tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1681998276893627592024-03-13T09:52:56.864-04:00Koltreg's Nerding/Review BlogA Weekly Or So Blog With Reviews, Interviews, Comic Theory and Other Stuff. Updates Fridays And Maybe Other DaysKoltreghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04621819959459846937noreply@blogger.comBlogger146125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-168199827689362759.post-71467730794895880892011-02-28T02:31:00.001-05:002011-02-28T02:32:47.188-05:00Transfer Of SortsPosted a new webcomic review-ish article over at Socialfist <a href="http://socialfist.com/?p=406">here</a> so check that out. I am not saying that the KN/RB is dead but it is highly inactive.Koltreghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04621819959459846937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-168199827689362759.post-26270392887590107102011-01-06T12:20:00.001-05:002011-01-06T12:20:47.599-05:00The Death List of 2011Welcome to 2011 Koltreg Blog readers. Time for me to ignore my lack of updates and get back to normal. <br />In the past year I lost a good comics to the internet which died for one reason or another. <br />They are:<br />Bear and Kitten<br />Byrobot<br />Daisy Owl<br />Joyce and Walky! - actually ended<br /><br />And then I am culling these from my list, partially because I don't enjoy them anymore, partially because I don't feel like checking them anymore. When a click is too much of a hassle to read a webcomic something is up. <br />These are:<br />Amazing SuperPowers - stopped being funny, removed bonus panels<br />Hanna Is Not A Boys Name - I never remember to check it, confusing<br />Kinkofry - there are like 4 comics which barely seem to update<br />Kukuburi - updates<br />Lackadaisy Cats - updates<br />Looking For Group - no ties to anything<br />The Meek - a great comic but I can't find the desire to keep reading<br />Shrub Monkeys - still funny but barely updates<br />Slackerz - two updates since the reboot 6 months ago I want to say? <br />VG Cats - haaaaaaah updates<br />The Zombie Hunters - see the Meek<br /><br />Part of this is the lack of twittering I guess, I like being informed of updates on that, especially if there is no schedule. Part of it is I don't feel tied to the characters anymore and without that I don't keep coming back.<br /><br />Due to my desire to write more, the blog will be somewhat back so look out webcomic people because I am ready to tear you apart!Koltreghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04621819959459846937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-168199827689362759.post-59281462258427009922010-12-02T22:59:00.001-05:002010-12-02T23:00:43.515-05:00HeyI've been updating twice a week plus a comic over at <a href="http://www.socialfist.com">Socialfist</a>, you know, the webcomic I write. I do mean to post here more though.Koltreghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04621819959459846937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-168199827689362759.post-16307869912866961252010-10-25T16:18:00.001-04:002010-10-25T16:21:48.176-04:00Socialfist is BackMy apologies for getting caught up with work.<br /><br />Socialfist updated today. There are bears and fire.<br /><br />Marvel Strange Tales 2 came out two week ago with art from Kate Beaton.<br /><br />A review will be going up Sunday if all goes well.Koltreghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04621819959459846937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-168199827689362759.post-29535647291912645042010-10-13T02:07:00.001-04:002010-10-13T02:10:11.714-04:00Projects WagonHey hey, I got hired by the local comic shop and between that and week 1 of school I have been busy.<br /><br />Currently though I am doing some pics <a href="http://s410.photobucket.com/albums/pp189/Koltreg/Spiderman%20Arts/">here</a> that go with <a href="http://blackwolf.bandcamp.com/track/spiderbite">this song</a> by <a href="http://herecomesthethunder.com/">this guy</a>.Koltreghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04621819959459846937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-168199827689362759.post-81470848659265476492010-10-02T23:32:00.002-04:002010-10-02T23:39:12.168-04:00West Coast Avengers MixtapeMy ability to focus on reading webcomics was disrupted over the past two weeks by my vacation and thus blogging slowed down a slight amount. Still I did some nerding and as this is the nerding review blog I present a link to Adam Warrock's <a href="http://www.comicsalliance.com/2010/08/25/adam-warrock-west-coast-avengers-mixtape/">West Coast Avengers Mixtape</a>. It is a nerdy mixtape of songs about the West Coast Avengers that doesn't require a full background in the Marvel canon to enjoy. Some songs though are vastly improved with knowledge such as Hank Pym, my personal favorite, but you can quickly Wikisearch them and get the idea of the character as you listen to the song.<br /><a href="http://www.adamwarrock.com/">Adam WarRock</a> also has 3+ hours of free music to download and an album coming out soon. Give it a listen, give it a download and then give yourself a copy of his album when it comes out this month. <br />Next week web comic reviews or something!Koltreghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04621819959459846937noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-168199827689362759.post-64875449961873626392010-09-20T13:44:00.002-04:002010-09-20T13:45:47.570-04:00Walking The Lethe ReviewSometimes I get emailed or contacted to do more professional reviews. This is one of those times. <br /><br />Walking the Lethe is a dark story about a man attempting to make amends with his dead wife through any means necessary. In the world of comics this typically means causing some form of apocalypse. With pastiches and ideas that have been done before, not necessarily better, Walking the Lethe begins a descent its descent into hell or what may actually be heaven. The characters are still being rounded out with dialogue and development seemingly being rushed in exchange for moving the story along which works for the story.<br />One of the biggest problems I have is the sudden shift in art styles from a more expressionist painting style over 3-d backgrounds to a lusciously illustrated and ultimately better suited realistic style for the second two chapters. <br />The comic is somewhat confusing as it happens often times with hierarchies that are undefined and such but the comic is picking up speed. <br />Its not necessarily my thing but fans of comics like Hellblazer might be more interested.<br />It can also be found online at http://walkingthelethe.com/<br />B+Koltreghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04621819959459846937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-168199827689362759.post-6120626330780747512010-09-15T19:15:00.002-04:002010-09-15T19:25:17.056-04:00Divergence Boink!Ugh finals week. One exam and one project left though Divergence Boink!, one of my spur of the moment ideas that took a good deal of my time is done.<br />Chances are though, you are like, what the hell is this diverging bonk? It is in theory an online divergent point (alternate timeline) history textbook saying like "In this universe, Abe Lincoln was slicing stuff like a samurai since he was a robot from the future. How would this change things?"<br />The basic format when you open the file is you have your 0r4nge (an mp3 player alternate to an Apple Ipod in the universe, apples to oranges, yeah nobody has gotten that so far...) and the book designed by friend of the blog Eli Parker of Unwinders with some art from me and Blazel and one unknown artist throughout the book.<br />If you click the 0r4nge you get to listen to Akira the Don give a rather Murdoc Niccals sounding intro and in the only open chapter of the book you have me incoherently mumbling the lines the journal entry for the first page in the book.<br />Theoretically I would love to expand this but it got really stupid really fast and ended up not working out as planned. If I knew flash I would expand it for sure. Still, I may find the time to do some more chapters and just type them up and see if I can have that lead to something. Till then, we wait. <br /><br /><a href="https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0B-i_YFdyMmTfNGM5NzBlODYtMmZiNy00NjAwLTk5YWUtMDY5YTRmYWFiMmVk&hl=en">Windows EXE version</a><br /><a href="https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0B-i_YFdyMmTfMWExYjIzMWUtYzY0Ni00ZDhmLThmMGQtMzNhYTI4NmQxZmVl&hl=en">Zipped Mac App version</a>Koltreghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04621819959459846937noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-168199827689362759.post-44504328783503770982010-09-14T14:48:00.002-04:002010-09-14T14:51:00.707-04:00Webcomics in Print 2: Webcomics in Print UnitedAs mentioned in the last post, I went to SPX and purchased a lot of stuff and played the "OH GOD I NEED MONEY FOR THE ROOM" game (from Milton Brothers Gamez). A partial selection of the books is featured here.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.topatoco.com/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=TO&Product_Code=NED-BEARTATO-BOOK&Category_Code=NED">Beartato and the Secret of the Mystery:</a><br />By Anthony Clark<br />The Nedroid book is pretty amazing encompassing a good deal of classic strips all of the Beartato/Reginald variety. No dinosaur warlocks. This also includes a mini books content and some fancy art. All of the art for most of the older jokes has been redrawn and the quality of the pages is at incredibly epic levels. There is a good deal of semi new comics as well and it is just generally good deal.<br />I can't really think of an issue, it was worth the money I got. Topatoco makes some damn fine books.<br />A+<br />Perfect gift for: Junior high on up. <br />Fun fact: He signs the book and does drawings in it if you meet him in person and watching him draw drove me to tears. http://s410.photobucket.com/albums/pp189/Koltreg/?action=view¤t=Photo609.jpg<br /><br /><a href="http://www.johnnywander.com/">Johnny Wander Vol. 1: Don't Burn The House Down </a><br />By Yuko Ota and Ananth Panagariya <br />Johnny Wander Volume 1 is great all around gift to anyone of any age with all ages humor and I am obsessed with the comic. Since buying it 3 days ago I've read it some 5 times already. It has a recipe, stories when relevant (instead of shoehorning in commentary and notes) and the entire package is very professional. Also I totally have a Maw in a bowler in my copy thanks to Yuko doodling in it (my copy is currently on loan though....). It covers the first year of comics, minus the additional color stories. <br />It is just all around professional and I can't think of complaints.<br />Perfect gift for: High school grads, college students and on up.<br />A+<br />Fun Fact: It is addictive!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.ollysorganix.com/collections/books">Octopus Pie: There Are No Stars In Brooklyn </a><br />By Meredith Gran<br />Meredith Gran produced a nice and thick tome of the first two years of the comic and included bonus strips that add to the chapters. The art is all nicely printed, the paper is high quality and it is worth the $17 (pay extra for the sketch version though!)<br />My one complaint is the printing color. All of the pages are in a greenscale print and with the shiny paper, it can be hard to read. I attempted to read on the bus back from SPX and reading under slightly sub par lighting was different. Still, I appreciate not being forced to have all black ink pages and it wasn't as bad as the one chapter in the Gastrophobia book where it was almost entirely unreadable. Also on a slightly less important note there was one page that was slightly smushed by the printer but not troublesome and most likely prevalent to be a major issue. <br />Perfect gift for: College students on up. <br />A-<br />Fun Fact: I totally have a Hanna in my book. Forgot to ask for a Marek (I was tired, disoriented) Still cool to see how fast she was able to draw.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.ollysorganix.com/collections/books">Octopus Pie Minis:</a> <br />By Meredith Gran<br />The mini comics are mini books encompassing new comics. I purchased Fear and Couch Sitter, two of the more recent chapters. The quality placed into the minis reminds me the homemade cards my aunt used to make with each page being hand crafted on a variety of materials. It gave me a touch of nostalgia to me personally.<br />The ink is also black which works well on the brown stock-ish paper. All together this is a high quality piece and I could see myself paying something like $7 for one of these with no issue. <br />A+<br />Fun Fact: These are limited issue things so buy them up!Koltreghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04621819959459846937noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-168199827689362759.post-57626676810744909102010-09-13T19:07:00.002-04:002010-09-13T19:29:35.578-04:00SPX 2010 ReviewSo, I went to SPX, I wrote a review on some steno sheets (those yellow lined papers) and then I lost them or something. (I am just too lazy to get them, yet not too lazy to write a new article).<br />Over on Socialfist I made a giant thank you list seen here!!!!! and really SPX was a weirdish time for me. I had moments of fun but that sort of ran out at times. Not to say it was ever horrible but I guess I will mark everything off in a fancy list.<br /><br />Things Koltreg Learned About The SMALL PRESS EXPO<br />1. Get Sleep Before Hand<br />Due to it being finals week and me having a Friday class and limited cash, I ended up leaving on a 2 am bus from Pittsburgh to Silver Springs eventually getting there around 8:30ish. I was awake enough having gotten 3 hours of sleep on the bus. When I finally got into my room at 4 though I showered and then collapsed from 5 to 11:30. :/ Luckily all I missed was Ignatz and drinking and eating, none of which was a major loss for my first convention. Still, next year, I will be able to drink and Johnny Wander has taught me there are epic drinking parties.<br /><br />2. Bring Money and Set A Budget<br />I came to the SPX with something like $200 cash, spent all of it, spent extra money from my family and then had to call when I realized I hadn't saved money for the hotel. <br />Next year if I go as a guest (looking into going as a vendor type person) I will definitely have a more planned budget and hotel money on hand. I also will be less likely to buy a lot of stuff but this was a weekend for spur of the moment purchases that I will cover in a new Webcomics In Print chapter.<br /><br />3. Meet New People<br />There were something like 80-100 exhibitors there. Most had big lines. I partially regret being too lazy/busy/asleep to meet Kate Beaton but she had an almost permanent line.<br />While most webcomic people were always (almost always) happy to met fans, the indie comics people were actually willing to talk and have a conversation which is always nice. While I came mostly to meet and pimp my webcomic I met some cool people including MC Blackwolf. <br /><br /> 4. Bring A Friend<br />You can spend maybe 3 hours tops going to every booth there and sampling wares. After that you can hang out in panels or watch movies or eat or stuff like that but there is not much else there. I regret not bringing a friend since there were long stretches of nothing to do and no one to talk comics with - sorta. I am far less gregarious in person than I am online depending on the situation.<br /><br />5: Speak Loudly and Be Decisive<br />The hall can be pretty loud so if you are talking across a table it can be difficult to be understood. Also knowing what you want at the bigger booths additionally helps since there were several lines that blocked off the narrow halls. Topatoco formed a few swells of comic people since they were across from Octopus Pie, KC Green (on Sunday), Jeph Jacques, Dave Kellet and a few other big names. <br /><br />6: Be Friendly<br />I guess this is more towards the people at booths. Smile, tell a joke and such. Spike sold me on a copy of her comic I have had issues with before by being friendly. Other people whose books I have purchased were less friendly and buying a mini was something I sorta regretted. This is sorta a "Hey fans, we need your help so why not give us money," type deal so being friendly just makes sense.<br /><br />7: B.Y.O.M. - Bring Your Own Minis<br />I brought a printed version of Socialfist chapter 1 and gave it out which was a good way to get exposure and introduce myself. Other people were also giving out minis though which is also cool. <br /><br />Its a community thing and you gotta be active. Pump new life into it and such. <br /><br />I am looking forward to New England Webcomics Weekend next if I can get a ride there but first I gotta finish finals this week. ugggh.Koltreghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04621819959459846937noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-168199827689362759.post-17778658649730779542010-09-06T22:29:00.002-04:002010-09-06T22:32:56.519-04:00Finals Pre Week Is Upon MeFinals Pre Week Is Here With Finals Being Next Week. Blazel provided this for one of my projects. <br />Snake Plissken as Pope Martin Luther.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/6564/popeplis.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 500px; height: 781px;" src="http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/6564/popeplis.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>Koltreghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04621819959459846937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-168199827689362759.post-2825141498501906472010-09-01T23:32:00.001-04:002010-09-01T23:32:58.362-04:00Itunes 10 ThoughtsSo, Itunes 10 came out today and I generally like Itunes for everything related to playing music. Purchasing music I do almost solely on Amazon when I can. There it is usually cheaper and they offer better deals. The new Itunes though is already sort of bugging me, especially with the whole Ping type deal. <br /> There are already several social music websites that are online. Last.fm, Pandora, etc. I don't use any of them though mainly because I listen to my music or nothing at all. With Itunes introducing the social network aspect though, it seems to be forgetting the benefits of those other networks in regards to social networking and music, one being that you can listen to full versions of songs. You can just listen to new stuff. Now if Itunes were to, lets speak horribly hypothetically here, allow you to listen to full songs for free like a radio station, that might be fine. In fact, it may actually inspire people to use their store. Heck, I know several times I've been driving and I've wanted to buy a song that was on the radio then and there. Pandora and Last.fm to my knowledge/poor recollection from seeing other peoples sites do allow this, often through Itunes. You are just throwing away spur of the moment purchases here. <br /> Really the main reason I signed up for Ping is interest in how horrible it is. While it is in the first few days of birth and it only has a small amount of users, I can't see many people incorporating it. What does it do? Let your friends know if you make a review? How often do my friends do that? How often do they even buy through Itunes! Honestly it is like the Netflix social aspect for me, I never use it. Most of the people who I talked to Ping essentially sad "Wait, another social media thing? Ugh." There doesn't seem to be a big following and while there is a promise of premium content from big stars, what about people who don't listen to the big musicians. Heck, if you can't buy the artists music on Itunes you can't even feature them as favorite artists (because Itunes can't sell their shit - that means only two songs by Akira The Don! Blasphemy!)<br /> Pretty much my other comments fall in the design category. The new font is too small and hard to read, the lack of colored icons leaves Itunes looking almost dead, like it molted its shell and this is the leftover. It still seems to run slow as ever being as big of a file as it is, Genius still is somewhat dubious and the new listing choice is fairly ugly if you lack the album art set up in a certain way. <br /> Kind of annoying for me since I can't easily go back now, no real benefits to the user and the Ping thing will probably break within a year wherein it is shut down unless they mix things up.Koltreghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04621819959459846937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-168199827689362759.post-17150234184452646162010-08-28T16:03:00.001-04:002010-08-28T16:04:28.033-04:00Kick Drum Style Reviews: Wigu/Overcompensating ReviewI have been reading a lot but I ned to force myself to get back to writing the review portions. This week features two comics by Jeff Rowland, webcomicer and creator of TopatoCo, the webcomic store. <br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.wigucomics.com/index.php">Wigu</a> by Jeff Rowland<br /> Wigu is a webcomic about a boy named Wigu, his family and his more or less inter-dimensional guardians, Topato Potato and Sheriff Pony. The comic revolves around the adventures Wigu has with his family that typically result in Topato and Sheriff Pony rescuing them. <br /> The art is simplistic and childlike but it works for the story. The writing itself is equal childlike with a good sense of wonder and magic staying prevalent in the story. Additionally the comic is tamer that Axe Cop for example with death and violence being a more frowned upon subject which I can actually appreciate even though I was fairly desensitized by violence when a kid. <br /> The comic works best coming off as a spur of the moment wacky adventure strip and rarely gets bogged down with continuity or flashbacks. A highly recommended read. A-<br /><br /><a href="http://www.overcompensating.com/">Overcompensating</a> by Jeff Rowland<br /> Jeff Rowland stars as himself in his semi-real autobiographic webcomic Overcompensating along with a small number of fake characters and filled with additional cameos from real webcomic people.<br /> Overcompensating took me a bit to get into which is understandable since writing comics somewhat based on your life can be a learning process. The writing eventually picks up and leads to arcs. <br /> Personally I love the strips concerning God and Jesus, who live in a nearby trailer park, since Mr. Rowland feels at ease to confront religion and faith head on, on a personal level. <br /> The art itself is simplistic but it works keeping everything feeling organic and personal. Another highly recommended read. A<br /><br />Next week, two more comics for my Road to SPX Road.Koltreghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04621819959459846937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-168199827689362759.post-18748808416671970662010-08-17T10:15:00.001-04:002010-08-17T10:17:41.294-04:00Octopus Pie ReviewSo begins the pre Small Press Expo where I review comics by people I hope to meet there, most of which I already have been through several times.<br /><br />This Week:<br /><a href="http://www.octopuspie.com/">Octopus Pie</a> by Meredith Gran (<a href="http://twitter.com/granulac">@Granulac</a>)<br />I've personally been living in the city for something like 2-ish years now (almost (in the fall it is official)) and life seems to have these miniarcs within them. Not that there were miniarcs of life out in the country but there they were stretched for unbearable lengths and only changed slowly. It is like comparing some slow moving tv show to a fast moving one. And sadly all of my tv references right now are horrible since I don't watch it.<br />Octopus Pie is based around Eve (Everest) Ning (Evening - It took me a while to get the pun) and he forcibly added roommate Hanna who acts as the pot smoking Jack to her Felix or the Olive to her Florence if you prefer the female version of the play.<br />The comics pacing follows a miniarc pattern with stories ranging from relatively short (page numberwise) to spanning and it can be a bit jumpy with each page somewhat functioning asa chapter instead of part of a whole.<br />Truth be told I was horribly confused the first time I read the comic but that was partially my fault since I was fairly out of it when reading the comic. Upon my rereading though I thoroughly enjoyed it.<br />The art in the comic is one of the better parts both highly simply and simply abstract and expressive. The character designs actually work well to reflect the characters and help to get the points of personality across without being overbearing.<br />The comic is a pretty great and deserves your attention. <br />Octopus Pie gets an A+<br /><br />Also in case you need a gift for any relatives or friends moving to the city, Octopus Pie has a printed version out now so cop a copy of it as a gift to yourself or others. Cop a copy at most fine bookstores.Koltreghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04621819959459846937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-168199827689362759.post-80853107238813302192010-08-14T01:17:00.002-04:002010-08-14T01:19:03.244-04:00Scott Pilgrim Vs The World RamblingsBelow are ramblings on Scott Pilgrim Vs The World. I wrote them at 1 am since the movie and a large Diet Coke have me cranked up. <br /><br />I am a fan of the series though I didn't get into it till about 6 months ago. That seems right, I got the majority of the books around my spring break, I'd gotten book 1 sometime during the winter.<br />I have seen the movie twice. I love the movie. It is like the cookies and cream ice cream to the cookies that are Scott Pilgrim. You get a wholly different treat with a lot of good bits of cookies.<br />While I love the movie though, I can see where a lot of critics have problems. In many ways the movie cuts out a lot of the relationship and character development that made the series of comics so well respected and multilayered. In fact, maybe the ice cream - cookie metaphor should be reversed. <br />The film is an amazing thrill ride and summary (with changes) of the comics. It works so much better than The Last Airbender though since everything works and flows as an actual story. It works better than Watchmen since it is actually free from its comic book basis bonds. Watchmen was honestly a dead piece in a lot of ways, it wasn't given breathing room or life. It was just looking at what we saw animated. <br />Without the relationships though, the story becomes possibly too simple. Not too simple where it is a bad film but where it can honestly be critiqued as being a film with a simple plot (which make sense but is poorly worded).<br />If anything, the series could have made two movies instead and allowed for a more natural flow. Or I am hoping that the Scott Pilgrim Vs The Animation leads to either more animations or an entire series. From what I gathered everyone involved in Scott Pilgrim really enjoyed it and jeebus knows that Michael Cera could probably financially pay for the entire thing to be made based on profits from this film.<br />Another common complaint I hear from people against the film is that Michael Cera is in the film playing another awkward indie kid. Suck it up. You don't complain about pizza places only making more pizza. Scott Pilgrim is a better character than most and while it would be better if he were as developed as he was in the comic it would be an amazing role. Cera haters begone.<br />All in all, just see the movie, leave your preconditions at the door and laugh at some of the 6 Degrees Of Separation type relationships in the film. For example, the actress who plays Roxie played Ann (Who?) in Arrested Development. The person who plays Lucas "Crash" Wilson played Lefty in Youth In Revolt. <br />Also the soundtrack is pretty great and is the most I have enjoyed Beck in a while. <br />Sorry for the rambling, I wrote this so I could stop thinking about it. Now go see the movie, see it again or see it again again.Koltreghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04621819959459846937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-168199827689362759.post-26596145473036973472010-08-11T22:03:00.003-04:002010-08-11T22:05:07.481-04:00Manly Guys Doing Manly Things ReviewIn prep for the Small Press Expo next month I will attempt 2 webcomic reviews every week! Hoo ah.<br />After that hopefully a review and an interview/other article every week. <br /><br /><a href="http://thepunchlineismachismo.com/">Manly Guys Doing Manly Things</a> by Kelly Turnbull<br /><a href="http://webcomicoverlook.com/2010/08/11/one-punch-reviews-32-manly-guys-doing-manly-things/">El Santo</a>, the comrade in arms, reviewed Manly Guys Doing Manly Things, a comic about video games and the characters involved therein, outside of the gaming world. Sort of like a Who Framed Roger Rabbit world (which I have no doubt will be included in the most likely horrible upcoming sequel). I love the idea of characters not really being actors though and being exactly as they are in the games in the "real world" because our modern characters are for the most part so poorly thought out. Mind you, I gave up a majority of gaming upon the theft of my Wii and have only in the last week resorted to Gamecube gaming but I have a wide enough breadth of knowledge. <br />A lot of the older gaming comics focused as one shots about "what if so and so had to do a menial task" like what if Mario went to the grocery store and stomped on all the mushrooms. A sophomoric idea but it might lead to some more thoughts like how far does ones gaming related paranoia go. Is this a full trauma or a quirk.<br />Manly Guys Doing Manly Things takes this to the next logical step and does it with quality art and some mostly well thought out ideas.<br />Based around what is essentially a veteran's clinic for old game characters (helping them adjust to being out of war instead of the helping them poop type) run by the machismo powered Commander Badass. The early comics follow a mostly one shot gag but the ideas are fresh and generally unseen. The Big Daddy Daycare comic was originally what sold me. <br />When the ideas are further developed though like the following Poke'Mon story the comic truly shines. <br />El Santo sees the humor being hit or miss but I hardly see that as a negative, and I hardly see misses, though I guess I may be easily entertained. For me a rare gamer even if I miss the reference or didn't play the game (though missing references is now mostly impossible) the jokes still commonly fly for me. <br />Overall I have some hardcore love for Manly Guys Doing Manly Things and I look forward to the comic continuing to grow and add more characters since it is still relatively young. It has a bright future and if it keeps going with the same quality it has now it could easily be one of the big gaming webcomics.<br />Great art, above average gamer humor A.Koltreghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04621819959459846937noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-168199827689362759.post-35804274448863657262010-08-03T18:23:00.002-04:002010-08-03T18:26:56.939-04:00Socialfist Chapter 2 is GoChapter 2 started last night/yesterday/Monday so all is somewhat right in the world.<br /><br />additionally since my last conversation I have reentered the fascinating realms for the dungeoning dragons and the gaming videos so that actually increases my productivity when it comes to writing and work. The last time I really kept to a strict update structure was when I frequently was doing both (I want to say it was like 8 months ago before I moved out) so no matter what, production will slowly start flowing back. Comics to read, games to play and my hope is that at the Small Press Expo I might be able to snag some interviews so look forward for that.Koltreghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04621819959459846937noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-168199827689362759.post-56813735793197997502010-07-05T20:42:00.001-04:002010-07-05T20:42:43.649-04:00State of the KoltregThe second year of the blog finished without me noticing which means I was really distracted. In my defense though I have been busy. With life. And by that I mean generally dealing with depression in life which is always shitty to deal with. <br />Luckily I have been saved for at least 3 months, possibly more. During this period I am gonna get chapter 2 of Socialfist out, start working on that more seriously, finish the site, quit MackyDs after finding a real job and meet more people.<br />Part of the reason I stopped updating the blog was because I was dealing with some shitty illogical abandonment issues wherein after a three month period I literally lost all the people I hung out with to them leaving college, getting jobs or just them never being around. That kind of shit burns you because you know you can't do anything so you can end up blaming yourself.<br />Thanks to the inspirational magic of Akira the Don though, I was able to shape up, meet people and I remembered a punch of "smart" sayings that really only apply when I am in a good mood already.<br />Still, I am meeting people, exploring Pittsburgh, eating new foods and gaining weight - gotta fix that. all of that is pretty healthy considering my previous lifestyle of wasting time gaming. <br />Somewhere though I will find time for the blog. I will find inspiration. I will find readers. All you gotta do is sit back, relax and post in Chinese.Koltreghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04621819959459846937noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-168199827689362759.post-30879228365569088672010-07-05T20:20:00.005-04:002010-07-05T20:27:07.815-04:00DAR Review<a href="http://www.darcomic.org/2004/01/01/whatthefuck/">DAR: A Super Girly Top Secret Comic Diary</a> by Erika Moen<br />Life is one of those things where when you look back, you get a distorted picture. Things happen faster then and yet the effects of that review can be more damaging than a negative event before. Maybe because this time it is your fault for bringing back the memory like it is some kind of mental self flagellation. <br />DAR is a journal webcomic by Erika Moen, a woman, a girl. I dunno what the term is for 20 something females. I mean woman I guess is the respectful term. Erika is more of a guy though in a lot of ways. She is the most un-girly girl and the fact that she actually has a human personality makes the comic so much better to read. She deals with relationships, sexuality and everything else in a life in a refreshing way that makes it an enjoyable read. <br />The comic also benefits from being written at times in hindsight. This helps from not making the comic a daily struggle for ideas as other journal comics can seem such as Allan has from time to time. <br />The art is expressive and simple. The writing is real, as one might hope from an autobio comic and all in all it is a very good read.<br />Totes thumbs up for DAR: A Super Girly Top Secret Comic Diary. Read it, Enjoy it! A+<br /><br />Side note: for whatever reason the way she draws her hair early on makes me think of Tintin, except a chick. :/ :\ So it goes.Koltreghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04621819959459846937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-168199827689362759.post-934011508231023392010-07-05T19:45:00.001-04:002010-07-05T19:46:31.937-04:00Hahahaha. whhhhhatI just was IMing about needing to write again. Then I was all "Origins was two weeks ago." This blog is three years old. My commenters are all Chinese spambots.<br /><br />Back in a few hours with reviews.Koltreghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04621819959459846937noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-168199827689362759.post-59788287820503869932010-05-31T23:15:00.004-04:002010-05-31T23:16:50.183-04:00Socialfist in the Making: A Brief BreakAs Remus is caught up with "shitloads" of work, my quote, not his and as we are yet to be in a hurry the month of June will be used working on fixing a few pages of the comic, concepting out the next script and letting Remus work on the other two comics that pay much more. Expect updates here and possibly at the blog.Koltreghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04621819959459846937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-168199827689362759.post-65811565701484129112010-05-24T23:00:00.000-04:002010-05-24T23:01:04.913-04:00Socialfist in the Making: The Magic World of Shifting GearsChapter one of Socialfist ends next week and the story will change over from the artsy-cinematic first chapter to something somewhat different. More characters, actual talking, character interactions, bears, lasers, etc. The basic second chapter package.<br />I am honestly astounded I got this far though considering that every other version of Socialfist (or the predecessor) had ended by this point. Magical! I had my doubts about making it through this but everything is there this time. By everything though I mean money and an update schedule. <br />Hopefully the five readers I have will stay because it gets more interesting from this point on as well. I have a basic storyline from beginning to end (of the series) edged out and I like the way it works. Chapter three will get a redraft soon so I get to look forward to that, I have a bonus comic to pen and everything is coming up roses. Obv. <br />Of course it all depends on keeping my job, getting a better job, making a fanbase and then possibly making money (hahahaha awwwww). Plans are in the works for everything so I look forward to the future I will soon be living in. I am glad to have you all along for the ride.Koltreghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04621819959459846937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-168199827689362759.post-58225467290348502322010-05-19T00:17:00.002-04:002010-05-19T00:28:41.041-04:00Socialfist In The Making: Marker Hands<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://i410.photobucket.com/albums/pp189/Koltreg/0002-1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 700px; height: 396px;" src="http://i410.photobucket.com/albums/pp189/Koltreg/0002-1.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Hey look, old school Zendorsky pic! <br />I somewhat miss the old comic just because I was more able to do that, just have random scenes of chaos. Not that every chapter of Socialfist will be moody and deal with promotions and evolutions. It will have black humor, rape and I'll probably kill Sue Dibny (that is a thing right?). Also the Comedian will be your dad (is this also a thing?). I am a classy write.<br />Why pick markers for hands though? From what I remember I have no idea. That was 4 years ago back when I was high on life. It was a better time. I plagued the internet by being a no talent hack. People barely put up with me and I played Magic the Gathering. Magical times. <br />I do remember one thing though. Parody superheroes, like the entire team was going to be set up like knock off Xmen and Justice League types. It will be less prevalent/noticeable at least on the Russian side since a majority of members were cut including Pankrashka, the dyslexic anorexic person with "acid barf from the buttocks." Let us toast the shitty hero that will never be. Also let us toast Robo Stalin who is also cut. <br />Zendorsky in the orignal notes (that I brought over form my now stolen craptop) was noted as a guy who "places censorship bars." I think he was going to just carry them around on his back or something. That originated his horrible pun nickname Sin-sword (censored). Oh yeah, I am amazing, I get all of the points for that name and then I redeem them so that Pankrashka doesn't seem like a horrible idea (I will need a Pulitzer to break even, Pankrashka is and always was a shitty idea.)<br />When it came to the actually drawn design for the actual comic, Zendorsky obtained the marker hands. I think I thought it was just a weird thing that might work. I didn't know of any other heroes at the time who had them. It was also at this time that he gained the ability to travel through the censorship marks like other characters I learned about since then. Still, I think it is a cool superpower actually. Zendorsky also had a labcoat and that was all I concepted, the fro and goatee were both created by the artist for unknown reasons. <br />Somewhere during the redesign I ended up confusing Zendorsky with another character, Agar or Cmd-Z man (which is the Mac undo key command) who I described as looking like <a href="http://venturefans.org/vbwiki/Manic_8-Ball">Manic 8-Ball</a> except white. That idea seemed to me to work better and I incorporated that as well as a note on an original rejected design for Rorshach - picture the mask pattern thingy all over him. Pretty much that was just ripped off because I am horrible at ideas. And life. And thinking. <br /><br />Still the question on your mind might be why markers after all of the rewriting? Haven't you spent too much for a stupid idea like marker hands? My reason is simple - poetic irony-ish. He doesn't really want to be noticed and he'd rather be at home at the time. He tries to remove himself from the world by hiding when he is a away from home. He tries to hide from the government and crosses out his id badge, more or less erasing himself symbolically after he gets promoted. And then shit happens and you have marker hands man, the human doodlebear. He is unhuman, he can't really hide and literally his power is leaving marks and proof of his existence. So it goes.<br /><br />Authors are dicks. Woob woob woob.<br /><br />Leave your questions in English (because I keep getting chinese spam comments) and I'll be glad to answer back.Koltreghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04621819959459846937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-168199827689362759.post-76993977968154865822010-05-17T19:25:00.003-04:002010-05-17T19:35:53.086-04:00Webcomics in Print - Issue 1: Issue HarderGreetings Internet and welcome back. I am now freed from the burden of online class, while my on ground classes continue, but the lack of a highly quickened pair of work intensive classes is appreciated, especially as I continue my job working in the grease soaked empire of the world.<br />Yet, money brings the ability to make purchases and so I raise up a collection of 4 printed books currently in my possession.<br />Also for sake of being awesome, I have included links to where you may purchase the books. <br /><br /><a href="http://pbfcomics.com/book.php">Perry Bible Fellowship: The Trial of Colonel Sweeto and Other Stories</a> by Nick Gruewitch<br />This book I literally stumbled upon about 4 years or so ago in the local comic shop and subsequently purchased. The print is high quality and the colors are bright. It even has a ribbon for saving your place which, while not necessary is still appreciated. I enjoyed using it to share favorite comics at a moments notice.<br />The bone I might have to pick with the book though is that there is not much extra included. There are 9 "bonus" comics, three or so of which were on the site and those are the only ones that are actually commented on. The main bonus seems having all of the comics printed out but even then, some strips are missing and it leaves an odd feeling of detachment. Then again, Gruewitch mostly stopped updating soon after and then released another larger collect including a lot more so, make of that what you will. B<br />Fun fact: This book is currently out of print so yeah, collectors item! Also Andrew Hussie is mentioned in the comments.<br /><br /><a href="http://shortpacked.com/store/">Shortpacked! & Roomies!</a>: Brings Back The Eighties, Pulls the Drama Tag & How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Beer<br />To start off, I purchased Roomies! first through preorder and ended up waiting about 4 months to get the book. It is marked book 3/200 so suck it David Willis collectors because I am slightly more awesome than you. I also preordered the upcoming Shortpacked book (Shortpacked Is Totally Gay!) as well. I think I am month 3 or so of waiting for that.<br />Roomies! (How I Learned to . . .) itself is the collection of David Willis first year of his first comic published in the college paper. As such the art quality is a bit lacking as it is all black and white. The book does include additional bonus comics made for the series and also strips for a syndicated paper version which are better done. Willis also includes comments on a majority of strips that are occasionally funnier that the strips themselves along with commentary. <br />The downsides of the book lie in the fact that the art is dated with some comics looking chicken-scratch-esqe. While there is a benefit to the original art, he improved afterwards so reworking might have been nice as Jeph Jacques and Dave Shabet are doing reworks for their webcomic collections (though Jacques is waiting to finish the book before preorders). The other complaint is that the pages are glossy. With black and white print it feels weird since under strange lighting conditions it can make reading annoying. This may sound weird but I'd prefer cheaper normal stock paper, it worked for my Calvin and Hobbes collections. <br />Shortpacked! which started off black and white and then transferred into color meanwhile was dealt with a bit more tactfully with pages having been recolored. Willis still inserts commentary, bonus character intros and bonus comics though so you can feel like you are getting your money's worth.<br />The Shortpacked books also have shiny stock paper but the color makes it more reasonable, which sounds weird. <br />My question is though, why might I want to spend the money on the books. With PBF, the art is beautifully rendered and so you can't really survive without the art. Willis' work is well done but having a collection of it seems more like financial support, which is fine). Just an idle thought. B+<br />Fun fact: The first book is being released with a new better cover. Get on that. Just like how I got on your mom.<br /><br /><a href="http://gastrophobia.com/store.html">Gastrophobia: The 12 Trials of Gasrophobia</a> by David McGuire<br />I enjoy Gastrophobia for some unexplainable reason, see my review of it. The book I love slightly less. McGuire took a risk to do 2 color printing (black and orange) and some chapters it works exceedingly well since the other comic was similarly done. On the chapter For Heifer in my Heart though, which is rendered in single color sepia style tones originally, the comic is almost unreadable in the book making the chapter a struggle to look at. Not to offend but it seems like there might have been a lack of planning somewhat. Additionally the book offers little extra for the reader, aside from an index (actual toted feature) and a new comic on the back panel. For the price ($12) it isn't bad but considering the other books inclusions it seems lazy. C<br />Fun fact: David McGuire is some kind of cyborg, most likely. Just saying.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.topatoco.com/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=TO&Product_Code=MSPA-PS-BOOK01&Category_Code=MSPA">MS Paint Adventures: Problem Sleuth Book One: Compensation, Adequate</a> by Andrew Hussie<br />I have mad love for Problem Sleuth and MSPA in general. The book only amplifies the love by making it something I actually would love to bring along with me. <br />For those unfamiliar, Problem Sleuth (and MSPA) is a comic set up like the old text based adventure games. I have met at least 4 people though who could not figure out how to read it. The book is for them. I have several images I love from the comic that I'd love to have on hand (since my laptop is not really portable anymore). The book is for me. <br />Hussie crammed the book with commentary, a fancy introduction (with one misspelling), additional art and amazingly made a comic that features a lot of animated pages INTERESTING. I cannot see him doing this easily with Homestuck but then, I never though a MSPA book would work. The pages are easy to read and the product is classy. The pages are even glossy without being overly glossy like Roomies! (as the book is mostly black and white). <br />My complaint with the book though is that it slightly spoils or hints at things which may harm people unfamiliar with the series but I cannot say that most people unfamiliar would give it a shot unlike the Perry Bible Fellowship book which is a shame. A+<br />Fun fact: I got <a href="http://i410.photobucket.com/albums/pp189/Koltreg/Photo589.jpg">this</a> in my package. This book has too many prices and values!<br /><br />BONUS FEATURES:<br />On a note about preordering while still in production - have an estimate of when you are going to finish the comic or have it ready. I ordered the Dead Winter book without knowing a lot of the art is being redone and mistakingly ordered a copy as a birthday gift. That was about 3 months ago though it is partially my fault. I still look forward to the book.<br /><br />Also if you strangely feel obligated to have a print copy of your book you would like me to review that you are willing to send for free, I would not be opposed to it. <br /><br />If you are going to make a book though, put in comments, put in bonus features, put in additional art. They can always read your comic for free online so why publish it without doing that? Giving you money is/should not an adequate reason.<br /><br />I have also looked through Gunnerkrigg Court Vol 1 and Hark! A Vagrant and used both as gifts. I don't have them on hand but if I recalled, GC lacked bonus features and Hark! had commentary.Koltreghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04621819959459846937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-168199827689362759.post-17879272592439773522010-05-04T02:08:00.000-04:002010-05-04T02:09:13.998-04:00Oh yeah, bloggingI apologize for my lack of blogging. I have been taking two online courses and one drained a lot of my desire to write. Luckily it ends after next week so then I will be back. <br /><br />Till then, Socialfist.Koltreghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04621819959459846937noreply@blogger.com0