Frank and Drake, the gorgeous rotoscoped narrative adventure starring an unlikely duo solving a conspiracy, developed by Appnormals and published by Chorus Worldwide, uncovers new pieces of the conspiracy today.
• PlayStation 4 & 5: Launching Thursday, July 20, alongside previously announced Nintendo Switch and Steam versions
• Xbox One + Series X|S: These versions also launch on Thursday, July 20, with a demo debuting today as part of ID@Xbox Demo Fest 2023
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Now a Netflix Animated Series, MECH CADETS Makes a Mighty Return this Summer
LOS ANGELES, CA (July 10, 2023) – BOOM! Studios revealed today a first look at MECH CADETS #1, the first issue of a brand new chapter in the hit mecha series by co-creators Greg Pak (Ronin Island) and Takeshi Miyazawa (Ms. Marvel), with colors by Ian Herring (Deadpool), and letters by Simon Bowland (Mech Cadet Yu). Available August 2023 ahead of the launch of the highly anticipated Netflix animated series.
Stanford Yu, Olivia Park, Maya Sanchez, and Frank Olivetti are back in action a year after saving the world from the threat of a Sharg invasion. But how will the Sky Corps Central Command and the cadets themselves handle the fact that Mech Cadet Olivia Park, the teenaged pilot of the Supra-robo Hero Force 2, has become the most powerful person on the planet? Meanwhile, the threat of the Sharg takes on a whole new dimension with a shocking revelation that threatens everything our heroes know about their robos and themselves!
MECH CADETS #1 features a main cover by series artist Takeshi Miyazawa and Ian Herring, and variant covers by acclaimed artists Sonny Liew (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and Junggeun Yoon (Grim).
MECH CADETS is the newest release from BOOM! Studios’ eponymous imprint, home to critically acclaimed original series, including BRZRKR by Keanu Reeves, Matt Kindt, and Ron Garney; Something is Killing the Children by James Tynion IV and Werther Dell’Edera; Once & Future by Kieron Gillen and Dan Mora; Wynd by James Tynion IV and Michael Dialynas; Grim by Stephanie Phillips and Flaviano; Briar by Christopher Cantwell and Germán García; Stuff of Nightmares by R.L. Stine and A.L. Kaplan; The Approach by Jeremy Haun, Jason A. Hurley, and Jesus Hervas; Damn Them All by Simon Spurrier and Charlie Adlard; Behold, Behemoth by Tate Brombal and Nick Robles; Once Upon a Time at the End of the World by Jason Aaron, Alexandre Tefenkgi, Leila del Duca, and Nick Dragotta; Know Your Station by Sarah Gailey and Liana Kangas; A Vicious Circle by Mattson Tomlin and Lee Bermejo; Mosely by Rob Guillory and Sam Lotfi; Harrower by Justin Jordan and Brahm Revel; The Neighbors by Jude Ellison S. Doyle and Letizia Cadonici; The Seasons Have Teeth by Dan Watters and Sebastián Cabrol; Ghostlore by Cullen Bunn and Leomacs; and the upcoming Sirens of the City by Joanne Starer and Khary Randolph. The imprint also publishes popular licensed properties, including Dune: House Harkonnen from Brian Herbert, Kevin J. Anderson, and Michael Shelfer; Mighty Morphin Power Rangers from Melissa Flores and Simona Di Gianfelice; Magic from Jed McKay, Rich Douek, and Ig Guara; and The Expanse: Dragon Tooth by Andy Diggle and Rubine.
MECH CADETS #1 will be available in comic shops August 9, 2023. It is available for pre-order at your local comic shop. Digital copies can be purchased from content providers, including comiXology, iBooks, Google Play, and Kindle. Be sure to catch up on the story with Mech Cadets Book One Softcover, collecting issues #1-#12 of the original series, on-sale everywhere books are sold now!
For continuing news on MECH CADETS and more from BOOM! Studios, stay tuned to boom-studios.com and follow @boomstudios on Twitter.
Read On for more covers and preview of interiors.
All Elite Wrestling’s first video game, designed with the assistance of famous wrestling game designer Yuke’s through their own AEW Game division has been out for a couple weeks. They also announced a 30 person online free addition using Stadium Stampede which will allow players to run over others with tanks (see, ridiculous!). I played the game for a week before it came out and then for a week after, while also watching some streamers I enjoy also take the game in and seeing how they reacted. Then I let the game digest in my brain through phone calls and conversations, and now I’ll try to let MY PERSONAL (which probably differ from many) exist on the page with other things.
Let’s get the good out of the way. Graphically (at least on a recent console or a PC) are fantastic, no issues there… although on a Switch the game looks silly almost like an Xbox OG game. The game-play is nothing to truly complain about. It’s basic at best, it’s your traditional fighting/wrestling game. You have strikes, kicks, slams, moves off the top, running moves, dives, weapons, different arenas and select but not complete roster. One on One plays well, but 3 and 4 person singles and the tag team have concepts that frequently make it frustrating to annoying. When you tag in or out the AI all get in the ring. Every single time. Also when you go for a pin so it’s up to the AI to stop the AI and they never do. Another issue and this is all those modes is focusing. Even with a button to fix your focus it doesn’t always work 100%, or even 50% of the time, your character will focus on who it wants and cause you to at times to even wrestle the Invisible Person!
A big flaw in the game is both in the modes where people were super excited for and that customization and story and both are bare bones, poorly done or in some cases just completely dumb. Customization locks you into 6 very specific templates with the option of changing these templates equating to just making them the other templates. These particular templates and faces are actually just faces from the roster. A guy I created just looks like Jeff Hardy but muscular, make up and with a faux-hawk (hair styles and beard styles are lacking as well, you also can only have ONE tattoo.)
The story in story mode seems to have multiple paths it can go in 4 chapters (which each chapter having four paths), but no matter who you play as, be it a customized wrestler or a roster member, you have an unknown past but get signed by AEW for no reason, act like a complete mark around all wrestlers, can’t keep any friends and end up in impossible scenarios. I played as a customized and as Sting, in both I got beat up by Death Triangle in a 3 on 1, but you can only pin PAC to beat it in what feels like an unbeatable match that you still must play through. Having Sting eating as restaurants and going to local sightseeing and then acting like a common fan among other wrestlers was weird. It was weird as a customized character too though… you’re just a dork, but as Sting? Wowsa. Look at Sting marking out with all these AEW talents.
For comparison here is my Custom guy in some the same exact photos/poses.
Let’s get back to some good even though there’s the one thing in it I shake my head at. The eating out and sightseeing segments. Some ridiculous writing, the sightseeing features the lowest polygon photos one could find… (Look at the Liberty Bell above) but the eating stuff is really fun and tells you about national food with good photos and write ups. The only write up that really scratches my head is the one for the Juicy Lucy. I don’t know who wrote this caption but they need to get out more if they’ve never had one outside MN. I had one in Dallas last year, in between watching wrestling matches at a bar pub right outside Fair Park. The food tour still is really fun.
and of course as I said the Juicy Lucy and the Juicy Lucy I had in Dallas proving the spread of the concept.
A Juicy Lucy I had in Dallas, TX
At the end of the day that is the thing I can say about AEW Fight Forever, it’s really fun. It’s not “good” by a long shot, it has a ton of issues, it is not something I would return to over and over in hopes of unlocking everything, but… it’s fun if your kind of fun is that.
AEW Fight Forever is available for PC on Steam, PS4 & PS5, Nintendo Switch and XBoxOne and XSeries.
Bethesda, Maryland -July 6, 2023
Small Press Expo is proud to announce the first Special Guests for SPX 2023. The show takes place on Saturday September 9 and Sunday September 10 with programming and workshops about the amazing world of independent comics and an exhibitor floor with over 500 creators.
Additional Special Guests will be announced over the next few weeks.
SPX 2023 is honored to have the following creators as Special Guests to this year’s show:
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Derf will be showcasing the paperback edition of the Eisner-Award-winning KENT STATE, scheduled for release summer 2023. This appearance at SPX is also a make-up date, as the 2020 premiere of KENT STATE was wiped out by Covid. The SPX appearance will follow a lecture on KENT STATE at the Library of Congress on Thurs., Sept 7 at 7pm.
Lawrence Lindell is the author of Blackward, a new graphic novel out September 2023 with Drawn & Quarterly.
Leslie Stein
Leslie Stein is a cartoonist living in Brooklyn New York. She is the author of Brooklyn’s Last Secret, recently released from Drawn & Quarterly.
Tyrell Waiters
Tyrell Waiter’s debut graphic novel, Vern: Custodian of the Universe, is a thought-provoking and hilarious romp through time and space that explores what it means to be human in a world fraught with uncertainty.
Natalie Norris
We are so pleased to announce that Natalie Norris will be a Special Guest at SPX 2023! Her debut, Dear Mini: A Graphic Memoir, Book One, is a bittersweet coming of age story that chronicles the author’s teenage experiences with sexual assault, PTSD, and resiliency.
K. WrotenDon’t miss your chance to meet K. Wroten as they debut their new graphic novel, Eden II, as a Special Guest at SPX 2023! In the grungy, punk-inflected world K. Wroten creates, a cast of disaffected young characters struggle to find their purpose in life. A blistering critique of digital media and a kaleidoscopic depiction of consumer culture, Eden II is both fanciful and satirical, a combination of deft cartooning and virtuosic storytelling.
Breena Nuñez will be appearing as co-founder of the family owned small press, Laneha House. She will be signing the Laneha House Issue #10 to be released for SPX 2023. This issue will feature a series of comic strips that chronicle Breena’s experience of what it like to navigate life during pregnancy and in postpartum as a mother/birthing parent. Breena will also be appearing as a guest presenter for “Carousel” which will be hosted by R. Sikoryak.
Small Press Expo (SPX) is the preeminent showcase for the exhibition of independent comics, graphic novels, and alternative political cartoons. SPX is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit that brings together more than 500 artists and publishers to meet their readers, booksellers, and distributors each year. Graphic novels, mini comics, and alternative comics will all be on display and for sale by their authors and illustrators. The expo includes a series of panel discussions and interviews with this year’s guests.
The Ignatz Award is a festival prize held every year at SPX recognizing outstanding achievement in comics and cartooning, with the winners chosen by attendees at the show.
For more information on the Small Press Expo, please visit http://www.
Culver City—July 5, 2023—Today, Prime Video released the official trailer for Amazon Original series The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart, launching exclusively on Prime Video in over 240 countries and territories on August 4. Directed by Glendyn Ivin (Penguin Bloom, Safe Harbour), and from the producers of Big Little Lies, Nine Perfect Strangers, and Anatomy of a Scandal, the full-length trailer reveals the complex mysteries and secrets surrounding Alice Hart and her family’s past.
About The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart
Based on Holly Ringland’s best-selling debut novel, the seven-part series tells the emotionally compelling story of Alice Hart. When Alice, aged 9, tragically loses her parents in a mysterious fire, she is taken to live with her grandmother June at Thornfield flower farm, where she learns that there are secrets within secrets about her and her family’s past. Set against Australia’s breathtaking natural landscape, and with native wildflowers and plants providing a way to express the inexpressible, this enthralling family drama spans decades. As she grows from her complicated past, Alice’s journey builds to an emotional climax when she finds herself fighting for her life against a man she loves.
Sigourney Weaver stars as June Hart, Asher Keddie as Sally Morgan, Leah Purcell as Twig North, Frankie Adams as Candy Blue, and Alycia Debnam-Carey as Alice Hart.
Other cast members include; Alexander England (How to Please a Woman), Charlie Vickers (The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power), Tilda Cobham-Hervey (I Am Woman), Sebastián Zurita (Amazon Original series Como Sobrevivir Soltero), Alyla Browne (Nine Perfect Strangers), and Xavier Samuel (Elvis).
The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart is produced by Amazon Studios, Made Up Stories, and Fifth Season. The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart is executive produced by Jodi Matterson, Bruna Papandrea, and Steve Hutensky of Made Up Stories, and Sigourney Weaver, Sarah Lambert, and Glendyn Ivin. Ivin directs all seven episodes and Lambert serves as showrunner.
Three of the seven episodes will be released on August 4, with one episode rolling out weekly until the series finale on September 1. The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart is the latest addition to the Prime membership.
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Five Points Fest 2023 was an absolutely joy, not just as an event but for me personally. Friends worked the Kaiju Big Battel show. Friends had new toys on display. I got tons of awesome stickers. My only vinyl purchase was a Hungry Hamster. This came down to that many figures are $25-300 and some are just a figure. Hungry Hamster was a full on amazing package I couldn’t resist. The show has something for everyone though. There was so much more I wanted as well.
Click through for photos.
These print runs:
Case Study Jagged Alliance 3
Here is an example of such a limited print run with upcoming tactical based game Jagged Alliance 3:
Jagged Alliance 3 – Standard Edition
Issue of 2.500 units in total, thereof
This miniture of old Hollywood is dazzling in its coolness and style.
Marvel has a bunch really weird WHAT IF? stories coming in the form of prose novels from Random House.
New Goo Goo Dolls.
One of the best matches you’ll probably see in 2023 has been made free for all on Youtube.
A new trailer for BMD’s cartoon PoolGuyz. This show is so simple yet going to be so fun. Get on the ground floor!
Venture Bros. isn’t the only movie coming to digital! Metalocalypse gets a proper movie finale as well!
Michael Kupperman magic from The Nib.
Dumb Money looks like a wonderful film.
AEW: Fight Forever comes out next week and looks better and better with each video and presentation. Pop-Culture Spectrum will bring its own views after release.
Indiana Jones coffee from Bones!
Watch this Mayhem video… just do it.
and for the exclusive track this little mini movie shows the “making of” head over to here on Spotify. Rock On acoustically (a truly different version than the one on the album)!
the Rocksteady games are my faves, very cool to see a new rendition of them.
Lerner has some very cool graphic novels to check out.
VANCOUVER, Canada — June 20, 2023 — Frank and Drake, the gorgeous rotoscoped narrative adventure starring an unlikely duo solving a conspiracy developed by Appnormals and published by Chorus Worldwide, turns to face the strange on Thursday, July 20, on Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam, with versions for PlayStation 4 & 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Xbox One coming soon.
The latest title from the award-winning developers of STAY alongside the console publishers of A Space for the Unbound and Coffee Talk tells a strange tale in a fictional mid-Atlantic city. Explore a branching tale of the eponymous, unlikely roommates set in the lovingly rotoscoped Oriole City, with more than 8,000 hand-drawn frames of traditional 2D art overlaying filmed footage.
Frank, still recovering from an amnesiac episode a year ago, runs a ramshackle apartment block as its superintendent during the day while taking care of Underdog, a scrappy one-eyed, wheelchair-riding dog. Drake’s solar allergy requires him to live the night life as a bartender, communing with his deceased mother from her gravesite under the moonlight after shifts. Lately, he deals with visions of unhoused people protecting him from an unsavory character.
The duo’s already odd circumstances intensify when the two find themselves enmeshed in a strange conspiracy teeming with riddles. Playing as Frank by day and Drake by night, communicating by sticky notes left in the apartment, the duo works asynchronously to get to the bottom of Frank’s missing memories, Drake’s visions, and the unseen puppet master pulling the strings.
Delve into the city’s secrets through a branching narrative across seven in-game days, where each choice guides the story down branching paths. Gain insights from multiple endings to uncover the true reality of Frank and Drake’s shared situation. Scrutinize the whole story across various paths with puzzles to solve and mini-games to complete.
“Frank and Drake really isn’t like anything I’ve ever seen before from its look to how the story unfolds; it’s the kind of game where if it clicks with you, you’ll really love it,” said Shintaro Kanaoya, founder and CEO of Chorus Worldwide. “Everyone’s going to love Underdog, though. He’s a good dog.”
Frank and Drake releases Thursday, July 20 on Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam for $24.99 / €22.99 / £19.99. It is also coming soon to PlayStation 4 & 5, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One. The game supports English, Japanese, French, German, Spanish, and Portuguese language text. Physical versions for Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 & 5 will arrive on store shelves later this year from Funstock.
For more information, follow Appnormals and Chorus Worldwide on Twitter, and visit the official Frank and Drake page on Chorus Worldwide’s website.
