Comics

Do you prefer books or comics? Well, you're sitting on the couch or in the armchair in the evening, you're not tired yet, but you don't want to watch TV either. A book would be good because you wanted to read more anyway. You rummage through your shelves or reading piles that are scattered around the flat. Maybe you have already started 2-3 books. They were exciting, but you still don't feel like it. And then there's that comic book. Maybe about a superhero you like. Or with an imaginative, youthful story. Or an adaptation of a fairy tale. Take it, flip through it, enjoy the great colors and drawings. 

The X-Men are one of comic books most popular and beloved teams. They have had a history nearing 60 years, and have been at the top of the comic book industry on multiple occasions. They have also spawned a plethora of famous characters, who are to this day some of the most popular comic book characters of all time. The Gambit, Magneto, and of course, the ever popular Wolverine.

Throughout their sixty-year publication history, the X-Men have seen some great story arcs, but also have been subject to history erasure, retcons, and alternate realities that may make their story arcs a bit convoluted for new fans. For those looking to get into the X-Men, but are lost as to where to begin, the following are a few of the X-Men’s most popular, and beloved stories.

Trial of Gambit

The saga of the greatest magician the world has ever known continues in this second issue as Pocus Hocus -- his real name, not a stage name -- once more comes face to face with the very demon he once summed to bargain for the supernatural abilities he possesses and passes off as slight of hand and illusion.

The demon has a problem - and a proposition. He's an inveterate gambler (as are all demons) and he's wagered in currency he didn't possess. The currency of Hell being contracts for souls, the demon has a plan to enlist Pocus in acquiring these new souls so he can pay off his debts and avoid oblivion; Pocus, his own existence inexplicably linked to the demon's, has little choice but to acquiesce, and put a new trick into his act that will fill the demon's pockets with more copies of "The Damned Contract."

The revelation of Jon Kent's bisexuality has been a polarizing plot point among fans of the DC Comics universe of titles. And while the news was cheered by some and jeered by just as many, claims are being bandied about that the critics of the move object strongly enough to merit police protection.

This is the claim coming out of TMZ and then parroted by PinkNews, as they claim that "the artists" (generically) of Superman have received death threats to merit enough concern on the part of DC Comics that the Los Angeles Police Department was called in to patrol and protect.

In the world of TIGHTS, the world gets hit with COVID-21 right on the heels of COVID-19. Starting over from square one is more than the battered economy can take, and the combination of isolation, unemployment, and endless hours of Disney+ streaming content leads to the inevitable: people dressing up as superheroes to fight crime, save the city, and grab some justice for themselves.

What they most often do, however, is cause problems, get arrested, and clog up the court systems.

That's where Chris Waigand's protagonist enters. Judge Oliver Andrews has had enough with the constant barrage of would be crimefighters. They're the bane of his existence. But when a ghost from Oliver's past as s prosecuting attorney returns to turn his life into a nightmare, the judge may have to become the thing he hates in order to mete out justice.

Independent comic publishers have been with us for as long as the comics industry has been around. If you had a photocopier and a stapler, you could do your own thing and try to convince people to buy it (and some did so quite successfully).

Now with the advent of technologies like print-on-demand, not to mention the affordability of your average print shop, and the mass-marketing tools afforded by way of crowdfunding platforms like Kickstarter and Indiegogo, truly anyone can try their hand at getting into the funny book business. The downside of that is that there are so many competing projects out there for your dollar that it's easy to go unnoticed if you don't raise your voice loud enough.

Creepsters is the eighth and newest campaign from writer Nasser Rabadi to be added to his ever-growing library of horror-themed novels and comics. Arguably his best work to date, Nasser assembled a creepy team of designers, artists, and toy companies (yes, that’s right, an actual toy company) to produce his idea and make it a reality.

Synopsis: While digging for buried treasure on Perdida Cove Beach, 12-year-old Max discovers a mysterious creature he names Chomper, whose friendship will lead him into a world of danger, adventure, and heroism.

When Chomper's siblings wreak havoc in Max's seaside town, only Max and his new friend can save his sister Emma (and the town!) by combining forces to fight the sinister Creepsters that wash up on the beach after an alien object splashes down into the ocean offshore.

Kevin Strange, the creator of Strangeville and director of many “classic” independent films such as COCKHAMMER and the NIXON AND HOGAN film series brings to Indiegogo the newest installment to his comic library: NIXON AND HOGAN’S HORRORWEED HALLOWEEN, just in time for the spooky holiday.

If you are not familiar with Kevin’s movies, imagine Trailer Park Boys, written by 1990’s Kevin Smith, produced by the Insane Clown Posse, then directed by Lloyd Kaufman and that will give you some idea of the madness and degeneracy you will subject yourself to.

Filled with sex, violence, gore, drug use, and home-grown comedy, Kevin and his team at Hack Movies have built a small freaky empire of movies and comics that are the kind your mother warned you about as a child.

Kevin’s fifth and most recent campaign, NIXON and HOGAN’S HORRORWEED HALLOWEEN, is a return to his most popular characters and the wacky misadventures fans of his work have come to love and expect from him.

Cordelia and Regan Moonstone, as well as the rest of the dysfunctional and oh-so-powerful magic users return in this follow-up to Mark Millar's enchantingly entertaining adventure, The Magic Order.

The world has been saved (apparently again) by The Magic Order, a cadre of wizards who live their days in mundane, work-a-day jobs while spending their nights protecting humanity from the things they don't believe in. Stage magician and master escapologist Cordelia has taken her father's seat as the leader of the Order, She's also been reclusive since the events of the first volume of the series, holed up in their magic castle hidden inside a painting in an art gallery in Chicago.

Yes, I wrote that correctly. And that's only the surface level of weirdness you're in for when you open the pages of The Magic Order 2. 

It's my job to know what's going on in comics -- mainstream, independent, and crowdfunded. So when I noted once again that people were talking about a particular redhead, I realized there were still things not on my radar. What was this RAGS comic really about? Who was Regina Ragowski? A spitfire in a battle against zombies, or a comely spacefaring adventurer? What was this mysterious thing created by Brian Ball and Trent Luther that had fans supporting it, borrowing from it, homaging it, and giving it all this attention?

To pull back the covers from RAGS, I sat down with the one guy who had all the answers: Brian Ball. For ninety minutes, we ironed out the differences between Regina and Sailor Ragowski, as well as quashed rumors about the divide -- and if there was one -- between Antarctic Press and Ball's own company, New Age Ninja Corps. 

Maybe you haven't read comics, but you certainly saw a few movies based on them. Why not try something new? Here are the five best comics to read.

I've heard the argument (heck, I've made the argument) repeatedly that crowdfunding platforms are the new go-to source to find good, entertaining comic book material.

Never have I felt more vindicated in this regard than with my recent acquisition of Impossible Team-Up "A": Impossible Jones & Holly Daze. From the first page splash to the page-turning reveal of the situation, this book is the right mix of light-hearted fun with serious action and adventure.

CRoM Con, the online convention for independent comic creators to show off their projects (and sell them) kicks off again this August, and this time the focus will be on comics created outside the United States.

This is the second CRoM Con Europe, and each day will have intermissions for art auctions for various charities. 

The live online event will be broadcast simultaneously to the following outlets:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/CRoMadness

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MadnessComic

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/ComicTalkWithPopsVanZant

Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/thepopsvanzant

Swipes. It's a slang term that can sometimes mean 'homage' and sometimes mean 'plagiarism.' In the comic book industry, it generally refers to an image, most frequently the cover image, where the artist relies on a previously published work as a reference. Most times this is done without the intention of hiding anything -- artists appreciate other artists, and they will usually sign their name to the finished piece with "after Other Artist" to pay their respect. And sometimes, and more rarely, it's just done for expediency, without attribution just so the job gets done. Comic artist Greg Land gets discussed a lot when the comic shop conversation turns to swipes, having frequently used published photos of models and even other artist's works (like this ALIENS piece discussed here).

Usually, the swipe is obvious, and often it's from another well-known (or at least mainstream) peer in the industry.

Pirate Queen, written by Mandy Summers and illustrated by Clint Hilinski, is sixty-pages of sexy interstellar satire and parody. Independently published through an Indiegogo campaign, Pirate Queen is one of the very few books I've received where I was not pulled out of the story by some niggling (or, occasionally, glaring) editing mistake. The book credits the editor as Valentino, so kudos on a job successfully done there!

For the past few years, Kickstarter and Indiegogo have been more than just competing platforms for crowdfunding comic book projects. The division of choice between the two has ranged from preference of user interfaces to the different ways they collect funds from backers. For some, the choice is one of almost a religious fervor, with creators recalling how Kickstarter removed certain projects in the past with perceived capriciousness. It's a sentiment that lingers to such a degree that independent comics professional Jon Malin ruffled many feathers recently by announcing he would not be very open to hosting creators on his podcast if the creators were using Kickstarter as their platform.

Hurtling out of its successful Kickstarter campaign comes this tiny titan, this petite powerhouse of pulchritude -- The Mighty Mite!

Mite is the creation of C.B. Zane, and published through Outpost 426 Studios, and her debut issue packs three complete stories into 40 pages -- no small accomplishment in an era where any single story spans issues of double-digits.

On Wednesday August 11, 2021 Zombie Tramp creator Dan Mendoza announced his girl will be exclusive to the platform Kickstarter under his own label, Still Ill Princess, starting in October 2021.

This announcement adds yet one more formerly mainstream property to the list of creations and creators that bucked the system and chose to sell directly to the fans themselves using such platforms as Kickstarter and Indiegogo.

Brian Pulido broke all expectations and sales records with his character, Lady Death, when he took her to the Kickstarter platform, and continues to be the dominant force in crowdfunding comics there with his brand Coffin Comics.

Ethan Van Sciver in 2018 also chose to take his character, Cyberfrog, to Indiegogo and with the second issue of the series, titled Rekt Planet, became the top selling comic on the platform at the time, grossing over a million dollars.

Sister Mercy is a Kickstarter book written by Corey Hardiman and drawn by Ricardo Silva. This is the fourth issue and, while I have not read anything of the first three in this series, I was delightfully not confused at all by where the story began. No, not because there was a giant wall of text telling me the entire history of the character from the week before her origin (because there was none), but because of the context of the story and the natural flow of dialogue between the characters -- which also didn't do a data dump on the readers. You're in. You see. You know. That's what a good comic book series is supposed to do, make the reader comfortable with coming into the book whether it's the first issue or the fiftieth.

The big news in comics fandom today comes from the revelation in Batman: Urban Legends #6 that Tim Drake -- the third juvenile to assume the Robin identity as Batman's partner -- is bisexual. The coming out had been rumored for a few months, and the actual reveal wasn't done in an abrupt or shocking manner; no male-on-male kiss or anything like that. It's simply Tim struggling with how he feels about another boy, Bernard, and ending the current storyline by accepting a date with him.