The Westwood Witches

THE WESTWOOD WITCHES
Publisher: AMIGO Comics
Written by: El Torres, Art by: Abel García, Edited by: Lance Tooks, Letterd by: Malaka Studio

The same team behind the acclaimed “Drums” miniseries at Image Comics tell us a whole new tale of horror that brings the witchcraft horror into the modern world. A macabre 4-issues miniseries that will be released in May, 2013.

The Westwood Witches is a story that could be best explained by saying it's like Desperate Housewives meets sci-fi horror. The main character Jack is a successful writer of bestsellers… which he hates. Suffering from writer’s block, he  decides to go back to his old neighborhood, not knowing that his neighbors are real witches, the kind of demon worshipers that kill anyone who could disturb Westwood.

The Good
The first thing you will notice about this story is the artwork. Ridiculously well drawn and painted, Abel Garcia does a phenomenal job with both his coloring and drawing of creepy settings, beautiful women and gore. The panels are set up to flow smoothly. None of the characters look similar and are all individualized very well. Though where I think Abel shines the most is really in how he sets the tone/mood of the story with his use of colors. I really hope that  everyone reading this comic will take note, appreciate it and just notice it. The color use alone will get you engaged and emotionally drawn into each scene.

The writer El Torres has done a great job with this book. Page to page it's very easy to follow. The dialogue between characters is  well written. The plot is both fun and spooky. Maybe gut-wrenching would be a good word choice here too because these women are DARK. They will show you just how dark and mid evil they can get.  From the first page to the last he does a great job setting the tone in the first issue for what appears to be a really good read.

The Bad
I honestly couldn't tell you.

Overall
The Westwood Witches has me both hot and bothered. Only in the best ways though. Hot for the housewife sex appeal and bothered because well... These housewives are witches and do some very disturbing things.

A strong start to what appears to be a very well drawn, colored, sexy, graphic, gory, intriguing and well written story. This first issue should have you chomping at the bit for the next issue when it comes out!

Geek-o-Rama received a copy of this book for the purpose of this review. All thoughts, comments, opinions and fantasies are those of the individual reviewer.

The Tribulations of Abaddon #1

Welcome to The Tribulations of Abaddon #1; A medieval adventure where warriors must join forces, caught in the center of an epic battle between angels and demons.

As humanity prospers and kingdoms grow, the balance of good and evil shifts into chaos when the demon Syria escapes from the dark bowels of Hell. Back on Earth, the Sumerian city of Larsa begins to consume itself as a demonic plague begins to spread at an overwhelming rate. Its defending warriors desperately strive to maintain their existence, and ensure their survival, by coming together. They overcome great odds as they fight for their lives, caught in the war between Heaven and Hell.

David Sandoval is here to ask for help in making the first issue of “The Tribulations of Abaddon” a reality. The journey to produce this fantastic tale has been a long one. David has been working on T.O.A. for a few years, and in the process of development he came together with a fantastic team of artists who have helped him create this labor of love.

This is where fans can help. David has been personally funding the creative production of this book, but he can’t do it alone -- and producing the physical comic is a financial challenge in itself. The artistic team has gotten some great reactions from fellow creators, artists and fans in the industry, so TOA-team is even more excited than ever about bringing this comic to readers!

“The Tribulations of Abaddon is one of those rare projects that comes along and combines everything I love about high fantasy in the comic medium. N.A.S Studios is putting together an incredible tale of sword, sorcery, angels and demons and I am very excited to be involved in helping to bring this to life!”
          - Patrick Blaine (penciler/artist for Top Cow, Dark Horse, DC)

“TOA… monsters, demons, hot women, badass men. And a great storyline to boot! I am looking forward to my involvement with this project."
          - Kevin Conrad (inker/artist for Image, DC)

"T.O.A. is a BIG story... Big, over-sized people shooting off their big, over-sized mouths in a big, over-sized adventure! Feeding T.O.A.'s 'bigness' however, is a deep pool of subtlety.The characters are relevant, original and complex, and the settings are familiar enough to be engaging without being predictable. T.O.A.'s dialogue is loaded with humor and emotion, while remaining happily free of the campy bulls**t that is the lingua franca of modern Sword and Sorcery. The script paints crystal clear pictures -- I wish I were the artist drawing it! Its going to be a fun, epic saga and I can't wait to see it all come together!" 

         - Steve Firchow (artist/colorist for Top Cow, DC, Marvel)

The Kickstarter funding will be used to help pay for the interior sequential art, which includes: pencils by Kris Cagle, inks by Juan Albarran, colors by Tommy Shelton, lettering by Kel Nuttall, post-production graphic design by Raymond Dowaliby, and the printing and Distribution of T.O.A. #1

This first issue will have 24 pages of story as well as 8 pages of bonus materials including concept
sketches and pinup art. That's a 32 page book!

The Team:
Interiors by: Kris Cagle
Inks by: Juan Albarran
Colors by: Tommy Shelton
Lettering by: Kel Nuttall

With covers by:
Romano Molenaar / Jonathan Glapion / Thomas Mason
Patrick Blaine / Jonathan Glapion / Colors Coming Soon
Richard Bonk / Kevin Conrad / Thomas Mason
Kevin Conrad / Jonathan Glapion / Thomas Mason
Richard Bonk / Patrick Blaine / Kris Cagle / Thomas Mason
Paolo Pantalena / Nei Ruffino
Patrick Blaine / Jonathan Glapion / Steve Firchow

Please visit the Kickstarter page and make a contribution.

For more information on TOA and NAS Studios, go here:

FB - https://www.facebook.com/pages/NAS-Studios-LLC/193157744054052

Website - http://www.nasstudios.net/  -or-

 http://www.nasstudios.net/the-tribulations-of-abaddon.html

reMIND In March Diamond Previews

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: With reMIND Volume 2 being the highest funded graphic Novel on Kickstarter.com with over $107,000 in pre-order sales, the time has come to “remind “ everyone that currently you can order your very own copy of reMIND via the Diamond Previews (#294 VOL. XXIII #3, MAR13, page 292) as well as directly via SCB Distributors so it can be ordered from any bookstore as well.

reMIND is an all ages sci-fi about faith, underwater lizard-men and brain transplantation.

Jason was inspired by comic artists in the 90's when Jason refined his drawing style and then was influenced by Miyazaki's movies and storytelling over the last decade.

Creator Jason Brubaker seamlessly delivers a perfectly-paced story, strong characters, and a visual style that can actually be described as "unique." Winner of the Xeric Award for a graphic novel, reMIND is a labor of love and independent publishing success story.

PREVIEWS #294 (VOL. XXIII #3, MAR13), page 292

COFFEE TABLE COMICS
MAR13 0986     REMIND HC GN VOL 01 (C: 0-1-1)       
MAR13 0987     REMIND HC GN VOL 02 (C: 0-1-1)                   

REMIND VOLUME 1 HC

(W/A/CA) Jason Brubaker

All Sonja wanted was to find her missing cat, Victuals, but when he washes up on the shore of her sleepy coastal town several days later with a head full of stitches and the startling ability to speak and no memory of how he got that way her quiet life is forever changed. Together they set out to solve the mystery of his disappearance, embarking on a journey that leads to a strange kingdom under the waves and into the heart of a royal power struggle, where the answer to Victual’s true identity could save or doom them all! (STK528420) (C: 0-1-1)

HC, 7x10, 152pgs, FC   $24.95

REMIND VOLUME 2 HC

(W/A/CA) Jason Brubaker

The search for the truth about his mysterious transformation has led Victuals back home, where he finds his old body inhabited by King Erzatz of the Lizard men, now bent on making any sacrifice necessary to cheat mortality - including his own daughter Princess Cyrene.  But an even greater and more ancient danger lurks still deeper beneath them, one whose rise could spell the doom of their underwater world. Victuals must face his King, Cyrene must face the Invisible, and both Human and Lizard man must face the strange destiny that has been brewing in the waters below Cripple Peaks.

Foreword by Skottie Young. (STK528421) (C: 0-1-1)

HC, 7x10, 176pgs, FC   $24.95

reMIND has already won a few awards which include:

·         2010 Xeric Grant Winner

·         2012 Great Graphic Novels for Teens List (GGNT)

The Young Adult Library Association (YALSA) has given reMIND, an official “seal of approval” with a nomination for its Great Graphic Novels for Teens booklist for 2012. However, this graphic novel is for adult readers and comic aficionados, too. Followers of Brubaker’s journey into publishing and creating his first graphic novel via his blog, marvel over his talent, determination—and his satisfying, masterful storytelling. The cliff hanger ending amazed and now everyone can be sure to read the next story in Volume 2!!

reMIND will be on many “must read” lists. So…..Read it!!!!

reMIND Volume 1 (second printing) is 152 full color pages and hardcover that includes Chapters 1 - 3 of reMIND. The retail price is $24.95.

reMIND Volume 2 (first printing) will be 176 full color pages and hardbound with a cloth binding. Vol 2 concludes the story of reMIND containing Chapters 4 - 7. The retail price is $24.95.

About the Author:

Jason Brubaker is a visual development artist at Dreamworks Animation, with a consuming hobby of making graphic novels in his free time. He is now finishing up volume 2. His reMIND blog not only highlights Jason’s incredible art and comics, but offers invaluable step-by-step lessons on creating a graphic novel. http://www.reMINDblog.com

Quotes:

"A curiously mature and seasoned sensibility. Discover why Jason Brubaker's unique characters will show he's definitely arrived in the field of comics." - Sam Kieth - The Maxx

"The world of reMIND is stunningly beautiful, the story genuinely emotional, and the use of light and shadow is simply fantastic." -Kazu Kibuishi

"reMIND is just what I was looking for." - Skottie Young - Multiple Eisner Award Winner

 “I have to wait in line behind my kids to read our copy of reMIND!” - Doug TenNapel

Upcoming Convention appearances:

WonderCon March 29-31st 2013

Phoenix City Comic-Con May 23-26, 2013

Target Audience:

Young Adult, Teen audience ages 11 and up.

Silence & Co

Crystal Productions is proud to be soliciting Silence & Co., the new, 176-page, black and white original graphic novel, this March through Diamond Comic Distributors.

When disillusioned Hitman Alexander Maranzano is contacted by the shadowy Silence & Co. to fulfill a contract, what starts off as just another hit quickly turns into a deadly race for answers. From the dusty streets of Marrakesh to the lush jungles of Colombia and back to NYC, Alex’s search for revenge and the truth behind Silence & Co. triggers a series of events that alter everything he has ever known. And change the nature of organized crime forever.

Art is by Ron Randall (Alien, Star Wars), letters by Eisner winner John Workman (Thor, Marvel 1985), cover by Eisner winner Steve Lieber (Whiteout, Shooters), and written by Gur Benshemesh (Morgan St. Watch Co.).

The Diamond Item Code is MAR130990 SILENCE & CO OGN, and all for just $9.99 RRP.

Bob Larkin Needs Comic Fandom's Help

From Terry Allen:

 

Bob Larkin, whose done hundreds of paintings for Marvel, DC, Fleer and numerous others is in desperate need of help. Bob's wife, Fran, has been battling various forms of cancer for the past 12 years and the endless medical bills has put an incredible financial strain on the family.  Fran is currently recovering from her latest surgery and Bob has become her caregiver 24/7 leaving him unable to take on new work.

 

I've been working with Bob the past few years doing primarily Doc Savage based collectible items with the profits going to Bob and family.I've worked with Bob the past couple of years on a sketch book featuring Doc Savage as well as Batman, Stewie, the Shadow , and a whole host of others and it's finally come back from the printers this week.The books are square bound, 8 ½ x 11" 48 black and white pages and are individually signed and numbered by Bob.   

The paperback edition is $20.00 (plus shipping) and there are two deluxe hard cover editions available that are in short supply.100% of the sales are going directly to the Larkins as well as anything else that might interest you on site. 

 www.fantompress.net

Jet Girl

From the unhinged, yet lucid mind of Justin lee Fox and the cunning, contemporary art style of Jacob Crippen comes the action adventure Graphic Novel, "JET GIRL"!

This February, brace yourself for a new espionage/sci-fi extravaganza. JUSTIN FOX'S JET GIRL, holds true to the 30's silver screen serial with a modern feel and pop culture attitude. Dive head first into this full colored 80-page experience.

The project of JUSTIN FOX'S JET GIRL was originally written as 3 one-shots that correlated with one another but were separate adventures in themselves. The first chapter follows Audey/Jet Girl, as she is sent to destroy the Lunar Socialist's moon base. There, she confronts Junior Hitler, who is a failed clone of the Tyrant Dictator, and his nursemaid Ilsa, who was suppose to be the clone's queen, but since the experiment failed she is now his caretaker. In this first story we are introduced to Jet Girl herself and the mysterious English covert agent Magistrate Mod, along with her most feared enemies. Who may or may not have ulterior motives behind controlling the Lunar Nazi movement. Through, skill, luck and puberty Jet Girl saves the moon and the day while learning that Mod might know more than he lets on. The 2nd chapter takes us 2 months from the Moon incident where Isla and J.H. have hired the great great grandsons of the Red Barron; two bi wing pilots obsessed with David Bowie and Jet Girl. It's low-tech versus high-tech in this high flying adventure! All the while Audey/Jet Girl is being watched by a mysterious woman whose intentions are not yet clear, building up to the shocking answer that follows in chapter 3. The 3rd and final chapter of the 80-page Graphic Novel is the confrontation between Audey and the original Jet Girl Cassandra Roe. While earlier stories are very light-hearted this issue shows how Jet Girl can be very diverse in story and atmosphere. In this final conflict we learn the past of the "Jet Girl" program and the dark secrets that were hidden from our hero. A choice must be made by Audey/ Jet Girl while her views about the program and country are shattered. Only reading will you know what decision she makes for her future and involvement in the Jet Girl program.

As Fox says: "Through the years, I have seen a lot of comics/movies come out where the leading lady was either this un-killable beast or some prissy runway model. I hated that idea, I felt there was no middle ground. Why can't a female lead be strong and fragile at the same time? Like a Marion Ravenwood of Raiders of the Lost Ark fame. I wanted people to see Jet Girl as this bad ass spy, who at times, could be rescued or be the rescuer. That she wasn't already some unstoppable force, but through the story she learns to become something more and the reader could progress as she does.
What we wanted from all this was to, yes, selfishly show off our talents, and to create a character that women and men could find appealing and look up to, breaking the barrier of guys only read about guys and girls only read about girls. I wanted Jet Girl/Audey to be a hero for all, someone you could root for and also be fearful for, that she might die in the next issue. Jet Girl is a comic that can be enjoyed by any age.."

The only draw back to creating Jet Girl is that Jacob Crippen works a full-time construction job to support his family, while Justin Lee Fox is full-time caretaker for his 77-year old Grandmother, who had a massive stroke a year ago. They are two dreamers doing what we can to get by and make sure their families are taken care of, while still trying to bring to life a passion they have fought so hard for and have given massive amounts of effort into doing.

Justin continues to say: " The idea might be simple but it is far from unoriginal. We believe the draw of this book will be that the main protagonist is not only female, but one that does not intimidate a male audience nor turn off a female following because she is an overly girly character that just happens to also save the world. Also adding: " We wish to use Diamond to reach the mainstream comic book stores but it takes a few issues in the can, pre-ordered and paid for before we see any returns. All funds from our Kickstarter campaign, if successful, will go directly to completing and printing the first few books. Specifically, it will cover the costs of talent, production, printing, and promotion."

In a comic world saturated by male heroes it is refreshing to have a female character that does not try to be overly masculine, but is comfortable being a feminine figure while not not coming off as weak nor dependent on anyone but her self. Jet Girl is the heroine that keeps red lip stick in her 12-eyed boots. A girl who gets the dirtiest jobs done while still looking good doing so. She captures strength womanhood while staying classy, she is Hepburn and Kahlo, Bond and Bronson. A high stepping woman with a gun in her hand and a smile that keeps you guessing.

April Solicitations: School Bites

BroadSword Comics wants to share their April 2013 pre-order possibility with a new edition of Holly Golightly's SCHOOL BITES, collecting the previous volumes 6 and 7, with a continued adventure of Cherry Creeper and her friends, living at the Shadow Academy and discovering all things new, laced with romance, secrets and cupcakes!


School Bites NEW! Independent Studies Collection

Story and Art By Holly G!
           
Class is back in session!

If you love Harry Potter but want a little more bite to it, then
this is the title you won't want to miss!

Join Cherri Creeper and her pals in this trade of vols 6: Private Lessons  and  7: Home Ec which continues their adventure into romance,
Vampires, Dark secrets and pink cupcakes.

This Independent Studies collection comes bagged with a bonus postcard sized colour pin up!

This Project is full of fun and awesome for Lovers of Goth, manga and all things cute.

FC128pgs + 1 postcard: $19.99




Never Read School Bites?! Here's a Crash Course!

The story itself centers around the main character, Cherri Creeper, once known by the Mortal name, Charlotte Webb. After being bitten and left for dead by a rouge vampire, Charlotte is lead by a love smitten bat named Bing into an alternate realm where the Shadow Academy resides.

The Shadow Academy is an institution were fledgling Vampires learn to drink responsibly. There, Charlotte is given her her new Vampire name, meets her classmates, teachers and begins her Vampiric education.

Unlike many Adventure or Vampire series or movies, School Bites does not dip into the ‘we must Save or Destroy the world!’ dramatics. It relies on personal experiences of the characters dealing with being different, coping with coming of age, being ageless, friendship and matters of the heart.

These Vampires do no live on blood alone. Because of a special elixir, they can live on sugary goodies for most of the time, giving them the ability to pick and choose their human meals more carefully without bloodlust clouding their decision.

Why do Holly's Vampires look somewhat different from each other? In School Bites there are many types and hybrids of Vampire. For example, Nostferatu are born Vampires, they are green in appearance and are usually of royal lineage. Where other Vampires have elf-like ears and different shades of lavender skin. This sometimes causes prejudice among Vampire clans which the school continuously strives to extinguish.

School Bites is For a 13 years+ audience. Buuut I do know alotta grown up dudes dig it too!

Please drop by and support Holly Golightly's SCHOOL BITES: www.schoolbites.net

Hex The Lost Tribe

Los Angeles -- From the mind of Keu Cha (Witchblade, Rising Stars) comes a fantasy unheard off. Join Keu Cha this February as he uncovers a once great land, now steeped in darkness and decay.

The project of HEX started off with a Preview sketchbook and limited Lost Issue and due to the amazing support of fans at the shows and through the online store it has kept Keu´s dreams alive and allowed them to get to this point - the completion of the long anticipated first issue of Hex, ready for the presses.

As Keu says: "The goal is to stay independent and self publish the entirety of this series. Self publishing is a huge undertaking and the challenges have been many. The past 2 years have been a long learning curve on managing all aspects of a comic book project that included finding the right team, traveling to comic conventions to promote the project, making the right business connections, and money. We did all of this on a shoestring budget financed out of our own pocket."

One of the reasons that it has taken longer than expected to get the first issue done is that Keu has had to work other jobs to finance Hex and support his family, thus he has not been able to focus all of his time on the book.

And Keu continues: "Our plan is to solicit the book through Diamond to reach the main steam comic book stores but it takes a few issues in the can, pre-ordered and paid for before we see any returns. All funds from Kickstarter goes directly to completing and printing the first few books. Specifically, it will cover the costs of talent, production, printing, and promotion."

And that is where Keu is reaching out to fans at this Critical Moment via Kickstarter: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2101706991/hex-the-lost-tribe

With the first issue done and the script set for the following issues, they need at minimum the first 3 issues completed to meet solicitation guidelines and ensure that the books will be released timely once they are solicited. The more funds they raise, the more issues they can publish and eventually get to a place where the series is self-sustaining through retail sales.

There is no way Keu can make Hex an on-going series in comic stores if this adventure does not meet the goal amount and more.

Please visit the Kickstarter page (http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2101706991/hex-the-lost-tribe) and see the exciting and exclusive opportunities to own a special oversize edition, variant covers of the 1st issue, limited edition prints, original art and access to Keu Cha!

Bear witness to the visual testimonies and continued support of comic industry greatest's like Joe Benitez (Lady Mechanika, Weapon Zero, Soulfire) and Randy Queen (Darkchylde).

A synopsis of the HEX THE LOST TRIBE shows the true fantasy setting of this new world and its aspiration:

A vast legion of undead soldiers, amassed from the remains of generations before, ravage the land. They are lorded over by an ambitious necromancer who will not stop short of domination over that is known.

LANA, princess of the last Kingdom to fall before this unholy army, must flee her home and travel into the black heart of the growing necropolis that the rest of the realm has become. Out there amongst the ruins lies perhaps the only chance for the world’s salvation: the mythical, mysterious Lost Tribe, a forgotten band of powerful woman warriors and their beastly companions.

Lana will come face-to-face with RUYN, the monster that has long haunted her dreams, a being consumed by his own uncontrollable rage. Does this creature hold the key to saving Lana’s people or will their encounter unleash an ancient evil capable of destroy creation itself?


Keu Cha drawing at his art table: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAodWAhLEaE

Steampunk Known as TICK: Celebrated in Top 2012: Ten UK Small Press Comics You Need to Own

Canterbury, GB

"Bagley presents a layered and captivating tale here, brought to visual life with an exquisite eye for detail and a remarkably assured and confident storytelling style.
If you don’t instantly fall in love with Tick after a first reading then, quite frankly, you have no soul…"

Small Pressganged soundbite

Rebecca Bagley’s steampunk fable Tick is a 36-page colour small press comic. Its starting point centers on a new homeowner’s discovery of a curious, kettle-headed, mechanical creature hidden away in the house she has just purchased. Obviously sentient, but forlornly uncommunicative, it soon becomes obvious that this hi-tech-yet-retro homunculus’ original function has been lost to the mists of time.

TICK now is heralded as being one of 10 of the “best” small press books of 2012, as proclaimed by Andy Oliver (contributor to Paul Gravett’s "1001 Comics You Must Read Before You Die") in his weekly column SMALL PRESSGANGED.

As comic critic Andy Oliver said in his weekly column: “The “Tick” of the book’s title refers to the fact that this little metal man’s mechanism seems also to be faulty and, while he ticks, he does not tock. As the story progresses, the readers observe the author’s ponderings on the origins of the character and her various attempts to find him a new role within the domestic arrangements of the house. Trapped out of time in a world he never made can our tiny robot ever find contentedness again?”

And Andy Oliver speaks more: “Younger readers will love it as an enchanting tale of a lost robot in a contemporary world. Adult readers will find it speaking to them on much deeper levels because Tick is as much a story about feelings of redundancy and isolation, of the importance of a sense of purpose and of knowing our place in the world, as it is an urban fairy tale.”

You can read more about TICK and other Small Press titles here: http://www.brokenfrontier.com/columns/p/detail/celebrating-2012-ten-uk-small-press-comics-you-need-to-own

Tick is available priced £6.00 plus postage. To obtain this gem and to find out more about Rebecca’s work, please check out her website here http://bagleybooks.com/.


About Rebecca Bagley

Rebecca was born and grew up in Surrey before moving to Canterbury with her partner for a few years to hang out with Romanians and sell carpets. Now she’s on the move again to Bath, firstly for kicks and secondly to improve her knowledge of Graphics and Illustration at the University of Bath Spa.

She collects graphic novels, children’s books and other such graphic publications and is usually  working on a creation of her own, either writing, drawing or both.This ordinarily takes the form of a story, print or comic or book but it has also been known to require a needle, thread and old socks.

Nancy In Hell On Earth #4 Is Late And The Creators Are Sorry...

Happy Halloween - it’s the return of Cabra Cini: Voodoo Junkie Hitwoman!

At a pivotal moment in her life, former crack-whore Cabra Cini found a new addiction--voodoo--and from there she crafted a new vocation--developing her own bastardized version of the dark art to carry out hits!

Introduced in Visionary Comics’ Digital Visions, Cabra is back in H!M Comics’ IF-X: Halloween--in which a friend’s Halloween fancy dress party is meant to be a night off for Ms. Cini--but events prove to be as eventful and bizarre as any of her assignments!

Written by Sam Johnson (Geek-Girl, Gold Town, The Almighties) and illustrated by Dan Lauer (Myth, Slam Dunk Kings, Zombie Highway), Cabra’s lead feature in the comic reveals a new side to her. Johnson fills us in, “Anyone familiar with Cabra Cini knows she’s a badass; she used to be in the unfortunate position of being her now-ex pimp’s abused girlfriend, and having gotten out of that ‘hole’ and found her vocation in life, she’s a much stronger woman--to the point that she’s feared by any who know her--but beneath her badass exterior, she is still a human being.”

Johnson continues, “No one has been able to get close to Cabra since she became the ‘Voodoo Lady’; though she does have physical ‘relations’ (as a former President might say) with her neighbor Jeff…

“Only, Jeff’s fallen for her. He’s been wanting to take things to the next level--for them to have a real relationship--he’s had this idea in his head for awhile, and after a couple of drinks at the party, Jeff’s going to make his move and try and break through the ‘wall’ Cabra’s put up. However--he may not like what he finds on the other side of it.”

Suggested for mature readers, Cabra Cini in ‘Bad Voodoo’ is the lead feature of IF-X: Halloween, Out Now, $2.99, b&w, 32 pages - and available to buy online at www.samjohnson-comics.blogspot.com. The comic also features ‘Brody and Lisa’, a supernatural romance strip from Kelci Crawford; and ‘Recovery Unit’, an offbeat vampire tale from Patrick McEvoy & David Beyer, Jr.
And if you didn’t catch Cabra’s debut, it’s up to read for free at the site!

FACTS 2012 = The Walking Dead

Never before has an American series been that much in the spotlight @ FACTS as The Walking Dead.
Zombies galore!

Conquer your fear and meet :
- Charlie Adlard, renowned The Walking Dead comics artist
- Norman Reedus, fan favorite Daryl in the award-winning The Walking Dead tv series
- Lauren Cohan, charming Maggie in the award-winning The Walking Dead tv series.

Other zombie artists will also be present such as Sean Phillips (Marvel Zombies) and Sophian Cholet & Lucio Leoni from the succesful french Zombies series.

Many The Walking Dead titles (the comics, the new compendium edition, novels, the survivors guide) will be available at cheap prices. Publisher Silvester will bring cool Walking Dead banners and thus it will be easy to spot Charlie Adlard. And they made a exclusive Walking Dead card-set which will only be available at FACTS.

With our E-bay auction, you can become a zombie in a future Walking Dead issue. All profits go to Charity. You can bid here :
http://www.benl.ebay.be/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=221140838472

Suffer more living dead action:
Dead Cold: Get hold of your own limited edition FA.C.T.S 2012 collectible on which all artists have participated. The price is a mere 10€.

On Saturday at 17h30, in the Black Box the painting by Charlie Adlard which was used for Dead Cold, the FACTS 2012 collectible, will be auctioned.

More info here : http://www.facts.be/2012/auction-dead-cold-cover-by-charlie-adlard/
The Walking Dead Competition: win the autograph of Norman Reedus, the last Early-Bird tickets, comics and dvd’s

The zombie manga Competition : win the first five issues of the cult series ‘I am a hero’
Zombie makeover: get zombified by professional make-up artists
European première!!!!!

watch Episode 1 of Season 3 of The Walking Dead at F.A.C.T.S. 2012.
Attention : seating places will be limited.

StarWarp Concepts Book Festival

From Thursday, October 11, to Monday, October 15, independent publishing house StarWarp Concepts—the company behind such critically acclaimed titles as Blood Feud: The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, Book 1 and Lorelei: Sects and the City—will be hosting its first online convention.

At the StarWarp Concepts Book Festival, all of the company’s print titles will be available at the same discounts that are offered at traditional conventions (plus postage), and prices on e-books will be reduced. In addition, visitors will be able to download free digital comics and print out their own attendee badge. Just add your own cosplayers, and you’ll have the full convention experience!

Debuting at the festival will be the digital edition of the graphic novel Lorelei: Sects and the City, a Mature Readers story written by Steven A. Roman (The Saga of Pandora Zwieback), with art by Eliseu Gouveia (The Phantom), Steve Geiger (Web of Spider-Man), and Neil Vokes (Fright Night). In this homage to 1970s horror comics and movies, a soul-stealing succubus battles a cult of Elder God worshipers seeking to rule the world. Normally priced at $5.99, the 152-page e-book will be discounted to $3.99 during the five-day event; after October 15 it will return to its original price.

The StarWarp Concepts Book Festival runs from Thursday, October 11, until Monday, October 15. To join in on the experience, just head to the show site on Thursday, when it opens its cyberdoors:

www.starwarpconcepts.com/book-festival

About the Company:

Launched in 1993, StarWarp Concepts is a publisher of dark-fiction novels and graphic novels, and is based in Queens, NY. Its print titles are distributed by Ingram Book Company, and can be ordered from most online retailers as well as through comic book stores and brick-and-mortar bookshops. Its e-book editions are available from Amazon.com, BarnesAndNoble.com, the Apple iBookstore, Kobo.com, Diesel, Smashwords, and DriveThruFiction.com.

For more information on the company and its projects, please visit our Web sites: www.StarwarpConcepts.com and www.PandoraZwieback.com.

The Time of Reflection Kickstarter

At the London MCM Expo's Eagle Award ceremony in May, Alex Wilson and Silvio dB won The Huntsman's Challenge, an international talent search co-sponsored by the Universal Pictures film Snow White and the Huntsman and the MCM Expos.

Their winning full color dark fantasy story "The Time of Reflection" appeared in the convention program, and on September 23 they launched a Kickstarter both to reprint the story and to encourage experimentation between the strictly crowdfunding and strictly retail models of comics delivery.

Their big idea is that for any pledge $3 or higher, Wilson sends the comic to the backer as well as to a local comic shop or other independently owned retail bookseller of the backer's choice. In under eight hours, the Kickstarter reached full funding. It reached 500% backing in under five days.

"The Time of Reflection" Kickstarter ends on October 23. Rewards include art commissions, song commissions, signed and numbered limited editions featuring the full script and unlettered pages, translations of the comic into the language of the backer's choice, and a 1,000 piece puzzle. There are also stretch rewards and a "micro-chapbook" incentive to tell others about the campaign.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/alexwilson/the-time-of-reflection or KICKALEX.COM.

Silvio dB can be found at http://silviodb.deviantart.com or https://twitter.com/silviodb

Alex Wilson can be found at http://www.alexwilson.com or https://twitter.com/alexotica

Studio J Steals Your Heart At New York Comic Con 2012

"Prepare for New York Comic Con...and Adventure!

Fall is upon us and with it comes the East Coasts largest (and 2nd largest in the US) convention of comics, artists and pop culture greatness, New York Comic Con, October 11-14, Javitts Center, NYC.

As you make your way around the Javitts make sure to check out new comer to the comics arena, J. Wichmann who will be hanging out in artists alley.  We've been keeping a close eye on Mr. Wichmann (pronounced Witch-man, which after a little research, his last name literally translates to 'Man of War') for the past few months and as he readies the release of the second issue of his self published adventure-romance comic, 'Thief of Hearts', exclusively at NYCC'12 no less, we here at BF felt it was time to spread the word about J. and about the 'Thief'...

"The Thief has been an idea I've had for over a decade now..." Wichmann recalls, "Tristan Casimir [the Thief] and other series characters, were created while daydreaming in school... I started doodling out characters and ideas, thankfully I saved those doodles, as they ended up being the seeds that have grown into an adventure.  I really wanted to read a comic that's a classic adventure story, something filled with romance, humor, and of course lots of action, and after not really finding what I was looking for, I just decided to make it."

Having started making art at a young age, J. went on to become 'class artist' in high school, eventually earning his BFA in Illustration and graphic design from R.I.T. in Rochester, NY.  "I was fairly lucky.  Art and creativity runs in my family, so my parents were fairly encouraging and understanding when all my school progress reports would say: always drawing during class, needs to pay attention more..., [laughs] well not that they didn't prefer I pay attention more to school"  

"I do everything but the coloring." Wichmann tells us.  "When you read comics you don't really think about it until you make the jump into making comics, [besides writing and drawing] all the other work involved with production for a book...layouts and graphic design, editing, lettering, marketing, more editing, printing, shipping...with the most successful comics you don't even notice that stuff when you read them, but I definitely have a greater appreciation for the folks out there that do it. It's hard work, but I wouldn't want to be doing anything else!"

Explained simply, Thief of Hearts is about a 'love at first sight' chance encounter of a boy and girl, girl is kidnapped by an evil sorcerer bent on unleashing an ancient god to enslave the world and boy having to assemble an unlikely team of friends and enemies to rescue girl and prevent our destruction.  "When I started outlining the story I had certain perimeters I wanted to meet...fun characters, humor, lots of action, beautiful locations, high production values and appeal to both men and women... I knew the story type was one that had been told, well countless times before, so I decided to embrace that and see how I could use it to my advantage."

"I decided the best way was to present the characters was with a number of smaller events that just cascades into this massive adventure... instead of the usual characters-meeting-then-fighting-their-feelings for a 100 issues, I thrust Tristan and Annabella[his love interest] together very early on and then rip them apart, for like the majority of the series.  Pretty much everyone wants to find that one great love, so this really becomes a story about how far would you go for the one you love if you suddenly lose them? [laughs]The amount and intensity of obstacles I put in Tristan's path is nuts, this whole boat chase sequence I have planned in the middle of the series would make Michael Bay wet his pants..." From what we've seen so far, we're very excited about this series!

For NYCC, J. will have on hand Thief of Hearts issue 1(in case you missed it), three versions of Issue 2 - regular cover, 'Extra Virgin' topless sketch variant, and the 'My Fair Thief' #comicmarket limited variant.  He will also have various prints on hand and be doing sketches between checking out cosplay babes.  "They [NYCC] haven't released table numbers yet, but I'm listed on their website in the artists alley section, so you can add me on the show planner app the convention has."  

For more info about New York Comic Con, visit their website http://www.newyorkcomiccon.com/ and to see more of J. Wichmann visit his art gallery at jwichmann.deviantart.com or you can connect with him on facebook: www.facebook.com/studiojcomics and twitter: @studiojcomics