people that are fighting cancer is a nice touch. This is a great idea and I can see a following for this. It's all for a great cause. Ty was diagnosed in March of 2007 with bone cancer and continues to fight in his home town of Lewiston, Idaho and is the co-founder of Reality Comics. (3 out of 5 stars)

Get your copy at: http://www.captaincure.net/

3-D Pete's STAR BABE INVASION SPECIAL!

I liked Mike Fisher's flyer so much I have it above. Just click on it for all the funny, insightful info about his cool comic digest: 3-D Pete's Star Babe Invasion Special! 12 pages, black and white digest, with color covers and color centerspread!

I was waiting for my wife to get her hair done. It was to take one hour. After about 90 minutes of waiting, with the last 30 minutes in the car, I grabbed the mail that I'd not opened yet. To my surprise and happiness here was a review copy of 3-D Pete's STAR BABE INVASION Special. It looks like Mike Fisher did all this himself. Impressive. The articles and comics: "Devil Girl From Mars 1954", Classic Sex Symbol- Raquel Welch", "Two of the Best Places (to find Star Babes)", "How Well Will You Do ? (Great Galactic Matrix of Star Babeness Quiz)", "Gort, The Planet Dstroyer- Interview" and A FULL COLOR CENTER SPREAD!

Wow, I was having a blast reading all this. Great art of Roquel Welch, the "Devil Girl" strip, more great Star Babe art than you can shake a ray-gun at! Plus such learn about the girls of Lost in Space and Star Trek...whew.....I'm all sweaty just looking this over again....I need a cold shower and it's not even the end of the month yet.

Photos, articles, comics, and good girl art......pant, gasp.....just order it now before I have a heart attack!

(6 stars out of 5) How? I don't even know.

Here comes my wife. Just got the book finished. Stashed it under the car seat. This one's a keeper.

Contact Mike Fisher at: www.goofaman.com and fivefish@satx.rr.com

$5 gets the book and pays the shipping and keeps Mike off your back.....just do it. (Make Checks/Money Orders out to Mike Fisher) Send it to:
Star Babe Invasion, 510 Enchanted Way, San Antonio, TX 78260 (Or whatever is on that flyer up above. You did click on it, right?)

City of Fever- Mad Ink inc.

City of Fever by Mad Ink Inc.

Written and Edited by Kalean Spigel. Penciled and Inked by: Rodolfo Maximiliano Buscaglia. Colored by Vanu Adieuka. Lettered by Jason Arthur. Front and Inside cover by Greag Folender.

I've only seen a few pages of City of Fever, but it looks fantastic! I can't wait to see the full comic. Penciler and Inker Rodolfo was nice enough to send me some advance pages and the intro pages. This should be a huge hit! I'll post more when I've seen the full book, but from what I've seen so far you should go to: http:www.madinkpress.com/products.html and order this book!

Mini-Comics Box Set-Tempo Lush-Richy K. Chandler

Ten Mini-Comics, One Box, In the Shape of a Bear!

I go to the mailbox and inside find a nice little box. Upon opening it I find another box. But this box is like no other. It's a bear box! Full of mini-comics! Wow! Color mini comics for the most part and all are lovely and so different from each other! Lucy the Octopus: A very high production color strip on high quaility paper no less. Funny stories, well drawn!

Get your Bear Box from Tempo Lush today. All the work is by Rocky K. Chandler (my new alternative press hero!).

Make sure you check out his work here: http://www.myspace.com/tempolush

Find out how to get his comics shipped to you from over the pond (London) to the US, or wherever you may be. You'll get a laugh! A belly full of laughs and a conversation piece on your bookshelf. A bear box? Yes, a bear box full of comics! No where else but Tempo Lush.

---5 Stars out of 5--- no lie.

NORTH WIND #1

EXCLUSIVE: The release of the first issue of NORTH WIND, complete and free for download! Category: Art and Photography
Hey gang! This is a very cool, very historic first for MySpace Comic Books, and a great way to celebrate the new year! In partnership with our excellent friends at BOOM! Studios, we are releasing a comic book series online at the same time as it is released in comic book stores. You read that right: you can download the complete issues of NORTH WIND for FREE on the same day they hit the stands! Today, we are proud to release NORTH WIND 01. You can read the pages online below, or download the complete issue to your hard drive to read at your leisure with your favorite comic book reader. The choice is yours!In the coming weeks we will be releasing subsequent issues as they arrive at your local store. If you like what you read, be sure to support NORTH WIND by picking it up at your local comic book store! Call 1-888-COMIC BOOK to find the shop nearest you!A huge thank you goes out to BOOM! Studios for taking the leap into the wild world of digital distribution with us. Enjoy NORTH WIND 01 and come back next month for issue 02!

Go to the BLOG and see the comic or hit the download button:
HERE.

Free Magazine E-Books!! RKYV #24 released.

Check this link: HERE for a look at 24 issues of RKYV a free e-fanzine with articles, news, music reviews, and interesting stuff that is mostly art, and comics related. Check them out.

They are put out by Randy Pere, a guy I met at SPACE this year.

SPACE is the PLACE in 2009

This is just 1/3rd of what I picked up at SPACE:

My reivew of the fantastic world of Small Press at the 2009 S.P.A.C.E. show is finally ready! (Small Press and Alternative Comics Expo.) Check it out here: http://slambangcomicsnews.blogspot.com/

I had a blast at the show as usual. Got to see some folks I'd not seen in over 20 years, like Jim Main.

I'll be reviewing the books I picked up at this show right here in the near future. Stay tuned.

Freak Cave and The Mesh by Michael Neno

Some groovy free web comics by Michael Neno, check these out:

Freak Cave: http://www.nenoworld.com/Freak_Cave_Enter.html

The Mesh: http://www.nenoworld.com/TheMeshEnter.html

Young American Comics---Going Out of Business Sale.

Dear Fans and Friends of Young American Comics,

A lot has happened in the last couple of years. One piece of great news is that our son, Jonah was born in late March of 2008. He is a complete joy and we are eagerly looking forward to seeing his first crayon scrawls on paper.

As you of course already know, many people in this country have struggled with the economy over the last few years. Small businesses have been especially at risk, and YAC was no exception.

The rising costs of gas and air travel hit us hard, making it increasingly difficult to travel to conventions. When the airlines decided to start charging for luggage, it was the final nail in the coffin. If we could no longer travel to conventions, we were losing a large part of our sales and promotion.

Comic shops across the country have also been hurting, of course, and that directly translates to them buying less. In general, most comic shops don’t carry a lot of independent books (and minicomics even less so), so our sales to shops dwindled to nearly nothing.

And of course, you the fans have had less money in your own pockets as well. We would much rather you spend your money on food and rent than comics, though, so no hurt feelings. :)

What you may not know is that YAC was always funded out of our own pockets. We didn’t pay ourselves a paycheck and often took a loss, especially on minis and group projects. When we found out we were pregnant, we knew that we needed to adjust some priorities: it was foolish of us to continue to invest in what seemed like an already sinking ship.

We dragged our feet for quite some time, like a long-term relationship going sour. We were hesitant to quit on YAC, but had no capital to work with, and were beginning to feel burnt out of comics in general. We decided to use the New Year to “officially” go out of business.

Visit the YAC Store for our Going Out of Business Sale!
http://www.youngamericancomics.com/new_store/catalog/


All of our leftover stock has been drastically reduced in our store: All trades are $5, all minis are $0.50 and all T-shirts are $5. Get them now, because when they’re gone they’re gone. Nothing will be reprinted. We’re also offering free shipping (to the US, via media mail) for all orders over $20.* This sale is good for one week, until Monday, January 19, and at that time, the YAC store will be closed for good.

* please note that you will be charged shipping for your order as you check out. We will refund your shipping costs.

We also would like to take this opportunity to thank you all. Our years running Young American Comics were ones we will always look back fondly on. Thank you for all of your endless support. Thank you to everyone who visited us at a convention, purchased something from the store, told a friend about us, or submitted something to a group project. It’s a cliché but true to say we absolutely could not have done it without you.

Here are updates on a few of our projects:

Snakepit:
Ben Snakepit is a force to be reckoned with. We’re so glad that we helped Ben get his book out to people over the years, but he simply out grew us. We simply could not keep up with the demand or schedule for his quarterlies. Ben is now working with our friends at Microcosm Publishing. He will no longer be putting together quarterlies, but instead yearly anthologies.

The Mighty Offenders:
We’re very sad to see the Mighty Offenders be placed on permanent hiatus, but couldn’t be happier to let you know the cause for that hiatus: artist Joey Mason is now living in Los Angeles and working on The Spectacular Spider-Man (Saturday mornings on The CW.) The first season is currently running in reruns and the second season premiers in March 2009.

Group Projects:
We received a lot of fantastic submissions for What’s In The Box, but unfortunately, not enough to publish a new trade. On the same note, we received several submissions for Lost Lunches & Crash! Boom! Bang!, but were unable to find the capital to print them. Those of you who put hard work into your submissions, we hope that you enjoyed the exercise and apologize that we weren’t able to follow through.

If you put together a comic for one or more of these group projects, we encourage you to post or publish it and share it with the world. We loved so many of your entries and regret that we weren’t able to put them out for you.

52 Comic Challenges:
We may pick up this idea and dust it off in the future, but have no concrete plans in place.

We've always relied on you to spread the word: about our books, our projects, about indie comics in general. And now we ask you one final time: if you know of anyone else who would like to take advantage of this sale, please point them to the site. If you know any shops or distros who would like copies of Snakepit Quarterly or the BIZMAR Trade in bulk, let me know by email (coreymarie@gmail.com) and we can work out further discounts.

One more time, let us say thank you to all of you for your continued support over the years. To our fans, we hope that you’ll continue to support independent comics. To our contributors, we hope that you’ll find even more new and innovative ways to bring creativity and fresh ideas to comics.


Sincerely,
Tod and Corey Marie Parkhill
Young American Comics

Business and Production of Comic Books....

If you're interested, I've been collecting articles about the business and production of comic books at http://www.comicartistsdirect.com, plus a blog about my acceptance to Diamond and my Xeric grant this year. Also, artists Bill Bryan ("Dark Oz"), Scott Rosema ("August"), Anthony Cacioppo ("The Indestructible Man") and James Lyle ("St. Germaine") keep their home pages there.

"Aazurn Preview," a free download, is at
http://literatemachine.com/product/garyscottbeatty/aazurn-preview-1

Peace,
- Gary Scott Beatty

The new(ish) Plastic Farm dot com

The new(ish) Plastic Farm dot com

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http://www.plasticfarm.com

Did you know that you can now read the ENTIRE Plastic Farm saga for free online?

Did you know that beginning on New Years Day 2009 you will be able to read ALL NEW Plastic Farm comics three times a week?

You didn't? Well, that's probably because I suck at sending out news.

Anyway, it's all true. Free Plastic Farm online at the all new http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http://www.plasticfarm.com

Check it out.

Steve Keeter Talks Small Press

There's another world of comics out there-- check out the small press comics network, it's really amazing!

Mentioned:

CHASE!-- published by Jim Main

MONSTER WORLD-- published by Sam Gafford

COMET TALES-- published by Jim Pack

TALES OF FANTASY-- published by Larry Johnson

The classic comics of today are YouComics, alternative press comics with no restraints, no rules, no company line to follow... just pure enthusiasm and inspiration!

Candy or Medicine Volume Five

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 21, 2008

Mini-Comic Anthology Brings Sexy Gimmick Back


Coming straight out of left field like a Tampa Bay Ray, Candy or Medicine Volume Five harks back to the Golden Age of comics. You might remember KISS #1 from 1977, in which the band members’ blood was mixed in with red ink used to print the comic. Or for you youngins, Malibu Comics’ Protectors #5 with the first, and thankfully only, forcebeam hole. And those of you who prefer an indie flavor and had your ear to the ground in ’93 might remember Adhesive Comics’ JAB #3, with an actual .22-caliber bullet hole shot right through the middle of the comic.
Not the Golden Age you had in mind? Well have no fear, daredevils, because Candy or Medicine is breaking ground with its first ever gimmick cover, courtesy of Johnson & Johnson. Get your mind out of the gutter, cheeky monkey; it’s not K-Y Jelly. The fifth volume of this quarterly mini-comic anthology sports a Band-Aid right smack on the cover. And not one of those regular Band-Aids, mind you, but a little square one that’s for…. um warts or something, I don’t know.
For those of you who don’t judge a book by its cover, and you should in this case because Cayetano Valenzuela continues to showcase his amazing illustration abilities, Candy or Medicine Volume Five features sixteen pages of quarter-sized mini-comic action including a 10-minute comic by Daniel J. Olson, a Craigslist “Missed Connection” by Ed Choy Moorman, a maze (yes, a maze!) by British artist Steve Rack, three of Ogner Stump’s “One Thousand Sorrows” by Andrew Goldfarb, a spider’s tale courtesy of Rob Moses, New Zealander Sarah Orchard’s presentation of a missed conversation and Maggie Morrill getting down with the sickness, cough cough.
All this and more (actually just this) can be yours for the absurdly low price of $1, plus 50 cents shipping. Trades are welcome. To order, visit http://www.candyormedicine.com/ and visit http://candyormedicine.blogspot.com/ for the latest updates about Candy or Medicine and its wonderful cast of contributors. Candy or Medicine is always looking for contributors, so contact info@candyormedicine.com if interested.

If They Did It! -----JIM SIERGEY and GREG SIMETZ

Click here to go to the site and order this new book.

and check this out: www.jimsiergey.com

BLINK: FYI IDK

BLINK: FYI, IDK by Max Ink. This 16 page mini (counting covers) on light tan paper is a pleasure to read and view. Max has a great story telling style and his art is really great. Oh, and it's free!

Note: This issue of Blink takes place in the real-life, Luck Brothers' Coffee House in Grandview Heights, Ohio.

This is a great way to get into Max's characters and he has lots more books you have to get!

Enjoy life, read BLINK. (5 out of 5 stars) http://www.onwardstudio.com/

Monster World mini comic series by Sam Gafford

Monster World. An 8 page black and white mini comic series by Sam Gafford.

In a world where monsters are real. Vampires, werewolves, zombies, creatures of all shapes and sizes stalk the night. The only thing that stands against the monsters is the government agency, S.T.A.K.E. But will they be enough?

This is a action packed little comic with some good art. The panels seem crowed but the art does get better as it goes along. Try it! (Two Stars -with potential.)

The books have $1 on the covers.

Write to: Sam Gafford @ Gafford Productions @ Box 806, Bristol, RI 02809

JFH: Justice-For-Hire

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DATE: August 21, 2008
“JFH: Justice-For-Hire” Comic Book Action Choreographer
Fights in Beijing Olympics Trial Sport

The mixed martial arts sport of San Shou - which combines American Boxing,
Chinese Kickboxing, and Mongolian Wrestling – has struggled for years to gain
mainstream acceptance despite a large international following and the long-time support
of MMA fighting icons such as Cung Le. Now, the sport has been given its greatest
opportunity for exposure yet – the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Although not
officially a part of the Olympic games, China, as the hosting country, has chosen San
Shou as the official trial sport with hopes of it being formally initiated into the Olympics.
After fighting on the US San Shou Team for his fourth consecutive term,
Maximillion C. J. Chen – Max Chen for short – one of the top San Shou competitors in
the US and son of the living treasure of China, Tai Chi Chuan master William C. C.
Chen, earned one of two spots to represent the United States in this historic international
event. The first of Max’s bouts begin today.

As a tribute to Max’s already grand accomplishment, his teammates at the Martial
Arts Creative Team (M.A.C.T.), the action design group that choreographs both the
comic book and live action choreography for the critically acclaimed “JFH: justice-For-
Hire” comic books and films, have put together a video for Max on their newly launched
YouTube Channel to encourage him throughout his fights in Beijing. The channel will
also display regularly updated episodic content of live action side-storylines that
supplement the larger story arc of the “JFH” comic book universe, in which Max plays
the role of the character “Sudden K.O.”. The video is available at:
www.YouTube.com/Justice-For-Hire.

The entire first season of the “JFH: Justice-For-Hire” comic book series is now
available in stores and online. For more information, please visit

http://www.justice-for-hire.com/

and

http://www.williamccchen.com/

Elemental Fources

Press Release For Immediate Release

COMICS’ NEWEST ‘FAB FOUR’ HITS SHELVES IN 2008
Earth, Fire, Air, & Water converge in New Baby Productions’ first self-published series, Elemental Fources.

Clawson, MI, May 17, 2008: Fresh publisher New Baby Productions announces its first comic book series, Elemental Fources, for a late 2008 release. With a mix of influences from superheroes to the occult and fantasy, EF will cater to a broad spectrum of fans. As one creator commented, it’s “like Hellboy™ getting thrown in the Marvel™ universe.”

Following in the footsteps of other successful four-person teams, EF contains the adventures of Normandy, Aden, Finola, and Wilhelm, human half-breeds with powers rooted in each of the central elements of philosophy: earth, fire, air, and water.

“I was highly influenced by the Fantastic Four™, the first comic I read as a kid, and Comico Comic’s Elementals™, the series that re-introduced me to the industry as an adult,” stated series editor Eric Mullarky. “When my bid to bring the Elementals back to print failed, I produced my own super-team, the Fources. After much research, I found that there is a lot of historical background that can be touched upon when doing stories based around the four elements.”

Set in the near future, the initial story arc will incorporate aspects of doomsday prophecies surrounding the year 2012. Joined by a cast that includes members of an alchemical secret society, demons, an angel, and an ex-Templar Knight, the Fources will embark on an action-filled tale while still learning to use their powers and determine how they fit in a world on the brink of Armageddon.“EF was lucky enough to have a truly global creative team. Each member was able to contribute a unique voice to the project.”

Writer Crisman Strunk’s (Kentucky) previous credits include work on several horror anthologies. Penciller John Becaro and inker/colorist Ernest Jocson are both very well known in the Filipino art community. David Chow (China) provides colorful cover art. Letterer Jaymes Reed (North Carolina) has eight years of experience in the comics industry, and has worked on a few projects for Dynamite Entertainment. Starting with issue #3, artist J.C. Grande (El Salvador) will provide the pencils.

The Elemental Fources website has a five-page sample of the series, along with creative news and updates and ordering information for a preview edition comic, currently available from IndyPlanet. The URL is http://www.elementalfources.com/

ELEMENTAL FOURCES #1, Order here: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0981853005/

a full color 28-page six-issue mini-series for $3.49, is targeted for an August release.New Baby Productions is an independent comic book publisher formed in 2008 by Eric Mullarky with the intent to self-publish his Elemental Fources series. Eric MullarkyNew Baby Productions