My Review of IDW's ROM #1

ROM #1 – “Earthfall Part 1”
IDW Publishing
Cover price $4.99
Written by Christos Gage and Chris Ryall
Art by David Messina with colour assists by Michele Pata

“We’ve been invaded and only a s pace knight can save us! First there was his epic return in this year's FCBD #0, and now the ongoing tale of ROM begins in earnest! Christos Gage, Chris Ryall, and David Messina kick off the wildest new series of the year as Rom's war with the DIRE WRAITHS hits close to home in "Earthfall, part 1!"”

ROM’s long awaited return is finally here. We got a brief glimpse of it in the ROM #0 FCBD edition, there’s nothing like holding a #1 in your hands!

The story opens with a fun homage to ROM’s original crash landing back in 1979. We get a good look at the functionality of ROM’s modern appearance and how his weapons and devices are now an extension of his armour. Just as ROM has received an upgrade, the Dire Wraiths’ get to level up as they’re able to use human lifeforce to shape change into monstrous hawk creatures.

After an initial encounter with the Dire Wraiths, ROM has to figure out how he’s going to approach dealing with their infiltrated brethren. He comes to the rescue of a young woman suffering from post-war PTSD and unaware that the Dire Wraiths have killed her entire family and replaced them. After an impressive battle sequence, ROM tries to settle down the devastated young woman, Darby, who’s in a state of shock.

Hats off to Chris Ryall and IDW Publishing for pursuing this character. Re-imagined for a whole new generation, with minor alterations to his armor and a new supporting cast, ROM is ready to continue his epic battle against the Dire Wraiths who have infiltrated human society. Thankfully, his supporting cast has been modernized as well, with stronger female protagonists that will have more of an active presence.

Messina’s art reminded me a lot of the work of Ian Akin & Brian Garvey from the 1980s. The panel layouts and the smooth flow and transition really brings the action to life.

I really liked the tip of the hat to Bill Mantlo, the Marvel Comics writer who pretty much created the ROM-verse, in naming the park in the story, Mantlo Park.

The only aspect that I wasn’t thrilled about was the upcoming crossover with the other IDW Hasbro properties. While my inner child is blow away at the thought of pitching his GI Joe action figures against ROM, the adult me has become wary of event driven storyline and was hoping for something a bit more focused and streamlined.

However, I’ll be there for the next issue to see where they take ROM, the Wraithslayer next! This first issue was worth the 30 year wait!

My SDCC 2016 Wrap-Up

It’s hard to believe that it was a week ago today that we flew out to San Diego for SDCC.

An emergency stop at a clinic for pink eye, horrible traffic getting to the airport, and a slow leak in a tire were the only issues plaguing us on our trip to the airport. The flight was on time and really felt cramped for the five hour flight. All our luggage arrived safely and we checked into the Sheraton Marina and head downtown on the free shuttle. That Yellow Line shuttle was amazing, allowing us to travel back and forth from the Convention in about 15 minutes.

Getting our badges was very streamlined and quick. After a quick bite to eat, we got into the Con for Preview Night, but found out that Art Adams’ sketch list was already closed. Met the lovely and talented Marjorie Liu, writer for Image’s Monstress. After a couple of hours exploring with our jaws wide open, we headed back to the hotel and decompressed at Quinn’s, which served a lot great local craft beer.

On Thursday, after a big breakfast at the hotel, we headed down for our first full day. We got into the panel and signing ticket line, but quickly gave up after an hour wait and the line not going anywhere. Snagged a great Shadow sketch from Howard Chaykin. Collected some autographs from Chuck Wendig, Mark Brooks, Len Wein, and William Gibson. Had a nice Italian dinner in the Gaslight district watching the cosplayers. Ended the evening on a rooftop patio with an amazing view of the city and had drinks next to Lucy Lawless and Ted Raimi.

Friday was a rather quiet day as I did a bit of shopping and then made my way over to NerdHQ for the Con Man panel. It was a great, intimate venue and the panel was a lot of fun. Got a few of my Master of Kung Fu issues signed by Paul Gulacy. We had a light dinner and enjoyed a bottle of the Star Trek Anniversary beer. We checked out the gaming area and played a few games of Shadows over Westminster where we chatted with the game’s designer. After a bit more cosplay watching along the Gaslight district, we called it a night.

Saturday was crazy, so I knew that I could get to the Con a bit later. I met author Jonathan Maberry who had edited an anthology I was a part of. When he asked me what story I had written, I totally blanked and couldn’t remember the title of my story (which was Dirt Man, about a grave golem terrorizing a small town). Had a great lunch at Smash burger. Got my ROM #1 SDCC Exclusive edition signed by the creative team. The crowds near the end of the day were insane. It took us over 20 minutes just to go from our shuttle bus drop-off area to the Gaslight district. After dinner, we headed back to the rooftop bar, but were turned away as it was an NBC exclusive party. 

On Sunday, after carefully backing my books and loot, we hit the show for our last day. Did a bit more shopping picking up an Enterprise Hallmark ornament and a Shopkins exclusive toy for my daughter. I picked up my lovely Punk Storm sketch by the talented Jae Lee, who turned out to be a big fan of my blog. We had a last dinner at a Kansas BBQ joint where scenes from Top Gun were filmed. Exhausted, we picked up our luggage and flew out on the red eye.

This was my third visit to SDCC and each of them is special in their own way. I travelled with 3 other guys who had never been, and part of the fun was simply watching their shock and awe as they experience the enormity of SDCC. The Fan Expo we enjoy in Toronto is nowhere near the scale of SDCC. The venue and administration at SDCC is much better handled and has more of a professional feel to it. Also, San Diego genuinely embraces the Comic Con, with nearby hotel venues, theme restaurants, and an overwhelming amount of off-site activities. My only real complain was how all the lines for the signings were handled. Not a lot of the volunteers knew what was going on which spawned many different and confusing line-ups. The highlights of the show to me were meeting the creative team of Monstress and that beautiful Punk Storm sketch by Jae Lee.

Micronauts (2016) #1 by IDWComics

Main cover by J.H. Williams
Variant by Butch Guice

Variant by Michael Golden
Subscribption Cover A by David Baldeon
Subscribption Cover B by Gabriel Rodriguez
Subscription Cover C Classic Action Figure Variant

2016 - Anatomy of a Cover - Micronauts #1

By Gabriel Rodriguez, colors by Nelson Daniel. 

Spotlight on the Simonsons - Fan Expo 2013

Spotlight on the Simonsons
Fan Expo 2013
Friday, Aug 23 - 12:30pm

Here's the audio recording of the panel:

Unfortunately for some unknown reason, this panel was scheduled for only half an hour. The moderator wisely skipped any introduction or spotlight material and immediately opened the floor to questions.

The first question was about Beta Ray Bill (first appearance in Thor #337, Nov. 1983) which was punctuated by a cosplayer donning an impressive homemade Bill costume. Walt explained that he had carte blanche with the title and wanted to create a new hero who was worthy of the inscription on Mjolnir, Thor’s hammer,

When asked about the reaction to the Thor Frog story line (Thor #364, Feb. 1985), Walt basically said that there was no negative reaction although there were a few letters asking him if what was happening was for real. He also noted that in those days, the majority of fan letters were positive, while now most of the fan reaction online seems to be negative. The Thor Frog storyline was an homage to Carl Barks (creator of Donald Duck and Scrooge) and that he liked the fairy tale twist with the prince (Thor) being turning into the frog.

Walt talked about his upcoming IDW comic, Ragnarok, which will feature his own take on the Norse Myths. The basic premise is that Ragnarok, the Twilight of the Gods, happened without Thor and the bad guys won. Two hundred years later, Thor returns and is out for revenge.

Louise talked about the Death of Superman in the 1990s and how much fun it was working on such a collaborative group of Superman titles. She praised editor Mike Carlin for his efforts in coordinating the weekly books. She also talked about how it was the Funeral for a Friend storyline afterwards that had interested her more than the Death of Superman.

I asked them what it was like working together and they both agreed that it was a fun experience and that they fed off each other’s creative energies. When co-writing the Wolverine and Havok limited series in 1989, they would each take turns at the typewriter and write until they got tired and the other would take over.

At the top of the hour, the questions kept coming and the Simonsons kept answering. The panel ran over, delaying the Neal Adams panel. When Walt heard that it was Neal waiting, he jovially yelled out “Tell Neal to get lost!”

What came through in this intimate and interactive panel was the approachability and neighbors-next-door feeling that radiated from the Simonsons. Two individuals whose lives have been intertwined with comics for 50 years and clearly still love the medium.

More images of John Byrne's Fantastic Four Artist's Edition

Grabbed from: http://retrorandy.blogspot.ca/2013/05/john-byrnes-fantastic-four-artists.html

ROM vs. Martians!

Grabbed this from the Sal Buscema POW! Facebook page:

Mars Attacks Rom the Space Knight by Sal Buscema. Colors by Andrew Elder. A bonus pin-up in the back of the Mars Attacks IDW trade paperback out on April 17.

John Byrne's Fantastic Four Artist's Edition

More information from http://shop.idwpublishing.com/john-byrne-s-fantastic-four-artist-s-edition-hc.html.

Scheduled to ship in late May 2013.

"IDW is pleased to offer more than six issues worth of Fantastic Four stories by John Byrne in the Eisner Award-winning Artist's Edition format. Included in this volume are issue 232 (the first one with Byrne on as writer & artist), issue 238 (the first story), plus issues 241, 243, 247 and 261 as well as the classic What If #36 story,"What if the Fantastic Four had not gained their powers?" There is also an art gallery included that showcases more than a dozen covers.

Nearly all of the pages in this book have been scanned from the actual original art that was drawn by John Byrne. This Artist's Edition measures 12 x 17 inches and is 168 pages long. Each book is shipped in a custom cardboard box for maximum protection.

While appearing to be in black and white, each page was scanned in color to mimic as closely as possible the experience of viewing the actual original art—for instance, corrections, blue pencils, paste-overs, all the little nuances that make original art unique. Each page is printed the same size as drawn, and the paper selected is as close as possible to the original art board."

John Byrne's Fantastic Four Artist's Edition

Bleeding Cool is reporting that IDW is set to publish 6 issues of John Byrne's Fantastic Four. Judging by the cover, it looks to be Fantastic Four #274 (January 1985).

More details on DAVID MAZZUCCHELLI'S DAREDEVIL BORN AGAIN: ARTIST'S EDITION

Here's the official solicitation write-up:

Daredevil Born Again. That title strikes a chord with comic fans who know what it means. Fans who know that it represents two of the finest creators at the absolute peaks of their game. David Mazzucchelli's superhero work had reached an artistic apex when this series was released, and the same is true for Frank Miller's writing. Together they combined to craft a story of extraordinary impact that is still regarded as a true masterpiece. 

Collecting the entire storyline of Born Again, this book will feature the complete issues of Daredevil numbers 227, 228, 229, 230, 231, 232 and 233, plus covers and extras. Each page was personally scanned by Mazzucchelli from his own original art. This is the largest Artist's Edition yet, weighing in at a rock solid 200 pages of beautiful Mazzucchelli art in the way you've always wanted to see it—the next bet thing to holding the actual original art! 

HC * BW * $95.00 net discount item * 200 Pages * 12” x 17” * ISBN: 978-1-61377-238-6 

Bullet points:
* What is an Artist’s Edition?
AN ARTIST'S EDITION PRESENTS COMPLETE STORIES WITH EACH PAGE SCANNED FROM THE ACTUAL ORIGINAL ART.
While appearing to be in black & white, each page has been scanned in COLOR to mimic as closely as possible the experience of viewing the actual original art—for example, you are able to clearly see paste-overs, blue pencils in the art, editorial notes, art corrections. Each page is printed the same size as drawn, and the paper selected is as close as possible to the original art board.

Artist's Edition of Daredevil: Born Again

Bleedingcool.com is reporting that IDW will be publishing an Artist's Edition of Daredevil: Born Again. Here's some original art I found on comicartfans.com. Enjoy!