Special Alan Moore Update : Rants and Comic Announcements

Welcome to a special news update edition of the Wayfarer folks!

Today we bring you some highly entertaining and some exciting news from the much-revered, ridiculed, confusing, scary, god-like but undeniably talented and legendary scribe you all know as Alan Moore. His series like Watchmen, V for Vendetta and From Hell showed his literary power and made people start looking at comics more seriously - Watchmen still being among the top books recommended to new converts. He's also known for his remarkable re-imagining of established characters like Superman (For the man who has everything), Batman (The Killing Joke), Supreme, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, etc, etc... He even did a 3-part series called Lost Girls along with his wife that was pretty amazing, albiet skirting the very edges of artful vs. pornographic story-telling.

Christopher Nolan’s "The Dark Knight" trilogy : The Comic Connections

With The Dark Knight Rises having stormed theatres around the world and the epic trilogy coming to a close, there is a lot of discussion on various sites and pages about how much this trilogy is loyal to its comic book counterparts.
Well the good news is that it is to a large extent.

This article tries to prove how well the researched the trilogy was by showing all the cues, characters, story points and details that Christopher Nolan and his fellow writers adapted from various iconic comic stories/arcs to create a whole new Batman for a new age!

Click to Enlarge!

(It will either prove that, or that I'm an utter and total nutter who see's things everywhere that are just not there!)

I've tried to break these elements down and give you the titles of the stories/graphic novels/collections where they seem to have originated, of course only the movie-makers can know what's true and what's not.
But here, I ask YOU - think you know your caped crusader? Check this out and see what you knew and all the stuff you might've missed, the inspirations for some great movie moments.

DCnU 1st Year Anniversary Special #1 : Heroes Missing

DCnU : The Missing Pieces, the Heroes we've lost!

One year.

One long, year of the DCU New 52. One long year filled with roller coater ups-and-downs that have delighted and aggravated fans across the comic-readership spectrum.

There have been first attempts at crossover, some successful (Night of Owls, Rotworld) and some... not so much (The Culling, Basilisk Rising) and – so far – three waves of releases including the titular first wave of 52.

There are books I've loved and books I've hated and some that aren't quite in either camp – others still that started at one place and jumped to another. The point of all this is, dear reader, that it's been pretty crazy as you're well aware.

BUT! This first year over and DC releasing a whole slew of #0 issues this week, we're looking at finally getting at least some of the many questions about origins and continuity answered (hopefully) through these titles.

With this in mind, we here at Comic Addicts are starting a series of weekly specials that will cover various aspects of the DCnU, from reviews to top-10 style lists and others. Starting now! (so click ahead and read on!)

Comic Review : Aghori #01 and #02 (Wayfarer Special!)

I think something short-circuited in my brain just now...

Like you dear reader, I've seen the previews, I've heard the rumours and scoured the facebook groups and people I know for anything I could on this new series and found little beyond what the folks at Holy Cow Entertainment put out there. They played this one close to the chest and now I can see why. This is a very a well-executed and bold new step from Indian creators, the art alone elevates this to a new level of amazing and the production values are impeccable.

(NOTE : Check out some of the preview pages we've got for you here!!)

Series writer Ram V is a very new face on the Indian comic scene and with the aid of his collaborators in this project - that I know for a fact came about amazingly fast (for more history on all this, check out our earlier interviews and coverage, all linked at the end of this review!) - may well be one of the most promising I've come across so far.

All the buzz on MARVEL NOW! in one place!

As we move now well past the halfway mark of Avengers vs. X-Men (a.k.a AvX) and head into the final stretch of this marathon of mindless mauling, big news arrives!

The good folks over at Marvel Comics have announced a huge new “game-changing” move they are calling Marvel Now! that will start to build momentum towards what they are calling a “soft” reboot.

What exactly is the purpose and nature of this reboot? Especially now? Is this just a ploy to get back at their chief rival, DC Comics, who had a hard reboot of their whole line and for the first time in ages beat Marvel in the sales numbers? Is it a genuinely thought out, brave and innovative move? Or is it just a hurriedly put-together gimmick because they have nothing else to do?

We don't know all the answers, but we are committed to bringing you as much information as we can so keep going past the jump for everything on this event out in the news thus far – and remember to stick around in the coming weeks for more!

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!

15 Hottest Movie and TV Cat-suits (Part 2)

Hectic week so far? Don't worry, something to brighten it up mid-week then is in order!

Now whoever you might be, a thing of beauty is precisely that and with that spiritual thought in mind, I have for you the second half – the top of the top – of my list of some of the most enticing bad-ass ladies ever on film!

Now, in case you think I'm being sexist or you're a lady yourself and have a grouse about it – don't. Let's be honest, men can be a lot of things but nothing compared to a beautiful woman and every single one of these ladies was aiming for precisely that effect and I think it would be hypocritical of me not to honestly appreciate them.

And so, feel free to catch up with the countdown in the first half of this list, but if you've been waiting since last week I shall delay no more and get right to it:

7. Milla Jovovich as Alice in Resident Evil : Afterlife

From the first moment I saw Milla Jovovich in the truly under-appreciated The Fifth Element playing the kooky Leeloo, I think a part of me was smitten for a long while – all compounded when she continued to be the most bad-ass of the bad-asses and hands down the best leading action lady around and Resident Evil was the one that made her even bigger.

No-one can make wholesale devastation and chaos as good as Milla! Period.

Click to Enlarge!

15 Hottest Movie and TV Cat-suits (Part 1)

The Avengers's has been rocking the record books and the much anticipated The Dark Knight Rises is on the horizon to possibly break even more of them. One big thing that they both share in common? Each has a lovely leading lady kicking arse in the quintessential cat-suits that all the coolest and most bad-ass ladies have donned.

Click to Enlarge!!!

SO! In honour of Anne Hathaway rocking a killer new look for Christopher Nolan's grand Bat-finale, I decided that we need to bring in something apart from the same old, same old.

With that in mind, we have on the menu for you today (and in the next couple of weeks) the best of the best in cinematic cat-suits! Some you'll know, some you'll WISH you'd known and will be discovering for the first time (yes, we try to be educational as well!) and for all that, you're welcome.

So let's kick off this countdown of cat-like coolness with the ladies who were flat out smokin', #8-15 today followed by #7-1 in less than a week! (followed by a special list of the ones who came that close but didn't make the final cut, what can I say? Love them all!)

Feel free to disagree, add to the list, give an opinion why someone should have been higher, lower, replaced – all views welcome and if you guys are active enough about it I'm inclined to make a fan-favourite Top-10 list after all this is done!

Enjoy!

C2E2: New Comic News!!

Good day one and all!

Apologies for a hectic week and not enough comic-y goodness for all of you (largely my fault, but I blame the IPL and various other things for our shortcomings!) but we intend to make up for it and then some in the days to come!

For those of you who follow this stuff, there's a HUGE load of comic news that came out during the recent Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo, popularly known as C2E2 amongst fans. I've been keeping an eye on their news and announcements and have for you here a sumptuous feast of some of the most choice and tender treats to tickle your taste buds!

This post is a special recap where I've tried to put together as much of the news as possible for your geeking-out pleasure (in alphabetical order for general ease of use!).

So let's just get to it shall we?

To kick things off, from the strange and frighteningly awesome Avatar offices:

CLICK TO ENLARGE

Michael DiPascale’s new project announced at C2E2 is Hero Worship which will premier in July. Keith says that Avatar Press rarely does superhero comics, noting the exceptions by Warren Ellis, and Christos Gage, saying they don’t do them unless there’s something unique about them. He then describes Hero Worship a bit, telling us Zak Penn will be writing, and it’s a six issue miniseries and is about society’s worship of superheroes and how that can be used to screw the system. The main characters are Adam and Zenith. Adam is a normal boy and Zenith is a Superman-style superhero. Adam is Zenith’s biggest fan, and the book is not really about him, so much as the world around him.

Review: Captain Gravity And The Power Of The Vril

Captain Gravity And The Power Of The Vril!!

Sounds like something out of a 1940’s or 50’s television or radio serial doesn’t it?

Click to Enlarge

You can almost imagine the guy shouting “Same Vril time! Same Vril Channel!” at the end of every episode.

And you really almost can, until you sit down and read this wonderful mini-series from the ever fertile mind of one of my favourite comic creators of all time - the reclusive Joshua Dysart. Eisner-award nominated writer, NY Times best seller and border-line cult figure to those familiar with his work, Dysart has made a reputation for great stories and ideas often fantastic in their lack of outer complexity, yet containing a darker themed core within. His comics tend to be explorations of the human condition and more often in regard to our violence and fascination with it and with human horror. His works such as Violent Messiahs (which I plan to write about soon, I promise!) are almost seminal works in their own unique ways.

Never over-the-top or disgusting or disturbing, Dysarts work simply leaves you wanting more and yet happy to be finished at the same time. But still able to be read over and over. To me that puts him in a league all his own in terms of being a story-teller.

This particular series however, reads a little bit different from his usual work and is a tad less dark - partly that’s because this series is a beautiful little love-letter to the golden age of comics and characters like The Rocketeer, Buck Rogers, Phantom and even a touch of stuff like Indiana Jones in the way it’s all told. (Woohoo!!) And given that he has worked not just on offbeat stuff like Swamp Thing or on more mainstream superheroes, but his previous experience in pulp icons like Conan and Hellboy show that he is no stranger to the style and sensibility.

New Home for Geeks!

Free Dark Horse motion web-comics. Gaming round-table sessions. Critical and fan favourite web-series. The best of Indie culture. A Fantasy book club. All in one place.
Got your attention? Yeah, thought it might.

I don't know how many of you out there are familiar with a lady named Felicia Day. I would say less than 50% would know here, though according to her its probably only 10%. Hopefully a lot more than I'd guess, but just in case I'm wrong:

Felicia Day is an American actress, known for her work as "Vi" on the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and for parts in movies such as Bring It On Again and June, as well as the Internet musical, Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. Day is also the star, script writer and producer of the original web series The Guild, a show loosely based on her life as a gamer. She also starred in the Dragon Age Web Series; Dragon Age: Redemption (you really should check this link out!), which she wrote. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the International Academy of Web Television.

At only 32, she is the creator and star of The Guild, an online series whose episodes have garnered over 150 million views since it began in 2007 and for which she's won two best actress Streamys as well. Oh yeah and earlier this year the Hollywood Reporter named her one of the industry’s top 50 digital power players on a list that included George Lucas.
So there you have the basics, essentially she is a geek icon - writes comics, acts in cult favourite movies and TV shows (Buffy, Eureka, etc) and is a complete gamer through and through. In fact her profile both on facebook and google+ have huge followings that reflect her diverse fan-base, recently she's even been hosting hangouts on G+ with fan.

BUT today is less about Felicia as it is to share about the website + video channel she has just launched mere days ago, titled simple Geek and Sundry.

New X-News: Brian Wood gets 2 X-titles!

Greetings O ye geeks a-gathering!

I've got big news and even bigger laughs in store for you today!

As many of you know, it was recently announced that Marvel superstar writer and unquestionable (Trivial Trivia: thats the only word in english that has every single vowel in it!) master of the Avengers line of comics, Brian Michael Bendis, would be wrapping up his time with Marvels main superhero team franchise and be taking on some X-Men. Well I'll just say that on hearing it I was both elated and scared because I like the guy but Marvel has a tendency to give him EVERYTHING to write and that kills it because he's stretched too thin.

BUT now more news has come and given me a big sigh of relief for starters and a big whoop of joy to follow!

 You see at the recent WonderCon that was held, It was announced by the House Of Ideas (as Marvel like to call themselves) at their Next Big Thing panel that star scribe Brian Wood would (ok, can't help that, sorry) be taking the reins on

Grim and gritty in old Gotham (Series in Review: All-Star Western)

Welcome back to another edition folks, hope you enjoy what's on the menu.

Click for high-res!

Today we have a special series-in-review of one of the most acclaimed ongoing series to come out of DC comics recent reboot – one that in my opinion has not gotten the exposure it deserves, not by a long shot.

I refer of course to the sheer awesomeness that is All-Star Western. Penned by the suitably all-star team of Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti who have been the minds behind the long-running series starring Jonah Hex that came to a stop only recently in light of the reboot of the whole DC line, both being highly respected and much-loved among fans for their consistently good story-telling. Joining them on art duties we have the exceedingly talented Moritat whom some of you will remember from the somewhat short-lived series The Spirit which was part of DC's “First Wave” line-up that tried to bring old classics like it and Doc Savage to new life.

In the past, Hex has always been a loner as a character and except for now and again, has largely stuck to more simply told tales and few team-ups as such. He's had series at DC and Vertigo both, travelled to a dystopic future, fought all manner of magical evils and monsters, been a down and gritty gun-slinger, a brutal bounty hunter but always a tough-as-nails man of his word – someone you don't want to get on the bad side of if it can be helped.

Wayfarer Special: Top 10 Indie Comics of 2011 (Part 2 of 2)

And so once more into the breach dear friends, as I bring us to the second half of this happy little countdown of the Indie comics that I loved the most this past year. Yes, I know, it's been a long gap since Part 1 of this little countdown and the New Year is well into it's first quarter, but it is what it is - I felt that coverage of our Comic Con in Delhi and all that came out of it took precedence and this could wait just a bit.

Before I get to the final leg of the countdown, a quick listing of the books that almost made it to this top ten but fell just shy. I wish I could have made this list longer and perhaps I will review them all in the near future, but in the meantime I think they all deserve an Honourable mention:

• The Goon (Writer/Artist: Eric Powell)
• G.I.Joe Cobra (Writer: Christos Gage and Mike Costa, Artist: Antonio Fuso)
• Scarlet (Writer: Brian Michael Bendis, Artist: Alex Maleev)
• Scalped (Writer: Jason Aaron, Artist: R. M. Guéra)
• Artifacts (Writers: Ron Marz, Marc Silvestri & Matt Hawkins, Artists: Michael Broussard, Stjepan Sejic)
• Super Dinosaur (Writer: Robert Kirkman, Artist: Jason Howard)
• Fallen Angel: Return of the Son (Writer: Peter David, Artist: J.K.Woodward)

So thank you for your patience and now without any further rambling along on my part, lets just get to it shall we?

05. HELLBOY

Click to enlarge

Writer: Mike Mignola w/ John Arcudi

Artist: Various

Publisher: Dark Horse Comics

For those of you that have been following Mike Mignola's worlds as they've evolved in the Hellboy, B.P.R.D and related series, I think you know what I mean when I say that for so many years now they have been the most consistent, creative and amazingly put together comics – among the best comics as a medium have to offer in a sense. For those that have not, you are really missing out on something special.

The various story arcs and such together form such an amazing, long-running and vast story-line and world that it's amazing they've managed it for such a long period of time – and the hand of creator Mike Mignola is definitely visible in every single book, even the one's he has not directly scripted himself. Of course credit where it's due to the talents who've worked with him and been able to strike a nice balance between their own work and style but ever retaining the unique look and feel that Mignola brought to the comic-medium. The truly awesome part being that it remains this damn good even after 17 years!

Wayfarer Special: Top 10 Indie Comics of 2011 (Part 1 of 2)

Welcome back to another wayfaring edition of my rambling and meanderings through the world of comics folks!

Today I have something special for you however. You see I decided that with 2011 now over for a time, there was a massive surge of independent titles and creativity that really brought something new to the industry. Image Comics in particular had a banner year and produced fantastic series after series that left readers breathless.
With this in mind I decided to create a short-list of some of the best and brightest of what I had read this past year. Now bear in mind this is a subjective list and merely my listing things out off the top of my head, first instinct and all that!

There were some magnificent titles that are worthy of praise and celebration but unfortunately my decision to keep this a “Top Ten” list limits the titles I can talk about here. So I will address the ones that got missed here in a later post, for now lets just start our countdown shall we? Good!

(...and as always, all images can be clicked for larger versions! Enjoy.)

10. AXE COP: BAD GUY EARTH

Writer: Malachai Nicolle and Ethan Nicolle

Artist: Ethan Nicolle

Publisher: Dark Horse Comics

What can one say about this series? It is hands down the single most fun and creatively outrageous series possibly ever written. For those that don't know – this mini-series was originally a web-comic written and drawn by 29 year-old Ethan based on stuff that he and Malachai (now about 7?) came up with while playing together. Seriously. Think on that a moment.

Centred on our hero – Axe Cop – who is basically a cop who sleeps only a couple of minutes a day because he works the “always shift” and is the ultimate bad-ass, we see dinosaurs, aliens, Ninja Moon Warriors, a pet T-Rex with gatling gun arms and anything and everything you can imagine. Filled to the brim with entertainment and (I repeat) sheer wall-to-wall fun, you don't need backstory or continuity or anything – this is just simple enjoyable comic reading and in an industry trying very hard to be taken seriously, this book just throws it all out the window with style.

New Year Resolutions of the Heroes!

It's New Year time once again! And we all know that people love making resolutions, but what would your favourite heroes and villains be planning for the year ahead?

Well wonder no more! I ran all around the comic world and with the help of fellow addict Amanda White, we were able to get you all the info you've been looking for my fellow Addicts! 

AND we have great pictures to accompany everything, feel free to click and see them in all their amusing glory!

So without further adieu, here's they are:

Superman

1. Cut back on the drinking and find better ways to deal with the divorce and Bruce's crappy new attitude.

2. Stop feeling awkward without the red underwear – its what I've always wanted and I still wear them on the inside anyway!

3. Try not to get suckered by Kryptonite so easily this year.

The Incredible Hulk
1. Get in touch with my spiritual side and hopefully find inner peace.

2. Try out stretchy pants in a colour besides purple.

3. Don't kill puny Banner!

Swamp Thing

1. Get my mojo back!

2. See if Poison Ivy is available!

Humorous Wayfaring - Unintentionally Funny Comics!

Hello once again dear friends!

Welcome back! And you've indeed chosen a good time to drop in because today I'm bringing you something that I've been working on pretty much since I started reading comics, it's kind of an old hobby now actually - comic panels and covers that are funny but not meant to be so!

Not clear what I mean? Well no worries, just scroll on down and take a look at some of the funniest stuff you'll ever read, even more so because it was not meant to be funny at all!

Nooooooo!!!!! All that effort to be a playboy and ladies man - destroyed by one stray thought!

Ah the good old days... when English was a whole other language!

Women!

Series in Review: The Sixth Gun by Cullen Bunn

Howdy wayfarers, welcome back to that dusty trail. Its been a while ain't it, since we rode the wide open prairies and desert?

Well its been many a glimmerin' moon since I told you tales of the wild, wild west – this I know – but after a good long while I've come across one worth tellin' and aim to share it right here and now. So gather all around the campfire, listen to the gentle and melancholy twang of the guitar in the background and the crickets while I spin the yarn of The Sixth Gun for all a'y'all.  

Written by the rising talent that is Cullen Bunn, this is a story of action, adventure and a touch of mystical horror told in suitable gritty old-west style. 

Truly one of the most stand-out series in the last year or so, this one takes much of the familiar and makes it feel so fresh, adding in aspects and details that are in ways most unique to itself and the blending of western and horror is so seamless at times that even when its in your face, its hard to separate them.
A true success story for series' publisher Oni Press.

PREVIEW: The Hobbit (2012, 2013)

Good day to you all folks, one and all!

Welcome home to another wayfaring excursion into the heart of nerd-dom!

Today we have more treats in store, specifically (as you might have already guessed!) treats relating to the still-in-production and VERY highly anticipated prequels to the epic "Lord of the Rings" trilogy (hereafter referred to as LotR) by Peter Jackson.

WTF happened to Peter Jackson!?!?

Fans have been waiting with bated breath and twitching eagerness to get glimpses of this new venture by the already legendary film-maker and now there are things worth sharing!
With his success on the LotR series, Jackson has shown that he has not only the skill and talent to pull of these adaptations, but also a basic love for the originals and desire to do them justice - it is this last part that shows in his work so far and garners him the respect of fans and peers alike, it also gives a certain confidence to this new venture.

PREVIEW!! The Last Airbender: The The Legend of Korra

 The Last Airbender? Not Anymore!! 

Welcome, welcome, welcome back my fellow wayfarers - today is a special previews post that I think will give some of you reasons for gladness and much joy, well it did for me at least and I'm running on the assumption that there are people who share the same tastes as me!

But I won't keep it hanging anymore and will now get right to the meat of the matter at hand:

Some of you are fans, both casual and dedicated, of a ground-breaking and fantastic little TV series called Avatar: The Last Airbender which was produced by Nickelodeon studios and aired its 61 spell-binding episodes from 2005 to 2008. All of us fans were both overjoyed and broken-hearted when the final episodes aired and brought the saga of our hero Aang's journey to a close. Well feel low no more!

Poster from Comic-Con 2011.

Many of you will have heard over the years of Avatar comics and follow-up cartoons coming up from time to time, with no real confirmation and solid proof. Then we were given some relief through a few Avatar comics that were released that were a bundle of fun of you could get your hands on them, showing us quiet (and some not so quiet) moments and interludes that are set between various points in the TV series itself.
And then there was the dark time... that horrible time when they made a movie based on the series, a movie so lame and derivative and disheartening that many felt this could even kill the franchise!

But now light shines once again in the form of a new series called The Last Airbender: The Legend of Korra (click for its homepage),  I know, it's one hell of a mouthful and I wish they could have just called it what it should have been, i.e, "Avatar: The Legend of Korra" - but thanks to the very talented jackass that is James Cameron who is making it a legal issue so that his entertaining but otherwise not-so-deep movie series can keep the "Avatar" name. Damn you Cameron, why did you have to be such a douche, you know this series is more deserving and you can just call yours "The Pandora Trilogy" or some such. Ah well...