Columbus Toy & Collectible Show, Columbus OH

CTS Promotions is proud to announce that this our 10th year for the Columbus Toy Show at Veterans Memorial. Make sure you mark the date on the Calendar for our upcoming fall show. please check out our website www.columbustoyshow.com or www.ctspromotions.com for more information.

We invite you to come dressed as your favorite action, comic, sci-fi or movie character. If you do, you will be entered in a special drawing for a really nice prize. If you are dressed as your favorite character when you pay for your admission, you will receive a ticket for this special drawing in addition to your ticket for hourly door prizes. When choosing your costume, please keep in mind that this is a family event. Whether you dress up or not, come join us for a day of fun. You will find collectibles for all ages old and young. Meet friends, other collectors, trade stories and bring back memories of toys past.

Information above is Copyright © 2009-2013 CTS Promotions - All Rights Reserved and will be removed upon request of  CTS Promotions.



The Louisiana Science Fiction Film and Costume Festival

The Louisiana Science Fiction Film

 and Costume Festival

 The Unconventional Convention!

 April 5th, 6th, and 7th, 2013

 

Embassy Suites Baton Rouge

4914 Constitution Avenue, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 70808

TEL: 1-225-924-6566

 

 Celebrity Guest  

Theodus Crane

 Big Tiny from AMC's

The Walking Dead

 

Celebrity Guest  

Michael Koske

Zombie from AMC's

The Walking Dead

Celebrity Guest

Gil Gerard

Buck Rogers in the 25th Century

 

Tickets

Kids 10 and under free admission.

Three Day Pass 

$20 in advance until March 31st.

$25 at the door.

More information at  Louisiana Science Fiction Film and Costume Festival

Bayoucon 5 Kickstarter Project

Hey everyone, this is a posting to make you aware of my Kickstarter project for the Printing of my convention poster for BayouCon in Lake Charles, LA June 29-30, 2013

 Help fund this project by clicking this link to my Kickstarter

My Kickstarter project is to raise funding for printing of my limited edition 11" x 17" poster for the Bayoucon Convention in Lake Charles, LA on June 29-30, 2013.

The poster will be signed and numbered and limited to the number of people who spend $10 on funding this project + 100. So if we get 12 funders of $10 or more 112 posters will be printed.

Limited Goal (100 people)
If you bid $15 or more you will get the poster and a small black and white sketch of any character of your choice.

Limited Goal (20 people)
If you bid $20 or more you will get the poster and a small color sketch of any character of your choice.

Super Limited Goal (1 person)If you bid $200 you will get the original artwork, the poster and a small color sketch of any character of your choice.

BONUS GOAL
If the funding reaches $200 everyone that bids $10 or more will get a second 11" x 17" printing of a new drawing that will be limited to the number of funders +1 for me.

Thanks for reading (and your support),
Kevin P. Johnson

Artwork is Copyright ©2013 Kevin P. Johnson

Favorite Characters: Spider-Man

Favorite Character: Spider-Man
Real Name: Peter Benjamin Parker
Group Affiliation: The Avengers,New Fantastic Four, New Avengers, Future Foundation
Identity: Secret Citizenship: U.S.A.
Place of Birth: Forest Hills, New York
First Appearance: Amazing Fantasy #15 (1962)
Origin: Amazing Fantasy #15 (1962)

Get all the info on Spider-Man at: SPIDER-MAN 

Spider-Man is my all-time favorite character in comic books . . . I would have to say he's my all time favorite character in everything for that matter. Although he's a superhero I find him to be the most relateable character to myself (no I'm not a superhero).

Spider-Man is one of the most iconic characters in the entire world but has remained one of the few characters that most people could imagine themselves being. I think Peter Parker is such a relateable character because of his supporting cast. A large cast of family, friends, coworkers and villains that Peter has deep emotional attachment to all make Spider-Man  that one guy that you can't help but pull for.

As real as Spider-Man's family and friends seem his villains are so over the top and out there that they can't help but be fun. The Green Goblin, Mysterio, Shocker, Electro, Doctor Octopus, The Lizard and Venom just to name a few have kept Spidey on his toes since 1962.

Spider-Man's costume is a classic amongst all superheroes and even though he's had several  different costumes over the years the blue and red suit always comes back and never goes out of style. Personally the black costume was a shock and the worst thing in the world to me back in 1984 when it first appeared . . . but then it quickly grew on me and has become one of my favorite superhero costumes ever. I have liked most of the Spider-Man costumes that Marvel has presented over the years and white FF costume is a favorite of mine as well but there have been a few stinkers in the mix especially the Silver and Black Spider-Armor costume and the Iron-Spider costume was ok except I hated those metal legs it had.

The best writers and artist in the comics business have worked on the Spider-Man character as well, Stan Lee, Steve Ditko, Todd McFarlane, John Romita, and Brian Michael Bendis to name a few have given us great tales of action adventure and even a little romance but the list of creators is long and varied. Even though the best have worked on Spider-Man titles sometimes the stories take a turn that draw people away from the comics. I have never had a problem with the way things go in Spider-Man comics and I generally like the way things happen or at least I figure a reasoning out for myself for the why this or that happened and I can usually accept what has been done and I can carry on.

Spider-Man has teamed-up with just about everyone at some point and fought just as many villains over the years providing non-stop high flying acrobatic action and he usually ends up on the brink of death or worse before he usually pulls out the win in the end. Spider-Man doesn't always win but he does everything possible to be sure not to lose.

Spider-Man my favorite character ever!

Thanks for reading,
Kevin P. Johnson

Copyright © 2013 Kevin P. Johnson

Images are copyright © 1962 - 2013 Marvel Comics are used as Fair Use Review images only. Images will be removed upon the request of Marvel Comics.

Superheroes For Hospice Charity Comic Book Sale - West Orange New Jersey

Superheroes For Hospice Charity Comic Book Sale
Saturday, April 20, 2013

10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Barnabas Health Corporate Office
95 Old Short Hills Road, West Orange, NJ 07052
Directly across the street from Saint Barnabas Medical Center (Not the Atkins Kent Building)

All proceeds will benefit patients and families served by the Barnabas Health Hospice and Palliative Care Center

Featuring:


• OVER 100,000 comic books
• Guest vendor w/ comics from the 50’s, 60’s & 70’s
• Roaming Costumed Characters supplied by the East Coast Avengers Cosplayers (only from 11am to 1pm)
• Archie Comics Editor, Paul Castiglia
• Sketch Artists: Paris Cullins (original Blue Devil artist), David G. Hardy, Mindy Indy, and DK Zombify (Ken Branch & Dan Nakrosis) who will draw you as a zombie…

For full details visit the Superheroes For Hospice Website:
www.BarnabasHealthHospice.org/Comic

In conjunction with the sale we host the
GETTING INTO COMICS Lecture Series

Admission is free for this series, but pre-registration is encouraged to reserve a seat as seating is limited. On the day of the event, remaining seats will be given on a first come, first serve basis.

Please register by emailing your request to SBallas@BarnabasHealth.org – include each specific lecture that you would like to attend.

These are the 5 topics:

Perfecting the Comic Book Script
by Don E. Smith, Jr. (11:30 a.m. start)

In this discussion, Don will explore the art of creating a comic book story from the writer’s perspective.

Don Everett Smith Jr. has written several comic books for Bluewater Comics, Heske Horror and Spritied Comics. He also served as writer and editor for "Ghost Investigator" #1 and "HVZA: The Graphic Novel". Link: http://donsmithwrites.wordpress.com/

Get Started: Selling Your Comic Art at Conventions!!!
by Mindy Indy (12:30 p.m. start)

Drawing from her own experiences, cartoonist Mindy Indy will tell you how to print your comics on a budget, get a table at comic conventions, tips on pricing and selling your comics, and other cool useful stuff! You CAN do it!!

Mindy Indy is a cartoonist and animator living in Brooklyn, NY. She has worked with Kyle Baker and Marvel Comics as the colorist for "Deadpool Max." Mindy Indy is currently working on her short comic series "The Misfortune Cookie" and web comic, as well as her graphic novel, "AER HEAD." Link: www.mindyindy.com

Realism VS Cartooning: The War Between Comic Art Styles
by Paris Cullins (1:30 p.m. start)

As a collective, the field of comic book art has always seemed to struggle between realism and cartooning: Neal Adams VS Jack Kirby. The buyer’s desire has the last word, but the journey and struggle for the artist to attract an audience and keep artistic integrity is where this discussion goes. Along the way, we’ll talk about how Jack Kirby changed the industry and how Neal Adams raised the standard. This will be a playful discussion for new and seasoned comic book fans.

Paris Cullins is all about comic books, and that, he emphasizes, “is an understatement!” He has devoted over 30 years to producing comics, and related crafts, venturing into designing toys, and story boards for commercials and video games, working for companies like Hasbro, Disney, Archie and Mattel. He has even done animation for the Cartoon Network. Cullins is best known for his work at DC Comics, especially on the title, the Blue Beetle, and as the original artist for the Blue Devil. Link - http://comicbookdb.com/creator.php?ID=467

The Savage Style of Joe Kubert!
by Arlen Schumer (2:30 p.m. start)

Comic book illustrator and historian (The Silver Age of Comic Book Art, Collectors Press) Arlen Schumer presents a VisuaLecture eulogy of Joe Kubert (1926-2012), assessing his unique pen and brushwork artistry via focussing on five comic book characters Kubert was the definitive illustrator of: Hawkman, Sgt. Rock, Enemy Ace, Tarzan and Ragman.

Arlen Schumer is a member of The Society of Illustrators, creating comic book-style illustrations for advertising and editorial usage, and one of the foremost historians of comic book art—his book The Silver Age of Comic Book Art won the Independent Publishers Award for Best Popular Culture Book of 2003. He lectures on these and other pop culture subjects he is a recognized expert in, Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone and the music of Bruce Springsteen, at universities and cultural institutions nationwide. www.arlenschumer.com

Digital Comics: Changing Our Medium... For the Better?
by Christian Rubiano (3:30 p.m. start)

Although comic books have been in existence for over eighty years, and superhero movies continue to perform well at the box office, fewer people are reading comic books today than they were twenty years ago! This conversation will explore some of the reasons why, as well as advocate for how digital comics may hold the key to saving our beloved medium.

Christian Rubiano is a professional independent comic book creator and scribe. In April of 2010 Christian started the web comic site Inkbot.net with fellow creator, Jan Velazquez. Since then, Christian has written over nine different titles including Zomboy, Odessa, Genesis, The Devil Died Different, and the soon to be released, The Lonely Man. Christian has also co-written a short film with Robert Vicente called Baggage. It was recently accepted into Ridley Scott's 2012 Online Film Festival. Link: www.Inkbot.net\

For more information about Superheroes for Hospice, please contact:


Spiro Ballas
Senior Volunteer Coordinator
Superheroes for Hospice
Barnabas Health Hospice and Palliative Care Center
95 Old Short Hills Road
West Orange, New Jersey 07052
(973) 322-4866

sballas@barnabashealth.org

GEEK GIRL #0

Geek-Girl #0Published by Actuality Press
Cover Price $2.50
12 pages, Black and White
October 2012

Sam Johnson - Writer
Sally Stone-Thompson - Artist
Jaymes Reed - Leterer
Kris Johnson - Inlay Page Letters

 Geek-Girl #0 begins the story of Ruby Kaye a popular girl who wins a pair of high-tech glasses from her friend Trevor Goldstein that give the wearer super powers. Goldstein originally intended to use the glasses for himself to gain popularity and get the attention of a woman but soon finds himself giving up the glasses.

This comic is a preview at best and really needs to be longer to develop into a superhero story. You do get the basics of an origin here but not much more in this issue. I would like to have seen a super villain introduced and a confrontation but we don't get that only a cameo on the last page of the comic of some unnamed possible villain.

The art is heavily influenced by the manga style of Japanese comics and it seems like it would fit in well with readers of the genre. Geek-Girl did not feel like I was reading a superhero comic in this preview issue it was much more of a relationship between friends kind of story (which is not a bad thing). I think this book would have served itself better and gone a lot further with 24 pages. Geek-Girl #0 is a pretty good start for an indie comic but let's see more action and superheroing in the next issue.

I was also sent another title from Actuality Press called Mr. Mash-Up that is related to Geek-Girl and I will be reviewing that as well.

Find out more about Geek-Girl by clicking here: Geek-Girl Comics

Copyright © 2013 Kevin P. Johnson

Images are copyright © 2012 Sam Johnson and Actuality Press and are used as Fair Use Review images only. Images will be removed upon the request of  Sam Johnson and Actuality Press.

CATBEARD THE PIRATE BY MATT NELSON

 So do you like Pirates? Do you like cats? Do you not care about either? Well this is the comic strip for you.

Catbeard The Pirate the story of what happens when an "especially cruel" pirate has a curse put upon him where his beard becomes a living and active cat . . . wait what . . . yep that's right and it actually works well.

Catbeard The Pirate is a webcomic (print addition available as well) that can be found by clicking this link: Catbeard The Pirate webcomic. It has been running regularly since March of 2011 and if you start now it'll take you about an hour to read through it.

The comic starts off as one page gag comics that usually involve the cat doing something silly and funny. Eventually the comic starts developing into multiple page story arcs and although still keeping to its silly humor it starts to develop the characters into people or monsters you can care about or hate a bit too. It really finds it's way with the 64 page story called the Tides That Bind.

The comic has a lot of good points:

1. Pirates

2. Silly Cats (and I don't care much for cats)

3. Sea Monsters

4. Mermaids

5. The King of The Sea (makes me want Chinese buffet for some reason)

6. Wenches

7. Shark Chariot Pullers Is that what you call them?)

8. Dinosaurs

9. Ship Battles

10. A Pirate who has a cat for a beard . . . you'd think that would be first

11. It's funny

12. Pirate talk

13. Pirates

I like the way the comic is drawn some pages are more detailed than others but it all works together well. 

 Now the three things that bother me . . . but not that much (It's strictly personal taste on this stuff)

1. Sometimes their are comic updates in the middle of a story arc that are not part of the current story and that gets confusing.

2. No main archive page that shows a list of every comic from start to finish. You can however see a month by month archive if you click on the Previous Voyages.

3. Guest comics. I don't really like when an indie webcomic has other creators come in to do pages. To me it loses it's feel but I understand why people do it to keep a schedule and updates happening I would just rather not see that.

Catbeard the Pirate is a black and white full page comic that regularly comes out every Wednesday and Friday with updates on other days every once in a while. Besides the main story pages you will also see behind the scenes sketches and  a few guest comics set in the same world.

I hope that the long story arcs continue with a splash of the one pagers in between majors arcs. It's got a lot to offer in both directions.

If you would like the print version of the comic you can head over to order the book by clicking here: Catbeard The Pirate Book 1 - Keelhauling & Kitty Litter   Cost is $10.00 for the 104 page black and white book and it is digest size a $3.00 flat shipping fee applies at checkout.

Go on and give this comic a try you will not be disappointed. Unless ye be a scallywag with the scurvy in yer heart.

YO HO!
Kevin P. Johnson

Copyright © 2013 Kevin P. Johnson

Images are copyright © 2011 - 2013 Matt Nelson and are used as Fair Use Review images only. Images will be removed upon the request of  Matt Nelson.

2013 CLALLAM BAY COMICON, SEKIU, WASHINGTON

Here's a fun little convention for comic book fans and creators

Clallam Bay Sekiu Fun Days
PO Box 44
Sekiu, WA 98381

During Clallam Bay/Sekiu Fun Days in 2013. http://www.clallambaysekiufundays.com/

CONTACT: donnabarr01@gmail.com

WHERE: Clallam Bay/Sekiu Lions Club. 90 Bogachiel Way.

WHEN: We're officially listed as 13-14, but if you can get here on the 12th, we won't turn you away or not let you sell stuff. Breakdown is Sunday by noon. We'll probably all close shop to watch the parade on Saturday, anyway. Everybody else does.

HOUSING: http://www.sekiu.com/ Get your ass in gear - it fills up FAST!

With Fun Days you get an old-fashioned small-town parade, a KILLER pot-luck if you come in early on Friday, a barbecue, and a bajillion fireworks Saturday, some of them even legal. We're the comicon with the BEACHES, bitches.

EVERYONE WELCOME. If you do comics, poetry, gallery art, jewelry, paint cars, bake pies, sing, do stand-up, sculpture, hip-hop, light shows, whatever - bring it. Cosplay wanted for the parade.

Booth fees: $25 ($27.00 Paypal). Contact for booth space: donnabarr01@gmail.com

Admission for public: free. "We don't need no stinkin' badges."

PROVIDED: space, electricity (We ALMOST had wi-fi; maybe next yea)r. Wi-fi is 24/7 at the library, right around the corner. LOTS of table space! Bring extra chairs if you can. There will be a free table for flyers, charities, and the comicon donation jar.

PANELS: Decide when you want to be here, based on this calendar link (following), and we'll stick you in. First come, first served, and NO, we don't care what you do. You're a grownup. If you want to negotiate with other panels for times, just let us know. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AgPl00Loyip2dElJR29IdUMyTHZMMHVsVnYzdklyM1E#gid=6

GAMES: Marcus Evenstar is our official gamesmaster. Ask him: https://www.facebook.com/marcus.evenstar

CATERING: We have a NICE kitchen available, so if you want to bring and sell food, take care of your own licensing or whatever. Kids with cookies and charities very welcome.

HOW TO GET HERE: Take a flight to Port Angeles, then take the Forks bus to the the Clallam Bay connection at Sappho. Yes, Sappho. Or take Olympic Bus Lines from Seattle. http://www.olympicbuslines.com/

BEST, safest, most scenic route if driving: Highway 101 around Lake Crescent, then Highway 113-112 to Clallam Bay (slightly longer, but recommended).

AUDIO-VISUAL: If you want to run film media, the library has an After Hours @ The Library Program and is open Friday and Saturday. We haven't set anything up connected with the Comicon, but contact them to set up your non-profit event anyway - and take donations for the library: http://www.nols.org/

FIRE DISPLAYS: If you want to play Burning Man, contact the District Five Fire Department: http://clallamfire5.org/

FOOD AROUND TOWN: http://donnabarr.blogspot.com/2012/08/what-to-eat-at-clallam-bay-comicon.html

Children: watch your own.

Trash: Bring trash bags! Keep it neat.

Don't set yourself on fire.

The Official Handbook Of The Marvel Universe

The Official Handbook Of The Marvel Universe . . . OHOTMU for short to me is probably one of the greatest and most important parts in the history of comic books and I'm sure it gets overlooked by most fans. I started getting seriously into comics way back in June 1983 with Uncanny X-Men #170 (a story I've told before on this blog . . . somewhere) and at the start I knew the main characters in comics Spider-Man, some of the X-Men, Superman, Batman, Thor, The Hulk, Wonder Woman and anyone who had made an appearance on Saturday morning cartoons.

As I started buying comics anywhere I could as much as I could with little to no money I tried to get some different things to see what other characters were out there. A few months later I remember visiting my cousins house and they had different comics than I was getting but still mostly Marvel, things like Moon Knight and Avengers and one of them had The Official Handbook Of The Marvel Universe. This was amazing to me a comic that told history's of characters I did not know with pictures and all the vital info and when they first appeared and when they died and what teams they were on, this was it the thing I needed to have and my twelve year old self was not going to be stopped from getting these comics. Well that turned out to be a total failure for a long while because I couldn't find it anywhere back then. It was mostly due to the fact I could only get comic books at grocery stores, convenience stores and drug stores. It took me many years to get the entire run of Volume 1 and Volume 2 (I still don't have all of the newer releases of everything published).

When Volume 2 came out The Official Handbook Of The Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition it got even better. The issues were bigger and more characters were brought into the series and by this time I was able to find almost every issue on the newsstand or wherever I could find them. As with the first series the covers were wraparound featuring as many characters as could fit all running or flying toward something that you could never get to the end of and I thought then and still do that that was a brilliant idea. With Volume 2 I had knowledge of enough characters that I could pick up just about any Marvel comic book and already know the characters or quickly refer to them in the OHOTMU (I still do this today).

Marvel then released a shorter series called Update '89 which gave entries on new characters and updated some of the major characters. I had often said that they should just come out with a giant book with everyone in it although I had no idea how many characters that would be but I was a kid and I wanted it. Then along comes The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Vol. III (Master Edition) this was kinda what I wanted but weirder. They put out a 35 issue three ring binder edition with character model sheets that was pretty expensive for the time and you had to get the binders. Well I had one binder and most of the issues but for one reason or another I stopped getting them in the 20's. The funny thing about it was I lost all of my Master Edition in Hurricane Katrina and by chance it came up a few months later when at a comic book store in Baton Rouge, Louisiana the guy working there said hey I have a ton of that stuff at home if you want it you can have it. Well he had more than I did to start so that made me feel pretty good even though a few of the character sheets were missing I was only out a few characters.

In the Master Edition the covers were boring one character and a bunch of heads of characters and I didn't like it. The first issue did not have the hole punched cover either which I believe they fixed with issue 2 but I'm not sure at the time of the writing of this. The character sheets were kind of interesting and kind of boring at the same time. On the front of the cards they showed a front, side, and rear view of all the characters but they were all in the same boring pose that did nothing for the characters personality and on the back was the bio and information about the character. As mixed as my feelings are about this series it did give even more characters and information and you did get to see all sides of the costumes and I put it in the "Love It" category still and I refer to it from time to time. Marvel would end the series The Official Handbook Of The Marvel Universe after the last issue of this was published in 1993 and it would stay gone for eleven years until 2004. I see that as a good thing because I was away from comics for most of the 1990's and I didn't really miss anything as far as the updates went. 

In 2004 Marvel began releasing many themed one-shots of comics with new characters and updates on old ones. I tried to collect as many of these as I could find but have missed quite a few. Then in 2010 ALL-NEW Official Handbook Of The Marvel Universe and was odd in the fact that the issues were A-Z but each issue was A-Z and that didn't make a lot of sense to me but it had more characters and that's what I love to see.

Since the 2004 series of one-shots Marvel has done several different editions, with black and white reprints, hardcover encyclopedias and several updates. In some issues of regular comics a profile page or section will be added featuring characters that are appearing in that title. I don't think that they will ever have a complete edition of The Official Handbook Of The Marvel Universe in print but I love that they try and give the readers a source to learn about a lot of characters they might not have known about before.

Check out the wikipedia page for a complete list of all of the series and updates by clicking here: OHOTMU

Thanks for reading,

Kevin P. Johnson

Copyright © 2013 Kevin P. Johnson

Images are copyright © 1982 - 2013 Marvel Comics are used as Fair Use Review images only. Images will be removed upon the request of Marvel Comics.

Soviet Super Soldiers #1, 1992 Marvel Comics

Soviet Super Soldiers #1
November 1992
62 pages
Published by Marvel Comics
Cover price $2.00
Written by Fabian Nicieza
Cover art Angel Medina
Interior art Javier Salatares
Inker Jeff Albrecht

 Soviet Super Soldiers #1 Special Edition . . . honestly I don't know when or where I got this but it's been sitting around my apartment for a few weeks just wanting to be read. I don't know much about these characters I have seen them pop up here and there in different Marvel comic books over the years and I figured that this would be an interesting comic. I wasn't totally right about that. The story it wasn't bad but it just did not hold my interest for the entire issue. You do get the first apearences of a few characters (Stencil, Synthesizer, Unicorn, and Firefox) and the deaths of others (Concussion, Iron Curtain, Mentac and members of the Green Liberation Front).

What did keep me reading was this comic was 62 pages and zero advertisements making that early 90's $2.00 cover price well worth it, the art was very nice in that late 80's/early 90's style and the book was loaded with action. 

This comic is worth picking up if you come across it in a back issue bin for the characters alone (I love the B and C level characters). You get Crimson Dynamo V, Darkstar, Titanium Man, Red Guardian, Vanguard, Ursa Major, Unicorn and others with a brief appearance by Captain America (probably to boost sales) all of these characters could use more face time in the Marvel Universe. 

The art of the book is the main attraction for me in this comic but the design and use of crazy sound effects throughout the book just makes it awesome and fun. Today's comics still use the sound effects but this issue just went wild with it and let pages be dominated by the sound words and yet they work with the art well.

I won't say that this book was horrible or amazing but it is worth what you will end up paying for it which should be anywhere for .25 cents to $3.00, keep it in mind when searching through the back issue and bargain comic book bins.

Thanks for reading,

Kevin P. Johnson

Copyright © 2013 Kevin P. Johnson
Images are copyright © 1992 Marvel Comics are used as Fair Use Review images only. Images will be removed upon the request of Marvel Comics.

Golgotha

Golgotha
Published by 215Ink
130 Pages B&W
Written by Andrew Harrison
Illustrated by Karl Slominski

I've been away from blogging for almost two years and I came across the chance to do a review on Facebook for 215Ink's new horror graphic novel Golgotha and I decided to take it.

Golgotha, defined as a place of burial, takes place in Providence, Rhode Island in and around the grave site of legendary horror writer H.P. Lovecraft. The plot, what happens when a junkie and his friends find out that the skull of H.P. Lovecraft has been stolen and holds untold powers?


When I got the .pdf of this book I really had no idea what to expect from it or if I would like it or not but I decided that I was going to take a chance on it and read it completely. I opened up iTunes and quickly decided that my theme music for this comic would be the band A.F.I. and then I scrolled through the pages. The first thing I noticed was the art it was heavy on the inks, it was often frantic, it was definitely indie and I loved it . . . and then there were pages that were more painted and sepia toned which were beautiful (I found out later that these pages were used as flash back sequences to past events). The writing was fast paced and flowed well throughout the book and the characters all felt like people you might know in your own life . . . of course you might not want to know them. Their are lots of great character names throughout the story (my favorite being Johnny Orangepeel) giving it a sense of real street credibility to the cast.

So what is this book about? A group of junkie friends always looking for the next high living in the town where H.P. Lovecraft is from and buried find out his skull has been stolen. The main character (Aleister Bloom) is an artist and huge Lovecraft fan after being sentenced to rehab escapes to retrieve the skull and return it to it's rightful place. Along the way he crosses paths with drug dealers, more junkies, a Brazilian Vampire rock band, and a group of worshipers of Cthulhu and the old gods and they may be zombies (I think) . . . or could they just live in the imaginations of Aleister. The skull offers strange powers to those in contact with it causing more trouble than good.

I am really selective about books focused around drug use because they often don't do much for story and are just glorifying a lifestyle that I don't agree with. The theme however does seem to work well for the story and will leave you wondering what parts of it really happened and what is in the drug induced imagination of the characters.

Golgotha is not a book for everyone, it has lots of strong language and a bit of nudity (so keep it away from the young kids) but if you are into horror comics and what goes on in the minds of a group of junkie friends this comic is for you. I do recommend that you take a chance on this graphic novel if you are a fan its specific genre or are open to many different kinds of comic books and different but good artwork.

I could not find a retail price for this book or the date it will be released but it will be solicited in the April, 2013 issue of Previews magazine and I'm sure if you contact your local comic book retailer you will be able to get the book when it come out.

You can become a follower of 215Ink on Facebook and find out about their other titles by clicking here: 215Ink

Can't find a book in your local comic book store head on over to 215Ink's website and order directly from the publisher by clicking here: 215Ink website

Can't get enough of this publisher check them out on Twitter too by clicking here: 215Ink Twitter


Thank you for reading,
Kevin P. Johnson

Copyright © 2013 Kevin P. Johnson
Images are copyright © 2013 215Ink are used as Fair Use Review images only. Images will be removed upon the request of 215Ink.