Category: Fandom

Spandex Are More Than Gay Heroes

Spandex Fast and Hard by Martin Eden courtesy TitanBooks.com

  This week X-Men (and Alpha Flight) fans celebrate Northstar’s wedding to his boyfriend in Astonishing X-Men #51. Northstar and the newly outed Alan Scott/Green Lantern of Earth 2 aren’t the only gay heroes on comic book pages. Direct from England – Spandex is an all-gay team that might give you a new reason to wave those rainbow flags at Pride festivals this weekend.

  With a title like Spandex: Fast and Hard I thought this book might be campy fun but I was surprised how much I would care about these over the top heroes and heroines.

  Liberty, Prowler, Glitter, Indigo, Butch, Mr. Muscles and Diva are an all-gay superhero team based in Brighton, England that fight giant lesbians, pink ninjas, and a psychic alien while struggling with complicated love lives. 

  Take Peter David’s clever mix of adventure, inter team romance and satiric humor in X-Factor then shower it with glitter, more sex, turn up the camp and you have Spandex. These scantily clad heroes are great fun but the more I read the more I felt for them.

 

from Spandex by Martin Eden courtesy Titan Books.

  Chapter One Attack of the 50 Foot Lesbian introduces the team as they race into action taking on an angry giant stomping through Brighton. The titanic lesbian is a big threat but there’s an even bigger conspiracy behind her rampage. The Justice League has the Injustice League. Spandex has their own team of enemies. Martin Eden plants a particular sinister yet sexy seed that could lead to a heartbreak and betrayal in the future for one member of the team.

  Chapter Two Pink Ninjas takes the team around the world to Japan after a ninja thief’s brazen robbery of the Queen. The adventure leads to a battle with an army of pink ninjas. the addition of a new member and forces to team to face a painful past.

  Chapter Three…If You Were The Last Person On Earth was my favorite. The heroes awake to a conquered world. A psychic vampire is turning everyone into zombies (not the mindless eating kind) and sucking the color…all the colors of rainbow seems an appropriate choice of words…out of the world. This final chapter is a parable of coping with how everyday life can take an emotional toll and drain the life out of you.

Spandex! created by Martin Eden courtesy Titan Books

 Creator Martin Eden made me laugh, think and relate. I enjoyed these sexy and fun adventures with the campy but complicated heroes of Spandex. Straight or gay doesn’t matter – this is an entertaining superhero comic.

  Spandex: Fast and Hard by Martin Eden is from TitanBooks.com. Here’s a link to an interview with Eden if you’d like to learn about how he created the team.

Warning: This book has nudity, sex, foul language and really revealing costumes. This book is not for the easily offended.

Note: I was approached by the publisher to see if I would take a read and offer my thoughts if sent a preview copy. I was not paid to review this book.

By Editor

Northstar’s Wedding Inspires Comic Book Store Ceremony for X-Men Fans

Now this is true love and true comic book love…

    Northstar’s wedding inspired a real New York couple to tie the knot in a famous comic book store. X-Men fans Scott Everhart and Jason Welker were selected from more than 50 applicants to get married in New York City’s Midtown Comics in honor of Astonishing X-Men #51 which features the wedding of Northstar to his boyfriend Kyle. The photo from the Midtown Comics Tumblr site.

Marvel Editor-In-Chief Axel Alonso said the plans for Northstar were inspired by New York’s legislation of marriage equality. Congrats and good luck Scott and Jason.

Thanks to Towleroad.

By Editor

Rex Velvet’s Very Good Week

Courtesy Rex Velvet

  Seattle’s self-proclaimed super villain Rex Velvet is sporting new glamour shots on his Facebook page following his latest shot of mainstream exposure this week. YouTube sensation Velvet was the cover story of the Seattle Weekly.

  The man who you might say “inspired” Rex’s debut was the subject of other news when a school visit ended in a hard lesson for one student. Velvet expressed his opinion about the incident on his Twitter page.

  I’m choosing to share the sources so you can see the story and read in Rex’s own words.

  A very good week for a “bad” guy. Lex Luthor and Norman Osborn would be impressed with Velvet I think.

By Editor

Don’t Punch Superheroes! Updated With Video!

photo courtesy KOMONEWS.COM

   Here’s a lesson one kid won’t forget. If a superhero comes to your school don’t ask if you can punch him as hard as you can! Superheroes wear heavy costumes that can take a beating for a good reason!

  Seattle is the home of costumed crime fighter Phoenix Jones. A local school invited Jones to discuss bullying with the kids. The costumed guest speaker also showed off his uniform – his rubberized, armored, bulletproof uniform.

  Denise Weinstein told KOMO NewsRadio. “My child gets up in front of him and (Phoenix) says to him, ‘OK, give me all you got…give me your best punch, but wait, but don’t do it too hard, you might get hurt.’ ”

  Noah now has a broken finger, is in a soft cast but with a lesson learned.

“I shouldn’t punch a superhero as hard as I can,” he said.

Here’s the video story from KOMO 4.

Thanks to KOMO 4 News and KOMONEWS.COM.

By Editor

If Prometheus Makes You Miss Alien

From "Can't Look Away: The Lure of Horror Film" at EMP Museum, photo by ComicsBlend.com

  If Prometheus has you longing for the original Alien then set course for the EMP Museum in Seattle. Icons of Science Fiction just opened featured some of the most memorable artifacts of favorite films, television shows, novels and comics. You can see part of Michael Biehn’s uniform from Aliens. Ridley Scott is among the titans on Science Fiction Hall of Fame altar.

  After experiencing Icons transport yourself next door into Can’t Look Away: The Lure of Horror Film exhibit where another sci-fi icon is already in residence: the nasty monster from Alien.

  Here’s my preview/review of Icons of Science Fiction. I feel lucky to live in a city which such devoted sci-fi fans that we have our own museum!

By Editor

Rex Velvet Gets Covered

 

courtesy Rex Velvet

 Rex Velvet, the self-proclaimed “Super Villain” of Seattle is on the cover of Seattle Weekly. 

  Rex may be a faux villain but he’s made a real impressesion in the Emerald City and beyond. Lex Luthor might be impressed with your rise to fame and potential fortune.

  In his last creation – Velvet “confronted” an alleged real hero of the movement and reissues his challenge to members of the Rain City Super Hero Movement to give up their costumes.

  I literally almost ran into Rex the weekend prior in downtown Seattle. I can’t confirm but I think it was just after he filmed his latest creation. As you can see from this video I may have been spared from a cruel fate…

…since I’m kind of scared of cats anyway.

and if you recall this is how it all started…

 

What’s next for Rex Velvet? Stay tuned!

By Editor

 

KISS Rocks In New Comic Book

KISS #1 courtesy IDW Publishing

Rock and Roll legends KISS are back in a brand new ongoing comic book from IDW this week. KISS #1 kicks off with a story called Dressed to Kill by Chris Ryall and Jamal Ingle.

From the publisher:

“Four ordinary humans in 1920s Chicago find themselves caught up in a battle of epic proportions that will reverberate across time and space in “Dressed to Kill,” part 1!”

 This “Demon” variant cover is my Michael Gaydos.

Detective Comics writer/artist Tony Daniel revealed his love of KISS at Fan Expo Vancouver. Daniel may be acclaimed for Batman but he reveals how KISS inspired him and first paid work. I asked if he shared my love for the movie KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park.

 


“I did and when I was a kid man I loved that show. I like 7-year-old – it was a long time ago. As a kid those guys are like superheroes. They’re more than like rock stars. Every kid in my class loved KISS just because they look crazy and had the makeup on – dragons and space guys and what not. What I remember it was so weird. But back then you didn’t have video recorders, Tivo – you watch it once and when it’s over you’re like, man what did I just see. Today you can rewind and watch it again. It was such a weird – you know maybe that screwed me up or something it was very…I just remember it being very bizarre. I’m sure if I watched it now I might feel disappointed in it (laughs) but it was super cool back then as a child.

(I interject asking about how KISS art was his first paying work so to speak)

Yeah it was my first commission. I drew a giant poster size picture of all of four characters. One kid was gonna buy it from me for like two dollars and another kid was gonna give me a big giant stack of basically the entire collection of KISS trading cards and I went with the trading cards and ended up getting into a brawl afterwords with the guy that lost. So yeah, you know blood, sweat and tears from age 7 on with the art.”

You can see my entire interview with Tony Daniel here.

By Editor

Icons of Science Fiction: An Expert on Ridley Scott’s Prometheus

 

 

Prometheus still of Noomi Rapace courtesy 20th Century Fox

  Director Ridley Scott’s return to the science fiction genre is finally in theaters. While on a sneak preview of the new Icons of Science Fiction exhibit at EMP Museum in Seattle I had to ask the curator his thoughts on Prometheus. As excited as I am for the new movie, what does a guy responsible for creating a science fiction exhibition feel about a return to the world of Alien?

“We were talking about Ridley Scott. He’s more than a storyteller. He’s also a designer. He’s such a visual storyteller. So much of the power of Blade Runner is that world and those vehicles. He did designs or he brought really talented people to do amazing designs. The stories are rock solid too. But the films are so visual and I think it’s a rare combination he does really well so there’s got to be another Ridley Scott sometime? I don’t know  of any right now or on the horizon. So I think it’s just incredibly fortunate that he’s still working. he’s been working for decades and he’s still creates incredibly good product…I haven’t seen Prometheus yet! Who knows?

  I interject: “What are you expectations?”

“I think it will be beautiful certainly. Prequels make me nervous because you kind of know what’s ultimately going to happen. So you lose some suspense but I’m sure within the film he’ll create all kinds of suspense.

  Sometimes…the thing about prequels is 20 years later the special effects technology blows aways what we saw before but also blows away some of the charm. Some of that they had to do more with less they had to be more creative with special effects  Now it’s like throw a computer at it.  Sometimes… again I don’t know in Prometheus some things we’ve seen it could be like well not quite as charming…but I’ll be there. I’ll be there.”

  Prometheus is now in theaters. Icons of Science Fiction is now open at EMP Museum.