Happy Halloween!

Be safe trick or treating tonight; watch out for all the ghouls and goblins. Don’t forget that we have another NYC-based event TONIGHT for The Nightmare Factory – the full schedule is below! Thanks again for everyone who attended the Comic Book Club event last night too!

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2007 – NEW YORK, NY
MCNALLY ROBINSON BOOKSELLERS — 6:00 p.m.
52 Prince St
New York, NY 10012
(212) 274-1160
*Literary Halloween Party event with readings; refreshments – FREE
*Silent projections from horror comic anthology Nightmare Factory (HarperCollins/Fox Atomic) and signings by artist Colleen Doran and writer Stuart Moore

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2007 – NEW YORK, NY
MOCCA – MUSEUM OF COMIC & CARTOON ART — 6:30 p.m.
594 Broadway/Suite 401
(bet. Houston & Prince)
New York, NY 10003
(212) 254-3511
*Writers Stuart Moore and Joe Harris, artists Michael Gaydos and Ted McKeever, editor Heidi MacDonald, and editor-in-chief R. Eric Lieb come together for a discussion of Fox Atomic and The Nightmare Factory with moderator Calvin Reid, PW. – FREE

Later

A Nightmare Factory Halloween!

Tonight marks the first in a series of NYC-based events in celebration of The Nightmare Factory! Here’s the full list, but be sure to check out the event TONIGHT if you’re otherwise indisposed on this fine Tuesday:

********************
COMIC BOOK CLUB
***NIGHTMARE FACTORY SPECIAL***

Hosted by Justin Tyler, Pete LePage, and Alex Zalben

Tuesday, October 30 @ 9:30 PM

Featuring:
Stuart Moore (The Escapist)
Joe Harris (Darkness Falls)
Michael Gaydos (Alias)
& Colleen Duran (Sandman)

Tickets: $10 tickets in advance / $15 tickets day of show
***$5 off with the promo code CBCCMX***

Online: ComixNY.com
Phone: 212-524-2500

COMIX NY
353 West 14th St.
Just East of 9th Ave.

Check out our website:
http://www.popcultureshock.com/cbclub

Check us out on MySpace:
http://www.myspace.com/comicbookclub3

The show is sponsored in part by Midtown Comics (www.midtowncomics.com)!

But don’t fret if you miss this event; there are two more coming up!

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2007 – NEW YORK, NY
MCNALLY ROBINSON BOOKSELLERS — 6:00 p.m.
52 Prince St
New York, NY 10012
(212) 274-1160
*Literary Halloween Party event with readings; refreshments – FREE
*Silent projections from horror comic anthology Nightmare Factory (HarperCollins/Fox Atomic) and signings by artist Colleen Doran and writer Stuart Moore

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2007 – NEW YORK, NY
MOCCA – MUSEUM OF COMIC & CARTOON ART — 6:30 p.m.
594 Broadway/Suite 401
(bet. Houston & Prince)
New York, NY 10003
(212) 254-3511
*Writers Stuart Moore and Joe Harris, artists Michael Gaydos and Ted McKeever, editor Heidi MacDonald, and editor-in-chief R. Eric Lieb come together for a discussion of Fox Atomic and The Nightmare Factory with moderator Calvin Reid, PW. – FREE

More reviews posted in the blog below as well!

Later

New Comics Day!

In case you missed it, our pals over at MySpace Comic Books have posted the world premiere of an animated 'trailer' that we put together for The Nightmare Factory - be sure to check it out!

www.myspace.com/comicbooks

Also, once I take a break from Halo 3 and Portal (so good), here’re the new books that I plan on picking up this week…sometime:

CRIMINAL MACABRE MY DEMON BABY #2 (go niles!)
ACTION COMICS #857
AUTHORITY PRIME #1 (hell yea!)
COUNTDOWN 27
GOTHAM UNDERGROUND #1
GREEN ARROW YEAR ONE #6
GREEN LANTERN CORPS #17
HELLBLAZER #237
JLA CLASSIFIED #45
LOVELESS #20
ROBIN #167
SUPERMAN #669
SUPERMAN BATMAN #41
TALES OF THE SINESTRO CORPS SUPERMAN PRIME #1
UNCLE SAM AND THE FREEDOM FIGHTERS #2
WETWORKS #14
CASANOVA #10 (oh baby – poppa like)
WALKING DEAD #43
BLACK PANTHER #31
CABLE DEADPOOL #46
DAREDEVIL #101
SHE-HULK 2 #22
THUNDERBOLTS #117
ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #115
X-MEN #204
30 DAYS OF NIGHT RED SNOW #3
DOKTOR SLEEPLESS #3 (i love this book)
GENE SIMMONS DOMINATRIX #3 (just kidding! i was seeing if you were paying attention)
METAL GEAR SOLID SONS OF LIBERTY #12
MY BORING A$$ LIFE UNCENSORED DIARY OF KEVIN SMITH
SOUTHLAND TALES THE PRELUDE SAGA

Later

Another Glorious day in the Corps

MySpace Comic Books just posted the world premiere of an aniamted 'trailer' that we put together for The Nightmare Factory - be sure to check it out and give some love if you like it! It's a pretty slick 2D/3D mix that really floats my boat.

www.myspace.com/comicbooks

Good times.

Later

SpikeTV Scream Awards!

Be sure to watch the Scream Awards on SpikeTV tonight - 28 Days Later: The Aftermath won the Scream Award for 'Best Screen to Comic Adaptation’. Huzzah!

Later

28 Days is a Winner!

Break out the Champagne - we won!

On Friday night 28 Days Later: The Aftermath won a SpikeTV Scream Award for 'Best Screen to Comic Adaptation’ at their annual horror awards show. Huzzah!

Later

It's Friday!

Go see The Comebacks!

And 30 Days of Night!

And Blade Runner: The Final Cut!

And buy The Orange Box for Xbox 360!

That is all; you have your marching orders.

Later

The Final Cut

My favorite movie of all time is Blade Runner. Why, you might ask? One word: mood. Blade Runner is perhaps one of the most evocative movies ever; the story, cinematography, acting, and especially the score all exist in a rare cinematic symbiosis that truly creates a ‘world’ that feels decaying and ‘lived in’. It’s also one of those movies that gets better each time you watch it.

I had the privilege of seeing Ridley Scott’s ‘Final Cut’ of the film last night on a big, big screen in LA. Wow. I had never seen such a large, clean print (could have been digital, it was that pretty) of the film, and I was absolutely blown away. What made me happy was that Scott didn’t ‘Lucas-ize’ the movie, so don’t expect any extra Spinners, dancing CGI lounge singers, or wholly superfluous cameos from Jabba the Hutt (I still cringe every time I see that scene that was added to the first Star Wars… yes, I do refuse to call it ‘Episode Four’). I was, though, a bit miffed at two specific changes: the revision of “I want more life, $%^&$%” to “I want more life, father”, and a subtle change that finally closed the loop on the ‘extra Replicant’ plot-hole. But yes, I am a geek, and these things do bother me.

The film is currently playing in both New York and Los Angeles, so do check it out if you’re a fan of the film (but after you go see The Comebacks this weekend… naturally….)

Also, in case you missed it yesterday, the SpikeTV Scream Awards also tape on Friday, and yours truly will be there because we have not one, but TWO of our Fox Atomic Comics graphic novels up for awards (both “28 Days Later: The Aftermath” and “The Hills Have Eyes: The Beginning”)! Wish us luck!

Also, keep an eye out for a special Nightmare Factory-related goodie coming next week!

Later

New Comics Day!

Welcome to Wednesday… each new day inches us one step closer to that magical funder-land known as Friday. This weekend looks to be a particularly interesting one on the movie front, with something for just about everyone. For you comedy fans we have a movie of our very own opening up, the sports spoof “The Comebacks” (please go see it, or at least buy a ticket for it ;). In addition, for you horror hounds, friend of the family Steve Niles (who wrote our “28 Days Later” graphic novel) hits the silver screen with the adaptation of his hit graphic novel “30 Days of Night”. Why not see both?!

The SpikeTV Scream Awards also tape on Friday, and yours truly will be there because we have not one, but TWO of our Fox Atomic Comics graphic novels up for awards (both “28 Days Later: The Aftermath” and “The Hills Have Eyes: The Beginning”)! Wish us luck!

Don’t worry, I didn’t forget about “The Nightmare Factory”… keep watching for a brand new surprise, coming very shortly!

Oh yes; it’s also New Comics Day! I love hump day. Here’s my pull list for this week:

CONAN #45
UMBRELLA ACADEMY APOCALYPSE SUITE #2
CHECKMATE #19
COUNTDOWN 28
DEATH OF THE NEW GODS #1
DMZ #24
EX MACHINA #31
FABLES #66
HIGHWAYMEN #5
JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #14
WITCHBLADE #110
CAPTAIN AMERICA #31
MARVEL ZOMBIES 2 #1 (i loved the first series)
MIGHTY AVENGERS #5
POWERS #26
ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR #47
ULTIMATE X-MEN #87
X-MEN EMPEROR VULCAN #2
BOYS #11
NEGATIVE BURN #14
STAR TREK YEAR FOUR #4

Later

Comeback (To The Nightmare Factory!)

Double-post alert! Eagle-eyed readers will note that today's blog may seem suspiciously familiar, but I wanted to take advantage of the Comebacks release week (in theaters this Friday! plug plug plug!) to welcome all you Comebacks-curious people who so adroitly managed to find the part of our site where all of the cool kids hang out. Because nothing says ‘cool’ like comics. Work with me here, people.

For those new to the site, we publish graphic novels over here in the Fox Atomic Comics fiefdom. Our latest book, The Nightmare Factory, released last month in order to tie into all things Halloween, and we’ve been seeing some nice critical love for this very pretty book:

Boston Globe
September 17, 2007
"In a fall season typified by much more categorizable frights, Nightmare Factory provides a bitterly entertaining treat for those attuned to its storyteller's grim sentiments."

EW.com
September 26, 2007
"Makes for deliciously bleak reading as its damned protagonists find themselves ensnared in metaphysical traps they often barely comprehend."

Wizard Magazine
November 2007
"These twisted tales based on Thomas Ligotti's stories come alive in the hands of Ben Templesmith and Michael Gaydos, and others. Retaining unique styles, Ligotti's brand of psychological terror still permeates, oozing into your nightmares."

If you’re a fan of scary, cerebral books, then I highly suggest that you pick up a copy or ten. In addition, if you want to meet and greet the brains behind the book (and if you’re East Coast based), check out the upcoming live event!

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2007 – NEW YORK, NY
MCNALLY ROBINSON BOOKSELLERS — 6:00 p.m.
52 Prince St
New York, NY 10012
*Signings by artist Colleen Doran and writer Stuart Moore

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2007 – NEW YORK, NY
MOCCA – MUSEUM OF COMIC & CARTOON ART — 6:30 p.m.
594 Broadway/Suite 401
(bet. Houston & Prince)
New York, NY 10003

*Writers Stuart Moore and Joe Harris, artists Michael Gaydos and Ted McKeever, and editor Heidi MacDonald come together for a discussion of Fox Atomic and The Nightmare Factory with moderator Calvin Reid, PW.

Later

Comeback (To The Nightmare Factory!)

Alright, I will concede that the title of today’s posting is a tad bit lame, but it’s my way of welcoming all you Comebacks-curious people (in theaters this Friday! Plug plug!) who so adroitly managed to find the part of our site where all of the cool kids hang out. Because nothing says ‘cool’ like comics. Work with me here, people.

For those new to the site, we publish graphic novels over here in the Fox Atomic Comics fiefdom. Our latest book, The Nightmare Factory, released last month in order to tie into all things Halloween, and we’ve been seeing some nice critical love for this very pretty book:

Boston Globe
September 17, 2007
"In a fall season typified by much more categorizable frights, Nightmare Factory provides a bitterly entertaining treat for those attuned to its storyteller's grim sentiments."

EW.com
September 26, 2007
"Makes for deliciously bleak reading as its damned protagonists find themselves ensnared in metaphysical traps they often barely comprehend."

Wizard Magazine
November 2007
"These twisted tales based on Thomas Ligotti's stories come alive in the hands of Ben Templesmith and Michael Gaydos, and others. Retaining unique styles, Ligotti's brand of psychological terror still permeates, oozing into your nightmares."

If you’re a fan of scary, cerebral books, then I highly suggest that you pick up a copy or ten. In addition, if you want to meet and greet the brains behind the book (and if you’re East Coast based), check out the upcoming live event!

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2007 – NEW YORK, NY
MCNALLY ROBINSON BOOKSELLERS — 6:00 p.m.
52 Prince St
New York, NY 10012
*Signings by artist Colleen Doran and writer Stuart Moore

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2007 – NEW YORK, NY
MOCCA – MUSEUM OF COMIC & CARTOON ART — 6:30 p.m.
594 Broadway/Suite 401
(bet. Houston & Prince)
New York, NY 10003

*Writers Stuart Moore and Joe Harris, artists Michael Gaydos and Ted McKeever, and editor Heidi MacDonald come together for a discussion of Fox Atomic and The Nightmare Factory with moderator Calvin Reid, PW.

Later

28 Weeks Later Goodness

So 28 Weeks Later came out on DVD (as well as on the whole rainbow of other assorted format flavors that even I, as a HUGE geek, can’t even keep track of) this week. If you missed the movie in theaters (shame on you) I highly suggest picking up a copy; 28 Weeks Later is one of those sequels, much like Aliens, Terminator 2, or Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan, that utilizes and embraces the core concepts of the initial film, yet adds that little something ‘extra’ to make it feel fresh and original at the same time.

While you’re at it, be sure to check out the two 28 Days Later: The Aftermath graphic novel animated features found on the same DVD. Both are taken directly from Steve Niles’ graphic novel (that also ties in the 28 Days/Weeks universe), but animated in distinct styles befitting each tale. Reviewers across the board seem to be responding very well to these two special bonuses; check out what Premiere Magazine had to say:

“But the most original features are two shorts entitled "28 Days Later: The Aftermath — Stage 1, Development" and "28 Days Later: The Aftermath — Stage 3, Decimation." Taken from the Fox Atomic graphic novel series, these animated shorts ("Development" is literally a moving comic book, with word balloons and text boxes) act as bridges between the two films and boast some engaging eye candy (particularly "Decimation").”

Full link here: http://www.premiere.com/dvdreviews/4161/scary-movies.html

Also, as previously mentioned, I’ve been so bloody busy this week I haven’t been able to make it over to the comics store yet. Here’s what I plan to pick up sometime over the weekend:

BATMAN CONFIDENTIAL #10
BLACK ADAM THE DARK AGE #3 (this series is great so far)
BOOSTER GOLD #3 (this book is really fun, especially if you’re a fan of the DCU. do give it a look if you have yet to do so)
CAPTAIN CARROT AND THE FINAL ARK #1 (no, i’m not kidding)
COUNTDOWN 29
GREEN ARROW BLACK CANARY #1
GREEN LANTERN #24
JLA CLASSIFIED #44
SIMON DARK #1 (go steve!)
SUPERMAN #668
UN-MEN #3
BRAWL #1
FANTASTIC FOUR #550
HEROES FOR HIRE #14
NEW AVENGERS #35
NEW WARRIORS #5
PUNISHER #51
PUNISHER WAR JOURNAL #12
RUNAWAYS #28 (love love this book)
WOLVERINE #58
X-FACTOR #24
TANK GIRL THE GIFTING #4

That’s it for this week. I’m off to Lebowskifest!

Later

The Nightmare Factory – Events!

As you may be able to tell from the (in)frequency of my postings as of late, I have been a tad busy. Fox Atomic has another movie releasing very soon (The Comebacks), and helping to put the finishing touches on that puppy has eaten up my precious comics-reading and videogame-playing time.

Also, with Halloween coming up, we have a whole mess of events lined up for our latest graphic novel, The Nightmare Factory! Most (actually all) are NYC based, so if you’re fortunate enough to live in The City do stop by and say hi! The full list is below, but the first event (a signing) is tonight, and if you get there early enough you can even say hi to Steve Niles, writer of 28 Days Later: The Aftermath graphic novel!

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2007 – NEW YORK, NY (TONIGHT!!)
JIM HANLEY’S UNIVERSE — 6:30 p.m.
4 West 33rd St.
New York, NY 10001
(off 5th Ave. - opposite the Empire State Building)
*Signing event with Nightmare Factory writers/artists: Stuart Moore, Joe Harris, Michael Gaydos

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2007 – NEW YORK, NY
MCNALLY ROBINSON BOOKSELLERS — 6:00 p.m.
52 Prince St
New York, NY 10012
*Signings by artist Colleen Doran and writer Stuart Moore

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2007 – NEW YORK, NY
MOCCA – MUSEUM OF COMIC & CARTOON ART — 6:30 p.m.
594 Broadway/Suite 401
(bet. Houston & Prince)
New York, NY 10003
(212) 254-3511
*Writers Stuart Moore and Joe Harris, artists Michael Gaydos and Ted McKeever, and editor Heidi MacDonald come together for a discussion of Fox Atomic and The Nightmare Factory with moderator Calvin Reid, PW.

In case you missed ‘em, check out some nice review blurbs for The Nightmare Factory!

Boston Globe
September 17, 2007
"In a fall season typified by much more categorizable frights, Nightmare Factory provides a bitterly entertaining treat for those attuned to its storyteller's grim sentiments."

EW.com
September 26, 2007
"Makes for deliciously bleak reading as its damned protagonists find themselves ensnared in metaphysical traps they often barely comprehend."

Wizard Magazine
November 2007
"These twisted tales based on Thomas Ligotti's stories come alive in the hands of Ben Templesmith and Michael Gaydos, and others. Retaining unique styles, Ligotti's brand of psychological terror still permeates, oozing into your nightmares."

I shall post my weekly pull list tomorrow… I haven’t been able to get to the store yet! (*sheds a tear)

Later

Monday: Bad for Health, Good for Education

(Before I get started, big points to anyone who picked up on the movie reference contained in today’s post headline. If you know the movie lemme know and I shall send you my love. Or perhaps a graphic novel or a DVD. Who knows!)

So the weekend’s over, school’s back in session (and by school, I mean work). This weekend I read two books that I particularly dug (aside from all of the other books and graphic novels I read on a constant basis – cheers to A.D.D.): Vinyl Underground #1 (Vertigo) and Game Keeper #5 (Virgin). I highly dug both of these books for very different reasons: Vinyl Underground is best described as an underground, occult detective agency based out of London, and being that I’m a huge Anglophile the book hit all the right notes for me. Very different from Hellblazer (a natural comparison, what with all the British occult business going on), in that this book takes itself much less seriously than the aforementioned Swamp Thing spin-off. The second book, Game Keeper, wraps up what looks like the first story arc in director Guy Ritchie’s inaugural comics outing (and in five issues, no less). I must say I enjoyed this story; seeing the titular character pitch a bodyguard off of a skyscraper was worth the price of admission alone.

We’ve also put together a nice slice of The Nightmare Factory review quotes below – do check this book out if you have yet to do so! Here’s what the critics are saying about The Nightmare Factory:

Boston Globe
September 17, 2007
"In a fall season typified by much more categorizable frights, Nightmare Factory provides a bitterly entertaining treat for those attuned to its storyteller's grim sentiments."

EW.com
September 26, 2007
"Makes for deliciously bleak reading as its damned protagonists find themselves ensnared in metaphysical traps they often barely comprehend."

Wizard Magazine
November 2007
"These twisted tales based on Thomas Ligotti's stories come alive in the hands of Ben Templesmith and Michael Gaydos, and others. Retaining unique styles, Ligotti's brand of psychological terror still permeates, oozing into your nightmares."

Later

New Comics Day!

New Comics Day waits for no one, even as I continue to bravely plow through the stack of books from last week. Out of said stack I have really encountered a few gems, but none shine so bright as one book that continues to be my favorite guilty pleasure: All-Star Batman and Robin. The latest issue (released last week) continues the adventures of the bat-crap crazy Batman as he enjoys carnal relations with Black Canary (while they’re both in full costume, no less), and watches in sheer delight as young Dick Grayson extracts a brutal revenge on the thug who murdered his parents. Jim Lee’s gloriously gritty, ultra-detailed art never ceases to amaze as well. The one downside is that the whole “godd*am Batman” shtick has gotten way, way out of hand. On one page that phrase was used no less than three times. Once was cool, twice was cute, but please. No more.

Anyway, we all know what today is: New Comics Days! Now that I have beaten Halo 3 (well… I beat it over the weekend) I can finally put a dent in the aforementioned stack of books that I picked up last week. I shall not be deterred from picking up new books this week; here’s what I plan on grabbing at Comics Ink this eve:

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER #7
CONAN #44
LOBSTER JOHNSON THE IRON PROMETHEUS #2
ACTION COMICS #856
COUNTDOWN 30
DETECTIVE COMICS #837
FAKER #4
GREEN LANTERN CORPS #16
INFINITY INC #2
JACK OF FABLES #15
JLA HITMAN #2
JONAH HEX #24
METAL MEN #3
TALES OF THE SINESTRO CORPS CYBORG SUPERMAN #1
VINYL UNDERGROUND #1 (this looks cool)
WALKING DEAD POSTER (not a comic, but I love this poster for some reason I can’t really put my finger on)
EXILES #99
HOWARD THE DUCK #1 (yes. don’t laugh)
OMEGA UNKNOWN #1
BLACK DIAMOND #4
GAMEKEEPER #5
STAR TREK YEAR FOUR #3

Oh! And lest I forget, Ain’t It Cool News posted the winners in their Nightmare Factory contest! HEAD HERE (http://www.aintitcool.com/node/34273) to check it out!

Later

Mondaze – Sponsored by Halo 3 and Comic Books

So this weekend was a good one. Why, you ask? All I can say is that Halo 3 and comics are the key ingredient to any good weekend. I don’t do the all-geek weekend all that often (normally social situations get in the way… grrr), but this weekend was blissful. I beat Halo (naturally), and overall was a bit under whelmed by the story but since the game rocks so hard all is forgiven.

I’ll post some thoughts on the comics I read tomorrow, but I finally got around to reading one that really stood out: Brian Wood’s Local #10. I have been following this book for quite some time (started with issue #1 when I was still living in Manhattan), so Local holds a special place in my heart. I’m not sure what the original publishing schedule was supposed to be, but considering I haven’t lived in NY for going on two years now that tells you something. Normally I would bemoan irregular books (such as All-Star Batman, which again is forgivable because it’s so damn good), but local stands as an example of reason #2465 why I love comics so: just like music, reading a particular book or back issue can take you to a different place in your life. Local is one of those books for me.

Back to business for a bit: the positive Nightmare Factory graphic novel reviews keep rolling on in! We got another good one below, and check out the FEARNET.COM link for your change to win a copy of your very own!

BOOKLOONS REVIEW (http://www.bookloons.com/cgi-bin/Columns.asp?name=0709a&type=Between%20the%20Lines)

FEARNET TRIVIA CONTEST (http://www.fearnet.com/Games.aspx)

Later / Local