The Last Sane Cowboy

You may be wondering, 'the last sane cowboy'? Has that crazy Texan finally snapped? No, the title of today's post is in reference to a really cool graphic novel that I recently picked up from the good folks over at AIT / PlanetLar. As previously mentioned I will be posting comics reviews in this space every now and again, and to kick things off I thought I would give a few thoughts on that book, titled “The Last Sane Cowboy & Other Stories”.

The book is a collection of exceptionally ‘off the wall’ short stories, complimented by very minimalistic black and white artwork. I am not familiar with the writer (who is billed as ‘comics’ premier surrealist’), but that appellation certainly fits. One story (the titular ‘Last Sane Cowboy’) follows a mysterious cowgirl as she tries to save her goldfish brother from a town populated by talking horses, floating skulls, and a scorpion that wears a cowboy hat given to him by his mother. Oh yea, RIGHT up my alley. This book is certainly not mainstream, but the writer crafts exceptionally surreal tales that me laughing the entire time. I highly recommend it!

Finally, I will be adding these 28 Days Later: The Aftermath reviews to the ticker below shortly, but until that happens, please feel free to check out the following links!

AINT IT COOL NEWS REVIEW
FANGORIA REVIEW
JOBLO.COM REVIEW
COMIXTREME.COM REVIEW
DREAD CENTRAL REVIEW
STEVE NILES' GUEST BLOG ON MANIA.COM (NOT A REVIEW, PER SE, BUT A FUN READ NONETHELESS)

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IFC - Making of 28 Weeks Later

I wanted to share something cool - the Independent Film Channel created a special 'making of'
piece for 28 Weeks Later, and they loved the Aftermath graphic novel so much they wanted to include a bit about it as well! Keep your eyes peeled for a cameo from yours truly...

CHECK IT OUT HERE!

This is really cool too - one UK fan had Robert Carlyle sign his 28 Days Later graphic novel at the films world premiere last night - LINK HERE (scroll down a bit)

Oh... and don't miss these reviews of the 28 Days Later graphic novel!
AINT IT COOL NEWS REVIEW
FANGORIA REVIEW
JOBLO.COM REVIEW
COMIXTREME.COM REVIEW
DREAD CENTRAL REVIEW

ARE YOU SOLD YET? BUY IT HERE!

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28 Days Later: The Aftermath Linkage

Welcome MySpacers! We have a homepage ad thingy up right now, so some of you newbies may not have seen the review love that we're getting for the 28 Days Later: The Aftermath graphic novel. So, without further adieu, peruse away!

AINT IT COOL NEWS REVIEW
FANGORIA REVIEW
JOBLO.COM REVIEW
COMIXTREME.COM REVIEW
DREAD CENTRAL REVIEW
STEVE NILES' GUEST BLOG ON MANIA.COM (NOT A REVIEW, PER SE, BUT A FUN READ NONETHELESS)

ARE YOU SOLD YET? BUY IT HERE!

Keep checking back - I will be posting a few comics reviews shortly!

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New Comics Day!

Most people say that Friday is their favorite day of the week. Charlatans. No, the true renaissance man/woman/whatever knows that Wednesday is the best day of the week, because that means it’s New Comics Day! Below is the list of books that I plan on picking up tonight – keep checking the site, because I’m also going to start posting a few reviews shortly as well!

Hi-De-Ho in Santa Monica is getting my money tonight for:

52 WEEK #51
ACTION COMICS #848
BATMAN CONFIDENTIAL #5
EXTERMINATORS #16
JUSTICE #11
WALKING DEAD #37
DAREDEVIL #96
EXILES #93
POWERS #24
WOLVERINE #53
30 DAYS OF NIGHT SPREADING THE DISEASE #5
SE7EN LUST #4
STAR TREK KLINGONS BLOOD TELL #1 KLINGON LANGUAGE VAR ED (OH HELL YEA!)
TAG CURSED #3
WALK-IN #5
WORMWOOD GENTLEMAN CORPSE #7

Also… check out these reviews for the 28 Days Later graphic novel!

AINT IT COOL NEWS REVIEW
FANGORIA REVIEW
JOBLO.COM REVIEW
COMIXTREME.COM REVIEW
DREAD CENTRAL REVIEW

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I Love Being a Villain

If you haven’t already, be sure to head on over to Mania.com to check out Steve Niles’ guest blog (CHECK IT OUT HERE). Steve posted a daily blog over the course of a week, in which he recounted the creation of the 28 Days Later: The Aftermath graphic novel as if the world itself was truly being destroyed by the Rage Virus. It’s a fun read that gives some fun background info on the novel, and the best part is that I am the villain. The final blog (Day 5) has a great shootout… trust me, it’ll make sense once you read it.

Also… check out these reviews for the 28 Days Later graphic novel!

AINT IT COOL NEWS REVIEW
FANGORIA REVIEW
JOBLO.COM REVIEW
COMIXTREME.COM REVIEW
DREAD CENTRAL REVIEW'

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Transmedia Storytelling

I was reading an article over the weekend about “transmedia storytelling”, which refers to the emerging trend towards platforming / bridging a specific narrative over multiple media platforms. My first real cognizant exposure to the power of this trend was around the time that the second and third Matrix films were coming out – before the second film even hit the theater, I had already watched the amazing ‘Animatrix’ DVD that explored the history of the Matrix itself, and played an OK videogame (Enter the Matrix) that itself was a prequel to The Matrix Reloaded. Both were really cool for the fans; not only did each stand on its own from a creative standpoint, but they also tied into the Matrix mythos to explore elements of the world not touched upon in the film(s). Too bad Matrix 2 and 3 were a bit of a letdown (legal disclaimer in case I get in trouble for stating my opinion: these views do not represent Fox or its related entities blah blah blah :)

I mention this because ‘transmedia storytelling’ ties into what we’re doing over here at Fox Atomic Comics. If you’re a fan of 28 Days Later, then through the graphic novel you can explore questions such as ‘why was the Rage Virus developed?” and “why don’t the Infected attack each other?”. In addition, The Hills Have Eyes graphic novel tells the origin of those wacky murderous mutants. The books definitely stand on their own, but if you’re a fan of either franchise you will appreciate them that much more!

Hey, speaking of the 28 Days Later graphic novel standing on its own, check out the reviews below (I can’t resist):

AINT IT COOL NEWS REVIEW
FANGORIA REVIEW
JOBLO.COM REVIEW
COMIXTREME.COM REVIEW
DREAD CENTRAL REVIEW

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All About the Reviews

Have you seen some of the kick ass reviews for 28 Days Later: The Aftermath? Check 'em out below!

AINT IT COOL NEWS REVIEW
FANGORIA REVIEW
JOBLO.COM REVIEW
COMIXTREME.COM REVIEW
DREAD CENTRAL REVIEW

In addition, the man himself, Steve Niles, is guest blogging all week over at Mania.com. You may notice a familair villain in the tale... yes, I am truly an evil taskmaster. Ask anyone that I work with!

CHECK IT OUT HERE!

Your fearless EIC is out of the office today, but I expect a full report on the above on my desk by the end of the day ;)

Later