KICKING IT WITH PAPER FILMS: WHY YOU SHOULD BACK FORAGER

I missed out on the first Paperfilms Kickstarter project, Queen Crab (art by Artiz Eiguren and a cover by Sas Christian), because I was unsure about the whole Kickstarter idea but, when I managed to pick it up in my LCS, I was impressed by the quality of the book. It was a fun little story about a girl running from the mob and into some weirdness. You just couldn’t get something like this from anybody else.  I decided I wasn’t going to miss out the next time Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray launched a project. I backed their next project, Retrovirus (art by Norberto Fernandez and a cover by Amanda Conner), which was an entertaining action romp about scientists uncovering something that they shouldn’t. My favourite part about that project was I was able to pick up an extra copy at my reward level and share the fun with my best friend. He only had one criticism. He wished there was more. He received the next project, Sex and Violence, as a birthday gift (I had a look at the book first of course). That saw an interesting split in the writing chores with Justin Gray doing a crime story (“Pornland, Oregon” with art by Jimmy Broxton) and Jimmy Palmiotti doing a strange love story (“Girl In A Storm” with art by Juan SantaCruz). Amanda Conner once again provided a cover. 

I am currently waiting for the last project to be funded, Weapon of God (art by Giancarlo Caracuzzo and design by Bill Tortolini and another beautiful cover by Amanda Conner), to arrive. I have to wait a little longer because I opted for the Jimmy Palmiotti original art level which is a postcard sized ink sketch of a character I got to pic. I have the option of looking at the pdf but I am a bit old-school when it comes to their projects and want to wait to have physical project in my grubby little paws. It says something about my trust in them that I have already backed their new all ages sci-fi project, Forager (art by Steven Cummings with more design by Bill Tortolini), before it arrives though doesn’t it? Well there are reason for this. Every single one of their projects is a high quality project with a great artist involved. They also treat their backers like royalty. Nobody else is going to get this book before you. You will be kept up to date on every aspect of the project and if there will be any delays (I haven't had any of these that weren't related to you getting something extra), they will let you know. They also have quality extras from artists like Amanda Conner and Darwyn Cooke and fun ones like a mystery signed book of THEIR choice. Finally, Jimmy and Justin are two of the nicest guys in comics so show them some love. You get so much in return.

 Back the project here: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1397702842/forager-an-all-ages-sci-fi-graphic-novel?ref=live

You can pick up some physical copies of previous projects and digital versions of them all on the Paperfilms website: www.paperfilms.com

THAT'S ME IN THE CORNER: ENJOYING BATWING

 Anybody that follows me on Twitter knows of my love for all things Palmiotti and Gray. From discovering their work on Jonah Hex to their creator owned books to their Kickstarter projects and most things in between. I've been reading comics for longer than I care to remember so I have become quite jaded and crotchety about a lot of the trappings of comicbooks so their creator owned stuff is often a breath of fresh air. It brings their craziness level to the max and there's always the feeling that anything can happen because there are a couple of madmen behind the wheel (and there's usually an excellent artist in the car with them). So what appeals to me about their (relatively) new DC book Batwing? Well allow me to explain myself.

Event books. Crossovers. Complex continuity. Lack of creative freedom. I could go one. These are the things that bother me about the books of the big two. Batwing is mostly free from all the trappings. Palmiotti and Gray's first issue (Batwing issue 19) was a reboot of sorts, they wrapped up the story of the original Batwing, David Zavimbe, who was the “Batman of Africa” and brought in a character that is more connected to Batman continuity. It is a strange contradiction that they have brought Batwing to Gotham but have managed to make his book stand alone. Sure, Batman is in the book and it is part of the whole Batman Inc. continuity but there is still the sense that this book is doing it's own thing and you don't need to read any of the other Batbooks to get it. The new Batwing, Luke Fox, is the son of Lucius Fox, the designer of a lot of Batman's arsenal. Lucius wants his son to work for Wayne Enterprises but Luke wants to do his own thing. This is one of the most interesting things about the book: the potential for it all to go horribly wrong. If Lucius finds out Luke is Batwing, he will not be happy and Batman will probably lose one of his biggest allies.

That is the trick to the success of the Palmiotti and Gray reboot for me: the book feels more important as Luke has a personal connection to the Batman mythos but is telling its own story. You only have to read Batwing. That being said, you should pick up All-Star Western 21 to catch Batwing's appearance. It is very cool.

WITH POD ON OUR SIDE: WHERE MONSTERS DWELL

 To me, Hell is other people on public transport and being that I commute to work this necessitates me taking matters in hand. Rather than resorting to physical violence, I have resorted to filling my iPod or iPhone with my favourite music and my favourite podcasts. 90% of these podcasts are comicbook related and one that gets priority when posted is Where Monsters Dwell. WMD is a weekly radio show broadcasted from Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada. I discovered this show quite by chance by becoming friends with co-host “Monster” Mike Campbell on Facebook years ago and have been listening ever since.

The show is a mixture of discussions between hosts Mike Campbell and Remington J. Osborn on a variety of nerd topics be it TV, film, games and a conversation with a comicbook creator. These discussions are very entertaining as, the hosts have said this themselves, it is a couple of friends meeting once a week and chatting about the things they love and they would do it even if they didn't have a radio show. They veer away from the negative and try to focus on the positives. They also give a much appreciated spoiler warning if they think the discussion is heading in that direction.

The laid back style really works when it comes to the interviews as the vast majority of guests are put at ease when they realise that the WMD crew just want to talk about what they want to talk about and won't push them where they don't want to go. (This doesn't stop Remy from trying to extract information about top secret projects on occasion but that is more of a running gag than serious pressure). Mike does a great job on the discussion of art process as he is genuinely interested in knowing how artists do things (he's a bit of an artist himself). If they aren't asking the questions you want, you can ask a question by posting on their Facebook wall (or call in if you're listening live) and producer Chuck will ask the question. The guests have included the legendary Joe Kubert, Gail Simone, Mark Waid and Irishman Declan Shalvey. They have a nice mixture of independent creators and the well known names and they have many repeat guests as interviewees seem enjoy the chats as much they do.

After appearing on the show, and being very entertaining (as he usually is) and presumably having a good time, Jimmy Palmiotti began doing a spin-off show called Listen to Jimmy where Mike chats with Jimmy about his work (which Jimmy skips over as something that people don't want to hear about) and what has happened in the week (not restricted to comicbooks) and he answers Twitter and e-mail questions. I think that is the part of the WMD show (and the Jimmy show) that I enjoy the most. I really feel part of both shows. They have asked questions for me and every week it feels like I am listening to a couple of friends chatting about the things I love. That and when they discuss future plans on air. “Maybe we should discuss this off air.”

*****

Follow Mike Campbell and Remington J. Osborn

Website: http://wheremonstersdwell.ca/