You probably weren't aware.. But uh.. I design T-Shirts. The store is hideous, but the shirts are cool :)
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
THE WALKING DEAD Season 2 News and Behind-The-Scenes
The AMC Blog gave some very exciting TWD (TV series) news today!
Pruitt Taylor Vince has been handed the role of Otis, foreman of the Hershel family farm. If you remember your TWD (comic) history, the Hershel family and their farm plays a huge part of the survivors, survival. (even if Shane wasn't among those survivors at the farm :| ) No news yet as for the rest of the family Hershel. Personally, the role of Maggie is the announcement I'm most excited about, as well as Hershel himself.
Also from AMC is some killer behind-the-scenes for season two.
Perhaps not all THAT exciting, but hey, THEY'RE FILMING! Also, 13 episodes! A much better season length I think we can all agree. I'm wondering if lying under the cars is part of the show, or if they're just catching shade? I guess we'll find out eventually!
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Image Comics, Inc. Announces a New Rating System
Image Comics, Inc. released a statement on their Facebook page today. Announcing the unveiling of a new rating system very similar to one used by DC Comics. Sorry kiddies might have a little trouble getting your hands on HACK/SLASH and THE WALKING DEAD. No official word yet what ratings to expect for your favorite comics.
Image Comics Announces Rating System
Berkeley, CA – 21 June 2011 – Image Comics titles will soon adopt a rating system consistent with that instituted by DC Comics in January of this year. This rating system will be used for both print and digital releases.
Beginning with July 2011 titles, all Image titles will use the following rating system:
E - EVERYONE (all ages, may contain minimal violence)
T - TEEN (12 and up, may contain mild violence or mild profanity)
T+ - TEEN PLUS (16 and up, may contain moderate violence, moderate profanity use and suggestive themes )
M - MATURE (18 and up, may contain nudity, profanity, excessive violence and other content not suitable for minors)
"Retailers have been asking us to more clearly define which audiences our various comics are aimed at for some time, and we're pleased to finally comply with those requests," said Image Comics Publisher Eric Stephenson. "It's been nearly a decade since the comics industry began the process of abandoning the Comics Code Authority, but during that time there hasn't been one consistent rating system. The system DC employs is by far the clearest, so it makes sense to go with that."
NuDCU Visual Guide
Does the relaunch of DC have you utterly confused? This handy little chart courtesy of Joe Stone Graphic Design should help fill in some of the gaps. (my favorite is Justice League Dark's cigarette lol so edgy)
Monday, June 20, 2011
'Falling Skies' is NOT 'The Walking Dead'
I'm going to let you in on a little secret, I don't have cable. So I caught the series premiere of 'Falling Skies' through a completely legal, alternative outlet ;)
This review is a day later than most others because of the above reason, but don't discount it because of that. I have a day's worth of twitter and bloggers telling me that this show is this summer's TWD. So I was thinking,'hey, I'm a guy that likes The Walking Dead and this commercial seemed legit.' I was pumped.
(Also, about that commercial, I lucked out and saw it on one of the TV's at the gym, otherwise I would have never known about it)
So needless to say, I'm expecting to be mind-blown, and well I sorta was.. then I sorta wasn't.. then I sorta was, again.
The only MAJOR flaws of this show are the numerous post-apocalypse cliches. The pre-hell on earth professor and know-it-all Tom Mason, portrayed by Noah Wyle, at odds with the grizzled once a hard-ass always a hard-ass military man Weaver, played by Will Patton (who is oddly uncredited on both the IMDb and Wiki pages).
Then we have the desperate to be his own man Hal Mason, son of Wyle's character, played by Drew Roy. Who surprisingly delivers some of the best performances of the whole premiere, in my opinion.
The beacon of hope amidst all the gray and gloom is Matt Mason, Maxim Knight. The youngest of the Mason family, provides an innocent link to the world that once was. His birthday celebration provides a brief moment of joy to the rest of the survivors. While very cliche, is very enjoyable to watch as you realize, in their world, it probably is the happiest they have seen anyone in quite sometime.
Did I mention the babes?
Moon Bloodgood, besides having a badass name which far outshines her characters name, portrays Anne Glass and provides a very believable love interest for Wyle's character. Also a vital asset to the survivors as their doctor and de facto spokeswoman for the civilans. She's hot.
Jessy Schram plays the badass Karen, clearly Roy's girl of choice, she feels at odds for his attention with a fellow female survivor, Lourdes played by the spicy Seychelle Gabriel.
Though Gabriel's looks are deceiving as she makes very clear her Christian values. They're both hot.
Sarah Carter, plays the hotter than hot Margaret. Definitely the hottest of the females. She has a rough entrance into the show being rescued from a gang of rapist outlaws by the survivors. She is extremely hot and in my opinion yet ANOTHER corner for the Hal Mason, Karen, Lourdes, four-pointed love triangle.. thing. Though this isn't made explicitly clear, it's just a prediction.
As for the title of this post, comparing this to 'The Walking Dead' is like comparing lemons to limes, they're both kinda sour, but they have a unique flavor. This is not your typical small band of survivors kinda show. They make it very clear in the beginning they belong to a very large, well organized regiment of 'fighters' and civilans. Calling themselves the 2nd Mass, an hommage to the American Revolutionary regiment of the same name. This aspect of the show is what truly sets it apart from most post-apocalyptic tales, especially TWD. That and they're fighting aliens not zombies. All in all, the premiere could have been stronger. But it is definitely enough to check out the next episode at the very least.
Welcome to Hell
At this point you're asking yourself a few questions. At the top of that list are these two;
1 - Who the hell is this guy?
2 - Why should I give a rats anus what he has to say?
GOOD QUESTIONS! (also, your inner thoughts have the mouth of a sailor)
Let me begin by answering them;
1 - I'm a guy living in Austin, Texas. I really enjoy comic books, hence the clever title. However, unlike most die-hards I've only been serious about reading them for the past year or so. Hence the 'journey' part of the clever blog title. Now about the 'pits of hell', I've quickly learned one thing about this industry. IT IS CONFUSING AS, you guessed it! HELL!
This writer is working on this project with this artist and then some other dude is coloring it.
Then you get into the stories themselves, with near decades of backstory for most of the popular comics. Oh and the Hulk is red now? WTF?
Not to mention I just saw 'the Death of Spider-Man' the other day. WTF?!
And suddenly DC is going all the way back #1? Srsly. OMGWTF?!
Have no fear I'm confused as you are, which leads us to;
2 - Well, I'm relatively new to comics, so you're getting the perspective of a n00b. If you're looking for someone that can tell you,"he's fighting this character and feels really bad about it, because in issue #212 of this story arc he accidentally stepped on that guy's brother's toe and a nuclear war started." Go to another blog. You're getting the perspective of a guy that just really, really loves comics, hell stories in general. I love how comics engage the reader through both art and words.
I'll be offering up my insight and opinions on the latest releases. Hopefully some Q&A with seasoned industry pros. As well an update every Wednesday (maybe early Thursday) of what I'm reading that week.
I'm at my local comic shop every Wednesday checking out something new. So that's what I can offer you, my take on what's new, as well as my perspective on what's going on in the industry.
Keep in mind, this is also my blog, which means it will also discuss other topics, film, music, tv, food, news, pop culture, or just whatever the hell my ADHD enraged brain happens to be on about that day.
Sit back and enjoy while my hands click-clack on the keyboard and rape your senses via the internet.
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