BC Refugees Blog

There were several events throughout the town of Newark, Delaware on Wednesday, October 21 to celebrate BACK TO THE FUTURE DAY.  Most of those occurred in the store and parking lot of CAPTAIN BLUE HEN COMICS at 280 East Main Street.  A good crowd was in attendance and everyone seemed to be having fun. A stainless steel/silver DeLorean (just like the one featured in the classic 1985 movie) was parked outside the store.                  The Wildwich food truck also shared some parking space and served up Back To The Future Themed food to help commemorate the occasion.                                                                                               Local author MARK LOWTHER visited the store to sign copies of MASTICATION NATION, a collection of stories from the Zombie Apocalypse.  Mark is pictured here at right, along with Deep Cover at left  (a civilized zombie).  Newark Gaming Store  DAYS OF KNIGHT also feature...

There is a very well written and thorough article at PASTE magazine on the current revisions to classic characters and new directions at ARCHIE COMICS, one of the publishers to keep an eye on in 2015 and forward. It's quite long but worth reading. http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2015/09/the-life-afterlife-and-rebirth-of-an-american-icon-1.html?utm_source=PMNL&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=151022 - Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

EDITOR’S NOTE: We are very much interested in the ins and outs of the business end of the comics industry and find it fascinating. From time to time we will link to articles that explore these avenues and go in depth on these topics. Here’s a recent article from The Comics Beat about the current state of affairs.  Lots of points are brought up, but there is no real conclusion and/or resolution suggested.   Nevertheless it is interesting and provocative reading.  Take a look here . . .   http://www.comicsbeat.com/the-direct-market-sustainability-future-of-comics-disruption-and-all-that-other-fun-stuff/

 We’re not going to post a ink to the new STAR WARS THE FORCE AWAKENS trailer here, simply because it’s all over the Internet by now and true fans have already seen it. However, you might have missed the cool poster that came out the end of last week, so we are posting that here courtesy of Comic Book Resources . . . . . .  

  This Wednesday (October 21, 2015) IDW PUBLISHING releases BACK TO THE FUTURE #1 , returning to the legendary 1985 movie classic with an all new story.  The original creator/screenwriter Bob Gale developed the new story, which returns to 1985 when Doc Brown and Marty McFly first met.  The story includes a trip back to 1945 and the beginnings of the secretive Manhattan Project.  Working on the first issue are writers John Barber (Transformers) and Erik Turnham (Ghostbusters, TMNT) with artwork by Brent Schooner (Batman ’66, Ant-Man) and Dan Schoening (Ghostbusters).      Just as exciting as this first issue are the events being planned to celebrate Back To The Future Day in the town of Newark, Delaware - - an event spearheaded by the team at Captain Blue Hen Comics on Main Street.     In the movie sequel to Back To The Future, Marty McFly journeyed ahead in time to October 21, 2015 in order to save his children’s future.  That date is the reason for the celebration as well as...

from the official press release:      Vampirella  #1, debuting in March 2016, will feature the writing talents of Kate Leth ( Adventure Time ,  Bravest Warriors ), and see a return to the character's roots as a horror hostess, as her costumed identity goes public... while privately, she uses her new celebrity status to uncover the links between silver screen killers and a real conspiracy of monsters.      Kate Leth, writer of the new  Vampirella , says, "Vampirella takes Hollywood!  In this new and twisted take on the classic horror queen, Vampi moves to the City of Angels to find more than a few demons in the mix.  Along with her paramour/werewolf Tristan and trusty butler Coleridge, she begins to investigate mysterious disappearances in the shadowy world of B-movies and the monsters who make them.  All the while, she finds herself a sudden sensation after a video of her monster-hunting in her classic ensemble goes viral.  Can Vampirella be both a cult icon on the rise and ta...

from the official  press release . . . . .      Dejah Thoris, a royal warrior who has served as a major supporting cast member of Dynamite's various  Warlord of Mars  series as well as the star of several solo  Dejah Thoris  series, will appear in a new #1 issue this coming February, courtesy of writer Frank J. Barbiere ( Avengers World ,  Solar: Man of the Atom ).  As described by Gail Simone,  Dejah Thoris  would present a fall from grace for the Martian princess, as she embarks on a self-imposed exile, assuming a new identity and enlisting as a rookie soldier on the farthest, deadliest borders of her Barsoomian civilization.      Barbiere says, "I am truly honored to be writing  Dejah Thoris , a character with such a robust history and celebrated pulp pedigree.  I'm a big fan of Edgar Rice Burroughs, and to be able to contribute to the canon of one of his most celebrated characters is really exciting.  This is a new start for Dejah Thoris, and I think our story is goin...

from the official press release . . . . . . NYCC 2015: Valiant Unveils New SHADOWMAN Design, First Interior Pages from OPERATION: DEADSIDE – Beginning in NINJAK #10 by Matt Kindt & Doug Braithwaite!   As  revealed today  at  New York Comic-Con 2015 , Valiant is proud to debut the first look inside  OPERATION: DEADSIDE  – a terrifying in-series event beginning in  NINJAK #10  from New York Times best-selling writer  Matt Kindt  (DIVINITY) and superstar artist  Doug Braithwaite  (ARMOR HUNTERS).  On  December 9th , jump on board one of Valiant's most acclaimed series here as Ninjak descends into an unknown and uncharted plane of existence to recover a lost MI-6 expedition team…only to find himself face-to-face with the mysterious hero called Shadowman.      In 2015, a covert military intelligence unit sent a team of 20 agents and one special operative into a parallel dimension. Only one came back.      The purpose of their mission was classified. Now, out of options, MI-6 has r...

          from the official press release . . . . . . . .      Red Sonja  #1, by the creative team of Marguerite Bennett ( Bombshells ,  A-Force ,  Angela ) and Aneke ( Legenderry: Red Sonja ,  Damsels ) and scheduled for release on January 13, 2016, will see its titular heroine return to her homeland of Hyrkania, only to find it changed into an almost unrecognizable landscape.  As envisioned by Gail Simone, the new series sends Sonja on a mission of infiltration, sabotage, and assassination when she discovers that her native people have been conscripted into the service of a Nazi-like regime.      "It's an honor and a pleasure to be the new writer on a book as crazy and colorful as  Red Sonja ," says Bennett.  "While I've never yet had the pleasure of working with Aneke, our phenomenal new artist, I cannot wait for us to make the big, bloody, sexy, sweeping splash in a universe this rich with story, history, and the contributions of the creators and creatives ...

INDIE COMICS MAGAZINE #10  Fall 2015  (Aazurn Publishing)  Eight stories, 64 pages, black and white, $6.49.  Available only through pre-order at your local comics shop.  Featured in the October 2105 Previews catalog for December releases.         Comics readers interested in exploring independent offerings need time to search the internet and a decent amount of money to order works that appeal to them.  For ten issues now, INDIE COMICS MAGAZINE has been providing a valuable service by featuring a cross-section of some of the best works by independent creators, writers, and artists.        Utilizing a unique business model where all parties involved share in the production costs, it provides an affordable outlet for creators to get their work exposed to a larger audience.  That may lead some to believe that all it takes is to agree to help with the printing costs to get featured in the issue, so there may be some “filler” material that otherwise would not be deserving.  Not true.  Ed...

EDITOR’S NOTE:  This is a bold move, taking classic characters and making them over.  Of course, the Big Two do this on a regular basis.  But this is a first for these properties. However, unlike some of the disasters I’ve seen elsewhere I expect Dynamite to do it right.  We  will be showcasing these heroines in separate articles. Keep watching . . . .   from the official press release . . . . . October 6, 2015, Mt. Laurel, NJ:  Dynamite Entertainment is proud to announce that beloved comic book heroines Red Sonja, Vampirella, and Dejah Thoris will undergo bold new directions and costume redesigns in new monthly series debuting in the first quarter of 2016.  Following narrative direction from Gail Simone, the fan-favorite author of this past summer's  Swords of Sorrow  crossover epic, the new titles promise unexpected storylines for its headlining characters, delivered by some of today's most innovative creators.   Red Sonja  #1 will launch in January, helmed by writer Margu...

from the official press release . . . . .   As  revealed today  at  New York Comic-Con 2015 , Valiant is proud to announce  A&A #1  –  AN ALL-NEW ONGOING SERIES  for the Valiant Universe's premier pair of history-smashing adventurers...the amazing  ARCHER & ARMSTRONG.   Written by rising star  Rafer Roberts  ( Plastic Farm ,  Carpool Buddies of Doom ) with art by superstar artist  David Lafuente  ( Ultimate Spider-Man ,  New Mutants ), Valiant's next flagship series starts here in  March 2016  as Archer & Armstrong begin a senses-shattering trip to unlock the secrets of Armstrong's bottomless satchel…recover a lost bottle of history's finest whiskey…and square off with an all-new adversary three millennia in the making. "Archer & Armstrong are two of the most beloved characters not just in the Valiant library, but in all of comics period. But instead of being intimidated by the brilliant creators that preceded them – Barry Windsor-Smith, Jim Shoote...

compiled from various press releases and websites . . . . . Dark Horse Comics Single Issues Comes To ComiXology & Amazon Kindle Store ComiXology and Kindle release all Dark Horse books same-day-as-print  More than 2,000 Dark Horse Comics single issues are now available on comiXology and Amazon Kindle Store including Fight Club 2, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Tomb Raider, The Witcher, Plants vs. Zombies, Halo, The Goon, Archie vs. Predator, Mike Mignola’s Hellboy and B.P.R.D. and more! October 7th, 2015 New York, NY / Portland, OR   Today Dark Horse Comics, comiXology and Amazon announced an agreement to bring the full catalog of Dark Horse Comics’ single issues to the  comiXology platform  and  Amazon’s Kindle Store .  Now, all Dark Horse Comics’ digital single issues will be available on comiXology and the Kindle Store the same-day-as-print versions arrive in comic shops. This past June, comiXology and Dark Horse Comics announced an agreement to bring Dark Horse’s collections, ...

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND SEPTEMBER 25, 2015:   IDW Publishing shared news about some of their current and upcoming books during a program at Baltimore Comic Con moderated by IDW President Greg Goldstein and Vice President of Marketing Dirk Wood. Among the special guests featured on the panel were industry legend writer/artist Walt Simonson and  writer James Tynion IV, both presently working on titles for IDW .          The big highlight of the presentation was hearing Walt Simonson expound at length about his version of RAGNAROK with Thor as a pivotal character. RAGNAROK is Simonson’s creator-owned Norse mythology book, but it’s far removed from a simple retelling of the legend.  It became very clear during Simonson’s exposition that this is a sincere labor of love, perhaps his seminal creation.       In Norse mythology, Ragnarok tells of a massive battle between gods and giant serpents, fire demons and evil creatures that resulted in the death of major Norse gods, including Odin, ...

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - October 3, 2015  - The Baltimore Comic-Con is happy to announce the winners of our 7th Annual Costume Contest. The contest took place this past Saturday, September 26th, 2015 for both amateur and professional adults, and Sunday, September 27, 2015 for kids. Visually stunning costumes ranged from classic superheroes to video game and movie characters and beyond, and our contest has proven to be one of the most anticipated events at the show. This year's costume contest separated amateur adults from professional adults, and held a separate contest for amateur kids as well. The grand prize winner for Best Overall Costume in the professional category, and the recipient of the $1,000 cash prize, was Robert Tongue for his "Evil Tin Man of Oz" costume. The grand prize winner for Best Overall Costume in the amateur category, and the recipient of the $500 cash prize, was Rick Castro for his "Master Chief" costume. ...