By Nolan P. Smith Staff Reporter (Victor Valley)– With more than 110,000 expected attendees, Anime Expo (AX) is one of the largest pop culture conventions in the world. With an emphasis on anime, manga, cosplay and more, the convention will once again return to the Los Angeles Convention Center from July 4th-July 7th, with a preview night on July 3rd. […]
By Nolan P. Smith Pastrami Nation’s Nolan Smith and Jason Smith sit down with Linebreakers David McKean and Denton Heath and talk about Dan Mendoza’s Zombie Tramp, Avengers Endgame’s return to the theater, plus giveaways that end July 5th at 8:00 p.m. PST! Leave a comment to enter!
By Nolan P. Smith I love comic books, of course. But I also love anime and manga just as much. So when Dark Horse announced No One Left to Fight as ‘inspired by Dragon Ball,’ I was intrigued and a bit nervous. Those are enormous shoes to fill, even for a title inspired by the storied anime franchise. What we […]
By Nolan P. Smith One team is the premier supergroup in the DC Universe; the other is a universe displaced shell of the world’s greatest heroes. Thanks to DC Comics and Dark Horse Comics, we get the crossover I never thought would happen: Black Hammer/Justice League comes together for the Hammer of Justice. From Jeff Lemire and Michael Walsh, the […]
By Pablo Martinez I personally always enjoyed a story that involved planetary travel and imagining the different kinds of creatures that could exist outside of our small planet. Would there be any wars, famines, or would those planets with it hosts be thriving in peace? Sonata #1 comes in with a story set on exploring those thoughts. Published by Image […]
By Kevin Hoskinson From Action Lab comics comes “This Love So Brief,” a collection of personal stories by comic book artist and writer, Fred Chao. Originally from the California Bay Area, Fred had had his ups and downs, especially when it came to his career and relationships. His whole life he wanted to be a comic book artist, but he […]
By Staff Reports Vault Comics is thrilled to announce a surprise Vault Vintage variant cover for Sera and the Royal Stars #1. Drawn by Nathan Gooden and designed by Tim Daniel, this Vault Vintage cover pays homage to Curt Swan & Neal Adams’ 1969 cover to Adventure Comics #381 from DC Comics.. Begun in 2018, the Vault Vintage cover line […]
By Nolan P. Smith I love checking out new comic book publishers. So when I heard that TKO Studios was going to be at a local convention, I made it a point to drop by and see what they had to offer. I purchased two of their collections to see how they are, the first one I picked being The […]
By Nolan P. Smith Imagine growing up with technology out of your reach, thanks to a strict parent. No technology, no toys, no friends. So as an adult, when you meet someone who is there for you, talks to you, laughs at your jokes- naturally, you make a connection. But what if that person was a VR assistant inside a […]
By Jason R. Smith Photos by Adrienne Smith and Jason R. Smith There is one word to sum up our time at the Washington State Summer Con – wow! Taking place at the Washington State Fairgrounds, there is no shortage of space. From autograph alley to the vendor and artist section there is a huge amount of space and walking […]
By Kevin Hoskinson Roach Riley’s rampage continues in the fascinating third issue of “Spencer & Locke 2”, tearing a city apart and leaving behind a trail of collateral damage, both physical and mental. The last time we saw Detective Locke and his imaginary partner Spencer, it seemed like it could be the end for them. Locke was on trial before […]
By Nolan P. Smith Comic books aren’t all capes and epic battles. They can also be trips down memory lane, friendship, and murder. Welcome to the world of Dead End Kids, from Source Point Press. The book is written by Frank Gogol, with art by Nenad Cviticanin, and letters by Sean Rinehart, reuniting the team from Grief, also published by […]
By Nolan P. Smith The world of comic books is so vast and diverse. From superheroes to space cats, from television series continuations to heroes in a half shell, the landscape of the comic book industry is amazing right now, if you know where to look. Sure, the big two publishers like Marvel and DC put out amazing titles, as […]
By Nolan P. Smith (Victor Valley)– I didn’t know what to expect when I saw the solicits for Highwayman from Top Shelf/IDW. The cover looked great, and the premise of the story intrigued. So I took the dive and picked up the graphic novel. What I got was far more than a walk down the street: I got the journey […]
By Laura Streppone Angel, the vampire, non-vampire, with a soul, is living to see another day in the new Twenty-First Century, with his return thanks to BOOM! Studios, a publishing house owned by 20th Century FOX. Angel, a character created originally by Joss Whedon, who also created the highly well known Buffy the Vampire Slayer, is being reimagined by writer […]
By Staff Reports Artist and writer John Allison (Giant Days, Bad Machinery) colorist Sarah Stern (Star Wars Adventures, Zodiac Starforce), and letterer Jim Campbell (Giant Days, LadyCastle) welcome you to Steeple, a land where the world isn’t as black and white as it may appear. Tredregyn Parish – in a sleepy Cornish coastal town fabled for its cursed origins, a […]
By Kevin Hoskinson Punk Mambo has bitten off more than she can chew, and the story continues in Valiant Comic’s “Punk Mambo” issue #2. Last issue saw Punk Mambo, a Voodoo Priestess from the London punk scene, fighting her way through the bayou and losing her Loa, Aye. The Loa are spiritual creatures from Voodoo lore that are intermediates between […]
By Kevin Hoskinson The trial of Spencer and Locke begins in the second issue of part two of the series. And it is easily one of the most thrilling issues of the saga so far. In the last issue, Detective Locke was dealing with the aftermath of his actions from the first part of the series. He was suspended from […]
By Nolan P. Smith To coincide with my review of Drawing Blood from Kevin Eastman Studios, get ready for some feline fury as the comic book co-created by fictional character Shane Bookman is now a one-shot in real life! Enter the Radically Rearranged Ronin Ragdolls. From Kevin Eastman and David Avallone, with art by Kevin Eastman and Troy Little, this […]
By Nolan P. Smith Kevin Eastman helped give the world one of its most beloved pop culture franchises: the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. It was a phenomenon that transcended comic books and became multiple animated series, live action films, and a marketing juggernaut. Eastman is back with a new independently published book, Drawing Blood, which takes parts of his life […]
By Nolan P. Smith Contrary to popular belief from my friends, I am quite the religious guy. I have faith in God, in Heaven, and the afterlife that awaits us. But what if the ultimate reward turned out to be more like a cheap timeshare with a hostel instead of a mansion? Then you are in the right mindset for […]
By Nolan P Smith I am not familiar with Ahoy Comics, but when I saw just the cover to The Wrong Earth at my comic shop, it made me want to learn more. It’s a dimension-spanning story of super heroics, two sides of the same coin, but one side has some serious anger issues. From writer Tom Peyer and art […]
By Kevin Hoskinson Nobody is in control. No matter how much you think you are, you are not in control. Eventually, everything becomes obsolete. From Black Mask studios comes “Nobody Is In Control,” a book about conspiracies that would make “The X-Files” proud. When Richard, a retired talk radio DJ, comes across somebody running through his yard, his first instinct […]
By Staff Reports Whether you discovered The Umbrella Academy this year with the release of the new Netflix series, or you’ve been a fan since the beginning, you can indulge in this dysfunctional superhero family in greater detail than ever before with the upcoming The Umbrella Academy Library Editions! From co-creators Gerard Way (My Chemical Romance, The True Lives of […]
By Nolan P. Smith (Victor Valley)– Comic book artists and writers, cosplayers, and some of the most famous voice actors in the world descended on to the Inland Empire as Comic Con Revolution took over the Ontario Convention Center this weekend. “It’s great to have an event like this in our back yard, and this is an event that can […]
By Wudood Omran Valiant Comics is continuing their string of strong spring releases with this latest issue of Bloodshot. As we can tell by the title, this series is hyper-focusing on the life of the super soldier Bloodshot. The scene is set in a snowy New York City, and Bloodshot is doing what he does best and is whooping tail… […]
By Nolan P. Smith Comic book fans rejoice: the Inland Empire’s only comic book convention, Comic Con Revolution, is back for their third year as the show returns to the Ontario Convention Center this weekend. Comic Con Revolution expands with over 200 guests, over 300 exhibitors, two full days of programming and more as the show supersizes to two days […]
By Nolan P. Smith With this third issue, we come to the end of Scout Comics’ Wulfborne. From creator, writer, and artist Brian Middleton, we have reached the end of Wulfborne’s journey to the darkness, all in hopes of being reunited with his love, Luna, or at least temper the pain. With this issue, Wulfborne comes face to face with […]
By Nolan P. Smith When I reviewed the first book for Once Our Land, I was blown away. The story, the artwork, it was all so unique, so fresh, I loved it. Now with the Book 2, can Once Our Land meet the high standard the first book set. From Peter Ricq, we dive back to Germany to see where […]
By Steven Seggerman Rise of RAAM writer Kurtis Wiebe returns for Gears of War: Hivebusters, joined by Dark Souls artist Alan Quah. I’m really excited to get the chance to review this, as it’s coming before the release of Gears of War 5, and this is done in conjunction with Microsoft Studios. This comic has the chance to shed some […]