BOOM! Studios Announces WWE WRESTLEMANIA 2019 SPECIAL #1

I'm so excited! BOOM! Studios just announced a WWE Wrestlemania one-shot for 2019. Not that I'm surprised they're doing this, but it's nice to have the official announcement. I've been reading the comics, and I love the extra layer of kayfabe the stories give. They might not be considered canon, but they're a lot of fun. Check out the press release:

"LOS ANGELES, CA (December 20, 2018) – BOOM! Studios and WWE today announced WWE WRESTLEMANIA 2019 SPECIAL #1, an oversized one-shot special featuring action-packed stories of the most iconic moments in modern WWE history on-sale in March 2019.

You never know what to expect at WrestleMania, and this special is no exception! Writer Bill Hanstock (WWE) and artist Hyeonjin Kim (WWE) explore groundbreaking champions Charlotte Flair and Asuka’s rivalry leading up to their match at WrestleMania 24. Andy Belanger (Southern Cross) brings to life the pivotal match between the Brothers of Destruction, Undertaker and Kane. Ryan Ferrier (Jim Henson’s Labyrinth: Coronation) and Kendall Goode (WWE) dive into Ric Flair’s Retirement Match against Shawn Michaels.

WWE WRESTLEMANIA 2019 SPECIAL #1 features a main cover by Rahzzah (Luke Cage), along with a wraparound preorder cover by artist Xermánico (Injustice:Gods Among Us) and a variant cover by Marco D’Alfonso (I Am Groot).

“WrestleMania has brought us some of the most exciting, jaw-dropping moments throughout WWE history,” said Chris Rosa, Editor, BOOM! Studios. “Fans will see brand new sides to their favorite Superstars and discover never-before-seen details of the stories they thought they knew in this can’t-miss special!”

WWE WRESTLEMANIA 2019 SPECIAL is the latest release from BOOM! Studios’ eponymous imprint, home to a world-class group of licensed comic book series and ambitious original series, including Joss Whedon’s Firefly and Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Planet of the Apes, Bone Parish, Mech Cadet Yu, Grass Kings, and Klaus.

Print copies of WWE WRESTLEMANIA will be available for sale on March 27, 2019 at local comic book shops (use comicshoplocator.com to find the nearest one) or at the BOOM! Studios webstore. Digital copies can be purchased from content providers, including comiXology, iBooks, Google Play, and the BOOM! Studios app.

For continuing news on WWE WRESTLEMANIA and more from BOOM! Studios, stay tuned to  www.boom-studios.com and follow @boomstudios on Twitter."

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RUGRATS: R IS FOR REPTAR 2018 SPECIAL from BOOM!

THIS IS NOT A DRILL! REPTAR IS COMING TO BOOM! AGAIN, THIS IS NOT A DRILL!  Check out the below press announcement for more details.

LOS ANGELES—(January 17, 2018) – BOOM! Studios today announced RUGRATS: R IS FOR REPTAR 2018 SPECIAL #1, an all-new oversized one shot comic about everyone's favorite T-Rex arrives in stores April 2018. When the power goes out at the Pickles home, the babies and adults come together to share their own personal favorite Reptar stories. This graphic novel is based on Nickelodeon's original animated series, Rugrats.

Review: Grass Kings #1

By Reboot

“Welcome to the Grass Kingdom. Where fools like you come to get their asses kicked.”

Reboot here again. Back so soon, I know. I’m a pretty big Matt Kindt fan though, so when I heard that he was writing a new comic, Grass Kings, at BOOM! Studios with Tyler Jenkins illustrating and Jim Campbell lettering, I wanted to review the first issue of this six part miniseries. Lucky for me [insertgeekhere] got a review copy. Get ready for some reviewing!

Review: Lumberjanes/Gotham Academy Trade!

By Reboot

Courtesy of BOOM! Studios

Hey everyone! Reboot here again. It's been a little while since I reviewed a trade paperback collection and what better way to jump back into that than with the big Lumberjanes/Gotham Academy cross-over from BOOM! Studios with DC Comics collecting issues #1 - 6!

Before I jump into it, there are quite a lot of names that should be mentioned so let's start with that. This limited series now collected in a trade paperback was written by Chynna Clugston Flores, penciled by Rosemary Valero-O'Connell, Kelly Matthews and Nicole Matthews, inked by Maddi Gonzalez and Jenna Ayoub, colored by Whitney Cogar, and lettered by Warren Montgomery.Lumberjanes was created by Shannon Watters, Grace Ellis, Noelle Stevenson, and Brooke Allen.Gotham Academy was created by Becky Cloonan, Brenden Fletcher, and Karl Kerschl. While other people were also involved in bringing this book to life, this is the bare minimum number list of names of those who should be acknowledged before I continue. 

Yes Really, Here is BOOM! Studios Newest Music Video!

That's right, in celebration of the upcoming original series GRASS KINGS by Matt Kindt (Mind MGMT) and Tyler Jenkins (Peter Panzerfaust), BOOM! Studios released the music video “Kingdom of Grass.”   

This is an original song and video by Godkin, the band that has Tyler Jenkins on vocals and guitar.  They loved making this music video so much that Godkin is now working on an entire album of songs that exist alongside the Grass Kings world.  

Check out the music video after the break.

The 2nd Reveal on BOOM! Studios Road to NYCC!

We are in the final few days until NYCC!  In order to help us wait it out, BOOM! Studios is going to make an announcement over the 10 business days leading up to October's biggest event.  

The first announcement dropped yesterday but I'm personally excited about today's big reveal!  You ready to check it out? 

BOOM! Studios Road to NYCC!

We are in the final few days until NYCC!  In order to help us wait it out, BOOM! Studios is going to make an announcment over the 10 business days leading up to October's biggest event.  

So are you ready for the first announcement?!

Strange Attractors Gets A Rebirth!

Out tomorrow is a reprinting of Charles Soule's Strange Attractors #1.  It was originally released as a graphic novel from Archaia but will now be a five issue comic series from Boom! Studios, including a new short story, Antithesis.

The story is a chaos math problem, wrapped up with a compelling character in Dr. Brownfield, that he uses to continually try and save the city.  When he realizes he needs help, he calls upon Heller Wilson, a young math grad student.  The story is conveyed through amazing art by Greg Scott as well as Complexity Maps by Robert Saywitz that are one of the most fantasical things I have ever seen.     

Review: Goldie Vance #1

Goldie Vance is about Goldie, a 16 year old who lives in a Florida resort with her dad, who manages the resort, and uses her smarts, skills, and knowledge of the ins and outs of the resort, to help the in-house detective, Mr. Tooey solve a mystery. 

Okay, while "help" is the right word, Goldie really just inserted herself into the case. A resort guest, Dieter Ludwig, has been robbed. What was taken is priceless to him. He needs it back. Much to Mr. Tooey displeasure, Goldie claims she knows just what needs to be done to find the necklace. Without giving too much away, one mystery is solved, but it opens up a can of worms, and Goldie has to figure out what's going on. 

This was a delightful comic to read. It's a little weird for me to use that word, but it fits. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. This is just the first book, so we are introduced to a small host of characters, Goldie, Mr. Tooey, Goldie's stressed out father, Cheryl, the Alan Shepard loving front desk clerk, and Rob, the lovelorn valet. All are important to the story as they help set up the story and motivations, which drive the story. Goldie herself is plucky. I feel like she's who Veronica Mars would have been is she was around in the late 60's-early 70's, where this takes place. Goldie is smart, funny, and is driven to solve mysteries. And short. She's short and not to be underestimated. 

Review: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #2

Cover Page Courtesy of Boom! Studios

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers from Boom! Studios is two issues in, and I just had to give an update. I probably should have reviewed issue#1 or even the issue #0 but I really wanted to give it a little more time to see how it developed.  I can't wait anymore, so here it is!

In case you couldn't guess, I was always excited by this arrival of this series. I remember going home from school just to see the latest episode of Power Rangers. Yes, I might have been a bit too old to be watching it, but it was fun and entertaining. The show was a basic afternoon kids show though, so it avoided any serious depth in the plot. Mostly, it was a steady march to the fight scene with a moral lesson taught throughout. One of the more interesting ongoing storylines was the battle for the Green Ranger's mind. As I got older, I had wished they had really explored that plot point. Thanks to Boom!, I got my wish.

The series started off with a newly good Green Ranger Tommy dealing with the aftermath of what he had done under Rita's control.  He is haunted by it, as well as Rita Repulsa, who is literally in his mind.  Writer Kyle Higgins does a great job of showing the range of the character's journey that was never explored previously.  And while Tommy is a central figure to the current story, the entire team has been seen and introduced.  In issue 2, Billy gets a great moment with Trini, while giving readers a behind the scenes look of the inner workings of the Dragonzord.  I will tell you this, the best line in issue 2 is in the first panel from Trini.  And she is totally right, Zords are like giant segways.

Page 1 Courtesy of Boom! Studios

The art so far has been top notch.  Hendry Prasetya has done an amazing job capturing a close resemblance to the original actors while still giving the characters their own new and fresh look.  The art style is an americanized manga, which makes since considering the origins of Power Rangers.  However, my favorite art piece is still the cover of issue 2, done by Jamal Campbell.  It's a fantastic shot of the Megazord with a battle pose of Green Ranger and Scorpina.  

Each issue also comes with a continuing short comic of The Ongoing Adventures of Bulk & Skull.  It's almost as if they plucked up the characters subplots from the show and plopped it down on the page.  To be frank, it isn't my favorite part of the issue, and I would be a little happier with an additional two pages to the core story.  Writer Steve Orlando and artist Corin Howell do a fine job with the characters, but with the more developed core story, having the humorous addition at the end seems unneeded.  Still, it's better than trying to weave them into the core story too much.  

If you were a watcher of the '90's show, then Mighty Morphin Power Rangers is hands down a must read.  Boom! has taken a childhood classic and polished it up to be more developed and balanced than the show ever was.  But even with all the changes, when you see the Rangers morph, that theme song will be playing in your head.  

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #2 will be available on April 6th.



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Lumberjanes Are Roadtripping to Gotham Academy!

Cover Art Courtesy of Boom! Box

In the best news of 2016 so far, Boom! Box announced today that the Lumberjanes (aka an amazing series that you should be reading) is going to crossover with DC Comics' Gotham Academy.  So that math works out to some word that hasn't been invented yet to describe how good this will be. 

I admit I am curious to how the two groups will meet up.   Will the Gotham Academy kids head out of the city for fresh air or are our favorite campers bound for the wilds of Gotham?  Or better yet, are both groups destined for parts unknown?  Sadly, we have to wait until June to actually see this happen.  Damn, I don't think I can make it. 

The six-issue series will be written by Chynna Clugston-Flores (Blue Monday) and illustrated by Rosemary Valero-O'Connell (Lumberjanes). The main cover seen above is illustrated by Mingjue Chen (Gotham Academy).

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Review: Bill & Ted's Excellent Comic Book Archive

By Reboot

In the last week, BOOM! Studios released all of the Bill and Ted comics that Marvel did back in the early 90's that were written and drawn by Evan Dorkin. BOOM! has had the rights for at least the last couple of years and have now finally put it all together in one, oversized hardcover volume called Bill & Ted's Excellent Comic Book Archive. Now, I haven't even thought about Bill and Ted for years let alone watched or read it, but BOOM! Studios has been making good decisions and Evan Dorkin is one of my favorite people in comics so I had to give this a read through.

BOOM! Studios Announces Debut of New Series: Broken World

Who doesn't love an adventure/thriller series during the Earth's last day? Very few people, and that's why BOOM! Studios is bringing us Broken World, a series that does just that. 

"April 29, 2015 (Los Angeles, Calif.) - Award-winning publisher BOOM! Studios is pleased to announce the June debut of Broken World, a new sci-fi thriller and survival adventure series from Frank J. Barbiere (Five Ghosts, Avengers World) and Christopher Peterson (Grindhouse, Mayday). Broken World explores the lives of people left behind on the last days of Earth, perfect for fans of Y: The Last Man or The Massive.

 “It’s hard not to fall in love with a well-crafted survival story,” said BOOM! Studios Editor-in-Chief Matt Gagnon. “From zombie viruses to post-apocalyptic wastelands, we all love to cheer for the last survivors. For BROKEN WORLD, Frank and Christopher have created an intense, riveting story about a woman who chooses to live on in a world facing an extinction-level event from the stars.”

 With a meteor days away from causing an extinction-level event on Earth, time is running out for Elena Marlowe. While most of the planet’s population and her family were approved by the government to escape on one of the giant spaceships headed to another planet, her application was denied due to her mysterious past. With the meteor fast approaching, Elena tries desperately to find a way to fake her way onto the last ship or else be left behind to die with the rest of Earth’s rejected denizens.

 Broken World #1 arrives in comic shops on June 3rd with a main cover by series artist Christopher Peterson for the price of $3.99 under Diamond order code APR151199. Also available in a limited quantity are a 10 Years incentive cover by Frazer Irving (Annihilator, Uncanny X-Men) and a retailer incentive cover by Christian Ward (ODY-C)."

Check out how beautiful this art is. 

I'm a big fan of Y: The Last Man, and I love those types of stories. I like Christopher Peterson and Frank J. Barbiere's previous works, so I'm into this. What do you think?

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Quickie-view with Daniel Johnston

While I was at MoCCA Fest, juggling my volunteer duties with wandering the floor, I got exactly two minutes with Daniel Johnston, creator of Space Ducks, at the Boom! Studios booth.  If you can't place the name, then just think really famous indie rock musician.  Squeeee!

My first question was to learn about how his comic came to be.  The way he tells it, his sister encouraged him to come up with a cartoon character. Since he loves to draw ducks, Space Ducks just came to mind.  Over the next few days, Daniel did the drawing and his brother printed it up.

The Changing World of MoCCA Fest

This past weekend, I attended the premiere event in the east for indie comics.  In case you haven’t made it to MoCCA Fest, it is a fundraiser for the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art.  The festival is also a great opportunity to truly hobnob with the indie creators of today.

Like last year, I attended as a volunteer, not only to get the perks of volunteerism, but to hang out with a amazing group of geeks.  I was assigned to the A/V team, which meant I was working all of the panels.  Unlike last year, I didn’t get to watch any panels this time around.  I did get plenty of time to wander the floor and meet some new people as well as catch up with some old friends.

Gary Panter accepting the Klein Award

In my opinion, the floor of MoCCA Fest had a much different feel than last year for a few reasons.  The individual creators were more likely to try and get your attention.  I felt that more and more people were stepping up to show me their creations.  This is exactly what the fans need, and I think it helped the energy in the room.  Another great addition was the presence of Boom! Studios and Archaia Entertainment.  These publishers represent a more mainstream presence at this event, but they didn’t take away from the indie feel.  As one Boom! representative told me, they’re trying to bring their more indie titles, not big names like Irredeemable.    Despite all of these great things, the floor still seemed fairly uncrowded.  I imagine that holding it the same weekend as Stumptown on the west coast hurt attendance.

No matter what, MoCCA Fest is still the premiere place to find new indie comics on the east coast and hob nob with all of these awesome creators.  With each table, I had the chance to meet the brains behind great comics, and every purchase I made went straight to the creator.  Especially in this economic climate, that makes me feel great.  I highly recommend that you add this to your con list next year.

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