ESO Episode 102: Reboots, Reimaginings, Remakes & Relaunches. Oh my!

Stop if you’ve heard this one before! The ESO crew gets deja vu all over again as we discuss the hot button topic of remakes in TV, movies, comic books, and more. Are they just money grabs or is imitation indeed the sincerest form of flattery? Mike, Mike, and Bobby point out the good, bad, and completely unnecessary. We also talk to Rebecca Perry about her spine-tingling experiences at the Days of the Dead show in Atlanta and artist Anthony Owlsey takes a turn in The Geek Seat. All this, plus the usual Rants, Raves, Shout Outs and Khan report!

Join us for yet another episode of The Earth Station One Podcast we like to call: Reboots, Reimaginings, Remakes & Relaunches. Oh my!

Grundy’s Web Pick of the Week: Project : Rooftop

As nerds, we don’t like artists messing with our beloved characters. Whether it be a DC-wide refresh or a one-off redesign, some of us will always hit the message boards to point out the obvious. We don’t like change.

Or do we? Initial rage aside, we usually come around when the change is for the better. Variety is the spice of life, they say, and I’m always happy to see Wonder Woman dawn the battle armor or Green Lantern supplement his suit with a well placed construct. Too bad there isn’t a place I could go to see a line-up of elseworlds outfits for my favorite heroes…

Turns out there is, Project : Rooftop. It does for fan fic what Project Runway does for models–it plays dress-up. A picture is worth a 1000 words so…

by George Kambadais (www.gkambadais.com)

Smoke and Mirrors comic by IDW, Launches with Magic Effects

IDW Publishing today released the all-new, creator-owned SMOKE AND MIRRORS. This five-issue series will set a unique standard for comics. Created by award-winning writer Mike Costa (GI JOE: COBRA, Blackhawks) who is also a member of the Magic Castle and acclaimed indie-artist Ryan Browne (God Hates Astronauts, Blast Furnace), SMOKE AND MIRRORS is also the first comics project for Jon Armstrong who is one of the finest sleight-of-hand artists in the world and a consultant in . This innovative team has incorporated engaging, mind-bending illusions and mentalism principles into SMOKE AND MIRRORS, creating an amazing magical experience using only ink and paper.

“I’ve been with IDW for almost four years now, and in that time they’ve taken some really crazy risks with me in terms of the stories I wanted to tell and the storytelling devices I used to tell them. After showing so much good faith, I decided it was time to return the favor and start taking those risks on a book of my own,” said Costa. “SMOKE AND MIRRORS is my first creator-owned book, and I am immensely proud to have it published by this company that has given the industry some of the greatest creator-owned books of the last decade. The only thing I’m more proud of is the fact that I get to do it with Ryan Browne, a ridiculously talented artist who has been my best friend for literally 20 years, and Jon Armstrong, one of the finest magicians I’ve ever seen, and my friend and mentor.”
Armstrong, Browne and Costa revolutionize the comics experience by using magic as a storytelling technique in SMOKE AND MIRRORS.

It’s No Lie – PINOCCHIO: VAMPIRE SLAYER A Digital Hit

By Vaneta Rogers, Source: Newsarama

With their story of Pinocchio: Vampire Slayer, artist Dusty Higgins and writer Van Jensen have won loyal readers over by utilizing the classic tale of the small puppet to portray his revenge on a horde of bloodsucking vampires.

This month, the 250-page Volume 3 of the series, titled Of Wood and Blood is being released digitally, along with the first two volumes on ComiXology, introducing a new audience to the story already beloved by its fans.

Robert Venditti And Cary Nord To Relaunch X-O Manowar

by Rich Johnston, Source: Bleeding Cool.com

On May the 2nd, Valiant Entertainment will launch X-O Manowar, a revamp of the Valiant/Acclaim character, from Surrogates creator and Iron Man writer Robert Venditti and artist Cary Nord.

Garth Ennis Writes The Shadow. All Other News Is Cancelled.

by Rich Johnston, Source: Bleeding Cool.com

Garth Ennis is writing a new The Shadow ongoing series for Dynamite for April this year, drawn by Holmes and Hornet artist Aaron Campbell, with covers by Alex Ross (above), Howard Chaykin, Jae Lee and John Cassaday.

Ennis is an appreciator of the series and the concept in its previous forms, tagging it as the only American character he’s wanted to write but is yet to.

Grundy’s Weekly Web Pick: The Weekly Crisis’ Moments of the Week

There comes a time in every comic reader’s life when they have to admit “I just can’t afford this anymore” or “I don’t have time to read that much” or “where does this fit into continuity?” The truth is, there is too much sequential content to keep up with these days. Fear not! The Weekly Crisis offers a way around water cooler humiliation and comic book shop disfranchisement, the Moments of the Week!

The Weekly Crisis is a comic book review and opinion blog that is pick worthy in it’s own right, but what really sets it apart is their round-up of highlights from major publishers. It is a “Cliff Notes” of comics in which you’ll see the most interesting pages from the most popular books.

Of course, this in no way replaces single issue reading. If you are a trade waiter or a slow reader, you might want to steer clear of the Moments of the Week as it is basically a mass spoiler post. This feature best serves those who want an overview of major events wihout all that pesky chacterization and, y’know, reading.

The Kindle Fire: A Comic Book Lover’s Review

Amazon’s Kindle line of products have become the go-to brand for e-readers and with the new release of the Kindle Fire, they finally bring graphical content into the fold. Could this be the missing link between the average reader and digital comics? I don’t know, but it’s a helluva holiday gift.

The Fire is more than the traditional Kindles and less than the iPad in both functionality and price. It runs a skinned and simplified version of Google’s Android OS which leaves you squarely in the middle of Amazon content. The Fire tempts you to buy stuff even more than iTunes, which makes sense since the Fire tablet is a loss leader of sorts. The content is the star of the show, from magazines to movie to sequential art.

As you may have heard, DC Comics is selling a large selection of their graphic novels exclusively on the Fire. Watchmen, Y: The Last Man, Fables and of course the major DC Universe titles are all sold for less than ten dollars a volume, quite a bit cheaper than the dead tree versions. The reading experience is quite enjoyable. The screen is smaller than the iPad which is a distinct disadvantage if you are far-sighted, but the Fire compensates by offering a panel by panel view that zooms in for easier text viewing. This works reasonably well, but it would be nice if they also incorporated the more standard pinch-to-zoom as well. Amazon is pushing updates to the device already, so one can hope.

DC is represented, but other publishers aren’t quite on the Amazon bandwagon. (Maybe because they don’t have Wonder Woman.) If you are a Marvel Zombie, you should check out the Barnes & Noble Nook. I haven’t had the chance to play with it, but the word is that it is like a $50 more expensive the Fire with an exclusive deal with Marvel. I predict these exclusives won’t last more than a year since both companies want to get their content in front as many wallets eyeballs as possible.
Regardless, official Kindle/Nook content isn’t the end of the comic goodness. The Fire comes pre-loaded with Comixology, the comic reading app you may already have on your Apple or Android phone. As far as I’m concerned, the lack of Comixology on the Nook Tablet means game over for it as a comic reading device, Marvel deal or not. The app is an even better experience than the built in reader. You get the standard full page mode, which, again, may work for you on the 7” screen or not, and you also get the slick guided view mode that animates a path from frame to frame.

Sold yet? If not, the Fire also has motion comics available in that it runs Netflix. Joss Whedon’s Astonishing X-Men run is on Netflix as a motion comic, not to mention other great geeky content like LOST, Dr. Who and Firefly.

Still can’t find anything you like? Then load your own comics via the ComiCat app or make your own comic art using one of the paint programs. Sketchbook Mobile and a $10 stylus turn the Fire into a cheap drawing tablet.

The Kindle Fire is the first real, affordable comic reader, but it’s far from perfect. It suffers from the bugs of any first iteration product, it can only access the apps in the Amazon app store, and does less that pretty much any other Android tablets and the iPad. The thing is, the other tablets don’t have the Amazon ecosystem and are twice the price. If you want the internet and all of your media available in your oversized pocket, this is probably the stuffer for your stocking this year.

Archie Comics: Finally, some respect?

Erika D. Peterman — Special to CNN, Source: CNN.com

They’re as much a part of Americana as Spider-Man, but Archie and his pals don’t always get the respect they deserve.

Think about it: Betty, Veronica, Jughead and Reggie are instantly recognizable characters and archetypes, and I’d wager that most people who grew up reading comics, even casually, cracked open an “Archie’s Digest” along the way.

Some of us never left Archie behind, at least not permanently. While our fellow fangirls and boys might not consider Riverdale to be as relevant as Gotham or Asgard, we know what a special place it still occupies in comics, to say nothing of our personal geek origin stories. Nostalgia is a factor, but there are other reasons why Archie still matters after 70 years.

Will MTV Open Its Door To Locke & Key?

by Kevin Melrose, Source: Spinoff Online

Just when it seemed as if the doors had closed on Locke & Key, another hope has emerged for the adaptation of the acclaimed horror comic by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez: MTV.

The well-reviewed pilot, from executive producers Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, writer Josh Friedman and director Mark Romanek, was rejected in May by Fox, leading producers to unsuccessfully pursue Syfy and The CW before ultimately dismantling the sets and allowing the cast’s options to lapse.

But now, following the pilot screening organized by IDW Publishing at Comic-Con International and the leak last month of an early trailer, Deadline asserts there’s interest from MTV’s head of programming David Janollari, who likes the supernatural thriller but has yet to meet with producers.