Comic Books

Publisher: Inkspot ComicsFor years, anything that might potentially cause philosophical trouble or emotional unrest for the ordinary people of the world has been kept hidden from them. All manner of monster and malcontent are policed by The Assembly, a globe-spanning organization tasked with keeping the unreal at bay. Lately, they've been busy. With a growing number of incidents and a dwindling number of able bodies, their ranks need bolstering. As missions are completed and available agents return to base, they realize that it will take every mystical trick up their weapon-lined sleeves to face off against an icy foe from the hinterlands. For the first time in nearly 100 years, only a group of agents will be able to handle the worst cryptozoology has to offer. Veterans, like the mysterious Kevin Ibsen or stuffy James Fawder, and newcomers, like Jason Carrick and the enigmatic Birk, will stand side-by-side against this long-forgotten enemy. When things go bump in the night, not only does The Assembly bump back, they hunt what made that bump in the first place, and ensure that that thing stops bumping. Permanently. In this first issue, our agents tackle adolescent intergalactic joyriders, Middle Eastern fire demons, mischievous vampires, and more, brought to life by the talents of Antonio Lamas, Ozzy Longoria, Carl Brown, and Vishnu Huy, with a stunning cover by Michael Bushman and Peter Bravo. The modern era of The Assembly starts here. You don't want to miss it. (Editor's Note: If you prefer a higher resolution for your digital comics, please contact us at inkspotcomics@gmail.com and we will do what we can to meet your needs.)Price: $1.00

I like time travel stories. I love the shapes they make in my head. From All You Zombies to Bill And Ted’s Excellent Adventure to Making History to The Time Traveller’s Wife to Continuity Errors to Robocop Vs Terminator. When causality is thrown up in the air and everything gets very silly indeed. There are generally rules though. That mostly get stuck to. You can go back in time and change things, or not. Or just certain bits. Create duplicates of yourself in the process – or not. Meet yourself… or not. Age Of Ultron seems to have broken those rules, especially in issue ten. So, you know, spoilers. Also for Avengers, New Avengers, Uncanny Avengers and Fantastic Four a bit. We have seen Wolverine going back in time twice. Once with the Invisible Woman to kill Hank Pym (which he did), both travelling to the changed future to discover a version of himself that hadn’t gone back in time. It’s implied there’s another Invisible Woman there too. So Wolverine goes back to the past again (leaving the Invisible Woman in the Moragn Le Fey future) to stop himself killing Ant Man. One of the Wolverines then kills the other so there is only one of them remaining. For some reason, maybe he’s just watched The Prestige. Then he, and the Invisible Woman from before travel to the future again to the new changed future. Wolverine tells Invisible Woman to go hug her kids. Awww. Except… in this future, the Fantastic Four are still gallivanting around time and space. Black Panther never summoned them home. So there’s another Invisible Woman out there. And there’s another Wolverine, one who didn’t live through Age Of Ultron and find the need to travel back in time, and who helped take down Ultron. And who wee see the page before we see time travelling Wolverine arrive in the future. He can’t just disappear, these are the time travel rules as laid out in Age Of Ultron. What happened to Space Invisible Woman and Non-Time Travelling Wolverine? Although the latter may explain how Wolverine is in so many books right now – there’s two of him. But here does seem to be a little confusion at Marvel about what is happening when in regard to other book, at least to the casual observer. Has this seemingly inevitable scene from Uncanny Avengers today taken place before… this superb Gateway scene in Avengers today for example? But as for how Mr Fantastic can be in space in Fantastic Four and be in New Avengers. well for that we get a clue. Though in that case, no idea why he doesn’t tell the Future Foundation what’s up in their book with their Johnny Storm-from-the-future guest. Of course in Fantastic Four, also out today, Reed has his own time travel issues. As to Uncanny Avengers; But there is a lot of time travel going on in Marvel comics today. No wonder everything is falling apart at the seams… That’s right folks, Blackbeard was The Thing. This all goes way back… Maybe we’ll get an explanation as to the double Wolverine and double Invisible Woman thing soon. Maybe not. Comics courtesy of Orbital Comics, London. Tonight sees the launch of Jason Atomic‘s Satanic Mojo, inspired by underground comics with work from Atomic, Shaky Kane, Garry Leach and more… for adults only. Go to the gallery and buy the comic… adults only. Nineteen Thoughts About Nineteen Comics – Superman Unchained, Suicide Squad, Guardians Of The Galaxy, Walking Dead, Avenging Spider-Man, The Crow, Green Lantern Corps, Bravest Warriors, Six Gun Gorilla, Breath Of Bones, Batgirl, Supurbia, Manhattan Projects, Savage Wolverine, Wolverine, Uncanny X-Force, A1 And The True Lives Of The Fabulous Killjoys Posted on June 12, 2013 by Rich Johnston Share on Tumblr Comments Superman Unchained #1 makes a lot of fuss about the foldout page (video here). But my favourite is one panel tucked away near the back. Big weapons, small church… Talking of weapons, why

It’s a bit like Japan’s version of the ongoing Doctor Who scenario, just several tons lighter. The oldest ever animated film to be produced for Japanese TV was rediscovered in a warehouse this February and it’s turned out to be in pretty good condition. Now, Mole’s Adventure‘s going to get another screening this July. Here are some images, courtesy of Anime News Network and NTV. Seems to have the moon tripper set-up of the first Wallace and Gromit. And note how, unlike most of today’s anime, it was produced using cardboard cut-out techniques. Not much was filmed in colour in 1958, but this was. And that’s lucky. Even those who remember it from the first airing probably saw it in black and white, so this really is quite the exciting discovery for Japanese toonheads. The whole of Mole’s Adventure apparently clocks in at under nine minutes. That would be too short for a stand alone release on DVD or Blu-ray in the UK though, really, some of the oddball discs I’ve bought from Japan suggest they’ll release anything there’s any kind of audience for, and this bit of anime history will certainly have that. Rediscovered Show Becomes Oldest Surviving TV Anime, Reshowing This July

Karen: When I was putting together the post on soul music a little while ago, it made me think about when I first heard soul music. That would have been as a small child in my home. I started thinking about all the different music my parents used to play, and I thought it would be a pretty good idea for a post!Karen: My parents had very different tastes musically. My Dad leaned towards country music. The man in black, Johnny Cash, was a favorite. But I really remember my Dad less for playing records than for playing his guitar and singing. He had both an acoustic guitar and an electric (a Gibson, don't recall the specifics now sadly) and he would often strum and sing. Usually it was country music, but he surprised me and my brother once by getting the sheet music to the Monkees' theme song and playing that for us! One record I do recall Dad playing frequently, although it wasn't music, was a Bill Cosby comedy album. He loved that album -even today he'll talk about "chocolate cake for breakfast."Karen: My Mom listened to a variety of music. It was not unusual for her to put Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles, Tom Jones, Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass, or Otis Redding on the turntable. She had quite a collection of R&B singles too. When I was really small I recall her getting a lot of use out of the stereo. For awhile, we were members of one of those record clubs, and albums by the 5th Dimension, Santana, Blood, Sweat, and Tears, Three Dog Night, Elton John, and Chicago all made their way to our house. I think my brother had some influence over those selections, but I know my Mom liked lot of those artists. Later in life, she became a fan of Billy Joel -I think she always dug piano men.Doug: "Easy listening" would have been the prescription for our big console stereo. I have vivid memories of Dionne Warwick, Roberta Flack, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Olivia Newton-John, Anne Murray, the Mamas and the Papas, but especially of the Carpenters. I think my mom was the main influence for these artists -- did anyone notice that the singers are all women? The songs have stuck with me, and still bring a smile to my face, especially the melodies of the Carpenters. I have about 20 cuts from them on my iTouch and enjoy them often. I'd also like to add that my mom, when taking us somewhere in the car, indulged our preference for Top 40 AM radio. That was incredibly formative to my enjoyment of pop music from the 1970's.Doug: As an aside, my aunt (my mom's sister) had a nice collection of LPs, and the first time I ever heard Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band was after removing it from one of her crates. On my dad's side of the family, I can recall a time when the family was together at my uncle's house to play cards. He had a very nice collection of Four Seasons 45s, and I spent part of one evening going through those. Great memories -- definitely moments frozen in time! Karen: These were our formative music experiences -what about yours?Doug: And totally off-topic, below you'll find the updated Bracketology standings.

For reasons unknown, the Thai audience have been treated to a different edit of the Lego Movie trailer. It’s shorter, if not noticeably sweeter, and has a few new gags and scenes. Click here to view the embedded video. I understand the film has been produced in CG, but the production design and a lot of the shot planning was done in real life with real Lego first. Though that’s not official, and I’m waiting for Warner Bros. to clarify. Second Lego Trailer – Shorter, With New Scenes And Gags

Battle #55, 1957 - Though relatively short, Al Williamson's story about a World War II tank battle is a masterpiece. The openness of his panels allow the reader to flow from one scene to the next, while others suggest the tank's claustrophobic nature. Williamson's exceptional drawings are further augmented by his precise inking. Shadows are meticulously rendered and placed to infuse dramatic

TweetComing this November, Titan Comics have announced that they’ll be collecting together Chris Claremont and John Bolton’s series Marada The She Wolf. This will be the first time that the series has ever been collected in full, and will come with restored artwork from Bolton as well as concept sketches and other artwork. Originally published in 1982 by Marvel, the story had originally been planned to be an arc of Red Sonja. It tells the tale of Caesar’s descendent Marada, who  travels the Roman Empire, fighting various monsters and wearing precarious togas. The story is fully painted by Bolton, and will be re-released in hardcover in November. #call_to_action h4{padding:0px 5px;} #social-essentials {margin: 0 0 10px 0;}

Best Marvel wedding ever. Why wasn’t this a double issue?!?

Posted On Today at 05:33:51 am EDT by Coops [Reply] [Quote] [New] Ah but that there is the problem I think modern comic books face. They try to be 'realistic', I think when you're reading a story about a man who can scale a perfectly flat surface with nothing but his hands, or someone who at least doubles in size and turns green every time they get angry we can kiss realisim goodbye. I know I'm old fashioned and that old fashioned ideals don't sell but to me a superhero is supposed to give us something to strive towards, no matter how old we get. Peter Parker for example, he made a mistake. A simple tragic mistake that cost him dearly. While the rest of us would shoulder the burden of knowledge that we should have done something different, we'd try and carry on with our lives and put the past behind us in the belief that our loved one we let down would want us to live. Peter on the other hand has spent every day since then trying to make up for his mistake, his momentary lapse in judgement and continued to do so up until his death (which hopefully won't stick but let's move past that particular can of worms) even after those who knew his secret, those who cared about him have told him. His done enough and he's earned his rest and the right to live a normal life, Peter continues to push himself because in his mind it will never be enough. That by letting people die, good or evil he's reliving the failure from before. A better man finds a way to beat the odds, keep everyone alive including the villain so they can face justice. Death isn't justice, no matter what you believe comes after it, Death is a get out of jail free card and criminals in real life have tried to provoke people into killing them so they don't have to face justice. This is why comic book superheroes shouldn't kill. They're supposed to be better than us. When we're kids, they are who we strive to be. As adults they should remind us of the idealisim we once carried. Sorry to ramble on. Hope you all enjoyed my thoughts.

Who's This? Who's Who Vol.X p.22, that kid pilot.The facts: For a character we don't remember today, Hop Harrigan seems to have been a very successful aviation ace strip. Created by Jon Blummer (who wrote and drew the vast majority of his stories), Hop premiered in All-American Comics #1 (1939) and remained a feature of that book until issue 99 (1948) before the title started to focus singly on western material. But the character "hopped" around a lot as well, with strips running in various issues of All-Star Comics, Flash Comics and All-Flash, Green Lantern (vol.1), Comic Cavalcade, Sensation Comics, Wonder Woman (vol.1) and others, in stories ranging from 2 to 6 pages. All-Star Comics #8 is of particular interest because it features a 2-page prose story in which Hop meets the JSA, cementing his place in the DC Universe and landing him a spot in its Definitive Directory. Hop was also the star of a radio show from 1942 to 1948 (Hop's sidekick Tank Tinker was played by two actors, one of which was the voice for Popeye's Bluto), and of a movie serial in 1946. Don't forget to add Hop Harrigan to your list of DC stars who got a movie!How you could have heard of him: Beyond his Who's Who appearance (and the usual cameo in History of the DCU that usually produces), Hop's only appearances after the 1948 were in G.I. Combat #152 (1972), a strip in which in shoots a lot of Japanese soldiers to the "tune" of the 23rd Psalm, atypical of his stories, but written and drawn by Jon Blummer (with some help from King David, I guess); and a couple issues of Young All-Stars.Example story: All-American Comics #48 (1943) reprinted in America at War: The Best of DC War Comics (Simon and Schuster, 1979)Form my research, it would seem Hop Harrigan's adventures were more serialized than the average Golden Age character, or at least, his circumstances were allowed to change over time. He was always an aerial ace, but having started out as a "boy's own adventure" character, he eventually became air air force cadet, and then a pilot fighting Nazis in South America and the Japanese in the Pacific theater. Beyond the war, he co-owned the splendidly-named All-American Aviation Company (in case Green Lantern Alan Scott ever tried to tell you HE was the book's headliner), which I guess kept him in trouble through the late 40s. The story I chose, one of the very few made available after '48 (needs must), is from the war years and seems to end on a cliffhanger. The strip introduces us to the bomber's crew, which includes, of course, Hop Harriga0n. His father figure Major Prop Wash and his mechanic and best friend Tank Tinker, who have shared his world since the beginning, are left behind to guard the secret base in the Aleutian Islands. Captain Knuckleduster needs two things, see. One: A pilot for the "Pea-Shooter" prototype.And two: Someone to tell him racist poetry is the reason these comics don't get reprinted very often.Their target: A Japanese fleet. The Pea-Shooter is lowered from the bomb bay and while the bomber continually bombs the ships, Hop is free to take care of their planes and buzz the ships' gun turrets.But when a thick for rises up, there's no way for Hop to get back on the planet's launching trapeze. Knuckleduster decides to land the bomber on the aircraft carrier and commandeer it, something that makes the ship's captain unusually happy.BECAUSE THE USA IS THE GREATEST! Also, WORLD WAR II PROPAGANDA! And of course, SUKI-YAKI RESTAURANT! Meanwhile, Hop is still in the mix with Japanese "zeros".Oh no! The bomber crew bring the captured carrier back to base, where Prop and Tank are naturally upset their good buddy is missing in action and presumed dead. But with 51 more All-American issues to go, you just know he'll turn up alive, and in true Hop Harrigan daring-do action, he's guided himself right back to base.Not just to base, but right into a safety net. Hop Harrigan never misses, yo. The last blurb hints that the next story will show us ho