BC Refugees Blog

Graphic Novel To Tell The True Story of the Japanese American Internment Camps Through The Lens of the Star Trek Actor/Activist   EDITOR ’ S NOTE: An ambitious and worthy project.   Can we  be the first to  nominate  some artists to pair up with George  Takei?  How about Jae Lee, Stan Sakai or Frank Cho (in order of preference) . . . . . from the official IDW Publishing press release . . . . . . San Diego, CA (March 31, 2017) – Pop culture icon and man of the people, George Takei , has signed a book publishing deal with IDW Publishing. Together, they will produce a graphic novel, developed under Takei’s guidance, re-examining the Japanese American internment camps during WWII through his family’s firsthand experience.        Perhaps best known for his beloved role as Hikaru Sulu in the original Star Trek television and movie series, Takei was only five years old when President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 shortly after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, authorizing the ...

San Diego, CA (March 31, 2017) – IDW Publishing has been proud to publish award-winning artist Gabriel Rodriguez ’s work over the years, and it is with great honor and excitement to announce that he will be launching his first creator-owned series as writer and artist, Sword of Ages , in October.        Rodriguez’s history with IDW is nearly as long as the company’s comic-publishing history itself; he broke into American comics as the artist on multiple CSI miniseries, and moved from movie adaptations such as Land of the Dead and Beowulf to an extended adaptation of Clive Barker ’s epic novel, The Great and Secret Show . But it was work on the award-winning Locke & Key, co-created by Joe Hill , that really vaulted Rodriguez into the artistic stratosphere.        Rodriguez then followed the initial conclusion of Locke & Key with the Eisner award-winning miniseries Little Nemo: Return to Slumberland with co-creator Eric Shanower ; Onyx with co-creator Chris Ryall ; an...

THE RAGE OF CTHULHU by Gary Fry.  Horrific Tales Publishing, March 23, 2017. Available as an e-book or print hardcover. ISBN # 1910283185.  98 pages.            Readers familiar with H. P. Lovecraft’s cosmic horror stories will be comfortable within the cozy confines of the new Cthulhu novella THE RAGE OF CTHULHU by Gary Fry.  Fry provides a sequel to Lovecraft’s “ The Call of Cthulhu ” (first published in 1928) that also serves as a chilling standalone story.         Fry’s update is told in a narrative style that moves fluidly from chapter to chapter.  It’s an account of individual exploration and discovery leading to a horrific encounter, similar to the style that Lovecraft so often employed, but minus the purple prose of the times. Fry is respectful of the source material, and the spirit and tone of the story mirror Lovecraft’s themes.       In the original story, a Norwegian crew lose their ship while sailing near Australia, and discover the uncharted island of R’lyeh.  An an...

EDITOR’S NOTE: Attention all fans of horror in all its’ configurations!  The This Is Horror website and podcast have been essential resources for my exploration of the horror genre for several years. It’s a must-view and must-hear for horror fans wanting to keep abreast of this ever-growing and ever-evolving genre. Go to  http://www.thisishorror.co.uk/about/  to learn more and sign up for their email updates. We are privileged to share with you this year’s winners of the THIS IS HORROR AWARDS . . . . . . . .   Novel of the Year   Winner: The Fisherman by John Langan Runner-up: Mongrels by Stephen Graham Jones   Novella of the Year   Winner: The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle Runner-up: X’s For Eyes by Laird Barron   Short Story Collection of the Year   Winner: Furnace by Livia Llewellyn Runner-up: Greener Pastures by Michael Wehunt   Anthology of the Year   Winner: Autumn Cthulhu, edited by Mike Davis Runner-up: Gutted: Beautiful Horror Stories, ...

San Diego, CA (March 21, 2017 ) – IDW's imprint Top Shelf Productions is pleased — big league — to announce Sh*t My President Says: The Illustrated Tweets of Donald J. Trump , in which Eisner Award-winning cartoonist Shannon Wheeler tackles the 140-character president. For the first time, these revealing snapshots of the world’s most powerful man will be collected, curated, and brought to memorable new life as cartoons. This compulsively readable hardcover will reach stores in August.     Some people are saying, I don’t know, you tell me, but a lot of people are saying this is the greatest book of the year. This guy, Shannon Wheeler, he draws these cartoons for the New Yorker , MAD , the Onion — he’s very, very, good, okay? Now he’s illustrated the most incredible tweets. Wow! You won’t believe what he does with these tweets. I mean, these tweets changed the world, folks. It’s true! It’s very true. EVERYONE is going to want this book — even the haters and losers (Sad!).   In...

EDITOR ’ S NOTE: Cool  Kickstarter  campaigns are popping up every other day.  This one looks interesting, and has a modest fund-raising goal which makes me believe it will come to fruition.  Check it out here . . .  March 20th, 2017. Vancouver Island, Canada.   Monsterella revolves around the continuing adventures of Montrossa Rella, AKA “Monsterella”, the warden of an intergalactic prison planet, where the galaxy’s worst of the worst monsters are imprisoned and isolated from the rest of the universe. All hell breaks loose when an unexpected revolt overthrows her, and threatens the safety of the entire galaxy!    But her adventures are just one chapter of the book. In the style of the classic Vampirella magazines, Monsterella goes on to introduce other astonishing tales told and illustrated by a creepy collection of Canadian talents that will be sure to chill and thrill you cover to cover! Featuring Andrew Fryer, A. Shay Hahn (“The Homeless G-Men”), Dan MacKinnon (“From The...

                        TALES FROM THE CRYPT #2 FEATURES TWO STORIES FROM LEGENDARY COMICS ARTIST BERNIE WRIGHTSON  “LOST CLASSICS” FROM LATE CREATOR APPEAR IN COLOR FOR THE FIRST TIME   from the official press release . . . . . . . NEW YORK - (March 21, 2017)  - The entire comics industry was saddened to learn of the passing of legendary comics artist Bernie Wrightson this past weekend. Wrightson’s name was synonymous with the best the horror comics genre had to offer and he often spoke of the lasting influence EC comics titles such as the original TALES FROM THE CRYPT and VAULT OF HORROR had on his work. So, it seems only appropriate that two of Wrightson’s stories are included in Super Genius’ new revival of the TALES FROM THE CRYPT series. Issue #2 (in comic shops this Wednesday) features two “lost classics” from Wrightson, “Stake Out” and “Feed It!”, both appearing in color for the first time. The two stories had originally ...

IDW Publishing to release Lynn Johnston’s ‘For Better or For Worse’ in Complete Library Editions this October   San Diego, CA (March 20, 2017) – Welcome back, Elly, John, and the entire Patterson family as IDW Publishing and the Library of American Comics proudly announce  For Better or For Worse: The Complete Library  by  Lynn Johnston . These definitive hardcover editions will collect the entire series in nine volumes, three books per decade of the strip.   For Better or For Worse  is one of the most beloved comic strips of all time, with a devoted audience of more than 220 million. These new collections are being produced with Lynn Johnston’s cooperation and are being edited by  Dean Mullaney ,  Kurtis Findlay , and  Lorraine Turner . Since  For Better or For Worse debuted in 1979, the world was able to watch the Patterson family grow up in real time—and to many readers, they feel like family! “The strip reflects the experience that we readers shared,” says co-editor Lorraine Tur...

Valiant Announces New PRE-ORDER EDITION BUNDLES for SECRET WEAPONS #1-4 and X-O MANOWAR (2017) #4-9 – Beginning in June!  Reserve Your Copies by April 27th and Receive Exclusive, 40-Page Expanded Editions of the Summer’s Biggest Series       Valiant is proud to announce that the publisher’s best-selling pre-order edition bundles will return this June with two new offerings: the  SECRET WEAPONS   #1-4 PRE-ORDER EDITION BUNDLE  and the  X-O MANOWAR (2017) #4-9 PRE-ORDER EDITION BUNDLE ! Expanding each of Valiant’s seismic releases to a colossal 40 pages packed with exclusive material for the standard $3.99 cover price, orders for each upcoming  PRE-ORDER EDITION BUNDLE  must be placed with your local comics retailer by the June 2017 initial order date of  April 27th, 2017  before they’re gone forever! “The success of Valiant’s first pre-order bundle for the launch of X-O Manowar in March took everyone by surprise. On every level, from longtime fans to new readers to retailers, it exce...

What would a comics convention be without cosplayers?  Less visually exciting, that’s for sure! The 501st Legion were on hand to represent Star Wars enthusiasts . . . . . . . ..                                                                                             Don’t mess with this hero.  But he does have a nice smile . . . . . ..                                               The Norse Gods were well-represented . . . . . . . . ...                                                 Artists on hand included cartoonists, painters, jewelry crafts, pin makers, and a cool sculptor . . . . . . The activity even spilled out onto the parking lot . . . . . .

Our first trip to a GALACTIC CON, the mini-comic convention that travels to various sites in Delaware and Maryland, was a pleasant surprise.   The most recent con occurred this past Saturday, March 18 at Appoquinimink High School in Middletown, Delaware. I didn’t anticipate the size of the crowd or the number of vendors and artists participating.  The turnout was impressive and a good time was had by all.  Don’t miss the next one.  A view of the convention hall floor space . . . . . . .                                                                                                Spidey looks lonely . . . . . . . .  Some familiar faces were there, including the dedicated and knowledgable staff at Captain Blue Hen . . . . . and the hard-working folks from PLB Comics .  . . . . . . .