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ANIMATION GEEK: Story Time- A Cut Out Animation by Terry Gilliam

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I don't know about you but I'm in the mood for a little bit of weirdness to rev me up for the weekend (my last free one before the holiday tide of family obligations start to kick in) and what better way to get that going than a Terry Gilliam animated short about a cockroach (sort of), Albert Einstein (sort of) and a Xmas card (again, sort of).

Yep, that will surely do the trick.


The magic happens after the break.

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Cartoon Network's UNCLE GRANDPA Hits DVD

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Everyone’s favorite uncle and grandpa is making his DVD debut later this month, in the all-new Cartoon Network DVD release, Uncle Grandpa: Tiger Trails. Created by Pete Browngardt, who also voices the eponymous character, Uncle Grandpa is a show about everyone’s “magical” uncle and grandpa who travels around the world in a mystical RV. An eternal optimist, his glass is always full of something delicious and he’s always ready to greet the day (and everything and everyone) with his signature, “GOOD MORNIN’!” Joined by a cast of friends including Pizza Steve, Mr. Gus, Belly Bag and Giant Realistic Flying Tiger, Uncle Grandpa brings his magic to home entertainment for the first time ever - just in time for the holidays!


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Double Feature Movie Show: REMAKES WITH A BACKSTORY

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Everybody hates a remake.

That’s pretty unfortunate rule. I find some of them fascinating.

Why were they made (besides the cash grab)? What possessed the filmmakers to remake a classic that no one should have touched?

When will Casablanca get a remake that isn’t Barb Wire?

To me, remakes are fairly benign.

If they’re bad, they’ll be forgotten and no one will be the wiser. If they’re good, they add something to the original. Either way, they make people interested in the original. The worst thing that can happen is if the remake is middle of the road. Then nobody wins. (Sadly, that seems to be the trend.)

But think of it this way: People “remake” Shakespeare plays all the time.

Why can’t they remake A Nightmare On Elm Street? Sure, Robert Englund’s portrayal of Freddie Krueger is iconic. But would it be if the story had only been told in play form? Then no one would really care if Jackie Earle Haley had taken over the role. No one would care if Johnny Depp was playing Charles Foster Kane. No one would care if Pamela Anderson was playing Rick Blaine.

There are some remakes that are interesting not necessarily because of their execution, but because of the stories behind them.

Of course, it always makes it better when they’re both.


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THE BOXTROLLS Are Coming to DVD and Blu-ray on January 20, 2015!

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FROM THE CREATORS OF ACADEMY AWARD-NOMINATED FILMS CORALINE AND
PARANORMAN COMES THE MAGICALLY ANIMATED MOVIE EVENT OF THE SEASON!


Heroes come in all shapes and sizes in the family event movie The Boxtrolls. Starring, in voice performance, Academy Award winner Ben Kingsley, Isaac Hempstead Wright (Game of Thrones), and Elle Fanning (Maleficent), the new movie from animation studio LAIKA, the makers of the Academy Award-nominated Coraline and ParaNorman, comes to Blu-ray 3D and Blu-ray Combo Pack including Blu-ray, DVD & DIGITAL HD with UltraViolet on January 20, 2015 from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. The Boxtrolls will also be available on Digital HD December 23, 2014, just in time for the holidays.


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Atomic Batteries To Power! Ranking The Live-Action BATMOBILES!

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In the great super hero debate, a strong argument can, and always is, made that Batman is greatest of them all. He has a great origin, a fantastic rogues gallery and lot and lots of wonderful toys. It really is easy to see why he’s number one on most people’s list of favorite super heroes.

While I’m admittedly a Superman guy, Batman does rank pretty high on my list of top do-gooders, but not for the reasons most people list. Sure, I think it’s cool that he’s a normal guy (as normal as a vengence fueled billionaire can be, I guess) but that wasn’t the appeal for me.

At least, not initially.

No, for me, it was always about the car.


I love the Batmobile in the same way that I love The General Lee and KITT; they’re cool because they’re as much a leading character as any human (literally in KITT’s case).

Of course, unlike The General Lee and KITT, there’s isn’t one, iconic Batmobile.

There are dozens, Maybe even hundreds when all the versions from TV, movies, comics and video games are finally tallied up. So it’s hard to say which is my favorite and where the rest fall when it comes to my affections.

That’s not to say it’s impossible though. So with that, let’s rank the live action Batmobiles!


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STINGRAY: The Complete Series - 50th Anniversary Edition on DVD January 13th

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Supermarionation Classic Available January 13th, 2015 
from Timeless Media Group

“Stand by for action! We are about to launch…STINGRAY!”

Battle stations! Join the World Aquanaut Security Patrol in a riptide of retro t.v. with the sci-fi adventure series Stingray. Created by the immortal Gerry and Sylvia Anderson (Thunderbirds, Space: 1999) and employing their classic SUPERMARIONATION technique, Stingray is a torpedo blast of action for kids of all ages.

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Among The Panels: SECRET SIX #1, GOTHAM ACADEMY #3, WOLF MOON #1 & More!

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A world of four color magic arrives every Wednesday.

Stories and adventures of heroes and villains, good versus evil.

Tales that entertain and excite by talented writers and artists.

Here are my thoughts Among The Panels.



Wolf Moon #1

Writer: Cullen Bunn 

Artist: Jeremy Haun

Publisher: Vertigo
 Comics
Price: $3.99


Cullen Bunn has been popping up all over the place in the last few months. It feels like just about every other week a new title with his name plastered on the front finds its way into my hands.  Wolf Moon #1 is another great addition to a writer I am really starting to get behind.

The first thing that needs to be said about Wolf Moon #1 is that just when I was starting to feel like there was no way else to go with a werewolf story Cullen Bunn slaps me in the face with a new mythos that feels strange at first but by the end of the issue you’re right with him.

The story revolves around a hunter named Dillon Chase who has a hidden vendetta against the monster he is hunting.

It’s easy enough to guess that Dillon has had a run in with a werewolf before seeing as how one of the sides of his face sports giant claw marks. This story feels like any other run of the mill werewolf tale until, through Dillon’s inner monologue, we find out that the werewolf infliction is not caused by bites, scratches, or genetics. No, this time it chooses its victims randomly and only inhabits their bodies for three nights at a time.

Dillon tracks one of the hosts down and through an obscenely viscous fight ends up letting the werewolf escape. Just as the issue is closing, Dillon explains that he used to track down the hosts, once they no longer carried the werewolf, to try and figure out how they were chosen or find a way to get any kind of information that could lead to an answer, but as the latest victim sheds its wolf nature a person from the shadows kidnaps him and dissects him for some reason. This leaves the reader wanting so much more.

Cullen Bunn did a great job adding something new to the werewolf story that is just interesting and different enough to feel fresh.

Jeremy Haun’s art adds another layer of creepiness to an already violent story. His rendering of many different deaths is awesome. This book is pretty gruesome but it doesn’t feel gratuitous. There are a couple of panels that I had to come back to because I felt I missed how truly great the art was. Exploding heads and peeling skin never seemed so beautiful.

Like I stated before Cullen Bunn is starting to become one of my favorite writers to read and after devouring this book it just helps solidify his place on my list. I am looking forward to the next issue and more like it from Bunn.

Score: 4.5 out of 5


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Walter Simonson’s Complete STAR SLAMMERS Collected In One Over-Sized Volume!

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Signed Signature Plate By Simonson Included In Entire First Printing For Free!

Walter Simonson is one of the most acclaimed creators working in comics today. In a career spanning more than 40 years, Simonson co-created Manhunter, drew the New York Times best-selling Alien graphic novel (both in collaboration with Archie Goodwin), wrote and drew a much-lauded four-year run on The Mighty Thor, and is currently re-inventing Norse-mythology in the pages of Ragnarök here at IDW. And then there was Star Slammers.

Star Slammers was first published as a Marvel Graphic Novel in 1983 and then as a five-issue mini-series that detailed the adventures of the greatest group of mercenaries the galaxy has ever known—they could out-shoot, out-fight and out-kill anybody, and became the most successful businessmen in history.

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THE BOYS FROM BRAZIL Makes its Blu-ray Debut January 6th from Shout! Factory

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  If they survive… will we?

History has shown how one man with a dream can turn the world into a nightmare — can history repeat itself?

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THAT TIME OF THE WEEK - DVD & Blu-ray Reviews Pre-Gift Guide Edition

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Here we are, getting close to the end of 2014.  Here we take a look at some recent releases.  You can check out other selections in our Holiday Gift Guide next week.

Fire up that queue and prep that shopping cart. It's that time of the week.


Guardians of the Galaxy

Marvel Studios / Released 12/9/14
An action-packed, epic space adventure, Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy expands the Marvel Cinematic Universe into the cosmos, where brash adventurer Peter Quill finds himself the object of an unrelenting bounty hunt after stealing a mysterious orb coveted by Ronan, a powerful villain with ambitions that threaten the entire universe. To evade the ever-persistent Ronan, Quill is forced into an uneasy truce with a quartet of disparate misfits—Rocket, a gun-toting raccoon, Groot, a tree-like humanoid, the deadly and enigmatic Gamora and the revenge-driven Drax the Destroyer. But when Quill discovers the true power of the orb and the menace it poses to the cosmos, he must do his best to rally his ragtag rivals for a last desperate stand—with the galaxy's fate in the balance.  Extras include commentary, featurettes, deleted/extended scenes, gag reel and look at Marvel's Avengers: Age of Ultron.

Last Word: Marvel Studios, James Gunn and Kevin Feige have done it.  They’ve taken sci-fi to a new level, brought humor to the game and among the accomplishments too many to list have made unknown characters to the spotlight with great actors to get Marvel Cosmic into movie theaters across the globe.  The ensemble cast, one who is a raccoon, another a tree, spark on the screen and the space battle action triples from the previous epic-scale Marvel movie, The Avengers.

Chris Pratt stars as Peter Quill aka Star-Lord opposite Zoe Saldana’s Gamora and the two lead the ‘unlikely team’ from a bunch of losers to the Guardians of the Galaxy (Dave Bautista as Drax, Vin Diesel as Groot, and Bradley Cooper at Rocket) alongside stars Karen Gillan, John C. Reilly, Benicio Del Toro and Glenn Close.

This is a movie unlike any I’ve seen before. When Star-Lord first lands on a desolate planet Morag with his scanner, I thought of Riddick—here we go, doom and gloom and violence. When Peter hits play on his Sony Walkman for Awesome Mix Vol. #1 the tone shifts immediately as he dances his way toward a cave containing his sought after Orb.  Lee Pace stars as the Lee/Kirby classic villain Ronan The Accuser who is also seeking the Orb. The blue merciless killer is adorned with a samurai outfit and face paint of a warrior as he talks to — spoiler warning — Thanos played by Josh Brolin!

When growing up, reading The Infinity Gauntlet, X-Men and Avengers, I never would have imagined to see the big bad blue Titan on screen. Marvel has expanded beyond Earth to the stars and created the worlds of Xandarians, huge Kree ships and a prison called Kyln. We are truly lucky to be in a time when scale is not an issue with special effects, and in the many space battles, the payoff is gigantic. Basing these movies on established Marvel properties and even obscure characters like Benicio Del Toro’s The Collector tickles all of the comic book fan’s need for continuity and world building, established way back in the days when Iron Man first premiered in 2008. The through line from Iron Man to The Avengers and Thor: The Dark World to Guardians is there but somehow this movie is able to stand alone.

Perhaps this is one of the movie’s biggest strengths. Tropes abound, like Rocket’s plan to escape from Kyln succeeding at the last minute. A Star Trek“on screen” standoff between two armed ships happens, if just for a second. Star Wars is aped, appropriately, on some of the dogfight scenes as well as Quill’s ‘filthy’ space ship. Sprinkle a little Disney/Pixar on all things Groot and on Xandar with The Nova Corps and you’ve got quite a recipe. Hands down, what is my favorite part of the movie, and sure to be yours? Guardians is hilarious. From ‘under the breath’ comments to team members, Groot acting in the background, and even his eponymous running gag, “I Am Groot” makes for a raucous movie. Pratt and Saldana’s uncomfortable flirting and Pratt’s bravado/bragging makes him equal parts Han and Luke with the sexual tension. Rocket ends up being the Andrew Dice Clay of the group, crassly making up for his short stature with bad words and seemingly cold heart. Of course it’s all a ruse, he loves Groot and the team mates (eventually).

Who’s the funniest? In my estimation, on first viewing, surprise funny man Drax the Destroyer has the best lines, and completely unexpected! He (and Gamora) doesn’t ‘get’ jokes and takes everything literally. This brand of straight man strongman stuff is amazing “Nothing goes over my head, my reflexes are too fast”. There is a transformation and arc for all of the Guardians, from sketchy bad guys and assassins to becoming heroic, though at times you can see them fall back on their old ways. Compared with The Avengers vs. a solo Marvel Studios movie, the ensemble makes for an encompassing story that literally goes from one quadrant to another of the galaxy. Again, scale is important. We have a raccoon with a bad mouth and bug gun flying into Celestial heads at Knowhere. This movie is Marvel, Disney, Star Wars, Star Trek, The Office, Judge Dredd all at once, with a nostalgic throwback to The Last Starfighter and Battle Beyond The Stars thrown in for that 80’s feel.

I usually rank and file Marvel movies, but predictably for some, the latest always equals the greatest. Almost time to start a new list — with new criteria! Guess what spot this one takes? Yup. You can depend on me for pushing this to the top spot. This movie is unlike anything I’ve ever seen but familiar enough to make it resonate deeply. Guardians of the Galaxy is a truly special sci-fi movie, with superheroes, aliens, Gods, stars, space ships, pods and jokes. I’m waiting for someone more clever than myself to come up with a new category for this Marvel Cosmic movie, but until then please check out these bunch of a-holes. (– Clay N Ferno)


What If

Sony / Released 11/25/14
What If is the story of medical school dropout Wallace (Daniel Radcliffe), who's been repeatedly burned by bad relationships. So while everyone around him, including his roommate Allan (Adam Driver) seems to be finding the perfect partner (Mackenzie Davis), Wallace decides to put his love life on hold. It is then that he meets Chantry (Zoe Kazan) an animator who lives with her longtime boyfriend Ben (Rafe Spall). Wallace and Chantry form an instant connection, striking up a close friendship. Still, there is no denying the chemistry between them, leading the pair to wonder, what if the love of your life is actually your best friend?   Extras include featurettes and deleted scenes.

Last Word: I really enjoyed What If.  No, it wasn’t the best romantic comedy ever but there is something very sweet and genuine about it. Even with the much used premise of “what happens if friends fall in love, while one has a significant other?”, What If, manages to stay fresh, through well developed characters and clever take on an old standard.  Originally titled The “F”-Word, writer, Elan Mastai and director Michael Dowse have concocted a very nice story, based on the play Toothpaste and Cigars by T.J. Dawe and Michael Rinaldi.

Starring Daniel Radcliffe and Zoe Kazan, What If starts out very formulaic in the beginning, but slowly begins to unravel the normal romantic comedy structure showing how these two random people Wallace (Radcliffe) and Chantry (Kazan) become friends and grow very close.  The “Will they/Won’t they” of their relationship is pretty well developed and leaves you throughout the film wondering if they will or not.  For me the charm of the film is in Wallace’s best friend/room mate, Allan, played by Adam Driver. He is hilarious and a great counterpoint to Radcliffe’s sullen and mopey, recently heartbroken character.

In the end, What If, winds up being a heartfelt story of romance and the confusion involved when the last thing you ever want is to hurt the one you love when you fall in love with the one person you never thought you would ever fall in love with.  (– Benn Robbins)


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2014 FOG! Holiday Gift Guide: Introduction

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Dear Reader,

2014 has flown by quickly and once again, the holiday season has arrived.

Whether you're a first time reader or regular friend of FOG!, we hope that you'll join us this week as we'll be posting our recommendations of some fantastic and hopefully, a bit unique gift selections that belong in the hands of any pop culture loving aficionado.

We hope that you find some original and truly fantastic gift ideas among our selections!

Wishing you and yours a happy and healthy season.

Nerd to your mother,

Stefan Blitz, Editor-in-Chief
Elizabeth Weitz, Managing Editor




2014 FOG! Holiday Gift Guide: Food & Drink

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When it comes to gifts, sometimes the best thing to give your friends and family is something to put into their face hole (or something that helps them make the food that will plug up their face hole).

Simply put, nothing says "Here's a present that I spent money on" better than a gift that will eventually travel through their colon and out their anus than the gift of food and food-related stuff.


Your Own Private Food Truck Party
 

This is one of the more extravagant gifts you can give a foodie, but what the hell, at least you will be remembered as THE BEST DAMN PRESENT GIVER EVER! (or, you could go in with a bunch of people if you are cheap like me).

For $1000 (I told you it was expensive) you can hire one of the local food trucks in your area to show up at the gift recipient's house/job/paintball course and feed up to 40 people for three hours ($20 per person is added after 40)...that's right, a truck filled with delicious noshing options will feed enough people to make the event a party.

Or, you could simply hire a food truck for yourself, invite 40 people to your house and make your movie marathon unforgettable.


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2014 FOG! Holiday Gift Guide: Music & Audio Related!

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Guitar #1711


In Oct. 2010, Otto D’Ambrosio and Julian Lage first discussed the making of a custom crafted instrument-- a unique design, perfectly suited to the guitarist’s highly individual style. It took 206 days for D’Ambrosio to make the instrument, entirely by hand, using traditional tools and techniques. From the start of the build to the completion of the project, filmmaker Guy Benoit was there to document every step of the construction. When guitar #1711 was finished, Lage premiered the instrument in concert, before a small and spellbound audience at the guitar maker’s Pawtucket loft/workshop/studio.

Guitar #1711 is an atmospheric film, and the story drifts along with a dreamy grace,” says filmmaker Benoit. “It begins and ends in a workshop-- a lonely brick mill. Along the way, D’Ambrosio and Lage take the audience on a passionate journey with their hands, as the luthier builds and the guitarist plays the extraordinary instrument in the making—guitar #1711.”

The DVD edition of Guitar #1711 includes two bonus features; a companion cd and Mp3 music download of the solo performance by Julian Lage, and a learning guide in which D’Ambrosio describes and details aspects of his guitar building technique.


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2014 FOG! Holiday Gift Guide: Digital Content & Gift Subscriptions

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Cashiers du Cinemart Digital Edition


Cashiers du Cinemart is a magazine and a webzine about independent film,published and edited by Mike White. The print version began in 1994 as a zine and evolved over the late 1990s into a more typical magazine format. The title is a reference to the French film magazine, Cahiers du cinéma. It ceased print publication temporarily in 2008, but continues on the Internet and via print-on-demand issues.

Cashiers du Cinemart openly mocks the basic tenets of film criticism and theory while championing underground and independent film. The magazine became known for its edgy writing and incendiary opinions, as well as its obsessive love for offbeat films.

Also available digitally, Impossibly Funky: A Cashiers du Cinemart Collection, a collection of articles from the magazine.

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2014 FOG! Holiday Gift Guide: Original Art, Gifts & Crafts

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Some people might scoff at giving someone art...or crafts...or something in-between, as a gift, especially since these kind of presents are what you would call "subjective". But in the case of the following holiday picks, anyone who loves pop culture would be overjoyed to own one of these babies...and if they don't, well, ask for it back.

It'll probably look better on your wall anyway.


Olive Waits by Sandy MacDonald
 

This sweet little print (just 8.5 x 11) of Olive Oyl is part of Sandy MacDonald's toy portrait series and is just about the cutest thing I have ever seen.

Give it to anyone who is in need of some serious adorableness in their life.


Batteries Not Included Series

Add caption

Hello old friends, it's so nice to see you all again *wipes away tears*.

For those people on your list who are over a certain demographic age and can remember what it was like to own a TV without a remote control, this series of 16 x 24 prints will no doubt bring back some glorious memories of what they used to do to pass the time.

If you're wondering just what kind of person would become overwhelmed just by looking at these prints, you only have to say two words out loud while in any group of people... 

Little Professor...the ones who turn around and begin crying are your target audience.


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2014 FOG! Holiday Gift Guide: Tech & Gadgets

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Tech, Tech, Tech....all anyone wants is tech. Isn't anyone interested in the simpler things in life anymore? No? Well fine then, here's your list of tech and gadget goodies that will make your anti-luddite heart skip a beat.

And by the way, our list is pretty awesome so I'll probably order a couple of things off it for myself...hey, I'm not against tech, just some tech (like Skynet).


Tear-And-Share Flash Drive Pack 


Flash drives may come and go but these babies (made from recycled paper pulp) will not only stay put in your wallet, they make sharing files easy and inexpensive. Choose the 4-pack that works best for you (1gb, 8gb or 16gb) and even get them pre-loaded with your files, which is great for anyone in a creative trade who wants to hand out drives to clients or co-workers.

Hell, even get them stamped with your logo so you appear even more professional than you really are!

Perfect for stocking-stuffers or employee gifts.

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2014 FOG! Holiday Gift Guide: Apparel & Accessories

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Since we don't live in a clothing-optional society, we here at FOG! have picked out a plethora of cool-looking options that will hide all your lumps, bumps and...I can't think of another word that rhymes so let's just say, unsightly body accoutrements. I'm not judging or anything, trust me, last night I ate an entire box of stale crackers simply because they were "there" so, I need these things just as much as you do...and, they make insanely good gifts as well so there's that.

Yep, I really nailed this intro.


Glorious Shirt of Dear Leader


Kim Jong-il had many titles during his life: Party Center, Superior Person, Respected Leader, Wise Leader, Brilliant Leader, Unique Leader, Dear Leader, who is a perfect incarnation of the appearance that a leader should have, Commander-in-Chief, Father of the People, Sun of the Communist Future, Shining Star of Paektu Mountain, Guiding Sun Ray, Leader of the Revolutionary Armed Forces, Guarantee of the Fatherland's Unification, Symbol of the Fatherland's Unification, Fate of the Nation, Beloved Father, Leader of the Party, the country, and the Army, Ever-Victorious, Iron-Willed Commander, Sun of Socialism, Great Man, Who Descended From Heaven, Invincible and Ever-triumphant General, Great Man, Who Is a Man of Deeds, Savior, Highest Incarnation of the Revolutionary Comradely Love...well, you get the point.

A man who has to carry all of these titles needs a t-shirt that exemplifies the true awesomeness of his being and so, the Glorious Shirt of Dear Leader was created.

I think they did a pretty good job if you ask me and in no way will wearing this in public upset anyone.


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2014 FOG! Holiday Gift Guide: DVD & Blu-ray!

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Not only is it the holiday season, but it's winter, which means staying home and spending the next few months (especially on the East Coast) bundled up and binge watching anything worthy.

Welcome to the worthy.


THE BEHEMOTH BOX SETS

Batman: The Complete Television Series (Limited Edition)


TV's iconic Dynamic Duo has been captured, along with a legion of abominable archenemies in a POW-erful collection. Featuring ALL 120 original broadcast episodes, ever popular guest stars like Julie Newmar and Cesar Romero, complete episode guide - and exploding with over 3 hours of all new extras - you can bring home all the crime fighting action that won generations of fans!  Extras include featurettes, screen tests, commentary, Hot Wheels Replica Batmobile, Adam West Scrapbook, 44 Vintage Trading Cards and 32-Page Complete Episode Guide.


The Wonder Years: The Complete Series Set


The beloved, award-winning series is now available on DVD for the first time ever! Includes cast reunion and over 23 hours of bonus features.  Premiering after the 1988 Super Bowl, The Wonder Years captured the hearts of audiences and critics alike with the trials and tribulations of young Kevin Arnold as he enters junior high. From his first kiss with Winnie Cooper to his friendship with Paul Pfeiffer and the ups and downs of the Arnold family, fans shared in laughter, love, loss, and above all, wonder.

Never before released on DVD, you can now own the entire series housed in a collectible metal locker like those at Kennedy Junior High (Go Wildcats!). The locker includes two notebooks with detailed episode information, production photos, and all 115 episodes plus over 23 hours of bonus features on 26 DVDs. Plus, you’ll get a replica yearbook with behind-the-scenes photos and signatures by the cast and crew. And custom Wonder Years magnets to decorate your locker!

Exclusive bonus features include the first cast reunion in 16 years and interviews with all 7 main cast members, the creators, narrator, guest stars, and many more! Plus, ten newly-produced featurettes and never-before-seen outtakes of Kevin and Winnie’s first kiss!  The series includes more than 300 songs as they were featured in the original broadcast, including Joe Cocker’s unforgettable rendition of the Beatles’ “With A Little Help From My Friends.”


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2014 FOG! Holiday Gift Guide: Toys, Games & Video Games

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I don't care how old I get, if I don't unwrap one freaking, non age-appropriate toy I feel completely and utter let down. Like when I was a kid and got socks as a gift. Come to think of it, this whole adult thing is like constantly unwrapping a gift and finding out it's socks...no toys...just pair after pair of brown dress socks.

God, I'm depressed.

Anyhoo, here's our picks for toys, games and video games...none of which I will probably get to unwrap.


Make Your Own Muppet


The Muppet Whatnot Workshop allows kids (and adults) to create their very own Muppet online and have it shipped to their home where the creature can liven up beds, play houses or the shelves of an office. All you have to do is choose from a selection of body types, hair colors and styles, noses, eyes, and an outfit for a one-of-a-kind Whatnot that will truly make any Muppet-obsessed person happy.

And by happy I mean overjoyed to the point of pants-wetting.


Farmhaus Berks County Skateboard


A $350 skateboard might seem a little pricy for your average skater, but for those who have invested time and money in the sport (and way of life) this deck is worth the money.

Handmade by Farmhaus (a design studio that uses found materials: wood, metals and found objects to create beautiful pieces) from reclaimed cherry wood sourced near my neck of the woods (Berks County, PA) and featuring Tracker Slalom trucks and OJ wheels, this baby is ready to ride or hang on a wall as an art piece.

Beautiful.


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2014 FOG! Holiday Gift Guide: COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS

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YOE BOOKS

Whether you grew up hitting the newsstand or comic shop every week, or have an interest in pop culture of the past, comics historian and editor Craig Yoe and his partner Clizia Gussoni publish some the most beautiful and coveted books on comics, it's creators and history.




These wonderful Christmas comics from the Golden Age of Comics will warm the hearts of children of all ages! Top cartoonists like Walt (Pogo) Kelly, John (Little Lulu) Stanley, and Dan Noonan penned the humorous, heartwarming comics in this beautiful collection. You'll meet elves, reindeer, talking snowmen, funny animals, and, of course, Santa Claus himself, in terrific stories that will provide a sense of wonder for the whole family. As with the entire line of Yoe Books, the reproduction techniques employed strive to preserve the look and feel of expensive vintage comics. Painstakingly remastered, enjoy the closest possible recreation of reading these comics when first released.


Alice In Comicland


Alice like you've never seen her before! Some of the greatest comic book artists ever to put pen to paper tumble down the rabbit hole for their own unique look at Lewis Carroll's famous creation! Walt Kelly, Alex Toth, Dan DeCarlo, George Carlson, MAD-men Harvey Kurtzman, Jack Davis, and Dave Berg, the Simon and Kirby Shop, the Walt Disney Studios, pioneering Yellow Kid creator R. F. Outcault, and many more visit Wonderland and write... draw!... home to tell about it!

You'll be astonished to see Alice gruesomely starring in the banned horror comic book stories of the 1950s, as the basis of a romance comic, riding on a flying saucer, meeting Santa Claus, as a teeny-bopper, hanging out with famous comic characters, going to the weird Monkey Island, looking like Alfred E. Neuman, selling out to pimp bread... and even have a sex change - TWICE!

The fascinating - sometimes bizarre - comics, the rare original art, a special introduction by Mark Burstein, president of Lewis Carroll Society of North America, and a revealing foreword by the award-winning comics historian Craig Yoe make this book truly a wonder! Alice in Comicland will leave you grinning like the Cheshire cat!


Jacky's Diary



Jackie's Diary collects the complete run of the hysterically funny and whimsical strip by Jack Mendelsohn. The strip was produced by humor-savy Mendelsohn, who wrote for luminaries such as Carol Burnett, Bill Cosby, Mad Magazine, and the Beatles movie, Yellow Submarine. The book sports a fascinating, behind-the-scenes introduction by Jack Mendelsohn, and a Foreword by Beetle Bailey's Mort Walker and Mama's Mel Lazarus.


Haunted Horror: Comics Your Mother Warned You About


Back from the opened grave are more masterpieces of the macabre from the horror comics of the 1950s. Genius horror artists of the known, such as Jack Cole, Bob Powell, Steve Ditko, and the unknown variety poured their tortured souls into these comics. The best and rarest stories have been chosen with the help of top horror comic collectors, all lovingly restored and presented in full-creepy color. You will be thrilled, chilled, and maybe even a little sickened by the over-the-top ghouls and gore in this latest addition to the Chilling Archives of Horror!


Worst of Eerie Publications


Gratuitous gore! Multi-Monster Madness! Bound Beauties! Collected for the first time in a deluxe edition are the comics that deserve it the least: the infamous Eerie Publications' horror comics! Incredibly gory and crazy, the Eerie Pubs pushed the boundaries of good taste with blood-drenched, spine-cracking tales ripped (and redrawn) from the pages of Pre-Code horror comics. And who can forget those nausea-inducing covers? A dirty dozen of deadly, full-color covers are reproduced for your discomfort and revulsion! Featuring illustrated terror by Dick Ayers, Chic Stone, Domingo Mandrafina, the Iger Shop, and many other unsung masters of the morbid, presented in glorious, carefully remastered black and white.


Popeye Classics Volume 4


Re-presenting the classic Popeye comic book series that debuted in 1948 by Bud Sagendorf, the long-time assistant to creator E.C. Segar! Carefully reproduced from the original comic books and lovingly restored, Volume 3 contains issues #15-19. Also included are more of Sagendorf's gloriously funny one-pagers, rare photos, and extra artwork.


COMIC STRIPS


Superman: The Golden Age Sundays 1946-1949


This second book in the Superman Sundays series collects nearly 170 sequential Sunday pages that have never been reprinted. These classic comics, beginning August 11, 1946 and continuing through October 16, 1949, fill another major gap in the Superman mythos. In a full eighteen adventures, Superman's travels take him around the globe, as well as through time and space. 


The Complete Cul de Sac


The complete library of all Cul de Sac cartoons and more! In addition to every Cul de Sac cartoon ever published, selections of Thompson's pre-syndication Cul de Sac art are included in this affordable, paperback boxed set.

Cul de Sac began newspaper syndication in September 2007 and ended in September 2012, when creator Richard Thompson retired to focus on treatment for Parkinson's disease. In its too-short time on the comics page, Cul de Sac garnered an avid fan base, a Reuben and a Harvey Award, and remarkable admiration from the cartooning community. In tribute to the strip, all the published cartoons are gathered here--as a bonus, there are selections of Richard Thompson's pre-syndication Cul de Sac watercolored Sundays.
If you haven't discovered Richard Thompson's wonderful Cul de Sac comic strip, you are in for a real treat. Cul de Sac is noted not only for its humor and intelligence, but also for creator Richard Thompson's fun, imaginative watercolor artwork. Thompson's drawings, along with his pitch-perfect timing and gentle humor, made the cartoon an instant classic.

Cul de Sac is brought to life through manhole-dancing Alice Otterloop, a curious four-year-old who discovers life's ups and downs in suburbia. Along with her Blisshaven Preschool classmates, Alice charms fans of all ages with her escapades. From crafting projects in a cloud of glitter and glue or just trying to comprehend a completely incomprehensible world, Alice is a creature of pure and indomitable will, an irresistible force.

Alice describes her father's car as a "Honda-Tonka Cuisinart" and talks to the class guinea pig, Mr. Danders. Alice is joined by her family: her older brother Petey who is intent on being the King of the Picky Eaters; her dad, who's the Assistant Director of Pamphlets at the U.S. Department of Consumption, Office of Consumer Complaints; and her mom, who is capable of doing a million things simultaneously (about five of them well).

This library of cartoons and art will both delight longtime fans and provide a fantastic introduction to new readers.

Includes an introduction by Art Spiegelman.


Archie: The Swingin' Sixties - The Complete Daily Newspaper Comics (1963-1965)


Continuing the Eisner Award-winning series collecting the Archie newspaper strip, we reach the mid-1960s when the now-famous cast of Archie, Jughead, Betty, Veronica, and Reggie are part of a rich ensemble presented by cartoonist Bob Montana. In addition to Fred and Mary Andrews (Archie's mom and pop) and Veronica's father, Mr. Lodge, Montana weaves gags around the entire staff of Riverdale High, including Mr. Weatherbee, Miss Grundy, Mr. Flutesnoot, Miss Shapely, and Miss Beazly, among others. As Bart Beaty notes, "The strip is not so much about Archie as it is about the interaction of all those characters who exist in his orbit. The relatively large cast is particularly suited to the gag-a-day format." Includes more than 800 comics from April 1963 through the end of 1965.

Popeye: The Classic Newspaper Comics by Bobby London V. 2 (1989-1992)


Bobby London's take on the Sailor Man has often been overshadowed by his being fired from the strip in 1992, ostensibly for presenting a storyline that was an allegory about abortion. In that ultimate tale, Olive had become addicted to the Home Shopping Network and ordered a Baby Brutus mechanical doll. When Popeye insists that she get rid of the "baby," two priests mistakenly believe that the baby is real and that Olive is going to exercise her pro-choice rights. King Features Syndicate pulled the final three weeks of strips and daily newspapers began running reprints. Story over in mid-stream. Now, twenty-two years later, thanks to the kind cooperation of the good folks at King Features, those three weeks will be included in this second volume of the IDW series. But wait... that's not all! Turns out that Bobby London produced an additional six weeks of strips beyond the three that were pulled from syndication! This book contains - for the first time anywhere - all nine weeks of "censored" Bobby London Popeye strips. Trust us, it's worth the wait!


Superman: The Silver Age Newspaper Dailies V. 2: 1961-1963


The second volume of the Superman Silver Age daily newspaper strips presents the never-before reprinted stories from August 1961 through November 1963. Wayne Boring and Stan Kaye provide the artwork, and once again, Superman co-creator Jerry Siegel scripts adaptations of stories that first appeared in comic books. Siegel and Boring offer alternate versions of now classic stories originally written by Siegel himself, Batman co-creator Bill Finger, Edmund Hamilton, and Leo Dorfman - and drawn in comic books by Curt Swan, Al Plastino, Kurt Schaffenberger, and Boring himself. Stories include "The Feud Between Superman and Clark Kent," "The Day Superman Broke the Law," "The Reporter of Steel," "Lois Lane's Revenge on Superman," "The Invisible Lois Lane," and "The Man Who Betrayed Superman's Identity," among others. More than 750 daily strips - over two two years worth of stories - from Earth-N (for Newspapers) that comic book fans have not previously seen. Edited and designed by Dean Mullaney, Introduction by Sid Friedfertig, and cover drawing by Pete Poplaski.


Wonder Woman: The Complete Newspaper Comics


Just a few years after she burst into comic books, the world's most famous female superhero starred in her own daily newspaper strip written and drawn by the same creative team that produced the comic book: William Moulton Marston and Harry G. Peters. The strip lasted a little more than a year and a half - from May 1, 1944 until December 1, 1945 - and is reprinted here for the first time. It all starts on Paradise Island where Amazonian women rule supreme and no men are allowed. Led by Princess Diana, their way of life is about to change when when Steve Trevor, a wounded American soldier, washes up on their shores. Soon, Diana - rechristened Wonder Woman - is off to America, where the saga continues!


SUPER-HEROES


Young Avengers Omnibus by Kieron Gillen & Jamie McKelvie


It's not important what our parents did. It matters what we do. Someone has to save the world. You're someone. Do the math. The critically acclaimed team of Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie reinvent the teen super-hero comic for the 21st century - uniting Wiccan, Hulkling and Kate "Hawkeye" Bishop with Kid Loki, Marvel Boy and Miss America. No pressure, right? When Wiccan makes a horrible mistake that comes back to bite everyone on their communal posteriors, we cue five issues of hormonal panic. Fight scenes! Fake IDs! Plentiful feels! (a.k.a. "meaningful emotional character beats" for people who aren't on tumblr.) Young Avengers is as NOW! as the air in your lungs and twice as vital.


Zenith Phase 1 andPhase 2


Zenith Phase 1: Grant Morrison's first comics masterpiece with unforgettable art by Steve Yeowell, has been unavailable to trade for twenty years, but is published again here in a stunning new hardback edition.

Berlin, 1945: The allies unleashed the second world war hero Maximan upon the German super soldier Masterman. Maximan’s defeat was only kept secret by the nuclear bomb which destroyed both men.

Forty-plus years later, and twenty years after a generation of ’60s British superpowered heroes came and went, the teenage pop star Zenith is the only superhuman left – and his only interest in women, drugs, alchohol and fame. So when he is contacted about the threat from the many-angled ones and the impending destruction of our world, his first reaction is to steer well clear. But the superhumans of the past have other plans..

Zenith Phase 2:  Zenith is the only superhuman popstar. He’s saved the world, had a number one record – but his only interests are women, drugs, alchohol and fame. But Peter St. John and the unexpected reappearance of Ruby forces the superbrat to take off and tackle a nuclear threat to London - from his own creator!...


Batman '66 Vol. 1  and Vol. 2


Put on your go-go boots and get ready to "Batusi" back to the Swingin' 60s as DC Comics reimagines the classic Batman TV series in comics form for the first time! These all-new stories portray The Caped Crusader, The Boy Wonder and their fiendish rogues gallery just the way viewers remember them.


Captain Marvel Volume 1: Higher, Further, Faster, More 


Hero! Pilot! Avenger! Captain Marvel, Earth's Mightiest Hero with an attitude to match, is back and launching headfirst into an all-new ongoing adventure! As Captain Marvel, a.k.a. Carol Danvers, comes to a crossroads with a new life and new romance, she makes a dramatic decision that will alter the course of her life - and the entire Marvel Universe - in the months to come. But as Carol takes on a mission to return an alien girl to her homeworld, she lands in the middle of an uprising against the Galactic Alliance! Investigating the forced resettlement of Rocket Girl's people, Carol discovers that she has a history with the man behind the plot. But when the bad guy tries to blackmail Carol and turn the Avengers against her, it's payback time! Guest-starring the Guardians of the Galaxy!


Batman: Zero Year:  Volume 4: Secret City / Volume 5: Dark City


Before the era of superheroes began—before the Batman spread his wings to protect the innocent and punish evil—Gotham City's prodigal son, Bruce Wayne, had been missing for years. But this was exactly the cover of darkness Bruce needed. Patrolling Gotham's streets, in a series of disguises, he began a career as faceless vigilante.

The Riddler has plunged Gotham City into darkness. How will a young Dark Knight bring his beloved hometown from the brink of chaos and madness and back into the light? From the critically acclaimed, New York Times #1 best-selling creative team of Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo, Batman: Zero Year is Batman's origin story, as you've never seen it before. 


Ms. Marvel Volume 1: No Normal


Marvel Comics presents the all-new Ms. Marvel, the groundbreaking heroine that has become an international sensation! Kamala Khan is an ordinary girl from Jersey City - until she is suddenly empowered with extraordinary gifts. But who truly is the all-new Ms. Marvel? Teenager? Muslim? Inhuman? Find out as she takes the Marvel Universe by storm! As Kamala discovers the dangers of her newfound powers, she unlocks a secret behind them as well. Is Kamala ready to wield these immense new gifts? Or will the weight of the legacy before her be too much to handle? Kamala has no idea either. But she's comin' for you, New York! It's history in the making from acclaimed writer G. Willow Wilson (Air, Cairo) and beloved artist Adrian Alphona (Runaways)!


MUST- READS


Andre the Giant: Life and Legend

 
Andre Roussimoff is known as both the lovable giant in The Princess Bride and a heroic pro-wrestling figure. He was a normal guy who'd been dealt an extraordinary hand in life. At his peak, he weighed 500 pounds and stood nearly seven and a half feet tall. But the huge stature that made his fame also signed his death warrant.

Box Brown brings his great talents as a cartoonist and biographer to this phenomenal new graphic novel. Drawing from historical records about Andre's life as well as a wealth of anecdotes from his colleagues in the wrestling world, including Hulk Hogan, and his film co-stars (Billy Crystal, Robin Wright, Mandy Patinkin, etc), Brown has created in Andre the Giant, the first substantive biography of one of the twentieth century's most recognizable figures.


The Manhattan Projects Volume 1 HC


What if the research and development department created to produce the first atomic bomb was a front for a series of other, more unusual, programs? What if the union of a generation's brightest minds was not a signal for optimism, but foreboding? What if everything... went wrong? Welcome to The Manhattan Projects! Brought to you by award-winning writer Jonathan Hickman and possibly the best new talent in the industry, Nick Pitarra, The Manhattan Projects is a look at history through a darker, much stranger, lens.


Saga Deluxe Edition Volume 1 HC


At long last, a deluxe hardcover of the Hugo Award-winning Saga is finally on its way! Collecting the first three trade paperbacks (issues #1-18) of the smash-hit series, this massive edition features a striking new cover, as well as special extras, including never-before-seen sketches, script pages, and a roundtable discussion with the creators about how Saga is really made. Altogether, this hardcover contains over 500 pages for less than fifty bucks! Written by Eisner Award-winning "Best Writer" Brian K. Vaughan (Y: The Last Man, The Private Eye) and drawn by Harvey Award-winning "Best Artist" Fiona Staples (Mystery Society, North 40) Saga is the story of Hazel, a child born to star-crossed parents from opposite sides of a never-ending galactic war. Now, Hazel's fugitive family must risk everything to find a peaceful future in a harsh universe that values destruction over creation.


The Bunker: Volume 1


On their way to bury a time capsule, five friends - Grady, Heidi, Natasha, Daniel, and Billy - uncover a metal bunker buried deep in the woods. Inside, they discover letters addressed to each of them... from their future selves! Told they will destroy the world in the very near future, the friends find themselves, over the next few days, growing further and further apart. Though they've been warned against making the wrong choices, how do they know what the right ones are? Can the future really be changed, or will an even darker fate engulf the world?


Beauty


When the repulsively ugly Coddie unintentionally saves a fairy from a spell, she does not understand the poisonous nature of the wish granted her by the fairy. The village folk no longer see her as repulsive and stinking of fish—they now perceive her as magnetically beautiful—which does not help her in her village. A young local lord saves her, but it soon becomes apparent that Coddie’s destiny may be far greater than anyone ever imagined. Caustic and flamboyant, this fairy tale offers grownups an engrossing take on the nature of beauty.


Sing No Evil


Twenty-something guitarist Aksel stutters when he sings, and the latest reviews say he has the voice of a crow with throat plague. That’s not a compliment, even for the avant-garde music his band Perkeros plays. Aksel is having a hard time keeping the band together, stopping his girlfriend from kicking him out, and not getting eaten by his drummer (who happens to be a cranky brown bear). There are also the rival bands that Perkeros find themselves in battle with to save the city from supernatural forces set loose by ancient music. The key to it all could be in the music Aksel hears in his dreams—if it doesn’t drive him mad first. With a visual soundtrack that blasts off the page, Sing No Evil is a wild ride through otherworldly dangers and the power of pure rock’n’roll.


Morning Glories CompendiumVolume 1


Introducing the first seven volumes of the critically acclaimed, New York Times bestselling series, now collected into one massive paperback edition! At over one thousand pages, this epic volume is the perfect introduction to the spellbinding mysteries and deadly secrets of Morning Glory Academy!

Morning Glory Academy is one of the most prestigious prep schools in the country... but something sinister and deadly lurks behind its walls. When six gifted, but troubled, students arrive, they find themselves trapped and fighting for their lives as the secrets of the academy reveal themselves!


Hip Hop Family Tree 1975-1983 Gift Box Set


This encyclopedic comics history of the formative years of hip hop captures the vivid personalities and magnetic performances of old-school pioneers and early stars like DJ Kool Herc, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, plus the charismatic players behind the scenes like Russell Simmons; Debbie Harry, Keith Haring and other luminaries make cameos.

The lore of the early days of hip hop has become the stuff of myth, so what better way to document this fascinating, epic true story than in another great American mythological medium — the comic book? From exciting young talent and self-proclaimed hip hop nerd Ed Piskor, acclaimed for his hacker graphic novel Wizzywig, comes this explosively entertaining, encyclopedic history of the formative years of the music genre that changed global culture.

Piskor’s exuberant yet controlled cartooning takes you from the parks and rec rooms of the South Bronx to the night clubs, recording studios, and radio stations where the scene started to boom, capturing the flavor of late-1970s New York City in panels bursting with obsessively authentic detail. With a painstaking, vigorous and engaging Ken Burns meets- Stan Lee approach, the battles and rivalries, the technical innovations, the triumphs and failures are all thoroughly researched and lovingly depicted. plus the charismatic players behind the scenes like Russell Simmons, Sylvia Robinson and then-punker Rick Rubin. Piskor also traces graffiti master Fab 5 Freddy’s rise in the art world, and Debbie Harry, Keith Haring, The Clash, and other luminaries make cameos as the music and culture begin to penetrate downtown Manhattan and the mainstream at large.

Covering the early years of 1981-1983, Hip Hop has made a big transition from the parks and rec rooms to downtown clubs and vinyl records. The performers make moves to separate themselves from the paying customers by dressing more and more flamboyant until a young group called RUN-DMC comes on the scene to take things back to the streets. This volume covers hits like Afrika Bambaataa’s Planet Rock, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five’s the Message, the movie Wild Style and introduces superstars like NWA, The Beastie Boys, Doug E Fresh, KRS One, ICE T, and early Public Enemy. Cameos by Dolemite, LL Cool J, Notorious BIG, and New Kids on the Block (?!)!

A special slipcover and a special comic are included in the smash hit’s gift set. The 24-page comic book — Hip Hop Family Tree #300— specifically for this boxed set that elegantly reflects the confluence of hip hop and comics, which was never more apparent in the early 1990s than with the famous Spike Lee-directed Levi Jeans commercial starring Rob Liefeld, who went on to create Youngblood and co-found Image Comics, not to mention ending up on the radar of gangster rapper Eazy E. Piskor tells this story as a perfect parody/pastiche/homage to ’90s Image comics.


Letter 44 Volume 1: Escape Velocity


On Inauguration Day, newly elected President Stephen Blades hoped to tackle the most critical issues facing the nation: war, the economy, and a failing health care system. But in a letter penned by the outgoing President, Blades learns the truth that redefines "critical": seven years ago, NASA discovered an alien presence in the asteroid belt, and kept it a secret from the world. A stealth mission crewed by nine astronauts was sent to make contact, and they're getting close - assuming they survive the long journey to reach their destination. Today, President-elect Blades has become the most powerful man on the planet. This planet!


Afterlife with Archie: Escape from Riverdale


When Jughead's beloved pet Hot Dog is killed in a hit and run, Jughead turns to the only person he knows who can help bring back his furry best friend—Sabrina the Teenage Witch. Using dark, forbidden magic, Sabrina is successful and Hot Dog returns to the land of the living. But he's not the same... and soon, the darkness he brings back with him from beyond the grave begins to spread, forcing Archie, Betty, Veronica and the gang to try to escape from Riverdale!


Stray Bullets Uber Alles Edition


The original five story arcs of one of the all-time greatest crime comic series are collected in this GIANT 1,200 page volume. “The Innocence of Nihilism,” “Somewhere Out West,” “Other People,” “Dark Days,” and “HiJinks and Derring-Do”appear in their entirety. Stray Bullets took the comic book industry by storm when it debuted in 1995 and won multiple Eisner Awards. Overnight, its harrowing portrayal of contemporary life became required reading and influenced a generation of cartoonists. Too long out of print, Stray Bullets is finally back with this ultimate Über Alles edition, reprinting all that came before and setting the stage for future stories



Meteor Men


On a summer night, Alden Baylor sits in a field watching the largest meteor shower in human history. What begins as teenage adventure becomes something more - the celestial event brings travelers who will change the world completely, and Alden discovers a connection to one of them. How does a young man who had to grow up fast handle the invasion of his planet? Can Alden keep humanity from oblivion? From writer Jeff Parker (Aquaman, Hulk) and artist Sandy Jarrell (Batman '66) comes this story of adolescence, friendship, and hard decisions.


Glory: The Complete Saga HC


Ross Campbell (Wet Moon, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) and Joe Keatinge (Marvel Knights: Hulk) collect their critically-acclaimed and brutally told saga of one warrior and her family torn apart by a millennia-old intergalactic war. This is the complete story, collected in its entirety for the very first time in a deluxe, oversized hardcover edition, packed with never-before-seen sketchbook material, scripts, commentary, and interviews.


HISTORY AND PROCESS


The Silver Age of Comic Book Art (Revised Edition)


Carmine Infantino, Steve Ditko, Jack Kirby, Gil Kane, Joe Kubert, Gene Colan, Jim Steranko, and Neal Adams are some of the greatest comic book artists of their generation, who created some of their greatest work during the Silver Age of Comics (circa 1956 1970). They not only drew definitive versions of the medium s greatest characters, but set trends in the art of comic book storytelling. Now, this popular and influential body of work, along with each artist s thoughts, ideas, and commentary, is presented in The Silver Age of Comic Book Art, a coffee-table comic and art history book written and designed by comic book historian and illustrator Arlen Schumer. By creating a comic book history that reads like a comic book, Schumer succeeds spectacularly in making you see, as if for the first time, the comics you've been reading your whole life.


Heroes Of The Comics: Portraits Of The Pioneering Legends Of Comic Books


This collects Drew Friedman’s portraits of famous and not-so-famous cartoonists: the men and women who created superheroes, Mad magazine, and much more.

Featuring over 80 full-color portraits of the pioneering legends of American comic books, including publishers, editors and artists from the industry’s birth in the ’30s, through the brilliant artists and writers of behind EC Comics in the ’50s. All lovingly rendered and chosen by Drew Friedman, a cartooning legend in his own right. Featuring subjects popular and obscure, men and women, as well as several pioneering African-American artists. Each subject features a short essay by Friedman, who grew up knowing many of the subjects included (as the son of writer Bruce Jay Friedman), including Stan Lee, Harvey Kurtzman, Will Eisner, Mort Drucker, Al Jaffee, Jack Davis, Will Elder, and Bill Gaines. More names you might recognize: Barks, Crumb, Wood, Wolverton, Frazetta, Siegel & Shuster, Kirby, Cole, Ditko, Werthem… it’s a Hall of Fame of comic book history from the man BoingBoing.com call “America’s greatest living portrait artist!” Full color illustrations throughout.


Masterful Marks: Cartoonists Who Changed the World


In a first-of-its-kind collection, award-winning illustrators celebrate the lives of the visionary artists who created the world of comic art and altered pop culture forever.

Sixteen Graphic Novel Biographies of: Walt Disney, Dr. Seuss, Charles Schulz, The Creators of Superman, R. Crumb, Jack Kirby, Winsor McCay, Hergé, Osamu Tezuka, MAD creator, Harvey Kurtzman, Al Hirschfeld, Edward Gorey, Chas Addams, Rodolphe Töpffer, Lynd Ward and Hugh Hefner

The story of cartoons—the multibillion-dollar industry that has affected all corners of our culture, from high to low—is ultimately the story of the visionary icons who pioneered the form.  But no one has told the story of comic art in its own medium—until now.

In Masterful Marks, top illustrators—including Drew Friedman, Nora Krug, Denis Kitchen, and Peter Kuper—reveal how sixteen visionary cartoonists overcame massive financial, political, and personal challenges to create a new form of art that now defines our world.

Comics: A Global History, 1968 to the Present


The first global history of comics around the world from the late 1960s to the present day Comics, manga, bandes dessinées, fumetti, tebeo, historietas… no matter the name, they have been a powerful medium across four continents for decades. This is the history of comics around the world from the late 1960s to the dawn of the 21st century.

Comics is a richly illustrated narrative of extraordinary scope. Examples from all over the world include everything from Crumb and Kirby to RAW; from Metal Hurlant to Marjane Satrapi to nouvelle manga; from both the American mainstream and underground to the evolving and influential British scene. The images here are bright and colorful, dark and brooding, arresting and pleasant, all at the same time. An unprecedented collection includes around 260 expertly chosen illustrations, many reproduced in full-page format for more sophisticated analysis.

The authors, two uniquely positioned and knowledgeable authorities, are the first to write a broadly comprehensive history of this most accessible, democratic, and occasionally subversive modern popular art form, displaying an intimate familiarity with schools and styles, writers, artists, and companies across countries and generations. In showing us both post-apocalyptic dreamscapes and portraits of the everyday, Comics looks at this thirty-plus year period through a very unique lens.


The Art of the Simon and Kirby Studio


The names Joe Simon and Jack Kirby are synony­mous with comic books, and their partnership ush­ered in the Golden Age of comics starting in the 1940s. Together they created memorable characters such as Captain America and Sandman, invented romance com­ics, and raised the standard for the genres of western, crime, and horror comic books. Over the course of three decades they wrote and illustrated several hundred comics, many of which are reproduced in this oversized volume covering all aspects of their amazing career. Selected and with an introduction by Mark Evanier, the foremost authority on the work of Simon and Kirby, the book includes artwork photographed from the original art in Joe Simon’s private archive and showcases the seminal work of Simon and Kirby and their artistry as it has never been seen before.


Make Comics Like the Pros



Discover the Secrets of Your Favorite Comic Book Creators.  Do you want to break into the comics industry? There are many creative roles available—writer, penciller, inker, colorist, letterer, editor, and more. Each creator serves a vital function in the production of sequential art at companies such as DC, Marvel, Image, and Valiant. 
In Make Comics Like the Pros, veteran comics creators Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente team up with a who’s who of the modern comic book scene to lead you step-by-step through the development of a comic. With these two fan-favorite writers as your guides, you’ll learn everything from script formatting to the importance of artistic collaboration to the best strategies for promoting and selling your own sequential art masterpiece. Pak and Van Lente even put their lessons into practice inside the pages of the book—pairing with Eisner Award–winning cartoonist Colleen Coover (Bandette) to produce the swashbuckling, adventure comic Swordmaids, and giving you front row seats to their creative process. Make Comics Like the Pros provides all the answers you’ve been seeking to take your comic book–making dreams all the way to professional-level reality.


Foundations in Comic Book Art: SCAD Creative Essentials



A comprehensive guide to creating and developing comic book and graphic novel art, from the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), one of the world's leaders in sequential arts instruction.

Artists seeking a way to break into the exciting world of sequential art first need to master the tools, techniques, and habits used by their favorite pencillers, inkers, and digital artists for creating dynamic, exciting comic artwork. In Foundations for Comic Book Art, the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD)—a leading force in art and design education—enlists one of its top instructors, John Paul Lowe, to provide aspiring comic book makers with a thorough primer for creative comics, featuring must-know concepts like contour drawing, mastering perspective, using photo-reference, and adding digital patterns. Examples from the works of SCAD faculty, alumni, and students are paired with Lowe’s easy-to-follow, step-by-step lessons and exercises for readers, demonstrating the vital processes all would-be sequential artists have to know before joining the ranks of the comic book–making elite. 


Words for Pictures: The Art and Business of Writing Comics and Graphic Novels


One of the most popular writers in modern comics, Brian Michael Bendis reveals the tools and techniques he and other top creators use to create some of the most popular comic book and graphic novel stories of all time. Words for Pictures shows readers the creative methods of a writer at the very top of his field. Bendis guides aspiring creators through each step of the comics-making process—from idea to script to finished sequential art—for fan favorite comics like The Avengers, Ultimate Spider-Man, Uncanny X-Men, and more. Along the way, tips and insights from other working writers, artists, and editors provide a rare, extensive look behind the creative curtain of the comics industry. With script samples, a glossary of must-know business terms for writers, and interactive comics-writing exercises, Words for Pictures provides the complete toolbox needed to jump start the next comics-writing success story.
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