UPDATE: Round 3 of the Mix March Madness 2013 Webcomics Tournament has ended! Vote in the Round 4 Sweet 16 now!
We started with over 300 webcomics, and we’re down to 32, while we’ve exposed thousands of people to new webcomics and raised over $750 for the Hero Initiative. Voting for this round lasts until 9PM EDT on Saturday, March 16, so get your votes in.
And now you can log in using Twitter to vote!
The Cookie Monster finished duct taping Kermit to the chair, stepped back, removed a cattle prod from somewhere within his fur and growled, “Where cookie?”
“I don’t know where your cookie is,” Kermit whined.
The Monster brandished the cattle prod. “Last chance. Where cookie?”
Then he jammed the cattle prod into the part of Kermit’s anatomy that would have sported genitals, if puppets had genitals, and pressed a stud.
Fzzzzzzzzt!
“Ow!” Kermit complained.
“One last time,” The Cookie Monster said. “Where friggin’ cookie?”
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| Cover Art: Mark Wheatley |
Airship 27 Productions announced that The Ruby Files Vol. 1 is now available on Kindle. The recently announced 2013 Pulp Ark Award Winner for Best New Character is now available in paperback and ebook formats to meet your pulpy two-fisted crime thriller needs.
You can find The Ruby Files on Kindle here.
About The Ruby Files:
GANGSTERS & GUNMOLLS
It was the 1930s and America was locked in the grip of the Great Depression. Gangsters controlled the major cities while outlaws roamed the rural back country. It was a time of Speak Easy gin-joints, Tommy-guns, fast cars and even faster dames. This is the world of New York based Private Investigator Rick Ruby, a world he is all too familiar with. From the back alleys of Gotham to the gold laden boulevards of Hollywood, Ruby is the shamus with a nose for trouble and an insatiable appetite for justice. So if you’ve got a taste for hot lead and knuckle sandwiches, tug your cuffs, adjust your fedora and light up a Lucky, a brand new pulp detective is coming your way.
Created by pulp masters, Bobby Nash and Sean Taylor, Rick Ruby echoes the tales of Sam Spade and Philip Marlowe while offering up his own brand of two-fisted action. Joined by fellow pulp smiths Andrew Salmon and William Patrick Maynard, these modern scribes of purple prose present a quartet of tales to delight any true lover of private eye fiction.
AIRSHIP 27 PRODUCTIONS – PULP FICTION FOR A NEW GENERATION!
To learn more about The Ruby Files, visit the official Rick Ruby site at http://RickRuby.blogspot.com
Universal City, California – From Academy Award®-winning director Steven Soderbergh (Traffic, Contagion) comes this suspenseful tale of intrigue starring Channing Tatum (Magic Mike, 21 Jump Street), Academy Award® nominees Rooney Mara (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Social Network) and Jude Law (Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, Anna Karenina), and Academy Award® winner Catherine Zeta-Jones (Chicago, Ocean’s Twelve).Side Effects will be available on Digital Download on May 7, 2013 as well as Blu-ray™ Combo Pack, DVD and On Demand on May 21, 2013 from Universal Studios Home Entertainment.
After her husband (Tatum) is released from prison for insider trading, Emily (Mara) begins suffering from terrifying anxiety and turns to psychiatrist Dr. Banks (Law) for help. But when Banks prescribes an experimental drug for her, the side effects have chilling and deadly consequences. Full of unexpected twists, Side Effects is the sexy psychological thriller that critics are calling “wildly unpredictable!” (Marlow Stern, Newsweek).
The Blu-ray™ Combo Pack allows fans to watch Side Effects anytime, anywhere on the device of their choice. It includes a Blu-ray™ disc, a DVD, a Digital Copy and UltraViolet™ for the ultimate, complete viewing experience.
• Blu-ray™ disc unleashes the power of your HDTV and is the best way to watch movies at home, featuring perfect hi-def picture and perfect hi-def sound.
• DVD offers the flexibility and convenience of playing the movie in more places, both at home and while away.
• Digital Copy provides fans with a choice of digital options to watch on devices such as iPhone®, iPad®, Android™, computers and more.
• UltraViolet™ is a revolutionary new way for fans to collect their moves and TV shows in the cloud. UltraViolet™ lets consumers instantly stream and download to tablets, smartphones, computers and TVs. Now available in both the United States and Canada.
BONUS FEATURES (BLU-RAY™ and DVD):
• ALIZA WEBSITE EXPERIENCE
• BEHIND-THE-SCENES OF SIDE EFFECTS
• ABLIXA COMMERCIAL – the fictional drug portrayed in the film
• INTENIN COMMERCIAL
CAST AND FILMMAKERS:
Cast: Jude Law, Rooney Mara, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Channing Tatum, Vinessa Shaw and Ann Dowd
Directed by: Steven Soderbergh
Written by: Scott Z. Burns
Casting by: Carmen Cuba, c.s.a.
Executive Producers: James D. Stern, Michael Polaire and Douglas E. Hansen
Producers: Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Gregory Jacobs and Scott Z. Burns
Co-Producers: A. Sasha Bardey and Elena de Leonardis
Director of Photography: Peter Andrews
Production Designer: Howard Cummings
Editor: Mary Ann Bernard
Costume Designer: Susan Lyall
Music by: Thomas Newman
TECHNICAL INFORMATION – BLU-RAY™ COMBO PACK:
Street Date: May 21, 2013
Copyright: 2013 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.
Selection Number: 61123859
Running time: 1 Hour, 47 Minutes
Layers: BD-50
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen
Rating: Rated R for sexuality, nudity, violence and language
Languages/Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French
Sound: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
TECHNICAL INFORMATION – DVD:
Street Date: May 21, 2013
Copyright: 2013 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.
Selection Number: 61123858
Running time: 1 Hour, 47 Minutes
Layers: Dual Layer
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Anamorphic Widescreen
Rating: Rated R for sexuality, nudity, violence and language
Languages/Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French
Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1
Warner Home Video has provided us with a nifty infographic in advance of next week’s release of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Here are the official details.
From Academy Award-winning filmmaker Peter Jackson comes The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, the first of three films adapting the enduringly popular masterpiece The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien. The second film will be The Hobbit: There and Back Again.
Both films are set in Middle-earth 60 years before The Lord of the Rings, which Jackson and his filmmaking team brought to the big screen in the blockbuster trilogy that culminated with the Oscar®-winning The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.
The adventure follows the journey of title character Bilbo Baggins, who is swept into an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor from the fearsome dragon Smaug. Approached out of the blue by the wizard Gandalf the Grey, Bilbo finds himself joining a company of thirteen dwarves led by the legendary warrior, Thorin Oakenshield. Their journey will take them into the Wild; through treacherous lands swarming with Goblins and Orcs, deadly Wargs and Giant Spiders, Shapeshifters and Sorcerers.
Although their goal lies to the East and the wastelands of the Lonely Mountain first they must escape the goblin tunnels, where Bilbo meets the creature that will change his life forever…Gollum. Here, alone with Gollum, on the shores of an underground lake, the unassuming Bilbo Baggins not only discovers depths of guile and courage that surprise even him, he also gains possession of Gollum’s “precious” ring that holds unexpected and useful qualities … A simple, gold ring that is tied to the fate of all Middle-earth in ways Bilbo cannot begin to know.
Ian McKellen returns as Gandalf the Grey, the character he played in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and Martin Freeman in the central role of Bilbo Baggins. Also reprising their roles from The Lord of the Rings movies are: Cate Blanchett as Galadriel; Ian Holm as the elder Bilbo; Christopher Lee as Saruman; Hugo Weaving as Elrond; Elijah Wood as Frodo; Orlando Bloom as Legolas; and Andy Serkis as Gollum.
Extras Include
New Zealand: Home of Middle Earth
Video Blogs
Theatrical Trailers
Game Trailer
Feature Comments: UltraViolet lets you build a digital collection so you can instantly stream and download your movies to compatible devices, including computers, tablets, smartphones, game consoles and IP-connected TVs and Blu-ray players. This UltraViolet copy is a standard definition digital copy of the main feature. UltraViolet service providers may charge for continued cloud access, but no additional charge for continued access to content once downloaded. Consumer must reside in the U.S. and register for a retailer account and an UltraViolet account. Must be 18 years or older to create UltraViolet account.
The ballot for the 2013 Harvey Awards is now available. Named in honor of the late Harvey Kurtzman, one of the industry’s most innovative talents, the Harvey Awards recognize outstanding work in comics and sequential art. The 26th Annual Harvey Awards will be presented Saturday, September 7th, 2013 as part of the Baltimore Comic-Con.
For the first time, Harvey Awards nomination ballots may be submitted using an online form. If you are a comics professional, you can vote online at harveyawards.org/2013-nomination-ballot/. This will enable easier and faster methods for the professional community to submit their nominees. Ballots are due for submission by Monday, May 6th, 2013.
Nominations for the Harvey Awards are selected exclusively by creators: those who write, draw, ink, letter, color, design, edit or are otherwise involved in a creative capacity in the comics field. The Harvey Awards are the only industry awards both nominated and selected by the full body of comic book professionals.
In addition to being available on the website, ballots will be sent to all major publishers and distributed at comic conventions. We look forward to your participation and input in this process, and we look forward to seeing you at the Baltimore Comic-Con and the Harvey Awards.
The Harveys would not be possible without the generous sponsors of the Awards. Sponsors for the last year’s 2012 Harvey Awards included The Baltimore Comic-Con; Boom! Studios; Captain Bluehen Comics; Cards, Comics, and Collectibles; ComicMix; ComicWOW!; ComiXology; DC Entertainment; Geppis’s Entertainment Museum; Insight Studios Group; Painted Visions Comics, Cards, & Games; Richmond Comix and Games; Steve Conley’s Bloop; and Write Brothers Inc.
Companies and individuals interested in sponsoring the 2013 Harvey Awards can contact harveys@baltimorecomiccon.com
This year’s Baltimore Comic-Con will be held September 7-8, 2013. The ceremony and banquet for the Harvey Awards will be held Saturday night, September 8th. Additional details about the Harvey Awards and the awards ceremony will be released over the next few months.
With a history of over 26 years, the last 8 in conjunction with the Baltimore Comic-Con, the Harveys recognize outstanding achievements in 22 categories. They are the only industry awards nominated and selected by the full body of comic book professionals. For more information, please visit http://www.harveyawards.org
The Baltimore Comic-Con is celebrating its 14th year of bringing the comic book industry to the Baltimore and Washington D.C. area. With a guest list unequaled in the industry, the Baltimore Comic-Con will be held September 7-8, 2013. For more information, please visit http://www.baltimorecomiccon.com.
Seduction of the Innocent by Max Allan Collins • Interior illustrations by Terry Beatty • Hard Case Crime • Paperback: $9.95 • Digital: $6.39 • Audio: $9.18
So… Who is the worst, most evil comic book villain ever? Well, if you’re a hard-core comics fan and/or comics professional, the worst comic book villain ever might very well be Dr. Fredric Wertham. He’s the guy who spearheaded the comic books breed juvenile delinquency movement of the late 1940s and early 1950s that led to Senate hearings, state-by-state censorship (Can’t have the word “crime” in the title of your comic book? Really?), massively plummeting sales, and the dissolution of more than half of the comics publishing companies and the jobs that went along with them.
An entire generation of fans grew up loathing the man. His so-called study, which was lacking in any real scientific evidence, was called Seduction of the Innocent. Suffice it to say that a lot of us have had a “thing” about the guy… perhaps none more than massively talented and successful novelist/comics writer/filmmaker/musician Max Allan Collins.
Collins was in a rock band called Seduction of the Innocent that played, among other venues, the San Diego Comic Con pre-show party – his bandmates included Bill Mumy, Miguel Ferrer and Steve Leialoha. It was… loud.
Now he’s repurposed the Evil Doctor’s seminal title in a mystery novel, the third (and hopefully not last) of his Jack Starr private eye stories that revolve around the comic strip and comic book business. Collins writes novels almost as often as I consume barbecue beef sandwiches – for one thing, he’s been co-writing, finishing off, and/or editing the plethora of unpublished material written by his friend, the late crimemaster Mickey Spillane. I wish I could come anywhere near keeping up with his output, but I’ve cut back on the barbecue beef.
But if you’re a comics or a popular culture fan and you only read one Max Allan Collins book this week, make it Seduction of the Innocent. I’d like to say it is one of the best books ever written, but that’s a stupid concept. However, I can say it is one of the most fun books I’ve ever read.
Collins incorporates his massive knowledge of – and enthusiasm for – 1950s popular culture. In addition to pastiches of Wertham and the folks at EC Comics and Lev Gleason Publications, he nods (often with the energy of a bobble-head on meth) towards Dragnet, Mickey Spillane, Al Capp, Dick Tracy, paperback culture, and mid-century culture. Mostly, though, he infuses his mystery novel with a smokepot of comics effluvia – aided by his long-time researcher George Hagenauer. However, if you’re not up on this sort of thing and/or couldn’t care less, it doesn’t get in the way of this clever yarn.
Indeed, I must compliment the author on a great diversionary move. For those of us who are up on comics history, he directs us towards one likely suspect – and then makes a crosstown turn worthy of a Manhattan cabdriver. I won’t spoil this for you, but if you’re curious read Joe Simon’s My Life in Comics.
I must point out that Collins’ long-time comics collaborator Terry Beatty (artist on the current Phantom Sunday pages) supplied the illustrations for each chapter. They are brilliant. Beatty even found an old Leroy Letterer to exacerbate the effect of reading an old (and relevant) EC Comics story.
If you’re looking for a good time and yet want to keep your clothes on, you’ll do well with Seduction of the Innocent. Max Allan Collins’ version, not Fredric Wertham’s.
THURSDAY: Dennis O’Neil
FRIDAY: Martha Thomases
This week’s list of new comics in stores is sponsored by Manhattan Comics and Comixology. Buy new comics now!
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THE INCREDIBLE BURT WONDERSTONE brings together Steve Carell, Jim Carrey and Steve Buscemi on a quest to bring stage magic to the big screen. They fill us in on how it all came about and how David Copperfield helped make it even better, plus Anna Silk and Kensea Solo talk about this season of SyFy‘s LOST GIRL and why the next season will be even hotter.
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