OYE!

With WOWIO down for the time being and undergoing a total revamp, our free downloads are gone.  We send our apologies to all the fans of the free downloads.

 The good news is that the site will be better than ever when it’s back up.  The bad news is that we haven’t a clue to when that will be.  Could be a month or two.

King Tractor Press books are still available in hard copy at many comic book shops.  Also check out our trade paperbacks anywhere books are sold.  We’re sorry about that, but don’t fear.  The free downloads will return.

Rome - The Complete First Two Seasons  

$119.42 $59.99 (50% off)   This is a great deal on a great show, had to spread the word. 

The magazine Rue Morgue has a new contest starting now until July 15th.  It’s free to enter.  Ten lucky people who email them will get a free copy of Family Bones Volume 1 shipped directly to their door.

Many will enter, few will win…and a couple will die trying.

 The Super Robot Red Baron DVD set is everything you wanted in your Giant Robot wars and more.  It’s the quesadilla of Giant Robots.  Basically a heavy helping of cheese & meat rolled together.  The acting isn’t as bad as fan favorite Johnny Sokko, but it’s not Kurosawa either.  In the first episode we’re introduced to the evil President Devilar and his Tetsumen Tou (Steel Mask Party).  Their main goal is to steal the robots and kidnap scientists, all working towards the ultimate assumed goal of world domination.  The series originally ran from 7/3/1973 – 3/27/1974.  Kurenai Kenichiro is the genius who invented Red Baron.  Lucky for us, he granted his younger brother Ken the secret of Super Robot Red Baron.  Unlucky for the brothers their parents called them both Ken, making for a very confusing childhood.  “Not you Ken, the other Ken!”  When they kidnap and then kill Kenichiro, the younger Ken fights back with Super Robot Red Baron.  It doesn’t hurt that he’s also a member of the elite Special Forces unit known as SSI (Super Science Institute). Each episode has a monster of the week, but there is also a nice theme going.  We do learn a bit more about each character as they grow.  But the real fun is watching Super Robot Red Baron smash the monsters and the cities they fight in.  Also it is fun to figure out the country of origin of each villain robot, each supposedly originated from a different part of the world.  The special effects aren’t bad for an older show.  I like the mech-type robots that are used in the show; this isn’t a Power Ranger or Ultraman transformation/magic show.  Just your basic little guy in big robot fights others little guys in big robots.  Though fans of any Tokusatsu (Japanese Special Effects shows- Giant Robo, Ultraman, Godzilla, Gamera, Power Rangers, etc.) genre will enjoy it. 

The DVDs are well done.  For being such an old show that wasn’t popular enough to get star treatment, the video and audio are good.  This is a top notch show.  There isn’t much in the way of extras, but it’s a complete series set which is more important to me.  I’m sure it’s not easy to digg up extra footage for these older shows anyway. 

For fans of the giant robot genre I’d say it’s a MUST BUY.  For others, The Super Robot Red Baron is highly recommended and definitely worth a rental for a fun Sunday. Solid B+.

During the NY Comic Con A.P.N.G. Enterprises, Inc. announced the original Sci-Fi superhero Comic Book series called “New-Gen,” being published by Marvel Comics.

http://www.new- gen.info/

Now they’ve added to the excitement by opening up their book to a new generation of artists though a competition.

“Draw Your Fate…The NEW-GEN Challenge.”

The contest is open to everyone and everyone is encouraged to vote.  I went through a similar contest last year as one of the finalists in the Comic Book Challenge, it’s tough.  You won’t get much sleep, but it is a lot of fun.  And there is no telling how many eyes will be looking at your work.  It’s Marvel for God’s sake!

Any artist older than 13 can submit an original character they’ve drawn, and a description of their powers, to be entered to win some great prizes and gain some public notoriety for their work. The finalists will even be judged by
Jedi Judge Mark Hamill.

 Use the force and you can win.

“Watching NEW-GENTM evolve from a fascinating idea into a
fully-realized, beautifully rendered comic book universe has been a
real thrill for me. Fans of science-fiction/ fantasy owe it to
themselves to give NEW-GEN TM some serious attention!” said Mark Hamill.

 http://www.new- gen.info/ 

More info at contact@new- gen.info .

Blackbeard: The Pirate’s Legacy is the working title of a new comic book coming out from Dynamite Entertainment.  It has The Blair Witch Project’s/Haxan Films’ Eduardo Sanchez & Gregg Hale onboard.  They are joined by Robert Napton from the comic book Battlestar Galactica: Origins.  Plus my good friend Jamie Nash will be using his swashbuckling pen a bit of writing. 

Great team and the book sounds great.

 Read more on Comic Book Resources or Newsrama. 

By request, we’d like to point out to our readers that Warren Ellis has a weekly webcomic called Freakangels that is well worth checking out. 

http://www.freakangels.com

Since Innocent is on short hiatus for a bit while we work on finishing up Family Bones, this is the perfect opportunity to check out some other great webcomics.  (Don’t worry…volume 2 is mostly written.)  Mr. Ellis’ Freakangels is a great place to start.

The first volume of Family Bones is reviewed up on Blogcritic Magazine now. 

Bill Sherman writes..

“If Sean’s brutish relative doesn’t do him in, his city boy ways could.”

“This is the kind of work where you quickly know that something’s terribly wrong, though the full nature of that wrongness is more deliberately doled out in bits and pieces.”

“…enough to get this reader happily anticipating the moment Sean learns the awful truth about Aunt Faye and Uncle Ray.”

But please read the full article for a more complete picture of Mr. Sherman’s thoughts on Family Bones.

This site on photobombers is very funny.  Be careful, if you’re someplace where you cannot laugh (ie. terrorist interrogation room) don’t click.

I randomly stumbled upon this youtube video today by Zookie Mommy.  It’s a bit old since she’s reading Family Bones issue #4, but kind of cool & a decent review of the series.