Great collection of photos by the team at ICV2 of GAMA Expo.
Press Release for Ron English’s Latest show at Allouche (May 20th, 2023)
Boom Chicago Presents the 30 Most Important Years in Dutch History
Friday night was the Book Release event for Not Right Now by Imanii Labels. Here is official footage.
Finally for now, Sara Bareilles covering the Disney classic theme.
Single Dad-ing, Money Troubles, and Political Humor Take Centerstage in Oni Press’ New Graphic Novel Cartoonshow from Derek M. Ballard
Satirical Reflection Of Contemporary American Life Releases August 2
“I laughed and cried, y’all. These are the real $#!^ journal comics. Drawings that could slay a dragon. Every punchline a funny knife in your eye.” – Pendleton Ward (Adventure Time)
“Ballard has been producing a singular body of work for over two decades, congealing his keyed-up characters with idiosyncratic angular anatomy into an often-unforgiving neon science fiction setting. Oh yeah, these comics are also funny.” – RJ Casey, The Comics Journal
PORTLAND, OR (May 15 2023) – Oni Press, the multiple Eisner and Harvey Award-winning comic book and graphic novel publisher are thrilled to announce the release of debut graphic novel, Cartoonshow, from single parent and creator, Derek M. Ballard (Cartoon Network’s Adventure Time and Netflix’s The Midnight Gospel). Originally published online, Cartoonshow follows the real-life challenges of being a single dad with insightful humor and satirical reflection of contemporary American life.
“This book of cartoons is a whole slew of dumb, funny, embarrassing, and true things that happened to my kids and me. Stuff that befalls average families every single day,” says creator Derek M. Ballard. “Oni Press made it possible to support my family while I brought my uncompromised scribbly vision to the page. That’s a big deal. Unbelievable really. Extra special thanks to my editor Zack Soto.”
“I think Derek’s comics are truly Great—like capital GC Great Cartooning, and the issues he’s talking about are important, under-discussed stuff. It’s like Hi & Lois but with a social/political consciousness,” says Editor Zack Soto. “Working with Derek and designer Carey Soucey to bring Cartoonshow to life in its current form was one of the more rewarding collaborative experiences in my editorial career to date, and I can’t wait for everyone to pick up a copy!”
Derek is a solo parent raising three kids in the American South while trying to make art. Told in a series of free-flowing and often hilarious comic essays, Cartoonshow gets to the heart of the struggle to be a creative person in a society that doesn’t value anything other than how much it can grind out of you. Covid, poverty, the failing social safety net, predatory lenders, and literal acts of God can’t stop our hero!
Cartoonshow will be available in hardcover for a list price of $21.99 (ISBN: 978-1-63715-218-8) at retailers everywhere on August 2, 2023.
About the Creator
Derek M Ballard makes modern American family comics. It’s not his fault that being a single parent in America is kind of a nightmare.
LIVING THE LINE BOOKS AND DIAMOND ARE PROUD TO ANNOUNCE THE ABOLITION OF MAN
Living the Line Books and Diamond Comics are proud to announce that the pioneering book, The Abolition of Man, the first comic series entirely illustrated by a computer, will be receiving a deluxe, hardcover collection in June of 2023.
Conceived and executed by fine-artist/educator/
“The Abolition of Man is a thorough test drive of AI image making, and the results are extraordinary, appalling, compelling, cold, hot, beautiful, repellant, and should be abolished.” — Dave McKean, Prompt, Sandman, Cages
“Chilling. Exciting. Bizarre.” — Jim Rugg, Cartoonist Kayfabe, Street Angel, Hulk: Grand Design
“The Abolition Of Man is a curiously uneasy experiment. One that almost seems as if the construction of it is trying to discover why it should exist. That alone is worth the time to explore it.” — J H Williams III (Echolands, The Sandman Overture, Batwoman, Promethea)
Starting on June 3rd, 2022, Grubaugh used the now-controversial Midjourney AI to conduct a series of interwoven experiments designed to test the “intelligence” and full visual capabilities of the technology. This first experiment, “illustrated” solely by feeding the AI a portion of C.S. Lewis’ eerily prescient essay, “The Abolition of Man”, posits that our desire to control nature will lead to a purposeless and diminished form of humanity. The second experiment, “HodTech,” projects these technological innovations into a satirical dystopia where all human work has been made redundant by machines, leaving the species with nothing to do but remix old content. HodTech culminates in the third experiment, written and illustrated entirely by AI, using only the prompt, “The Abolition of Man.” The final experiment, illuminated by AI-designed infographics, is written by Philosophy of Information founder Luciano Floridi, who begins the work of bringing a moral framework to this new field of ethics by showing how human dignity can help us design a future worth building.
This deluxe hardcover edition also collects 40 pages of exclusive content, including sample pages of the extremely rare (only ten copies exist) Dall-E 2 variant edition of The Abolition of Man #1, in which the entire interior of issue #1 was re-illustrated using Dall-E 2, a second AI image generator. The collection also includes two pieces of philosophical writing produced by Grubaugh between 2007 and 2018 that were the source of inspiration for this project. These essays include predictions about the banal, Content Apocalypse that AI is now making a reality.
Also accompanying The Abolition of Man project are a series of long-form discussions about the ethics and impact of AI art with superstar guests Dave McKean (illustrator), NFN Kalyan (fine artist), John Mahoney (concept designer, filmmaker) and Luciano Floridi (Philosopher of Information, Data and AI Ethics policy maker). These are posted on Living The Line’s YouTube channel and linked in the book.
Living the Line Publisher Sean Michael Robinson says, “From the first moments that Carson and I had access to Midjourney and other diffusion models, we both knew we were on the cusp of a whole new world, one in which image making and indeed art activities may become entirely irrelevant and redundant. It seemed important to both of us that the first statements with this new technology grapple with the ethical and practical implications of computer aided image diffusion.”
Grubaugh reflects, “For the last sixteen years I have been producing art and philosophical essays about the Esthetics and Ethics of Information, frequently predicting the situation we now find ourselves in, and worse. To finally have people listening to these concerns, now, during most important moment in the history of art since some wasteful cave-person blew juice at their hand on a wall instead of drinking it, is a true blessing.”
Grubaugh concludes, “In a world where there is nothing new under the Sun we must choose to change the Sun.”
The Abolition of Man #3 was released in comic stores worldwide on Wednesday December 21st, and will be followed by issues #4 and #5 in January and February. The collected graphic novel will be available in deluxe hardback form in late June 2022.
P-Cs will attending the Publisher Weekly’s U.S. Book Show in person, as well the 2023 Five Points Festival over the coming weeks and are planning for those events. Keeping on top of research for those shows, coming soon video games, as well book essays and popculture essays has meant less attention to the regular type of Nerd Notes things, but here’s a few.
This new Tenacious D music video is a tour de force.
One of the greatest and finest films of all time (in this site’s opinion) despite its creepy nature is returning to theaters latest this year in a remaster courtesy of NEON.
Arnold Schwartznegger is the subject and interviewee of a 3 part docuseries coming to Netflix soon.
PORTLAND, Ore. 05/11/2023 — Image Comics is pleased to announce that James Tynion IV (W0RLDTR33, Vol. 1), Tillie Walden (Clementine Book Two), and Alex De Campi (Parasocial) will appear at Publishers Weekly’s U.S. Book Show this month at the NYU Kimmel Center in New York City.
Now in its third year, the U.S. Book Show is a hybrid event—in-person and livestreaming to a virtual audience—hosted by the NYU School of Professional Studies Center for Publishing and Applied Liberal Arts at NYU’s Kimmel Center.
TUESDAY, MAY 23—
“Adult Big Books of Next Season” from 2:20–3:15 PM
Panelists: Mattie Lubchansky (Boys Weekend), Edel Rodriguez (Worm: A Cuban American Odyssey), Jillian Tamaki (Roaming) & James Tynion IV (W0RLDTR33, Vol. 1).
Moderator: Tahneer Oksman, author and Associate Professor at Marymount Manhattan College
“Alex De Campi in conversation with Joan Hilty” from 3:50–4:10 PM
Panelist: Alex De Campi (Parasocial, Dracula, Motherf**ker)
Moderator: Joan Hilty, Executive Editor, Avatar Studios/Nickelodeon Animation
“Closing Keynote” from 4:30–5:00 PM
Panelists: Jeff Smith (Bone) & Tillie Walden (Clementine Book Two)
Moderator: Heidi MacDonald, Editor-in-Chief of The Comics Beat
For more programming details, visit: https://usbookshow.com.
TONY S. DANIEL LAUNCHES NEW WAR-TORN FANTASY EPIC SERIES—EDENWOOD—THIS SEPTEMBER FROM IMAGE COMICS
PORTLAND, Ore. 05/09/2023 — Bestselling writer/artist Tony S. Daniel (Nocterra, Batman, Deathstroke) will launch an all-new fantasy series titled Edenwood. This ongoing war-ravaged epic will feature coloring by Natália Marques (Rogue Sun) and debut in September from Image Comics.
Edenwood—An eons-long series of multiverse wars between demons and witches has found earth as its latest battleground. The battle pits Necronema, the demonic land which supplanted the Midwest twenty years ago, against Edenwood, the witchcraft controlled area of land that protects the rest of the U.S. In the first story arc of this ongoing series readers are introduced to Rion, a young man born during the apocalyptic events of southern Illinois, who is thrust into the role of hero and leader after killing a Gather, a transient demon with the powers to cross any barrier or dimension.
“Edenwood is a series three years in the making, one that I was beginning to craft right before Scott Snyder and I crossed paths in NYC and fate took me in another direction, co-creating Nocterra with one of comics’ finest writers,” said Daniel. “This series represents what I love most about comics: excitement, drama, big action, heroes we can relate to and fall in love with, and villains we’ll love to despise. This series is very high concept—yet its characters remain relatable and grounded in reality—all while we have an epic, large-scale battleground of demonic tanks, floating battleships and demon soldiers pitted against witchcraft-infused weaponry and armored soldiers. And away from all of the violent magic and mayhem between Edenwood and Necronema, we have the ‘Open Lands’ (the rest of the United States) where just as much evil is happening but in a quiet, deliberate way, to further the demon expansion. All of this is the backdrop for our hero, Rion, and his cast of fun and exciting demon hunters. So to say that I’m excited to be working on this new series would be one of the biggest understatements of my career!”
Summoned by the Witch War Council, Rion must assemble an elite team of demon hunters tasked with infiltrating Necronema with a list of targets to annihilate. The men and women he selects happen to all be the most famous and revered demon hunters of all time, dating back to the 1700s. But Rion has his sights set on a young and powerful witch being held prisoner deep within Necronema. The mission is one of search and destroy… however Rion feels he’s been chosen for more than that.
Edenwood #1 will be available at comic book shops on Wednesday, September 27.
Edenwood #1 will also be available across many digital platforms, including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, and Google Play.
The Truth is on a Ranch in Northern Utah in the Latest BOOM! Direct Reserve
Campaign: HUNT FOR THE SKINWALKER Expanded Edition & Graphic Novel
Experience Dr. Colm Kelleher and George Knapp’s First Hand Accounts of the Paranormal Happenings at the Infamous Gorman Ranch for the First Time in a Fully Illustrated Graphic Novel.
LOS ANGELES, CA (May 9, 2023) – BOOM! Studios announced today, after the completion of its second direct-to-consumer campaign of the year to break half a million dollars, that it is launching its third campaign of the year celebrating the true paranormal events documented and researched on an isolated Utah ranch with HUNT FOR THE SKINWALKER Expanded Edition & Graphic Novel BOOM! Direct Reserve Campaign, with the seminal nonfiction novel inspiring a new comic book series by Zac Thompson (X-Men Unlimited, Undone By Blood) and illustrated by Valeria Burzo (Castle Full of Blackbirds).
Since first revealed by Dr. Colm A. Kelleher and veteran journalist George Knapp in their groundbreaking 2005 nonfiction book, Hunt For The Skinwalker: Science Confronts the Unexplained at a Remote Ranch in Utah, the isolated Gorman Ranch has been the site of terrifying, mystifying, and category-defying phenomena for more than 20 years. Kelleher and Knapp’s book inspired high-profile, investigative features in The New York Times, Wired, Newsweek, and VICE, a chart-topping interview on The Joe Rogan Experience, and a 2018 documentary film.
Colm Kelleher Ph.D., led teams of scientists and investigators on Gorman Ranch from 1996-2004. Kelleher directed the design, execution, and analysis of the scientific investigations on Gorman Ranch. In collaboration with coauthor George Knapp, Kelleher wrote “Hunt for Skinwalker” that introduced the Gorman Ranch and its litany of bizarre and dangerous anomalies to a huge global audience. Kelleher and Knapp’s book also led to the creation of the largest official UFO program in history, funded by the United States government.
“George Knapp and I are delighted to be introducing and telling the true story of Hunt for the Skinwalker to a new audience of graphic novel readers,” said Dr. Kelleher. “I am excited to delve into the bizarre and the weird and to acquaint readers with the terrifying world that exists on the periphery of our day-to-day realities. The authenticity of Hunt for the Skinwalker is what makes it so powerful and why I am so thrilled to be working with the BOOM! team in producing this new series.”
George Knapp is the chief investigative reporter for KLAS TV (CBS Las Vegas). In his 40 years covering organized crime, government corruption, environmental issues, and military secrets, he has earned the highest honors in journalism, including the Peabody Award (twice) the Dupont, Edward. R Murrow awards, a National Press Club award and many other honors including 28 regional Emmys. He has been a newspaper columnist, taught college courses in speech, debate, and journalism, is a weekend host of Coast to Coast AM radio, is a co-host and producer for the WEAPONIZED podcast, and co-authored both Hunt for the Skinwalker and Skinwalkers at the Pentagon.
“Our book detailed the first significant scientific study of the Utah Ranch. We had no idea it would directly inspire the creation of the largest government funded UFO-centric investigation in US history (AAWSAP) or the subsequent UFO investigations that followed and reignited the intense, still-growing public interest in UAPs and related mysteries. We are thrilled to work with the BOOM! team to bring the true story of the ranch to a new generation of readers via an exciting and colorful graphic novel platform,” said co-author George Knapp.
The reverberations of Kelleher and Knapp’s captivating work have echoed across pop culture, influencing and inspiring storytellers in television, film, comic books, audio dramas, and other mediums resulting in some of the most critically-acclaimed and commercially successful new pieces of fiction in recent years. Now, BOOM! Studios proudly presents the first official fictional extension produced in direct collaboration with Kelleher and Knapp as a comic book series and graphic novel, visualizing the mind-blowing occurrences for the first time. The BOOM! Direct Reserve Campaign also includes an expanded, premium hardcover edition of the groundbreaking book ahead of its 20th anniversary alongside an assortment of limited edition merchandise.
“Hunt For The Skinwalker is such a seminal work of nonfiction, we wanted this BOOM! Direct Reserve campaign to reflect the effort and dedication Colm, George, and the entire paranormal community has put into investigating Gorman Ranch as the epicenter of a seemingly limitless barrage of overlapping and interconnected supernatural occurrences,” said President of Publishing & Marketing, Filip Sablik. “Zac and Valeria are creating a perfect companion to the original book, visualizing the unbelievable true events for the first time, which appeals equally to longtime students of the unexplainable and new readers just dipping their toes into the paranormal pool.”
HUNT FOR THE SKINWALKER Expanded Edition & Graphic Novel BOOM! Direct Reserve Campaign will continue for 30 days, with special surprises, product reveals, and hidden stretch goals to be announced all month long.
For continuing news on HUNT FOR THE SKINWALKER and more from BOOM! Studios, stay tuned to boom-studios.com and follow @boomstudios on Twitter.
Colm Kelleher Ph.D.
George Knapp
Indie studio Cyan, known for developing the legendary Myst, released the launch trailer for their upcoming narrative adventure Firmament. The launch trailer (see below article) gives a closer look at the gameplay of Firmament for the first time and features music composed and performed by Ronan Harris and VNV Nation.
The title is releasing on PC and Mac (2D and VR) on Thursday, May 18th, 2023 on Steam and GOG.
PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PlayStation VR 2 versions will launch later.
About the game
Firmament is a new puzzle-adventure game by the legendary game studio behind the best-selling games Myst and Riven. Featuring deep storytelling and world-building, discover the story of this seemingly abandoned world as you explore and unlock the mysteries of three unique Realms and beyond!
The title’s Kickstarter campaign amassed over $1.4 million USD across more than 18,000 backers.
Game Features
Explore a Fantastical Steampunk World: Firmament invites you to explore the legendary deep world-building Cyan is known for. It is a fantastic steampunk visual feast with thrilling new sights to see around every corner. At the same time, its world feels completely plausible, as though it were constructed with a bigger purpose in mind…
Solve Puzzles: You carry with you a device called an “Adjunct” as you explore. This Adjunct is your interface as you interact with the various devices throughout the Realms of Firmament. Employing the Adjunct to solve the puzzles you encounter will bring you ever closer to unlocking the secrets this place holds.
Discover The Story:You are not entirely alone in Firmament. In addition to The Adjunct, you are joined by a mysterious apparition, who has a story of her own to share with you. As you explore you will be introduced to 3 Realms – each with secrets and mysteries to reveal. What purpose do the Realms serve? Can the spirit who accompanies you be trusted?
Reveal a Realms-Spanning Mystery: Are the realms of Firmament abandoned? What are these giant, mysterious machines scattered throughout the world? What is their purpose? What part do you play in this grand mystery? Seek and uncover the answers for yourself.
Built for both 2D and VR Displays: Firmament supports both 2D and VR play. The VR experience includes Free Roam and Teleport modes and supports Valve Index, HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, Rift S, and Quest 2 via Oculus Link. There are also many “comfort level” features, such as enabling smooth or snap turning, quick travel up stairs and ladders, vertical height quantization, and more!
A Team of Gaming and Entertainment Industry Veterans Behind Titles Including Grand Theft Auto, Donkey Kong Country and Crackdown, Unite For All-New Comics, Prose, and More
UNIOVERSE: REYU Debuts May 9th, 2023
(May 8, 2023) Hex Publishers and Random Games are partnering to create original comics based on the Unioverse videogame and platform for user-generated creativity. A six-part series of interconnected one-shots will introduce the first five playable Unioverse heroes from the Unioverse videogame. The comics are co-written by Colorado Book Award winner Joshua Viola and Angie Hodapp, with interior art by Ben Matsuya (Cryowulf, Jupiter Jet), and cover art by AJ Nazzaro (Hearthstone, Overwatch). The series launches on May 9th, 2023 with Unioverse: Reyu.
Set in the near future, the Unioverse story centers around a technology discovered on Mars that allows anyone to instantly transport their consciousness across galaxies. A playable alpha sequence from the first Unioverse game, The Proving Grounds, was launched this year by a team of gaming and entertainment industry veterans behind titles such as Grand Theft Auto, Donkey Kong Country and Crackdown. The narrative direction of the Unioverse is led by Brent Friedman, a master storyteller whose previous credits include writing on Star Wars: The Clone Wars, The Walking Dead, Call of Duty, and Star Trek: Enterprise.
“The Unioverse was designed to be a transportive transmedia experience for fans,” said Brent Friedman. “From day one, the narrative team approached worldbuilding with the expressed intent to create a solid canonical foundation on which countless stories could be told in games, comics, anthologies, movies, and more. Unioverse: Reyu represents the first expression of our vision for storytelling beyond the Unioverse website. I feel like a proud parent!”
The Unioverse comic book series will comprise of six issues:
Issue 1: Reyu (Release date: 5/9): Reyu, respected warrior, the last of his kind, must bring a notorious assassin to justice. But Reyu knows something about the assassin that just might change the course of his own fate.
Issue 2: Krishah (Release date: 6/6): Krishah never misses her mark…until she does. Now, the religious cult that controls her offers her one shot at redemption: Kill Reyu.
Issue 3: Tor Gret (Release date: 7/11): Merge Keeper Tor Gret is forced to take on the merciless Vipers and their sadistic leader alone, since the mercenary he hired to fight alongside him got a better offer. Tor will deal with him later…
Issue 4: Annill (Release date: 8/8): A bombing at a political soirée forces bodyguard Annill to risk her life saving many important guests. While waiting for the all-clear, she recalls the tragic history of her planet and her people.
Issue 5: Vella Janx (Release date: 9/5): Vella Janx and his loyal companion, 9Bot, agree to help Tor Gret complete a dangerous exfiltration mission. But when a better offer from an enigmatic stranger comes along, Janx is all in. Business is business…
Issue 6: Silas Kyruk (Release date: 10/10): Silas Kyruk lost everything the instant Malcolm Orion reawakened the Mass-O. But this mastermind has a plan to get it back. All he needs are the finest, most capable fighters in the Unioverse—Reyu, Krishah, Tor Gret, Annill, and Vella.
“As a writer, it was exciting to build upon the established lore of the videogames and give players and readers alike an opportunity to really familiarize themselves with our heroes and the sci-fi sandbox they’re playing inside,” said co-writer and Hex Publishers Founder Joshua Viola. “In issue one, readers are introduced to our hero, Reyu—the legendary Ja’din hunter of the fabled Origin 5 Species. Reyu, the last of his kind, is on a mission to bring a notorious assassin to justice, but he knows something about the assassin that might change the course of his own fate.”
The Unioverse comic book series marks the first exploration of the Unioverse beyond the games, ahead of the release of the prose anthology Stories of the Reconvergence, edited by Angie Hodapp and Joshua Viola, which will showcase some of today’s most popular genre-fiction writers, including Stephen Graham Jones, Linda D. Addison, Kevin J. Anderson, Mario Acevedo, Andy Baker, Carina Bissett, Kenneth W. Cain, Kevin Dilmore, Sean Eads, Brent Friedman, Maxwell I. Gold, Warren Hammond, Angie Hodapp, Jamal Hodge, Akua Lezli Hope, Gabino Iglesias, Matthew Kressel, Lee Murray, Wyeth Ridgway, Jeanne C. Stein, Joshua Viola, Tim Waggoner, Dayton Ward, Carter Wilson, Jezzy Wolfe, Jane Yolen, and Alvaro Zinos-Amaro.
“The narrative team conceived of such a rich, multifaceted world, and getting to be one of the first writers to tell stories in that world has been a privilege,” said co-writer Angie Hodapp. “We hope these comics and the anthology will feel like an invitation to other storytellers whose imaginations are sparked by the Unioverse.”
To find out more about the Unioverse and stay up-to-date on the anthology and comic books, visit UNIOVERSE.com, follow the Unioverse on Twitter, join the Unioverse Discord server, and follow Hex Publishers on Twitter, visit the Hex Unioverse page, and visit the Hex shop.
SDCC/Comic Con International is coming up soon which also means offsite but near by events start getting announced. One of them is an X-Men: Hellfire Gala from D23.
Did you love the plushies in the game Unpacking? Well now you can own physical versions with the newest Unpacking Merch Collection.
FORTNITE now available on Amazon LUNA through a Fire TV.
