SLIPSTREAM coming December 2012!

NOT AT SDCC ANNOUNCEMENT #1

So, I'm not at SDCC. To keep myself from being too depressed about it, I'm going to be announcing a few projects that I have, until now, kept hush-hush about. The first announcement is...

SLIPSTREAM: ORIGIN

You heard it here first - this is my first superhero comic, my first work with Big Dog Ink, and my first time playing in the Critter universe! For those unfamiliar with Critter, check out this brand new superhero universe from Big Dog Ink right here. Created by Tom Hutchison, the ongoing Critter series is the flagship title of Big Dog Ink, and it is putting the fun and adventure back into superhero comics.

Slipstream: Origin, written by me with art by the wonderful Owen Gieni, is the latest in a series of one-shot Critter spinoffs. It'll hit shelves in December 2012 (for those keeping up with the things that've been announced so far, that's the same month as Robyn Hood #4, Unannounced Project #3, and probably Super Unannounced Project #??). A cover will be coming soon but, until then, here is a Critter cover by Slipstream: Origin artist Owen Gieni.

Slipstream captures the same sense of fun that Critter embodies, but with a sci-fi twist. I won't spoil anything, but when I started plotting the comic, I was inspired by how much freedom Tom was letting me have with Slipstream, so I decided to make the comic about Slipstream building herself up from nothing and becoming the hero that we see in the monthly Critter title. It's completely standalone, but I hope it'll make folks eager to read more of Slipstream's adventures, because that character has been in my head for a while now.

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Now, because I'm a fan of hearing about the writing process, I'll give a bit of background on how this comic came to be. It's funny that I'm announcing this in my Not at SDCC blog, because this tale proves how important it is for freelancers to go to cons. I met Tom Hutchison at NYCC 2011. I had only had one comic published at that point (Angel: Yearbook at IDW), but my work on Zenescope's Grimm Fairy Tales Holiday Edition 2011had already been solicited. Wanting to showcase my first work in the industry, I made a business card that had my contact info and little images featuring cover art from my soon-to-be-published comics. I found the Big Dog Ink booth, and was fascinated by their titles. I gave Tom my business card, and he recognized the Grimm Fairy Tales comic on it - funny sidebar, Zenescope editor and all around great dude Raven Gregory was checking out the booth too, and heard us talking about GFT. So I met Tom and Raven at the same time! Anyway, I asked Tom if I could pitch stories to him, read up on Critter, and wrote some ideas for one-shot stories. Tom dug Slipstream, and the rest is history. Moral of the story? Cons are important. If you can go, go. I hope to see you at NYCC 2012, and surely SDCC 2013.

More tomorrow!

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PATRICK SHAND writes ROBYN HOOD, GRIMM FAIRY TALES, 1000 WAYS TO DIE, and more for Zenescope. He has written ANGEL for IDW, SLIPSTREAM for Big Dog Ink, and short stories published in various anthologies by Pill Hill Press, Rainstorm Press, and Wicked East Press. His plays have been produced in Manhattan and he currently teaches screenwriting and scriptwriting at Five Towns College.

Morning Glories #15 review, Ghostbusters #5 review, Legend of Oz Wicked West #2 review, Batman #5 review, Birds of Prey #5 review,

Comic Book Wednesday #32

I had some dental surgery this week... so seriously, thank everything that is good for comics. Here are some books that you should be sure not to miss out on.

Image Comics

Morning Glories #15

P.E. part three

Written by Nick Spencer

Art by Joe Eisma

Anyone who follows this blog on a regular basis knows my feelings about Nick Spencer's Morning Glories. I tend to go on and on about how brilliant it is, how engaging the mystery is, how well-crafted the dialogue is, and how Joe Eisma just knocks every page out of the park. This issue is no different. It's scary, tense, and has the best use of a flashback intercut with scene "in the now" that I can remember reading. Morning Glories is like that TV show that you look forward to watching because everything about it just better, from the writing to the acting to the damn editing. This is the comic book version of that dream show.

This series is a Lost style mystery and, at fifteen issues, it has nearly as many mysteries as that show did in its heyday. Since Nick and Joe plan on creating 100 issues of Morning Glories, we know that none of those answers are coming anytime soon... and yes, that's frustrating. In the best way possible. The mythology and the mystery remain in the background, with Nick keeping his attention squarely on the characters. Almost all of this issue is made up on conversation, and I love that.

Not only is this book great, it's also an insane value. This book costs $2.99 - the same price as our twenty page DC books... but this is a thirty page story. With no ads interrupting it. Yeah, Morning Glories is the ultimate comic book experience.

IDW Publishing

Ghostbusters #5

Written by Erik Burnham

Art by Dan Schoening

PCOC pages by Tristan Jones

The new arc begins with this issue. While it's not as instantly gripping as the start of the first storyline, it's still a hell of an entertaining read. The majority of the comic, before the baddie takes center stage, has an almost day-to-day feel, and it seems to be setting the tone for the ongoing adventures of these characters. Fun dialogue, great interactions, and some of the best visuals in comics - this series remains at the top of my pull list.

Big Dog Ink

The Legend of Oz: The Wicked West #2

Written by Tom Hutchison

Art by Alisson Borges

If you didn't catch the first issue, the premise is simple: The Wizard of Oz as a western. Damn near a Tarantino-esque modern take on a spaghetti western, to get to the core of it. Dorothy Gale pulls no punches; she's badass and will punch the teeth out of your mouth you say something she doesn't like.

(A lot of people say things that she doesn't like.)

The story really kicks off in this one as we begin to see Hutchison's interpretations of the classic cast. The Tin Man, Scarecrow, Cowardly Lion, and the Wicked Witch are all present here, and they all make this book a bunch of fun. The most inventive reinvention (heh) is the sort of living doll take on the Scarecrow.

The writing is fun, the art is downright gorgeous, and the presentation is flawless. The cover is extra thick, giving this book some nice weight to it. When you go to your local shop, take a glance through this book - I guarantee you won't put it down.

DC Comics

Batman #5

Face the Court

Written by Scott Snyder

Pencils by Greg Capullo

If you have this fun little thing called the Internet, you know what people think of Scott Snyder's Batman. It's nearly universally loved, and for good reason. It's fantastic. Best book of the New 52. This issue is no different. It's trippy, emotional, and... well, it's the scariest that the series has been in a long time. And I'm not talking "Joker's face nailed to the wall" scary. That isn't scary. This book is moody, foreboding, and disorienting. As Batman stumbles through the labyrinth, you'll get lost with him, shifting the book to the side, on an angle, and upside down to read. It's damn good writing with damn good art. You're missing out on a defining moment in superhero comics if you let this book pass you by.

Birds of Prey #5

Chokepoint

Written by Duane Swierczynski

Layouts by Jesus Saiz / Finishes by Javier Pina

This story is just not letting up. It's pretty obvious that Swierczynski is a thriller writer, because the mystery is genuinely interesting. Black Canary, Starlette, Katana, Poison Ivy, and (maybe?) Batgirl reach a very confusing point in their investigation of the s'ploding peoples, and I am completely stunned by the way that Swierczynski is executing this story... because I have no clue what's going to happen next. Not a shadow of an idea. I can't speculate, because I'm just so lost in his storytelling that my instinctual Writerly Instinct of "he's gonna do this, isn't he?" has completely shorted out. This is right behind Snyder's Batman as the best superhero title from DC.

Mystic #4 review, Supernatural #2 review, Legends of Oz The Wicked West #1 review

Comic Book Wednesday

Issue #25

Part One of Two

I have to go get ready for a speech I'm giving tomorrow - yikes, public speaking! - but for now, let's talk about some legitimately awesome comics.

Mystic #4

Written by G. Willow Wilson

Pencils by David Lopez

CrossGen Comics

Alas.

Today, one of my favorite miniseries of the past few months comes to an end. Mystic has been at the very top of my pull-list for a while, so it's sad to bid Giselle, Genevieve, and their world a farewell... for now. This issue ends on a note that begs for more stories to be told and I for one can't wait to read 'em.

As for the conclusion, it's good. It's very hard to gauge exactly how I feel about it, because everything that I loved about the first three issues is here: the art is wonderful, the dialogue is snappy, the world is so interesting, and the characters are lovely. The one thing missing thing time around, I believe, is pacing. The first issues have a very slow, deliberate pace, while this last issue is absolutely break-neck. It makes sense for a climax, yes, but there were so many big moments here and so little time to live in the moments that I was left wishing the series has another issue to breathe.

The small moments that are here just sing. When Gerard kisses Giselle right after saving her, her reaction is perfect: Panel One, bug-eyed shock. Panel two, grabs him and kisses 'im back. Just great. I wanted a bit more of those very deliberately paced moments, but I understand why the resolution had to fly by.

The two main arcs of the series, the emotional arc being the relationship between Giselle and Viv and the plot being the impending loss of Aether (the magical source), are dealt with nicely. The former is left somewhat unresolved and rocky, which I really liked, and the latter gets the CCR - that's the Classic Castle Resolution. Now, I know that Castle, while an awesome show, didn't invent this, but a good 3/4 of the show's episodes are resolved in this manner: Castle overhears someone say something, it triggers him to put the final mental piece of the puzzle together, and then he brings the case to a close. G. Willow Wilson uses this device with Giselle to solve the Aether problem, and her solution leads to a beautiful, beautiful visual from David Lopez, who, let me take the time to say, is an absolute kick-ass artist.

I'm going to miss this series. Let's hope it isn't gone for very long. Amazing job to all involved.

Supernatural: Caledonia #2

The Dogs of Edinburgh - Part 2 of 2

Written by Brian Wood

Art by Grant Bond

DC Comics

This series is so weird... and I love it. I'm not sure how it's all going to come together, because this is a six issue limited series and the plot gets very much tied up at the end of the issue. I mean, it's expected when the title ends with "Part 2 of 2," but it's a bit strange to have a mini-story arc kick off a miniseries. Not bad weird, though. Weird in that it's got me wondering what the structure of the book is going to be like. It's safe to say, though, that the Supernatural comic seems to be playing with format the same way that the television show so successfully does.

The focus stays on Sam in this prequel. He and Emma continue their strange adventure, and this time they're on a hunt. Sam is very much playing second banana to Emma, which in itself makes the relationship between these two rich and interesting. It brings out a side of Sam that we didn't get much of a chance to explore in the show. One thing that does concern me, seeing that this takes place while Sam is in college, is that his relationship with Jessica isn't addressed. If it's played right, I can see Sam having a fling with Emma while on his trip, buuut... thing is, he was planning on proposing to Jessica. I haven't seen the first season in years, so maybe I'm off in my years or missing some bit of continuity, but Sam was planning on proposing to Jess, so it seems a bit weird. Other than that, though? This is one of the best tie-in comics I've ever read. So, so good.

I don't know why the whole internet isn't exploding over the fact that Brian Wood is writing Supernatural. That show's fandom is usually very vocal - hopefully more of 'em will pick up this comic, because this series has the potential to do what the Buffy the Vampire Slayer comics did... and that's introduce countless fans to the wonderful world of comics.

The Legend of Oz: The Wicked West #1

Written by Tom Hutchison

Art by Alisson Borges

Big Dog Ink

Big Dog Ink claims to be "the new standard in creator owned comic books." That's a mighty big statement, true, but I'll be damned if this book doesn't back it up. The presentation alone is a step above your average monthly comics - the closest that comes to this standard in page quality is IDW, but even they don't have the thick covers that this has (and, judging from the copy of Ned the Chainsaw Guy I picked up at NYCC, the other BDI comics have). The book is sturdy, with real weight to it. With that and a full 23 page story, the cover price of $3.50 is a pretty big bargain.

But hey - let's chat about the story: it's gold. The concept is simply The Wizard of Oz as a Western, but it's the execution that elevates this to the next level of awesome. Dorothy Gale is a complete badass, and she's believable too. We don't break through her defensive shell much in this issue, but the beautiful art goes a long way to show us that she isn't a one-note female version of Chuck Norris. She's got a big story, and I am in for the ride. Everything from the covers (gotta dig that rainbow in the background, huh?) to the way we're slowly rediscovering this very strange version of Oz makes this one of the most unique book you'll find at your local shop.

So go on. Pick up a new creator-owned book. This time around, I can guarantee that you'll dig it.

TOMORROW: Action Comics, Detective Comics, Static Shock, Batwing.