Kanye West is drenched in auto-tune on 808s & Heartbreak, Ashley Simpson and Pete Wentz join the long list of celebrities who give their children eccentric names (in this case, Bronx Mowgli Wentz), Neal has a 72 hour crush on Hillary Duff and he’s pretty sure that Sean Connery is an aphrodisiac, watching the Nick Fury movie is like putting your head in a bag of shit, Watchmen has graphic novel variant covers, and Dynamo 5 #18 is awesome.
Tag Archive for 'Dynamo 5'
An interview with Jay Faerber, the comic book writer and creator of Noble Causes, Dynamo 5, Gemini, Urban Myths, and more. We talk about the creation of his Top Cow Pilot Season offering, Urban Myths, as well as the fate of the characters in his ongoing Dynamo 5 series. Jay also reflects on the work of artistic co-creators Mahmud A Asrar, Jorge Molina, and more in this excellent AudioShocker exclusive.
I’ve been pretty busy lately so the ComicShocker actually (GASP!) missed its first week ever last week. Instead, the AudioShocker got an SEO update. I think that’s a fair trade.
Keeping it short and sweet this week, I’m going to pass along a link to more free comics online. Ahhh, free comics how I love you…
This week we’re checking out Gemini #1 for free. I’m a big Dynamo 5 fan, a series by Jay Faerber and Mahmud A Asrar. Since Gemini is written by Faerber as well, I caught a bunch of previews in the back of my Dynamo 5 issues.
Well, I didn’t get to pick up Gemini #1. But now I can read the first issue of Gemini for free over on Newsarama. I’m ashamed to say that at the time of writing this, I still haven’t read the comic. But I’m a busy guy, damn it.
Speaking of which, the AudioShocker (a.k.a. just me) will be at Wizard World Philadelphia this weekend (a.k.a. just Saturday for a few hours). Email me at nick@audioshocker.com if you want to meet up and say hi. Feel free to attach nude photos to your email (ladies only, please).
I went to my first comic book convention this past weekend. I’ve been reading comic books regularly since the age of four (well, you know, as regularly as you can read comics at four…) yet I’ve never really been a part of communal fandom. I got into the online comic book message board thing a bit in the past few years, but I wouldn’t even really consider myself a true part of that either.
So attending a comic book convention for the first time after reading comics for over 20 years was interesting. It just wasn’t what I expected. Ever been to a trade show or a business convention? It’s just like that except the attendees wear tights instead of suits. The booths and the salesmen are all still there, from retailers that go straight to the consumer all the way through to niche businesses geared especially towards the convention-going small press comic book creator.
And I wasn’t even at one of the huge conventions. I was at the Pittsburgh Comicon, celebrating its 15th anniversary this year under some extremely unusual circumstances. I enjoyed myself in the sense that nothing went wrong. But I feel so disconnected from the convention culture. I love comics for the craft, for the stories, for the characters, and for the sweeping metaphors. I suspect, however, that if I really want to make the comic book industry my career field of choice, I need to learn to love comicons too.
As for Reads You Need, may I recommend Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #45. It felt like autumn today here in the Steel City, and this comic book made me feel like October arrived early. This eerie tale is a solid example of why I’ve read more consecutive issues of Tales of the TMNT on a month-to-month basis than any other comic book series. Coming in a close second is Dynamo 5 #12, which finally pays off a plot tangent about the character Myriad that was introduced way back in issue #7.
Before I go, I should let everyone know that Avatar: The Last Airbender Book 3 Chapters 14 and 15 are online. I’ve watched both of them (a two-parter called “The Boiling Rock”) and I thoroughly the episodes. Chapter 14 is mostly setup — and Chapter 15 is doubly good when it really brings the plot home. If you’re trying to find these episodes, here are links to Chapter 14 and Chapter 15. Enjoy (and check out the video description on Chapter 15 for more).
Who owns superheroes?
Inspired by Dynamo 5 #10
For years, it seemed like comic books owned superheroes by virtue of being the introductory medium. For a long time it seemed like Marvel Comics and DC Comics exclusively owned superheroes (even going so far as to trademark the words “superhero” and “super-hero”).
Nowadays, many people would claim that Hollywood owns superheroes. Lately, superheroes seem to be most lucrative as fodder for movie scripts. Then again, maybe licensing owns superheroes. Go to your local dollar discount store, Target, and Wal-Mart - Marvel and DC characters are plastered on everything from t-shirts to backpacks to mugs to bed sheets to pajamas to cake decorations.
But at the end of the day, I think fans own superheroes. The beauty of the superhero concept is that these larger-than-life protagonists are metaphorical for the latent potential we all have inside of us. The reason Dynamo 5 can be an incredible interpretation of the superhero without being published by the Big Two, without a movie, and without licensing? It’s written and visualized by fans.
The passion behind the creation of the Dynamo 5 is evident in every issue. It’s a testament to the creators’ love for superheroes and their amazing possibilities. Without the fans, there would be no one to watch the movies, no one to buy the pens and trinkets, and certainly no one to run Marvel or DC. Just like tall tales and mythology, it takes a devoted audience for storytellers and artists to bring superhero dreams to life.
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