Star Trek / Legion of Super-Heroes #6 by Jeffrey Moy

So many pretty things are happening in this cover! I love the dominant purple shadings for each character, and with Saturn Girl in particular, I love the vertical pinkish streaks. The positioning of the trio of powerful women is also ascetically pleasing, with the water color space background so beautifully radical. Finally, it wouldn’t be a sci-fi cover without some USS Enterprise goodness sneaking onto the left! Great cover, and I’ll definitely miss this series.

Rebel Blood #1 by Riley Rossmo

This has to be by far one of the creepiest, most disturbing covers I’ve seen done by Riley Rossmo. And I love every inch of it! The amalgamation of both deer and rotting human carcass is a thing of my nightmares, and for whatever reason having the setting take place at the woods at night makes it even creepier. The discoloration on the skin, the intestines, all painted magnificently on a canvas, judging by the texture. Even though it would freak me out every time I passed by it, I would totally hang this up in my hallway!

B.P.R.D. Hell On Earth: The Long Death #2 by Duncan Fegredo

I’m not going to lie; I almost was driven to insanity trying to figure out what painting Duncan Fegredo based this cover on. The positioning of both monster and the body it’s eating was was so familiar, yet I could not for the life of me recall what painting, or artist, was the source. So for twenty minutes I was on Google image search, typing in different keywords and  descriptions, when I finally found it: Saturn Devouring His Children by Goya. I kid you not; I’m going to sleep well tonight now that I’ve finally solved the mystery. Oh and by the way Mr. Fegredo, wonderful job!

Fables #115 by Joao Ruas

“The unconditional surrender of Germany has just been announced. At midnight tonight, the war is over. Tomorrow you’ll begin the process of looking for survivors of your families. In most cases… you won’t find them. After six long years of murder, victims are being mourned throughout the world. We’ve survived. Many of you have come up to me and thanked me. Thank yourselves. Thank your fearless Stern, and others among you who worried about you and faced death at every moment. I am a member of the Nazi Party. I’m a munitions manufacturer. I’m a profiteer of slave labor. I am… a criminal. At midnight, you’ll be free and I’ll be hunted. I shall remain with you until five minutes after midnight, after which time – and I hope you’ll forgive me – I have to flee.”

-Oskar Schindler, Schindler’s List

Monocyte #3 by Ben Templesmith

My favorite cover of the week, hands-down. The way Templesmith combines each of his strengths (painting, washes, digital) into one image just completely blows my mind, leaves me craving more. Just the wraparound cover layout intrigues me, and I find my eyes taking their sweet time studying every piece of the illustration. Who is this black angel of death, with a bloody sword and a body full of souls? No clue, but my gut tells me to be very afraid. Spectacular stuff, Mr. Templesmith, consider me once again charmed by your never-ending talent.

Hack/Slash #13 Cover B by Ben Templesmith

Ben Templesmith’s art and Hack/Slash seemed like such an obvious pairing to me. However, after a little research it seems this is the first time that Templesmith has provided any illustrations to Seeley & the series. What was the frickin’ hold-up?! Cassie embodies the creepy-yet-total-badass combination wonderfully, with the blood on her signature bat a very nice touch. The looming villain with the wall filled with hanging torture tools is the cherry on top, with the perfect use of lighting and colors. If I may be so bold, I demand more Templesmith & Seeley collaborations! It just feels so right.

Spaceman #4 by Dave Johnson

There are so many wonderful techniques the Reverend Dave Johnson uses on this cover. And because he’s a genuine master of his craft, it makes it that much easier to proclaim it as my favorite cover of the week, hands-down. The color scheme of orange and gray, with the mixture of cold and warm colors dominating the majority of the cover make the white bones pop-out that much more effectively and really draws you in to it’s design and beauty as a whole. Such a cool idea with the bones on the arms in crossbones formation, that it makes me wonder when will that tattoo idea catch on with the young folk. “You call that a sleeve? THIS, is a…radical radius?” I want this as a poster, I want this as a print, I want this on the hood of my car. It’s badass, it demands your attention, and it’s the reason you should be submitting your body and soul to the Reverend’s gospel on a daily basis.

T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents #4 by Rafael Albuquerque

Goddamn is this an awesome looking cover. To me, this is what DC’s Ultimate rendition of the Flash would look like; a red-hot crimson blur, angry at the world, looking like he could explode at any moment. I’ve always been a fan of Albuquerque’s wicked style, but this cover in particular feels like he’s taking his game to a whole other level! This is what Hermes would look like if he was appointed one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse; streaking down his message of destruction to our world. The last message we would ever hear before total annihilation.

Star Trek #6 by Tim Bradstreet

“The creature within me is gone. I am free of it, and the pain. I am also quite blind. An equitable trade, Doctor. Thank you.” -Spock in The Immunity Syndrome

The Unwritten #34.5 by Yuko Shimizu

Angelic. Purely whimsical and magical, radiating artistic beauty across the entire comic book medium. The fine details in her curly golden locks and hundreds of feathers just leaves me breathless, completely soaking everything in. I saw her face, now I’m a believer. The minute Shimizu opens a gallery anywhere in the world, I’ll be the first one in line to purchase a ticket. Perhaps one day, I’ll even be fortunate enough to own an original piece. Until that time however, we can all continue to glimpse at in awe, cursing the heavens that none of us will ever produce anything remotely close to perfection like Shimizu does.

In this special spook-tacular episode, I share with you 5 gruesome series you should be checking out this Halloween!

I interview artist Cliff Chiang as we talk about Neil Young’s Greendale, The Brave And The Bold, Star Wars propaganda posters and much more!

I’m joined by artist Ryan Kelly as we discuss Funrama, Brian Wood, different musicians he draws and much more!

I interview artist Pat Loika about Dial R Studios, The Villain, Path To Armageddon and more.

I sit down and interview artist Jason Howard about Sea Bear & Grizzly Shark, Astounding Wolf-Man, Chick-Fil-A and much more!

I interview artist Rafael Albuquerque about Stephen King’s American Vampire, Mondo Urbano and much more!

I interview artist Frazer Irving about Batman and Robin, his rise to fame from 2000AD, The Joker and much more!

I interview artist Ryan Benjamin about Pancratia, Batman Beyond, MMA and more!

I interview Fabio Moon & Gabriel Ba of Daytripper fame. We chat about Daytripper, Dave Stewart, Cassanova and more!

All Archaia interviews! First up, I chat with David Rodriguez & Patrick McEvoy about their Starkweather: Immortal HC, then I sit down with Chandra Free to discuss The God Machine HC.

I interview the creative team of CHEW (Image), John Layman & Rob Guillory! We talk beets, Omnivores, LOST and much more!

I sit down for an intimate chat with Ben Templesmith. We discuss Choker, Squidgirls, religion and much more!

Comic-Con 2010 wrap-up!

Welcome To Hoxford

Written & Drawn by Ben Templesmith

IDW Publishing

When I picked up the first issue of Welcome To Hoxford, I didn’t know what to expect. The cover depicted this psychopath covered in blood sitting in a jail cell, so I knew it probably wasn’t going to be about puppies and kittens. Well, puppies are in the story, but they have nasty big pointy teeth. I knew who Templesmith was at the time from his gorgeous art on 30 Days of Night and Fell, but I wasn’t familiar with his creator owned work such as Wormwood: Gentleman Corpse. So upon reading the first issue of his latest work, I was completely in awe of what I just read.

It was sick, deranged, funny and horrifying all at the same time.

Needless to say, I was hooked. Every issue that came out was better and more fucked-up than the last, keeping me enthralled with this spectacular series. Not only was Templesmith’s art just complete eye-candy to look at, but his story was equally as haunting and enjoyable.

The story revolves around this psychopath Ray Delgado, as he’s transferred to this new privately owned and operated maximum security prison known as Hoxford. It’s run by the Russians, and only the worst of the worst criminals, rapists, and thugs are sent to Hoxford to be forgotten by the society that they gave the finger to. The Warden and guards of this fine establishment have a deep dark secret of their own that they can’t wait to share with the new inmates, and one of the people who might potentially spoil the surprise is Ray’s psychiatrist Dr. Ainley when she comes to check-up on her patients. You see, if Ray isn’t on his medication, then he’ll revert back to being his usual aggressive and cannibalistic self.

Sure enough, Ray isn’t on his meds and thinks he’s Cronos, God of the Titans and master of all. The other inmates go along with it because none of them are crazy enough to piss Ray off and have him go apeshit on their ass.

The secret of the Warden & Co.? They’re all werewolves, and the inmates are their prey. And these aren’t you’re typical werewolves that you see on the screen, no no no. These werewolves are giant monstrosities with endless rows of teeth. If there’s one other thing that Templesmith is a master at drawing besides tentacles, it’s sharpy pointy teeth. So it’s a free-for-all at the prison with the inmates not standing a chance. It’s as if a group of big game hunters arrived at the local zoo and just went wild killing everything in site. These inmates are the scum of the universe, so no one is going to miss them if they happen to disappear down the gullet of a grizzly ancient beast.

Ray isn’t scared. He’s a God, and must do battle with the beasts to defend his heavenly kingdom. And that’s exactly what he does. Bodies of his slain enemies surround him, and he slowly comes to the realization that he isn’t a God, but a hunter like the rest of these beasts. As a matter of fact, he fancies himself as an Alpha Male, and decides he will challenge the current leader for that position.

In the end of the issue, Ray does kill the leader in a bloody battle and is the new Alpha Male of the pack. All hail Ray, and those who are still alive should flee as fast as possible.

After reading the trade again in one sitting, I realized that I had goosebumps. This story was such a great read when it first came out, and I’m overjoyed to announce it still lives-up to the hype months later. If anything, it’s more horrific since I don’t have to wait months in between like I initially did.

Templesmith has such a unique style in his art, that you can just tell how much he loves his job. Although this was just a miniseries, I’m craving (nay, demanding!) more creator owned series from him. I always have such a fun time reading anything he’s doing the art for, that I’d love to read more original stories by the guy. I’m sure he’s an untapped treasure trove of stories like Welcome To Hoxford and Wormwood: Gentleman Corpse, that all he needs to get going on more stuff is support from his fans.

Mr. Templesmith, go and do that voodoo that you do oh so well!

Discuss this pick on the forum!

Book Of The Month – June – LOCAL

Book Of The Month – July – Sub-Mariner: The Depths

Book Of The Month – August – Superman: Secret Identity

Cammy brings you coverage of Comic-Con 2009. Interviews with Ben Templesmith, Sal Abbinanti, Simone Bianchi, Thomas Jane, Chris Burnham, John Layman, Rob Guillory, and Rick Spears.

Special thanks to my sponsors Rising Sun Creations and Deadline Graphics.

Music: Ratatat – Wildcat

In this Best Of 2008, I discuss my Top 5 favorite Writers, Artists, Series, Top Story Arc, and Top Single Issue. Tell me how wrong I am on the forum!

Top Five Writers:
*Jason Aaron
*Geoff Johns
*Peter J. Tomasi
*Ed Brubaker
*Brian Wood

Top Five Artists:
*Ben Templesmith
*Leinil Yu
*Gabriel Ba
*Juan Jose Ryp
*JM Ken Niimura

Top Five Series:
*Scalped (Vertigo)
*The Sword (Image)
*Black Summer (Avatar)
*All-Star Superman (DC)
*Air (Vertigo)

Top Story Arc:
*Green Lantern: Secret Origin

Top Single Issue:
*Final Crisis: Requiem

Hot damn was it an awesome week for comics! Pick of the week is Criminal Vol. 2 #5 (Icon) from Brubaker & Phillips, and the Fast Five changed a couple of times throughout the past few days. Fast Five picks include Big Hero 6 #1 (Marvel), Welcome To Hoxford #2 (IDW), Secret Invasion #6 (Marvel), Green Lantern Corps #28 (DC), and Deadpool #1 (Marvel).

Japanese Superheroes, Green Lanterns, and a Merc with a Mouth help make this week truly spectacular!

Quite the variety this week in comics! No pick this week, but Fast Five picks include Secret Invasion #5 (Marvel), Action Comics #868 (DC), Welcome To Hoxford #1 (IDW), Astonishing X-Men #26 (Marvel), and Green Lantern Corps #27 (DC).

I’m recovering from a cold, so if Green Lantern Natu could stop by soon that’d be greeeat.