Brandon Graham Did it Again

"Here's a Sexica commision I did", says King City artist Brandon Graham over on his blog. He's put up another of those great, sprawling posts that's reminiscent of swandiving into someone's brain. You should read it.

Meanwhile, Jared has turned up a copy of the first Tokyopop King City book over at OK Comics, meaning I get the chance to get ahead and read the apparently un-shipped Image issue that went awol earlier in the year. But that's me.

Still Alive: Comics Podcast Recommendations

So, yes, it's been a while. But I still live! I've been up to my elbows in work and whatnot, as well as getting up to my shins in a separate project I'm mulling over. I've also been rooting around some blogs about writing, so (since the aforementioned project involves a bit/lot of that) you might see a bit of such blogging turning up here.

And I've been digging up decent comics podcasts to listen to. I hate 'dead time' - time walking places, in the car, time with not a lot to occupy my brain. Rather than stewing in my own thoughts and listening to music recently, I've been pulling up podcasts. Here's what I've got so far:

Word Balloon, hosted by John Siuntres - my favourite. Mostly consists of some really in-depth conversations with big-name creators. If you're into a writer or artist John has on, this is well worth a listen. I've also enjoyed some of the more analytical episodes, featuring the likes of Newsarama's Vaneta Rogers, which explore the bigger picture.

Around Comics - sadly nearing its final episode. I'm easily turned off by 'conversation shows' which feature roundtable discussions from enthusiasts. I'm dubious about what they're bringing to the table that I couldn't get in a conversation at OK Comics, but I was led to it by the aforementioned John Siuntres and discovered some interesting chat from well-informed panelists (is that even the right word?).

War Rocket Ajax. When the guests are good, the show is. Really enjoyed the Bryan Lee O'Malley (Scott Pilgrim) and Cherie Priest (Boneshaker) episodes. It is, however, a bit long.

Awesomed by Comics from husband and wife team Aaron and Evie. Literally just started listening to this one. They're both journalists. They're both weird in a non-scary way. They're both kinda funny.

Geek's Guide to the Galaxy. This is the most intensely nerdy podcast I've come across yet, which is quite awesome. Covers a range of geeky topics, not just comics.

SPOnGcast. It's not about comics, it's about games. But I could hardly do a post about podcasts and not mention the one I'm in, could I? The beardy man (Tim, SPOnG editor) would do something foul.

So, that's that. I would really like to hear some suggestions for other good shows I'm missing. Let me know in the comments! Or, y'know, by any other means you fancy... (Carrier budgie!)

Dan Clowes' Awesome TCAF Poster

This is Daniel Clowes' rather excellent poster for the 2010 Toronto Comic Arts Festival. (You can tell that's what it is, because it says so on the bottom). TCAF is a bit prone to awesome posters. Remember Bryan Lee O'Malley's offering from last year?

The TCAF 2010 line-up is here.

Dark Void: The Rocketeer Meets Fox Mulder

My Dark Void review has gone up on SPOnG.

It starts like this: "Now that I can get my phone to tell me where my car is and buy sex toys built to be exact replicas of the vaginas and anuses of famous porn stars, the future must surely have started." Then I actually wrote about the game, and how it's quite good fun but just not quite... well, good enough.

Also (and I have literally no idea why I haven't posted about this before) I've got recent comics reviews up there for Mass Effect: Redemption #1 and Army of Two #1, what them being games-based.

The A-Team Movie Trailer Dribbled Free

The A-Team movie trailer leaked, so it did...



Alternatively, there's a better resolution (really slow loading) version here.

Thought Bubble 2010 Gets a Date

Next year's Thought Bubble has a date, which is not a weird way of saying the Leeds Comic-Con is getting abstractly romantic so much as it is a way of saying we know when it's happening now. The Con's official Twitter stream tells us that it will be happening from 18th - 21st November.

Last year's con - or 'Sequential Art Festival', if you prefer its (yes, slightly woofy) self-ascribed moniker - was excellent. The calibre of the guests was impressive as ever (Frank Quitely and Ben Templesmith were among the attendees) but the highlight for many (I might just mean 'me') was the quality of the small press work on display. More details on TB2009 here.

And yes, I had to re-use my awesome Iron Man pic taken at the main event on Saturday.

Leeds Crows Love Dixie Chicken

"The Leeds crows love Dixie Chicken. They can be found in the wicked grey dawn, pecking through cheap carrier bags to pick at the bones of leftover Original Recipe peices. At night they perch atop the Grand Theatre, watching drunken girls stumbling in their heels with Sizzler burgers, peering through their beady black eyes, occasionally braving a swoop to scare chilli sauce drenched chips from the gitls' orange fingers. (Chilli sauce with chicken is a stroke of genius only Dixie understands). The crows eye the punters of neighbouring Chicken Cottage with suspicion, because while the queues are shorter the chicken is inferior (though it will do at a push). Leeds crows will fight you hard for Dixie Chicken."

From a book I'm thinking about turning random notes into.

Awesome Glowstick Animation to Make You Feel Bad

Ever feel terrified by what other people achieve through the straightforward application of mind-exploding levels of effort? If not, you should:



This is Lucky by All India Radio or, as the video's blurb tells us: "the viewable blood, sweat and tears of Australian based animation company 'Dee Pee Studios'.

"It involves a painstaking animation technique, whereby the team paints in the air with glow sticks, frame after to frame to create entire sequences of animation, usually taking a whole night to shoot."

More on Dee Pee Studios' official website.

Via Drawn!

More Kick-Ass, Nicholas Cage Shoots his Daughter in the Chest

Yes, really. This was good in the comic series. It's better in moving pictures:

Read Project Waldo!

I've been meaning to post something about Project Waldo for a while, because it has beautiful lines and colours on it. Now Nate Simpson, the man behind said blog, has put up another page of his upcoming graphic novel, so I have gone and done that post. Here:

Find more of it here.