Comic Books

The Avengers has been breaking box office records all over and for good reason. It combines a great group of characters with an all star cast both in front of the camera and behind, and also a huge budget. Being a huge Avengers fan, I had a lot of reservations going into this. I have loved this comic series for quite some time and really hoped it would be a good movie. Check out a comic lovers viewpoint of The Avengers and see how it compares to the comic book version.

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The New 52 has brought us a lot of great new content and has rejuvenated some of DC's most classic characters. Animal Man is a character that did have some interesting arcs under the now famous Grant Morrison,  but didn't really take off and become a top tier member of DC's elite. Writer Jeff Lemire and artist Travel Foreman are looking to change that with their relaunch of Buddy Baker. Like a lot of The New 52 comics, there has been a facelift of the backgrounds and continuity of many of these favorites. The fans seem to be resonating as The New 52 line of comics has been a huge success overall. I would say Animal Man is looking to be a top runner in the best of The New 52 as what I'm seeing is really top notch. Check out a review of Animal Man Vol. 1: The Hunt and see for yourself.

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This weekend is the absolute best one for comic book fans. We have a major comic book movie released in The Avengers and it is also Free Comic Book Day (FCBD)! What more could anyone ask for? I looked through the offerings this year and was very excited to see some excellent choices in the crop of this years free comic books. There is a great mix of all ages and mature reader comic books so you should be able to see something good to strike your fancy. Take a look at my picks for Free Comic Book Day this 2012.

Image Copyright Valiant Comics

The Avengers have become one of Marvel's flagship titles and as a longtime Avenger fan (can you say West Coast Avengers, Solo Avengers, and Great Lakes Avengers?) I have read through hundreds of Avengers comics and have compiled a list of the best there is of the characters that have joined the team. Take a look at who made the cut and who got left behind in the top Avengers of all time.

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The Avengers are set to launch onto the screen May 4th and I for one and super excited about it. This film has been the culmination of years of time, millions of dollars, and massive speculation on the internet. It was the plan of Marvel all along to combine the characters, actors, and plots from their previous films to resolve in one epic film based on The Avengers comic book series. Marvel made such a smart move in bringing in house all the financing to keep the rights to their characters. One good example is that even though Spider-Man is part of The Avengers now in the comic books, Sony owns the movie rights to the character...so no Spider-Man for The Avengers. Take a peek at some of the actors and characters to make it into The Avengers movie and get ready for a great superhero flick.

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For me, motion comics have not been something that I have really enjoyed. They are usually an afterthought for a DVD extra feature or something like that. That has changed a bit with Dark Horse Comics newest motion comics through Geek and Sundry, a new Youtube channel. The animation has been quite well done and I have enjoyed them a lot. Check out a review of one of their latest offerings called House of Night to see what you may have been missing.

Image Copyright Dark Horse Comics

Heavy Metal is a magazine that has been around for quite some time. It isn't for everyone obviously, but they have a loyal following who have kept them in business for decades. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse is their latest graphic novel offering and for fans of Heavy Metal, I don't think it will disappoint. If gore, blood, girls, and guns aren't your cup of tea then you might want to pass, but if it is then read a review of The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse to find out what I thought of this comic.

Image Copyright Heavy Metal

Well the results have finally been tallied and the winners have been announced. It was an interesting experiment to say the least and I was happy with the results of the polls. Check out who one on the most votes and can take home the big prize of Readers' Choice Award Winner. Honestly, there isn't any prize associated with this other than knowing they are the top dog.

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I have been pretty pumped by a new Youtube channel called Geek and Sundry lately. It is the brainchild of Wil Wheaton and Felicia Day, both professed geeks, that showcases many different aspects of geek culture from video games, table top games, and comic books. They have partnered with Dark Horse Comics to host a series of motion comic books on the channel and the first one up is The Secret, written by publisher Mike Richardson and illustrated by Jason Alexander.

For me, motion comics haven't been a thing I have really enjoyed. The experience is usually a bit wanting overall with my imagination doing a better job than the voice actors they can afford. The Secret has some marks against it, but I was actually quite impressed with the overall package. It would seem that the technology to animate the comic has come much further in recent years. Check out a review of The Secret and post your thoughts as well.

Image Copyright Dark Horse Comics

The the outside world, comic book conventions can be a strange place. There are a lot of stigmas attached to cons, and one of the biggest ones being that every comic book fanatic smells bad. Con stench is something that does exist, but has been something that has been blown out of proportion. The biggest thing about con stench is to make sure that you are not a part of the problem. Make sure that you know if you have con stench and are also armed with some ways to prevent it. Let's band together to wipe out con stench from our comic book conventions so that we are not the stereotypes the world has made us out to be.