Kindle Fire: Yes or No?

Well with the holiday season just about here I see all the store ads online and in the papers pushing the big deals etc. And one of the biggest sellers this year is going to be the Amazon Kindle Fire. I've been longing for an Apple iPad since version 1 came out but could never justify paying that price, there was something always more important that came first. And with all the Black Friday sales they really want you buying electronics.

But I'm wondering with a super-affordable price tag of only $199 if the Kindle Fire is a good substitute? I know it obviously doesn't have all the features and the screen is smaller but can I make those concessions to have an affordable tablet of my own? Still not sure.

I'll probably keep thinking about it for sometime before I jump in and get one. Hopefully by that time some friends with have one I can check out and there will be more info online on how to use it and tweak the specialized Android OS that Amazon is using in it.

National Graphic Novel Writing Month

Well to day is November 1st and when I was online checking out Heavyink.com I saw a tab on the site titled 'NaGraNoWriMo'. I gave it a click and read some of the threads there. Please go and check it out yourself too. By the way Heavyink.com is a great online store and its where I buy all my comics now. Anyway, basically this is about writing a graphic novel or illustrating pages or doing 3 individual issues. Basically its a take on National Novel Writing Month. It's about getting out there and putting on the pressure to yourself to produce and have fun.

So for me I'm going to use this as my starting point on getting back on top of The Venger: Dead Man Rising. The special is almost done and needs a few finishing touches. I'm going to get that done first. Then it will be some serious script revisions for issue #3 of the main series and working with the artist on getting that on track and complete.

I have been busy in my personal and professional life for a while now. And that busyness has really sandbagged this book. I need to fix that. And I will.

Indy Comic Book Week- 12/30/09

Diamond Distributing has announced that they will not be shipping any new comics the last week of the year, so on the normal new comic book day- 12/30/09- stores won't be receiving anything. Zip. Nothing. Many indy comic creators such as myself have decided to take this as an opportunity to hopefully increase our readership and get our books onto those empty new release shelves.

There are several websites that have been driving this- www.indycomicbook.com is one of them, check it out. So I'll be contacting comic book retailers and offering to have Venger comics available to them that week. If you know of a retailer I should contact please email me with the contact info at matts128@aol.com and I'll drop them a line and get others to check out Venger!

Cap is Back!

I have been loving the Captain America: Reborn series so far. Brubaker and Hitch are doing excellent work. It's been a slow build up to Steve's return but we still have a couple more issues to go. But Marvel has solicited this one-shot follow up to the series- Captain America: Who Will Wield the Shield?. This will be written by Brubaker and with art by Butch Guice who is going solo after working with Hitchy on Reborn. I am so eager to get this. Like almost everyone I have been enjoying Bucky's turn as Cap and I feel confident in Bru to keep true to the characters and story. I know he has something planned for Bucky. Anyway, can't wait for the book.

Mid Ohio Comic Con

Well Brett continues his con season appearances. Hopefully next season I will have a few dates of my own. Anyway he will be appearing at this weekend's Mid-Ohio Comic Con, October 3 and 4. Brett will be there signing and sketching and selling copies of The Venger: Sins and Secrets #1 as well as posters of the cover to issue 2. He will also be selling copies of his new book with writer Eric Rampson, The Silver Bullet. So any of you comic book and Venger fans please stop by and see Venger artist Brett Wood.

The Venger: Dead Man's Revenge 3

Ok, today's installment, page 3 of 6. Click on it to enlarge.

The Venger: Dead Man's Revenge 2

Here's page 2...remember to click to enlarge.

The Venger: Dead Man's Revenge

A couple of years ago I published a Venger short story in the first issue of the Ronin Studios flagship title, the anthology series Ronin Illustrated. The story was beautifully illustrated by Victor Cabenalas in a lush chiaroscuro style. The six page story was well received by readers.

Starting today and posting Monday, Wednesday and Friday for the next two weeks I'm going to publish The Venger: Dead Man's Revenge here for all to enjoy. So here we go...be sure to click to enlarge.

Marvel Motion Comics

Not sure if this is my idea of the future of comics but I always find it interesting when somebody tried something different. This time its Marvel with Bendis and Maleev's long awaited Spider-Woman series. The kicker here is that it will be available first as a motion comic and then shortly thereafter be distributed in print. Now I am not sure if I would want to consistently follow a series in this format. I could see developing preview trailers or something else. But there does seem to be interest so good for Marvel for trying.

The Venger: Dead Man Rising #2 is at the printer!!

It feels so good to finally be able to type those words. After many twists and turns and personal and professional upheavals all the files were sent to the printer last weekend and I will have my copies in a few short weeks. So much time and energy has been spent on this project, both by me and by Tim that the thrill of knowing that we are almost there is very exciting, for me anyway.

My thanks go to all of you who purchased the first issue and have been more than patient waiting for this one. I truly hope you enjoy it and continue to stick with the title and all the other Venger projects.

A Whole New World

Everyone is talking about the big surprise news of the Disney Co. buying Marvel for $4 billion. And this certainly is a historic day in the industry. Now everyone is wondering what will be the new reality in the comci book world.

My opinion is that everything will be the same for quite some time. The details of the merger show an expected timeline of the end of the year for the buyout to take place. After that there will be an evaluation period where Disney will decide how it wants to play with their new toys. But I just don't seriously see them messing with content at all. The expected relationship is supposed to be similar to the Disney/Pixar one- very hands off. Disney also is involved in film companies and networks like ABC and ESPN and there they also don't dictate content. And sadly another reason is because I don't think the deal was ever about the comics; its about the 'intellectual properties'.

Nowhere in the official press release or in the investor conference call or in any follow up comment has there been any mention of publishing- only the characters, movies and increasing exposure. You could take it to mean they want to mine Marvel for viable properties but that would be taking a very draconian stance.

I'm sure it is somewhere in the middle. Exactly how this plays out will indeed take some time. I'm hoping this does lead to more 'comic book' exposure and not just 'character' exposure and that we will see comics and trades popping up in Disney stores and the parks and brings the industry a little bit of new life.

The Venger: Sins and Secrets #1 ON SALE

As I mentioned in my previous post the first issue of The Venger: Sins and Secrets is available for sale at Indyplanet.com. To purchase just click on this link or click on the title to this post. Brett and I are very thankful to all the folks who have been following us and this project. Here is the solicit info for the book...

"Undead Rising" The city- in flames. The police force- shattered. With no hope left in stopping the zombie horde from wreaking total destruction who will the people turn to? The Venger! The first issue in a new series telling the Golden Age pulp adventures of the original Venger!

There is darkness and violence and evil in life. Most of the time the system works and all that is held in check. Most of the time. But sometimes the horror cannot be stopped and the innocent need protection and justice and vengeance. And for those times they have...THE VENGER.

Thanks again and remember to order your copy today or buy one directly from Brett at the Chicago Comic-Con this weekend.

Chicago Comic-Con

For all you fans who are planning on attending Wizard's Chicago Comic-Con, August 6-9, please be sure to swing by the Ronin Studios booth in Artist Alley. There you will be able to check out all the fantastic Ronin titles and meet many of my talented studio mates.

You will be able to meet Venger artist Brett Wood. He will be there selling and signing copies of Venger/Footpath: EndGame as well as the premiere issue of the new series we have been working on The Venger: Sins and Secrets. He will also have Venger t-shirts and copies of The Venger: Dead Man Rising #1 as well. So please check out the Ronin booth and support indy comics and Venger!

Read First- Blackest Night #1

Just wanted to drop a quick blog regarding DC's latest event series Blackest Night. Let me first say that I don't regularly read Green Lantern or many of the core DC titles. However I have always been a sucker for their crossover series going back all the way to the first and best- Crisis on Infinite Earths.

Ok with that in mind I really liked it. Geoff Johns does a fantastic job of setting all the pieces in place in the story, making it understandable for readers- both new and those familiar with DC continuity. The art was very good. Ivan Reis followed the DC prototype when it comes to crossovers- tight panels with tons of detail and characters. And I want to mention the price since that is a hot topic in comics presently. The $3.99 cover price was well worth it because of the extra story pages and stiffer cover. A great issue and can't wait for the next.

The Venger: Crossfire by Matt Zolman

As if I'm not busy enough trying to put together both Venger books- The Venger: Dead Man Rising and The Venger: Sins and Secrets- I've also been working on an over-sized Venger special. There will be several different stories in here by some different creative teams. I won't be writing all of them. One that I am writing is called 'Crossfire' and features the artwork of Matt Zolman.

This is a 10 page story featuring the new Venger. I don't want to give away too much yet because we are a ways away from publication but thought I would share a glimpse into it. So check it out...



Matt has a blog where he updates his progress on this and other projects he is working on. Please check it out to see a few other Venger images. Matt's doing a great job and I am so pleased to be working with him. So again click the link...

MATT ZOLMAN'S BLOG!!

Another Peek

Ok folks here is the final look for the Black Shroud, the villain that will be appearing in The Venger: Sins and Secrets #3 and #4. Brett made just a couple of tweeks to the other design to knock it out of the ballpark. When I was creating the character I had a few ideas on the design and sent them to Brett. And with a series of emails back and forth we were able to work on this until we got something we both really like.

I'll post some more on these issues in the future- I am way behind on getting the plot to Brett because of lots of real life stuff. But once we get cracking on it expect to see more.

Captain America: Reborn Prelude at Marvel.com

Marvel has put up a an all new/original prelude to tomorrow's Captain America: Reborn. The story is by the Cap team of Ed Brubaker and Luke Ross. Check it out. Continuity-wise I think it happens right before Cap #600.

Public Enemies

I'm really looking forward to this movie. I'm a big fan of period pieces like this as well as both Depp and Bale. These guys are two of the most intense and powerful actors out there today. I have read a few advance reviews online and all are superb. This should be great- don't expect it to do Transformers numbers at the box office but I hope it still does well, to show the studios the audience will support movies like this.

Sneak Peek at The Venger: Sins and Secrets #3

Here are a few character designs that Brett and I have been working on for the last couple of days. This is a character that will be appearing in The Venger: Sins and Secrets #3 and #4. We will be starting the production on that issue very shortly and will be announcing something very SPECIAL about that issue. Stay tuned for more info.

Captain America: Reborn

It's no secret to folks that know me that Captain America- Steve Rogers- is my favorite comic book hero. Has been since I was a kid. And I have been loving what Ed Brubaker has been doing on the book since day 1. Even loved the death stuff- only because I knew that they would bring him back someday. Well that day will soon be here because Marvel has confirmed that Steve will be coming back in Captain America: Reborn, by Brubaker, Bryan Hitch and Butch Guice. I can't wait bevause I know it will be good and will all make sense, that it wasn't just a shoe-horned in resurrection for the corporate suits. I am also hoping that Hitch can pull this off. But regardless, it is great news indeed.