Hello To a New Age of Marvel Heroes: THE UNBEATABLE SQUIRREL GIRL

March 26, 2015, 12:00 pm

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By Lily Fierro

In the past few years, the folks at Marvel have definitely tried to expand their repertoire to better suit today’s more culture, gender, and human aware world. From Ms. Marvel to Captain Marvel to Hawkeye, the publisher is definitely trying to shift their line of comic books away from macho, stoic white male superheroes to relatable (in both character and image) yet flawed male and female characters facing struggles against both villains and common human problems.

As part of this progressive movement, Marvel introduced in 2015 a new character and a new series with The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl.

With the release of the first issue, an enormous amount of praise went out to Ryan North, Erica Henderson, and Rico Renzi, and after diving into the earliest issues (it’s only three issues in so far), I must admit The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl deserves the excitement and praise directed toward it.

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Psycho-Noir '60s Flashback: ANGEL'S FLIGHT

March 26, 2015, 2:00 pm

≫ Next: Legendary Comics Announces New Titles, Including PACIFIC RIM

≪ Previous: Hello To a New Age of Marvel Heroes: THE UNBEATABLE SQUIRREL GIRL

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Last weekend, the American Cinematheque in Los Angeles screened a rare little noirish film from 1965, the delirious Angel's Flight, set entirely in the long-gone Bunker Hill neighborhood.

It takes its title from the small railroad – still in existence – that once ferried people up and down the steep hill and which features hilariously in the film's abrupt climax.

The movie is, frankly, terrible, but it's a must-see for anyone who wishes they could have seen the hill's crumbling Victorian houses immortalized in film noirs Kiss Me Deadly, Criss Cross, Act of Violence, Cry Danger, and Joseph Losey's M remake.

Since it was filmed in 1965, it lives on as memorial to Bunker Hill, just before the entire neighborhood was leveled to make way for towering steel skyscrapers.

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Legendary Comics Announces New Titles, Including PACIFIC RIM

March 26, 2015, 4:00 pm

≫ Next: DYNAMITE Partners With GROUPEES.COM To Benefit CBLDF

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Guillermo del Toro promised more adventures from the world of Pacific Rim - and he has delivered. Legendary is taking fans back to the frontlines of a larger-than-life battleground with Pacific Rim: Tales from the Drift, the official new comic series presented by director Guillermo del Toro and featuring a story from Pacific Rim screenwriter Travis Beacham. A continuation of the bestselling graphic novel Pacific Rim: Tales from Year Zero, the new Pacific Rim comic series will feature Jaegers never before seen in combat, squaring off against all-new Kaiju creatures.

Legendary is also launching two original titles. First is the riveting espionage thriller Black Bag, starring Legendary Comics' first female action hero. This gripping series about a suburban wife-turned-covert government assassin comes from writer Chris Roberson, creator of the breakout comic iZombie (recently adapted into a network TV series), and features art from fast-rising talent JB Bastos, known for his standout work on Night Trap.

Finally, Legendary is partnering with acclaimed writer Steven Grant on Cops For Criminals, a daring new crime-thriller series about a federal agent forced to find true justice in the criminal underworld. Pete Woods, whose long and storied career includes iconic franchises such as Deadpool, Catwoman and Robin, returns to pencil, ink and color the title.

To celebrate these launches, Legendary is also giving fans the chance to win an exclusive page of original artwork from the upcoming Pacific Rim: Tales from the Drift. Participants are invited to enter at PacificRimComicArt.com to win this one-of-a-kind prize.

More information on each series can be found after the jump.

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DYNAMITE Partners With GROUPEES.COM To Benefit CBLDF

March 26, 2015, 6:00 pm

≫ Next: Why Whatever Happens In DAWN OF JUSTICE, Batman Will Always Be Better

≪ Previous: Legendary Comics Announces New Titles, Including PACIFIC RIM

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FIRST-EVER GROUPEES BUNDLE OF DIGITAL COMICS AND GRAPHIC NOVELS

PROMOTION BENEFITS CHARITABLE ORGANIZATION, THE COMIC BOOK LEGAL DEFENSE FUND

Dynamite Entertainment is proud to announce that Groupees LLC, a unique media and charity bundling site, will host - for the first time ever - a ten-day comic book bundle promotion that allows fans and curious newcomers to purchase over 80 digital Dynamite comics and graphic novels with "Pay What You Want" purchasing power.  A portion of proceeds will be contributed to one of the industry's most important charitable organizations, the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. The bundle promotion will run from Thursday, March 26, through Monday, April 6, on the website Groupees.com.

Through the Groupees program, customers can purchase a bundle of digital comic book and graphic novels for a price they decide.  The first tier of exciting digital content is unlocked with the dollar minimum investment, but consumers can double their take by reaching the $5.00 second tier. Dynamite offers a highly desirable batch of comics at the third tier for a $10.00 minimum investment, including the bestselling Dynamite Art of Alex Ross art book.

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Why Whatever Happens In DAWN OF JUSTICE, Batman Will Always Be Better

March 27, 2015, 9:08 am

≫ Next: A GIRL LIKE HER (Review)

≪ Previous: DYNAMITE Partners With GROUPEES.COM To Benefit CBLDF

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We have to say, we’re incredible excited about Dawn of Justice when it’s released in almost exactly a year’s time. The addition of Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor has only added to that.

But with the announcement of the Social Network star as Superman’s archenemy, with it came some plot details which suggests Superman heads to Gotham to confront Batman.

Which led us to thinking, Batman would probably just kick his ass.

He’s by far the cooler character, and has all the spin-offs, merchandise, and entertainment to prove it.

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A GIRL LIKE HER (Review)

March 27, 2015, 7:00 am

≫ Next: Treat Yo Self: Celebrating Sitcoms With Home Decor

≪ Previous: Why Whatever Happens In DAWN OF JUSTICE, Batman Will Always Be Better

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Review by Elizabeth Weitz

Produced by Brian Oakley, Danny Roth, 

Jeff Spilman, Damiano Tucci

Written and Directed by Amy Webber

Staring Hunter King, Lexi Ainsworth, 

Stephanie Cotton, Jimmy Bennett, Linda Boston

Being a teenager is both the best and worst time in a person’s life.  Ask anyone who made it through those few horrible/beautiful years and most all would tell you they never want to go back to it. In Amy S. Weber’s docu-style movie, A Girl Like Her, that painful time in a person’s life is beautifully told via the most honest depiction of bullying I have ever seen.

Told from the viewpoints of both the bully and the victim, the story of 16 year old Jessica Burns (Lexi Ainsworth) who attempts suicide after a year-long barrage of harassment by her former friend Amy Keller (Hunter King), the popular girl who wages a psychological war on Jessica, shows the deeply lost relationship between people when they enter into the age of adolescence and are hovering between the desire to be heard and loved and the need for independence and self-discovery.

What Weber’s film does fantastically is to show that bullying is never just about one person.

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Treat Yo Self: Celebrating Sitcoms With Home Decor

March 27, 2015, 9:30 am

≫ Next: "What Are You Going To Do If Your Son Likes Sports?"

≪ Previous: A GIRL LIKE HER (Review)

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By Erin Maxwell

Etsy is both the most wonderful and horrible site in the entire world.

As a window-shopping time-suck for the slow moments in the life of a cubicle jockey, Etsy can both provide hours of entertainment and sheer genius at the same time.

When it is good, the shopping site can provide a devastating blow to the wallet. When it is bad, Etsy becomes a window to the soul of people who have both undiagnosed mental issues and a glue gun (RIP Regretsy).

However, looking beyond the “art” that consists of spraypainted tampons and knit hats for cats, Etsy can offer an outlet of expression for serious fandoms. The site can be a shopping haven for unique and original items that both glam up any habitat without making it look like Spencer’s had a fire sale.

Christmas is a far away, and you probably didn’t get what you really wanted for you birthday.

So, take a page from Donna and Tom’s handbook and “Treat Yo Self!” with these amazing, yet classy, items that celebrate the sitcom junkie.

Here are a few personal favorites:


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"What Are You Going To Do If Your Son Likes Sports?"

March 27, 2015, 12:00 pm

≫ Next: John, Paul, George, Ringo and ADOLF!: 1976’s 'ALL THIS AND WORLD WAR II'

≪ Previous: Treat Yo Self: Celebrating Sitcoms With Home Decor

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Since becoming a father six months ago, people tend to ask me the same question over and over again; what are you going to do if your son is a jock instead of a geek?

Some people ask it ironically.

These are smart ass friends making fun of my well-documented aversion to sports.

Granted, it stopped being funny the first time it was asked, but when it comes to friends I typically give it a pass.

Others, however, ask that same question very seriously. Maybe their ex-coworkers, maybe they’re someone that never graduated past acquaintance, maybe they’re just someone I met once at a part and now our paths occasionally cross via Facebook or Twitter.

“What are you going to do if your son likes sports?”

Here’s the thing, I’m pretty certain that, for the most part, they’re actually curious. They really do want to know what their geekiest friend will do if his progeny decides to shun all the things the father is passionate about.

A potentially unlikely scenario

So here ya go; once and for all, the answer to what will happen if I indeed happen to father a son who shows zero interest in the things I myself am passionate about: I’ll just follow in the steps of my own father.

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John, Paul, George, Ringo and ADOLF!: 1976’s 'ALL THIS AND WORLD WAR II'

March 27, 2015, 2:30 pm

≫ Next: Disney Announces Studio Ghibli Blu-ray Releases For SPIRITED AWAY and THE CAT RETURNS

≪ Previous: "What Are You Going To Do If Your Son Likes Sports?"

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By Generoso Fierro

Film scholars seem to always look back at the 1970s as that glorious time when the studio system fell, and the freaks took over the asylum.

In fact, it was this kind of, “just let the inmates do what they want,” attitude that gave us masterpieces like Easy Rider and Mean Streets, but it also gave us films that make one wonder if the entire hospital administration just ran away.

 I imagine the pitch that Russ Regan, the president of 20th Century Fox Records, gave to the empty boardroom went as such, “So, everyone loves the Beatles right? And it is the bicentennial, right? And everyone is super patriotic right now, so why not get clips of old Twentieth Century films and newsreel footage from World War Two and lets glue it all together and make a hit that won’t cost a ton of money?…right?”

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Disney Announces Studio Ghibli Blu-ray Releases For SPIRITED AWAY and THE CAT RETURNS

March 27, 2015, 5:00 pm

≫ Next: Archaia Announces David Petersen's THE ART OF MOUSE GUARD 2005-2015

≪ Previous: John, Paul, George, Ringo and ADOLF!: 1976’s 'ALL THIS AND WORLD WAR II'

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Disney presents two beloved films from the acclaimed Studio Ghibli, Oscar-Winning Masterpiece Spirited Away and the enchanting fantasy adventure The Cat Returns, will be available for the first time on Blu-ray Combo Pack June 16th!

Spirited Away is a wondrous fantasy about a young girl, Chihiro, trapped in a strange new world of spirits. While The Cat Returns is about a schoolgirl, Haru (voiced by Anne Hathaway), bored by her ordinary routine, saves the life of an unusual cat and suddenly her world is transformed beyond anything she ever imagined. Both are magical animated adventures that will delight and inspire the whole family!

Full details after the jump.


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Archaia Announces David Petersen's THE ART OF MOUSE GUARD 2005-2015

March 30, 2015, 7:00 am

≫ Next: Take This Book and Shove It, Books We Read Too Soon, Do You Need a Reading Intervention & More!

≪ Previous: Disney Announces Studio Ghibli Blu-ray Releases For SPIRITED AWAY and THE CAT RETURNS

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Since its debut in 2005, David Petersen’s Mouse Guard has been a New York Times bestseller, won Eisner and Harvey awards, and has become an influential staple of the comics industry, earning thousands of fans. In honor of the 10-year anniversary of the series’ debut issue, The Art of Mouse Guard: 2005-2015 is a celebration of the beautiful world, memorable characters, and intensive artistic process of David Petersen’s beloved series.

Celebrate the first 10 years of a comics classic from the very first sketch. For the first time since the series debut, David Petersen’s process for creating the world of Mouse Guard and bringing it to life in stunning illustration is documented in exquisite detail. With never-before-seen sketches; 100 pages of full-color, oversized artwork; and commentary from colleagues, collaborators, and Petersen himself, readers and fans get an unprecedented look behind the pages at how their favorite characters and adventures were born.

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Take This Book and Shove It, Books We Read Too Soon, Do You Need a Reading Intervention & More!

March 30, 2015, 9:30 am

≫ Next: HBO Home Entertainment Announces THE JINX: THE LIFE AND DEATHS OF ROBERT DURST

≪ Previous: Archaia Announces David Petersen's THE ART OF MOUSE GUARD 2005-2015

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Why I Quit Goodreads
A disturbing article on a Goodreads author and reviewer and how far the author went to defend her work.

Books We Read Too Soon 
A look at some books you were made to read at a younger age that you may appreciate more now.

Interesting People Book Clubs 
A look at some interesting people who should really host their own book clubs.

Read more »

HBO Home Entertainment Announces THE JINX: THE LIFE AND DEATHS OF ROBERT DURST

March 30, 2015, 12:00 pm

≫ Next: Becoming a HULKSTER Flashback: Eating My Vitamins and Saying My Prayers, Brother

≪ Previous: Take This Book and Shove It, Books We Read Too Soon, Do You Need a Reading Intervention & More!

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Groundbreaking Series Unravels Three of the Most Notorious Unsolved Crimes in U.S. History

Available Today on Digital HD Coming to Blu-ray and DVD July 7, 2015

A compelling look at the life of New York real estate scion Robert Durst and the string of deaths that follow in his footsteps, the six-part HBO documentary series The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst, directed, produced, and written by Academy Award nominee Andrew Jarecki (Capturing the Friedmans), debuts today on Digital HD, giving true crime fans a chance to own the captivating series a few short weeks after its chilling conclusion on HBO.

The digital release will be followed this summer with a Blu-ray ($24.98; also includes Digital HD copy) and DVD ($19.98) release on July 7, 2015. Heralded as "...gut-wrenching, remarkable television" by The New York Times, The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst on Blu-ray includes brand new bonus content, including the new feature "8 Years in the Making," which details the lengthy, meticulous, creative process involved in unfolding this murder mystery. 

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Becoming a HULKSTER Flashback: Eating My Vitamins and Saying My Prayers, Brother

March 30, 2015, 2:30 pm

≫ Next: WrestleMania XXXI Recap

≪ Previous: HBO Home Entertainment Announces THE JINX: THE LIFE AND DEATHS OF ROBERT DURST

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Today I was hanging out rolling in my Cadillac thinking about being buff, America, fireworks, breezes and so much more.

When I had a vision, a vision of the past, a past when I was a little dude, hanging and banging.

You see, I had the ultimate workout set as a child.

The Hulkamania Workout Set. 

I could be Hulk Hogan.

I could powerlift Andre the Giant and maybe gain the attention of the sweet Miss Elizabeth.

I could FIGHT FOR WHAT WAS RIGHT.

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WrestleMania XXXI Recap

March 30, 2015, 4:16 pm

≫ Next: The Best Tradition Ever: Family Movie Night

≪ Previous: Becoming a HULKSTER Flashback: Eating My Vitamins and Saying My Prayers, Brother

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By Atlee Greene

The thirty-first installment of WWE’s biggest event of the year, WrestleMania, took place at Levi Stadium in Santa Clara, California in front of a reported capacity crowd of 76,976. There were several big storylines going into this event.

Would this be Sting’s first, and last, WWE match?

Could The Undertaker return to glory after his big loss last year?

Would the fans reject the company’s new heir apparent, Roman Reigns, on the grandest stage?

Will John Cena stop the mad Russian and bring the U.S. title back to the states?

Let’s dive in.

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The Best Tradition Ever: Family Movie Night

March 31, 2015, 12:13 pm

≫ Next: STAR WARS: CARD TRADER (app review)

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Movie night: this, second only to family game night, is one of the best ways to promote family bonding. It is one of the few times when everybody can sit down and enjoy something together and equally...provided you pick the right movie.

Picking a movie that everybody can happily watch together has always been a challenge. Even so, it used to be much easier than it is now.

As recent as a few years ago, you could simply pile the family in the car, head over to your local video rental place and pick out a movie together. Your choices were limited by what was available at the time and what was carried at that location. Today, thanks to the plethora of streaming services out there, you have almost every movie ever made at your fingertips, ready to be watched in a matter of seconds. That’s a lot of pressure for finding a movie!

So how do you do it? How do you pick a movie that you know everybody will like?


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STAR WARS: CARD TRADER (app review)

March 31, 2015, 9:30 am

≫ Next: Win THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES Blu-ray Combo!

≪ Previous: The Best Tradition Ever: Family Movie Night

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The Force is strong with this app...

App review by Todd Sokolove

A long, long time ago, in a generation not too far away, young jedi-wannabes around the world had merchandise to relive the excitement of STAR WARS before the next theatrical re-release or sequel.

Not that this has changed in any way, but back in the late 70s it was pretty much the action-figures, the photo books, the soundtracks, the lunch-boxes, the bedsheets, the pajamas, the collectable glasses, the cereal, and my personal fave, the Topps trading cards.

I had been collecting non-sports related cards from Wacky Packages and had a handful of Mars Attacks, but there had been nothing like the collect all by-ay-means-necessary Star Wars tie in.

Launched in 1977 to coincide with Episode IV: A New Hope, the packs promised a sticker in every pack and a powdery stick of bubble gum - chew or chew not. There were a total of 5 series for the first film, but not surprisingly Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi cards to hold us over just in time for home video to become a replacement.

Against the odds in our digital age, Star Wars trading cards have hung in there, and Topps even crossed over to the dark side of parody with their Wacky Packages: Star Wars mash up last year.

So it's no surprise that Topps's newly released STAR WARS: CARD TRADER for iPhone, iPad and iPod marks the company's first ever non-sports related digital trading card app.

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Win THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES Blu-ray Combo!

March 31, 2015, 12:00 pm

≫ Next: The Most Disturbing Scenes In THE STATIC SPEAKS MY NAME

≪ Previous: STAR WARS: CARD TRADER (app review)

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From Academy Award-winning filmmaker Peter Jackson comes "The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies," the third in a trilogy of films adapting the enduringly popular masterpiece The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien. "The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies" brings to an epic conclusion the adventures of Bilbo Baggins, Thorin Oakenshield and the Company of Dwarves. Having reclaimed their homeland from the Dragon Smaug, the Company has unwittingly unleashed a deadly force into the world.

Special Features on the Blu-Ray combo pack include:

• New Zealand: Home of Middle-earth Part 3
• Recruiting the Five Armies
• Completing Middle-earth: A Six-Part Saga
• Completing Middle-earth: A Seventeen-Year Journey
• The Last Goodbye: Behind the Scenes
• Music Video
• Trailers


But first check out The Hobbit The Battle of The Five Armies App!

• Are you Battle Ready? Take the quiz to uncover your Middle-Earth Weapon of choice!

• Mouse over the Interactive Map to learn fun facts about Middle-Earth.

• Watch the official trailer & click the box art to bring the film home today! 

And we're giving away a Blu-ray Combo of The Hobbit The Battle of The Five Armiesto one lucky FOG! reader!

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The Most Disturbing Scenes In THE STATIC SPEAKS MY NAME

March 31, 2015, 2:30 pm

≫ Next: RI COMIC CON 2015 Welcomes RON PERLMAN!

≪ Previous: Win THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES Blu-ray Combo!

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By Erin Maxwell

Creating a truly disturbing “I am having trouble sleeping tonight” video game is not easy.

Most gamers are used to violence thanks to years of playing against flesh-eating zombies, baby-devouring cannibals and blood-thirsty drug runners.

So, to create a vidgame that is actually causing small ripples in the gaming community due to disturbing content is actually quite impressive.

These folks are who can be hard to impress, difficult to disturb and easy to ire.

The Static Speaks My Name can be played in about ten minutes (sans any dilly-dally). The graphics are fairly simply, if not slightly basic and the gameplay is easy since it lacks any real bosses, enemies or menacing mushroom-thingies looking to take your fire power.

The only real enemy is yourself.

****SPOILERS AHEAD****

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RI COMIC CON 2015 Welcomes RON PERLMAN!

April 1, 2015, 6:59 am

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Rhode Island Comic Con 2015 Welcomes 

RON PERLMAN

Star of Sons of Anarchy, Hellboy, Beauty and The Beast, 
Pacific Rim, Drive, The City of Lost Children

Welcome to #RICC2015: Ron Perlman!

(No, this is NOT an April Fools Joke.)

Ron is best known for his roles as Vincent in the television series Beauty and the Beast (for which he won at the Golden Globes​), as the comic book character Hellboy in both 2004's Hellboy​ and its 2008 sequel Hellboy II: The Golden Army​ and as Clarence "Clay" Morrow in television series Sons of Anarchy​.

Come meet him in person on November 6th-8th at the Providence Convention Center and Dunkin Donuts Center.

For more details, visit RIComicCon.com
 or follow @ricomiccon