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With so many new comics, TV shows, and films out there; it’s easy for even the most open readers to fall down a jaded hipster hole of “meh” when something comes along that tells a bold tale. Dark Horse Comics is set to launch a new crime drama series in August sure to grab even the […]

It’s been quite a week for master purveyor of words and professional mind f**k*r Chuck Palahniuk. The off the wall comic book sequel Fight Club 2 has a collected edition in stores now. He’s in the final hours of a successful Kickstarter campaign to adapt his novel Lullaby to independent film. If that weren’t enough, he just announced a new […]

Discover the art of David Palumbo, Cartoon Brew's Artist of the Day.

The post Artist of the Day: David Palumbo appeared first on Cartoon Brew.

Remember the first time you saw a baby Xenomorph burst from someone’s midsection in Alien? The moment when that monster opened its jaw only to see an even smaller head inch so close to Sigorney Weaver’s face that it made you clutch the armrest of your seat even tighter. For almost 30 years now Alien has been […]

Dark Horse Comics have been the most restless publisher of licensed comics based on video game franchises over the past two years. They’ve brought tentpole franchises such as Call of Duty, Tomb Raider, and the often times over looked Mirror’s Edge to comics. Among the biggest in their library has been the mega dollar printing […]

Title: Planetes Genre: Science Fiction Publisher: Kodansha (JP), Dark Horse Comics (US) Creator: Makoto Yukimura Serialized in: Weekly Morning Original Release Date: December 22, 2015 Review copy provided by the publisher I’ll admit that I wasn’t overly familiar with this story going in but from what I’d heard Planetes sounded like a series of loosely connected ... Read more

The post Manga Review: Planetes (Volume One) appeared first on Organization Anti-Social Geniuses.

During a special panel at New York Comic Con 2015, Dark Horse Comics in conjunction with Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products and James Cameron’s Lightstorm Entertainment announced that AVATAR, the highest-grossing film in history, will expand into the world of comic books in anticipation of the three upcoming film sequels. The books are said to tell […]

UK Comics Shop Orbital hosts a podcast interview series called “Orbital in Conversation.”  In the most recent episode, Orbital Events manager Chris Thompson speaks with renowned literary author and current comics scribe Chuck Palahniuk about Fight Club 2 and Palahniuk’s take on the various strengths and weaknesses of the comics medium. If you’re a structural reader, I highly suggest […]

This week, a longtime staffer of the internet’s premiere comic book website, The Beat, became obsessed…obsessed with ‘90s X-Men comics. We tried to take away copies of comics like X-Cutioner’s Song from the staffer — but the efforts of the full staff at the Stately Beat Manor (home of team Comics Beat) proved futile. We were […]

After you explore the Wasteland, explore the art behind the Wasteland with Dark Horse.

After an arduous week scraping gum off The Stately Beat Manor ceiling and cleaning crushed PBR cans out of the infinity pool, the Beat Staffers were ready for a week long nap when suddenly, Lobo blew the hinges off the long-locked bathroom door, howling with anger and flexing his arm hairs threateningly. His bushy locks trailed in […]

On the SDCC floor we caught up with creator of The Goon, Eric Powell, to talk about what could be the end for one of comic’s biggest cult icons as he wraps up The Goon: Once Upon a Hard Time. Read his thoughts about the challenges facing the modern creator owned era, an update from Hollywood, and some advice for throwing 4th of July parties.

Comics Beat: First I had a friend of mine, I told him I’d be talking to you. He grabs me on the shoulder and says “You gotta ask Eric if he’s ever lit a car on fire!” is there a story to that?

Eric Powell: Yes [laughs] and the answer is yes. No for a long time I lived in a town called Lebanon Tennessee, which is about half an hour outside of Nashville. I had about seven acres, so we lived out in the middle of nowhere and I used to have pretty epic Fourth of July parties every year. It escalated from, you know, just having a bond fire to an entire like living room suite that we set on fire. [We] sat on the couches and took photos with the entire living room on fire. [Laughs] And one year, this was the topper. I’m not endorsing this… this is not a good idea; it’s actually a very dumb idea. We filled an old wrecked 1972 Nova with about $600 worth of fireworks and about three gallons of gas.

 CB: Wow!

EP: We had on a giant amp system… crap I’m drawing a blank. Oh, it was Jimmy Hendrix’s “National Anthem” blasting.

 CB: [laughs] That sounds like the right way to celebrate America.

EP: It was an epic 4^th of July party. It was so good and so over the top that I was just like… I don’t think I should have parties any more because this one will never be topped.

 CB: Once you hit the top right.

EP: It was the pinnacle and once you hit the pinnacle, you know.

 Comics Beat: That brings me to my next question about hitting the pinnacle with Once Upon A Hard Time. We’re approaching the end of this run; are you still certain this is going to be the last story with “The Goon”?

Eric Powell: I don’t want to give too much away but if you want to consider everything I’ve done [with the character] as one story; this is definitely wrapping up what I started in the first issue of The Goon back in 1999. Now,  Dark Horse is putting out these Library editions. What’s great about it is we’ll be able to take this entire arc and have these nice hardcover collections that give you the entire story in one batch [including all the previous hard to find stuff]. But I’m not giving up on that universe that I’ve established. Like I said, I don’t want to give too much away but I will be doing some stuff that is directly connected to what I’ve established there. I’ve got a new project that hasn’t been announced yet, but will shortly, that deals with this universe.

The Goon: Once Upon a Hard Time #2

 CB: That sounds awesome especially with so much to this universe readers might not pick up on. You’re not giving up the whole universe but will we still see The Goon?

EB: We’ll have to see. Read the last issue of Once Upon a Hard Time [laughs]

 CB: That’s just wrong man! [laughs]

Issue four’s had a bit of a delay; has that been because of you going back and having difficulty finding the right note to go out on?

EB: A little bit of that. There was definitely a lot of back and fourth on the script and I’m putting a little bit extra into the art. Also my schedule just got really crazy with Big Man Plans and some cover work; then it was convention season so it got a little behind. Really I just wanted this issue because it is wrapping everything up… I just wanted to do the best I can on it.

Big Man Plans #3 from Image Comics

 Comics Beat: Very few have ever created something and even fewer with the longevity of The Goon, I completely understand. So, what’s your take on the wave of modern creator owned work?

Eric Powell: I’m really excited and happy to see so many people doing great creator owned books and to see it finally breaking out. Where you can have a book with no movie or TV tie-in selling 20 or 30 thousand copies and competing with stuff Marvel and DC is doing.

CB: It’s been a great thing for comics overall.

EP: It has, it’s helped the industry.

CB: More now than ever with stuff by independent creators there seems to be a flavor for everyone.

EP: Exactly, and I’ve caught a lot of flack talking about the need for it.

CB: [laughs] you’ve caught flack for a lot of different things.

EP: Yeah, but I’ve cost my self some work from it because I was so vocal, but I felt like I should stick to my guns and speak up. I grew up a Marvel kid. I read Marvel Comics, I love that stuff. I love the Hulk. Seeing that scene in Avengers where he picks up Loki and smashes him on the floor; I was giddy. But do I think that stuff should be given special treatment on the stands or the thing shops are solely ordering? We should be like television and we should be like film and we should have something out there everyone can like [for different audiences] to build a broader readership. Over the last five years or so it’s been exploding. We’ve got a huge female readership that’s opening up. It’s great. We need diversity, we need diversification, and the content to survive and grow.

 Comics Beat: True. With the recent partnership Dark Horse has announced. If that relationship were able to push The Goon into full feature (further than its been) would you come back and do another story to go along with it?

Eric Powell: Well we’re still working on our animated film. Tim Miller who’s the director of the Deadpool movie, his company Blur Studio, along with Jeff Fowler has been trying to get this thing off the ground. We’re still trying to get a studio behind it while finishing edits on the animatic we funded through Kickstarter. They’re putting together a package with Fincher again and going out and doing the hard sell. We’re still pushing it and trying to get this thing done.

CB: Well we hope to see it sooner than later considering you won’t tell me if I’ll ever get another Goon story. Thank you Eric Powell for talking with us; and every brutal, hilarious, and captivating moment since ’99. 

Once Upon a Hard Time #4

Ladies and gentlemen, Eric Powell has been on a hell of a run with The Goon and we can’t wait to see how he brings it to a close. It’s not too late to jump into the world of The Goon. Once Upon a Hard Time #4 comes out August. His other current project, Big Man Plans, published by Image Comics is also in stores now. Pick them all up and invite him to your 4th of July party at your own risk. 

Dark Horse Comics has announced a new Legend of Korra comic series. Nickelodeon ran this cartoon for four seasons.

Entertainment Weekly reports that the story line for the comics will pick up where the show left off. Michael Dante DiMartino, one of the co-creators of the TV series, has come on board as the main writer.

Brian Konietzko, who is also a co-creator, has been working on the writing with DiMartino and will serve as a consultant on the artwork. According to his Tumblr post, no artists have been hired as of yet.

In addition to this project, Konietzko has also been preoccupied with a science fiction graphic novel entitled Threadworlds. First Second Books has set the publication date for 2017.

Dark Horse Comics has formed a partnership with Humble Bundle. The two organizations have crafted a digital comics package tailored for video games fans.

Here’s more from the press release: “Customers can name their price for Fallout: New Vegas, Plants vs. Zombies: Lawnmageddon, EVE: True Stories, Tomb Raider: The Beginning, and The Art of Remember Me. Those who pay more than the average price will also receive The Guild Volume 1, Halo: Initiation, The Art of Bioshock Infinite, and Valve Presents Vol. 1: The Sacrifice and Other Steam-Powered Stories. Customers who pay above the average price by $5 or more will receive all of the above plus Mass Effect: Foundation Volume 1 and Dragon Age Volume 1: The Silent Grove.”

More titles will be added to the package on July 8. This Humble Bundle deal will be made available until July 15. Readers can choose between two recipients for their money; either the publishing house or the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund.

Dark Horse Comics has announced two new books based on highly anticipated video games. Call of Duty and Lara Croft will join Mirror’s Edge: Exordium this fall as the publisher is quickly turning big video games into a full on line of comics.

Over on IGN, the publisher announced an official prequel comic to Activision’s upcoming Call of Duty Black Ops III game. Written by Larry Hama (G.I. Joe) with art by Marcelo Ferreira (Transformers, TMNT), Call of Duty: Black Ops III, the comic, will follow the story of an elite group of soldiers infiltrating a terrorist cell only to find something even more dangerous. A free mini-comic will be available to anyone attending SDCC next week at the Dark Horse booth and outside at the Activision experience. In addition to the free mini-comic, a full series is set to debut on November 4, just two days before the release of game.

Not to be outdone. Based in the same universe as the Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris and Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light games from Crystal Dynamics, Lara Croft and the Frozen Omen is a five issue miniseries written by Corrina Bechko (INVISIBLE REPUBLIC) and illustrated by Tomb Raider comics veteran Randy Green.

In this all-new adventure, Lara must stop a group of cultists from causing world-wide cataclysmic devastation, and ancient ivory artifacts hold the key to both salvation and destruction. The miniseries marks the return of impractical teal tank and dual pistols Lara Croft.

Lara Croft and the Frozen Omen will hit stores on Oct 7, 2015.

Mike Mignola, the creator of Hellboy, and Christopher Golden, a prolific writer, will collaborate on writing a new comic mini-series called Joe Golem: Occult Detective. This character originates from the 2012 illustrated novel, Joe Golem and the Drowning City.

Here’s more from the press release: “The new series takes place prior to the events of the illustrated novel Joe Golem and the Drowning City. Set forty years after an earthquake leaves Lower Manhattan partly submerged under 30 feet of water, Joe Golem must hunt a horrifying creature that is pulling children into the depths of the city’s canals.”

The art team includes Patric Reynolds (interior art), Dave Stewart (colors), and Dave Palumbo (covers). Dark Horse Comics will publish a total of five installments for this project. The first issue will be released in November 2015.