Happy Birthday To Us: THQ Nordic is Celebrating Its 10th Anniversary With a Showcase!

Posted on 09/02/2021 by Pop-Culture Spectrum

Vienna/Austria, September 2nd, 2021: THQ Nordic is celebrating its 10th anniversary and we’re having a digital party! Join us for the first, official THQ Nordic digital showcase event on September 17th at 9 pm CEST / 12:00 PM PST / 8 PM BST / 10 PM MSK. It will be streamed on YouTube, Twitch, and Steam.
Official THQ Nordic Channels to watch the Showcase:
https://www.youtube.com/c/thqnordic/
https://www.twitch.tv/thqnordic
https://store.steampowered.com/publisher/THQNordicThe showcase will be hosted by Geoff Keighley, executive producer and host of The Game Awards, and will feature six new game announcements that will take you on a journey through time and space. Witness the return of legendary franchises, including some for which fans have been waiting decades to get their hands on a new installment, and you can also expect to see sequels to beloved games. We hope you are ready, kids!

We also plan to release new information and footage for Open-World-Sci-Fi-Fantasy RPG ELEX II, and upcoming CRPG Expeditions: Rome will join the show to demo the latest and greatest gameplay! If you tune in a few minutes earlier, you can also get a glimpse of what our friends at HandyGames have been working on lately in the pre-show.

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Graphic Universe Presents A Major Graphic Novel Debut: Olivia Stephens’ YA Graphic Novel Artie and the Wolf Moon

Posted on 08/31/2021 by Pop-Culture Spectrum

 

MINNEAPOLIS, MN— This September Graphic Universe, an imprint of Lerner Publishing Group, will publish Olivia Stephens’s eagerly awaited YA graphic novel debut Artie and the Wolf Moon. A graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, Stephens has created a timely and original take on werewolf lore, one that celebrates the importance of community and the joy of family, no matter how unusual those family members might be. Published just in time for Halloween, Graphic Universe is introducing a major new cartoonist, with a book that is fun, playful, heartfelt, and just right for the spooky season.

In Artie and the Wolf Moon, Artie Irvin discovers her family’s past is full of secrets. After sneaking out against her mother’s wishes, Artie spots a massive wolf—then watches it don a bathrobe and transform into her mom. Thrilled to discover she comes from a line of werewolves, Artie asks her mom to share everything—including the story of Artie’s late father. Her mom reluctantly agrees. After finding a new community, Artie thrives and even develops a crush on her new friend, Maya. But the more she learns the history of werewolves and her own parents’ past, she discovers that wolves aren’t the scariest thing in the woods…

Ahead of publication, Olivia Stephens’s Artie and the Wolf Moon has received widespread praise:

“A heartfelt, magical family drama you can really sink your teeth into.” —Nilah Magruder, M.F.K.

“An absolutely gorgeous, thrilling read.” — Blue Delliquanti, O Human Star

“Readers looking for a story of discovery and healing wrapped in the paranormal will hit the jackpot. A stirring, eye-catching portrayal of growth.”—Kirkus Reviews

“A love letter to the power of family to help you grow, heal, and find yourself . . . As rich and immersive as a big family dinner.” —Melanie Gillman, Stage Dreams

“Heartbreaking and heart mending.” —Priya Huq, Piece by Piece: The Story of Nisrin’s Hijab

“A wonderful tale of friendship, family, and forgiveness.”—Booklist

“A breath of fresh air . . . Full of robust characters, dynamic panels, and immersive landscapes, this coming-of-age story of family and the supernatural is one any reader will have a hard time putting down.” —Shannon Wright, Twins

“A book of cycles—love, loss, reunion, redemption. Readers will thoroughly enjoy getting lost in the beautifully rendered forests.” —Wendy Xu, Mooncakes

Graphic Universe will publish Olivia Stephens’s Artie and the Wolf Moon on September 7, 2021.

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Small-Town Detective Thriller ‘The Good Life’, SWERY’s New Life Sim Indie RPG-Adventure On Track to Release in 2021

Posted on 08/26/2021 by Pop-Culture Spectrum

Equipped with an old camera, very stylish sunglasses, and a faux leather mini backpack, Naomi sets out to bring light to Rainy Woods’ dirty secrets
TOKYO, JAPAN, August 26, 2021 – The Good Life is being co-developed by Hidetaka “SWERY” Suehiro, director of Deadly Premonition, and Yukio Futatsugi, along with their teams at White Owls and Grounding. The developers are excited to unveil new screenshots of the game and an ENG trailer for fans as it makes its way into the final stages of development. The Good Life is backed by publisher PLAYISM, and it’s set to release on Steam, Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch later in 2021.

Uncover the truth about Rainy Woods – the small, boring town that Naomi refers to as “Hell on Earth”
Upon beginning her investigation, Naomi – camera in hand – soon realizes that the town and its eccentric residents are hiding all sorts of secrets. She discovers an inexplicable phenomenon in which the townspeople transform into cats and dogs as night falls. Then, just as she’s looking into that mystery, a murder occurs.
The Good Life’s captivating adventure story will invite you to explore a large open world, following clues in conversations, tracing for pointers to uncover the town’s dirty secrets. You must eat, sleep, shop (using your skills as a professional photographer to earn money), and learn the arts of crafting, farming, and time management!
  • Explore the vast and sprawling town of Rainy Woods
  • Solve mysteries as a human, a cat, or a dog!
  • Take photos to repay your debt
  • Unlock and try new meal recipes
  • Plant, grow, and harvest your own crops
  • Discover new clothing and other items
  • Save up money and renovate your house!
SWERY and Yukio Futatsugi are set to deliver a highly engaging, funny and bizarre experience that will keep players hooked until the very end. Similar to SWERY’s previous titles, players can expect plenty of strange encounters, odd characters, and a charming and absorbing story set in a fantastic world – the ‘happiest’ town, Rainy Woods.
The Good Life is releasing on Steam, Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch later this year. Don’t forget to wishlist the game on your favorite store.

About White Owls Inc.
Operating out of Osaka in Japan, White Owls Inc. is led by Hidetaka “SWERY” Suehiro, best known as the creator of Deadly Premonition, D4: Dark Dreams Don’t Die, and The Missing. With a slogan of “From Osaka to all of YOU around the World”, White Owls Inc. strives to provide unforgettable gaming experiences through SWERY’s unique take on game creation.
To learn more, visit White Owls Inc.’s official website here.
About Grounding Inc.
Headed by their CEO Yukio Futatsugi, creator of Panzer Dragoon and Phantom Dust, Grounding Inc. is a Japanese game development company with four development studios located in Tokyo, Fukuoka, Kyoto, and Kochi. In addition to game creation for smartphones and consoles, Grounding Inc. is also involved in the development of VR content.
To learn more, visit Grounding Inc.’s official website here.
About Playism
Japan’s oldest indie publisher, PLAYISM is known in the West for supporting popular indie games such as Gnosia, Idol Manager, Tasomachi, Touhou Luna Nights, Fight Crab, Record of Lodoss War -Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth-, La-Mulana series, Bright Memory, and DEEEER Simulator among other titles.
PLAYISM’s motto is “Bringing a Different Breed of Indie Game to the World”.
To learn more, visit the PLAYISM official website and follow @PlayismEN on Twitter.
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Simon Hanselmann’s Hilarious Eisner Award-Winning Pandemic Webcomic CRISIS ZONE To Be Published by Fantagraphics in August

Posted on 08/04/2021 by Pop-Culture Spectrum

The Unabridged and Uncensored Publication Includes 500 Additional Panels and Extensive “Director’s Commentary” from Hanselmann

(August 4, 2021) In March 2020, as the planet began to enter lockdown, acclaimed cartoonist Simon Hanselmann decided that what the world needed most was free, easily accessible entertainment — so he set out to make the greatest webcomic ever created! The result is also certain to be one of the most acclaimed and eagerly anticipated graphic novels of 2021: CRISIS ZONE, coming from Fantagraphics this August.

Set in the colorful NSFW world of the bestselling Megg, Mogg and Owl series, CRISIS ZONE was born amidst the uncertainty of the Covid-19 crisis. As the pandemic continued to escalate far beyond any reasonable expectations, CRISIS ZONE escalated right along with it — in real time, with daily posts on Instagram. Its battle mission was to amuse the masses: after all, no matter how horrible and bleak everything seemed, at least Werewolf Jones wasn’t in your house! Over the course of 2020, CRISIS ZONE amassed unprecedented amounts of new fans to the Megg and Mogg universe and is presented here unabridged and uncensored, with a slew of added pages and scenes deleted from the webcomic, as well as an extensive “Director’s Commentary” from Hanselmann himself.

Watch Megg attempt to bury herself in a digital world of escapism! See Mogg fall down the rabbit hole of paranoia and conspiracy theories! Experience Owl’s metamorphosis from timid and uptight worrywort to a no-holds-barred, asskicking leader and back again! Witness Werewolf Jones’s journey from reluctant erotic performer, to viral TikTok stardom, to Netflix sensation! Bouncing rapidly between comedy, horror, action, and relational soap-operatics, CRISIS ZONE refuses to take the pedal off the gas as we all hurtle towards unknown destinations.

“Crisis Zone is (I’m told) the ultimate piece of pandemic art,” said Hanselmann. “You won’t find a better record of what went down in 2020. Nominated for the Harvey Award and Cartoonist Studio Prize and winner of the Eisner Award for best webcomic. Snubbed by the Pulitzer. Clowns! Big mistake!”

Fantagraphics will publish the hilarious, off-the-wall comic on August 17, 2021.

For more info, follow Simon Hanselmann on Twitter and Instagram and follow Fantagraphics on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.

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The Wild Case: a mini game review

Posted on 08/04/2021 by Pop-Culture Spectrum

I get a bunch of games that catch my attention, some big, some small, some that came out awhile ago that I haven’t gotten to check out and some coming out a long time from now. In this case, the game is The Wild Case, a short, but intriguing first person point and click mildly visual novel adventure game.

What must be pointed out immediately is that the painted art for this game is excellent. While there is very little animation, the art style evokes something that compels one to continue the story. There is no voice acting, but the writing is solid. Where the game becomes less a game and more a clever interactive story is the puzzles. There is no true trouble solving and much of solving is built on coded trigger events, but this doesn’t take away from it. You will want to play these simple fetch and solve puzzles to get to the next step in this mystery.

To truly discuss any of it spoils the experience, but I know some must be presented. You are an investigative journalist, you’re in a foreign town, there’s something weird going on and you have been tasked with figuring it out. It’s adventure game 101 and again, not truly a puzzle game and much more a visual novel with more interaction than most, but it’s done very well.

The Wild Case is available on Steam, The Apple App store and Windows Store with varying prices and is for Windows, Mac and Linux. The developer Special Bit are also currently making a Nintendo Switch build.

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Fantagraphics to Collect Legendary Underground Comix THE FABULOUS FURRY FREAK BROTHERS Ahead of Their New Animated Series

Posted on 08/02/2021 by Pop-Culture Spectrum

The Freak Brothers Find a New Home at Fantagraphics Ahead of The Animated Series Starring Woody Harrelson, Pete Davidson, John Goodman, and Tiffany Haddish

(August 2, 2021) The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers are the most iconic and enduring underground comix characters ever created, having sold over 45 million comics in 16 languages. Fantagraphics is proud to announce that it is collecting all their drug-addled adventures in a new series of four volumes under the series title The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers Follies with the first volume being The Idiots Abroad and Other Follies. The Freak Brothers will also find a new audience in their upcoming animated series starring the voices of Woody Harrelson, Pete Davidson, John Goodman, and Tiffany Haddish.

Created in 1968 by Gilbert Shelton, widely recognized as one of the funniest cartoonists who ever lived, the Freak Brothers’ rollicking and hilariously self-destructive escapades are comedic masterpieces of farce and satire. Our first volume leads off with “The Idiots Abroad,” a relentless novel-length tour de force of slapstick, screwball humor, showing off Shelton’s gift for weaving together an intricate plot with droll dialogue and pitch-perfect visual timing.

The Brothers — Freewheelin’ Franklin, Phineas, and Fat Freddy — embark on a trip to Colombia to score some cheap dope (their guiding principle) but, as always, things go awry, and they are separated and scattered around the world — to Scotland, Moscow, Africa, South America, and the Middle East — where they encounter nuclear terrorists, slavers, pirates, and religious fanatics, yet somehow never seem to make it to Bogotá. The Comics Journal named “The Idiots Abroad” as one of the “100 Greatest Comics of the Century” and The Guardian, citing its “graphic quality,” called it “astonishing” and said it “recall[s] Hergé in … accuracy and detail.” Rounding out our first volume is another 70 pages of Freak Brothers short stories.

The Freak Brothers, an animated series set in modern San Francisco starring the voices of Woody Harrelson, Pete Davidson, John Goodman, and Tiffany Haddish, is scheduled for release in 2021.

THE FABULOUS FURRY FREAK BROTHERS will come to stores in January 2022.

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BIOMUTANT

Posted on 07/25/2021 by Pop-Culture Spectrum

I am a graffiti hunter. No matter where I go, be it a large city, a small town, far away or very close, virtually or in person, I’m always looking for the stickers, the murals, the street art. This even applies to video games and in BIOMUTANT there is actually a great assortment of it. Cutesy illustrations in an American Kawaii style on dilapidated walls.

Of course this isn’t the other fun detour in BIOMUTANT. If you love matching outfits, playing with fur styles, colors, etc. you’re in for a joy. Although when it comes to outfits you better not care about armor functionality to see all the different hats, shirts, jeans, etc you can make.

If exploring every nook and cranny a world has to offer before finishing a story, you have that in oodles as well. There’s a big old world here of customization, a history of the world before it became what it was, and different types of places to explore with different enemy types as well.

I chose to wait till getting completely through this game to the end and a New Game + before properly praising and/or critiquing the game, hence the first three parts of this review were made early on. After a futher observation while I would still highly recommend BIOMUTANT it is a frustrating game. There are many flaws in the design, in the writing, in the what seem forced missions. The boss battles are five very different type of gameplays and the the entirety of the game does not prepare you for these boss battles in the least. To prepare for those boss battles one needs to level up and to level up it tends to involve fetch quests which turn into side quests which are not truly side quests as without finishing certain side quests you will not be able to finish the main quests. It becomes too much after awhile and the open world loses its charm.

The narrator also loses his charm and you get the option to have him speak less way too late for it to matter, at that point you’ve gotten used to him even when you scream “shut up already”.

The choices you make definitely have story potential, but unfortunately at least for me when you reach the point to make these very heavy choices they seem either easy or too daunting, and the desire to know what happens if you replay and made different choices based on the ending one did receive wasn’t high.

With all this though, mileage may vary. The game is beautiful, the combat is amazing (although in hard mode which I attempted after easy mode to just experience the game it is excruciatingly hard… which for some gamers is the experience they desire, for others, not at all), the weapon building is exciting (although scrounging for currency is a slag like in any RPG), the platforming is at times difficult and other times exhilarating, all the modes of transport are fun (although the fact that the water vehicle doesn’t seem to spawn in all water and therefore you drown is frustrating).

Should you play BIOMUTANT? Most definitely, but just be aware what you’re getting into.

(Disclaimer: This review is based off a free review copy.)

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BOOM! Studios Announces DUNE: A WHISPER OF CALADAN SEAS #1

Posted on 07/25/2021 by Pop-Culture Spectrum

Discover a Brand New Special From the Authors of the Official Prequel to
Frank Herbert’s ‘Dune’ in December 2021

LOS ANGELES, CA (July 24, 2021) –  BOOM! Studios today proudly announced DUNE: A WHISPER OF CALADAN SEAS #1, a brand new comic book special issue expanding the rich mythology of Frank Herbert’s Dune, adapted & scripted by New York Times bestselling authors Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, illustrated by artist Jakub Rebelka (Origins) and lettered by Ed Dukeshire, in partnership with Herbert Properties LLC and in full coordination with Abrams ComicArts, who published the first of a trilogy of graphic novel adaptations of Herbert’s original classic novel DUNE in Fall 2020.

During the chaos of the legendary Battle of Arrakeen, a group of Atreides soldiers gets caved in. So while Paul Atreides meets his destiny in battle, Sgt. Vitt must use his family’s gift of storytelling as a Jongleur to transport his men from their tomb to their homeworld of Caladan. Can Vitt mentally transport them back to the lushness and vast oceans of Caladan and give them the gift of hope in the darkness?

“When we were writing A WHISPER OF CALADAN SEAS, we had no idea that our Dune-series novels and short stories would eventually add up to millions of words,” said Brian Herbert. “Now we’re still adding on to that total, and continue to enjoy the writing process as much as we did when we were just getting going.  Our enthusiasm for these stories has never waned.”

“A WHISPER OF CALADAN SEAS was the very first piece of Dune fiction Brian and I wrote together, a short story introduction as we got our legs under us for writing House Atreides,” said Kevin J. Anderson. “It certainly launched something great for both of us.”

Created by visionary writer Frank Herbert, Dune debuted in 1965, has sold millions of copies and is arguably the most admired science fiction novel of all time. After winning the Hugo Award and inaugural Nebula Award, Dune inspired a best-selling novel series and led to multiple live-action adaptations, including the upcoming feature film from Legendary Pictures. The influence of Dune extends well beyond the world of entertainment, with an incalculable influence on modern scientific thinking about politics, religion, outer space, environmentalism, and more.

DUNE: A WHISPER OF CALADAN SEAS #1 features main cover art by Jeff Dekal (BRZRKR) and variant covers by artists Rebelka, Elizabeth Torque (Venom), and Christian Ward (Something is Killing the Children).

“The origins of Brian and Kevin’s incredible worldbuilding within the Dune universe starts here with an insightful and touching story that shows a side of this epic sci-fi classic that has never been seen before,” said Jonathan Manning, Editor, BOOM! Studios.

DUNE: A WHISPER OF CALADAN SEAS 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; We Only Find Them When They’re Dead by Al Ewing and Simone Di Meo; Seven Secrets by Tom Taylor and Daniele Di Nicuolo; Something is Killing the Children by James Tynion IV and Werther Dell’Edera; Once & Future by Kieron Gillen and Dan Mora; The Many Deaths of Laila Starr by Ram V and Filipe Andrade; Proctor Valley Road by Grant Morrison, Alex Child, and Naomi Franquiz; and Eve by Victor LaValle and Jo Mi-Gyeong. The imprint also publishes popular licensed properties including Mighty Morphin and Power Rangers from Ryan Parrott, Marco Renna, and Francesco Mortarino; and Magic from Jed MacKay and Ig Guara.

Print copies of DUNE: A WHISPER OF CALADAN SEAS #1 will be available in December 2021 at local comic book shops (use comicshoplocator.com to find the nearest one), or at the BOOM! Studios webstore. Digital copies can be purchased from content providers like comiXology, iBooks, Google Play, and Kindle.

For continuing news on the DUNE comic book series and more from BOOM! Studios, stay tuned to www.boom-studios.com and follow @boomstudios on Twitter.

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A Heartfelt Goodbye to an Important Stage in Life, No Longer Home Release Date Announced.

Posted on 07/20/2021 by Pop-Culture Spectrum

A semi-autobiographical game about relationships, everyday life and saying goodbye, No Longer Home launches on July 30

Melbourne, Australia, July 20, 2021 — Publisher Fellow Traveller and developer Humble Grove today announced No Longer Home, a semi-autobiographical game about saying goodbye to a significant stage in life, will launch for PC on Steam, Epic Games Store, Humble and GOG.com on July 30, 2021.

No Longer Home is a slice-of-life story, inviting players to immerse themselves in the lives of Ao and Bo, two queer, non-binary students who’ve recently graduated and are preparing to leave the flat they’ve shared for a year.Explore the flat, have conversations with friends and get to know Lu, the multi-eyed animal-like new flatmate. Find magic in everyday moments like BBQs with friends and playing video games together as the duo come to terms with an uncertain future.
“Precarity and identity are the predominant themes through the story. The events in the game are based on our own experiences, during a time when we were feeling disillusioned with post uni life and trying to figure out what to do next.’ says Cel Davison (they/them), Lead Writer & Cinematographer. “No Longer Home is about exploring our place in the world and finding wonder in everyday domesticity.”Hana Lee (they/them), Lead Artist & Animator added: “After graduation, due to visa restrictions I unfortunately had to go back to Japan. The game originally came about as a way for Cel and I to stay in touch, to explore and express the emotions that came with saying goodbye.”

No Longer Home will be available for $14.99 on Steam, Epic Games Store, Humble and GOG.com with a 20% launch discount for 1 week.
The No Longer Home Soundtrack is composed by IGF-nominated sound artist and composer Eli Rainsberry (they/them) of A Monster’s Expedition, Bird Alone, Wilmot’s Warehouse, with contributions from session musician Derek Daley (he/him), and composer for the prequel Friary Road Paws Menu (he/him). The No Longer Home soundtrack and the prequel Friary Road Soundtrack will be available for $9.99 and $4.99 respectively.The Farewell Edition bundle of the game will be available, including the base game and both soundtracks.

Epic: Coming Soon

About No Longer Home
How do you say goodbye to a place? How do you let go of the life you’ve built due to circumstances beyond your control?
Bo and Ao are graduating from university and preparing to leave the flat they’ve lived in together for a year. Thanks to visa limitations, Ao is forced to return to Japan, leaving Bo in England. Disillusioned by post-educational life and shoved aside by a government that doesn’t want them there, both try to come to terms with their uncertain futures.
Wander through an intimate flat and examine the everyday belongings of Bo and Ao. Have BBQs, play video games, and stay up late just talking in bed. Follow the day-to-day activities and conversations of two queer, non-binary students and their friends. Welcome the magic of the every day and somewhat extraordinary.

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RE-ANIMATOR® PRODUCER BRIAN YUZNA PRESENTS TALES OF BLOOD ISLAND – SERIALIZED HORROR COMICS & TIKI-STYLE MUGS

Posted on 07/15/2021 by Pop-Culture Spectrum

This Kickstarter, now available looks amazingly wonderful. As a fan of Yuzna’s work, Tiki mugs, and the horrible Blood Island films I am very intrigued.

PLANNED RE-BOOT OF THE “BLOOD ISLAND” ZOMBIE & CREATURE FEATURE FRANCHISE OF THE ‘60S &’70S IN PRE-PRODUCTION

KICKSTARTER CAMPAIGN KICKS OFF THIS JULY WITH LAUNCH DURING SAN DIEGO COMIC CON AT HOME AND SAN DIEGO’S TIKI OASIS

#bloodisland, #tiki, #horror, #comicbooks

New York, NY, July 15, 2021 – Brian Yuzna, the legendary producer behind the 1985 film adaptation of the zombie horror classic, H.P. Lovecraft’s Re-Animator ®, has unveiled a Kickstarter, a crowdfunding campaign for a serialized comic book and Tiki-style monster mug line called BRIAN YUZNA PRESENTS TALES OF BLOOD ISLAND.  Based on a script by writers David Sehring and Mark Cerulli, Yuzna and Drive-In-Sanity Films plan to adapt the comic books for a filmed reboot of the franchise with Tiki-mug tie ins and ancillary merchandise to complement and elevate the promotional and marketing efforts for the production.

Inspired by the successful “Blood Island” zombie and creature feature franchise made in the Philippines by Hemisphere Pictures for the U.S. drive-in market from 1959 through 1970, the comic book incorporates key characters from the original films and more jungle thrills, strange science fiction & fantasy, and over-the-top monsters and gore that were the key ingredients of the Blood Island pictures as well as “Mondo Movies” and exploitation films from that period.

BRIAN YUZNA PRESENTS TALES OF BLOOD ISLAND, the comic book, is a movie series in the making with storyboard styling that screams “action” from artist Stephen Sistilli and coloring & lettering from Dexter Weeks.  Both Sistilli and Weeks worked on another Tiki-themed comic, Koni Waves for Arcana Comics from 2005 through 2010.  The first issue of BRIAN YUZNA PRESENTS TALES OF BLOOD ISLAND will be 36-pages in full color with three future issues planned for the initial run of the series.  Told in the style of classic cliffhanger serials and tropical tales from Men’s Adventure magazines and pulps, the new comic book features tiki terrors and non-stop monster mayhem, mixing and mashing up myths and folklore from around the world.

To coincide with the release of the comic books, there will also be more “blood in your eye” with a series of “mix-and-match” Tiki-style mugs based on the characters & creatures featured in the original movies and new comics.

The undying, green-blooded zombie, the Beast of Blood, is the first Tiki Monster mug in the line as sculpted by Tiki-fantasy artist Tom “Thor” Thordarson, who has held numerous executive titles with Walt Disney Imagineering, Universal Studios, Tiki Farm and other theme park and design companies.

THE STORY OF THE COMIC BOOK
BRIAN YUZNA PRESENTS TALES OF BLOOD ISLAND is a comic book re-boot and re-imagining of the classic Hemisphere Pictures’ Blood Island creature feature franchise directed in the Philippines by Gerardo de Leon and Eddie Romero in the 1960s and 1970s.   Romero went on to serve as Associate Producer on Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now. Like Coppola’s Apocalypse Now, YUZNA’S TALES OF BLOOD ISLAND is set during the end of the Vietnam War, somewhere in the South Seas, on a mysterious, primitive island filled with a multitude of monsters & mutants. There, a soldier-of-fortune and an ex-war buddy team up for a top-secret mission to find and exterminate the murderous war criminal, Dr. Akira Lorca, whose mad experiments with evolution and a jungle plant serum, derived from man-eating trees, create a hideous, head-hunting, body-swapping beast that terrorizes the island population by feasting on and appropriating their blood and flesh.

THE STORY OF THE MUG 
Produced in association with Bauer Pottery, one of the oldest ceramics companies in the United States, the Beast of Blood mug was designed and sculpted by Tiki fantasy artist Tom “Thor” Thordarson and is actually two mugs in one.  When stacked, the Beast of Blood Tiki-style mug is approximately 8″ tall.  Separated, the Beast’s disembodied head holds approximately 4 ounces of fluid while the Beast’s headless body holds approximately 8 ounces of liquid refreshment.  More color glazes and more beasts from the TALES OF BLOOD ISLAND comic books will be coming soon to mix and mash up with their fellow Blood Islander who was first made available, in a limited run, for the legendary Polynesian and tiki-themed Mai-Kai Restaurant in Fort Lauderdale, Florida for their Hulaween 2020 Drive-In event. The mug proved quite popular and was a sell-out.  All new color glazes and “blood splatter” editions will be made available to Kickstarter patrons of the BLOOD ISLAND campaign should it prove successful in reaching its funding goals.

ABOUT BRIAN YUZNA
Brian Yuzna is a Filipino-born American producer, director, and writer.  He is best known for his work in the science fiction and horror genres. Yuzna began his career as a producer for several films by director Stuart Gordon, such as Re-Animator® (1985) and From Beyond (1986) before making his directorial debut with the satirical body horror film, Society (1980).   Yuzna also served as coproducer and co-writer for the Disney comedy, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989).  Yuzna was the first American filmmaker to adapt a manga, The Guyver (1989), into a live-action feature.  Yuzna also directed the horror sequels Silent, Night, Deadly Night 4: Initiation (1990), and Return of the Living Dead 3 (1993) before directing The Dentist (1996) and its sequel, The Dentist 2 (1998). He has helmed several adaptations of H.P. Lovecraft and went on to direct the sequels to Re-Animator:  Bride of Re-Animator (1990) and Beyond Re-Animator (2003).  While living in Spain in the early 2000s, Yuzna started Fantastic Factory with Julio Fernandez, a genre label under Barcelona film company Filmax which produced films for the international market (shot in English) using talent from all around the world.   After a successful run in Spain, Yuzna went to Indonesia and produced the horror film anthology, Takut: Faces of Fear (2008) and directed the 3D creature feature, Amphibious: Creature of the Deep (2010).  Yuzna is currently in development on a number of features in Hollywood and around the world, including an adaptation of the Tales of Blood Island comic book.

ABOUT DRIVE-IN-SANITY FILMS
Drive-In-Sanity Films is a production, marketing and distribution company run by David Sehring, a 37-year veteran film, television and creative services executive who has worked for Vestron Home Video, AMC Networks, including Shudder & IFC Midnight, as well as web retailer, Karmaloop.  While at AMC, Sehring won an Emmy for the doc Hollywood Rocks The Movies: The 1970s and created AMC’S Monsterfest (Now FearFest). Sehring also launched the first high-definition horror and creature feature channel, Monsters HD.  Sehring’s other credits include documentaries on the history of horror, sci-fi & fantasy including Behind The Planet of the Apes; The Alien Saga; The Fly Papers and Tales From The Crypt: From Comic Books To Television among others.   Sehring also worked on the theatrical, cable & digital VOD campaigns for the indie horror films, Maniac starring Elijah Wood; the Australian cult hit, The Babadook; and the notorious Human Centipede film franchise.  Most recently, Sehring served as an associate producer on David Gregory’s and Severin Films’ Blood & Flesh: The Reel Life & Ghastly Death of Al Adamson, a true Hollywood crime story that chronicles the life, career, and tragic death of an exploitation film maverick. Sehring and Drive-In-Sanity Films currently represents legendary drive-in movie producer Samuel M. Sherman and his library of films from Independent-International Pictures Corp. and Hemisphere Pictures.

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