Rueben interviews Morning Glories co-creator and artist Joe Eisma at the 2012 Dallas Comic Con!

Art by Joe Eisma

]]> http://mutantaday.com/2012/05/23/morning-chat-with-joe-eisma/feed/ 0 mutantaday Mgpromo http://mutantaday.com/2012/05/23/kickin-it-with-the-variants/ http://mutantaday.com/2012/05/23/kickin-it-with-the-variants/#comments Wed, 23 May 2012 22:45:11 +0000 mutantaday http://mutantaday.com/?p=6453 ]]> Rueben interviews Richard from The Variants at the 2012 Dallas Comic Con. They talk season 2 and the upcoming season 3, kickstarter and the gingerly beautiful Kelli!

(art by Mike Perkins)

This morning on The View, the panel was given the great honor of being the first to announce Marvel’s most important wedding in years! In Astonishing X-Men 50, out this week, we will be seeing Northstar’s (Jean-Paul Beaubier) proposal to longtime boyfriend Kyle. Thank you Marjorie Liu, Marvel, and the great state of New York! Be sure to follow along in the book, it’s been a solid run so far.

Cover by Dustin Weaver: Marvel.com

And don’t forget to save the date for issue 51!

Art by Robert Wilson IV

Here is a FANTASTIC commission we got from they very talented Robert Wilson IV at this past weekend’s 2012 Dallas Comic Con! He will match our Wiccan piece perfectly!

Art by Robert Wilson IV

Photo: Jeremy Biggers

When I dressed up as Storm for Dallas Comic Con, I had no idea that I would end up being an actual hero. My hero moment occurred about 2 hours in to our Comic Con adventures. Jeremy and I had stopped in the exhibit hall checking out all the vendors and we eventually ended up at the homies LoyalKNG’s booth. We all talked for a bit, swapping stories about the cool stuff we had seen thus far and I got pulled aside for more photos a few times before getting a moment to just chill and look around.

It was during this lull when I noticed a little boy, light saber in hand weaving through the hoards of people too caught up to notice him, calling out for his daddy. I scanned the crowd, I didn’t see any frantic parents chasing after him but I could hear the panic in his voice and knew he was lost. In a split second decision I left Jeremy without a word and darted through the crowd after the little boy. I caught him an aisle over and stopped him. His name was Sage, he was 5 years old and he was lost in a sea of thousands of crazed comic book fans. So I took his hand and told him I’d help him find his daddy.

At this point I still didn’t see a panicked father in the crowds so I picked Sage up and walked through the throngs of people, talking to him the whole way trying to distract him and keep him calm. Iron Man was one of his favorite superheros and his cousin came with him to Comic Con dressed as Cyclops. Still no sign of dad though and after a few minutes I met up with Jeremy again and we found a volunteer, informing them that Sage was lost.

Sage managed to remember his dads name and a few radio relays later another volunteer approached us with a frantic father in tow. The man was understandably near tears at the sight of his son. “Who? Who’s the hero that found him?” (yes those were his actual words) The volunteers look to me with a simple “Storm.” Sage’s dad was so thankful. “Storm has always been one of my favorite characters. I’ll never forget this.”

Neither will I. By far the best memory from Dallas Comic Con.

-Mattice Lowery a.k.a SamwiththeHair

Aaron M., Kellen & Rueben!

Such a good time was had on our second day! Here are some photos in the gallery below and you can check  out our FACEBOOK to tag yourself and see more photos!

Click to view slideshow.

That adorable Doctor Who piece up there is from none other than Josh Adams, multi-talented illustrator and inker well known for his work on IDW’s Doctor Who and his contributions to the Astonishing X-Men motion comics. We had the privilege to interview him briefly at Dallas Comic Con 2012 today and were completely taken with him. Not only were his prints and portfolio eye-catching but one of his current projects, Adam, Eve & Steve (name in progress) is one of the most inventive pitches I’ve heard in years.

Essentially, the biblical story remains much the same with Adam & Even being created for each other but the quintessential couple is thrown a curveball when a time-lost guy from the future (Steven) finds his way into the Garden of Eden and becomes the cause of some sexual awakening in our first man. Such a simple and intriguing line already has me hooked but there is no definitive start date at this point, sadly.

That shouldn’t stop you from checking out the homepage for the comic and bugging the heck out of the creators with your love until they get this great concept in motion! Be sure to check out Josh’s Doctor Who continuing series artwork as well (and check the handsome man himself out below).

Josh Adams: www.whatwouldjoshdo.com

]]> http://mutantaday.com/2012/05/20/josh-adams-and-steve-and-eve/feed/ 0 Windie Bird Image Image http://mutantaday.com/2012/05/19/dallas-comic-con-2012-day-1/ http://mutantaday.com/2012/05/19/dallas-comic-con-2012-day-1/#comments Sun, 20 May 2012 01:00:54 +0000 mutantaday http://mutantaday.com/?p=6114 ]]>

Dallas Comic Con 2012

It was a CROWDED but great first day at the Dallas Comic Con! Check out the photos below or visit and like our FACEBOOK to see more photos!

Click to view slideshow.

The Cast! ; Image Thevariants.com

The Variants have reached their season 3 goal of 6 episodes, but wouldn’t you rather have TEN glorious episodes to watch! With so many different thank you gifts at the varying pledge levels, there is no reason not to! PLEDGE HERE on their Kickstarter page, and check out the vid below as Ken and Richard from The Variants give you an update!

Hey there readers/listeners! We were in the middle of recording a great podcast this weekend when my brand new imac totally crapped out on me and all was lost! But fear not! After help from the ever awesome Kellen, the mac is running well again and after this weekend’s Comic Con in Dallas, we will make sure to post a podcast/photos/videos and then another in two weeks!

Try a vintage episode..or maybe just last weeks to tide you over until this weekend!

If you are CRAVING some Antony Ellis goodness, go check out FF WORMHOLE from Cultural Wormhole.com!

With our very own Antony Ellis!

Mike Henderson

MaD:  Who is your favorite character to draw and why?

MH:  Historically speaking, I would say the Hulk and the Thing. I love drawing large characters and finding ways to show them fitting in and interacting with the rest of the world, which is so small and difficult for them. It’s a  fascinating dynamic to play with. Close runner up: Spidey.

MaD: Outside of the comic industry who/what influences your work? Do you find yourself wanting dive into other mediums of artistic expression? If so what mediums?

MH: My shelves are full of huge volumes of all the masters, really. The obvious ones, Da Vinci, Raphael, Michelangelo. I’ve found there aren’t many artistic problems you can run into that weren’t solved in some way by one of them. Graphically speaking, I have a special attachment to artists like Gustav Klimpt, Charles Dana Gibson and Alphonse Mucha. But from a purely visceral, visual standpoint, no artist had more of an impact on me than the great French designer Rene Grau. You should be very proud that you’ve squeezed that name out of me. I like to hog him to myself.

MaD:  Who is your favorite artist of all time?

MH:  Wow. A loaded question if ever I heard one. After my previous answer, I’m going to limit myself to comic artists in spite of that fact of how many great ones there are to choose from and say, simply: Alex Toth. Everything I said about the great Renaissance masters having solved just about every artistic problem there is can be said about Toth and the process of making comics.

Art: Mike S. Henderson

MaD:  What would you tell artists about getting into the comic industry?

MH:  All the cliche answers to this question are good ones and should never be ignored (Learn storytelling. Learn your anatomy. Learn perspective. Draw. Draw. Draw.) but storytelling is the key to it all. The rest will come to you with study and practice, but it’s all worthless if no one knows what the hell is going on. The one thing that no one seems to talk about when discussing getting IN to comics is how to STAY in. Being the most talented guy in the world will certainly open some doors for you and make your life easier, but professionalism will make a career out of it. It’s simple stuff, really. Be kind, show the respect people are due even if they don’t show it back and pass on the helping hand other professionals gave to you. Oh, and for heavens sake, meet your bloody deadlines!!!

MaD:  Describe your workspace. Do you have rituals you go through when working on a piece? Drink?Food?Music?

MH:  My workspace, by and large, is a shambles but it’s MY shambles. Stacks of books and papers, layouts and reference taped to every wall. It’s organized chaos that once in every blue moon will get a good cleaning but never stays that way for long. This will sound terribly anal retentive but, because they require the most thought, I only listen to music when doing layouts and even then its mostly soundtracks or anything with no vocals. I can have the TV on or listen to baseball games when pencilling, and mostly I’ll watch things that I’ve seen before while inking. DVD box sets are a freelancers best friend.

Art: Mike S. Henderson

MaD:  Can you tell us about any new exciting projects you have coming up? If so what are they?

MH:  I’ve just started working on something that hasn’t been announced yet, unfortunately. If you’d asked me a few weeks from now I probably could’ve spilled the beans. In the short term, I recently turned in covers for issues #9-12 of this summers Ghostbusters event, Haunted America, from IDW. I’ll also be dipping into the creator owned arena, probably in digital form, sometime later this year as soon my partners-in-crime and I get our collective schedules in order.

MaD:  Where can we find more information about you and your work?

MH:  My blog (http://mikeshenderson.blogspot.com/) has the most current news as to what I’m up to, as well as my world infamous blog sketch series that used to be updated much more frequently. A byproduct of getting busier, I suppose, but a good byproduct!

Mike S. Henderson is currently a freelance artist for IDW and Marvel. 

George Takei has gone where no man has gone before. He’s been a Japanese internment camp survivor, a swashbuckling star-ship pilot, a civic do-gooder, a fanboy peace-broker, and a booming voice for marriage equality. He’s more than just a star on the Hollywood Boulevard sidewalk. George Takei is a positive force for good in the universe! There’s no one quite like him in American pop culture and we want to pay homage his work, life, and handsome face.

Geeks OUT is holding its big annual fundraiser with a night of artwork inspired by everyone’s favorite gay sci-fi icon. Would you like to donate artwork? Send an email to submissions@geeksout.org. 

But regardless of whether you’re an artist or not, please join us for this big and geeky celebration.

Proceeds from the event will benefit Geeks OUT, an organization out to rally and represent the growing community of comics and sci-fi fans who are queer. Geeks OUT holds monthly social events and establishes a queer-positive presence at comic conventions. For more information, visit www.geeksout.org.

Would you like to volunteer to help out with the event? Contact Joey at info@geeksout.org.

Image; The Variants.com

 Aww! Look at those beautiful faces! The cast of The Variants wants to give you more more more! Show your support for the upcoming 3rd season by helping out at their KICK STARTER page! It’s totally worth it and just check out all of the totally awesome swag you can get for helping be apart of the show’s legacy!

With Karen Grant as Jean and Kitty Pryde running around like a crazy person with too many layers [less is more sometimes], my patience with this comic was running pretty thin/short. Even the ever-so-hunky Colossus gracing the cover like a super buff Finn [is it me or does he have Glee Finn Face going on?] I was about to tell Aaron M. it’s time to retire our purchasing of Ultimate Comics X-Men. But then, this happened!

Art by Paco Medina

I have just been waiting for Storm to cut a bitch. And now with the revelation that the x-gene was manufactured [alegedly] Ororo cut off her platinum locks and is ready for electrical revenge Goddess style!

-Aaron M

Painting by Jesse Rubenfeld

His beautiful Sistine Chapel is ongoing, and you can see more of his pieces HERE and keep up with him as he continues to work on this massive project. Oh Martian Man Hunter, you had me at “By all the gods of Mars! They think I’m the cartoon character!”.

Painting by Jesse Rubenfeld

With Mickey Rourke as crazy King Hyperion, this movie, though godly, is quite earthly. With Hyperion threatening to destroy all of humanity by means of obtaining the ‘ultimate weapon’, the Epirus Bow, it will take Theseus (Cavill) a young villager, and unbeknownst to him, godly trained warrior, to protect the future of mankind.

Good vs. evil, god vs. man, destiny vs. freewill. Cavill’s performance makes us even more excited about ‘Man of Steel’, but for now, we don’t mind being engulfed in an immortals world, over and over again. When are we gonna get a comic version of this?

Image, Fox Home Entertainment

Art by Scottie Young

Super awesome artist Scottie Young has created this work which will be a featured variant cover for Avengers vs. X-Men #1! I love how Storm is so prominently displayed and Colossus is too cute with his helmet! Excuse me while I go start the adoption process!

This is not that though. Not entirely. The world as we know it is SO into reality T.V. that the comic book industry was going to jump on the wagon eventually.  I don’t have “the cable” so this may be coming a little late [which is not the subject of this article].  With all the recent hoop-la about AMC’s new “reality” series Comic Book Men, I had to tune in to see if my preconceived notions were accurate or if in fact these men would show me something I didn’t already know.

Image: AMCtv.com

Starring creator Kevin Smith along with comic store, Jay and Silent Bob’s Secret Stash, owner Walt, associates Ming and Mike, and resident loiterer Bryan, Comic Book Men gives you an insight into what goes on within the inner working of a comic book store, its associates, and its customers. Well… kind of.

Frankly the show is more like if Antique’s Road Show and Spike T.V. had an aggressive yet boring child who was somewhat racist, but mostly insecure. And side note, it’s a boy. 

The show is split up between Mike and Ming buying memorabilia from customers, with no sales, and the whole gang, Smith included, around a poker/podcast table talking about random facts, making each other laugh with Coors Light humor and racially assaulting Ming, who for whatever reason, must enjoy it.  I digress though, the aggressive borderline racist humor comes mainly from Bryan Johnson. Though I’m sure they all see it as boys having a good ol’ time, Ming is constantly used/blamed/referred to when someone needs belittling.

 He is the quintessential Kato in that Green Hornet’s mess.

The team spends much of the hour making fun of the people who come in because of personality and looks, though they themselves are visually laughable, sporting messy bangs under baseball caps, sweaty exteriors due to prolonged standing and second-rate super villian facial hair. All except for Ming, whose “metro sexual” exterior, and by metro I mean he uses soap, gets his hot seat in a hot seat with Saruman, I mean Bryan Johnson.

But it’s really not about looks people. It’s about the lack of delivery, lack of quality, lack of substance and sans Ming, lack of diversity. The bottom line; the creators believe this show is what the majority think about and want from comic book stores and the people who run and go into them.  It’s a shame that this opportunity, with its big cable television budget fell short of its potential. Ready for this? If only there was some sort of variation to this show. A variant, if you will. [yeah I typed that].

thevariants.com

There are indeed small production YouTube shows, like The Variants, with its shoestring budget, that in one ten minute episode delivers the funny in a way that makes fun of the industry, but doesn’t make a mockery of it or its people. There is real knowledge and respect, not just random comic facts, that goes into each webisode. The cast, Richard, Ken, Keli & Barry, do a mighty fine job of putting a new spin on what it really means to work at and own an independent comic book store.  It’s scripted comedy for a diverse audience, which makes it easily relatable.

thevariants.com

The Variants is certainly not afraid to push boundaries and comically compete with not just comic book based series’, but comedy shows everywhere.  At the end of its second season, The Variants cast is gearing up for its third, and is sure to show Comic Book Men that it takes more than the backing of a major cable network to bring hilarity, stay relevant and be interesting. You can check out The Variants at thevariants.com.

- Aaron M

Image from Marvel.com

Image from Marvel.com

Also, per Twitter at 2 PM EST on Wednesday, February 8, the Jean Grey School returns to Twitter as you’ve been accepted to attend Biology 101 under the tutelage of Vice Principal Hank McCoy! All you need to do is log on and follow the Jean Grey School members list for updates. You can also invidiually follow and interact with @JeanGreySchool, @HenryMcCoyPhD, @IceIceBobby, @GenesisHero, @KidGladiator1, @QQuire, @idie_okonkwo, @_Broodling_, @SANTORULES, @_Anole_, @GlobHerman, @JanitorToad and @JGSHeadmistress. [marvel.com]