BC Refugees Blog

  BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - - AUGUST 20, 2011: Comic-Con attendees were given a preview of the initial offerings from LEGENDARY COMICS during a panel/presentation on Saturday afternoon. LEGENDARY COMICS is  a new division of the rapidly growing LEGENDARY ENTERTAINMENT who with LEGENDARY PICTURES has produced 25 feature films since 2004.  These include fan favorites BATMAN BEGINS, BATMAN THE DARK KNIGHT, INCEPTION, 300, WATCHMEN, THE HANGOVER  as well as upcoming BATMAN THE DARK KNIGHT RISES,  MAN OF STEEL (Superman), PACIFIC RIM and MASS EFFECT.  LEGENDARY COMICS hired veteran comics industry professional Bob Schreck as editor and has assembled some award-winning creative talent for their debut books. Schreck served as moderator of the presentation at Comic-Con, and along with assistant editor Greg Tumbarello highlighted the initial three books.  As Schreck spoke about the premise behind LEGENDARY COMICS he explained that chief executive officer Thom...

  As a warm-up to the Baltimore Comic Con - - it served me well. I obtained autographs in my copy of ALICE: FROM FABLETOWN WITH LOVE from Chris Roberson and Chrissie Zullo. I learned that science fiction writer/publisher Chris Roberson had 13 books to his credit before his first work in comics - - and this from a person whose ambition was to begin his career in comics! The work he is most proud of is his novel THE END OF THE CENTURY, and his favorite comic work so far is ELRIC.  He is also personal friends with writer and Elric creator Michael Moorcock.  (Mo re on that in my next review of the ELRIC books.) Chrissie Zullo’s   (some incredible work in her sketchbook!)  work in comics so far has been mostly covers, paintings and sequential art.  She is presently working on a five-page story for an upcoming woman’s anthology from IDW.  She is left-handed (for those who note these things).   Creator Tom Lynch describes himself as a “humor...

from the official press release . . . . . . . . . .                                                                                                           time for me to plan my schedule (see below for decisions—*** marked)   Baltimore Comic-Con Panel Announcement, Costume Contest Update! BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - August 15, 2011 - At last it can be revealed! After months of planning and plotting - here it is. It's the panel schedule for the 2011 Baltimore Co...

  Can’t wait to attend the Baltimore Comic-Con August 20-21?   I’m with you. There is an event occuring this evening to whet your appetite:  an appearance by science-fiction author/publisher and comics writer CHRIS ROBERSON at CAPTAIN BLUE HEN COMICS in Newark, Delaware between 5 –7 p.m. for signings and photos and brief verbal exchanges. Also appearing at this pre-convention event are artist CHRISSIE ZULLO  and returning Delaware native and comic strip creator TOM LYNCH. CHRIS ROBERSON is well-known for several outstanding works, including STAN LEE’S STARBORN, ELRIC, iZOMBIE, CINDERELLA: FROM FABLETOWN WITH LOVE, SUPERMAN, DUST TO DUST, and will write the upcoming STAR TREK/LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES 6 issue crossover for IDW. CHRISSIE ZULLO is best known for her evocative cover illustrations for CINDERELLA: FROM FABLETOWN WITH LOVE. TOM LYNCH is the writer/artist for web comic strip 30 EXTRA LIVES. Hope to see you there!  My original intention was to ...

from the official press release                                                                                                                                        Bill Broomall! – hope you are reading this Stan Lee Signing and Photo Op Schedule for Baltimore Comic-Con Announced BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - August 18, 2011 - ...

SAMURAI’S BLOOD  #3 of 6  (Image Comics/Benaroya Publishing)  Owen Wiseman, story. Nam Kim, Matthew Dalton & Jessica Kholinne, art.  Jo Chen, cover. With Issue #3, Owen Wiseman and SAMURAI’S BLOOD takes its place upon the winner’s platform of my favorite comics featuring feudal Japanese literature along with such greats as Ron Marz (both SAMURAI: HEAVEN AND EARTH and THE PATH), Chuck Dixon and THE WAY OF THE DRAGON, and Kazuo Koike’s LONE WOLF AND CUB.  Before he concludes the story of SAMURAI’S BLOOD, Wiseman may very well ascend to the top and gold medal status. Issue #3 devotes almost the entire issue to recounting what has happened to Mayuko since her capture and subsequent forced tutoring in the art of the oiron girls (similar to a geisha) --  slaves to a life of compliance, servitude, and submission - - instructed to give in to the lustful desires of lords and soldiers while being treated as the lowest level of common whores/prostitutes. The ...

from the official press release Baltimore Comic-Con Welcomes Amanda Conner, Jimmy Palmiotti, and Billy Tucci! BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - August 14, 2011 - The Baltimore Comic-Con is happy to welcome Amanda Conner, Jimmy Palmiotti, and Billy Tucci to the still-growing line-up of talent for this year's show. The show will be taking place the weekend of August 20-21, 2011 at the Baltimore Convention Center. Jimmy Palmiotti, who will be continuing to write Jonah Hex in the "New 52" title All-Star Western , is one of the most prolific writers in comics today. In addition to his work at DC, including Jonah Hex and Freedom Fighters , Palmiotti's recent work includes a 48-page one-shot from Image Comics called Trailblazer , which hit stores last month. Currently, he is writing the Flashpoint tie-in miniseries, Deathstroke and the Curse of the Ravager. Fan-favorite artist Amanda Conner returns to Baltimore and brings the charm to "Charm City." Conner's most r...

Captain America surrounded by Hydra troopers. (Don't worry, he's got a plan!) I'm way late writing about this, even though I saw it opening weekend, but it's still playing and it's my favorite movie of the summer so I still want to get my thoughts down. This may seem like a pretty safe action-adventure film, but I think it was actually a bit daring. Besides being a period piece, the filmmakers chose to be true to Steve Rogers' character rather than doing a cliche action hero. It would have been easy to have him spend the film mowing down Nazis and making jokes -- "Hasta la vista, Hydra!" -- but instead Chris Evans plays Cap as thoughtful and earnest. Evans is totally believable, even in his pre-Cap phase where the CGI actually adds to his character rather than being a distraction. Someone, probably the Marvel writers, put a lot of thought into Steve's behavior: for instance, in the USO montage Steve gradually gets better as a performer even t...

  RED SPIKE #4 OF 5  (Benaroya / Image): Loss of freedom comes in several degrees, from mild to severe - - - voluntary to involuntary - - -from indenture  - - to servitude  - -to slavery.  As if to put a silent comment on those issues, RED SPIKE #5 takes place in the capital of the world’s largest free nation, on the steps of the Lincoln memorial.  How appropriate for the questions and uncertainty that surrounds these proceedings, as the monument itself begins to crumble and fall down and the head of the famous statue itself becomes a weapon.  Just how much freedom do the RED SPIKE black ops team of Matt and Greg have?  Do they have any real control over their lives or the freedom to make personal decisions?  The loyal soldier with the servant attitude (Matt) must subdue, capture, and return to base with his best friend and fellow Red Spike member (Greg), now a rouge on the run and intent on disruption, rebellion - -  and freedom. Th...

  DC:  RED ROBIN #5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 18, 19;      BATGIRL #8;       BATMAN AND ROBIN #1,           BATMAN #608 SPECIAL EDITION (…WHAT’S NEXT?: HUSH);      BATMAN: ODYSSEY #1 Back in 2009, in the aftermath of BATMAN R.I.P., I sampled several of the new Batman-related titles that launched from that platform.  RED ROBIN could easily have been overlooked, and I’m glad I didn’t.  I might have decided that it was just DC’s way to appease the Tim Drake fans, since Damian took over as Robin to Dick Grayson’s Batman.   Writer Chris Yost really fleshed out the character of Tim Drake and added many interesting layers.  If you read the first 12-issue run in order you realize what a slow and proper maturation process was underway, and how by the end Drake has demonstrated some incredible progress in his physical and mental/deductive/pl...

  from the official Baltimore Comic-Con press release Brooklyn Cartoonists Make Baltimore Comic-Con Debuts! BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - August 4, 2011 - Be sure to swing by Harvey Award-nominated, Dean Haspiel's booth at Baltimore Comic-Con for a slew of Brooklyn cartoonist debuts. Zegas #1 marks the debut of the print-exclusive comic series by Michel Fiffe, the architect behind Twisted Savage Dragon Funnies . Follow the neorealist surrealism of Zegas #1 in its full color, kaleidoscopic glory. With 32 pages of all new material, this limited edition premiere features the cast that originally appeared in IDW's Act-i-vate Primer and MTV Geek. http://michelfiffe.com . Actress/artist, Natalie Kim, will be launching SuperTwins! , a comedic web-series about fraternal superheroes in NYC who find their Superhero Medallion suddenly revoked and they have to recapture the magic that made them famous in the first place. http://www.supertwins.tv/ . New York Times best-selling children...

  What’s new for me is some difficulty finding time to write about all the great books I’ve read lately.  Between family issues (moving my mother to a care center and vacating her apartment) and work demands (big projects with approaching deadlines)  I haven’t had much leisure time.  Yet, I continue to keep looking out for worthwhile books, and have this list of suggested items for the week . . . . . . . . . . CALIGULA #3   (Avatar)  - - David Lapham takes on the dark side of Roman life. ELRIC: THE BALANCE LOST #2   (Boom) - -  Chris Roberson’s version of Michael Moorcock’s Multiverse is dynamite! FLASHPOINT #4   (DC)  – seems like an Elseworlds story and not real/maybe not serious, but still enjoying this very much. FLASHPOINT – BATMAN:KNIGHT OF VENGEANCE #3 (DC ) - - the best of a very good crop of spin-off mini-series.  Full of surprises.  IRON MAN 2.0 #7.1 (Marvel) – I like what Nick Spencer has done with James Rho...

This information provided via official press release . . . . . Awesome Artists Added to the Baltimore Comic-Con! BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - July 29, 2011 - The Baltimore Comic-Con is happy to announce the addition of Josh Middleton, Adam Hughes, Tony Harris, and Francesco Francavilla to the line-up of creators appearing at this year's show. The show will be taking place the weekend of August 20-21, 2011 at the Baltimore Convention Center. Josh Middleton broke into the comics industry in 2000 with his work on one of CrossGen's original fours series, Meridian , where he penciled the first six-issue story arc. In 2003, after contributing to Marvel's X-Men Unlimited series, Middleton signed an exclusive with the publisher and helped create the series NYX along with Joe Quesada. Moving on to DC Comics, he served as artist for the mini-series Superman/Shazam: First Thunder, and provided cover art for Vertigo's American Virgin and DC's Supergirl . Middleton's most ...

  from the official Baltimore Comic-Con press release . . . . . PLB Comics to offer convention exclusive cover of Gideon and Sebastian: Predators & Prey #1 at Baltimore Comic-Con BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - July 29, 2011 - PLB Comics will be offering a convention only exclusive cover of their newest offering,  at this year's Baltimore Comic-Con. The first in a series of anthology books featuring PLB's vampire hunting duo, Gideon and Sebastian features the talents of some of today's up and coming indie creators such as:  Nathan Thomas Milliner, Mat Shockley, Nikkol Jelenic, Josh Shockley, and James Dufendach. Vampires don't sparkle! And you won't find an ounce of pixie dust or teenage romance in this hard hitting, wise cracking, vampire slaying bonanza! Follow the adventures of Gideon, The Vatican's greatest vampire slayer and Sebastian, a vampire who has traded his allegiance to the Vatican in return for a serum that sates his need for blood. See as this du...

  This is one of those weeks where I just didn’t get any advance looks / sneak peeks at any of the new comics coming out on Wednesday, July 27th - - - except for one book = THE VAULT (Image) .  I wrote a long review (which it merits) of THE VAULT back on June 18, which you can locate to your immediate right in the BC REFUGEES ARCHIVES for June.  Here’s a quick reprint of my opening paragraphs:   THE VAULT would read like a straight-up adventure tale of undersea exploration were it not for the two-page prelude that hints at much more dangers to come, and on an epic scale.  I am more than content with learning the details of the exploratory mission in Issue #1 and getting the background on the characters and settings.  The writing is engaging and the beginning of this quest has its share of suspenseful moments, especially when the reader knows that unknown danger and threats lie ahead (thanks to the prelude).  I can’t wait for this series to explo...

A nice consequence of the Captain America movie book push is that the bulk of the Mark Waid and Ron Garney (later Andy Kubert) run on the character is now collected. (There's one more volume coming in October, featuring Waid's intended version of Cap #14 for the first time .) Waid's is some of my favorite work on the character but I haven't read most of it since it was first released, so I was excited to experience it again. Captain America: Operation Rebirth: It's hard to articulate now how much of a departure these issues were from what had gone before. I'll get to the Mark Gruenwald years, which were wonderful in their own way, in another post, but suffice it to say that Cap had spent the last year in increasingly bulky suits of armor trying to stave off his own death from super soldier serum poisoning. The book was a complete blank slate, with the main character presumed dead and his supporting cast (mostly Avengers and employees) gone. Waid, as far a...

      MARKSMEN #1  (Benaroya Publishing / Image Comics, July 2011  $1.00 introductory issue)  Story: David Baxter.  Art:  Javier Aranta, Garry Leach & Jessica Kholinne (of Imaginary Friends Studio).  Cover: Tomm Coker. The short notes are that MARKSMEN is a post-apocalyptic science fiction adventure .  That brief description may be enough to attract those readers who apparently can’t get enough of this type of story.  Those four words alone have spawned a sub-category of futuristic tales in the science fiction genre.  Those four words alone may cause others among us who have sampled more than their fair share of post-apocalyptic science fiction adventures  to groan and utter “oh no, not again” under our breath before dismissing and avoiding MARKSMEN.  I sincerely hope that doesn’t happen.  I empathize more with  the latter reader type mentioned above, yet I read MARKSMEN  in spite of th...

WARNING:  THERE WILL BE SPOILERS IN HERE.  I’m not sure how many people will make the effort to get every single one of these Flashpoint-related titles - - - there’s just  too many.  I’m excited about DC putting out 52 #1 issues (likewise, 52 new starting points) in a single month, but also discouraged by the required commitment of time and money.  I’m getting the core Flashpoint limited series and some select titles and will summarize them here.  In doing so, I’m bound to give away some plot details but that may be essential to helping you make a purchasing decision.  If I save you time, money or help decide whether or not to pick up something new . . . then I’ve done what I hoped to do. And, if you’re not going to read any of these books you’ll at least know something about what happens. THE SHORT AND SWEET COMMENTARY:  I was surprised as well as shocked by some of the changes and major events that occur during this super-saga.  There is s...