Posted by
Anonymous
- Friday, March 7, 2014
From one crowd funding campaign to the next, sometimes it seems as though there is a gap between what comics can be and what they tend to be. Among the many campaigns, there are beautiful and popping gems that gleam among other bland or less captivating works. Really, even the big-name comic producers seem less invested than the fans are, but as an indie enthusiast and arguably the greatest Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) fan alive, I take great pride in the selections I make involving my favorite series and less-known creators.
I learned to walk in the '80s and grew up in the '90s. The biggest, baddest comic to me as I was growing up was TMNT. Oddly enough, it also happened to be a bit of a joke comic; even though I thought it was serious and took it very seriously, the fact is, it was created as a spoof.
Into the '90s, the long-awaited animated series began and blew us away, and it was no time at all before I was spending my afternoons watching and rewatching the episodes. In those days, I don't even remember catching the poorly constructed news reports of April O'Neil or the odd storylines followed by jokes from the turtles emphasizing the ridiculousness of occurring events. To me, it was all serious. To me, it was practically a reality.
To this day, the series is something I take more seriously perhaps than I should. I mean, mutagen, fighting turtles and rats, animal gangsters by the names of Bebop and Rocksteady…the very foundation of the series is comical at best. Still, I feel like it was never taken as seriously as it should have been from a creative standpoint or as seriously as we took it as fans when we were children. It's all changed now.
You may wonder what TMNT has to do with indie, even if you know what it has to do with comics. Perhaps you might even wonder what indie has to do with the serious rebranding of the TMNT series. After all, the comics have taken on a very serious tone of late. However, I assure you, there is more to my words than jibber-jabber. Dawn of the Ninja is every bit as serious as I thought the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were already, going back years.
This fan art graphic novel piece that takes everything we were so passionate about and relive it through our and others' art. The story goes something like this: Two stories begin in this mystifying and gruesome tale. One is the story of Oroku Saki, The Shredder, and the second is the more familiar tale of the Ninja Turtles. In this comic book, started by a fan for the fans, Oroku Saki suffers the loss of his father, Oroku Nagi, and battles the complicated feelings of retribution that eventually warp his perception of honor. In the future, the turtles try to uncover the secret behind the transformation of Baxter Stockman into a dangerous mutant. Both tales are supposed to focus on the very human elements of vengeance and honor, as we all know the tale of the turtles already. Eventually, the two tales converge and the legend that is the rivalry between the turtles and The Shredder is born. Check out this indie turtles fan comic at Dawn of the Ninja. Tell me what you think downstairs! Indie?
Posted by
The Dace Man
- Thursday, March 6, 2014
Hey, Hey, Hey Dacetacular Franktastic Nation! Check out Episode 37 of The Dace Man Show A Franktastic Adventure! because Frank Ward has taken over! He introduces an all-new panel and gives a fresh look at sports, weird, and celebrity news. Join him, Kelly Lightbody, Travis Sullivan, and Jefferson Brown, and even some surprise call-in guests!
Join Franktastic Frank and crew this week as they break down the following:
::SPORTS NEWS:
::WEIRD NEWS with Gibby Kelly::
- You ready for something that's not Huffington Post?!
::FRANK'S CORNER::
- Where he gives you Dace Man Facts!
::CELEB NEWS with Travis and Jefferson::
Plus the High Five: Top 5 Badasses, and The Douche Bag of The Week. All that and more, only on The Dace Man Show…er, we mean A Franktastic Adventure!
Listen live to The Dace Man Show every Wednesday at 8 p.m. EST on Mega Powers Radio.
Follow on Facebook: Mega Powers Radio | Fanboys Anonymous | The Dace Man Show | I Got Game Play | Geek Speak | Rose Colored Reviews | Sports Talk Weekly | Addicted to Anime
2014 INTERNET GODDESS AWARD
Posted by
Travis Goss
- Wednesday, March 5, 2014
My name is Travis. I am 34 years old (one of the oldest members of Fanboys Anonymous). I have been a gamer since I was old enough to hold a controller. I have played nearly every single video gaming console that has ever come into existence.
One game series that has been near and dear to me all throughout my life has been Castlevania. I will never forget my first time playing the very first game on the Nintendo Entertainment System. I was over at my late brother's apartment one weekend, and he had rented the game from a local video store. I was about 9 years old at the time. Although this was around the time when Castlevania II: Simon's Quest was available, you have to start at the beginning in order to get the full story.
It was from this moment on that I fell in love with the series. From its sometimes frustrating challenges to its incredible music, Castlevania has become one of the most beloved gaming franchises, sitting alongside Mario and Sonic as an icon.
Another aspect of Castlevania is the gorgeous visuals. Things have drastically improved through the years and have come a long way since the first NES game. As years and consoles have come and gone, this series has always found ways to trump the previous entry. Although the early games looked more colorful when compared with later titles, it always gives you a creepy feeling as you traverse through different parts of Dracula's castle.
Recently, I have had the pleasure of checking out an art book published by Titan Books that provides an extensive look into the various characters and locales for Konami's 2010 video game, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow. Written by former content editor from the UK offices for IGN.com, Martin Robinson, The Art of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow is an excellent companion to the game. It gives fans a deeper look into what it took to create some of the most incredible visuals in any Castlevania game ever.
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| Courtesy of Titan Books |
Admittedly, I have not played this game, which is a shame because, as I have mentioned earlier, I am a big fan of the franchise. That being said, I will say that after looking at each page of this book, I am even more motivated to go out and buy a copy.
According to the press release which I had received when I got the copy I have reviewed for this article, the book starts "from the very beginning with an in-depth look at the game's development art and moving through a wealth of concept art and detailed creator commentary, this lavish book takes readers on a thrilling journey through the ethereal world of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow.
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| Courtesy of Titan Books |
"With stunning images from both Castlevania: Lords of Shadow and [the sequal] Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 – plus the chilling side story, Mirror of Fate – the book offers an exclusive look at Gabriel, and the rest of the Belmont family's everlasting struggle against demonic forces and supernatural terrors."
This book goes into tremendous detail in terms of the characters' designs. From simple sketches of each character to their finalized 3D form, this book shows you the process on how characters are designed and how they are crafted into becoming the Belmonts and all of the various enemies and allies.
One of my favorite characters from the series is, undoubtedly, Simon Belmont. Truthfully, I am still kind of intrigued how his recent design made him into a redhead. Remember, I have been following the games from the beginning. At the time, I had always seen him with blonde hair. But, he did go through a change with the release of Castlevania Chronicles for the PlayStation. Even then, I was kind of taken away seeing him with long-flowing red hair.
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| Courtesy of Titan Books |
All minor issues aside, I really enjoyed looking at his design for the game. He looks like a total badass!
In fact, all of the more popular characters from the series have gone through a major overhaul while also retaining some of their familiarities. Although, Alucard really looks nightmarishly freaky. But, in an awesome way. Satan looks really cool, too.
In addition to all of the character designs, there are pages of hand-painted backgrounds which were used in the game itself. The artists have done such a mind-blowing job.
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| Courtesy of Titan Books |
Any words I have written would not do this book justice. I could go on to say this book would be a must-buy for ANY Castlevania fan; especially for those who have Lords of Shadow (and, its recently released sequel) and love it. Even if you are not a fan of the series or this game in particular and just love looking at jaw-dropping visuals, this book is still an amazing collector's item.
Speaking of which, for those die-hard fans out there, Titan Books has also released a special slipcased edition, limited to 500 copies, which includes an exclusive Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 concept art print, signed by the whole MercurySteam art team.
Now, we want to hear from you. What do you think about this book and the video games? Would this be a nice addition to your art book library? Tell us what you think in the comments down below.
Posted by
Anthony Mango
- Tuesday, March 4, 2014
After the most recent episode of How I Met Your Mother, entitled "Vesuvius," many fans are calling it a guarantee that one of the longest-running theories about the show has been confirmed: that The Mother, Ted's wife, is dead.
Speculation about this has run rampant almost since the show's inception, and it makes sense to an extent. Many television shows kill off major characters in the finale, and this show has made a habit out of not just sticking to the laughs but hitting the emotional notes as well.
Until now, this theory has always had some moments that support it, but others that appeared to invalidate it. For example, in "The Time Travelers," Ted imagines a scenario in which his past self could have an extra 45 days with his wife. Immediately, fans jumped to the conclusion that that must have meant that The Mother was dead, but that's not a confirmation, and Ted referring to The Mother in the present tense several times negated it. Cobie Smulders has said that reading the finale's script made her cry, and the creators of the show (Carter Bays and Craig Thomas) have repeatedly said that it will end with something bittersweet, further teasing the fans that something like this could happen.
With "Vesuvius," there is more evidence to this than ever, and all because of one line of dialogue: "What kind of mother wouldn't be at her daughter's wedding?"
In the episode, this line immediately causes Ted to start crying. Obviously, this has struck a nerve. The Mother apologizes and tries to clarify that she didn't mean to bring up whatever the sore subject is, and Ted knows, so they brush it off and continue on, telling happy stories about Barney stealing his scuba suit.
Instantly, I felt sick to my stomach. This can't possibly mean what I think it means, can it? The Mother can't really be dying from some kind of a terminal illness?! With that, the super-fan in me that identifies greatly with the Ted Mosby character began trying to unravel the mystery and sooth my uneasiness. Sure, it now made sense why she tells Ted that she wants him to not live in the past and that life moves on. Sure, it lines up with how we've never seen The Mother in the 2030 timeline when Ted is telling this story. Yet this show has hinted toward things and given us twists so many times before, and this has to be another. After all, Barney and Robin split up and he was going to marry someone else, yet we're at the wedding now. Marshall may have lost his dad on the same episode everyone was expecting to be an announcement about Lily's pregnancy, but they eventually had baby Marvin, and things weren't as bleak as they could have been. Robin may not be able to have children, but that was already a huge blow and we can't take another like that.
So I present to you an alternative theory, just in case this turns out to be another red herring. The Mother isn't dying at the time of this conversation, nor has she died when Ted is telling his kids the story. This is in reference to Ted's mother, Virginia Mosby.
Luke and Penny at the very least know of Ted's stepfather, Clint, whom Virginia marries in "Home Wreckers"—the episode that also revolves around Ted's future house. Not much is spoken about Virginia in the future, and it could easily be assumed that she's passed on purely due to her age. Ted was born in 1978, making him in his 50s when he begins telling the story. His mother would be in her 70s or older, which doesn't mean that she necessarily has to have died by then, but it's very understandable, and all we know is that she's still alive by Robin and Barney's wedding day. She could very well die the day after the reception.
Ted isn't an only child, as he has a younger sister named Heather. She has only been in one episode of the series so far, "Little Minnesota," where she moves to New York City and Ted becomes overprotective of her. To the best of my knowledge (although if you know otherwise, please indicate so in the comments below), nothing has been thrown out there about Heather being married. In "Single Stamina," he says she once got married for five days, but that's about it, and that really doesn't seem to qualify.
When The Mother asks "what kind of mother wouldn't be at her daughter's wedding?" it is Ted that gets upset, not her. You can write my theory off by saying that The Mother is just self-actualized enough to have come to terms with her impending death more so than Ted and that is why she wasn't upset over going to her daughter's wedding, but that would be playing into the writers' game. Instead, let's say Virginia died before Heather got married. That would be something that naturally meant more to Ted than The Mother, as her mentioning this could make him remember how much he misses his own mom. Maybe this even applies to Virginia dying before Ted marries The Mother and he's simply putting "son" in place of "daughter" in reference to the quote.
Is it a stretch? Possibly. But everything is up for grabs until the finale, "Last Forever," airs March 31, 2014. Even I don't believe it—if I'm honest with myself—but until the show rips my heart out and stomps all over it, I'm going to cling onto hope that I'm not proven wrong. Can someone hand Future Tony a tissue, please?
DO YOU THINK THE MOTHER IS DYING IN THE FINALE?
LEAVE YOUR COMMENTS BELOW!
I learned to walk in the '80s and grew up in the '90s. The biggest, baddest comic to me as I was growing up was TMNT. Oddly enough, it also happened to be a bit of a joke comic; even though I thought it was serious and took it very seriously, the fact is, it was created as a spoof.
To this day, the series is something I take more seriously perhaps than I should. I mean, mutagen, fighting turtles and rats, animal gangsters by the names of Bebop and Rocksteady…the very foundation of the series is comical at best. Still, I feel like it was never taken as seriously as it should have been from a creative standpoint or as seriously as we took it as fans when we were children. It's all changed now.
This fan art graphic novel piece that takes everything we were so passionate about and relive it through our and others' art. The story goes something like this: Two stories begin in this mystifying and gruesome tale. One is the story of Oroku Saki, The Shredder, and the second is the more familiar tale of the Ninja Turtles. In this comic book, started by a fan for the fans, Oroku Saki suffers the loss of his father, Oroku Nagi, and battles the complicated feelings of retribution that eventually warp his perception of honor. In the future, the turtles try to uncover the secret behind the transformation of Baxter Stockman into a dangerous mutant. Both tales are supposed to focus on the very human elements of vengeance and honor, as we all know the tale of the turtles already. Eventually, the two tales converge and the legend that is the rivalry between the turtles and The Shredder is born. Check out this indie turtles fan comic at Dawn of the Ninja. Tell me what you think downstairs! Indie?
