Batman: Earth One Review

Batman - Earth One is yet another take on the Batman mythos, this time Geoff Johns and one of my favourite artists, Gary Frank, take us on a journey that looks at the search for Martha and Thomas Waynes killer/s by Bruce who is only just beginning his career as Batman.

It must have been tough for Johns to come up with something new and fresh with all the previous versions of the Batman origin having been well established over the past decades. Frank Miller's Batman: Year One and of course the Batman Begins movie, along with the other movies, already establishing the character in our own minds doesn't allow much room for someone else to add just another origin tale. So, how does Johns try to keep it fresh and entertaining? He gives us an early look at Alfred Pennyworth and his relationship to the Waynes and his new relationship to Bruce Wayne as well as the early stages of Bruce Wayne becoming Batman.

Reviewed : Transmetropolitan Vol. 1 - Back on the Street

Transmetropolitan, Vol. 1: Back on the Street by Warren Ellis

(Publisher : DC/Vertigo)

"After years of self imposed exile from a civilisation rife with degradation and indecency, cynical journalist Spider Jerusalem is forced to return to a job he hates and a city he loathes. Working as an investigative reporter for the newspaper The Word, Spider attacks the injustices of his surreal 23rd century surroundings. In this first volume, Spider ventures into the dangerous Angels 8 district, home of the Transients - humans who have decided to become aliens through cosmetic surgery. But Spider's interview with the Transients' leader gets him a scoop he didn't bargain for."

Absolutely frikkin brilliant this is!

This is the book that made me bow my head and acknowledge the genius that is Warren Ellis.
Granted the man is so slow and annoyingly delayed as a writer (especially these days) that you want to pull your scalp off along with you hair but there is no denying that he can create stories and ideas that are beyond amazing and so damn good that you can't help but wait for the next one regardless of how long it takes!

Meeting Maniacs: Yogesh Chandekar and Saumin Patel (a.k.a masterminds of The Jungfrao Encounter!) + Preview Artwork!

Vinod... Agent Vinod.

We have a very special treat for you today everyone!

A one-on-one session with the brilliant creative team behind the awesome new The Jungfrau Encounter: An Agent Vinod Graphic Novel, which is a killer idea in that it does not tie-in directly to the movie but is an adventure all its own – a potential new side to franchising a character? We think it could be, so along with the interview we were lucky enough to get some brilliant art samples from the book.

(Yogesh Chandekar is the writer who cooked up this mad adventure and Saumin Patel is the brilliant artist who has so vividly brought it to life!)

1. Before we dive into the big comic news for which we're here today – would you like to tell us a little bit about yourself and how you found yourself working in graphic story-telling and comics?

Yogesh Chandekar (Y.C) : I’m an ex-advertising professional who simply got bored and left the field in 2007 to join Virgin Comics. Six months later, Virgin shut shop abruptly leaving me without a job. I had no intention of going back to advertising, so I did some freelance writing for a

Armageddon Expo 2011 (Auckland, New Zealand)

Myself and my awesome helper Renee

Again awesome Renee here with my other awesome helper fellow comic book creator, Susan Rugg.

I had been planning to launch our Online Comic Store at the Expo, which has been running now for a number of years. I had placed it in the top priority slot as its the biggest in Australasia. Numbers can usually vary around 18,000 and up - but this year it crossed 40,000!

This year was the third time I had attended but the first time I was there as a retailer myself. Being a retailer you get to see the amount of work that goes into putting in a such a huge effort into the smooth running of the events. I had a couple of very amazing young ladies help me out over the three days that we were there. The event itself was four days long. But I realised on Day 2 that it wouldn't be possible for me to stay the fourth day, so by the end of Day 3 we had packed up and left the venue, elated with the turnout and the response to us being there.

SPECIAL PREVIEW: Jason and the Argonauts!

Welcome folks to a special preview of one of the most unique looking books to be published out of the Campfire library.

Now, Greek mythology is one of the most widely known and the stories among the most respected and iconic across the globe. From the Trojan war to the twelve tasks of Hercules to the various tales that define their pantheon of Gods, among so many more, it is a rich and powerful family of stories that have inspired people for generations.

So it is small wonder that Campfire has taken it upon themselves to make their successful adaptation works finally touch on these tales of adventure and humanity.

Recently Campfire Graphic Novels has released a graphic novel on the story of ‘Jason and the Argonauts’ and their adventures trying to win the fabled Golden Fleece. Filled with very raw looking but intriguingly quality artwork that confounds with its combination of savage beauty, it all seems to suit the tale, the time and the place.

Courtesy the good folks over at Campfire we have for you today these sneak previews of some of the final pages from the graphic novel as well as an album at the end with loads of amazing black-and-white pages in high-res for you to enjoy and feast your eyes upon!

Crowdfunding: The Circle Graphic Novel

Crowdfunding is when a whole bunch of people you know and most likely don't know, have an opportunity to support your project. Whatever the project might be. From a short film to a tuition fee to get you to a special course to further your skills, to getting a new computer application off the ground.

Recently there has been a huge variety of websites across the West doing really great things for Creators and Artists as well as for amateurs.  So, I decided to give it a go to see if I could get support to get my graphic novel printed.

(Click on here for my project on Pozible.)

Having tried to get onto the US Kickstarter website, after the initial acceptance of my project, I found out I had to live in the United States or have a US bank account to qualify. So, when I heard about the Australian site, Pozible.com which is a bit closer to myself here, in New Zealand, I decided to have a go.

The Inhabitants by the Sheehan Bros.

The Inhabitants, a graphic novel in four parts by the Sheehan Bros - Kelly on script and Darren on art - is an overwhelming escape into a nightmarish dream-scape of strange creatures and wondrous characters. The story opens with us being introduced to a young man named Tom who happens to suddenly gain the ability to fly, or float, depending on what your thoughts are about whether Tom is in a dream or has walked into another world - much like Dorothy or Alice. It is important that you keep in mind these two characters of lore as the story is very visual, much like Oz, and Wonderland.
I bought the four issues as a set because I wanted to make sure I had the entire collection to read in one sitting as I am of the mind that its better to have the whole story to read rather than an issue at a time, but we all know that sometimes that is not possible. But I was glad that the Sheehan's had the singles and sets for sale. The cost for this amazing work of escapism and graphic story-telling was NZ$18.00 for all four. Of course if you just want to read it, it is available on their blogsite.

A Hell(Blazer) of a week.

I have been reading comics as mentioned the other week for close to 30yrs. And a small portion of that time I have spent a small fortune buying, selling and re-collecting, after my first collection was burnt in a fire. Amongst those were the Uncanny X-men run from #180-295. Some of the greatest X-Men stories told were written during those years. But I am digressing. Anyway, I restarting collecting 10yrs ago and haven't stopped since. As well as you know writing and creating my own. 

Hellblazer Pandemonium Jami Delano is a Must Read.

Who is Aru, anyway?

A little History… 

Archie Comics, Walt Disney, and 2000AD

The first memory of ever seeing or reading a comic book was in, Nacovi, Nadi Town in Fiji. It was two different ones, an Archie and a Walt Disney Comics, with Goofy etc. Its reading these comics at the age of 7 or 8yrs old that has become the focal point in my life. 

The second memory is, when having moved to New Zealand with my mother in 1981.  A tent created with my knees under blanket at night, a small torch lighting the 2000AD comics, my friend had lent me.

Who would have thought that the from the age of 17 to 21yrs old would see myself spending thousands of dollars on comics and then losing then to the fire in 1999. And then I didn’t pick up a comic again till I began my studies for a Bachelors Degree in Digital Filmmaking in 2003. I got back into the comics as a way of meeting/making news friends in a city, Invercargill, New Zealand. I also started trading in them and also collecting as an investment. And have continued that trend up till now 8yrs later.  

A Writer is Born

Nish's Notepad: Ravana- Roar of the Demon King

Another flaming title from Campfire, after Nelson Mandela comes to my notepad this week. I know you've read the title, so no marks for guessing the name. So, this is a mythological title, in a narrative style, from none other than RAVANA: THE DEMON KING.

Story: Abhimanyu Singh Sisodia
Art: Sachin Nagar
Colors: Sachin Nagar
Letters: Ghan Shyam Joshi

The Itch You Can't Scratch - A Re-review

After the Comic Con 2010 ended, we were all on a high. My cousin had won a bundle of free comic as the 2nd prize, and he had left the entire thing at my place for me to consume. For all you foreign readers – It is an age old custom in India that whatever a younger brother wins, he has to share it with his elder brother. For reference, read the wiki about Draupadi. Yes. It is true. That is what we still do in India :P. For the non-American foreign readers, well, it’s just this arrangement between my cousin and I. He is the keeper, so I read and then he takes them, reads them and archives them. I am a mess and nothing stays safe with me.

Anyway, I digress. Among the lot, the first book I started reading The Itch You Can't Scratch by Sumit Kumar (one of the writers for Savita Bhabhi, which was ONE of the reasons I picked this one up first) and I must say, it turned out to be a pretty interesting read, contrary to all my apprehension.

Main Cover: The itch you can't scratch



Nish's Notepad: Sufi Comics

Hello There!
I know most of you know me as The Gotham Guy: Nishkarsh Chugh but what's better than a combined blog where you have all the stuff at only one place. This is my first official post, I've written twice here but that wasn't OFFICIAL.
Enough talks, I'll be writing every Tuesday here and for some weeks, I'll be reviewing comics and graphic novel's of different genres, different companies and different ages. Special thanks to Mayank, without whose support we wouldn't be able to come on a single platform and write.


So today, I'm going to review 40 Sufi Comics, short comic strips illustrating eternal truths in the teachings of Islam.

Art: Mohammed Ali Vakil
Script: Mohammed Arif Vakil and Mohammed Ali Vakil

"One's own religion is after all a matter between oneself and one's Maker and no one else's.

-Mahatma Gandhi

I'm a Hindu. I spent my early childhood days reading Amar Chitra Katha (because it was an easy way to understand the vast Hindu Religion) . I didn't know about the the teachings of Holy Qur'an and Islamic Religion. Just some weeksa back, I ordered 40 Sufi Comics and some days back, it got delivered. The cover page said it all.. "Heaven is just two steps away" (read the whole review to get the answer)..