Sexy Beasts

I just found the Facebook page for New Jersey-based Creative Beast Studio, maker of some incredible dinosaur, dragon and fantasy statues, model kits, T-shirts and figures.

Check out their amazing work here:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Creative-Beast-Studio/113487525333128

This Week's Comics: Aug. 1, 2012

"Hurm...."

Here's a list of comics shipping this Wednesday, from a great online resource called ComicList.

They keep an ongoing and accurate listing of what's coming each week, the next week and well into the future, as well as shipping changes and cancellations.

In what I'm not even going to pretend isn't a shameless plug, check out the ComicList and then go see our good friends at D&J Hobby in Galax. If Darrell doesn't carry it — ASK FOR IT!

This week's books include DC's phenomenal horror/superhero sagas Swamp Thing and Animal Man, as the stories in both books begin to merge into one epic. These books have been two of the biggest surprises of DC's "New 52" initiative, and are worth checking out.

Also from DC this week is the second issue of Before Watchmen: Nite Owl. The overall quality of this series of prequel books has been superior, especially Comedian and Ozymandias, which is no surprise given the caliber of creators involved. I'm enjoying them all the more for the thoughts of Alan Moore pulling out his beard in righteous indignity over DC daring to write new stories about characters they own.
I mean, the audacity! Don't they know he's a genius? Just ask him.

Marvels Avengers vs. X-Men event rolls on with issue #9, in which the mutants find themselves corrupted by the all-consuming power of The Phoenix, even as they try to remake the world into a better place.
(They should have asked Spider-Man about that whole "great power/great responsibility" thing. No one ever listens to Peter...)

Also shipping is the first issue of Marvel's promising new Hawkeye solo series, sure to get some attention for its gritty feel and the character's wider exposure from The Avengers movie.

But in what's sure to be the must-buy book of the week, Boom! Studios is releasing Garfield #4 today. I hear there's a shocking revelation in this one...

!!SPOILER ALERT!!


Garfield also hates Tuesdays.

Brian

Con-spiring

ComiCon in San Diego gets all the press, but who wants to put up with all those celebrities and exclusive swag and pop culture icons, right?

Okay, all of us.

But for more accessible and affordable cons, there are a few coming up that I plan to try out this year.

Of course, the biggest and so far best convention in the region is HeroesCon in Charlotte, held each June. It attracts big names in the industry because of its overwhelming focus on comics and their creators — not the media tie-ins, movies and other ancillary stuff.

Here are three cons coming up:

• Charlotte Comicon is this weekend, Aug. 5 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Crowne Plaza Hotel (swanky!), 201 S. McDowell Street, in Charlotte, N.C.

Admission is only $3 (cheap!) and kids under 12 get in free. Parking is also free.

• The 15th Annual Virginia Vintage Comics & Collectibles Show (whew...) is Aug. 18 at the Salem Civic Center. Not so much a con as collection of collectors, the show will have door prizes (gas cards — yes!) and free parking. Admission is $2, or free for kids 12 and under.

• Hickory-Con is not dedicated to our favorite hardwood or a BBQ cook-off.

Put on by Timmy Mac's Comics & Games and Time Tunnel Comics, the convention will feature special guests like Bud Root, Andy Smith and Buddy Prince, along with a bunch of comics, toys and games.

The event is Sept. 29 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Hickory Metro Center (I-40 exit 125) in Hickory, N.C.

• NC Comicon in Durham, N.C., presented by Ultimate Comics, will feature the only U.S. appearance by "Hellboy" artist Duncan Fegredo (nice!), along with Ben Templesmith (30 Days of Night), Bernard Chang (Supergirl), Chris Giarrusso (G-Man, Mini Marvels), Sean Murphy (American Vampire), Tommy Lee Edwards (Golden Age, 1985) Rich Perrotta (Phantom Lady, Batman Beyond) and many more. Also: comics (duh), artists, costume contests, collectibles, gaming tournaments, creator panels, door prizes and more.

The event is Nov. 17-18 at the Durham Convention Center, 301 W. Morgan Street, in Durham.

• Roanoke's Mysticon 2013 will be held Feb. 22-24 at the Holiday Inn Tanglewood.

Guests of honor is legendary sci-fi/fantasy author Orson Scott Card (Ender's Game, Speaker for the Dead) and fantasy illustrator Larry Elmore (Dungeons & Dragons), along with youth author Tom Angleberger (The Strange Case of Origami Yoda, Darth Paper Strikes Back).

If you know of others, post info in comments below, or send me an e-mail.

And if you do attend, make sure your Catwoman costume covers everything you don't want seen.

I'm talking to you, dudes. Chicks know this stuff.

Brian

A nexus for all things nerdy

Welcome to The Signal, my new blog transmitting news and posts about all things from the geekier side of the universe.

It's a nexus for all things nerdy, a repository for the really awesome and a haven for the hip.

(Okay, I'll stop now.)

My name is Brian Funk, and I've been a professional journalist, columnist, editor, photographer and graphic designer for the past 18 years. Now, I want to turn those talents toward the things I really love — movies, comics, games, TV, collectibles, art, music and anything else that we obsess over instead of worrying about our jobs.

You know, the important stuff.

I'm kicking off with a gallery of photos from WyvaCon, Wytheville, Va.'s first-ever sci-fi convention held on July 28. It was a fun, friendly and completely grassroots event organized basically by two or three people who spent the past year planning it.

It packed the new Wytheville Meeting Center near the community college on July 28 with an estimated 360 attendees and vendors. It received almost universal praise and that positive buzz means that next year's WyvaCon is almost a sure bet.

The organizers already see that they need more room — which is a great problem to have.

See more here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/WyvaCon/241285799228978

There's so much going on that The Signal plans to cover:

• I'll also be covering the goings-on at D&J Hobby, Galax's premier comic/toy/game store that has a growing following. Owner Darrell Burris has outlasted his competition after nearly 15 years in business to become the last man standing in the region's comic retailing world. https://www.facebook.com/DJHobbyCenter

• More and more local folks are getting into amateur paranormal research, and I'm looking at some coverage of these groups, how they formed, what kind methods they use and where some of the local haunted hot spots are.

• My friend Tim "Howler Mouse" Mullins is becoming a YouTube sensation with his podcasts about comics, movies and other topics. His honest and outspoken commentary is something we'd like to promote at The Signal. That's him on the left with comics legend George Perez. Check out his YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/howlermouse

• Galax-based rock band Cult of Dionysis is growing a huge fanbase, and recently expanded into Metalcult Comix. We hope to get with Cult frontman/mastermind and mustache aficionado Dennis Warren to talk about that.http://www.cultofdionysis.com/comix.html

• The good chaps at fantasy/steampunk role-playing game Pure Steam (http://puresteamrpg.com/) are developing a new RPG set in Appalachia, featuring everything from goblins in dirigibles and coal-mining dwarves to hillbilly giants, moonshining alchemists and gunslingers. They've put a lot of work into this, and it show. I plan to talk with the Bluefield, W.Va.-based developers soon to find out if I can roll a D20 die to smash someone in the head with a banjo.

So much more to come. Stay tuned...

Brian

Wytheville's first sci-fi convention, WyVaCon, was held July 28 in Wytheville

WyvaCon, despite being the first event of its kind, drew an estimated 360 people to Wytheville, Va., on July 28. It was the brainchild of Chris Dehart and his family, who seemed quite pleased with the turnout. "We could have opened the doors had had 25 people here — all of whom we knew," one organizer was overheard saying.
"We never expected this!"

A con attendee dressed as one of the Orion slave girls from the original "Star Trek" show poses with a young fan. Puberty will arriving for this young man at warp speed.

The 501st Legion, a group of Star Wars costume builders, attended the con. The group's numerous chapters travel the country working for children's charities and making public appearances. A talented and generous group of folks.

Vendors came from all over Southwest Virginia, ranging from comic and video game stores, private collectors selling off some of their treasures, Steampunk enthusiasts, authors, artists, tabletop and RPG gamers, paranormal research groups, stand-up comedians, musicians, makeup effects artists, sci-fi and fantasy craft-makers and many more.

Zombies play an XBox Kinect game. Nothing is more disturbing than the dancing undead.

Steampunk as a sci-fi/fantasy genre was alive and well at WyvaCon.

This young man made his own Steampunk gear.

This Nosferatu-style vampire was an example of some of the impressive makeup effects on display.

Some of the 501st Legion's replica weapons.

A clonetrooper helmet replica

Joining the 501st Legion was Boba Fett and Jango Fett, with fan Alex Funk, an adopted Mandalorian commando for the day. The Fetts and a Stormtrooper posed for fans (in exchange for donations) and even demonstrated the work that goes into building their elaborate, screen-accurate costumes.

More Steampunk cosplay

The Cartoon Network show "Adventure Time" has become such a cult hit that it has perhaps as many — or more — adult and teen fans as kids. This vendor was selling homemade plushes and wreaths with characters like Finn, Jake, Ice King and Gunter the Penguin.

Paul Crockett's steampunk mask.

Kevin Brooks of Galax, in his Ghostbusters gear, poses with Alex Funk and his Holy Grail of toy finds — a "Samurai Jack" figure. The show has been off the air for about a decade, but it has legions of loyal fans and the toys have been elusive.

Warhammer 40K tabletop game players were well represented, with players from the Galax area and the New River Valley.

So a Ghostbuster and an Elf walk into a bar...

A fan dressed as scary (but heroic) vigilante Casey Jones, an ally of the "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles."

Doesn't get much geekier than this — homemade Cthulhu throw pillows.

Before you embrace the madness, maybe a nap.

Another example of a full-face prosthetic makeup appliance.

Comedy trio "Straight Outta Comic-Con"

Paul Crockett of Bluefield, W.Va., was on hand to promote "Pure Steam," a fantasy/steampunk role-playing game based in Appalachia in the 1800s. The developers are working to incorporate real settings into the game, which finds fantasy characters like giants and goblins living alongside regular folks in an inspired mash-up of genres. "Imagine slack-jawed hillbilly giants in bib overalls hurling rocks at you," Crockett said. "Or moonshining alchemists." It's an exciting project, which also includes novels and a soundtrack, which he described as industrial metal with banjos.

One of the organizes of Roanoke's long-running sci-fi convention, MystiCon, held each February.

A large Warhammer 40K game piece.

Many gamers who play Warhammer 40K are true artists, customizing and painting their small-scale pieces with intricate detailing. These figures are about 2 inches tall.