Decoder Ring Theatre

This post, the first in a long while, is going to be about something that I think any comic book fan could appreciate. A podcast series devoted to the the Golden Age of Radio. The podcast group, Decoder Ring Theatre, is basically that. They have two main shows, their superhero show, The Red Panda Adventures, and their detective show, Black Jack Justice. Decoder Ring Theatre was started in 1999 by Gregg Taylor, who along with his friends created six episodes of The Red Panda adventures for traditional broadcast and were very silly, while Black Jack Justice was originally a one act play about a bad day in the life of a old-time detective radio series. After trying out various other podcast ventures, Gregg returned to create the first decoderringtheatre.com and included the original six Red Panda adventures, and soon started receiving emails asking for more. So he started getting equipment, writing scripts and getting actors together into what would become Decoder Ring Theatre. The Red Panda adventures lost their silliness and started playing to the more serious, straight style of classic radio, and the play-within-a play along with the characters were adapted into the sister show, Black Jack Justice. I've been a fan of the series for about 4 or 5 years now, and love it very much. Being both a comic book fan and history buff, these shows have a special place in my heart. The main actors for Red Panda Adventures are as follows: Red Panda/ August Fenwick played by Gregg Taylor, The Flying Squirrel/ Kit Baxter Fenwick played by his wife Clarissa Der Nederlanden Taylor; while the main actors for Black Jack Justice are: Jack Justice played by Chris Mott and Trixie Dixon played by Andrea Lyons. Regular supporting actors are Peter Nicol, Steven Burley, Michael Booth, and Scott Moyle. The group also does a Summer Showcase which always brings new, fun material to the airwaves. Just go to www.decoderringtheatre.com and click on the shows page to listen to all the old and new episodes of Red Panda Adventures and Black Jack Justice. New episodes of the shows come out on the 1st and 15th of every month, and you can either just click the play button and listen to the episode on the site, download it or subscribe via Itunes or whatever podcast service you use. Click on the books link and you will see that Gregg has written three pulp novel style Red Panda books, all available at amazon.com, while at the very bottom of the main home page is the link to their cafepress store where one can buy tshirts, mugs and other fun stuff. And if you go to www.addictivecomics.com you can read the first episode of Black Jack Justice in comic book form! If one wishes to become a member of Decoder Ring Theatre, all one must do is make a regular contribution, using one of the convenient Pay-Pal buttons on their home page and get access to all sorts of neat stuff.  Visit www.decoderringtheatre.com and get hooked on this fantastic audio podcast series today!!

First look at Sinestro

Ok yesterdays post was about the new Green Lantern trailer, so this time I'm going to make a post on a character from Green Lantern, and that is the arch-foe of Hal Jordan, Sinestro. Sinestro was once a Green Lantern like Jordan, until he was found to be using his ring to control his home planet of Korugar. After being kicked out, he acquired a yellow power ring and for years fought Jordan and the heroes of Earth. Several years ago he formed his own core, the Sinestro Corps, dedicated to spreading fear throughout the galaxy. Mark Strong plays the pre-villain Sinestro in the movie, so if there is a sequel, there will be some excellant ring battles. Mark your calendars for June 30 friends. This is gonna be epic.

First Green Lantern trailer!!

It's here!! Yes comic book fans and movie lovers, the first trailer for the summer hero movie Green Lantern is here. With Ryan Reynolds in the hotseat as Hal Jordan and a fantastic cast as the supporting characters, this promises to be a film of epic proportions. Just type in this link (http://screenrant.com/green-lantern-trailer-rob-87990/) to see the trailer and a whole bunch of the stills, allowing fans to properly soak in the awesomeness of the movie. It premiers June 30 this summer and I don't know about the rest of you put I am going to hit up that midnight show madness!! Light em' up gang and prevail against the Blackest Night this June.

Comic Book Artists and Writers: Alex Ross

Today's post will be on one of the more interesting artists of the comic book world, Alex Ross. Ross has contributed to this industry in a way that no other artist has. He has made the fantastic heroes, the stuff of dreams and daytime thoughts more real than ever before. He does not draw these characters as the other men of this profession do, he paints them. And he also uses friends and look-alikes to humanize the men and women in tights. His first break into comics was his story Marvels, the history of Marvel Comics from the 40's to the 60's through the eyes and life of a normal photographer. After the success of Marvels, he penned the story Kingdom Come, which takes place ten years into the DC history, the world being overrun with power mad superheros, the progeny of the former heroes. Superman, having been retired for those ten years after the Joker killed Lois and the entire Daily Planet staff, comes back with the old heroes to teach this new generation what it means to be a hero. He then wrote Uncle Sam for Vertigo, the Earth X series for Marvel and the two sequels, a series of tabloid sized stories for DC in celebration of their 60th anniversary. In 2004 he published a book on his work, Mythology and has been currently doing cover work for various comic book companies including Dynamite Entertainment and some of their hero books. To Mr. Ross I say, God bless you for all you've done sir.

Comic book artists and writers: Mark Millar

Today's post is going to cover Mark and the work he's done over the years. Breaking into the business in the late 80's writing Trident Comics book Saviour, Millar then moved onto 200o AD, Sonic the Comic and Crisis. In 1994, Millar was hired by DC and began writing for Swamp Thing. In 2000, Millar had his big break, replacing Warren Ellis on The Authority for WildStorm. Due to DC censoring the violence in Authority after 9/11, Millar left the company. His most famous work for DC is the Superman: Red Son story in which The Man of Steel's rocket lands in the Ukraine and he becomes the champion of the Communist Party. Joining Marvel's fold, he created the Ultimate X-Men book for Marvel's Ultimate line, wrote the first six issues of Ultimate Fantastic Four which allowed him to create the Marvel Zombies line. He wrote the plot for Marvel's Civil War series, Marvel 1985 and Old Man Logan. His most famous work to date is the 12 issue mini-series Kick-Ass, in which a kid in the real world becomes a superhero for the heck of it, then gets caught in a war between two inspired heroes Big Daddy and Hit Girl and the Mob. Millar is currently writing the story for the second Kick-Ass series, Kick-Ass 2. To Mr. Millar I have only one thing to say, your work rocks and speaks volumes about your love for this stuff.

Comic book writers and artists: Jim Lee

Alright, today's post is going to be on the fantastic artist Jim Lee! Jim's done a lot of amazing work over the years, starting out at Marvel in 1986 doing pencil work for Alpha Flight and then Punisher: War Journal in 1989. After filling in for Uncanny X-Men artist Marc Silvestri, where he co-created the character Gambit, Lee helped launch the new X-Men book in 1991, in which he became the regular artist and did co-writing as well. After that he moved on to create the company WildStorm, doing artwork for WildC.A.T.S., Savage Dragon and Deathblow among others. In 2003, Lee collaborated on the 12 issues in the Batman pages that would become the story arc "Hush". This was followed by a year long stint with Superman, then doing the artwork for Frank Miller's series All Star Batman and Robin. In February of 2006, Lee was announced as being a concept artist for the upcoming DC MMORPG game DC Universe Online. In February 2010, Lee was named alongside Dan DiDio as Co-Publisher of DC Comics. To Mr. Lee I say, keep on creating fantastic artwork, and keep on bringing more awesome comics to the world.

Comic book writers/artists: Alan Moore

Alright, today's post will be covering a man who took the happy, carefree world of comics that we all knew and in 1986, turned it on its head. That man is Alan Moore. Moore started out doing scripts for British comic books including Warrior and Marvelman. He then came to America in 1983, working on DC's then flagging comic book Swamp Thing. He then penned a two-part piece in Vigilante on domestic abuse and wrote the famous "For the Man who has Everything" story for Superman, followed by "Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow". In 1986, Watchmen was released to the public, and the affect was amazing. Moore had created characters (based on the Charlton Comics group), placing them in the world at the height of the Cold War, having played a huge part in the war, and the world up to that point. In 1988 he released the Batman story entitled "The Killing Joke", after which he left working for DC over royalty issues. After returning to mainstream comics work in the 90's, Moore started an imprint group of WildStorm Productions, calling it America's Best Comics. His first work was the comic entitled "League of Extraordinary Gentlemen", in which classic Victorian England characters band together to save the world. His next works included the famed comics Tom Strong, Greyshirt and Nubia. He has recently returned to doing independent work, and his upcoming work "The Moon and the Serpent Bumper Book of Magic", is to be published in 2013 by Top Shelf Productions. From all of us fans to you Mr. Moore, thank you for all that you have done and continue to do for this fantastic enterprise.

Comic book artists and writers: Stan Lee

Alright folks, for those out there who actually follow my blog, I apologize for being gone so long, school has just gotten a bit crazy. But I'm back and I'm starting up again. I plan on doing at least two more posts on comic book writers/artists after this one, then once all the new movies start popping up I'll be doing posts on those. But now to move on to the topic of today's post, the one and only Stan Lee!! Stan has been in the comics biz since the glory days of the 1940's, when Marvel (known as Timely Publications) started out. Stan's first work was a back story he wrote for Captain America #3, and then in 1941, became the editor-in-chief and art director until he replaced Martin Goodman as publisher in 1972. In the 60's, Stan was part of the teams that created some of the most recognizable heroes of today, including the Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, The Avengers, the X-Men and a whole bunch of Marvel's other lead characters. Despite no longer actually working with Marvel, Stan still works with superheroes in his company POW! Entertainment. He has continually made guest appearances in the movie's staring his creations and is regarded as one of the most famous men in comics. To Stan Lee I say, bless you sir for your years of hard work and dedication. Excelsior!

Comic book artists and writers: Bob Kane

Alright so this post will be about the man who gave us the Dark Knight, Bob Kane. Bob was another one of those guys who was probably only in his late teens or early 20's when the superhero comic books burst onto the scene. Suddenly, guys who didn't think they had any future career in sight were suddenly being paid big money to do what they did best, use their imaginations. Drawing from pulp heroes like the Shadow, and movies including Douglas Fairbanks The Mark of Zorro, Bob created a man with no powers, yet hunted down criminals using his crime-fighting and detective skills. He created the Bat-Man (later changed to Batman). First appearing in Detective Comics #27 in May 1939, the character became a hit, soon dominating the cover of the magazine and soon began appearing in a comic that featured all Batman stories. The first issue of Batman #1 introduced the lovely thief Catwoman and one of the most despicable and feared villains in comics, the Joker. Bob continued to work in comics until his death in 1998.

Comic book artists and writers: Will Eisner

To kick off the new month and continue my posts on comic book artists/writers, I thought I'd start with a man who gave so much to the industry, the great Will Eisner. This guy has to be by far one of the few men in the industry that has been a part of it since the beginning. Like WWII and WWI veterans, the men still around that have been a part of comic books since the 1940's are few and rare. Eisner not only pioneered several new styles of art and storytelling for comics, he also created one of the best beloved heroes, The Spirit. Bottom line for his origin is Denny Colt was a private investigator on the trail of a criminal by the name of Dr. Cobra. He finds Cobra, who plans to release a toxin into Central City's water supply that will put them to sleep for three days so he can rob them blind. The vat breaks open onto Denny, who is found and presumed dead. Three days later he wakes up, and sees the advantage to this being dead business. He adopts a new identity... The Spirit, once again fighting crime. The only person who knows who he truly is behind the mask is Police Commissioner Dolan. And so that's that folks. Will Eisner continued to work in the business, writing and drawing everything himself despite having slight arthritis in his hands. Will died of complications from a quadruple bypass surgery in December of 2004. This year will mark the 5 year anniversary of his passing. Rest in peace Mr. Eisner and thanks for all you gave to us.

Comics Book Artists and Writers Gardner Fox

Gardner Fox is perhaps, by and large one of the least-known writers of the Golden Age of Comics (early 40's to mid 50's) since its begining. He created the gas-mask wearing detective the Sandman, wrote some of the early stories for Bob Kane's character the Bat-Man (later Batman), stories for the Golden Age Flash Jay Garrick and with Sheldon Mayer helped to create the Justice Society of America; the first superteam, predating the Justice League and the Fantastic Four by three decades. During the Silver Age (1956-1970) he created the Multiverse with a story appearing in The Flash #123 entitled "Flash of Two Worlds" and also helped create the Justice League of America. Fox continued to work with comics until his death in 1986.

Comic book artists and writers: Jack Kirby

This post will be on the "King of Comics", Jack Kirby. Kirby helped to create some of the greatest and most memorable characters in the Marvel pantheon. He started his work in the Golden Age of Comics, the 1940's, partnering with Joe Simon to create one of the countries most patriotic heroes, Captain America. In the 60's, when Marvel's sales were going down due to the rising popularity of DC Comics, revived superheroes, he created along with Stan Lee, the Avengers, the Fantastic Four, the original X-Men. Over the years until his death he continued to expand the mediums boundaries,devising photo-collage covers and interiors, developing new drawing techniques such as the method for depicting energy fields now known as "Kirby Dots", and other experiments. He also created the Fourth World, introducing characters like Darkseid, Orion and the other New Gods and residents of Apokolips. He continued to create amazing characters and drawings, his work being some of the most recognizable comic book art of the 20th century. Jack Kirby died on February 6, 1994.

Comic book artists and writers: Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster

To start off my new series of posts on comic book artists and writers, I thought I'd begin with the men who gave us THE superhero. If it hadn't been for Jerry and Joe creating Superman, who knows what might have happened? The thing is, their idea was almost completely shelved, if not for National Publications (DC) editor Vin Sullivan buying the character from the boys and giving Superman the chance to fly (back then he didn't fly, just leaped buildings in a single bound). So to Jerry and Joe I salute you, thanks for giving America its first, and finest superhero.

Doctor Solar flaring up

Alright just this past Wednesday Dark Horse Comics released the first issue of their newest comic Doctor Solar Man of the Atom. If you like reading about superhero rumbles, origin stories and all around good action then this is the comic for you. Pick up your copy at your local comic book store today.

Golden Age discussion... a bit overdue

So when I started this blog, I mentioned I would start a small discussion about the Golden Age of Comics. Now for all those out there who know nothing of the Golden Age (that means you young fans)... The Golden Age of Comics is the period of time from the 1940's until about the mid-50's. This was a time when the super-powered hero first began, and many of the characters we know and love today began back then. Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Captain America and the Justice Society are just to name a few. And a lot of the famous writers and artists made their beginnings with these timeless champions. Bob Kane, Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Mort Weisinger. Anyway to start off, one of my favorite Golden Age characters of all time is The Shield. First appearing in Pep Comics #1 (January 1940).

Created by Harry Shorten and Irv Novick for MLJ Publications, this patriotic masked man would become the hit of the company. But in 1941, in the back pages of Pep Comics #22... Archie Andrews. Hailed as America's Newest Boyfriend, he quickly became popular with his best friend Jughead, girlfriends Betty and Veronica, arch rival Reggie and his friends and family in the small town of Riverdale. The Shield's last cover appearance was in Pep Comics #40 and his final appearance was in Pep Comics #49. The company became Archie Publications and has continued to be so to this day. But recently, DC comics imprint group Red Circle Comics revived the character along with another popular Golden Age wonder, The Web. What is in the future of America's first patriotic superhero? Post your comments and responses to this and my other posts. And... do I have any readers out there? If so, please speak up.

Star Trek's future... what will it hold?

After the success of the new Star Trek film, which has for those of you who have still not seen the film but are fans of Trek lore know this, ALTERNATE universe has been formed due to Spock Prime's (that's the Spock everyone knows and still loves) crossing over into that universe and... well I don't want to spoil the film for the people who have not seen it yet.

The point is that this world opens up whole new possibilities for plot lines. Among them would be resurrecting William Shatner's James T. Kirk or recasting Khan. Director J.J. Abram's was commented on the new universe and how "The idea, now that we are in an independent timeline, allows us to use any of the ingredients from the past – or come up with brand-new ones – to make potential stories". I think a lot of people, both Trek fans and non Trek fans, will be looking forward to what is in store next. Like it says on the poster, the future begins...

The Heroic Age has dawned

Finally, after seven long years of dark, horrible depressing stories, the nightmare is over.

The Avengers, the TRUE Avengers have reformed. After the debacle following the Siege of Asgard and the locking up of Norman Osborn (thank God for that), things are getting back to the way they were. Marvel Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada put it like this "Heroes will be heroes again... They've gone through hell and they're back to being good guys — a throwback to the early days of the Marvel Universe, with more of a swashbuckling feel". And I know a lot of Marvel's readers will be happy for that. So... let the new age of Marvel's hero's dawn. AVENGERS ASSEMBLE!!!

Issue 7 tells more than can be exspected

Issue 7 of Blackest Night revelealed some intersting things about the Guardians of the Universe. For starters life in the universe did not begin on their homeworld of Maltus as everyone has thought for the past century or so, but on Earth itself. And not only did the issue reveal this secret, but it also revealed the Entity, the living light bestowed upon the universe that triggered existance itself. The Guardians hide this fact to protect the Entity and establish their authority in the universe. What other secrets have the Guardians been hiding? Perhaps in the near future we shall find out.

Blackest Night drawing to an end

Heads up comic book fans, the multi-book spanning DC event Blackest Night is drawing to a close. Issue 7 of the series goes on sale February 24. So keep your eyes peeled folks. Nuff said

The Green Hornet, a whole new future.

Well fans, today I'm gonna talk about a character whose name and adventures are timeless, and thanks to the boys over at Dynamite Entertainment, he's being given a whole new start. That's right The Green Hornet is back and with a female Kato this time. But this is only the beginning, not only is writer Kevin Smith to thank for this outstanding new book, but Matt Wagner will be dusting off the original Masked Crime-fighters mask as he presents Green Hornet Year One, retelling some of the original adventures of Britt Reid/The Green Hornet and Kato. Look for these titles this spring folks, it something you don't want to miss.

Iron Man 2

May is months away, and it couldn't come sooner with the release of Iron Man 2 starring Robert Downing Junior once again playing billionaire playboy/superhero Tony Stark and Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts. With the film comes comes more well known characters, Scarlett Johansson as The Black Widow, Samuel Jackson returning as Colonel Nick Fury, Don Cheadle playing James Rhodes/War Machine and Mickey Rourke as new supervillain Whiplash. While most fans of the series may recognize the combination of characters into a new creation, for those who don't I'll fill you in. The main chunks for Whiplash come from Iron Man villain Crimson Dynamo (first appearing in Tales of Suspense #46). Now the first man in the Dynamo armor was Russian scientist Anton Vanko, but since we've already had one armored supervillain, Paramount decided to get a little creative this time. As for the whips that give the villain his name, they come from the character Blacklash (first appearing in Tales of Suspense #97), a weapons master not unlike Daredevil villain Bullseye. Let's hope that Paramount thrills us again. Nuff said.

Welcome fellow fans!!!

Greetings fellow lovers of all things comicbooks and sci-fi!!! As this is a new blog page I thought I'd get the ball rolling by starting things off with a interesting discussion about the Golden Age of Comics. Feel free to post any of your favorite Golden Age covers, discuss anything about Golden Age heroes and teams. Also please note this blog will be kept clean and free of anything profane. Well nuff said.