Tag: comedy

Voyage to the Stars sci-fi podcast launches into comic stores this summer

Credit: IDW Publishing

IDW Publishing recently unveiled a new comic book adaptation for the fan-favorite comedy sci-fi podcast, Voyage to the Stars.

Voyage to the Stars is an expanding universe of sci-fi comedy (often-improvised) stories and characters built as a podcast at www.voyagetothestars.net from creator Ryan Copple, then developed more into live shows, fan appreciations, and its own little sub-culture. Now, it’s a comic series coming this August.

The space-faring crew of “misfits lost on the wrong side of a wormhole,” voiced by talents including Colton Dunn (Superstore), Felicia Day (Supernatural), Janet Varney (Legend of Korra), Kirsten Vangsness (Criminal Minds), and Steve Berg (Drunk History), will star in a four-issue comic book miniseries by five-time Harvey Award-nominee writer James Asmus and sensational artist ConnieDaidone.

In Voyage to the Stars, our intrepid crew has managed to survive Earth’s destruction, and now they’re determined (and ambiguously destined) to stop a growing, ancient evil from consuming the universe… although stopping it may be tricky, since our heroes can’t help but destroy just about every planet and species they come across. To be honest, it’s debatable who might be the bigger threat!

“I’ve loved the fantastically rich, surprising, and genuinely funny universe that the Voyage podcast has been creating since it launched,” says Asmus in a recent press release. “Working with their creative team, we quickly found a chapter to tell that is simultaneously a meaningful time for our heroes (grieving the loss of Earth, and taking the first steps towards avenging it) and tells a self-contained quest across a pretty wild sampling of the Voyage universe!”

“It has been such a wild ride experiencing Voyage to the Stars’ evolution and development into other mediums, such as comic books,” said Voyage to the Stars creator, Ryan Copple. “The world we built is meant to be experienced in many different ways, allowing fans everywhere to engage with these stories however they want. We can’t wait for people to check out the new stories within these comic books and continue to expand the Voyage to the Stars world in more ways they can enjoy.”

“Each of the Voyage to the Stars characters is such a distinct soul, that even when the linear storyline gets serious, everything still has an air of lightheartedness that makes you smile,” says Daidone. “I hope everybody reading the comic will enjoy it as much as I did drawing it!”

Credit: IDW Publishing

“Being involved with Voyage to the Stars has been such a highlight for me,” said Felicia Day, who plays scatterbrained scientist Elsa Rankfort in the series. ”Everyone that works on the show is so talented and funny, we could not stop laughing in the recording booth, so to see what we’ve been working so hard on for the last couple years continue to grow, this time into a comic book series, has been surreal and exciting – but also what we had hoped for all along!”

Credit: IDW Publishing

Voyage to the Stars #1 will be available with multiple cover variants for retailers and fans to enjoy, including Cover A (see below) by Freddie E. Williams II (Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Cover B (see above) by Connie Daidone, and a Retailer Incentive ink wash variant by Freddie E. Williams II.

Voyage to the Stars #1 is set for this August to comic book stores everywhere. For ordering info because it will probably be underlooked, ask your local comic book dealer, or visit http://www.comicshoplocator.com to find a store near you.

Credit: IDW Publishing

Magical good times revealed at WIZARD BEACH, a new upcoming comic series

BOOM! Studios recently announced a new comic series, Wizard Beach #1, a five-issue from writer Shaun Simon (The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys) and artist Conor Nolan (Jim Henson’s The Storyteller: Giants).

Here’s more from a recent press release:

Wizards exist. As do witches and frost giants and an array of magical creatures. But they were hidden from view until a few found themselves weary of the ice-capped mountains and made their way to the beach. Now wizards are part of the norm, and all they want to do is relax. When Hexley Daggard Ragbottom, a young wizard, wants to put an end to the frost of his homeland, he seeks out his Uncle Salazar, the greatest wizard of all time. But Uncle “Sally” has other plans. Namely napping.

“Wizard Beach is about leaving the cold, unrelenting, and dreary life in the mountains for a stress free and relaxing life on the beach. The book doesn’t take itself too seriously, something our main character, Hexley Daggard Ragbottom does when he arrives at the beach,” said Shaun Simon. “With hopes to learn scholarly magic from his uncle, Hex leaves his old life behind. But when the humorless and rigid boy finds his Uncle Salazar lounging on the beach Hex will either learn to let go of his old ways and chill out or live a miserable, high strung life. For me, like the premise of the book, WIZARD BEACH is me letting go of what I thought I should be writing and learning that’s it’s ok to write what I want—to let my guard down and have fun and be funny along the way.”

“Wizard Beach asks the question, ‘Where does the magical world go to vacation?’” said Conor Nolan. “The answer lies within our story as we navigate the strange new home of our protagonist, Hexley. The journey will entail copious amounts of ridiculous magic, sun baked high adventure, and possibly a basilisk under the boardwalk. Shaun and I have been building this world for some time, and hope that each issue will be a day at the beach for readers.”

Wizard Beach #1 will magically appear at better comic book stores everywhere and BOOM! friendly digital app storefronts, this December 2018. Visit www.boom-studios.com for more info.

Image Comics gets high with its new upcoming series BURNOUTS

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The Burnouts are saving the world one puff at a time.

Image Comics lights up a new joint with writer Dennis Culver (E Is for Extinction) and artist Geoffo (layout artist for Marvel Rising), together for Burnouts, a new ongoing series lighting up in September.

“Think John Carpenter’s They Live meets Freaks & Geeks,” said Geoffo. “This is how Dennis pitched me the series, and once I heard that, I couldn’t wait to draw this crazy fun thing! I’m so eager to share it with the world. You’re gonna love it, and you don’t even have to get high to enjoy the ride!”

To save their friends and families, a group of high school teenagers must fight off an attack on their town by a secret alien invasion… but they can only see the aliens if they’re completely wasted.

“The Burnouts are the wrong crowd that your parents always worried you’d fall in with at school—and they’re mankind’s last hope,” said Culver. “I can’t wait for people to read this book! Geoffo and I have cooked up a great comic filled with teen angst, violence, and dark humor.”

Burnouts #1 arrives in comic stores on the last week of this summer, on Wednesday, September 19th.

Rock Candy Mountain continues with more hobo action in November.

 

Cartoonist Kyle Starks (Sexcastle, Rick and Morty) will carry on his hobo-riffic historical fiction series, Rock Candy Mountainn.  The 5th issue kicks off second, and final, story arc revealing his origin story of the starring World’s Toughest Hobo.

We travel through deals with devils, world wars, trench battles, magical artifacts, shocking turns, and tragic decisions. The world’s only kung-fu hobo epic continues in this exciting
flashback adventure.

3-PAGE PREVIEW BELOW!

“We’re heading down the last stretch of track on my hobo kung-fu epic,” said Starks, “and I assure you: every single part of this thing is amping up toward a huge climax that you won’t want to miss!”

Rock Candy Mountain #5 arrives in comic shops Wednesday, November 8th.

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New dark comedy horror, The Gravedigger’s Union, rising on comic shelves soon

From Image Comics, Deadly Class co-creator Wes Craig will launch The Gravedigger’s Union, all-new horror series with artist Toby Cypress (Omega Men),—chock-full of steroid zombies, monster gods, swamp vampires, ghost storms, and space monkeys—set for this November.

“With The Gravediggers Union, I tried to create an environmental horror story that mixes E.C Comics, H.P. Lovecraft’s horror, and a lot of dark humour,” said Craig. “I’m so proud of what we’re creating, and what Toby, Niko, and Jared are doing together is some of the most original looking comics I’ve ever seen.”

Cypress added: “The Gravediggers Union is a dream project. Wes is writing and designing a fun world with mystery and humor, and I’m having a great time drawing it. I think you will see everybody involved is bringing their top effort to the title because the Gravediggers are a group that the world seems to need today. We are updating the horror genre while keeping its best aesthetics. A Ghostbusters for a hopeless age of digital social graveyards, blood-sucking brand awareness, trolling zombie followers, and creeping death landfills.”

The Gravediggers Union is the story of Cole, Ortiz, and Haley, three members of a brotherhood who bury the dead in the day and make sure they stay buried at night. The supernatural world has gone haywire, and it’s all tied to a powerful cult called The Black Temple. They want to unleash ancient dark gods and bring about the end of mankind. At the center of their plan is Morgan, the prophet of the coming apocalypse and Cole’s estranged daughter. Can Cole save his daughter? Can the Gravediggers save mankind? And do we even deserve to be saved?

The Gravedigger’s Union #1 will hit stores on Wednesday, November 1st.

Coming soon: VOID TRIP, a psychedelic sci-fi comedy adventure (preview inside)

Writer Ryan O’Sullivan (Turncoat, The Evil Within) and artist Plaid Klaus (Turncoat) will bring new readers on a road trip like no other, with their all-new sci-fi/comedy series Void Trip. Image Comics will bring this new psychedelic space trip comic series in November.

CHECK OUT THE 6-PAGE PREVIEW BELOW!

Ana and Gabe are the last two humans left alive in the galaxy. They’re low on fuel, they’re low on food, and they’re low on psychedelic space froot, but they’re high on hope and determined to make it to their promised land: the super-planet Euphoria, a true hippy paradise. This is a road trip like no other. Come along for the ride and meet the friends and enemies they make along the way, and see how the universe responds to those who dare to live freely within it.

“Void Trip is Guardians of the Galaxy meets Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas—and by that I mean our heroes spend most of their time high as a kite and don’t save the galaxy even once,” said O’Sullivan. “Tragedy disguised as comedy, it will lure you in with the promise of feel-good comics, only to break your heart over and over.”

“Void Trip is a drug-fueled existential road trip across the Universe,” said Klaus. “It’s a search for meaning in the present moment when there is no future for the species. All things considered, it’s a really joyous and humorous book!”

Void Trip #1 begins in comic shops Wednesday, November 22nd.

 

Kyle Starks hobo epic Rock Candy Mountain, arrives in collected paperback, this September

Image Comics ongoing action-comedy series Rock Candy Mountain, by Eisner-nominated cartoonist and hobo enthusiast Kyle Starks (Sexcastle, Rick and Morty), will release its first four issues in trade paperback form, this September.

Come along and ride the rails with the mysterious unbeatable hobo Jackson, and his newbie sidekick Pomona Slim, on his quest to find the mythical hobo heaven. But watch out for the Devil! And the FBI! And the Hobo Mafia too! It’s a fantastical fisticuff frolic through post-World War II America via the rails and back roads, through underground fight clubs, prison, and the hobo jungles wrought with dangers, hobo fights, jokes, and locomotive excitement.

Rock Candy Mountain vol. 1 arrives in comic book stores on Wednesday, September 27th, and bookstores Tuesday, October 3rd.

Time Seeley’s Hack/Slash gets a Resurrection this Fall.

Hack is Back!!

Cassie Hack returns in Tim Seeley’s gory, sexy, twisted, funny Hack/Slash series in Hack/Slash: Resurrection. This time, Tini Howard is on board as the series’ new writer with Celor and K. Michael Russel as artists.

“Hack/Slash is the book people always ask me about,” said Seeley. “I’ve been waiting for the proper time to bring it back, but I wanted to make sure I had the perfect creators first. Now that I have them, it’s time to unleash Cassie Hack on the world again.”

In Hack/Slash: Resurrection, Cassie’s been living off the grid, but when a new monstrous threat arises to torment promiscuous teens, it’s time for Cassie to pick up the baseball bat once again!

Hack/Slash: Resurrection #1 will have two covers; Cover A by Seeley, and Cover B by Stefano Caselli. Both will hit stores on Wednesday, October 25th.

Comic Reading Review: Shirtless Bear-Fighter #1

Shirtless Bear-Fighter #1

  • Writer: Jody Leheup, Sebastian Girner
  • Artists: Mike Spicer, Nil Vendrell
  • Published by: Image Comics Publish Date: June 21 2017
  • Notes: New monthly series

Synopsis:

“After being betrayed by the bears that raised him, the legendary Shirtless Bear-Fighter wanders the forest he’s sworn to protect, fistfighting bears, eating flapjacks, and being the angriest man the world has ever known! When wild-eyed, super-strong bears attack the citizens of Major City, Shirtless ventures into the human world to do what he does best…PUNCH THOSE BEARS IN THE FACE! But all is not as it seems. Someone is manipulating Shirtless…and only by confronting the demons of his past can Shirtless hope to save his future! A heart-filled, hilarious, tall tale for the ages… you don’t want to miss SHIRTLESS BEAR-FIGHTER! – See more at: https://imagecomics.com/comics/releases/shirtless-bear-fighter-1-of-5#sthash.diMGzhaw.dpuf.”

Personal Thoughts (minor spoilers):

A hero who is shirtless and fights bears. Is there more to say so such a concept? Or perhaps, is there some deeper context one is missing here?

Life is hard, and sometimes the marketed melodrama of the comics multiverse is a bit much. With that, is something that calling to the primal instinct of action where a hero fights something more than human, which is never enough on the comic shelves. Such is cathartic, where the escapism leads to great fantasy. Enter the Shirtless Bear-Fighter, a story that stays true to form and excites those who love brawls and over-the-top action.

See?!

So, he is also pantless. Such is a bit of the comedic touch, that turns this new series into something, to be fun and ridiculous. A supporting cast arrives, giving a new call to action for mighty here, to a heightened situation involving the activities of his fursome adversaries. The supporting cast is also fun, for their ridiculous tropes that often play off mysterious daring macho types. We learn more on our shirtless and pantless hero than the action. He likes flapjacks and lives a comfortable life of solitude.  We also get into his background origin story, also ridiculous but leads towards a dramatic reason for his hate for all bears.

Where Shirtless Bear-Fighter swings hardest is the dialogue and exposition of his world. Much here, feels like Popeye where he feels the heroic calling and dashes in with overconfidence. The first issue doesn’t have much in consequences but leaves room for heightened conflict. The action is enjoyable, with elements in its panel display and transitions with feeling old school Marvelism and Shonen style manga. The art is also distinct, with a style and attitude matching the absurd premise. The colors are perfect, giving vibrancy to this action-packed world.

Overall, the first issue of Shirtless Bear-Fighter is a fun read. Though, such is too early in telling whether the premise and opening arc shall become more than the sum of its title. The ending sets up the further conflict, introducing a sinister connection that may lead towards a more interesting conflict. I look forward to seeing where it all goes, and more bear-fighting action.

This summer, SHIRTLESS BEAR-FIGHTER will bring on unBEARing action

Bears beware, for there will be a new series published by Image Comics titled Shirtless Bear-Fighter, from writers Jody LeHeup (former editor of Uncanny X-Force, Deadpool, Quantum and Woody) and Sebastian Girner (editor of Southern Bastards, Deadly Class, Black Science), newcomer artist Nil Vendrell, colorist Mike Spicer (Head Lopper, Mythic), and letterer Dave Lanphear.

(SEE 3-PAGE PREVIEW AND COVERS BELOW) 

Shirtless Bear-Fighter is an over-the-top action/comedy chock full of humor, colorful characters, larger-than-life battles, and high adventure. It’s the story of a wrathful man at war with himself, what happens when we allow anger to rule our lives, and what we can do to set things right.

After being betrayed by the bears that raised him, the legendary Shirtless Bear-Fighter wanders the forest he’s sworn to protect, fist-fighting bears, eating flapjacks, and being the angriest man the world has ever known! When wild-eyed, super-strong bears attack the citizens of Major City, Shirtless ventures into the human world to do what he does best…PUNCH THOSE BEARS IN THE FACE! But all is not as it seems. Someone is manipulating Shirtless…and only by confronting the demons of his past can Shirtless hope to save his future!

IGN calls the series, “As wonderfully wild as it is completely literal,” while Pixelated Geek describes it as “over-the-top, intentionally offensive, raunchy, cheesy, campy, and totally ridiculous. It’s also, not surprisingly, really fun.” Monkeys Fighting Robots declares, “This is one of the funniest comics I have read in a long time.”

The #WarOnBearror begins with SHIRTLESS BEAR-FIGHTER #1 on Wednesday, June 21st.