Nick Davis's Blog, page 122
June 3, 2011
@Kickstarter Update #12: With a mighty leap will our Hero make it in time to save Project Fabula?
With less than a hour left only you can decide the fate of Project Fabula… Click the URL below to save Kickstarter Project Fabula – http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/altworld/project-fabula-all-about-changing-your-reality
June 2, 2011
Found in the Archive – Kroot Shaper the first real alien not to appear in Warhammer
The Kroot are a very unique alien race in Warhammer 40,000 they are amongst the very few who do not have a Warhammer Fantasy Battle analog. I remember first getting the plastics for these aliens and being excited to actually have a very different race in my hands. The Kroot are bird like creatures and look a little like the Predator with their spine like dreadlocks. Learn how I painted my Kroot Shaper after the jump.
My Kroot Shaper was painted with a skin tone of Bubonic Brown, washed with Snakebite Leather, highlighted with Bubonic Brown and then a final highlight of Bleached Bone. The Dreadlocks were painted Chaos Black, drybrushed with Red Gore. Any Jewelry or metal objects was painted first Chaos Black and then drybrushed with Tin Bitz and then Dwarf Bronze. The cloak was Scorpion Green washed with Battle Green, and highlighted with light drybrush of Suburst Yellow. A fun figure to paint, totally alien, totally cool concept.
Inside the Box – Moon Knight, Super Dinosaur, Hellboy and more
I've been doing more comic reviews on my blog than normal, concentrating mainly on first issues and books that catch my eye. I do read more books than I review and I thought I would give you a look inside my box; that sits in my local comic book store Chucks Comics.
Marvel – MoonKnight #2 by Bendis, Maleev, Wilson – Technically this book hasn't even made it into my box because I'm not sure about it. There are parts of it I really like, like the schizo moments when all the imaginary Avengers are telling him what to do. Then he starts acting like Spiderman, gets the crap beat out of him in a way that would of not happened to Moon Knight if he was Moon Knight. Just not sure about this book, the writing is okay, not the best Bendis, and I know I'm not digging the art at all. Moon Knight has one more issue to make it into my box; prospects though are grim.
IDW – Transformers #20 Costa & Guidi – This book should be better than its being; although Ironhide is now back in the mix and its the Ironhide from the mini-series. Yes I am enjoying the giant robot madness; just feels like I am missing half the story of how Hotshot got to this point.
Image – Super Dinosaur #2 Kirkman & Howard – This book continues to be super-awesome unabashed fun, my son just loves this book and its not missing a beat yet. He so wants a Super Dinosaur toy now. Anyway, I share this book with my son, he loves it and I'm enjoying it too. New elements are introduced, new foes and motivations are uncovered, along with new armor for SD… Still awesome!
Marvel – Avengers Academy 14.1 Gage, Chen, Hanna & Cox – This book has to go somewhere soon or I feel its going to leave my box. This was the .1 edition that is supposed to introduce the student body to new readers. Sadly Alpha Flight has shown how this should be done, after that this one AA feel flat on its face.
Marvel – Thunderbolts #158 Parker, Walker, Martin – For two issues this went flat, then they went off to fight Zombies, Santana got a thing for Moonstone and now everything has exploded! The Raft is collapsing, the inmates are revolting and Alpha & Beta Thunderbolt teams have to clean up the mess. I didn't want the book to end and that is a very good sign. Pick this one up, its a gem.
Dark Horse Comics – Hellboy The Fury Mike Mignola & Duncan Fegredo – This book wasn't in my box, but after this issue it is going to be. I don't know why I've not been reading Hellboy and waited this long to pick it up. The Fury is a good jumping on point, we have a couple of pages of back story to bring us up to speed and away you go. Reading Hellboy was like putting on a comfortable pair of shoes, I enjoyed it and now have to get more.
Honorably mentions SHIELD is back and continues to be a quality story, and has finally stopped being a little less vague. Secret Warriors is suffering from a little too much Exposition dialog, but there is a cool, and very cold Fury moment in it.
Left out of the box – Fear Itself The Deep… Just say no to this unneeded event tie in book.
More looking inside the box next week…
Looking inside the Box – Moon Knight, Super Dinosaur, Hellboy and more
I've been doing more comic reviews on my blog than normal, concentrating mainly on first issues and books that catch my eye. I do read more books than I review and I thought I would give you a look inside my box; that sits in my local comic book store Chucks Comics.
Marvel – MoonKnight #2 by Bendis, Maleev, Wilson – Technically this book hasn't even made it into my box because I'm not sure about it. There are parts of it I really like, like the schizo moments when all the imaginary Avengers are telling him what to do. Then he starts acting like Spiderman, gets the crap beat out of him in a way that would of not happened to Moon Knight if he was Moon Knight. Just not sure about this book, the writing is okay, not the best Bendis, and I know I'm not digging the art at all. Moon Knight has one more issue to make it into my box; prospects though are grim.
IDW – Transformers #20 Costa & Guidi – This book should be better than its being; although Ironhide is now back in the mix and its the Ironhide from the mini-series. Yes I am enjoying the giant robot madness; just feels like I am missing half the story of how Hotshot got to this point.
Image – Super Dinosaur #2 Kirkman & Howard – This book continues to be super-awesome unabashed fun, my son just loves this book and its not missing a beat yet. He so wants a Super Dinosaur toy now. Anyway, I share this book with my son, he loves it and I'm enjoying it too. New elements are introduced, new foes and motivations are uncovered, along with new armor for SD… Still awesome!
Marvel – Avengers Academy 14.1 Gage, Chen, Hanna & Cox – This book has to go somewhere soon or I feel its going to leave my box. This was the .1 edition that is supposed to introduce the student body to new readers. Sadly Alpha Flight has shown how this should be done, after that this one AA feel flat on its face.
Marvel – Thunderbolts #158 Parker, Walker, Martin – For two issues this went flat, then they went off to fight Zombies, Santana got a thing for Moonstone and now everything has exploded! The Raft is collapsing, the inmates are revolting and Alpha & Beta Thunderbolt teams have to clean up the mess. I didn't want the book to end and that is a very good sign. Pick this one up, its a gem.
Dark Horse Comics – Hellboy The Fury Mike Mignola & Duncan Fegredo – This book wasn't in my box, but after this issue it is going to be. I don't know why I've not been reading Hellboy and waited this long to pick it up. The Fury is a good jumping on point, we have a couple of pages of back story to bring us up to speed and away you go. Reading Hellboy was like putting on a comfortable pair of shoes, I enjoyed it and now have to get more.
Honorably mentions SHIELD is back and continues to be a quality story, Secret Warriors is suffering from a little too much Exposition dialog, but there is a cool, and very cold Fury moment in it.
More looking inside the box next week…
Review – New Image comic Shinku #1 by Ron Marz & Lee Moder
Shinku #1
Publisher: Image
Writer: Ron Marz
Artist: Lee Moder
I picked up Shinku#1 straight off the rack at Chucks Comics, my local comic shop on the cover alone. Asian chick, with katana in motorbike leathers looked interesting, a quick flick through the pages, a decapitation in the first four pages of what looked like a vampire and I was sold.
Intrigued that this may be a new take on the vampire slayer genre and I liking the Kill Bill vibe I picked it up, and it didn't disappoint.
Here is the basics – Shinku is the last descendant of the Tatadaka Samurai clan, who have been at war with a rival clan of samurai who happen to be vampires. This is told in flashback as Shinku rescues Davis, a nerdy programmer type who fell into Shinku's world after attempt to score some alley action with a goth girl, who turned out to be a vampire.
I actually like what I've read so far, the art by Lee is very cinematic, the initial sequence when Shinku rides to Davis' rescue is nicely done and it felt more like a anime than anything else.
As we are being introduced to this world through Davis' eyes you don't have to worry about being up to speed about Shinku and you can enjoy the ride. The book doesn't hold back and it looks like gory action ahead as Shinku takes revenge for her clan. I'm excited to see what happens next.
3.5 thumbs up out of 5
Review – Fear Itself Book Three of Seven by Matt Fraction
Fear Itself – Book Three of Seven
Publisher: Marvel
Writer: Matt Fraction
Artist: Stuart Immonen
Artist (cover): Steve McNiven
We are now three books into Marvels big summer event and things are now starting to shake loose, as the size of the disaster starts to overwhelm the heroes. This book concentrates mainly on the start of the blitzkrieg and the hammer that fell on Yancy Street. Or it at least tries because the book actually is very off focus. Now I appreciate everything is starting to fall apart, but the book can only spare a few panels on each event and that is starting to effect the story, especially since we are not given the issue jumping on points for the other series books.
Plus there is a huge spoiler in this book that effects one of better storylines in another book I am reading. Find out more about that after the jump, so this is fair warning… Spoilers ahead!
As I mentioned part of Book Three shows the Blitzkrieg on DC, one of the teams sent in to stop them is Captain America (Bucky), Black Widow and the Falcon. Here is the problem… In the Captain America book Bucky is still in the Gulag in Russia, with his life in peril as unseen forces toy with him. He is now in Book Three leading the charge against the worthy? Kind of deflates all the tension building by Ed in the Cap book. In fact it total ruins it just to give us a shock moment? C'mon Marvel you know better than pull a DC on us.
This is one of those things I hate about crossovers and it has ruined a book that is getting really good at the moment. This and the jumping style of the story has made this event lose some its luster, maybe its middle book blues, and I'm still wary of Event fatigue.
Nice art, good dialog, just too much trying to be crammed into too little pages and no thought of spoiling other books just for a shock ending.
3 thumbs up out of 5
June 1, 2011
An illustrated guide to the pointlessness of debating on the internet
Bwah ha ha ha ha… This cartoon sums up the total pointlessness of arguing on the internet. I actually ran into one of these today, tried to be reasonably and argue my point in debate fashion, while the other poster devolved into insults. You think by now I should know better… Kudos to 3C member Michael for digging this one up. Anyone know who created Crowhead so I can credit the artist in this post too?
Did NBC pass on an awesome TV moment by canceling Wonder Woman new images here
I encountered new images from the now canceled NBC Wonder Woman series today, and it made me think maybe we are missing out on an awesome TV moment. I mean lets face it the 70′s series wasn't exactly award winning TV, but it had a certain naive charm about it that entertained enough for three seasons of solid ratings. Perhaps the reboot would of done the same thing? We wont now until an affiliate picks up the pilot, but this looks like it could of been fun. New Wonder Woman images of Adrianne Palicki after the jump (warning she is wearing hot pants).
Captain America and Red Skull character movie posters appear online along with a gutsy Peggy Carter
Just ran across these online, Captain America character movie posters; featuring Captain America (of course), and after the jump, the Red Skull and Peggy Carter. Enjoy 
