Wednesday, August 31, 2011

WEBCOMIC WEDNESDAY: UPDATE FOR AUGUST 31, 2011

Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to announce that we have three webcomic updates for you.Two are new webcomic titles and one is an update of a fan favorite. Could things get any better at Champion City Comics?

DOCTOR DEATH VS THE ZOMBIE (ADULT LANGUAGE)

The "Almost a superhero" saga continues and we are excited to present pages 62 and 63 where Doctor Death and Phreaker meet up with some less-than-savory individuals. You haven't read Dr Death vs The Zombie? Click here to read it and thank us later. To view the pages below then click on each image.

 




BATTLE SPEED

Writer, Artist, and Letterer: Jacob Aaron Barnes

Synopsis : In the distant future, racing has assented to bigger and dangerous ways. Pilots must master these battle mechs on the giant battlefields, and a new team join the field. Richard and Melody go against the toughest pilots and mechs around, as a rookie team it'll take more than animal instinct to destroy all else in the way. 

CLICK ON FULLSCREEN AND SWITCH TO BOOK MODE FOR A GREAT READ!

Battle Speed                                                                                                   



THE CAPTIVE

Artist: Victor Pozzi 

Synopsis: Based on 1837 Argentine poem, La Cautiva, by Esteban Echeverría, this tale set in Western Argentina follows the capture of Brian and Maria by a group of Mapuche Indians. If you wish to view the poem (in Spanish) please click here. 

CLICK ON FULLSCREEN AND SWITCH TO BOOK MODE FOR A GREAT READ!

The Captive                                                                                                   

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

KAV & TONY BREAK IT DOWN: ACTION COMICS #311 'SUPERMAN, KING OF THE EARTH' (PART 2)

Yesterday, Kav and I tackled the first five pages of Action Comics 311 and we are not even close to being finished with this comic book. Let's get to business!

Click on image to view
Page 6



Kav: Superman angrily pounds his SOCK (It's not a boot, I don't care what anyone says) on the podium shouting SILENCE!!! ....I kill you. Then a movie mogul groans that the movie they just made about Superman will have to be scrapped since now he's evil, and his company is RUINED. Hey mogul, since Superman's evil and arrogant, you can just sell the movie to him for propaganda purposes. He can crush as many diamonds as you want to pay you.

Tony: Superman's Nikita Khrushchev moment is pretty pathetic because he gives the world 48 hours to accept Superman as their leader or face the consequences. That's a lame move, Superman. Give the world 48 hours to join forces and plan your demise. Wake up, bonehead.  

Page 7



Kav: Good, Clark opens the vault of kryptonite (why they need a vault for this stuff when it falls out of the air like manna is beyond me), but the world leaders refuse to use it. It wouldn't be LEGAL. So let's do the LEGAL thing and let evil Superman take over the earth ILLEGALLY. Christ.

Tony: Why did Superman stockpile a vault full of kryptonite? I understand he does not want it to fall into the hands of Luthor or Brainiac, but wouldn't make more sense to take the kryptonite, put it in a giant crate, and hurl it towards the sun? That's a really lame security proof vault. All it takes is a combination? Well, consider us helpless against this marvel of security. No retina scan?  No DNA sample needed? No voice activated codes? EPIC FAIL.

Page 8

 

Kav: The man who can vaporize the entire UN is told to 'wait' and they'll vote again tomorrow. Do I have to go into why this is dumb? Readers, you do the math on this one. OK, Superman freezes the desert with his SUPER BREATH. I propose that super-breath is impossible. According to Boyle's law, volume and pressure are inversely proportional. Thus the amount of air Superman can pull into his lungs is based on one thing: lung size. He cannot pull in any more air into his lungs than me or Tony. Even if he can juggle a PLANET.

Tony: This page is absolutely nuts. First, Superman rattles off some longitude and latitude coordinates and some dope stands up and says, "Oh no, that's by my military base". Hey dummy, don't go telling the UN where you keep your bases. Who gives the coordinates of their attack? Evil leaders do these things called SURPRISE ATTACKS. It's a true wonder that ice can not melt in the heat of the Sahara. Also, Superman easily creates another Beringia by defying all scientific logic.    

Page 9

 

Kav: After his aggressive display, Superman is again told to WAIT by the UN. Remember, he can vaporize them any time he wants and doesn't even really need their permission to do anything.

Tony: Did I just read this page correctly? Did the Chinese create a mock-up of New York City so they can detonate one of their weapons and blow it to bits? Who does something that stupid? They didn't build a mock-up of Tokyo or Berlin when they tested atomic bombs! This is absolute madness. 


TO BE CONTINUED...

Monday, August 29, 2011

KAV & TONY BREAK IT DOWN: ACTION COMICS #311 'SUPERMAN, KING OF THE EARTH'

Kav and I have returned for our action packed series where we review some of the less-than-memorable comics of the Golden and Silver Age. Get ready folks, we're about to tackle a doozy, Action Comics #311.

Click On Image To View

Page 1


Kav: Lois sees evil Superman carving a giant marble monument and thinks, "Maybe it's an imposter". Yeah, right toots-maybe it's just some doofus in a Superman suit who just happens to be able to fly around and punch off chunks of marble.

Tony: Take that, Michelangelo! A hammer and a chisel? Ha! Superman just karate chops rocks and they magically turn into a work of art. Superman has failed Absolute Monarch 101. A ruler never makes their own statues or palaces. They have slaves build them. I love how Clark and Jimmy visit some 'Minor Tropical Kingdom' and Clark turns into some flag waving hater. This is the time when there was the USA and a million backward countries.

  Page 2



Kav: Superman has to think quickly to slip away and change to handle an emergency because "Supergirl is away in the future". Uh, dumbass she can travel through time so she can go to the future, stay three years, and return one second before she left. It scares me that a dumbass like this has super-powers. So he flies to his fortress and his 'danger detector' spots a flock of Red K meteors. There is so much kryptonite flying around the universe that it seems to be the most abundant element, pushing out hydrogen. Then idiot thinks, "Wait-I forgot about that Red K cure I was working on". Yeah, if I had cancer and was working on a cure, I'd probably forget about it too.

Tony: Look at the goofball army that arrests Clark. They look like a clash of Ben Hur, The Wizard of Oz, and Lawrence of Arabia. Seriously, they have goofy Roman era helmets, bright green suits with ties, and rifles.So Clark was disrespectful just so he could get booted from the country and change into his Superman equipment. Why could he not have said, "Hey Jimmy, I need to take a leak, so why don't you watch the ceremony"? I have no idea why Clark made the thing an international incident. Does he watch Locked Up Abroad?

Page 3


Kav: Genius thinks blithely, "If my guess is right" then exposes himself to an unpredictable Red K/acid mixture. Uh...what if your guess is WRONG and the weird mix changes you into a guy that likes to Push Earth into the sun??? Huh? What then? Then evil Superman splits off and somehow knows the 'rules' of this plot, explaining to Kent how this Red K effect is different. Clark says "Maybe I have super-powers." Hey dummy-do you feel gravity? If so, YOU DO NOT HAVE SUPER POWERS.

Tony: I have a serious problem with this page. The mixture splits Clark into two beings, so the mixture was able to take Superman's power and create another Superman. It's funny to watch evil Superman kick open the door to the fortress and kick Clark to the curb. For someone left in the elements of the arctic, Clark sure holds up well. Many would die of exposure, but then again why use common sense with this comic book.

Page 4


Kav: Evil Superman crushes the phantom zone projector and Clark yells, "OWW!!my hand!" Uh...he's squeezing your WRIST, dude. A reporter should know the difference between a hand and a wrist.

Tony: That phantom zone projector would be best used if Clark could zap guys like Luthor, Brainiac, and Doomsday to the twilight dimension. His life would be much easier. I wonder if Rod Serling lives there. This evil Superman is dumber than Clark and possibly Olsen. What evil ruler of the Earth breaks a guy's wrist and puts him in the care of the Coast Guard? Evil Superman should have tossed Clark into the ocean so he could go on his merry way to carving a giant statue of himself.

Page 5


Kav: Clark thinks "I see it now-the Red K effected me by blah blah blah". Real scientific thinking, guy. One case study covers the full story.

Tony: One moment, Clark is captive on a Coast Guard vessel and later he flashes his credentials and hops a flight to New York City. A menace to society one minute and a hapless reporter the next. Jeez. Superman calls a UN meeting an everyone attends? This is the Cold War era and the USSR and China are like, "Yeah, let's go hear what the American capitalist pig has to say". This is beyond ridiculous.


TO BE CONTINUED...

Sunday, August 28, 2011

SUNDAY SONG SELECTION: SPIDER-MAN THEME BY THE RAMONES

Today's selection mixes the awesome punk power of The Ramones with a Saturday morning cartoon classic. Enjoy!

Saturday, August 27, 2011

COMING SOON: COALWATER

Champion City Comics is pleased to announce that we are launching yet another title during the upcoming months. Coalwater, a Western-style tale, come from the creative team of Hugh Orr and Will Harris was submitted for review early in August and it will definitely be an exciting addition to our webcomics community.

Synopsis: Coalwater is a town ravaged with little-to-corrupt law enforcement. Established circa 1826 in Ohio, Coalwater quickly became a ghost town within a decade. The town experienced a resurgence in 1861 when coal, copper, and iron deposits were discovered. Coalwater's rebirth led to an economic boom which led to widespread violence. We know you'll enjoy this action-packed epic so check out the cover below.

Click on image to view


Friday, August 26, 2011

ONE-SHOTS: COMICS IN THE DIGITAL ERA

I spent some time today reading through one of my all time favourite comics, St Swithin's Day by Grant Morrison and Paul Grist. It's an odd comic, one that I love but can't quite put my finger on why. That's not important for my purposes, however. What's important is that it was originally printed in four parts in the UK comic Trident and reprinted as a one shot by Oni Press in 1998. That was the last time that this comic saw print, and thinking about you can see why. It's not that it's bad, or that there's not a market for it, it's simply that it's too short to be continually reprinted. Like most one-shot comics, it won't get a reprint unless it's part of a themed volume.

            This seems to be the problem in the modern industry. Everything is geared towards collection, so projects tend to be at least three issues long or linked, like Warren Ellis' Apparat line so that the shelf life can be extended. Even at the big companies one-shot comics are thematically linked to the big events or another storyline so that can be used as much as possible. The art of the genuine one-shot comic, produced simply because it's a good comic seem to be long gone. There is a big 'but' coming, and it involves me beating one of my favourite drums, digital comics. Digitally Distributed Comics. Comics that no longer have shelf lives. The old problems of taking up valuable shelf space if it doesn't sell and the issue of print runs have no meaning in this new world. Digital shelves are infinitely long, and printers have gone the way of the steam engine. A comic like St Swithin's Day could live forever in this brave new world.

Wikipedia

            Digital retailers don't have to worry about backlogs of stock. They don't have to order huge numbers on the off chance that it might be the Next Big Thing. They can simply keep in the store and wait to see what happens. Along with the infinite shelf space, DDC can have infinite shelf lives. This opens up a whole world of possibilities. From a small press point of view, it's viable to make money from one-shots and to keep them in print, which has always been the tricky part. If a creator makes it big, all of their works will be available in digital form, easily searchable and readily available. Comics fans love nothing better than finding new creators then finding everything that they've ever done. This will make life easier for those obsessive fans, and help to keep the creators making money rather than the secondary market.

            There's an implication for the Big 2 as well. Both Marvel and DC have huge libraries of characters, many of which are going unused. A digital one shot would be a simple and effective way of reintroducing characters and concepts to to readers. The risk of commissioning an entire limited-series or even on going series can be mitigated drastically. Put out a short introduction to the character as a DDC. See what the reaction is. If it's positive, maybe try something longer. If it's not, there's been less of a loss than there would have been in print form, and it will stay in print. Maybe, somewhere down the line, the character or creative team will gain a spike in popularity. Well look here, here's a comic that we made earlier, readily available...

            I realise that all of this runs as almost counter intuitive to the last decade of comics. Comics aren't short any more. They're composed of long story lines that are, as I've already pointed out, designed for collection. Collecting comics for the book shop market was a great move for the comics industry, but it has led to problems. Stories can often seemed stretched to fit the page count, and short stories have to be worked around the longer ones, often in story-arcs comprised of individual stories. This has been a great model for the past decade, and it's worked well. Things are changing though. Digital content is taking off in a big way, and that brings new possibilities with it.

            Comics can now be about telling a good story, now matter how long it is. The market has already moved away from comics being throwaway items that only collectors had access to, and is ready to make the next great leap. Comics can now be available to anyone who wants them, at any time they want simply by clicking a button. There will no longer be an excuse for allowing short works to go out of print, or for not taking a risk on them in case they flop. The short term outlook that has held back the creation of short gems like St Swithin's Day over the past decade will soon be replaced by the creation of a long term market. Just as MP3s have made available entire back catalogues by musicians, B Sides included, comics will soon have an availability unparalleled in the history of the medium.

            Comics can now go back to being produced simply because they're good, not to feed a production and business model. Whether this will lead to better comics is anyone's guess, but it will at least make comics more interesting. Comics for comics sake, that no longer have to worry about going about of print. Now that could make for an interesting change in the market.

Lawrence Rider is a contributing writer at Champion City Comics and is currently developing a steampunk story titled Gaslight

Thursday, August 25, 2011

THE DEATH OF SUPERHERO COMICS?

           Grant Morrison (Zenith, 52, Batman and Robin) has foretold the death of the super hero comic.  In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, Morrison spoke of the New 52 and his run on the newly relaunched Action Comics.  When asked by Rolling Stone whether or not he thinks the industry is in a “death spiral” he replied

“Yeah. I kind of do, but again, you can always be wrong. There's a real feeling of things just going off the rails, to be honest. Superhero comics. The concept is quite a ruthless concept, and it's moved on, and it's kind of abandoned, the first-stage rocket.”



           When asked what he thought comics were being abandoned for he replied,  “…movies, where it can be more powerful, more effective.”

            Are things really that bad?  Is it truly a “death spiral”?  Comics have taken hits before.  In the years just after WWII, superhero comics fell out of fashion and only the heavy hitters like Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman managed to survive in stand alone books (Marvel giants such as Spider-Man and The Fantastic Four wouldn’t appear until the late 50’s to early 60’s).  It took a few truly talented creators to pull the industry up by its bootstraps and introduce characters that are today household names. 

            From one angle, comics can be viewed as an economy.  There are naturally ups and downs.  It could be that we’re just in the middle of a comics recession.  With time and a tightening of the belt on the number of books put out, in another five to ten years, comics may bounce back.

            It could also be that it’s time Marvel and DC take a breather.  I’ve never personally read Mark Waid’s Incorruptible or Robert Kirkman’s (The Walking Dead) Invincible but I’ve heard nothing but praise for them.  It could be that these are the heroes of this new generation.  Maybe for current comic readers, Marvel and DC’s long history and character baggage is just too burdensome.  Maybe for them, these new heroes are fledgling enough that they can jump on and get into these heroes in a big way.   Which circles back around into the rational behind The New 52.   Only time will tell if the relaunch is a good idea, if it was worth it.  But anything that gives Aquaman his own book is worth it in my eyes.

Michael Knoll is a contributing writer for Champion City Comics. Currently, he is developing a webcomic titled Red Racer.

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

WEBCOMIC WEDNESDAY: UPDATE FOR AUGUST 24, 2011

Summer is generally a slow time for updating webcomics at Champion City Comics, but we do have a new page ready for Dr. Death vs. The Zombie. During the upcoming months we are going to bring you some new and exciting titles. We have an exciting international crime fighting pulp style story titled Red Devil and we will have a fun Manga style webcomic titled Battle Speed available sometime next week or early September.

Do you have a webcomics project that you want posted at Champion City Comics? Please review our submissions policy and we'll review your project. Thanks!

Click on the image below to read

Dr. Death vs The Zombie

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

KAV & TONY BREAK IT DOWN: JIMMY OLSEN #60 (PART 2)

Kav and I survived the first four pages of this goofy adventure, so let's see what we can handle today. Come on kids, let's break it down some more.

Click on each image to view

Page 5

 

Kav: This page cracks me up. It says so much about that red headed hamburger, Jimmy Olsen. He thinks to himself, "I'm no military genius....or am I?" Then he spends a bunch of time getting uniforms and costumes etc together as if this is more important than acting quickly when robots are about to attack Metropolis! Then he says, "These muskets ought to work" even though they are PROPS from a theatrical shop! Yep folks, he's a military genius all right!

Tony: Jimmy doesn't think, "I'm no military genius...", he actually says it to the wife beater wearing alien. Was that a trunk of disguises or did Jimmy raid the wardrobe department for The Music Man? As a historian, my head nearly exploded when the man gave Jimmy and the alien some "Revolutionary War" costumes and muskets. Look at those uniforms, folks. Short sleeves?! I guess that's why the soldiers froze to death at Valley Forge. Muskets?! Those look like rifles to me, you idiot. Does Jimmy think that muskets will stop robots? Not real muskets, but musket props! You may be thinking, "What's with the anger, Tony? These comics were written for children." Shut up. Muskets take forever and a day to load. Rifles can be loaded ahead of time. Are they going to use blanks? Are the guns really loaded? Who uses real bullets on a movie set? Are they filming Earth Invaded or The Crow? Finally, look at the aliens in the bottom panel. Are there drummers in the army? Oh, that will stop the robot onslaught. Jimmy and his army should die on principle alone.      

Page 6

 

Kav: I can't take much more. Jimmy exhorts his 'army' to 'fire'. Remember, these are PROPS. Even Bizzarro #1 could do a better job of leading an army than this dipstick. Then they throw some expansible matter cubes to block the robots, stating it will take hours to break through them or, they could just GO AROUND. Luckily, they're as dumb as Jimmy.

Tony: Jimmy threatens his troops with a court-martial? I'm sure the Geneva Convention covers alien soldiers. I don't know what's more lame, the painfully slow advancement of the robot army or Jimmy's idiot F Troop. If the robots were created by a supreme brain then they would be equipped with lasers and fry that sad excuse for a military. Oh, the cubes will stop the robots? Why can't the robots pick up the cubes and crush the army? I'm sure there's some guy reading that page thinking, "Of course the aliens don't want to fight. Green liberal hippies".

Page 7

Kav: Sergeant ZXL? Again with the extreme use of the terminal letters of the alphabet. I have just one comment for this page: WORST GENERAL EVER.

Tony: These classic comics are absolutely brilliant. Jimmy walks into a general's office and tries to convince him that he should attack the robots. They make it look like the general has a regular ol' office in the city. I mean it would make more sense to have his office in an undisclosed location on a highly secured military base where morons like Olsen can't bother him. I had to laugh when Olsen wondered what Custer would do at the Little Bighorn. Spoiler alert: Custer died! Also, Custer was one of the worst students in his class at West Point. Ugh, we've got two more pages of this nonsense.    

Page 8

 

Kav: MOVIE PROP ROBOTS FROM THE SIXTIES CAN ACTUALLY FUNCTION AND FIGHT?????? Then Jimmy gives them MORE prop guns? Yeah, that ought to do it, chump.

Tony: Jimmy calls for a "suicide charge?" He watched the evil robots tear the movie prop robots to shreds and thinks it's a good idea to charge them in order to "bluff" them? If I were one of the aliens, I would hit Jimmy over the head with my movie prop to knock him out before he re-enacts Pickett's Charge. 

Page 9

 

Kav: Thank God this is the final page because I don't want Tony to rip out ALL of his hair. Just some of it. As usual, Superman returns from the 'Distant Universe' just when the plot requires it. Advice for the idiot aliens who started the whole mess: DON'T REWIRE THE ROBOT BRAIN!!!!

Tony: I don't have that much hair left to rip out, Kav. Thanks for thinking of me. It's sad that all it took to stop the evil giant super robot was a bit of heat from Superman and Supergirl. You'd think the wife beater wearing aliens would have figured that out a long time ago. I mean they built the damn thing! Someone would have realized, "Oh, yeah! The main circuits are vulnerable so let's blast it with a laser."  

That's all for this edition, folks. We'd love to know what you think about our Kav & Tony series! Don't worry, we have another Superman story to break down next week.

Monday, August 22, 2011

KAV & TONY BREAK IT DOWN: JIMMY OLSEN #60

Kav and I have returned for our popular series of breaking down Golden and Silver Age comics. This week, we are going to take on Jimmy Olsen #60 titled 'The Fantastic Army of General Olsen'. Here we go!

Click on the pages to view

Page 1


Kav: OK, it starts off like any normal day at the Daily Planet with some weirdo entering the office. I've noticed that the Planet reporters don't do much work, mainly the stand around staring at whoever this story is about - in this case Jimmy.

Tony: First of all, it is amazing that there were fifty-nine Jimmy Olsen comic books before this one. The first panel shows Jimmy, dressed in full Nutcracker regalia, and he is leading some green martian army against a giant Erector Set known as the Mechanical Brain 'from space'. I guess they do not want readers to get the villain mixed up with another Mechanical Brain. How is this piece of junk an undefeated force? Looks like one has to fire the rust cannon and that thing is toast. Judging by the rifles that the martians are armed with, it looks like we know why the Mechanical Brain always wins. Martians have lasers, but not in this comic book. Let's move on to the Daily Planet where Jimmy meets Princess Mara. It's wonderful how she shows off her superior powers by blasting a light bulb. 

Page 2


Kav: Jimmy thinks, 'She sure is pretty' - yeah, I guess so, even though her hair looks like a pontoon. Jimmy notes that Superman and Supergirl are away in a 'distant universe'. WTF? A distant solar system, even distant galaxy wasn't far enough away to keep Superman out of this story, no, he has to be in a DISTANT UNIVERSE! Then Jimmy tells the chick that his 'story on her' will make her famous. Hey dumbass, she's an actress and already famous! Also, its interesting how a cub reporter consistently gets his articles printed above the fold.

Tony: Earth Invaded is a terrible movie title and it sounds like something that would come from the mind of Michael Bay. *Shiver* There was a time when the media wouldn't plug a movie? Shocking! 

Page 3


Kav: These aliens are from the planet 'Xar'. Why is every alien planet heavy on the X, Y, and Z letters? Why not planet Eupo or something?

Tony: Looks like wife beaters and Speedos are the only fashion choice for males on Xar. What's with the cube? Are we supposed to be impressed that they can take a small cube and make it big? Little Miss Hollywood made a better impression by destroying Jimmy's lamp. If those goofballs can develop the machines then they have the ability to destroy the machines.

Page 4


Kav: Ok, Harlan Ellison needs to retract his lawsuit from the Terminator movie where he got cash because he wrote a similar story about robots taking over before Terminator came out, because here we have the basic plot line in a Jimmy Olsen comic from 1962. Then Jimmy tries to warn the police about the invasion, but Perry White has already called the police and warned them not to pay attention to Jimmy. Man they had good communication back then. Also, why in these comics does nobody CALL THE POLICE? They always WALK to the police station to make their complaint.

Tony: Why are Olsen and the little green men the only ones paying attention to the Mechanical Brain building other robots? These classic comic books are always filled with giant projects of doom that are witnessed by one or two people. It's great that Olsen demands Perry, not the mayor or governor, to call the police, army, and navy. "You need me to call in the army? I have their number in my Rolodex! Hello, Uncle Sam?" Although we've been reminded twenty times that Superman and Supergirl are far away, Jimmy lacks the brainpower to call Batman, The Flash, Wonder Woman, or Green Lantern. Somehow, this clown leads the little men into battle.

TO BE CONTINUED...   

Sunday, August 21, 2011

SUNDAY SONG SELECTION: IRON MAN BY BLACK SABBATH

In an alternate universe, I am a rock critic. My essays on rock music are honest and well-written, plus I avoid pontificating to the masses. Music fans read my work and say, "This guy is pretty damn good" or "This guy is a complete douche". That's in an alternate universe.

Here in the reality that is Champion City Comics, I share with you every Sunday my song selection. Today's choice is in my opinion the greatest 'superhero' song ever. Black Sabbath's 1970 album, Paranoid, delivered some Sabbath classics, including today's selection. If you've never heard the song then I pity you for missing out on one of the most metal songs ever recorded. Enjoy. 

Saturday, August 20, 2011

COOL WEBCOMIC: SUPERMASSIVE BLACK HOLE A*

I had no idea what I was getting in to when I launched Champion City Comics. My knowledge of the webcomics community was pretty limited, and at the time, I was very certain that Champion City Comics was a small fish in a small pond. To my amazement, I discovered that Champion City Comics was a small fish in the ocean. The amount of webcomics I discovered was mind-boggling. After spending time reviewing the competition, I discovered that there were two camps: webcomics that were developed by serious people or communities and there were webcomics that were just awful due to the dimwitted creator or "creative" team that did a half-ass job of putting it together.

I decided to check on the serious webcomics developers because I wanted to know why they were successful. What did I discover? To keep readers interested, the webcomics were updated weekly or daily. The webcomic creators used social media outlets like Facebook and Twitter to keep fans up-to-date about their webcomics. The webcomic creators added blog entries, articles, videos, etc to their sites for added information. The webcomic creators advertised at high traffic sites. At first, I resisted and decided to do it my way. That worked to an extent but I decided to do it right and get Champion City Comics on the same level as the best.

What webcomics do I consider to be the best? One of my personal favorites is Supermassive Black Hole A* (aka SMBHAX), a webcomic that is updated Monday through Friday by creator Ben Chamberlain. SMBHAX is a hard sci-fi  tale set in outer space where corporate goons, bounty hunters, and disgruntled workers clash. I've been impressed with the storyline and am a fan of black and white webcomics. I've discovered that there is a deep hatred with some readers regarding black and white webcomics, but haters gonna hate. Not only is this a very cool webcomic, but Chamberlain was able to create episodes that turns the experience into a motion comic. I've embedded the first and second episodes for you to watch. Enjoy!









Friday, August 19, 2011

COMING SOON: GASLIGHT - A STEAMPUNK ADVENTURE

When I launched Champion City Comics during the fall of 2009, it was strictly for my comic book project. However, my one comic book project became three and then I decided to accept scripts from writers to see if they had an excellent story or two for the site. Reviewing scripts is not all fun and games because some writers lack the ability to create stories where characters have depth and the plot is well-structured or slightly interesting. And then there are the few that deliver an amazing story.

Lawrence Rider, a writer from England, contacted me back in June regarding a script he had in development. His story was titled Gaslight and it was a steampunk tale where a detective by the name of Solomon Cold investigates a series of abductions that are linked to a mad scientist known as the Pneumatist. His script was pretty solid and I did not have an artist available. But magic happens at Champion City because an artist, George Athanasiou, contacted me to see if he could be part of a webcomics project. His style was perfect for Gaslight so I teamed him up with Lawrence. In the upcoming months you will get to see the first four or five pages of this exciting tale. For now, enjoy some teaser artwork.

CLICK ON THE IMAGE BELOW TO VIEW

 

Thursday, August 18, 2011

KAV & TONY BREAK IT DOWN: ACTION COMICS #305 'WHY SUPERMAN NEEDS A SECRET IDENTITY' (PART 4)

Ladies and gentleman, this is the last entry for Action Comics #305 titled 'Why Superman Needs A Secret Identity'. However, due to the popularity of the Kav & Tony blog entries, this will be a weekly feature at Champion City Comics. Enjoy!

Click on the image to view

Page 13

 
Kav: Why does he have to disguise himself as a hobo? He can get money and rent a nice hotel indefinitely. If Clark can do that ridiculous glass blowing then there are a billion easier ways to solve this problem. Also, if he did that glass blowing at supersonic speed then the sonic boom would have blown up the nitro. Oh I forgot, it wasn't even nitro. Then my first observation holds since TNT is not a contact explosive. Superman should have known this and he should have just walked up and bitch slapped the dude. 

Tony: Do you watch infomercials? You know how they have a tendency to make the simplest tasks to be nearly impossible? "Oh my god, I can't organize a spice rack!" "Boiling water for spaghetti?! Inconceivable!" That's how I feel with this story. First, we have Clark in his Howard Hughes or Errol Flynn disguise deciding that life would be easier on skid row. Doesn't this guy know that the Justice League would help a brother out? He could crash at Wayne Manor and get a job with Barry Allen at the police department. Personally, it would have been cooler if he joined the band Skid Row. Clark and Sebastian Bach would belt out some I Remember You, "Remember yesterday, walking hand in hand. Love letters in the sand, I remember youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu." I think Clark would add some "I love you, Lois!" moments during the song and get fired from the band. Rock and roll ain't easy, kids. I love how Clark is jailed for vagrancy. If he can move at supersonic speed to stop Benny the Blaster then why doesn't he just vanish in the blink of an eye when he's arrested. I know Clark's a do-gooder, but couldn't he have pulled some diplomatic immunity? He's NOT FROM EARTH! The laws don't apply to you, bro.    

Page 14


Kav: You go, Clark! In panel three, suddenly for the first time, Clark is a badass. WTF man?!
Tony: Superman can drink dangerous liquids?! On the previous page, he was worried that he could not find a job. Join the Jim Rose Circus, you freak! Again, I'm baffled by the inconsistencies in this story. On one page he can't get a fake ID while on another he's drinking some explosive liquid. Uh-oh, I see a Tootsie Roll advertisement. Do you know what that means? Click here and thank me later.

For those of you that enjoyed this series, we'll be back with another review from the Jimmy Olsen comic book. 

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

WEBCOMIC WEDNESDAY: DR. DEATH VS THE ZOMBIE & THE CAPTIVE

Some of our titles at Champion City Comics are updated every Wednesday, and this week, we have updated Dr. Death vs The Zombie. Kav and I are pleased to present to you pages 59 and 60 of this 'almost a superhero' adventure in Las Vegas. You haven't read the story yet? If that's the case then you better start with Dr. Death vs. The Vampire. If you're a faithful reader then we're pleased to announce that there will be another Dr. Death story later this year. 

To view the pages please click on the images below



I am also very pleased to present the first five pages of a new project titled The Captive featuring the pencils and inks of Victor Pozzi, the artist for Westwood, Naira, and Naira 2. The Captive is based on the 1837 poem La Cautiva by Esteban Echeverria, an Argentine writer. La Cautiva is set in Western Argentina and tells of a story of Brian and Maria who are taken captive by a group of Mapuche raiders and eventually escape only to find themselves at the mercy of the land. 
Victor emailed me the proposal earlier this year and I agreed to assist on the project. We decided to stay true to the majority of the poem, but we decided to make a couple of changes to the story. This project is currently in development, but please review the pages below.

Please click on the image below to view


Tuesday, August 16, 2011

KAV & TONY BREAK IT DOWN: ACTION COMICS #305 'WHY SUPERMAN NEEDS A SECRET IDENTITY' (PART 3)

Ladies and gentlemen, we present you another Kav & Tony blog entry for Action Comics #305 titled 'Why Superman Needs A Secret Identity'.

Click on the image below to view. 

Page 10


Kav: What's with the elaborate gold key nonsense? Just walk up to Clark and say, 'Here' and hand him the gold key. I find it astounding that Superman didn't even notice when he lost his powers and only found out when someone dropped a helmet on his foot. I would notice if I could hear a gnat cough in China, felt basically no tug of gravity, was really smart, and the next second - well, you know. Why did the crooks even need to know that Clark was Superman in the first place? This whole plan could have been carried out without this info.

Tony: This page fuels my dislike for Superman. You give this guy unlimited powers and yet you make him into a complete buffoon who can't hear three goons plotting his demise in an adjacent room. EPIC FAIL! Also, what astronaut wears their spacesuit and carries around a helmet following their mission? Does gold kryptonite permanently wipe out Superman's powers? If so, then WAKE UP, LUTHOR. 

Page 11

    
Kav: Couldn't Superman have summoned a robot to deal with this as he has done many times before? Is he wearing a wig because there is no way to bleach his hair?

Tony: We're back to the Benny the Blaster page and Clark decides to take one for the team. Perry tells Superman to get it together, so he joins the police academy. Kav, you're right about bleaching his hair. However, I find it odd that Superman can't grow a 'stache.  

Page 12


Kav: They just accept without suspecting that he's Superman because NO NEEDLE CAN PENETRATE HIS SKIN? WTF?! Any lowlife criminal can create a fake identity but Superman, with all of the universe's resources past and future along with the Justice League, can not create a fake identity?

Tony: You're preaching to the choir, brother Kav. Also, the genius decides to put on a display of strength that seems impossible for any human being. Way to blend in, dummy. 


TO BE CONTINUED!  

Monday, August 15, 2011

KAV & TONY BREAK IT DOWN: ACTION COMICS #305 'WHY SUPERMAN NEEDS A SECRET IDENTITY' (PART 2)

If you have not read the first part of this entry then check it out here. Kav and I are back to review pages four, five, and six of this comic book. Enjoy!

Click on the image to read!

Page 4


Kav: Why is Superboy still in school since everyone knows he's Clark? His supreme brain knows more than the teacher's puny one. Also, he doesn't leave a Superboy robot behind to protect his parents or give them super powers or a force field.

Tony: This may be the only time where we have a legitimate reason for not keeping a kid in school. DC decided to pull a Batman and have a gunman kill the Kent's. Don't worry folks, if they would have kept the storyline then they would have found a way to bring back the Kent's like the way they resurrect any character. Anyway, if Clark can see a dirigible in trouble then why was he not scanning his parent's house for trouble? 
Page 5


Kav: All Superman had to do was explain that he would be leaving if people bothered him, like I do, and his problems would be over.

Tony: We get the point, DC. Yes, it's hard to be famous, especially if you're Superman. Looks like how we found out how Lex Luthor found you in the first panel. Once Superman moves into my apartment building then that's the moment where I submit my notice to end my lease. Why does Superman need an apartment? They should have put him in a timeshare with Green Lantern and The Flash. Come on DC, superheroes have to live somewhere that's off the grid.

Page 6


Kav: Luthor has seen Superman flying around plenty of times and never shot him down with a kryptonite gun, so why is it now so special?

Tony: The governor decides to kick out Superman because he's a nuisance to Metropolis? Good job, stupid. Let Luthor take over and have Brainiac as the chief of police. I love how the arrow at the North Pole points towards the Fortress of Solitude.Yes General Zod, this is where I'm hiding. Good grief.

TO BE CONTINUED...


Sunday, August 14, 2011

SUNDAY SONG SELECTION: SUNSHINE SUPERMAN

Sunday Song Selection is our special Sunday entry where we feature a song that deals with comic book heroes and all things geek related. Last week, we gave you 'Jimmy Olsen's Blues' and this week we are keeping up with the Superman theme by giving you Donovan's 'Sunshine Superman', a hit for the Scottish singer-songwriter during the summer of 1966. Enjoy!


Saturday, August 13, 2011

THE OFFICIAL CHAMPION CITY COMIC CON POSTER

Recently, I posted some information regarding the Champion City Comic Con, which will be held on September 10, 2011 at the Shouvlin Center (Wittenberg University) in lovely Springfield, Ohio. Scott Riley from Main Street Comics emailed me the official poster yesterday. Click on the image below to enlarge.


Friday, August 12, 2011

KAV & TONY BREAK IT DOWN: ACTION COMICS #305 - 'WHY SUPERMAN NEEDS A SECRET IDENTITY'

Yesterday, we introduced to you the first of the Kav & Tony Break It Down series, and as a special treat, we're providing you another edition by reviewing Action Comics #305 titled 'Why Superman Needs A Special Identity'.

Why are we breaking down some Golden Age and Silver Age comics? While some of these comics have delivered some classic tales, they have also given us some WTF moments where we must examine the madness of these stories. We understand that comics were generally written for a younger audience, but even young readers were/are pretty sharp at discovering some holes in the story.

If you read yesterday's blog entry, you will discover that I'm not a fan of Superman. It's nothing personal against the Man of Steel, but I feel that writers have made him so powerful and indestructible that the end result is a pretty 'blah' character missing Batman's edge and the Hulk's anger management issues.

Lets break down this comic. Be sure to click the image to read the page. 

Page 1
 

Kav: I've always wondered about kryptonite because sometimes it acts instantly and sometimes not. The shells are bouncing off of him, so won't he be OK when he gets out of range?

Tony: I don't know where to begin with this page. We have Lex Luthor waiting for Superman with a giant canon that fires useless kryptonite shells. Also, if Lex knows where Superman lives then why not pull some surprise attack instead of waiting for the guy to fly out the window? Lex get's an "A" for effort but an "F" in the weapons department. Mastermind? I think not. Let's move on to Superman. This guy is a real dope for putting innocent people in danger by living in an apartment building where his enemies can easily attack. I can't imagine the renters insurance one would pay in Metropolis because they live in Superman's building. It's amazing that Superman doesn't look out his window before flying. "Oh, there's a guy with a canon outside my window. I wonder if he's going to shoot me."
Page 2


Kav: The crook threatens them with a bottle of TNT?! As far as I know, this is an empty threat because TNT in a bottle is pretty harmless. Things would be different if it was nitroglycerine. Superman groans that he's helpless in his Clark guise, but apparently he's forgotten all of the clever things he's done before in his Clark guise to get himself out of trouble.

Tony: Did the hospital not have someone working security? Who lets a guy named Benny the Blaster into the building? It's like having Pete the Pedophile walking into a school. Why was Clark scared? He should have known that Benny the Blaster's threat was a lie because who would be willing to blow themselves up over some radium?

Page 3


Kav: Clark uses heat vision to instantly melt the asphalt which instantly halts the car. I don't see how this is possible. I've driven on newly poured hot asphalt and my car did not 'halt', but instead, a bunch of tiny rocks rattled in my undercarriage. The Kent's were embarrassed, so they made Clark reveal his identity because they don't want a loser for a son. A less extreme solution would be the Kent's asking Clark to act less scared and more tough. There are plenty of tough guys and nobody thinks they're Superman. It's obvious to act meek if you're actually Superman but more sly to act aggressive.

Tony: It's interesting how the sun magically melted one small section of the pavement. Was that a solar flare or some activity from a super volcano? If I were Clark in this panel, I'd have a different response to Ma and Pa Kent when they told me to stop being timid. I'd have used the heat vision to melt Ma Kent and be like, "You're not my real dad, John. Go make me dinner before you get extra crispy like your old woman."

TO BE CONTINUED...

Thursday, August 11, 2011

KAV & TONY BREAK IT DOWN: SUPERMAN & THE LEGION OF SUPER-CREATURES

The Golden Age and Silver Age of comics have given us some memorable stories and characters. Both eras delivered some head-scratching moments, so Kav and I decided to break down some of the most ridiculous panels from the comics and expose some of the flaws.

Today's selection is Action Comics #326 titled Superman vs The Legion of Super-Creatures.

Let's review pages one to three. Click on the images below to read the comic. 

 Page 1


Kav: Great drawing, eh?

Tony: I'll agree that it's not an impressive opening panel, but I'll start out by saying I've never been a fan of Superman. The guy is pretty much indestructible plus he's pretty dopey as a hero. Look at this mess of an opening page. Superman's pose is that of a man yawning. Did you read what Superman said? If the bugs eat everything, then why are they not eating Superman? It's not good when the first page is a FAIL.

Page 2





Kav: This starts off like any horror film where people are happily water skiing. As far as I know, this is one of the few, if not the only image of Clark in swim trunks. Clark pushes the boat, which is towing him, with super breath. Apparently, he knows nothing about the laws of physics. Specifically, the one about equal but opposite reactions.

Tony: I am dumbfounded by Lois' lack of common sense on this page. First, what kind of person takes a boat out without checking the fuel level? "Oh, the thingy reads 'E', that must mean 'Enough'". And when the boat runs out of fuel, Lois just dives right into the water so she can swim to shore. Why would you abandon ship to swim to shore to get fuel? Is she going to get a can of fuel, strap it to her back, and swim back to Clark? The boat is not on fire you nimrod. I'm sure a good Samaritan would have assisted Lois and Clark. Don't forget, the people on the other boat mentioned a sea creature, so Lois dives into the water. Lois' ultimate moment of stupidity is when she sees Clark "pushing" the boat with his breath. This highly impossible and insane moment is made even crazier by Lois thinking to herself that the boat must have had enough gas and had the ability to steer Clark on the water. 

Page 3


Kav:  Why doesn't Lois know that Clark is lying when he says, "Wait till I tell you what I - uh - saw"? There is a creature stronger than the guy that can singlehandedly demolish the earth, so Superman's response is 'The lake will have to be closed...". 

Tony: I'm glad we're only reviewing the first three pages because my anger is at a Lewis Black level. What's puzzling to me is that the creature appears, causes some major waves, and then goes back to some lazy swimming after an altercation with Superman. What a lousy, stupid creature. Drop some depth charges down there and blow up the Loch Ness Rattlesnake for crying out loud. END OF STORY.

Don't worry folks, Kav and I have some more Superman comics to review for upcoming articles.

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

WEBCOMIC WEDNESDAY

Some of our titles at Champion City Comics are updated every Wednesday. This week, we have an updated Dr Death vs The Zombie by TonyDoug Wright and A. Kaviraj. If you're a fan of The Watchmen then you are really going to enjoy this follow-up to Dr. Death vs The Vampire.

Check out some of the new pages below. BE SURE TO CLICK ON EACH IMAGE TO VIEW.



Monday, August 8, 2011

THE TOP TEN RULES OF SUPERHERO COMICS

A. Kaviraj is an artist for Champion City Comics and plays a key role in the development of our webcomics. His comic book knowledge runs deep and recently he submitted this list of rules for superhero comics. As you know, all lists are subjective, so please enjoy!

1. Whenever two superheroes meet for the first time they will fight. Also, they will be equally matched for the duration of the flight.

Bleedingcool.com


2. No amount of ninjas can ever defeat a superhero. Or anyone, really.



3. No matter how many ninjas you defeat, there are always twice as many left.



4. No matter how many times Lex Luthor sneaks a piece of kryptonite on Superman, Superman still never learns to do a full body scan from a mile away with his x-ray vision.

Villains.Wikia


5. No one can ever recognize voices in superhero comics and say things like, "Peter? Is that you? That IS you!" to Spiderman.

Pjibayan.Wordpress


6. Superheroes are stupid and always have the same friends with both identities. Luckily those friends are even stupider and something like a pair of glasses will make their best friend unrecognizable.

Popped-Corn.com


7. Everything was just fine on Earth until superheroes arrived. Then the mad scientists, alien invasions, super volcanoes, dimensional threats, etc began.

Marvel.Wika


8. A group of superheroes has the same effectiveness as a lone superhero, since they both fight with the same menaces and defeat them, either alone, or as a group.

iFanboy.com


9. A superhero can somehow fit superhero boots, which are larger than his shoes, under his shoes while in his secret identity.


DC.Wika

10. A burst of radiation will give you super powers, unlike the real world, where it gives you tumors.

Caninemafioso.com


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