Nick Davis's Blog, page 123

Let me make this clear Rob Granito has nothing to do with Project Fabula… Nothing!

Okay this is getting to me and perhaps it was my mistake for posting about Project Fabula in the Facebook group that was started to highlight Rob Granito's art fraud (click here to view this Facebook group) a couple of days ago. It was my mistake to think there actually would be indie artists on there looking for paid work. I was wrong the Facebook group is a flash mob looking for the next person to throw on the fire.

Of course everything was okay until one of them accused me of being Rob Granito, yeah nice eh? And today I've received two dozen emails of various threat and insult levels from I can only assume people from this Facebook group.

Let me make this perfectly clear… Rob Granito has nothing, NOTHING to do with Project Fabula… NOTHING!!! And I am not Rob Granito I never heard of him until I read about him on Bleeding Cool news. What he did was wrong on many levels, what this Facebook group is doing is wrong on many levels as well. You stopped what he was doing and the fair game attitude on there is sickening. Two wrongs do not make a right… Stop emailing me you bloody sheep, and think for yourself… I'm not Rob biggest difference is  I can probably draw better than him!

To learn more about Project Fabula for yourselves click the link below - http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/altworld/project-fabula-all-about-changing-your-reality

Sigmartyr Vol.2 – A Stikfas Action Webcomic Updated

Sigmartyr the Stikfas Action Web Comic has been updated, and the epic story continues here – click here to view

The value of worth and can you find it in my stories

A topic came up in a indies writers group I belong to which posed this question; Why do you think what you want to write is worth reading?

Here was my reply.

I write to tell a story, if it worth reading or not is in the eye of that Reader. There is nothing I can say or do once they open the covers that will convince them that what I have wrote has worth. Worth is, and always be subjective to those that reward it.

I had to copy it from the group because it talks about something that is dear to my heart, what is the value of worth and I feel I managed to hit it on the head. Worth will always be subjective to those that reward it. Although I believe what I write is important, it doesn't have any worth until someone else reads it and then assigns it said worth based on their judgement.

Okay, that was borderline philosophical, don't worry I will be back to eye candy galleries, comic book reviews and other nonsense now

Review – Onslaught Unleashed / Daredevil Reborn two mini-series you should have avoided

Onslaught Unleashed

Publisher: Marvel

Written by Sean McKeever

Penciled by Filipe Andrade

Cover by Jumberto Ramos

Sounds exciting, right? The return of one the most powerful foes the Marvel heroes have ever fought. I was sadly very wrong.

I got this because I was enjoying the Nomad back up strip in the Captain America book. Here we had Rikki Barnes, the girl with no world trying to make a life for herself in the Marvel world. It sort of worked and had a nice charm to it. Even the art, which was extremely stylized near the end of its run to the point you couldn't recognize major Marvel heroes was forgivable; because the story just worked well.

Then I got Onslaught Unleashed in my box; for some reason I decided to stay with it despite the art really starting to look horrible. I wanted to know how the collective of some of the Secret Avengers with Steve Rogers, the Young Allies and Rikki would defeat the entity that killed 90% of Marvels heroes and birthed the reborn universe.

It hummed and hawed, the sub-plot was harder to follow than the Felipe Andrade's artwork (which made reading hard work in places to say the least. A lot of the characters acted well… Out of character and although Rikki managed to stop Onslaught with a little help from Beast; who gave the best pseudo-Star Trek tech speech ever. I was left thinking it was a poor throw away ending for Rikki. It was like to many loose ends were being tied up at once and we the reader suffered for it.

You might like it, I guess it has some type of charm about it, me I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone. The rating is for some impressive if not very chaotic visuals… But really ever fight scene done in shadow?

1 thumbs up out of 5

Daredevil Reborn

Publisher: Marvel

Written by Andy Diggle

Penciled by Davide Gianfelice

Cover by Jock

Shadowlands was the Marvel crossover that gave me event fatigue, it felt more like an excuse to launch a parade of one shots than actually character development for Daredevil. The idea behind Daredevil Reborn was to put Matt Murdock back on the track to becoming the good Daredevil again.

For this to work Matt would have to do something that would give him some serious redemption. Remember he took over an entire section of the city and was responsible for large scale property damage, not counting the body count in his name. Then just as he was cured of the demon inside of him, he ran not even facing up to his responsibilities. It didn't feel very Daredevil, the man without fear running away.

This four part mini-series had some awesome Daredevil covers attached to it, no thats the lie, the covers are simply amazing! Sadly the awesome covers had nothing to do with the story. Which placed Matt in the mid-western town that was taken over by gun runners , what we got was the reluctant hero schtick of not wanting to get involved, then getting involved, it all going wrong and then putting it all right.

The villains all had poor aim, or went toe to toe with Matt, and the major villain had a mutant power that made you face your worse fear if you looked him in the eye. Someone needs to explain how the exactly works on a blind man? Hasn't Matt encountered the same thing with Mephisto and walked away? So Matt encounters his worse fear which seems to be becoming Bullseye, gets shot and then comes back to take everyone down in a Dread Pirate Roberts outfit (I kid you not).

I think I might of missed the redemption in this story. Or just feel Matt needed to go through a lot more than a hick town gun running ring before returning to New York to become the Red Daredevil again. I think the potential of him travelling town to town in Kung Fu style would of been better, with him staying one step ahead of the US Marshall's on his tale.

Awesome covers, story doesn't quite gel with me. If you want to find out what happens to Matt after Shadowlands then get it, otherwise this is a miss.

2 thumbs up out of 5

There you go two reviews of two mini-series that you should just avoid and not believe the hype.

A small dedication to my Android G1 a faithful smartphone now honorably retired

This is dedicated to my Android G1 phone and is an obituary of sorts. Some of you might find this a bit odd, but after reading this you will understand why this particular device deserves this send off.

I've owned my G1 for two years and its been a hard life for the first ever phone powered by Android. Lets be honest you were never the pretty smartphone on the block, you were the first of a new generation of phones powered by Android and you had your short comings, as all firsts do, but boy were you built tough.

The blocky G1 has been drowned twice, once in a tea accident and the second time it fell into the head and almost got flushed. Although it came back slowly from its head adventure it came back with a much brighter screen to boot.

I've dropped the chunky one 5 dozen times onto various hard surfaces and it wasn't until the last fall that the screen finally cracked. Still it kept on kicking, churning through all the multi-tasks I set for it, despite my constant want to email, browse and call at the same time it would complete them all in a timely fashion, even when we had to reset back to 1.5 you would multi-task without breaking your stride.

Without my G1 I would of never been able to process payments at my last convention though paypal, or set up a tethered modem when we lost internet signal, or take spur of the moment pictures of my children and wife. It has even helped me find my way with a GPS that is so accurate it shows you a picture of your destination. Even in the dark with its flashlight and built in compass the thick one served me well. This G1 Android has had an adventurous life with me.

I don't know if my HTC G1 was a just a one of a kind, a hardy phone in a series of hardy phone brothers, but it impressed me. Where other more expensive smartphones (cough… Apple iPhone) would of failed my G1 kept going; a testament to its lineage. I will miss my G1, domo arigato you well manufactured piece of Asian tech; you retire with full honors and I only hope my new Defy is half as tough as you.

Geek Girl Gallery – Lara Croft goes to Tokyo

Trying a new feature on Alt-World with the Geek Girl Gallery, a celebration of girls dressed as female characters created in geekdom. Today's gallery is Lara Croft in her Tokyo outfit, enjoy.

Found in the Archive – Tau Shas'el with Shas'vre Bodyguard return of the Games Workshop Anime Aliens

Another classic dug up from my miniature photo archives; this time my Tau Shas'el in his XV8 Crisis Battle Suit, equipped with ceremonial blade. Looking at the suit you can see several anime influences the prominent being the Blue Gender battle armors.

Painted in the same style as the Tau Fire Warriors, with extra color because he is the commander; he was a simple, but effective model to bring to life. After the jump you can view his Shas'vre bodyguard.

Project Fabula Update #11: Video – Who is Doctor Dark

Please pledge only 6 days to go, please click the URL for more information - http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/altworld/project-fabula-all-about-changing-your-reality

Review – Kirby Genesis 0 by Kurt Busiek & Alex Ross

Kirby Genesis 0

Covers: Alex Ross

Publisher: Dynamite

Writer: Kurt Busiek

Penciller/Inker: Alex Ross, Jackson Herbert

Colorist: Vinicius Andrade

Every so often you get a book that is just a work of art, and that is Kirby Genesis by Kurt Busiek & Alex Ross. This book is dedicated to Jack Kirby, the comic book legend and a throwback to that style of drawing.

Here is the synopsis – The Pioneer 10 space probe carried a message to the stars. Now an answer's on the way — but not one we expected! When it arrives, the lives of three ordinary people — and the entire world — will be changed forever. Featuring Captain Victory, Silver Star and more of Jack Kirby's greatest concepts.

From opening the first page to the end of this book you are treated to wonderful visuals and dynamic layout.  After reading this book I just sat down; I was stunned it is not often I feel like I am holding a great book in my hands, you can see the love poured into it.

I think the only bad thing I can say is the dynamic layout sometimes is hard to follow, and you can lose your place as you pour over the visual details. Now if that is the worst thing I can think of you know that this is a very good comic book, and at a $1 a total bargain. Pick it up!

4.5 thumbs up out of 5

Project Fabula Update #10: T-Minus 8 Days and counting!

Getting close to the wire here and the prospects of hitting my funding goal for Project Fabula are to be fair looking grim. Tonight I will be posting a video update until then I will leave you with this quote from Michael Jordon, who is apparently a rather famous Basketball player.

'I can accept failure but I cannot accept not trying'

Read more about Project Fabula by clicking this URL http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/altworld/project-fabula-all-about-changing-your-reality/posts/81413

Arigato,

Nick Davis