Screwed #1

Screwed follows a young woman who awakens in a hospital covered in scars as if she had been taken apart and put back together again; her mind as fragmented as her body. As she tries to piece together what’s happened to her, she will find many enemies are after her but she’ll also find a valuable ally in FBI Agent Erin Scott.

The entourage of monsters in Zenescope’s arsenal is already impressive enough, but lucky for us, it’s still growing.  This time we get to see the classic nuts and bolts tale of Frankenstein’s monster get a totally new incarnation in Screwed.  Thanks to the creative minds of Tyler Kirkham and Keith Thomas, this feature creature is nothing like you’ve seen before.

Over the years we’ve seen plenty retellings of our favorite Hollywood monsters, but this book brings a whole new spark to the story we know (I couldn’t help the pun, don’t hate ).  Not only is our front man a front woman this time, but it’s set in a completely modern, and very urban setting.  Right off the bat, we’re thrown right into the chaos that this poor soul finds herself surrounded by and the pace never slows down.  Starting on a strong foundation in just this first issue, I can only imagine what’s bound to hit next.

With such intensity throughout the whole issue, the art has to keep up or chance losing that energy the story has.  It begs for just the right type of backdrop and in-your-face action sequences to set the tone, and David Miller gives us what we deserve.  With the dark and grit necessary in some places, and the brightness that leaps off the page in others, he provides a great visual layout for us.

Most of us can’t help but love our monster stories, but Screwed gives us new reason to love the monster Mary Shelley first gave us.  I’m pretty much sold on this with how well it’s starting off, and long time Zenescope fans can look forward to another great series.  This is one I’d say has a lot of promise already and should be on your grab list.

For more information on Screwed or other Zenescope titles, check out Zenescope.

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

Screwed

June Solicits: Zenescope Entertainment

 UNLEASHED: GRIMM FAIRY TALES 2013 ANNUAL

Written by Pat Shand, art by TBD, covers by Pasquale Qualano, Jimbo Salgado.

The events of Godstorm and Grimm Universe have all been building toward this moment! Unleashed: Part 3 (of 6). After tragedy strikes, the gods are scattered and they only have one defense left -- flee! The Being has put his final, horrific plan into motion and no one is safe. Will one god's selfishness lead to their fall, or will Zeus' plan save the Nexus once and for all? Don't miss the finale to the first act of the biggest event in Zenescope history!

48 pages, $5.99.

GRIMM FAIRY TALES PRESENTS DEMONS: THE UNSEEN #1

Written by Pat Shand, art by Jason Johnson, covers by Anthony Spay, Harvey Tollboa.

Unleashed tie-in! The darkest corner of the Grimm Universe is revealed in this brand new Unleashed mini-series! When demonic spirits begin possessing innocent people with disturbing frequency, the mysterious Japanese warrior, Masumi, must find a way to banish the evil forces without harming the hosts. However, as she journeys deeper into the heart of evil, Masumi notices a dark pattern to the demonic activity that threatens to swallow her whole.

32 pages, $3.99.

GRIMM FAIRY TALES PRESENTS HUNTERS: THE SHADOWLANDS #2

Written by Raven Gregory, art by Juliano Custodio, covers by Alfredo Reyes, Giuseppe Cataro.

Unleashed tie-in! After years of searching, the Hunters have finally found themselves reunited once again in a world that is not their own -- a world that holds captive the worst monsters ever imagined. But will their combined knowledge assist in finding an escape from the dreaded Shadowlands? Or will the differences among the group tear the team apart? Elsewhere, Samira and Ravenous have located a dark Being of unimaginable power and are intent on setting the creature free -- unleashing its wrath upon the Shadowlands, as well as the earth itself.

32 pages, $2.99.
 

GRIMM FAIRY TALES PRESENTS WEREWOLVES: THE HUNGER #2

Written by Mark L. Miller, art by TBD, covers by Ken Lashley, Tyler Kirkham, Marat Mychaels.

Unleashed tie-in! As a ferocious werewolf cleaves its way through the city, the time-lost monster hunter Roman must track the wolf to his quarry... a young girl named Charlotte who has suffered a bite from the wolf. What he doesn't know is that a secret government facility has taken Charlotte into custody, intent on finding out what makes her tick.

32 pages, $2.99.

GRIMM FAIRY TALES PRESENTS VAMPIRES: THE ETERNAL #3

Written by Pat Shand, art by Vittorio Garofoli covers by A: Abhishek Malsuni, B: Pasquale Qualano

Unleashed tie-in! Death match! Everything is on the table as Samira, the self-proclaimed vampire queen, rebels against the Black Death, the collective of vampires who she abandoned centuries ago. Meanwhile, Van Helsing travels through the void in search for Sela, who just might have the key to saving the world. Loyalties are severed and blood is spilled in this heart-stopping finale.

32 pages, $3.99.

GRIMM FAIRY TALES PRESENTS WONDERLAND: DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE #2  

Written by Raven Gregory, Pat Shand, art by Jose Jaro, covers by Anthony Spay, Sean Chen, David Seldman.

Driven to desperate ends, Alice Liddle finds herself committed to a psych ward in an attempt to get her condition under control. But even behind the imagined safety of locked doors, Alice can sense the madness that will not stop until everything she holds dear has fallen prey to the evil that is Wonderland.

32 pages, $2.99.

GRIMM FAIRY TALES PRESENTS WONDERLAND #12

Written by Raven Gregory, art by Sheldon Goh, covers by Mike Krome, Mike Lilly.

Calie and Violet continue their journey cross-country as they attempt to stay beyond Wonderland's reach. Elsewhere, a homely girl cashier at a local grocery store finds herself using the stories she reads to escape from her dreary existence. But she will quickly discover that although the grass does seem greener on the other side... the madness that lies in wait may be a price too great to bear.

32 pages, $2.99.

GRIMM FAIRY TALES PRESENTS: MADNESS OF WONDERLAND TP

Written by Dan Wickline, art by, various, cover by Mike Krome.

Detective Legrasse is still trying to make sense out of what happened to two murder suspects who disappeared seemingly into thin air. But when her investigation into Lovecraft's journal leads her and her partner to a recent rash of killings that resemble murders committed by Johnny Liddle, she will soon discover the deep, dark secret that binds them all. Not to mention, she will also discover the truth behind the return of one of the most dreaded villains of Wonderland.

148 pages, $12.99.

GRIMM FAIRY TALES #86

Written by Pat Shand, art by TBD, covers by Mike Krome, Alfredo Reyes.

The Phoenix: Part One--While the world is still reeling from the events of Unleashed, Sela and the newly resurrected Belinda have made it their mission to help people in need. This leads them to Kiera, a beautiful Highborn with a fiery secret who has been living among humans for centuries. As Sela learns the story of the mythological Phoenix's rebirth, the truth about the plan the Dark One has been putting into motion for years comes to light.

32 pages, $2.99.

ROBYN HOOD: WANTED #2  

Written by Pat Shand, art by Larry Watts, covers by Richard Ortiz, Pasquale Qualano, Larry Watts.

Can Robyn rise up and be the hero that Nottingham needs, or will she be forced to face the consequences of her own actions?

32 pages, $2.99.

SCREWED #1

Written by Tyler Kirkham, Keith Thomas, art by David Miller, covers by Tyler Kirkham, David Miller.

A young woman awakens in a hospital covered in scars as if she had been taken apart and put back together again. Her mind is as fragmented as her body, leaving her delusional and seeing monsters everywhere. Is this the work of a serial killer, or something far worse? FBI Agent Erin Scott intends to help her fi nd out, with or without the approval of her superiors in this visionary modern, mature re-imagining of the Frankenstein legend.

32 pages, $2.99.

GRIMM FAIRY TALES PRESENTS THE JUNGLE BOOK: LAST OF THE SPECIES #5

Written by Mark L Miller, art by Jorge Mercado, covers by Jimbo Salgado, Paolo Pantalena.

The all out battle between the Payari elephant, Shere tiger, and Bada Dar bear tribes rage -- with Mowglii caught right in the middle. Oh my! Plus, Bomani faces off alone against Kaa the Python! Not everyone will walk away from this battle in one piece as all warring parties collide on one battlefield in the conclusion to the series!

32 pages, $3.99.

Cricket, Agent of U.N.I.C.O.R.N

"Cricket jumps out of the pages of Critter as she takes on a Russian terrorist cell as well as tackling her own internal conflicts. Cricket has choices to make like any other super powered person, but has her life of crime and her desire to see the heroes of the world punished for her father's death been worth the struggle?

Villain or hero is a decision she has to make on her own - or with some careful nudging from Paradox."

Sometimes, in life, you just drop the ball. That's what I did with this review. I was handed this book by its author back at the end of September and I read it the very same night, while sitting in a hotel room. I was so excited about it that I told people about it and somehow, my brain turned that into I wrote about it. It wasn't until this past weekend when I realized that I hadn't. My sincere apologies to Keith Thomas on that one. I goofed. Now, on with the review...

The Good:
If you're familiar with the Critter universe, you might recognize this little gal. In this book, we find out a little more about the girl who becomes Cricket. The story is fast paced and keeps you turning pages as fast as your eyes can take in the art and your mind can absorb the story. Big Dog Ink has a history of good artists and this book is no exception. When you combine it with the writing skills of someone like Keith Thomas, this book is sure to please not only fans of Critter, but fans of superheroes (and villains).

The Bad:
If I have one complaint it would be a continuity issue that occurs late in the book. Cricket is recognized on one page and then when she is "revealed" on the next, we're supposed to believe that everyone is surprised. I'm not quite sure how that happened, but it doesn't take away from the story. It just made me pause for a moment.

The Summary : Fans of Critter and even those who aren't familiar with this book will want to go out and pick it up. If your local store doesn't have it, tell them to order it. It will be worth the wait. Unfortunately, this book is a one shot. It's honestly my opinion that this little girl could carry her own title and it's one that I would add to my pull list. The combination of Keith Thomas and Corey Zayatz is a winner and Big Dog Ink would be smart to keep this pairing and keep this story going.

For more information on this title, check out Big Dog Ink on Facebook and on their website.

Geek-o-Rama received a copy of this book in exchange for this review. All thoughts, comments and opinions are those of the individual authors. 

Con Recap: Wizard World Ohio Part 2

When last we met to talk about this con, it was Friday night and I was zonked out in the hotel room. At least I think that's where we left off. If it's not just go with it. That way we can talk all about Saturday!

Since I had covered most of the con floor on Friday, I decided to be lazy and sleep in on Saturday. In reality, I tried to. The hotel cleaning crew had other ideas. While they respected the Do Not Disturb sign on my door by not coming into the room, they didn't grasp the concept that sweeping the hall outside my door and the rooms on either side of me might be disturbing. In the end, I gave up and headed back down to the con.

This time, however, my little lot was full. So, I tried following the signs for the convention center parking. That didn't go so well. There was more construction and signs ended up vanishing before I found parking. It turned out ok, though. I turned up the one street whose name I recognized and discovered a parking garage under the convention center itself! Granted, it was at the other end but close parking is close parking and I took it.

Then, it was back to the convention. Friday night was pretty dead so I wasn't sure what Saturday would be like. It turns out that I didn't need to worry. The crowds came out in full force on Saturday and almost every single table had people standing around checking things out. While this makes my job more difficult, it always makes me happy for the people sitting behind the tables.

Blair Smith with Spiderman -- and the crowds.

As for me, I made my way back to artist alley, stopping to see a few friends along the way. In my head, I was already making my shopping list but I try to make myself finish working before shopping. Plus, if I'm buying prints, the last thing I want to do is carry those around all day and potentially damage them!

I do have to say, though, that artist alley is almost always one of my favorite places at any convention. It gives me a chance to meet some really cool people and they're almost always open to talking for a few minutes, not only about what they do but also about what I do. For example, I had the pleasure of meeting Jamie Tyndall, who not only gave me some great advice about putting together a media kit, but also donated two of his art books to our giveaway!

Speaking of cool people that were hanging out back in artist alley, I also got to meet these guys:

Aren't you envious? These guys were totally awesome and even let me hang out behind their table(s) for an hour or so. I cannot begin to tell you how much I appreciated that. Convention floors are almost always concrete which is just miserable to walk around on all day. I was lucky enough to have an in because they knew Keith. Remember Keith from yesterday? Yep. Looking for him on Saturday turned into an adventure, but scored me a chair. He was forgiven for being elusive. 

What else can I tell you about Saturday? The people I got to meet were awesome. The traffic congestion in the convention hall wasn't misery. There were some pretty awesome cosplayers walking around. Don't believe me? Check out these costumes:

I love when people take the time to put together awesome costumes. I honestly have no idea how they do it. I think that we saw these guys on Sunday, but either way, awesome costumes were all around. As Saturday drew to a close, I yet again missed dinner with Blair and Keith. Turns out they were looking for me as I was looking for them. There was a whole slew of mis-communication and failed attempts so I ended up back at the hotel doing some ordering in from a local pizza place.

The bonus of being back in your hotel by 7:30? You get to have amusing Facebook conversations with some of the very people you just missed for dinner, plus, you get to be extra organized for the next day. Here's what I mean: 

From Back to Front, Clockwise : Giveaway, Stuff for the kids, My goodies!

Review Stack!

Sunday dawned and I headed back down to the convention center one last time. First, I made one quick stop. The guys at Zenescope had been talking about how much they loved White Castle so I picked them up 10 burgers. I love doing little things like that. They're small but they can change someone's whole day. Their faces were priceless when I dropped the bag off at their table on my way in.

Other than that, truth be told, I spent the entire day socializing and hanging out with friends, both new and old. As much as I enjoy the bigger shows for work, I enjoyed this smaller show for the chance to see people that I adore. I even got the chance to man another table, thanks to Jon Lennon.  Plus, just for a bit of fun, we took over a table for about ten minutes while I was waiting to see Keith one last time. 

Keith's things were behind this table and so I was guarding them while I goofed around with the folks at Last Call Comics. After this, I went around and said my goodbyes to folks and then it was back to the "porno room" at the hotel to relax and watch some tv while I packed up for the drive home on Monday.

 Oh! I almost forgot to share one last picture with you! This is Pat Shand, writer at Zenescope with Keith, writer of awesomeness. Turns out they were roommates over the weekend. Either way, they're both great guys and great writers. Pat has a brand new book out, Robyn Hood. You should read it. We'll be reviewing it here soon. 

Keith and Pat

So, my over all take on Wizard World Ohio? It was small, but good. Small let you have a chance to really meet and talk to people. It also gave a chance to catch up with friends. Plus, let's face it, it can be fun to "stalk" your friends around the convention floor. If you're looking to dip your toes into the convention world, this might be one you want to check out next September.

We received a press badge for the purpose of attending this event. All commentary, thoughts and ramblings are 100% the authors. All pictures, except the one of me, are thanks to Keith Thomas and Blair Smith.

Con Recap: Wizard World Ohio Part 1

Like any con that I attend, this one started out with travel. I am thrilled to report that my 5 hour drive to the Columbus area was uneventful. Pretty exciting start, huh? Don't worry. I promise it gets better.

My first stop was to check into my hotel room. Now, since we're still pretty small, we went with a pretty small priced hotel. Someday though, we'll be among the awesome who stay at convention hotels. Luckily, I don't mind a bit of adventure when it comes to staying in a hotel. Besides, quite often I walk away with a story to tell. This con choice? The Microtel on Stringtown Road in Grove City. Yep, Stringtown Road. I think I giggled every single time the gps told me to get off there. It's just such a fun name. I figured a fun name was a good start for what would hopefully shape up to be a fun weekend.

Getting to the hotel was a bit of a hassle. The directions said to go past the hotel and make a u-turn. The only problem? U-turns weren't allowed at the next intersection so I ended up pulling onto the street, into a shopping center, driving all the way around the shopping center, coming back out onto the street, turning onto the correct road and then into the hotel. Whew! Check in was a breeze, even if the girl at the desk didn't seem to really love her job. She wasn't rude, just sort of bored. I managed to get everything inside and down to the room...opened the door to find...1970's porno room! Woo!


These pictures honestly don't do it justice. It was just beyond weird to me that the mirrors were placed like that. Ok, it's kind of weird to have a giant mirrored wall to begin with.

After getting over the shock of the mirrors, I headed down to the convention center. My directions were pretty clear which as y'all know means absolutely nothing when the very exit you're supposed to take no longer exists! I tried following signs that said to convention parking..that didn't help. Luckily, my phone has a built in gps app and it saved my buns! I even got super lucky and found parking in the tiny lot that was right next to the entrance!

After parking, I headed in and stood around  hung out with other fine folks waiting to get their press badges. Right on time, they were handed out and even came with an offer of an introduction to any celebrities and artists that I might want to talk to. It felt really good to be appreciated for what I was there to do.

Once I received my press badge, I got to hang out with two of the volunteers and an on site security guard while I waited for the doors to open. It turns out that the security guard was from Flint. We talked a bit about what it was like and had a great time joking around until it was time for me to get to work.

First stop? Zenescope. I didn't mean to. I'm not addicted to them. Really. Actually, I stopped by because Keith Thomas was standing at their table. If you're not familiar with Keith, you should be. Not only is he a great guy but he wrote one of my current favorites, Cricket for Big Dog Ink. Cricket is a one-shot that should be turned into a mini-series with Keith at the helm. Seriously, it's good stuff.

Tyler Kirkham with the awesome Keith Thomas. Watch out for these two!

Since he was standing there, I stopped by and said hi to him and the Zenescope guys. After some chitchat, it was time for me to really get to work so business cards in hand, I worked my way around the convention floor.

This convention is much smaller than others that I've attended but that didn't prevent it from having some seriously quality people there. I confess to sighing longingly at the Doctor Who store and finding it very cool that there was a booth/table where you could go and they would make you fangs that were quality and would last a lifetime if you took care of them.

Since the con was pretty small, I actually managed to cover all of the floor and about half of artist alley on Friday night. I even had the chance to stop by and say hi to friends like, Dirk Manning (author of Nightmare World).

At the end of Day 1, my feet were tired and I was tired from a long day, but content. I wrapped it all up by being brave and grabbing some White Castle for dinner before relaxing on the bed at the hotel. Why brave? I haven't had White Castle since our whole house got food poisoning in 1996 from some frozen burgers gone bad. All in all, I'll give them an "it's ok." They're not my favorite, but they were ok.

Make sure y'all come back tomorrow where I'll fill you in on the rest of the convention and share lots of pictures that I stole totally took with permission from Keith and Blair.

Geek-o-Rama received press passes for the purpose of this con writeup. All thoughts, comments, fan girling and porn room photos belong to the author. All other pictures belong to their respective cameras.