Category Archives: Comics 101

Comics 101, Literary, Movies/TV, Pop Culture

Comic Book Academia: 100 Things Avengers Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die

April 30, 2015 Alex McCumbers

There are few names that hold as much awe in the entertainment industry as Marvel does. From humble beginnings as Timely Comics to the film powerhouse that is Marvel Studios, there has been more content flowing from these minds than almost any other group. So much so, that there is seemingly no way to know the intricacies of each facet of the Marvel Universe(s). Lucky for those lacking warehouses full of dusty pages, people like Dan Casey exist. Casey holds a self-proclaimed degree in Marvel Comics and shows off his knowledge in his book, 100 Things Avengers Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die.

My first Free Comic Book Day. For a guy that knows next to nothing about comics, I can look the part pretty well.

Before telling our Giga Geeks why this book is a valuable resource and overview of the Marvel yarns, let me first tell you about my lack of comic book knowledge. I am nowhere near a comic nerd, nor could I take that title by association. My early years were spent blowing the dust out of Nintendo cartridges and pretending to be a Power Ranger. I also grew up during the 1990s, which was what I now know to be a bit of dry spell in the comic book industry. Yet, I did love Marvel’s characters in other media, like the classic cartoon iterations of X-Men and Spider Man. That guitar-heavy opening from X-Men still rings clearly in many of my early memories.

A few comics were passed down to me when I was a kid—some beat up X-Men and Street Sharks—but no one I knew was really into them. It wasn’t until the first few Marvel films hit theaters that I rekindled that need for these super heroes and heroines. Actually, I remember my father taking me to see X-Men in the summer of 2000. This was also a great bonding experience for both of us as we walked away not liking the film and making jokes about it. Oddly enough, I enjoyed the first Spider-Man film much more than the X-Men (2000) movie.

Why I like Toby Maguire as Spider Man over this, I'll never know. . . — Why I like Toby Maguire as Spider-Man over this, I’ll never know. . .

It wasn’t until I entered college in 2010 that I got a real taste of the comic world. A humble comic shop called Counter Culture Concepts opened that same year and it wasn’t long before I made lasting friends in that cramped space. If it wasn’t for that store, I never would’ve owned a decent pile of comics. As a side note, my girlfriend even painted an awesome mural that was a stark contrast to the American paintings on the opposite wall.

1235994_3464333825235_995483502_n — One of several paintings done by Diabolikupcake at Counter Culture Concepts.

My story proves that I’m not a guru of comics at all, merely a Padowan on a journey towards being a Jedi. Therefore, Casey’s collection of Marvel knowledge awakened me to a multi-verse of stories created over decades of talented work.

Casey starts by explaining Marvel’s history, and then works his way up to the more practical bits of know-how, such as mixing a shot of The Incredible Hulk (which is guaranteed to get you smashed). There’s so much knowledge to be gained even from the first few chapters. I had no idea Jack Kirby joined the dark side of D.C. Comics at one point!

One of Lee's latest appearances in Big Hero 6. — One of Lee’s latest appearances in Big Hero 6.

Be reminded that you have to understand what impotence cheap tadalafil india is, and you have to look any further than this Cambridge gerontologist. This device sucks air prescription viagra uk from the penis duct and therefore enabling blood to flow smoothly in the desired way. Major Varieties of Tea White – requires the least processing; leaves are picked only a few days out of the year Black – Chinese black brand viagra from canada drink leaves are fully oxidized. SIDE EFFECTS :Side effects brand levitra spotted because of the intake of the Silagra pills. After discussing Marvel’s origins, Casey outlines the back stories of almost every character in the film canon, or the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) as some might call it. These segments are great due to the addition of where those characters are in the current continuity. In some instances it also gives those who lack key points of comic knowledge a hint at what’s to come in future film projects from the House of Ideas. Case in point, the Vision was merely a visual character for me, but I now know him to be one of the deepest characters in Marvel. Also, I didn’t know he was an android, but that’s not the point.

I stared at this image for hours at the local shop; its so powerful and wrong on many levels. — I stared at this image for hours at the local shop; it’s so powerful and wrong on many levels.

After shedding light on most characters in the MCU, Casey goes on to discuss major events throughout the years. He outlines Civil War and Secret Invasion with passion and precision, bringing major plot points to life with minimal wording. During my stays at the comic shop, I had always wanted to pick up the comics containing these events, but for some reason or another never did. Now I wish I had—I will eventually—as those stories mark things I want to see in future films.

Similar to the Greek Gyro, but ever so mysterious and provocative.

The end of the book holds some neat things Avengers fans should try outside of films and comic books. Most interestingly for me, there’s a Shawarma recipe by Natasha Feldman and Julianna Strickland, the women behind Cinema & Spice. While I’ve yet to try this mystery food, I do have plans to film my attempt. The last chapters also hold a call to action for comic book fans everywhere in hopes that the community can give back, celebrate Free Comic Book Day, and find a local comic shop.

Nerducopia, another local comic shop, has an awesome logo and equally awesome people behind it.

These last few things on the Avengers-fan bucket list are very important. I will attest to the awesome potential hidden down alleys. Some of my best memories of college come from behind the glass doors of my local comic shop. Dan Casey and I, advise everyone to find a shop and experience one of the greatest things about loving comics: having friends as passionate as you are about fantastic stories portrayed in panels.

After reading Casey’s book, I feel more confident in my overall knowledge of Marvel’s heroes and heroines, as well as being a part of the comic book community. I feel like I just finished studying for the mid-terms in Marvel 101 and I’m ready for the test. Professor Casey, I can honestly say I had more fun in this class than any other. Will you be teaching Marvel 102, also?

100 Things Avengers Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die by Dan Casey is available through Triumph Books.

Also a big thanks goes out to Triumph Books for sending me this book and Dan Casey for toiling away for its completion. Stay cool.

All images and videos belong to their respective owners.

Comics 101

BAAKO: Not Your Average Heroine

January 23, 2015 Kenneth Medford

Twitter is not one of my favorite things in the world. Luckily, the law of averages means every now and then, I have to stumble upon something awesome. True to the laws of math, I came across an article from @GhettoManga about a new comic called BAAKO dropping.

BAAKO — http://www.joshuacovey.smoothfolio.com

After looking into it, I came across the website of Joshua Covey, the artist and writer responsible for this newness. He’s quite the accomplished freelancer having done work with Dark Horse Comics, BOOM! Studios and various independent creators. The BAAKO project is also a another awesome example of how Kickstarter can help independent artists produce great work.

Between the brief preview on the artist’s site and the information on his Kickstarter page, here’s what we know so far: After a great star crashes into the planet, an evil force known as “the Hatred” starts to leech the life out of the planet. As they grow and consume everything, the world becomes more and more like a wasteland. Any people unlucky enough to be captured by the Hatred are twisted and distorted into minions, used to continue their destruction. Our heroine, BAAKO is bounced around on a roller coaster of near-death situations, hope for the future and back down to hopelessness. She is a fighter and Covey does well to provide a character that doesn’t fall into the traditional damsel in distress trope, but doesn’t make her overpowered either.

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Artistically, I love the detail and the vibrant colors, but the desert/wasteland backdrops do well to convey the damage done to the planet. The glowing green eyes of BAAKO’s hooded companion will more than likely be stuck in my mind’s eye for quite some time. The design of the various wildlife and creatures of the Hatred is unique as well. I am looking forward to seeing it all fully colored in the final release come March.

There’s a lot of good brewing here, but don’t just take my word for it (I mean, who would), check out both GhettoManga for an extended preview and the work of Joshua Covey, featuring BAAKO, for yourself.

Comics 101

Waris: The Poison Ivy Story Fan Fiction

December 29, 2014 Seany Flamingo

Fan fiction is great for many reasons. It can give any writer a preexisting world in which to tell stories. Or it can allow a story to exist for that random character, whom you see pass by on screen for eight seconds in a film. Here we have a writer telling a story about Poison Ivy, a top villain in DC Comics and more specifically, Batman comics. The title is Waris: The Poison Ivy Story written by Maude Delice.

The story is kind of all over the place, but in the defense of the writer, it isn’t finished yet. This tale is definitely one told in the same vein as a Tarantino film. This is not a bad thing by any means, and is actually kind of smart. When you are teased with seeing only parts of a story instead of the whole, you’re going to keep reading. It’s the same thing comics do all the time, and since this is based on a comic character, I have no beef with it. I do have beef with the inconsistent writing style. In the same chapter the story can go from detailed dialogue, to a generic scene description, and then end with a paragraph from a novel.

There is definitely a lot of aspects of this story that let you know right away this is from the mind of a fan. A naked woman laid across a bed smoking weed is the first thing that happens in chapter one, and it immediately sets the tone for the rest of the story. Everything, in all of the chapters, is very sexualized: a different Poison Ivy than we’re used to seeing. So far, the story is far beyond (BEYOND!) just the origin story I went in expecting. It’s more of a new take on the life of Ivy.
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While there isn’t much of it here, the art is, a thing. I don’t care for it and in my opinion it doesn’t really capture who Poison Ivy is. I’m sure many out there will love the abstract style that is used, but it just isn’t for me. Whenever pictures do show up they just distract me and take away from the story rather than help.

The best (and most appealing) thing about fan fiction is that the fans are in control of the story. Although it’s generally not for me, I think fan fiction has it’s place and it’s definitely not going anywhere. I’m always up for reading a good story, regardless of who wrote it. This story, however, is not quite there. It doesn’t appear to be close to the end so it could easily pick up. I’ll keep a look out for more of it. If you are interested in checking it out for yourself then you can head over to theivyleaguegrad.tumblr.com and read the first four chapters.

Comics 101, Literary

DC Comics: Super-Villains: The Complete Visual History Review

November 14, 2014 Seany Flamingo

Heroes and villains: two sides of the same coin. Although, one side of that coin is clearly much more important: without villains there could be no heroes, but without heroes, villains would still exist. Look at any battle between good and evil; it’s always the bad guy leading the show. The villain chooses who, what, and when to attack or steal something and the hero just reacts and tries to counter. This chase continues on until one side is ultimately victorious. This isn’t just in comics either. It happens in film, television, books, games, and even wrestling. The bad guys are always the star in these situations. They are the ones dictating where the story goes next, not the hero. That’s why a great villain is important to have, and when it comes to creating an awesome rouge gallery for heroes to fight, DC Comics is definitely one of the best. That brings me to a new book by Daniel Wallace: DC Comics: Super-Villains: The Complete Visual History.

Even if you don’t read a word of this book, it’s still worth checking out all of the great art. The book is full of the iconic comic covers villains have graced, along with a ton of awesome pictures featuring these characters. The pictures range from the villains’ origins to their current incarnations. Seeing how drastically most of these characters have changed is extremely interesting and is such a great addition—proves my point: comics look so much better nowadays. Also, being able to see how lighthearted most comics were before compared to how serious they all are now is great. Although, admittedly there are some comics now that would benefit from taking themselves less serious, but that’s an argument for another time.

Since I spend most of my time explaining comic origins and story lines to people, the idea of books like Super Villains is much appreciated. Unfortunately, this book suffers from the same problem as others like it: there’s just not enough information about each character. Now I understand you can’t cover every story or appearance of any one villain, but I found myself wondering why so many key moments for these characters were left out and less important moments were included.

There are more DC villains than I can count who are omitted from this book. Sure every bank robber or murderer doesn’t need a page, but I would say Hugo Strange, Amanda Waller, and Paralax all definitely deserve a spot.
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Focus is something this book is really lacking. I can see the ambition here, and it’s admirable. From what I can tell Wallace wanted to include each villain’s history. Not just from the comics, but also from film, television, and games. While the book covers the characters’ notable appearances, you don’t actually get as much info about that character. Instead of talking about every person who has played the Joker, I wish the book focused more on the incredibly messed up things the Joker has done (e.g. how he “created” Oracle). It also would’ve helped if the book focused on either Pre-New 52 or Post-New 52. Instead, we get a mix of both origins for these characters. With the way it’s written, the book reads a lot like a Wiki article and less like the encyclopedia that I was expecting. Considering the lack of focus, the weird mix just makes it even harder to really find out much about these characters beyond (BEYOND!) a few basic points.

Overall the book is interesting, and while it won’t serve much use to somebody attempting to learn the history of these characters or to someone who already knows the history, it is a great coffee table book. This book has awesome artwork both fans and people who have never read a comic in their lives can flip through and admire, while they wait for you to finish making the chimichangas.

Comics 101, Indie Pennant

Suicide 5: A Dark Tale with a Scary Comment

October 3, 2014 Alex McCumbers

Last month I learned of a comic book convention happening in Morgantown, WV. Needless to say, I’m always psyched about these sorts of things being close to home, so I paid the ten dollars to attend WV Pop Culture Con 2014. There were tons of awesome comic book writers and artists—over the next few months I’ll be digging through my spoils—but a few of these folks decided to give me some free comics. Most of these artists and writers are obscure or just starting out in an industry that’s dominated by Marvel, so I hope to give them some much needed spotlight. Granted, I was given these gracious gifts a month ago, but sometimes I have to stew on my thoughts before I can process them into words. The first comic I pulled off my shelf was an indie comic funded by Kickstarter: Suicide 5, written by Jason Pell and illustrated by Ryan Howe.

Even though I read this a while back, I’m still deeply disturbed by this comic in the best possible way. Honestly, the day I started it, I couldn’t put it down until I was done. From the first couple pages, it felt like I had been grabbed into the story and the conflict. It’s like a good horror novel: the goal isn’t to make you feel bad or scared; it’s to make you think about a serious issue. Just how Frankenstein is partly about fearing electricity, Suicide 5 is about the fear of Youtube.

Maybe that’s oversimplifying things. The plot is about a group of friends who discover another friend has killed himself during a social gathering, while filming on YouTube. No one in the room notices for hours, while the video continues to broadcast. The friends are of course distraught, but the fact that he streamed it for people to watch interested them even more.

This moment ignites the events of Suicide 5.

This group then decides that they can do better. They make a pact to kill themselves with the last person giving each of them a score based on certain parameters. What unfolds is a drama with a ticking clock in the background and the sadness of having to witness these terrible deaths. The characters continue their lives, but their imminent suicide is always right around the corner.

On the surface, the story is deranged and deeply terrifying. Unfortunately, many will avoid this comic due to its harsh themes. Yes, suicide is a hard subject to talk about let alone to have in entertainment; however, just as Dante had to do, one must go through Hell to get to Heaven. We have to experience the darkness before we can be enlightened.

The language of the comic is also interesting. Characters casually talk about killing themselves. They design elaborate ways for them to die to an artistic level while sharing coffee. Each of them boasts that they will have the higher score. This combined with the art style, gives Suicide 5 an eerie level of familiarity and depth.

Beneath the surface, though, is a darker demon.
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Immortal, internet fame is what these kids seek. It drives them to levels of insanity that ignores their self-preservation. With the popularity of YouTube, everyone has a chance to become know globally. The drive for channel owners to get views, subscribers, and comments can be a consuming phenomenon. Believe me, I sometimes feel myself getting a little crazy with my small gaming channel. Pewdiepie, the most subscribed to person of YouTube ever, actually disabled comments because they were a constant problem and started to consume him.

The things people will do for this sort of attention is astounding. That’s why we constantly stumble upon videos of people getting hurt, girls shaking their booties, or cats being cats.

Suicide 5 merely extends the idea.

Probably a good way to start wrapping up my thoughts... — Probably a good way to start wrapping up my thoughts…

At the end of the day, I’m a huge fan of this comic. It’s engaging throughout and self-contained. It resonates with the reader, long after the last page is turned. The art style is solid and the plot moves quickly enough to keep one engrossed in every word. Honestly, it made me take a slightly different approach to my online endeavors.

Hopefully, Jason Pell and Ryan Howe will continue this sort of work.

Suicide 5 is an excellent addition to any comic collection and can be the subject of scholarly thought. It left an impression on me that I doubt I’ll forget.