Sin, Religion & the Apocalypse…in Vegas Penny for Your Soul returns with Death

This summer, the comic book series that launched a company returns.  Three years ago Big Dog Ink creator/writer/editor Tom Hutchison printed a few thousand copies of the #1 issue of an unknown comic book…and then promptly printed thousands more when the first edition sold out in comic book stores around the country.  Penny for Your Soul: War was a smash hit, and helped launch not only Tom’s career, but a comic book publishing company.  This summer, hot on the heels of best-selling Joan of Arc: From the Ashes, Penny for Your Soul returns with the third installment of this smash-hit series, Penny for Your Soul: Death!

Tom Hutchison returns to delve even further into the story of Danica, the granddaughter of the Devil, as she continues to claim her place in the age old battle of good vs. evil, and carve out her roll in the end of days battle between Heaven and Hell!  Which side will she choose?  Why her own of course, but she won’t be doing it by herself.  Longtime friends will return, along with new companions, and the sarcastic, snappy, sexy but always smart, story that fans have come to expect from Big Dog Ink’s guilty pleasure in a comic book!

Big Dog Ink believes in bringing fans consistent quality, which is why the art team of JB Neto on pencils and Oren Kramek on colors for interiors and “A” covers also return when Penny for Your Soul marches one seal closer to the final battle and the next horseman of the apocalypse appears!  A new addition to the team, superstar up and coming artist Jen Broomall is bringing the sexy back as she lends her pencils to the “B” covers.  Issue #1 will also feature an amazing 1/10 retailer variant with a painted cover by total package artist Natali Sanders!

Available for pre-order in the June Diamond Previews catalog and releasing this August, Penny for Your Soul: Death will follow in the tradition of its predecessors as a 7-issue mini-series event.  This hot and provocative comic will ship monthly and retails for $3.50.  For more information or


About Big Dog Ink
Founded in 2009, Big Dog Ink is an independent publisher of diverse comic book properties such as PENNY FOR YOUR SOUL, URSA MINOR, CRITTER, KNIGHTINGAIL and REX: ZOMBIE KILLER.  Since its inception, Big Dog Ink has quickly become a top publisher in the industry with its hit series, THE LEGEND OF OZ: THE WICKED WEST, which has consistently charted in the "Diamond Top 300" list.  BDI has gained a loyal fan following due to our high quality art, stories and dedication to elevating the art of small press and creator owned publishing.

Star Trek: Into Darkness

Well, that rascally crew of the Enterprise is back for some more madcap shenanigans in this lighthearted romp brought to us once again by JJ Abrams.That should be enough for the purposes of a "preview" paragraph, right? I want to make sure there are no spoilers here.

*****************Spoilers Below!***********************

OK, everyone had a chance to click away? Good.  I'm writing this barely an hour after having finished watching Star Trek Into Darkness and I gotta say: I'm not entirely sure how I feel about it yet. I mean, it was great and I was largely entertained, don't get me wrong. But there were some elements that left me uneasy about the whole of the movie. 

First, let's talk about the elephant in the room - Benedict Cumberbatch. Yes he played a fantastically cold villain, but more importantly, HE CAN KEEP A SECRET!  Remember when everyone was talking about him being Khan? The internet was *flooded* with the news. Then Abrams said he wasn't Khan...we didn't believe him. Then *Cumberbatch* said he wasn't Khan. "Speculation is speculation and that's all very fun." ::Slow clap:: Bra-VO, sir. Yes, he's Khan. When he revealed his name (and the reveal was *telegraphed* from a mile away via monologue), I heard some gasps and a small cheer followed by a few claps. "Had these people not been reading the Internet?" I thought.  Then I started to admire them - they kept themselves even more spoiler-free than I did, and I try *very* hard.The revelation of Cumberbatch's character's identity did not overshadow his performance, however. He plays a cold, methodical, wonderfully venomous bad guy.  I still applaud him for his role and, as usual, look forward to seeing him in many roles to come (I can't *wait* for his Smaug performance).  

The majority of the movie was standard Abrams action-adventure fun, but after a while, I started to notice something: JJ had turned the fan service up a few notches and it wasn't just including the eugenics-enhanced Khan into the 2nd Star Trek movie in the franchise (like they did the first time). There was a Tribble (which plays a pretty key deus ex machina role), Bones' "Dammit, I'm a___, not a ___" line seemed even more pointed than usual, They even semi-re-created-yet-fudged the same principle-character-locked-in-the-radioactive-chamber scene though this time it was Kirk locked in and Spock on the outside.  They even did the hand-on-the-glass moment and had Spock yell "KHAAAAAANNNNN!!!". These were parts of the movie that I felt stopped being a subtle nod to the fans and became a deadpan to the camera: "Look what we did: like the Original Series or Wrath of Khan?...ask your parents about it."  And because I had grown so fond of the Wrath of Khan scene, I was barely broken up about it when the moment tried to be recreated here. (which I felt as a slight slap to the actors as it took away from their abilities.) For a moment, I found myself wondering "Is the next movie going to be 'The Search for Kirk'?"

Where I was hoping Abrams would continue with his fresh-faced storytelling (I *loved* the introduction of Nero), seeing so much of the original Wrath of Khan elements put in a new wrapper was more of a disappointment than I anticipated. Hopefully, the next one will be more original - I know Abrams, Kurtzman and Orci have it in them.  As with most summer blockbusters, I didn't hate it and when it gets released on disc, I'll probably pick it up, but I'm in no hurry. Thanks for the ride, JJ: yes, you can still have my money for the 3rd one. 

Valiant Gets Fired Up For Phoenix Comicon 2013!

This weekend, Valiant is hitting the road for Phoenix Comicon 2013 – the signature pop culture experience of the Southwest!

 

From Thursday, May 23rd to Sunday, May 26th at the Phoenix Convention Center, visit Valiant at booth #652 for a weekend packed with signings, panels, and exclusive giveaways! 

 

Stop by for a full selection of Valiant comics, trade paperbacks, hardcovers and merchandise – including convention-exclusive, double-sided Shadowman #1/Harbinger Wars #1 Sketch Flipbooks! And get an advance look at the summer's biggest releases with the Valiant Summer 2013 Preview Edition – a FREE convention-only comic book, featuring a look inside Quantum and Woody #1 by James Asmus and Tom Fowler and an extended preview of Harbinger Wars #1, the debut issue of Valiant’s first crossover event. And look for signings by Harbinger Wars creators Joshua Dysart and Clayton Henry throughout the weekend!

 

Then, get the inside track on the Summer of Valiant 2013 on Friday, May 24th at 1:30 pm in room 125B at the Valiant 2013: Harbinger Wars and Beyond panel presentation, featuring special guests Joshua Dysart (Harbinger Wars, Harbinger), Clayton Henry (Harbinger Wars, Archer & Armstrong), Christos Gage (Bloodshot and H.A.R.D. Corps) and Chief Creative Officer Dinesh Shamdasani! Find out everything you need to know about the next year of the Valiant Universe right here, directly from a panel of Valiant insiders!

 

For more information, visit PhoenixComicon.com or ValiantUniverse.com.

 

We'll see you in Phoenix!

Zenescope Entertainment Announces All-Star line-up in Realm Knights

Zenescope Entertainment has announced plans to bring together a cast of its most popular Grimm Universe characters for the upcoming mini-series which will be entitled Realm Knights. The company best known for re-telling classic stories with a unique blend of horror, tongue-in-cheek humor and great action, is bringing out its heavy hitters for this brand new four issue mini-series that teams up its fan-favorite characters such as Robyn Hood, Van Helsing, Red Riding Hood and Sela Mathers. Together the group forms the Realm Knights, a powerful modern day team of heroes that is chosen to help eliminate daunting supernatural threats against our world.

“It's a great mix of fantasy, action, horror and humor.” says writer Patrick Shand. “It's a blast to take these characters out of their separate titles and allow them to come together against common threats while also trying to get along with one other. For Grimm Fairy Tales fans, the elements will be familiar but also feel fresh and different.”

The first issue of Realm Knights is available now for pre-order in Diamond's June 2013 edition of PREVIEWS and will be released both in print and digitally in August. The #1 issue will feature covers by Anthony Spay, Marat Mychaels, Alfredo Reyes and will also include a unique “suiting up” connecting cover by Anthony Spay that will spread across all four issues of the first mini-series. For more information on Realm Knights or any other Zenescope title, visit www.zenescope.com or follow their updates on Facebook and Twitter.

Zenescope Entertainment was founded by Joe Brusha and Ralph Tedesco in 2005, and has quickly grown into one of the top comic book and graphic novel publishing companies in the world. Zenescope's Grimm Fairy Tales and subsequent spinoff series such as Wonderland, Neverland and Robyn Hood, which put a dark twist on classic fables, are some of the best-selling and longest-running original independent comic books on shelves today. Zenescope publishes and develops both original and licensed material and has worked with dozens of clients that include Discovery Channel, History Channel, CBS, Lionsgate TV, Mandalay Vision, New Line Cinema, Titmouse Studios and many others.