Chaykin: Avengers 1959

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Dan Richards at CBR.com caught up with Howard Chaykin to speak with him about “Avengers 1959” — a five issue mini-series that Chaykin is writing and drawing.  The simple fact that Chaykin is at the wheel is enough to get me on board.  Here are some tidbits from the piece if you’re not sold yet…

  • Nick Fury isn’t the only member of the 1959 Avengers with a special place in Chaykin’s heart. Chaykin created Dominic Fortune and introduced him in in the pages of the black and white Marvel Magazine “Marvel Preview” #2 in 1975.  [I am a huge fan of both Nick Fury and Dominic Fortune – Craig]
  • In “Infinity” Fortune was the second person Nick Fury recruited for his Avengers team. His first was Wolverine’s savage arch-enemy, Sabretooth, and Sabretooth wouldn’t be the only recruit with a primal edge. The team also included Spider-Man’s foe Kraven the Hunter and his girlfriend at the time, Namora of the “Agents of Atlas.” In “Avengers 1959” Chaykin will explore the dynamic between these three fierce characters.
  • Over the course of their travels Chaykin’s protagonists will come face to face with a number of different Marvel characters operating in that time period. “We’ll see other characters from that period show up in cameos and guest spots, which I will not talk about,” Chaykin teased. “But expect some fun and recognizable faces.”


100 Bullets Coming to Showtime

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Earlier this afternoon it was announced at Deadline.com that SHOWTIME and David Goyer [writer/producer] are teaming to bring the adaption of 100 Bullets to television.   As most of you probably already know, 100 Bullets by Brian Azzarello [writer] and Eduardo Risso [artist] ran for 100 issues under the Vertigo imprint for DC Comics.    While it was running 100 Bullets was consistently one of my favorite comics being published.  If the tv series is half as good as the comic series, we’re in for a heck of a ride.

Mike Torrance: Send a Maniac…

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Mike Torrance aka The Krayola Kidd knows what the three shells are for and so he decided that it was time for Sly as John Spartan aka The Demolition Man.

You can see more of Mike’s art at The Daily Sketch with The Krayola Kidd and his Deviant Art site. Mike is available for commissions and his prices are very reasonable. You’re also going to be happy to know that once a month Mike has a contest for someone to win a free sketchcard! That is how I came to own this cool sketchcard. I won the contest and told Mike to pick a Sly character. He chose Spartan and I couldn’t be happier.

Looking Forward to a Near Death Experience

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Here’s a heads-up on a new crime comic that’s coming out this September from IMAGE Comics.  Near Death was created by Jay Faerber [author] and Simone Guglielmini [artist].  The series is based on the concept that…

  • …After getting a glimpse of his own disturbing life after death while clinically dead for two minutes, professional killer Markham vows to do whatever it takes to prevent his return to the hell he saw before he was revived. He vows to save as many lives as possible, in the hopes that he can somehow balance the scales of judgement.

You can find out more about the series at this CBR.com preview.

Paolo Rivera’s Captain America Poster

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This Captain America poster by Paolo Rivera is perfection.  Paolo absolutely nailed it.  Marvel liked it so much that they turned it in to a limited edition print to be given to the cast and crew of the movie.  How cool is that?  Very cool says I.

The great thing about the attention that the poster is getting is that it couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy.  I’ve been following Paolo’s art blog for some time and we’ve exchanged a few e-mails here and there.  Paolo has always been quick to respond and humble about his talents.  When I asked Paolo if I could do a post about his Captain America poster he said he’d be “honored.”  It’s always great to see a local talent score big and it’s especially exciting when it’s someone as nice and talented as Paolo.


UFC 131 Results

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UFC 131 was last night and the card was a winner. Unfortunately for all the fighters the same could not be said.  Let’s look at my predictions and results:

  • Krzysztof “The Polish Experiment” Soszynski (25-11) vs Mike “The Master of Disaster” Massenzio (11-4)
    Prediction: Soszynski wins by submission.
    Result:     Soszynski won by unanimous decision making me 1-0 for the night.
  • Sam “Hands of Stone” Stout (16-6) vs Yves Edwards (40-16) this fight will appear on SPIKE.
    Prediction: Stout via decision.
    Result: Stout via brutal first round KO making me 2-0 for the night.

The following bouts were all on the main card pay-per-view:

  • Donald “The Cowboy” Cerrone (14-3) vs Vagner Rocha (6-1)
    Prediction: Cerrone wins by TKO.
    Result: Cerrone     won by unanimous decision making me 3-0 for the night.
  • Demian Maia (14-2) vs Mark “The Filipino Wrecking Machine” Munoz (10-2)
    Prediction: Maia by decision.
    Result: Munoz     by unanimous decision making me 3-1 for the night.
  • Jon Olav Einemo (6-1) vs Dave “Pee-Wee” Herman (20-2)
    Prediction: Herman by TKO.
    Result: Herman     by TKO in round 2 making me 4-1 for the night.
  • Kenny “Ken-Flo” Florian (14-5) vs Diego Nunes (16-1)
    Prediction: Florian gets the win and a title shot.
    Result: Florian     by unanimous decision making me 5-1 for the night.
  • Junior “Cigano” dos Santos (12-1) vs Shane “The Engineer” Carwin (12-1)
    Prediction: Carwin in an upset win by TKO.
    Result: dos Santos     by unanimous decision making me 5-2 for the night.

UFC 131 Predictions

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UFC 131 airs tonight.  There will be prelim fights on Facebook and Youtube.  SPIKE will also air other prelims and then the feature fights will appear on pay-per-view starting at 9pm EST.  Here are my predictions:

  • Krzysztof “The Polish Experiment” Soszynski (25-11) vs Mike “The Master of Disaster” Massenzio (11-4) this fight will appear on Facebook or Youtube.
    Thoughts: Kryzsztof shouldn’t have much of a problem with Massenzio [who is coming in as a late replacement].
    Prediction: Soszynski wins by submission.
  • Sam “Hands of Stone” Stout (16-6) vs Yves Edwards (40-16) this fight will appear on SPIKE.
    Thoughts: Stout has won five “Fight of the Night” awards and Edwards won’t be one to back down, so this bout could have fireworks.  Stout likes to stand and bang, so the question is: Will Edwards want to play that game or will he prefer to take Stout down and grind out a win?
    Prediction: Stout via decision.

The following bouts are all on the main card pay-per-view:

  • Donald “The Cowboy” Cerrone (14-3) vs Vagner Rocha (6-1)
    Thoughts: This is Rocha’s UFC debut and it’s not an easy fight.  Rocha will want to take Cerrone down and work his Brazilian jiu-jitsu.  Cerrone will want to stand and kickbox.
    Prediction: Cerrone wins by TKO.
  • Demian Maia (14-2) vs Mark “The Filipino Wrecking Machine” Munoz (10-2)
    Thoughts: Two of the best fighters in their weight class face off in what should be a great strategic battle.
    Prediction: Maia by decision.
  • Jon Olav Einemo (6-1) vs Dave “Pee-Wee” Herman (20-2)
    Thoughts: Herman should win easily enough.
    Prediction: Herman by TKO.
  • Kenny “Ken-Flo” Florian (14-5) vs Diego Nunes (16-1)
    Thoughts: Florian is looking for a title shot if he gets past Nunes.
    Prediction: Florian gets the win and a title shot.
  • Junior “Cigano” dos Santos (12-1) vs Shane “The Engineer” Carwin (12-1)
    Thoughts: I hate to see either of these guys loose, because they’re the cream of their weight division.  I’d say, that they’re the 2nd and 3rd best fighters in the Heavyweight division.  Santos is the favorite in what should be a slugfest.
    Prediction: Carwin in an upset win by TKO.

Conan: Road of Kings #7

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That’s the cover to Conan: Road of Kings #7 with art by Aleksi Briclot.  Although I’m not familiar with Briclot’s art, it didn’t stop me from choosing his Conan cover as my favorite from Dark Horse Comics August solicitations.

Conan: Road of Kings #7 was written by Roy Thomas, with interior art by Mike Hawthorne (pencils),  John Lucas (inks) and Dan Jackson (colors).

In a Zombie-Apocalypse: I Will be Your Father Figure

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Did you ever wonder how well you’d survive if the world fell to a zombie-apocalypse?  Now you can find out thanks to the folks behind AMC’s The Walking Dead website.  I took The Walking Dead – Survival Test and my survival skills rated me as a…

FATHER FIGURE

  • You’ve got the life experience, and your gentle manner, compassion and wisdom attracts others, making you the nucleus of your group.  That’s just fine because you need people as much as they need you.
  • You’ve lost a lot [both before the apocalypse and after], and a sense of community helps ease your depression and gives you purpose.

The Cost of Being an American Idol

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Have you ever wondered how much contestants on American Idol make?  I’m not talking about the winners, I’m referring to the guys and gals that make the cut to get on the show but don’t go all the way.  And who pays for their outfits?  Do they get meal allowances?  How much cheese do they get for the Ford commercials?

You can find out the answers to all those questions and more right here thanks to Bankrate.com.