meltblog

Will the madness never end!?!?

The answer is NO, it won’t!

Every Monday, all unmarked back issues at Meltdown Comics on Sunset are still only a dollar.

MONDAY MADNESS. Get you some.

For my fifth installment in this “Best of” series, I’m reviewing Snowball in Hell by Der-Shing Helmer. First of all, at only $1, it was hard not to pick up this enjoyable 20-page mini with a color cover. Only $1! Helmer’s art is unique yet accessable and her characters are quite expressive. The plot is more a vehicle for putting the characters into humorous situations, but I’m fine with that. I mean, it’s a comedy about a cat named Snowball in hell. Hilarity ensues. Check this mini out if the chance arises. I’ll be keeping an eye out for more of Helmer’s work.

Thanks to John Rogers

Next up is Henagi the Ninja Girl by Ben Seto. THE PROS: I’ll tell you straight off the bat that I’m not a huge fan of 80% of manga-style art, but I took an immediate liking to Ben’s work when I saw an open page on his table. He has an amazing sense of the importance of line weight in comic art, which is not something you see a lot of, and which (I feel, at least) you see even less of on manga. And as much as I enjoyed the art in Henagi, the pages for his current works-in-progress were even more impressive. Also, this is a 56-page book for a mere $3. That dollar value alone makes it stand out in today’s comic market. And finally, this book is just plain fun. It doesn’t try to be more than that, and it doesn’t need to. THE CON: This book is absolutely rife with typos and misspellings, and the poor balloon placement on one page even led to them having to be numbered for comprehension. I strongly recommend that in the future Soto seek the help of a good proofreader or copy editor. Overall, though? Thumbs up.

I’m going to go ahead and officially declare Theo Ellsworth my favorite artistic discovery of APE. I love his combination of unlimited mundane details with unlimited imagination. It’s like a feast for the eyes. I myself bought a card and limited edition print from him and we brought back several of his Capacity and Paper Wasp mini-comics to sell here at Meltdown. Get ‘em while they’re hot!

A while ago I reviewed Justin Madson’s Laundry Day. At APE he had two new mini-comics since we’d last seen him at SPX: Last Breath and Breathers.

Last Breath is the same format as Laundry Day, with a similar theme and emotional resonance. Breathers is actually an introductory story to an upcoming 5-issue mini-series. I’m most excited about this because I want to see how Madson’s work translates into longer form. This introduction is self-contained and a wonderful little tale in its own right. I don’t see Breathers for sale in Madson’s online store yet, but we have it here at Meltdown!

To make it easy on you, I’ll keep my review short and sweet. In fact, I’ll use the same review I used for Laundry Day: you should read these. Juston Madson is a creator to watch.

From news.com.au:

A newly-found mineral contains the same elements described in the fictional kryptonite used by the enemies of comic-book and film superhero Superman, a scientist says.

The white and powdery mineral at London’s Natural History Museum has been named instead jadarite after the Serb region where it was found, museum mineralogist Chris Stanley said.

In the 2006 movie Superman Returns, the superhero’s arch enemy Lex Luthor steals a kryptonite rock fragment from the Metropolis Museum. On the case are written the words “sodium lithium boron silicate hydroxide with fluorine”.

Mr Stanley said he searched the web using the mineral’s chemical formula - sodium lithium boron silicate hydroxide - and was “amazed” to discover the same scientific name used in the film.

“The new mineral does not contain fluorine and is white rather than green, but in all other respects the chemistry matches that for the rock containing kryptonite,” Mr Stanley said. …

Read the full story here>>

Meltdown went to APE this weekend, and we brought back some great indies and mini-comics. These are now on sale here at the shop, so if you’re looking for something new and different, then come by and pick up a few.

In the meantime I will be posting my “Best of APE” reviews here on the Meltblog to help you discover some off-the-beaten-path books you might be missing out on. These are by no means meant to be a comprehensive Top Ten or anything…I’m sure there were some gems at APE that I missed. But based on my own personal con experience, these are my favorite new discoveries.

First up: Cow & Buffalo in Adventures in Sandwich Making! This is 74-page collection of Cow & Buffalo strips by the talented and funny Mike Maihack. In addition to collecting the 9/11/05 - 8/6/06 bovine web epic, this book also contains an afterward, alternate ending, presentation of cow facts by Buffalo, and gallery of C&B art by a handful of very talented creators.

The webcomic is weekly and ongoing, so be sure to check out the latest episode. But if you prefer to read your comics on the printed page and like lots of bonus materials, then this collection is for you.

UVC MAGAZINE. WHERE IT’S ALL POPPIN! Straight up, UVC is YOUR comic book magazine! It is your voice in this saturated comic book planet and we are here as a vehicle to getting that voice out.    UVC is a hip, exciting, bimonthly entertainment magazine of pure adrenaline for fans of comics and related media that brings you the best of everything from an urban perspective. In every issue, we will surround you with news, interviews with artists, publishers and writers, reviews, toys, movies and MORE! We’ll bring you the latest in the gaming industry, and bring you the entire buzz on the hottest videos out there.

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From the gossip pages of The Insider.
“Speaking of villains, who are some of the baddies that could populate the inevitable ‘Spider-Man 4′? Several evildoers are being bandied about, but who will make the cut? Could it be the Lizard? Maybe Mysterio? Or perhaps Kingpin and the Rhino.”