Comic(s) of the Day: Injustice-Gods Among Us v2 #1-3

by Orion Tippens, ADC

Comics of the Day Review:

Injustice: Gods Among Us volume 2, #1-3 (single digital issues)

Writer: Tom Taylor

Pencils: Bruno Redondo

Inks: Julien Hugonard-Bert

Published by: DC Comics

Note: The single digital issues of Injustice are later collected and released in print.

Story:

Set in an alternate DC universe and based on a videogame (as a prequel, so far), Injustice: Gods Among Us brings us a familiar continuity gone horribly wrong.

Spoilers ahead:

These issues continue a long story from Injustice Gods: Among Us volume 1, in which Superman is now a megalomaniacal psychopath with murderous tendencies, much later after the death of his wife and unborn child. He declares himself sovereign of Earth and drug dealer of special performance enhancers – all for the making of his “better world.” Meanwhile, Batman is recovering from bad injuries, remains in hiding while building his own insurgency to this super-regime. Also, cosmic forces are showing an increasing interest in this developing situation.

Thoughts:

I am a huge fan of this series, my favorite guilty pleasure in mainstream comics: not so much for the videogame tie-in but for the creative writing and freedom involved. The writer from the very beginning took this control, and the destinies of our familiar DC universe cast, and ran away with it all. Injustice is

MADEFIRE interview with Liam Sharp and Dave Gibbons

by Orion Tippens

All DAY Comics

Liam Sharp and Dave Gibbons (photo by Orion Tippens)

Inventive storytelling and motion comics: The two come together perfectly though Madefire, a magnificent motion-comics app for all current Apple iOS devices (iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch).

Through the Madefire app, users may download and read the finest in motion comics. Through finger-swiping and perhaps good headphones, viewers enter strange new worlds of horror, fantasy, and science fiction. Unlike normal digital-comic scans, the viewer takes in enhanced effects and creative transitions that break traditional panel boundaries. For those accepting of this new and creative style, awesomeness awaits you!

Behind the scenes of Madefire are two legendary UK comics artists: Liam Sharp and David Gibbons. Their involvement and building of Madefire have brought the comics standard to motion comics at a respectable and accessible level to comics fans. They both have worked for decades for all of the major companies out there, both in the US and UK. Now they bring their gold standards to new levels in this brave new digital world.

I had the good fortune of meeting Liam and Dave at the Madefire booth at the San Diego Comic Con. We had an enlightening conversation on the philosophy of motion comics and the development of Madefire. Below is our exchange:

ADC: Hello. For our readers at All Day Comics and comics enthusiasts, please introduce yourselves.

Liam Sharp:  Hello, my name is Liam Sharp, I am the CCO of Madefire Comics.

Dave Gibbons:  I am Dave Gibbons; I am a comic-book writer and artist. I am working on a couple of projects for Madefire and taking an active part in the development of the platform.

ADC: For Madefire Comics, what are your current projects?

Dave Gibbons: The book that I am doing for Madefire is called The Treatment. It’s set in the future, where there are certain areas in a city controlled by the police because things are bad. There are these freelance police called the Treatment, who treat the ills of society. In order to finance it, it’s being broadcast on live TV as a reality show. It’s like COPS, but you can get killed on live TV.

Liam Sharp: The story I’m doing – actually, I’m working on two of them. I’m writing with Ben Wolstenhome, the other founder. I’m writing his book (Mono) and providing some amazing illustrations. He’s new to the industry, and I think for a first-time storyteller he’s doing an amazing job. The story I’m writing and drawing myself, with Christine McCormack who is co-authoring, is called Captain Stone is Missing. It’s probably my opus, a story I’ve been wanting to do for the last twenty years. It’s really exciting.

ADC: For readers not familiar with Madefire comics’ presentation as a motion comic, how does it differ from the “normal” digital-transferred comics and print comics out there?

Dave Gibbons: As for most other digital comics, those are

Hey, it’s a Brand New DC NEW 52 survey

by Mike Hansen

A New 52 character. Also a metaphor. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I’m back, folks!

Looks like DC Comics has stuck with Nielsen to offer another online survey – go here and let them know what you think of the New 52 so far. I just took the survey, and I was happy to let DC know what it’s doing right or wrong.

One thing to watch out for: “Orange Ivy” is the fake title this time. Make sure you mark that you’ve never heard of it, or you won’t be able to take the full survey.

A couple of thoughts on the survey:

Once again, there is no option for indicating that a customer purchased print comics from an online comics retailer. Some of the questions about going to a comics shop and making impulse purchases or whatever don’t really apply if some of the comics were preordered online.

Also, the survey did not ask any detailed questions about the characters, story, or creative teams – there was one question about how important these are to me when I buy comics. I suppose DC doesn’t want its readers second-guessing the always-fine decisions made by its editorial staff.

Anyway, check out the survey – and feel free to let me know what you think…

Related articles

• Fun Friday Foto: NEW 52 edition (alldaycomics.com)
• The Full Nielsen: DC’s Complete NEW 52 Consumer Survey (newsarama.com)
• Links: The Oatmeal update, Avengers, New 52, World War Z, etc. (alldaycomics.com)
• DC new 52 second wave of Cancellations (worldofblackheroes.com)

Currently Reading: SAGA

A recommendation by Orion Tippens

The cover to Saga #1 (1st printing)

Writer: Brian K. Vaughan

Pencils: Fiona Staples

Published by: Image Comics

Notes: 3 single issues out so far (#1: 5 printings, #2: 2 printings, #3: 2 printings)

Saga is an epic sci-fi fantasy adventure drama unlike no other.

What this comic series is about:

Marko and Alana, alien lovers from opposing sides of a galactic war, give life to a newborn baby girl (who is also the narrator of the story, reflecting back). The three are threatened by warring armies, deadly hunters, and otherworldly creatures. Their journey in search of a safe haven takes them through strange landscapes, surviving on little. Meanwhile, there are interludes and other subplots involving other interesting players…

This ongoing story has much adult, mature-heavy content. I mean, there are robots having sex, an armless spider-woman with exposed boobs, surprise gore, and much expletives. So, not intended for children or others sensitive to such. For the rest of us, cool.

Why I enjoy this:

Saga is the perfect example of why I continue to explore new realms of science fiction, fantasy, and imaginative works in general. Nothing in Saga is too familiar to our contemporary times, except for our modern language and some camp additives. The rest is an escape to another universe with fantastic habitation meshed with galactic drama involving robots, beasts, wizards, and other weirdness – all wrapped in a captivating story, reminiscent of other epics including Dune, Star Wars, and Game of Thrones in which personal struggles balance with a grander conflict.

Saga is written by Brian K. Vaughan – best known for his last critically acclaimed comics series, Y: the Last Man. The art is wonderfully drawn by Fiona Staples, an underrated artist who in time will be more widely appreciated for her work here. The two work perfectly together on Saga.

For me, the heart of Saga is the drama of its protagonists. We have this incredible love story: The find each other at opposite ends where Marko was a prisoner of war, Alana the jailer. They escape together and eventually bear a child. To continue this wonderful new family, they must still leave the conflict and start their own life (not easy). It’s a simple, beautiful premise.

The characters are interesting thanks to their unusual and ironic traits. Marko has this peaceful, gentle nature; unexpected for a alien with ram horns. Alana is tough and foul mouthed; unexpected for a woman with fairy wings. And the narrator (the baby) has wisdom gained from the experience.

There are forces both natural and unnatural that will affect their journey in some way – we just know it, because the other characters are that interesting, with names like “The Will,” “The Stalk,” the “Horrors.” They

Today’s All Day Comic: the genius Transformers parody, Incredible Change-Bots!

by Orion Tippens

Incredible Change-Bots

Writer/Artist: Jeffrey Brown

Top Shelf Comics

Vol. 1 – Sept. 2007, 146 pages

Vol. 2 – March. 2011, 146 pages

More than just machines!

Finally, a story about fighting robots with all of the emotional depth and drama that comes with the consequences of personal change…into vehicles.

And within that tale, questions arise. Did the Incredible Change-Bots evolve from word processors? Can Shootertron handle a sudden existential crisis? Can a robot police car and a robot truck explore their forbidden love? Can Big Rig become a credible leader to his gang of Awesomebots? Can’t we all just get along? Answers to those and more happen in this epic two-part graphic novel.

YES. THIS. This x 1 million.

Incredible Change-Bots is the underrated work of Jeffrey Brown, better known for his self-reflecting autobiographical works including Clumsy and Unlikely and the recent hit Darth Vader and Son. Brown carries a unique sense of dry wit often focused on the observed irony and melodrama of the mundane. For the visuals, he keeps it simple and fun with everything crudely hand-drawn, sticking to the basics of a bored child stuck in after-school detention.  For Incredible Change-Bots, Brown adds all of that to this colossal parody of the Transformers.

The story is simple: the Awesomebots (led by Big Rig) fight against the Fantasticons (led by Shootertron). The Change-Bots engage in their lengthy conflict carried over from their war-ravaged planet of Electrotronocybercircuitron over the usual reasons:

ADC Comic of the Day(s): HEART OF A CORPSE

by Orion Tippens

(Mike here – this is one of my favorite things about comics: finding a cool gem that I’ve never heard of before. Orion’s review here has convinced me to check this out – you’re going to want to, too! But there’s one thing I’m wondering: is creator Justin Sane the same guy from the band Anti-Flag, or is there more than one walking the earth?! – UPDATE: See comment from Mr. Sane below for the answer!)

Heart of a Corpse #1, #2

Writer, Artist: Justin Sane

Slave Labor Graphics 2011, complete story in two acts

#1 – 58 pages, #2 – 83 pages

Looking for something new, something wonderful in the sequential art format? Do you also desire creativity, an extended display of shapes and colors that tell the story more than words could? How about a romantic story with a spooktacular vibe?   Then do check out Heart of a Corpse.

What is this wonder? Heart of a Corpse is a simple story in a Victorian style setting about a hearse driver named “The Gentleman,” and his courting of the mortician’s daughter, Annabel. This leading to a proposal in marriage. But trouble happens, as another man, “the Brute,” wants Annabel to himself, and proceeds in nefarious acts against our romantic protagonist. Supernatural and abstract elements develop, adding to the entertaining twists that guide us to a thoughtful, beautiful ending.

The execution of the story is beautiful, classic. Like a silent movie, we as readers must rely on basic visuals, with a few necessary placards for the entire story. The

More Ways to Improve Collected Editions

by Mike Hansen

(Photo credit: fengschwing)

I just came across this today:

A couple weeks ago, before I wrote about various publishers’ collected editions, The Weekly Crisis posted “10 Ways to Improve Collected Editions” – some highlights:

1 – Keep your Readers Informed

Let’s start off with one of the simplest and easiest way to improve the way companies approach collections. As much information as possible must be easily available when making a purchase, and that includes all creators and collected issues. For best effect, these must be placed in an easily readable part of the back cover and (perhaps more importantly) in the product description of the item.

Yes! There have been a number of times when publishers, especially Marvel and DC, post incomplete or inaccurate info about book contents in Previews. Sometimes this is a good thing (additional pages in the X-Men by Claremont & Lee Vol. 2 Omnibus for more extras), sometimes not (Legends of the Dark Knight: Marshall Rogers dropping solicited content). With collected editions SO dependent on preorders, these books need to be figured out ahead of time as much as possible.

2 – Extra-er Material

HELL YES

4 – People Must Sample

It’s the traditional drug dealer tactic: the first one is free, the second one isn’t. If you get people hooked on your series, they are more likely to come back for more. … It’s not just putting this first chapter for free, but also making sure that the people reading this know that the collection is out and available for purchase/pre-order, with in-house ads placed in the digital comic.

I wholeheartedly support this – as far as I’m concerned, this is the only way for new stuff to find a bigger audience.

Free Comic Book Day does an okay job, but I think it’s better at getting regular comic-shop purveyors to check out new material than at bringing in brand-new readers. Still, every bit helps.

I’ve been a big supporter of

Dear Marvel: Stop Supporting SOPA

No es bueno.

Today, Thwipster linked to an online petition to ask Marvel to end its support of the Stop Online Piracy Act, a really really bad piece of legislation that if passed would cripple the internet and take away our rights.

WHAT IS SOPA?

Some of the worst legislation ever seen is currently before Congress. Three pieces of legislation, H.R. 3261 in the House of Representatives and S.968 and S.978 in the Senate, would cripple the internet by stripping your due process rights and making everyday users wary that the next thing you post might get you sued or thrown in jail.

And unfortunately, Marvel Entertainment is supporting it.

Thwipster made it clear where it stands on SOPA and piracy a few days ago, with this great blog post:

SOPA
We at Thwipster wholeheartedly oppose SOPA as it currently stands and as we understand it. We believe in due process and not a Patriot Act for media companies to take down parts of the internet. You can find out more about it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stop_Online_Piracy_Act

Piracy
If you know anyone downloading illegal things off the internet, take a moment and tell them to stop being a dick. We don’t need the government and media companies to tell us not to steal…

Media Companies
You’ve got it hard, right? You make all this stuff that people are so ravenous over that they steal it, remix it and share it with everyone they (don’t)know. But hey, you gotta get paid! Guess what? Don’t be a dick. Cut out the DRM, cut out practices like making things unavailable for 30 days on Netflix or iTunes, and cut out going after people celebrating your products…

(more in link)

(Image by ToobyDoo via Flickr)

It doesn’t surprise me that Marvel supports anything that prevents digital piracy, but this legislation spells trouble for anyone who uses the internet in any way.

(And, really, does digital piracy really do that much damage? It’s not cool, but there’s a strong correlation between the most illegally downloaded work and the bestselling material. I’d argue that a huge number of those downloaders would never have been paying customers in the first place.)

Thanks to a wave a bad publicity, a lot of companies are pulling their support of SOPA, including GoDaddy, Nintendo, and EA (see the links below).

If you have a problem with Marvel’s stance, check out the petition at DearMarvel.com, and share how this will effect your support of Marvel’s product.

Personally, I love a lot of Marvel’s comics, and a lot of its creators’ work, but I have trouble with the idea of my money going to support taking away our freedoms. The best solution I can think of is to buy the Marvel books I want secondhand, so I can read the stuff I want without putting my money towards a bad cause.

I’m interested to see Marvel’s reaction (or lack thereof) – Marvel tends to be like Teflon with a lot of its controversial policies, but tends to make changes when it gets hit in the pocketbook.

What do you think?

Related articles

• Steve Niles speaks out against Stop Online Piracy Act (digitalspy.co.uk)
• ESA confirms SOPA commitment (gamesradar.com)
• A Huge List of Companies Supporting SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) (blogworld.com)
• EA, Nintendo, and Sony Electronics remove SOPA support (gamesradar.com)
• SOPA and the Comic Book Industry (axmujica.wordpress.com)
• SOPA Controversy Reveals the Generational Rifts Beneath Our Content Infrastructure (forbes.com)
• Corporate Supporters Back Away from SOPA (blogworld.com)
• Marvel and Disney on the Pro-SOPA Bandwagon (graphicpolicy.com)
• Why The Movie Industry Can’t Innovate and the Result is SOPA ” Steve Blank (lostincolonisation.com)
• Chrome Extension Warns You When You Browse A SOPA-Supporter’s Website (readwriteweb.com)
• Boycotting SOPA Supporters is All or Nothing (lockergnome.com)

ORION Reviews THIS HAUNTED WORLD!

by Orion Tippens

This Haunted World #1

Writer: Mark Powers

Artist: Chris Lie, Rahmat Handoko

Sea Lion Books, Oct. 2011, 29 pages

A fresh new book just in time before our crazy, 2012 end of days.

This Haunted World is a digital exclusive (for now) series set in a familiar world troubled with our war, corrupted politics, and sinking economy. Yet, in a series of strangely unrelated events, certain characters experience terrible, unexplainable murders that hint towards something large, perhaps world threatening. Somehow connected are witnesses to the bizarre events around the world: an injured U.S. army corporal, a young parapsychologist, and a senator who lost his religious faith. Meanwhile, a shadowy, hooded character now walks the Earth, gathering dead spirits for something troubling, ominous.

The setup and style of storytelling are

I Read SVK by Warren Ellis & D’Israeli

by Mike Hansen

The hat protects the precious brain inside. (Image via Wikipedia)

Alright, stop what you’re doing, and GO BUY THIS COMIC BOOK NOW. Not later, now. I’ll know if you’re lying. Because SVK might be the very best comic book you read this year.

There is nothing like SVK. You will see things you have never seen before. And then you will see things you didn’t see the first time.

Because SVK is printed with an additional, invisible ink. And comes with a handy pocket flashlight to illuminate it (and no, you don’t need to be in the dark for it to work). For all I know, the light will cause blindness, cancer, and AIDS, but I don’t care, because this comic book is worth it.

You don’t need to believe me. Ask William Gibson; he wrote the introduction. And if the father of Cyberpunk, the man who sees the filthy future before the rest of us, digs this comic, that’s good enough for us humans.

Warren Ellis revisits the future