In preparation for Halloween

It´s been quite some time since my last post but something always came up when I was just about to get started. That´s so typical, I even change the look for Halloween but then don´t get to benefit from it.


By the way how do you like the new look ? So far I have had a few comments who have said that they like it better than the normal look. So what do you think ? Should it become a permanent thing ?

Today I´m feeling like I have been run over by a truck ( and a very large one at that ) because Yesterday I was at the Stadionbad for a job interview as addition to the sauna cleaning staff and at the evening I worked with the cleaning crew to see if it´s something I can do.

As it was the first time that I went back to cleaning work I´m not accustomed to it yet but maybe I´ll have a regular job soon. The only negative is that I´m not sure if the busses are still running when I finish work after midnight but I could go by bus and walk to Neckarweihingen. That would be better than having to drive all the way with the car at night since I´m night - blind. Another negative is that IF I manage to get the job I will never hear the end of it since my brother told me to send the application. On the other side a job means more money for comics.

Usually I´m doing comic news and links for the weekend but this time I´m doing it a little different because I´m posting stuff for Halloween. I wanted to do a big one on Halloween but since that doesn´t fall on the weekend this year I will probably be busy with other stuff. Which also means that there will be no talk about DC´s new 52 in this post. Yay !


QUOTH THE RAVEN " NEVERMORE "

For those who haven´t kept up with the bloggers on the blogroll GOLDEN AGE COMIC BOOK STORIES is doing a series about Edgar Allan Poe adaptions to comic and art and has such great post like Bernie Wrightson´s Edgar Allan Poe portfolio


or the poem THE RAVEN illustrated by the great Gustave Doré . I wanted to add one of Gustave Doré´s illustrations as an example but I would have had to cut it in size in order to post it and that wouldn´t do the intricate and elaborate linework by the great master any justice. Just head on over to GOLDEN AGE COMIC BOOK STORIES and marvel at his craftsmanship.

There´s also a post with Richard Corben´s comic adaption of the same poem from CREEPY 67 published in December 1974


and one with all black and white Edgar Allan Poe adaptions by Warren publications including THE TELL - TALE HEART by Reed Crandall ( Creepy 3, June 1965 ), THE CASK OF AMONTILLADO also by Reed Crandall ( Creepy 6, December 1965 ), BERENICE by Jerry Grandenetti ( Eerie 11, September 1967 ), one of my favorite tales of all times THE MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH by Tom Sutton ( Eerie 12, November 1967 ), THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER also by Tom Sutton ( Creepy 20, May 1968 ) and - last but not least - THE BLACK CAT once again by Berni Wrightson ( Creepy 62, May 1974 ).


All of the stories are worth reading if you haven´t read them previously but I think the story by Bernie Wrightson is the best known of the lot because it has been reprinted a few times. I first read it in the color version in Pacific Comics´ BERNIE WRIGHTSON - MASTER OF THE MACABRE series that had just loads of Wrightson goodness.


Over at GREAT CAESAR´S POST Max Romero continues his COUNTDOWN TO HALLOWEEN, presenting the most horrific movie scenes and Ol´Groove from DIVERSIONS OF THE GROOVY KIND has 13 cool and creepy Werewolf by Night covers by Monster Master Mike Ploog.

WAY OF THE GUN

Not really Halloween or horror related, but interesting nevertheless ( and twice as interesting for people outside of Germany ) : aside from CHRISTOPH ROOS´ usual pop culture assortment of posts about Bruce Lee´s FIST OF FURY, turkish cigarettes, Juanita Banana, collectible cards, alien abductions or the newest illustrations of BUCH DER SCHATTEN there´s currently a western motif going on with topics like the different kind of holsters


colts and other revolvers


gunslingers , the cult classic A FISTFULL OF DOLLARS , german western movies or Carl Lindeberg the best known illustrator of Germany´s most famous western writer Karl May. Fascinating, surprising and a source of research material you won´t find anywhere else, be sure to give it a look.

SINCE WE GOT BLOOD AND VIOLENCE ALREADY COVERED

I wanted to do this post Yesterday but since there were two celebrity birthdays I thought I could wait one more day because I´ve had some complaints about too many hot babes on the blog. And I was busy with the job interview stuff.

The first one was Jami Gertz ( 46 ) who was in such 80s movies like BELOW ZERO and is now the hot Mom on the comedy series STILL STANDING. She appeared in the vampire movie THE LOST BOYS ( so it´s kind of fitting for Halloween ) which also had a comic version


and the other one was Lauren Holly ( 48 ) best known for playing new director Jenny Shepard on Navy CIS but who also was on the family show PICKET FENCES that - probably - still sells on DVD thanks to a dream sequence in which she appeared in a bikini ( episode 14 of season 1 ).


The kid in the episode is experiencing his first wet dreams and I bet Lauren Holly made a generation of kids reach puberty prematurely.

I thought I had my bases cover but fate is a fickle thing. What´s the old saying : Life is what happens while you are making other plans. Today there are also two hot actresses celebrating their respective anniversaries so, to paraphrase one of the greatest artists of the twentieth century, what the heck : Winona Ryder who appeared in one of the best DRACULA adaptions by Francis Ford Coppola turns 40 Today


and hot nubian sex godess Gabrielle Union, who starred in popular tv series LIFE and FLASH FORWARD, and the movies 10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU, BRING IT ON, BAD BOYS II and CRADLE 2 THE GRAVE.


Gabrielle celebrates her 39th birthday and she says her best ASSet is her bum. Boy, she really got some serious back ! To quote Sir Mix - Alot : My homeboys tried to warn me, but that butt you got makes me so horny !

Feliz cumpleaño to all four.

THINGS TO MAKE YOU WANNA SCREAM

I have mentioned the SPIKE TV SCREAM AWARDS 2011 in my last post and I know it´s been some time since they were aired but in Germany they weren´t broadcasted this year. Usually pro 7 shows it live but this year they didn´t for some strange reason. Maybe the audience was too low, which may have something to do with the fact that THEY NEVER ANNOUNCED IT IN THE TV GUIDE so the only ones who could watch it were the unemployed, nightowls and other persons with sleeping disorders.

As for my own Halloween celebration, I have got my midnight snacks ( Milka Daim and the new Milka Oreo ), my horror audio with the third part of GEISTERJÄGER JOHN SINCLAIR - DIE ULTIMATIVE HORROR SAMMLUNG, some horror reading material with volume 70 of CASE CLOSED that includes the flesh curling story CURSE OF THE DEMON DOG, the newest issue of HAMMERHARTE HORRORSCHOCKER ( preview pages ) with its usual collection of spine - tingling horror tales


and the second trade of Chris Roberson´s and Mike Allred´s emo / hip / avantgarde I ZOMBIE. I had hoped to do a review of the first two trades for Halloween but it´s probably not going to happen.


What´s definitely going to happen is the next episode of DOCTOR WHO which looks like it´s going to be a real screamer. I tried to watch some episodes during the week but I just never got to it. And I really have to start watching them as they are clogging my hard drive.

HAMMER HORROR ( SLEDGE HAMMER AND JACKHAMMER DORI DOREAU )

What I have been watching the last days is the 80s cult tv series SLEDGE HAMMER starring David Rasche as Sledge Hammer that I got on DVD.


I have to confess that I mainly bought it because it was a bargain ( both seasons for 10 bucks instead the usual 20 ) and of course for Anne Marie Martin who plays Sledge´s partner Dori Doreau ( Bare with me, faithful readers, I´ll explain in a minute ) but so far it´s really entertaining. Since I´m used to the german dubbing I´m watching the german version which is especially interesting because the parts that were cut out for tv are in the original english version. So when you´re watching it and they are suddenly talking in english you know those are the parts they cut.


In the first episode there is an entire scene that was cut for television in which Hammer interrogates a criminal by pouring hot coffee on his legs and then do his own impression of sharp shooter Wilhelm Tell - although his version includes a gun and ballons. It´s unbelievable that they cut it !

But I know, you´re all thinking about the Anne Marie Martin thing being a factor for buying the series. Wasn´t Dori Doreau looking pretty normal ?

Yes, on most episodes she dresses really conservative but there are a few exceptions like the episode MODEL DEAREST in which Dori infiltrates a model agency that´s really white slavery ring and in which Sledge Hammer almost blows her cover. Anne Marie Martin really gets to strut her stuff when she´s posing as a model which is totally believable because while she plays a really classy lady in the series there´s an absolutely stunning physique beneath it all. With her trim and fit body and those incredibly long legs she could double the sales number of any men´s magazine.

But there´s more true believers, because the criminal organisation is not the only thing that gets uncovered in the episode. There´s a scene where the models are presented to one of the possible buyers where Anne Marie Martin pops out this mindblowing piece. Holy bikini atoll, Batman !


No wonder the client says : " She´ll make a good wife AND a concubine. " Her partner may be Sledge Hammer but I bet she´s a real jackhammer. Like the song says : We want a lady in the street but a freak in the bed !

Oh, and for those readers who need a comic connection : she appeared in the unsuccessful 1978 DOCTOR STRANGE series pilot / telefim.

So that´s all for today as I´m already running late again to wrap things up. If I don´t manage to write another post before Halloween I´m wishing you a splendid time and like they always said in the COUNT DUCKULA cartoon : " Goodnight out there...WHATever you are ! "

Today we got two clips. The first one is the intro for COUNT DUCKULA, one of the funniest horror cartoon series ever. The comics are equally hilarious and if you find them in a dollar bin you should get them.


This is where Peter David got his " And don´t call me Shirley. " from that he so blatantly used in most of his comics.



The second clip is the model showcase from SLEDGE HAMMER´s episode MODEL DEAREST where Anne Marie Martin shows off her hardbody.



Speaking about hardbodies, since I like to add another clip every time I have to redo one of my old posts below the 5 videos limit here´s Lauren Holly in her black bikini from the most watched episode of Picket Fences.



New to the blog ? Everything you need to know about TALES FROM THE KRYPTONIAN : top ten posts / more posts of interest

You all laugh because I am different. I laugh because you are all the same.

DC relaunch update and other comic news

Since these links were a bit buried in my last post I wanted to give them a post of their own as there will probably be quite a few additions over the next few days.


First up here are the links for articles about DC´s new line up :

dc announces digital pricing and retailer incentives

retailers reaction to dc announcement

dc announces covers and creative teams for 10 relaunched titles

dc announces relaunched green lantern titles

dc announces relaunched bat titles

new resurrection man and 6 other supernatural dc books

frank lemire on new animal man and frankenstein agent of shade

new hawk and dove by rob liefeld and 5 other dc books

what we know and dont about the dc relaunch so far

article on german website comicgate about dc relaunch

article on german website comic report about dc relaunch

george gene gustines look at the post crisis relaunch fiasko

Now after the whole panic has calmed down a bit I got to think which DC titles I´m currently reading and what all the relaunches mean to my pull list. So here´s a rundown of it :


BATMAN THE ODDYSSEY - Currently the only Bat - title I read in the US format. So far there have only come out 6 issues and issue 7 is nowhere to be seen. Maybe it will come, maybe not. I have enjoyed the series so far and as one of the few left who enjoys Neal Adam´s art I would like to see the storyline finished. Especially if Neal Adams is really going to throw cavemen and dinosaurs into the mix.

As for the rest of the Batuniverse I´m buying the german BATMAN comic by PANINI which mostly includes the regular BATMAN series and BATMAN AND ROBIN. As usual they are a few months behind so it will be quite some time before the fallout from the DC relaunch reaches Germany.

My brother has BIRDS OF PREY on his pull list but so far the series couldn´t deliver and Ed Benes only managed to do the first issue.


BOOSTER GOLD - One of my favorite titles but as it ties directly into FLASHPOINT it will probably end. So far no new Booster Gold title has been announced but at least he´s part of the new JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL book. After JUSTICE LEAGUE - GENERATION LOST it was clear that there was a new JLI book coming I just didn´t expect it to take place in an alternate world. I probably have to check the new series out before deciding if it´s an adequate replacement to BOOSTER GOLD.

GREEN LANTERN - Having just recently returned to the Lanternverse I´m still a few issues behind on GREEN LANTERN and GREEN LANTERN CORPS. But as Geoff Johns is one of the architects of the whole relaunch debacle it looks like it´s going to be " business as usual " for the Emerald Knights. Although what that means in the mirror DC universe remains to be seen.

JONAH HEX - I have no idea how this is affected by the whole relaunch thing but since I´m only buying the issues by Jordi Bernet this makes no big difference to me.


JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA - As I said in my last post, thanks to Scott Kollins art the book is already headed to the chopping block. The series has delivered instant classics like the THY KINGDOM COME story ( which I have already re - read at least six times ) and got an adequate replacement with artist Jesus Merino but the currenty storyline is just a shadow of the quality of the title. I mean JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA was the one book to outdo even Grant Morrison´s JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA.

Speaking of the JLA, it has also been crossed out from my pull list as James Robinson couldn´t follow up the " oompaah " from his CRY FOR JUSTICE story and instead turned the title into ULTIMATE TEEN TITANS. At the moment it´s not going to come back to my pull list and since Jim Lee will be drawing the new series ( at least the first issue like with his W.I.L.D.Cats restart ) it´s surely to go on my brother´s pull list.

LEGION OF SUPERHEROES - I missed the boat on the new series so I´ll have to wait for the trades anyway. The only book with Legionnaires I´m reading right now is ADVENTURE COMICS and that´s only till the end of the Legion Academy story. From the new Legion titles that were announced so far none really looks like a blockbuster.


SUPERMAN - The two reasons I´m reading this series at all are JMS´" GROUNDED " story and Eddy Barrows art. So far there has been so much tampering with it that I´m not sure DC is going to finish the argument. As Eddy Barrows leaves for the new NIGHTWING series and Grant Morrison is taking over as SUPERMAN scribe ( without an artist announced so far ) it looks like I´m nearing a kryptonian - free period.

SUPERMAN / BATMAN - Speaking of one Superman title I also have to mention the other Superman book I´m reading - although from my brother´s pull list. Ever since Ed McGuiness wrapped up his last storyarc in issue 25 - directly after Carlos Pacheco´s masterpiece ABSOLUTE POWER - the series has been in a constant artistical decline. There was an okay issue with Power Girl by Kevin Maguire but from then on it only got worse and worse. As THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD this is one series where I´m glad it´s going to be put out of it´s misery.

And speaking about misery - how else could one describe the SUPERGIRL series. This book has been flip - flopping since issue 1 and so far no coherent idea has been visible. There was one issue where it seemed for 5 minutes that they could finally do something interesting but they already nixed it all in the next issue. So good riddance to this one too.


POWER GIRL - The other kryptonian Maid of Steel is kind of a mixed feeling thing. Amanda Conners initial 12 issue run was fantastic, hilarious and almost everything you could want from a Power Girl book ( it was only missing a few unobstructed boobie shots and Guy Gardner as guest star ). It could even have done with less superheroing and more personal stuff. But after issue 12 the whole tone changed and while the art and writing was no too horrible it also hadn´t found its footing. As it´s probably not going to be continued we´ll never know if it would have sizzled or rocked.

TEEN TITANS - I think I kept the book solely on the 2.99 thing but lately it has almost become unreadable. Add to that constant changes in the writing and art departement and you get abook that better ends sooner than later. There has been a new Teen Titans book announced but I think I can do without it especially since Brett Booth is one of my brother´s favorites and not mine.

I never read the TITANS book so the only thing I´m really going to miss will be TINY TITANS. I don´t have a lot of issues ( at least till my next comic order arrives ) but every one is three kinds of Airwolf.


WONDER WOMAN - Another book from my pull list and I have to say that so far I have been unimpressed by the relaunch. Maybe we have better luck with the next one.

And now to the titles that have been announced so far, and I´m trying to be brief on that one :

AQUAMAN - as a plus it got Ivan Reis. On the other side it has Aquaman and if BRIGHTEST DAY has taught me one thing than that an Aquaman book can be quite boring even when drawn by Ivan Reis. Prospect 40 percent.

BATGIRL - at least seems to get rid of Stephanie Brown as Batgirl but also wipes out Oracles history. Prospect 0.

CAPTAIN ATOM - One of THE breakthrough characters of JUSTICE LEAGUE - GENERATION LOST this could be one of the more interesting books. If it hadn´t been after the whole BRAND NEW DC thing. Now it´s more a question of how much of the original Captain Atom is left in this version. All the changes, trials and tribulations he had to go through in GENERATION LOST have been wiped out so this is probably not the Captain Atom you´ve grown fond of. Prospect 10 percent.

FIRESTORM - since it includes Jason Rusch....prospect 0.


FLASH - the current series hasn´t piqued my interest so far and it looks like this won´t change. I´m a big Flash fan but DC has managed to alienate from a title I used to follow religiously. After reading the issue I got at the Comicbörse Stuttgart I was a bit curious what this war between the Rogues and the Reverse Flash is all about. But since all of this will be wiped out anyway we don´t even know if there will be any rogues left. Prospect 0.

GREEN ARROW - was last on my pull list with the first issues of GREEN ARROW & BLACK CANARY issues but at the moment he´s not going to make a return. Prospect 0.

HAWK & DOVE - are you kidding ? Not even my brother would be so stupid as to get this one. And he bought the original series. Prospect...do you really have to ask ? Even below zero. Waay below zero.


HAWKMAN - another relaunch another new origin, just as they were finally bringing them all together. too much confusion for my taste so....prospect 0.

MISTER TERRIFIC - doesn´t sound so terrific to me as I´m not sure he got what it takes to be in the spotlight. Prospect 0.

NIGHTWING - has art by Eddy Barrows which means I will probably get every third issue as the others are going to be by fill in artists. Prospect 30 percent ( or 100 percent foe every third issue ).

RESURRECTION MAN - this is the one that is definitely going to be on my pull list as it unites one of my favorite DC characters of all time with the original art team and my favorite artist from JUSTICE LEAGUE - GENERATION LOST. Oh yeah, baby. Prospect 110 percent.


SWAMP THING - good news for Mike Sterling but the last issue I got was one drawn by Richard Corben. Unless someone from my top artists list is doing a n issue it´s just not going to happen. Prospect 0.

BATWOMAN and CATWOMAN are not on my pull list and that will not change. BIRDS OF PREY is on my brother´s pull list and I really don´t care if he´s going to get the new series or not. STATIC SHOCK has Scott McDaniel on art chores who´s a favorite of my brother but I think even he is tired of constantly following him from book to book.

All other books I haven´t mentioned are just too much beneath me.....only kidding.

So from the 7 ór 8 DC books I´m reading at least 2 will stay on my pull list and only 1 of the remaining will be missed. And from the newly announced so far only 2 are good candidates for my pull list. Keeping in mind that only 1 of them is probably going to manage without fill - in artists it looks as there will be a few gaps in my reading schedule that I can fill with more indy titles like I always wanted.

Or I could cut back a bit since I should really reduce the amount of money I spend on comics. Thanks DC for making it so easy.


BUT WAIT THERE´S MORE - OTHER COMIC NEWS ( AND STUFF )

DC is not the only comic company that has been making news since Terry Hopper´s BLACK TOWER COMICS are going to reboot the entire line in their upcoming FLUSHPOINT event. Really a hilarious read that cracked me up.

As for DC´s distinguished competition here´s a new interview with Alex Alonso about digital comics and movies , Johnathan Hickman and Steve Epting talk about the future of the FF and Fred Van Lente and Dale Eaglesham speak about life imitating their new Alpha Flight series with the newest political developments in Canada.

Since we had ( kind of ) an end and a new beginning in our last post here is an interview with Terry Moore about the end of ECHO , the start of RACHEL RISING and digital comics.

I don´t know what it is but I never got around to do a post about Terry´s big metal bikini sf opus ECHO and I also never did a post about STRANGERS IN PARADISE although it was one of my favorite series. I had hoped to get the chance to do a post on ECHO during my BLOG WITHOUT SUPER HEROES month but I never got around to do it.


Well, now it´s too late ( as the ECHO series is wrapping up in a few short months ) but if Terry´s track record so far is any indication RACHEL RISING is going to be another instant classic.

If you are a fan of his STRANGERS IN PARADISE and you haven´t checked out ECHO you´re definitely missing out. There are already 5 trades out collecting issues 1 to 25. And if you haven´t read STRANGERS IN PARADISE go and get it now. What are you waiting for ? This series has my unconditional recommendation and it´s one of the best you´ll ever read. Just ask anyone.

For those who still have to jump on the ECHO band wagon here are a few preview pages from ECHO - issue 1 / issue 20 / issue 22

Over at ARCHIE COMICS Kevin Keller may become the first openly gay soldier and THE LINE IS DRAWN offers a new chapter of it´s popular mash - up series this time combing famous movie posters with comics


For my german readers I wanted to mention Christoph Roos blog one more time because besides having updates on the BOOK OF SHADOWS webcomic it also has brilliant articles about Charles Bronson , Geier´s new NICK comics and the slow dissapearances of german Kioske , those small newsstands where you could buy comics, pulp novels, adult nudie magazines and sweets. At the moment he´s writing a very interesting series about war movies.

As for the ever popular top 10 lists Today´s 10 TV Cop Shows that changed the medium comes from TOP ONLINE COLLEGES Jennifer Lynch. Thanks, Jennifer. You can find many more interesting articles in their archives. And if you also want articles or top 10 lists featured on this blog just send me an e - mail.

In the video section we continue with the MUPPET SHOW this one is with Brooke Shields and the Muppets are doing their version of Alice in Wonderland. The Jabberwoky number is just incredible. I think the Muppets are a perfect fit to bring Lewis Caroll to the stage.



New to the blog ? Everything you need to know about TALES FROM THE KRYPTONIAN : top ten posts / more posts of interest

Something old, something new....

Once again I´m between posts. Normally after finishing a post I have to collect the materials for the next one and also I´m kind of empty, exhausted.....spent - so I surf the net.


It should be no surprise that I find stuff that I want to post on my blog but not always do I have a theme or topic into which it fits. In which case I usually do one of these posts into which I cram all this stuff.

OLD BUSINESS

In one of my posts from last week I already reported the news about Jeff Parker and Steve Lieber´s comic UNDERGROUND that got an unexpected raise in sales when Steve Lieber entered an internet forum that had scanned and downloaded the entire comic.

Most of you probably have already read all about it but I just wanted to add two new links. The first one is for the radio station on3 on which the topic was discussed how to make money with comics via the internet ( from bootleg to bestseller - giving away comics helps to sell ) in which David Boller from ZAMPANO comics participated :

Von der Raubkopie zum Bestseller - Verschenken hilft verkaufen

Being a curious guy I had to check out the UNDERGROUND comic ( via the preview for the first issue from the first blog ) and what can I say - I ordered it via amazon. I know that there is also another shop where you can order it but the shipping alone would cost as much as the graphic novel. The downside is that I won´t get it before Christmas so you´ll have to wait till then for my verdict.


If you want to check it out for yourself, here´s a link where you can download the comic for free and also donate some money. I could have added the links to the old post but I wanted to draw more attention to them.

download UNDERGROUND for free ( and maybe donate money )

OLD BUSINESS - NEW BUSINESS

Okay, the next stuff is old and new because - it´s something I wanted to post for quite some time. After this year´s trip to Erlangen I started kind of a diary but like always other stuff came up and I didn´t continue it. I always wanted to make one of the installments about the new webcomics which are also featured in PANIK ELEKTRO 7 - SEELENSTRIPS.


The concept of the PANIK ELEKTRO series is that there is always one topic ( like " Science Fiction " , " Super Heroes " or such ) and dozens of artists contribute short comics. In issue 7 it was autobiographical, slice - of - life webcomics. I even had the good fortune to meet some of the featured creators at the booth of SCHWARZER TURM. Now PANIK ELEKTRO 7 deserves a post of it´s own but since I don´t know when I´ll come around to it I want to post the links to the two webcomics for which I already have the material needed. Today I was on a site with a lot of webcomics so it´s no big deal to post them.

The first one is BLATTONISCH by Leaf Van Genova which is mostly in black and white.


I guess the title is a play of words since the word platonic was written like the german word for leaf which is the name of the artist. The strips are sometimes funny, sometimes strange and according to her the most traffic comes from the strips about Harry Potter.


I wanted to buy a print version but either there was none available or I forgot to do it.

The second one is GESTERN NOCH by Asya. I also met her in Erlangen and I bought some minicomics from her. The only bad thing is that I would like to have a small pocketbook with the strips as a giveaway for Christmas. That would be cool as a print - on - demand option where you could select your favorite strips and then have it printed as a nice small booklet.


Like the first this is also slice - of - life and you should definitely check it out. Sorry, both of them are in german.

NEW BUSINESS

As I said I was on a website with lots of webcomics today and I wanted to post a few more links. This is a purely random selection and just the ones that piqued my curiosity or the ones I had already heard about. Usually I don´t read much webcomis ( who has time for it all ? ) but I think these deserve some attention :


MEMENTO MORI is a webcomic that takes place during the Roman Empire and it´s done entirely with action figures. Now this could be a stiff comic but thanks to the masterful way in which shadow and light is used the photos almost seem to come to life.



There is a german version and an english version available.

SANDRA AND WOO by Powree and Oliver Knörzer is another webcomic that is available in a german version and an english version. It tells the adventures of Sandra and Woo, a stray racoon that she adopts. The strips run the gamut from funny to absurd to thought provoking and serious. I especially like the clean line and the dynamic storytelling.






DAS BUCH DER SCHATTEN is another german webcomic. Our protagonist Jason Scott has the assignment to bring the fabled " book of shadows " ( for my taste the translation " book of the shadow " sounds too much like an anthology title for a certain pulp character ) to the museum of London which is the beginning of an old fashioned adventure story - told on about 200 pages by now - that will lead him all across Europe in the year 1899.


Secret Services, mysterious congregations, shady adventurers, arms dealers and the Vatican are all trying to get their hands on the book that seems to be some kind of " Necronomicon ". By horseback, by carriage, by zeppelin, by train or via submarine in short.....by any means of transportation that was available at that time. The trick is to oppose brigands, bandits, assasins and traitors, to outwit your adversaries and to stay alive. Aside from that I don´t want to spoil too much of the story.

The special attraction of the comic - besides it´s innovative coloring - is that real people from that time appear as well as fictional ones like the ever present Inspektor Lestrade.


There is also no shortage of clairvoyants, magicians, chinese bad guys, beautiful femme fatales and esoterics what may sound a bit strange ( the part about magicians and other occult practicers ) but at that time everything seemed possible to the general populace so it´s not out of place in the story.

What I really liked is the coloring of the story that was painted on wood with acrylic colours ( !!! ). The story starts in Syldvania ( Transylvania ? ) in entirely blue tinted colors that envoke a really cold and creepy mood.


While the story progresses other colors are added depending of the surroundings but in the parts that take place in other towns like London the primary color is once again blue.





One thing that was a bit distracting is that even if most of the word balloons are placed outside of the panels the pictures can be a bit small at times.


Aside from that I urge you to give it a chance. There are three chapters available so far and the first one has already been translated to english.


For more information about Christoph Roos or updates on The book of shadow you can go to Christoph´s website or his blog.

A really weird webcomic is GESCHICHTEN AUS DER VERBOTENEN STADT ( Stories from the forbidden city ). This comic has not been translated but that doesn´t really matter since it´s told without words.


The reader is challenged to impart his own meaning into the story and figure out what is happening.


Aside from the weird premiss of the comic one of the things that attracted me to it was that the main character is a skeleton with an detachable brainpan.


A website that´s only funny for my german readers is LAST KISS by John Lustig that combines comic panels from vintage romance comics with punchlines from Today.


As usual I´m open to any kind of link exchanges so if anyone wants to be fetured in my blog roll please contact me.

SHOW BUSINESS

If you are now tired from all these webcomics here are two videos. The first one is from Papiertourist in which he does a comic special in which he presents the comics GARULFO, CODEX ANGELIQUE, DIE MECHANISCHE WELT, DIE REISE MIT BILL and DIE VIER VON DER BAKER STREET. It´s not as lavishly produced as A COMICBOOK ORANGE but the animations are done very well. And the best part is that at the end of the video you can click some links for individual reviews. Who needs television ?



And to close things for Today here´s the trailer for the new french film based on the classic BD LUCKY LUKE ( courtesy of Terry Hooper from ComicBitsOnline - make sure to check out his website ) .


I haven´t seen the german movie adaption with Til Schweiger but this one looks promising. And you can´t go wrong with a main actor named Dujardin.



So that´s all for Today and next time more about british comic. Or some old german comics. I never DID get around to write that post about the ZACK comics of my youth.

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I´m a humanoid - based repair and maintenance unit left behind by unknowable alien gods to make sure that the earth is still here and in good shape when they get back.

Just like you are.