iPad One Week Later

So, a week later and I’m sitting in bed at midnight, while Christina sleeps next to me, typing a review on the glass screen of the future. I suppose that’s a bit of an exaggeration as the future, so to speak, is now.

The long and short of it is that i love the iPad. It’s got some funkiness to it, but overall, it works as advertised, has a battery life that’s borderline ridiculous, and has me happy to ship off my laptop to my parents so that they can talk to my forthcoming daughter via it’s web cam.

The web cam, by the way, is in no way missed on this thing. I think that placing a camera on a device this large, while theoretically useful for video chatting, would be pretty much absurd for any other use. The iPad is just too big to use for snapshots. Hell, even the idea of holding it up while using it for video chat seems ridiculous.

As for 3G vs. Non. My logic is that realistically if I’m in a spot I’m not really going to pay 15 or 30 bucks for internet, the sort of files you actually want to download in a spot when away from home tend to be too large to download via 3G anyways, and, i’m literally never without my iPhone anyways, so why not go for extra memory on the device itself.

To the future of comics question… It’s damn close. The screen is slightly too small to be used with a standard sized comic. I’ve dropped Tumor (which was designed to be the smaller digest size) on here and it’s damn near perfect looking. Some of the text pieces are a bit small, but otherwise, it’s all there. That being said, until Marvel and DC decide to start going day and date with their print and digital releases I think it’s still up in the air. Not being able to have your comics transfer to other devices is sort of a no win for most of these apps, although Comixology’s app does allow you to redownload things purchased on your iPhone.

Probably my highest praise i can give the device is that I’ve been using it for work. With the Bluetooth keyboard and the little stand i bought for the it, i have a truly tiny, truly mobile, and truly functional work station that doesn’t need a power outlet and is far less distracting then my laptop with all of its IM’s and web browsing that seems to only take you away for a second, when in fact it sucks you in for hours on end. That’s right, i like that there’s no multitasking. It means that i have to decide to stop working to check my email or read the internet or, whatever else I do to interrupt my workflow. For someone like me with a little bit of ocd and a whole lot of procrastinators disease, it may be the system I’ve been dreaming of.

At least until they release the 4.0 software.

NOTE: As Tony Fleecs pointed out the WordPress App is greatly lacking in the spellcheck department. Should be all fixed up pretty now.

Hey gang,
We’re making up for lost time, and have Chapter 4 up and live a scant two weeks after Chapter 3.  It’s available for purchase on your Kindle for the bargain price of a measly sawbuck.

It’s available here:  www.amazon.com/Tumor-Chapter-4/dp/B002Q1YD3Q/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1253900325&sr=8-5

Plus, if you for some reason are subscribed to this address, yet haven’t checked out Tumor either on your Kindle/iPhone or at the website, perhaps our friends over at AICN can convince you otherwise:

AICN @ssholes Comic Reviews

This hard edged detective story reminiscent of D.O.A. and MEMENTO is getting better from one chapter to the next. Joshua Hale Fialkov writes a tragic tale of a man who is slowly losing his mind. Diagnosed with an inoperable tumor pressing against his brain, Frank Armstrong’s mind is fragmenting. One second he’s in the present working on a case and the next he’s in the past holding a woman he knows he lost long ago. To make matters worse, there’s a dame (of course there’s a dame) that looks a lot like Frank’s old flame in the middle of this case. Frank is completely confused and losing control of his mind and body, but determined to solve this last case before the tumor in his head overcomes him. In this fourth chapter, we find out that Frank also feels no pain. When he realizes he’s broken his leg (he did so in the last chapter in a daring escape from his hospital room), he looks at it with sort of a fascination, in an “oh what’s this” sort of way rather than shock. Fialkov is churning out one great mystery yarn, but also an amazing character study. You really feel sympathetic to Frank as he is stumbling along trying to keep things together in his head. Fialkov paces this story perfectly, flipping reality on its ear just when you’re getting invested in the story at play and the scratchy images by Noel Tuazon become more engaging as the chapters whiz by. His depictions of Frank’s worried brow speak volumes. This is a heartbreaking tale that can’t end well, but I’m still rootin’ for Frank to solve the case. TUMOR is available on Amazon Kindle for download.

So there ya go.  Get gettin’.

j.
www.thefialkov.com
www.tumorthecomic.com

More Things I Love: Chad Crawford Kinkle’s Harpe

No buy it now link for this one, as it’s just now available for pre-order in the direct comic market. Harpe: America’s First Serial Killers is quite possibly one of the most mature, sophisticated, and down-right beautiful debuts of a graphic novelist I’ve ever been privy to.

First, about Chad. I met Chad at Comic-Con a few years ago when some of my buddies brought him around to talk about his proposal for a graphic novel. When I heard the concept I fell in love. When I got to spend time talking with Chad about the project, breaking into comics, and what to do next, I knew that I’d just met an exciting new talent who was going to rock the shit out of this industry.

The book, in case the title didn’t clue you in, is about a couple of brothers in the early 19th century who went on a killing spree through the South. They’re like Bonnie and Clyde is just barely post-revolutionary war times. It’s a delicate mix of history and horror with the feel of good Western Noir, that’s engaging and beautifully executed by Chad and artist Adam Shaw.

The thing about Chad, much like the aforementioned Joshua Dysart, is that he does something I just can’t do. He takes history and makes it flesh. The book is thoroughly researched, pain-stakingly replicating the events, locales, and characters of this most definitely untold story in a way that defies it’s period setting and gory subject matter. He creates a portrait of some sick individuals that you still manage to have feelings for. Considering the atrocities these guys committed, that’s an amazing feat. They’re not just monsters, they’re human, and very, very real.

Do yourself a favor and head to your local retailer, and have them order this book. Tell them it’s available using Diamond Order Number SEP090728. You’ll be glad you did.

More info, including a five page preview available here: us1.campaign-archive.com/?u=9d17c9217240226bbc79d6750&id=6f9b04e3e1&e=

Unknown Soldier Vol. 1

I’m fortunate to call Josh Dysart a friend. I’ve known him for almost my entire career in comics, which is closing in on a decade now. He has a lot of tools in his toolbox as a writer that I’m incredibly envious of. He handles huge ideas in digestable ways, and creates world that are both painfully realistic, and bendable to his whims. If you don’t believe check out his pitch perfect pulp work on Penny Farthing’s Captain Gravity, him following in the footsteps of the greatest writer in comics and going toe to toe with him on Swamp Thing, or, crafting one of the most socially responsible comics about a crazy guy with a gun in the history of the medium, as he’s done in Unknown Soldier.

The book is dark. Really dark. Achingly, painfully, nightmare inducing dark. And yet… it’s not a nightmare to get through, as you’d expect. Instead, it’s a delicate piece of true art that both forwards the medium of comics and manages to be a page turning semi-superhero style action piece. It crafts the perfect balance of information dump and character, that makes the world seem ultra-real, extremely foreign, yet simple and understandable.

There truly are few writers in Josh’s league these days, and I’m thrilled to see someone so talented succeeding in such a grand sense. And in case it matters, he’s also a sensationally sweet guy who can charm the pants off of you. Literally. I’ve seen it.

Do yourself a favor, and check out the book, and, I recommend seeing Josh’s extensive notes, behind the scenes diary posts, and more over at www.joshuadysart.com

Quick Review: Columbine


Columbine by Dave Cullen



My review


rating: 5 of 5 stars
A beautifully written tome on an ugly piece of American history. The style and finesse of the writing is equal only to the depth of understanding of the events and people involved.



More than just the ‘true story’ of what happened ten years ago, it’s a chilling and lyrical portrait of a tragedy and the hundreds of people who’s lives were forever changed.



Must read.


View all my reviews.

Quick Comic Review: Tom Strong vol. 1

Tom Strong (Book 1) Tom Strong by Alan Moore



My review


rating: 5 of 5 stars
For some reason, I skipped over the triumvirate of ABC books of which Tom Strong is a part. It’s literally everything good about superhero comics in one book. Fun, inventive, light hearted, emotionally resonant, and, best of all, inspiring. Alan Moore is so often though of as dour and miserable, and yet, here we are, with a book that is anything but.

Go. Read it. Now.


View all my reviews.

Watchmen

Posted the following on a discussion board a little bit ago, and realized I never said anything about Watchmen on the site, so, here’s my extremely brief review.

I saw Watchmen at a screening a couple of weeks back. It’s way better than I expected it to be, and, in fact, I found myself inspired by it. I hadn’t read the graphic novel in at least ten years, and liked the movie so much, I went out and rebought it, and reread it.

It’s different than the book, obviously, but, some of the choices are actually pretty great (the squid never worked for me in the book, and what they came up with instead really makes infinitely more sense.) Overall, there’s considerably more style than substance, but, the material itself is so substantial, that it ends up being okay.

So, yeah, go in with low expectations and be pleasently surprised.

ComicVine on Cyblade #3

Early Review/Preview Cyblade #3 -
There is something about this Cyblade series. I think it’s the combination that she can majorly kick ass yet she is also vulnerable at times. Seeing her fight for her freedom early in her career has been interesting and entertaining. There’s already been tons of comparisons to Jennifer Garner’s “Alias.” I do think that is part of the charm. Cyblade is like “Alias” but times 10. Reading through the issues, you can almost feel it as a live action feature.

Thanks for the kind words fellas!

AICN on The Cleaners

AICN COMICS REVIEWS Kevin Smith’s BATMAN! POPEYE! James Jean’s FABLES! GARFIELD MINUS GARFIELD! + MUCH MORE!!! — Ain’t It Cool News: The best in movie, TV, DVD, and comic book news.

THE CLEANERS #1
Dark Horse Comics

This is a completely modern horror story that hinges on the age old fear of blood and the contemporary fear of what type of diseases lie within it. It’s the story of a businessman who makes a living cleaning up blood at crime scenes. He’s a private businessman who takes care of things either when the job is too complicated to alert the authorities or just too damn weird to go about conventional means to clean the mess up. The credits of this book read that it was written by Mark Wheaton (who I haven’t heard of) and “directed” by Joshua Hale Fialkov (who I do know from the phenomenal ELK’S RUN miniseries). The book really does dole out a healthy dose of paranoia and makes you feel downright ooky upon reading it. The art by Rahsan Ekedal isn’t much by way of frills, but conveys a no nonsense, in your face look at the crime scenes which dissect every corner and label the essential components of it. It makes for a CSI-like experience while reading it, a bell and whistle that adds to the story without distracting you. I’m going to follow this book closely to see where all of this blood splatter is coming from. – Bug