The world’s biggest music festivals inspire a brand new comic book by acclaimed writer Paul Jenkins (Spider-Man, Darkness, Sentry, Inhumans, Wolverine: Origin, Batman: The Dark Knight.)
Titan Comics and Atomeka launch TomorrowLand – a four-part comic book story by Jenkins and Stellar Labs this week.
The music festival, Tomorrowland, is set to expand for the first time outside of Belgium to Chattahoochee Hills, GA, USA in September 2013. The annual festival, which takes place at the end of July in Belgium, has already sold out all 180,000 tickets in under one second. In 2013 Tomorrowland will welcome attendees from 214 countries from around the world.
Martians invaded Concrete, Washington back in the 1930’s or so the legend goes!
Concrete is in the beautiful North Cascades north of Seattle. This Pacific Northwest legend is the inspiration for a comic book just waiting for publisher.
Mitch Cook is a fellow comic book reader and co-worker (our day jobs) with a dream of being published. Mitch has been a big supporter of getting ComicsBlend up and running so I’m hoping to help you see his unique tale in your own hands!
Seattle is my kind of town – geeky! And we’re not just talking comic books! The 2013 Seattle Science Festival kicks off this week celebrating the science and technology and its bringing in some big celebrity brains!
This 11-day celebration features luminaries from the science world in opening and closing night events, a free Science EXPO Day featuring hands-on activities and special stage programs on Saturday, June 8 at Seattle Center, plus a variety of Signature Programs at venues around the region throughout the Festival.
The big event is Beyond Infinity? The Search for Understanding at the Limits of Space & Time! (Paging Doctor Who!) How can we comprehend the size or age of the universe? What are the origins of the universe, and what are its implications for time travel?
This main event will include presentations by three of the nation’s greatest physicists, Brian Greene, Sean Carroll and Adam Frank, and the West Coast premiere of Icarus at the Edge of Time with live narration by Kal Penn. This mind-expanding event will be emceed by journalist Jennifer Ouellette, who writes the popular Cocktail Party Physics blog for Scientific American.
And that’s just the beginning! Here are highlights from last year:
So maybe this weekend put down the comic, turn off the Blu-ray or gaming console and head to Pacific Science Center and Seattle Center for some adventures with real science!
Kid Apocalypse is back! I met this cosplayer at Emerald City Comicon earlier this year and later learned he was filming a music video at the Seattle con featuring an uncanny crew of X-Men cosplayers!
En Sabah Nur has a new video and mixtape on the way but now he’s working on a new webseries Infinite Issues set in a comic book shop. You can learn more and even help kickstart the series here.
courtesy Mongrel Studios
While that series is underway you can still enjoy Kid Apocalypse: Came From the Chain! Here’s the Youtube link. Check out a cameo from the Kid’s creator, Uncanny X-Force and now Uncanny Avengers writer, Rick Remender!
As you can tell, this Kid knows his X-Men comic book history. Here’s a link to download kidapocalypse.bandcamp.com.
Seattle’s self-proclaimed super villain is giving back! Rex Velvet has become a YouTube sensation and gained fans around the globe. Velvet appeared in the role of a “the bad guy” in this story in which a young boy wanted to be a secret agent!
Rex Velvet is hosting a benefit concert at Fremont Mischief Distillery Saturday May 4th to benefit “Make-A-Wish” “MDA” and “Freedom Isn’t Free Foundation.” All ticket proceeds are going to be donated to these three preferred charities.
Comic book writer Kelly Sue DeConnick will appear at GeekGirlCon 2013. The event celebrates the contributions of women to geek culture in comics, science, gaming, film and more.
DeConnick has been in the industry for the last decade, writing comics and adapting manga into English including the scripts for Kare First Love, Black Cat, Sexy Voice and Robo and Blue Spring.
DeConnick’s best-known mainstream comics work is with Marvel Comics. Ms. Marvel became Captain Marvel with DeConnick at the helm of the new series that debuted last year with Carol Danvers in a new costume and role.
Phil Jimenez at Fan Expo Vancouver, photo by ComicsBlend
Acclaimed artist Phil Jimenez (Fairest, Wonder Woman, New X-Men) has transformed Warrior Woman! It’s the latest character redesign victory in a stellar comic book career.
Jimenez recently made his first trip to Vancouver, B.C. to appear at Fan Expo Vancouver. Along with sketching for fans and signing comic books Jimenez appeared on a Sketch Duel panel with Stephen Sadowski (JSA, Starman, Avengers) that was an insightful and hilarious highlight of the Expo.
Jimenez and Sadowski are known for their popular redesigns of characters so the first half of the sketch duel challenge was to give a B (or C or maybe D level depending on your opinion) character a new look while they shared insights on their design work and answered fan questions.
After a wave of suggestions from the audience (including Modok, Ma Hunkel, Booster Gold and Legion – that was mine) Jimenez decided on Dazzler and Sadowski took on Jack of Hearts!
As the sketching began Jimenez revealed how fashion design and trends have affected his work citing a Donna Troy look he said was inspired by Emma Peel (played by Diana Rigg) of The Avengers (as in the classic British series!) He went on to say how comics should be fantastical and his design influence was more haute couture than ready to wear.
Sadowski revealed his new takes on Atom Smasher and Hawkgirl on his JSA run as his favorite character redesigns. Busts and body images of female superheroes was a popular audience topic. Sadowski shared that he fought to give Kendra smaller breasts because he felt it would be more appropriate for her hawk-like appearance and the need to be more aerodynamic.
The first half hour ended with a Sadowski revealing a bolder, cleaner and more built version of Jack of Hearts while Jimenez went retro giving the Disco Dazzler big sunglasses and Farrah Fawcett inspired hair!
Dazzler by Phil Jimenez, photo by ComicsBlend
The second half hour was the most unique version of Pictionary you might ever experience. The audience submitted comic book characters, iconic weapons (like Thor’s hammer) or items of a costume (I chose Storm’s headpiece) on cards. Mystique and Wonder Woman cosplayers joined Team Jimenez while Beast and one of a trio (imagine an all male version of the X-Men’s Stepford Cuckoos) of Phoenixes played on Team Sadowski.
Jimenez vs. Sadowski sketch duel at Fan Expo Vancouver, photo by ComicsBlend
One of my favorite moments at Fan Expo Vancouver this past weekend was this robot ready for romance!
When you think of protocol droid C3PO you may not immediately jump to thinking of him as “ladies man.”
I wanted to share this cosplayer’s clever pick up line inspired by the greatest sci-fi movie of all time. At Fan Expo Vancouver over the weekend this Star Wars fan sported the goldenrod droid’s look with this sign:
“Ladies, this is the droid you’re looking for!”
No word on if he made a connection!
The actors who played Darth Vader (David Prowse) and young Boba Fett (Daniel Logan) were among the celebrities greeting fans. I’m sure this 3PO was in line!
For more cosplay from Vancouver here’s a link to day one and two.
