Well, it’s been just over a month since I brought the site to an end, and just in case you were craving a wee bit of Hypergeek, I thought I would bring you up to date with what I am doing now.

Well, to start with, I now have a sweet gig working for 2000 AD! Some of you may remember that over the last couple of years, I have written a couple of print interview features for them with writers and artists about their newest stores. Well, they recently launched a new news blog on their newly revamped website at 2000adonline.com. As soon as they heard that I had shut down Hypergeek, they contacted me to see if I would be interested creating similar content for their blog – that is, doing Q&As with writers and artists, about their upcoming stories. I was quite frankly flattered that the contacted me, and was very excited at the prospect. I really love interviewing creators about interesting projects, and the fact that these interviews are now on the internet means that many more people are seeing my writing! It’s also a good thing for 2000 AD too, as previously the only people reading these features were people who had bought that issue of 2000 AD – which is pretty much preaching to the converted. Now everyone can read them, and hopefully be enticed to pick up the issues containing the story.

Anyway, I’ve had two pieces posted so far, and have two more about ready to turn in. Here are the ones up right now:

http://www.2000adonline.com/news/27-07-2011/scenes_of_chaos_ben_willsher_interviewed/

http://www.2000adonline.com/news/12-08-2011/hunted_arthur_wyatt_interviewed/

In other news, I have just joined the Best Shots review team at Newsarama.com. My first two reviews were of DC’s Superboy #11, and Marvel’s Avengers #16. I have just started going through this week’s titles, and should have a couple more up next week too. Check them out at:

http://www.newsarama.com/comics/best-shots-comic-reviews-110822.html

… and lots more to come! I’ll keep you posted!

Related posts:

1. Scalped‘s R.M. Guera Draws 2000 AD‘s Judge Anderson!
2. Steve Ellis Provides the Cover for 2000 AD Prog 1720!
3. Hypergeek is Three Years Old Today!

There are a number of reasons for this. Primarily, it’s because I just don’t have the time to keep the website up to the standard that I would like it to be, and I don’t want to do a half-arsed job of it. At its peak, I was probably putting about 30 hours a week into the site, alongside working 40 hours a week, reading all the latest comics for about 20 hours a week (I buy *that* many), and trying to find any spare time to spend with my wife. Oh, and did mention that I work night-shift, and therefore hardly ever get to see her?

If writing this site was my main job, and I was getting paid to do it, that would be a different matter – I would pour my heart and soul into it, and make it my singular focus. However, as it stands I make approximately bugger all in ad revenue – not even enough to pay the server costs!

Why now? Well, there are a lot more distractions in my life these days. I’m spending a lot of time looking for a new full-time job, because I have just one month until I am laid-off due to outsourcing, and I really can’t afford to have another extended period of unemployment. So that’s my main focus right now!

Another reason is that I have rediscovered my love of music. When I was much younger I almost embarked on a career in music, having graduated from music school and everything. I gave all that up though, got a degree in Biology and embarked on a pretty dull science career instead. Sadly, even that career died eventually, due to a lack of jobs. Somewhere over the years I lost my interest in music, and gave it up completely. Recently though, that spark was reawakened, and I feel the need to play all the time. I need to get a couple of hours of practice in every day, and that’s pretty hard to do while trying to run a website.

I still love comics very much, and would love to continue to be involved in them in some way. So if anyone is looking for a website contributor, let me know, as I would love to do some reviews, articles, and interviews. Also, my weekly creator-owned shopping list is a really popular feature, so if anyone wants me to bring it over to their site, let me know! I might hit a few people up when SDCC is done and dusted.

Thanks for reading over the years, and thanks also to all the great writers, artists, editors, PR folks, and others who have given me great stories and interviews. I’ve had a fantastic time doing the site, and made a number of new friends, but all good things must come to an end.

Oh, and don’t worry, the site will still stay in place, so you will continue to be able to access all of the older material. Once traffic starts to tail off I’ll probably downgrade my hosting package to a slower speed, but you hopefully won’t notice the change.

Related posts:

1. I Sucks!
2. Changes to Weekly Comic Book Previews – Opinions Needed!
3. Hypergeek is Three Years Old Today!

What is this?

Every week I like to pull apart Diamond’s confirmed shipping list for the week, and create a list of all of the creator-owned titles that will be arriving in stores that Wednesday. I then use the magic of Javascript to pull the details on the books from comiXology.com, and hey presto!

Why?

Good question! Well, the primary reason is that there are a ton of great creator-owned comics out there, and many are being created on a shoe-string budget. This generally means that the creators are able to spend little to no money on marketing these titles, and so many books go by unnoticed, and just end up gathering dust on the shelves. My hope is that by reading through this weekly list, something might catch your eye, and you may decide to give something new a try. It’s by no means a list of everything you should be buying every week, but more like a guideline to let you know what is available, should you wish to try out a creator-owned comic.

Of the books listed this week, I shall be picking up: 50 Girls 50 #2, The Boys #56, Chew #19, Dark Tower: The Gunslinger – The Battle of Tull #2, Elephantmen #32, Irredeemable #27, and Sweet Tooth #23.

If you missed the single issue, I’d also recommend getting: Garth Ennis’ Battlefields Vol. 2 HC, Locke & Key Vol. 3: Crown of Shadows TP, Locke & Key Vol. 4: Keys To the Kingdom HC, Northlanders Vol. 5: Metal TP, and X-files/30 Days of Night TP.

What are you picking up this week?

As always, if you noticed something in the list that isn’t creator-owned, please let me know, and I’ll remove it. It’s sometimes hard to determine who actually owns what! Please also let me know if I have missed a book that should be on the list, and I’ll be sure to add it!

Please note though that not all of these comics may be available at your local comic shop, particularly those found in the non-premiere publisher section, so it’s best to check to check ahead to see if your retailer has ordered in the comics you are after.

215 Ink

AiT/Planet Lar

Arc Entertainment

Arcana

Archaia

Avatar Press

BOOM! Studios

DC Comics

Dynamite Entertainment

Fantagraphics

Icon

IDW

Image Comics

Marvel Comics

Vertigo

Related posts:

1. Your Creator-Owned Comics Shopping List for June 22nd, 2011
2. Your Creator-Owned Comics Shopping List for April 20th, 2011
3. Your Creator-Owned Comics Shopping List for June 15th, 2011

GRIME AND WONDER ON THE STREETS OF MALINKY ROBOT

Image Comics Collects Sonny Liew’s Inspired Short Stories

Berkeley, CA – 1 July 2011 – The captivating world and quirky characters detailed by award-winning artist Sonny Liew’s (LIQUID CITY VOL. 1 and 2, My Faith in Frankie, Wonderland, Sense and Sensibility) loose and emotive watercolor-drenched pencil work are set to charm readers in August, with the release of MALINKY ROBOT: COLLECTED STORIES AND OTHER BITS from Image Comics.

A recipient of the Xeric Award and Best Science Fiction Comic Album award at the Utopiales International SF Festival, MALINKY ROBOT blends dystopic sci-fi and indie sensibilities into a uniquely oddball world, where street urchins Atari and Oliver scrounge, steal bicycles and watch Giant Robot movies.

Liew says, “The stories of MALINKY ROBOT have always been the ones that I feel most personally connected with, from their rhythms and structure, to the character and architectural designs. It’s very exciting to see them collected together in this book.”

MALINKY ROBOT not only includes short stories like “Stinky Fish Blues” and “Karakuri” from the LIQUID CITY and Flight anthologies, but also a gallery of Liew’s concept and sketch art, along with pinups by incredible artists such as Mike Allred, Roger Langridge and Skottie Young. Writer Gail Simone (Birds of Prey, Secret Six, Deadpool, Wonder Woman) described the collection as “[a] book so full of wonders and treasures it feels like you should need a pirate’s map to find it. A stunningly gorgeous mix of urban fantasy and charming adventure that I plan to read until the spine falls off.”

MALINKY ROBOT: COLLECTED STORIES AND OTHER BITS TP (JUN110503), a 128-page full color collection of short sequential art stories retailing for $16.99, will be available at a comic store near you on August 3, 2011. It is available for pre-orders from Diamond Comics, and from retailers such as Amazon. For more information, please visit www.malinkyrobot.com.

ABOUT SONNY LIEW

Sonny Liew is an Eisner-nominated comic artist, illustrator and painter. His work includes titles for DC Vertigo, Marvel, SLG and Disney. He has also served as editor and contributor for Image Comics’ Eisner-nominated LIQUID CITY anthology. For more information, please visit www.sonnyliew.com.

ABOUT IMAGE COMICS

Image Comics is a comic book and graphic novel publisher founded in 1992 by a collective of best-selling artists. Image has since gone on to become one of the largest comics publishers in the United States. Image currently has five partners: Robert Kirkman, Erik Larsen, Todd McFarlane, Marc Silvestri and Jim Valentino. It consists of five major houses: Todd McFarlane Productions, Top Cow Productions, Shadowline, Skybound and Image Central. Image publishes comics and graphic novels in nearly every genre, sub-genre, and style imaginable. It offers science fiction, romance, horror, crime fiction, historical fiction, humor and more by the finest artists and writers working in the medium today. For more information, visit www.imagecomics.com.

Related posts:

1. Image Comics to Release Second Volume of Critically Acclaimed Liquid City Anthology
2. Image Comics Collects the Hard-to-Find Origin Stories of the Perhapanauts
3. Image Comics Receives 12 2011 Eisner Nominations

From the press release:

JULY 1, MILWAUKIE, OR—As previously announced, Dark Horse debuts its program to distribute exclusive digital content through brick-and-mortar retailers today, with the launch of B.P.R.D.: Casualties!

Starting today, the Dark Horse Digital Retailer Exclusive program will offer all-new monthly digital comics for free! This exclusive program is a great way to drive both new and existing customers into local comic shops for digital comics that only those stores can provide.

Over the next three months, the program will debut new stories from some of Dark Horse’s hottest titles:

JULY: B.P.R.D.: Casualties -

Liz and Abe investigate a series of hideous murders taking place at a remote cabin in the woods.

Creators:

Writers: Mike Mignola, Scott Allie

Artist: Guy Davis

Colorist: Dave Stewart

Letterer: Clem Robins

AUGUST: Buffy Season 9: Magical Mystery Tour Featuring the Beetles -

Spike leads an intergalactic bug crew though time and space in order to get back to planet Earth!

Creators:

Writer: Jane Espenson

Artist: Georges Jeanty

Inker: Dexter Vines

Colorist: Michelle Madsen

Letterer: Richard Starkings

SEPTEMBER: Mass Effect – Details coming soon!

A complete list of participating retailers can be found below. Stop into your local comic shop today to pick up a special redemption code for your exclusive eight-page B.P.R.D. story today!

For the complete list of participating stores, please visit the Dark Horse blog!

http://www.darkhorse.com/Blog/476/exclusive-digital-comics-available-your-retailer

Related posts:

1. Dark Horse Comics Announces Retailer Digital Exclusives!
2. Dark Horse Comics Launches Industry-Changing Digital Comics Program
3. Dark Horse Announces Exclusive Comic-con Variant of ‘Dollhouse: Epitaphs #1′

However, Deadline has learned that Kenneth Branagh will not be returning to direct the movie, but will likely be involved in some producing capacity. It seems that his exit from the picture was “mutual and amicable.” So expect some fierce competition between directors to fill this much desired director’s chair.

As well as Thor 2, Marvel also has the Joss Whedon-directed The Avengers in the works, set for a May 4th, 2012 release date. They are also prepping Iron Man 3 for a May 3rd, 2013 release date.

Related posts:

1. Thor Release Date Pushed Forward to May 6th, 2011
2. Marvel Studios’ Thor U.S Premiere to Stream LIVE From Hollywood on Marvel.Com, Isaiah Mustafa Hosts
3. Adriana Barraza to Join the Cast of Marvel Studios’ Thor

Garfield & Papercutz Prepare for the Holidays 2011!

New York, NY: In May of 2011, New York publisher Papercutz released GARFIELD & Co. #1 and 2 to an overwhelming response. Despite the heat of summer approaching, the publisher announced this week the anticipated release of the next two adaptations of the popular Cartoon Network series – both with a festive theme just in time for the holidays. In these upcoming volumes, readers between the ages of 6 and 11 will continue to experience capers of our legendary lasagna-eating feline along with colorful 3-D artwork. THE GARFIELD SHOW is one of Cartoon Network’s biggest hits – it airs every day of the week reaching approximately 600,000 kids!

In GARFIELD & Co. #3 “Catzilla,” debuting August 30, it’s Halloween and Garfield has dressed up as Catzilla, a fierce wild cat, to go out trick or treating. But what he doesn’t know is that the real Catzilla has escaped from the zoo, and police are looking for him, leading to a wild case of mistaken identity! Will Garfield end up in a zoo, and will Jon and Odie be trapped with the real Catzilla?

On October 25, Papercutz opens up the Christmas season with GARFIELD & Co. #4 “Caroling Capers.”  Garfield, always on the look-out for an opportunity to stuff his face, goes caroling in the hopes that his neighbors will give him holiday treats. But Garfield is completely off-key, and nobody gives him a thing. When he notices that Nermal and Odie are having much greater success, Garfield knows he has to find a way to get in on the goodies received by the harmonious duet of his foils!

Both “Catzilla” and “Caroling Capers” are based on characters created by Jim Davis and are adapted for graphic novel by Cedric Michiels who has adapted several Garfield television episodes into comics for Dargaud Media. He is a staff member at Dargaud media where he writes and edits. Illustrator for the GARFIELD & Co. series, Ellipsanime is one of the foremost animation production studios in the world, developing children’s programs, TV series and animated films. Recent work by the studio includes Garfield, Contraptus, Babar, Tintin and Miss BG. Each of these two volumes includes two supporting stories in addition to the feature title story.

The Garfield franchise is one of the most expansive in the world. Created and first published by Jim Davis in 1978 as a newspaper strip, Garfield has grown into a billion-dollar merchandise line, animated television specials, two animated television series, two feature-length live-action films and three animated direct-to-video movies – and now a graphic novel series. Guinness Book of World Records has listed Garfield as the most widely syndicated newspaper strip as of 2007. The current Cartoon Network series is distributed to 125 countries and in the US specifically, THE GARFIELD SHOW ranks as the third most watched program among boys ages 6 to 8.

Founded in 2005, Papercutz, the premiere publisher of such popular graphic novel series as BIONICLE, DISNEY FAIRIES, GERONIMO STILTON, HARDY BOYS, NANCY DREW, THE SMURFS, PAPERCUTZ SLICES and TALES FROM THE CRYPT, is dedicated to publishing the best comics and graphic novels for kids 6-14 and all young at heart. GARFIELD & Co. graphic novels are 6½ x 9, 32 pages, full-color $7.99 in hardcover. #3 “Catzilla” ISBN: 978-1597072786, #4 “Caroling Capers” ISBN: 978-1597072878.

Related posts:

1. Papercutz Announces Garfield & Co!
2. Papercutz Presents Geronimo Stilton/The Smurfs FCBD Sampler
3. Papercutz Celebrates Children’s Book Week with Geronimo Stilton Appearances

World Renowned Artist Ashley Wood Special Guest at San Diego Comic-Con

Appearance includes signings at IDW booth #2643, exclusive robots and books, spotlight panel, and more

San Diego, CA (June 30, 2011)—At this year’s San Diego Comic Con, art and comic fans have one more must on their lists, as IDW Publishing announced today that world-renowned artist and creator Ashley Wood will be a special guest at the convention. Headquartered at the IDW Booth #2643, Ashley will hold regular signings, and be featured in a spotlight panel, hosted by IDW’s co-founder and chief executive officer, Ted Adams. Ashley fans can also look forward to an impressive array of exclusive or hard to find items, including toys and books.

“Ash and I have worked together for more than 15 years. We met when I was running Todd McFarlane’s comic books and the first book IDW published was Ash’s first art collection, Uno Fanta. I’m looking forward to chatting with him about his career during his spotlight panel and the two books we’re launching at SDCC are flat-out amazing,” said Adams.

Before Comic-Con kicks off, fans can pre-order several limited edition Ashley Wood items through IDW, including POPBOT BIG BEAUTIFUL BOOK, which collects the long sold-out POPBOT Volumes 1 through 8. This huge 11″ x 14″ hardcover collection showcases over 400 pages of Ashley Wood art and comes with a slipcase. Strictly limited to 500 copies.

Also available for pre-order is FAT TARINO, offering the impossible to find art books UNO TARINO, DOS TARINO and TRES TARINO, all in one gorgeous hardcover. This slipcased edition features over 350 pages of Ashley Wood art and is strictly limited to 500 copies.

Zombies vs Robots fans are also in for a treat, with the exclusive new hardcover edition of the COMPLETE ZOMBIES VS ROBOTS. The acclaimed, 160-page volume, written by co-creator Chris Ryall and fully illustrated by Ash, is now available in an exclusive hardcover for only $29.99, and is limited to approximately 400 copies.

During San Diego Comic-Con, fans can meet Ashley at any of his scheduled signings at the IDW booth, as well as attend his Spotlight Panel, on Friday, July 22 at 4.30 p.m. in room 24ABC. Stay tuned to IDWPublishing.com for Ashley’s signing schedule.

POPBOT BIG BEAUTIFUL BOOK ($125, hardcover with slipcase, 424 pages, 11” X 14”) is available for pre-order through IDW Publishing, for pick up at San Diego Comic Con or delivery after August 1.

COMPLETE ZOMBIES VS ROBOTS ($29.99, hardcover, 160 pages) will be available at San Diego Comic-Con through IDW Publishing.


About IDW Publishing
IDW is an award-winning publisher of comic books, graphic novels and trade paperbacks, based in San Diego, California. Renowned for its diverse catalog of licensed and independent titles, IDW publishes some of the most successful and popular titles in the industry, including: Hasbro’s The Transformers and G.I. JOE, Paramount’s Star Trek; HBO’s True Blood; the BBC’s DOCTOR WHO; Toho’s Godzilla; and comics and trade collections based on novels by worldwide bestselling author, James Patterson. IDW is also home to the Library of American Comics imprint, which publishes classic comic reprints; Yoe! Books, a partnership with Yoe! Studio; and is the print publisher for EA Comics.

IDW’s original horror series, 30 Days of Night, was launched as a major motion picture in October 2007 by Sony Pictures and was the #1 film in its first week of release. More information about the company can be found at IDWPublishing.com.

About Ashley Wood
Australian artist, designer, and creative director Wood has worked in the fields of art, design, advertising, and comic books since 1990. The creator of Popbot, World War Robot, and Lore, Ashley has a long running partnership with IDW Publishing, and has worked for nearly other every major comic book company. Wood and now runs his own toy and publishing company ThreeA, with legendary HK toy maker Kim Fung. Wood also heads up Australian production house 7174 with his writing partner and wife T. P Louise. Together they have made the jump into Hollywood, with WWR, Popbot, Lore, and Zombies vs. Robots all currently in production to be major motion pictures.

Related posts:

1. Ashley Wood to Offer San Diego Comic Con 2011 Exclusive Robot
2. ‘Walter Simonson’s The Mighty Thor: Artist’s Edition’ To Launch at San Diego Comic-Con
3. Dark Horse Comics Appoints Dirk Wood As Director of Communications