BC Refugees Blog

from the official press release . . . . . . . . December 13, 2013, Mt. Laurel, NJ:   Dynamite proudly announces that the new ongoing MAGNUS: ROBOT FIGHTER comic book series, written by Fred Van Lente ( Marvel Zombies ) and illustrated by Cory Smith ( Fathom ), will launch its first issue on Wednesday, March 12, 2014.  MAGNUS:  ROBOT FIGHTER     #1 marks the second highly-anticipated title release in Dynamite's "Gold Key" line of comic books, which also includes TUROK: DINOSAUR HUNTER (debuting in February 2014), SOLAR: MAN OF THE ATOM , and DOCTOR SPEKTOR , a revival of beloved comic book heroes courtesy of Dynamite's new licensing agreement with DreamWorks Classics.           Fred Van Lente , the New York Times bestselling author at the helm of the new Magnus series, presents the premise for upcoming series: “Russell Magnus is a seemingly normal guy, a schoolteacher in a small mountain town, who awakens...

THE OTHER DEAD #4 of 6 (IDW Publishing, release date December, 2013) Writer / Co-Creator: Joshua Ortega. Co-Creator: Digger T Mesch. Art: Quing Ping Mui. Colors: Blond. Letters: Tom B. Long. Edits: Tom Waltz. Creative Consultant: Kevin Eastman. Based on a film treatment by Digger T Mesch. www.theotherdead.com www.idwpublishing.com Real heroes step it up to help others in times of crisis. In the real world, good people often get their good works stepped on. Or worse, they either don’t get credit for their accomplishments or have their efforts halted, interrupted, or corrupted enough so the effect is minimized. In the world of imagination good people are easier to identify. They get our attention and earn our respect. They lead by example and often make a major difference in saving others. It’s not hard to see how helpful they are and no one can try to discredit them and fool anyone who was an eyewitness to their acts of kindness and heroism. ...

BLEEDING COOL MAGAZINE Issue #7 November 2013. Special introductory price of $1.99. 106 pages. (Published by Avatar Press and available through Previews Magazine pre-order or comics shops that stock it.) The bi-monthly BLEEDING COOL MAGAZINE is now in its second year of publication, and this issue features the second Top 100 Power List, as compiled by the controversial head writer Rich Johnston. While the list is not the work of an editorial board, but solely the subjective opinions of Rich Johnston, it still remains a valuable guideline to Who’s Who in modern comics. It’s also all encompassing, covering not just writers, artists and editors but also chief executives and publishers - - anyone in a position of both power and influence. Johnston does a good job in the preface of explaining how he made his decisions and sheds a little more insight into how he views the industry. He also explains why certain individuals have dropped in the ratings (Jim Lee, Isaac Pe...

TPB:  American Vampire Vol. 1 Writer:   Scott Snyder, Stephen King Artist: Rafael Albuquerque Price:  $19.99 American Vampire follows the exploits of the first American vampire as he kills his way from the 1920’s forward.  A former outlaw who stole from European bankers, Skinner Sweet is bitten by the distinctly Old World monsters but rises as something entirely new.  You may know Scott Snyder as the writer of a little book called Batman.  You may also know Stephen King as the undisputed king of horror.  Rafael Albuquerque who shares co-creator credit here has previously worked on Blue Beetle and is currently on Charle Soule's Letter 44.  In the first arc of this Vertigo series, the A story is Skinner Sweet explaining to a victim of Hollywood vampires how she can get revenge for her untimely death.  Lucky for her, Sweet revived her after she was left for dead and being an American vampire comes with immunity to sunlight...

  Editor’s Note : I haven’t revisited the current SHADOWMAN since the first four-issue story arc that introduced the modern version.  It’s not that I’ve been ignoring the title. I’ve been picking up SHADOWMAN every month and stockpiling the issues for a marathon reading (my preferred method of reading serialized titles).  When the news broke that a new team was taking over, I decided to jump right in and catch up later.  I’m glad I did.  I’m excited for the new direction the always interesting Peter Milligan will take this character.  I urge you to check this out.  Here’s a small sample to whet your appetite . . . . . . . SHADOWMAN #13X (Valiant Entertainment - - exclusive edition bagged with BLEEDING COOL MAGAZINE #7, November 2013)  Peter Milligan, Writer.  Diego Bernard, Penciler. Alejandro Sicat, Inker.  Dave Sharpe, Letterer.  Matt Milla, Colorist.           If you’re lucky, you...

  . . . . . . material compiled from press release , the official site, and fundraising site                                                                                                                                                       ...

EDITOR’S NOTE:   I currently receive between 6-10 invitations per month to contribute to various start-up independent creations via Kickstarter, Indie-Go-Go and other fund-raising efforts through social media.  I’m not a venture capitalist by any means (my disposable income is not the stuff of dreams), but it’s great to be able to contribute small amounts to worthy endeavors.  One of those was EVIL JESTER COMICS , and it didn’t come easy for the publishers.  I’m very happy to share this update with you. . . . . The much anticipated first comic book release from Evil Jester Comics will become available to its’ fundraising backers beginning December 7, 2013.  EVIL JESTER PRESENTS promises gorgeous artwork and tales from the mind of best-selling and award-winning authors.  The first issue should become available for purchase shortly after that.  Check www.eviljestercomics.com for updates. Company founders Charles Day and Taylor Grant report that they...

compiled from official press releases . . . . . . . . Inspired by the famous verse - - “I walk through the Valley Of the Shadow Of Death” - - a new graphic novel from Legendary Comics   attempts to answer the question of “what if this ‘Valley’ was actually a top-secret location on Earth?  An elite team of Sepc-Ops soldiers will find out on  November 27 th , the release date of SHADOW WALK .   The creative team behind the book has some impressive credentials:  Mark Waid ( Daredevil, Kingdom Come ); Max Brooks ( World War Z, Extinction Parade ); and Shane Davis ( Superman: Earth One ). Here is a short synopsis of SHADOW WALK: "I Walk Through The Valley Of The Shadow of Death..." Is the Valley of the Shadow of Death a metaphor or could it actually be a real place?   Three separate paranormal incidents over the last century, in a valley near modern day Iraq, seem to give credence to these claims.   When satellite photos taken over the...

THE OTHER DEAD #3 of 6 (IDW Publishing, release date November 13, 2013) Writer / Co-Creator: Joshua Ortega. Co-Creator: Digger T Mesch. Art: Quing Ping Mui. Colors: Blond. Letters: Tom B. Long. Edits: Tom Waltz. Creative Consultant: Kevin Eastman. Based on a film treatment by Digger T Mesch. Covers by Sam Shearon, Shane White, Kevin Eastman & David Millgate. www.theotherdead.com www.idwpublishing.com After three issues of THE OTHER DEAD the half-way point in this grisly but gripping saga of a zombie plague has been reached. Events have been heating up to a boiling point. The furious and savage attacks by various species of the animal kingdom against humanity are now widespread, especially in the state of Louisiana which seems to be the epicenter. With a hurricane threatening to accelerate the devastation and isolation even further, Issue #4 should be on absolute fire and ready to explode. That leaves two remaining issues to bring everything to a resolution or conclusi...

  UNITY #1 (Valiant, November 2013) Matt Kindt, writer. Doug Braithwaite, artist.           If you are one of the few readers who still haven’t sampled a Valiant book, then UNITY represents the “perfect entry point” into one of the most cohesive and interesting comics universes that your hard-earned dollars can help support.  The first issue debuts this Wednesday, November 13, and offers 40 pages of good reasons to validate your decision to investigate further.           There’s also no need to spend time reading back issues in order to understand what is happening in the book.  The back side of the cover offers six short panels with symbolic designs that summarize Aric’s origins (from X-O MANOWAR ) and outline the present conflict (from both X-O MANOWAR and HARBINGER ).  That brings readers up to speed so that they can jump right into the new story beginning on Page One....

THE OTHER DEAD #2 (IDW, release date October 23, 2013) Writer / Co-Creator: Joshua Ortega. Co-Creator: Digger T Mesch. Art: Quing Ping Mui. Colors: Blond. Letters: Tom B. Long. Edits: Tom Waltz. Creative Consultant: Kevin Eastman. Based on a film treatment by Digger T Mesch. Covers by Qing Ping Mui & Blond; RI and Samwise Didier; Kevin Eastman & David Millgate + Blond. www.theotherdead.com           The Mui cover should get the most attention this time, and rightly so. In great detail a pack of bloody infected dogs chew on the scenery including the American Flag.   The backdrop features a distraught President and advisor, while our main characters look for new, safer destinations.    The symbolism speaks for itself, perhaps hinting at an inevitable conclusion to this mini-series.           So far, the variant covers by Kevin Eastman have been the least interesting....

DARK REIGN: THE HOOD Writer: Jeff Parker Artist: Kyle Hotz Marvel Comics | TPB | $19.99 Review by  From the Booth ‘s own Ken There’s a reason that  Spider-Man  has been fighting  Doctor Octopus  for 50 years. It’s hard to add a new enemy to the rogues’ gallery when there are so many classics. It’s rare that a new enemy comes back after one arc, let alone resonates with fans enough to get his own book. Originating in the  MAX universe, the  Hood  crossed over into the Marvel 616  universe in time to become the new  Kingpin  of crime during the  Dark Reign  event. The Hood appears to his underlings as an almost omnipotent force. Using his hood (really a cloak), he can turn invisible; cast devastating spells and even teleport people out of prison. In Dark Reign, he manages to bring together almost all the super villains of  New York  into one organization, something thought impossible after it had failed ...

From the official press release . . . . . ZOMBIE NIGHT At Captain Blue Hen Comics In Newark, Delaware You like zombies and you like comics--you will love Zombie Night at Captain Blue Hen Comics! Zombie Night is Wednesday, October 30 at Captain Blue Hen Comics in Newark, Delaware. Visit and get sketches by zombie comic artists: · Living Corpse comic creators, Buz Hasson and Ken Haeser · Fanboys Vs. Zombies comic artist, Jerry Gaylord · Until We Sleep comic creator, Bob Garr · Also appearing: Adveture Time comic artist, Penelope Gaylord Come in zombie costume to enter the contest. Get your face painted zombie-style. WHERE: At Captain Blue Hen - Market East Plaza, 280 E. Main Street in Newark, Delaware WHEN: Wednesday, October 30 from 5pm to 8pm WHAT: Artist signings, costume contest, face painting mini art classes, door prizes, and fun! WHO: You are all invited! HOW: Free admission - Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

THE OCEAN AT THE END OF THE LANE A novel by Neil Gaiman   www.Neil.Gaiman.com William Morrow, 178 pages Hardcover, $25.99   www.harpercollins.com           Can you recall the day you learned that Santa Claus was not real?  (Or the Easter Bunny, Great Pumpkin, Tooth Fairy, etc.?)  You probably heard that via an older brother or sister, a favorite cousin, a respected friend (probably a few years older than you), or even your parents.  Because you looked up to the person that gave you the sad but true news, you made a conscious decision to change your beliefs.  You wanted to be more like that person because you respected and admired them, and so you changed your mindset.  You moved away from your childhood reality and took a step closer to adult responsibility, just one of many formative steps in your life until you came to the place where you are today. Every one of those steps was your decision...