One of my favorite new series to come along in a while has been Zenescope’s Myths & Legends, the companion book to their flagship title Grimm Fairy Tales. It has done a great job of taking story elements from early issues of Grimm Fairy Tales and expanding upon them, fleshing them out while moving the entire narrative of the Grimm Universe forward. In the second Myths & Legends collection, The Little Mermaid, they do exactly that and still manage to scare the crap out of the reader at the same time.

The trade collects issues 8 through 11 of the series, again written by Raven Gregory. Here he takes the story of the Little Mermaid, which Grimm Fairy Tales has already visited in issues 25 and 26 of that series (more…)

This week in the Comic Roundup I review Nightwing, which this month ties into the Night of the Owls event, the return of Youngblood, the title that launched Image, and a comic book that is all about the fighting, AvX Versus.

Nightwing #9
By Kyle Higgins, Eddy Barrows and Andres Guinaldo

When the titles in the New 52 were announced and it was revealed that Dick Grayson would be returning to his Nightwing persona after a time as Batman, I was thrilled. He is one of the more fully fleshed out heroes in comics and I was glad the spotlight was going to be fully on Nightwing again. But I had no clue when the Court of Owls storyline began that it was going to elevate Nightwing to almost equal status with The Batman, which has been a long time coming.

See, in the Court of Owls, storyline, it has been revealed that the Grayson family has long taken the role of the Court’s lethal assassins, the Talons. Dick Grayson was supposed to be one of them, but fate stepped in and changed the plan. Now, in this Night of the Owls tie-in issue, Dick has to fight his great grandfather to save the Mayor of Gotham. Over the course of these events, Higgins and Batman writer Scott Snyder have made Dick Grayson a character with equal weight to Bruce Wayne, something that writers have been struggling to do for decades. He has officially stepped out from under Batman’s cape and become a stronger, more prominent hero in his own right. The icing on the cake is the art by Barrows and Guinaldo, who do some great work and make the revelations of the issue all the more powerful.

If you haven’t been reading Nightwing, start. Now. (more…)

What if you could use science to make sure that your significant other is the one? That is the premise behind the romantic comedy Losing Control, a film by native Philadelphian Valerie Weiss.

The story of the movie follows a young scientific protegee who is trying to get results from her long term experiments as well as her long term boyfriend by using the scientific method. The cast includes Miranda Kent and Reid Scott and the film is written and directed by Weiss.

She explains that the genesis of the film came to her while in school.

“While I was in grad school I wondered what would happen if a woman in her 20’s could understand science and use it to her advantage in gaining control of her love life,” Weiss explains. “It made me wonder what if you could use your brain to make sure you have an everlasting romance.”

Losing Control is playing at the Landmark Ritz at the Bourse starting through May 24th and Weiss will be holding a Q&A session after the 7:30PM shows through Wednesday.

So head out to the Ritz at the Bourse, support a Philly native and learn all about better love through science.

Losing Control @ the Bourse
Now through May 24th, 2012
400 Ranstead Street Philadelphia, PA 19106
www.losingcontrolmovie.com

Inside the Wagner

We all use electricity every day for almost everything we do (just try to charge your precious cell phone without it) but we almost never think about where it comes from. Luckily, there are people a hell of a lot smarter than us who do know and are willing to share.

On Wednesday, May 23rd at 5:30 PM, the Wagner Free Institute of Science will present their last Weeknights at the Wagner lecture, “Electrifying Philadelphia: Pageantry, Progress, and Power in the City Beautiful.” Dr. Aaron Wunsch, a lecturer in Penn’s Graduate Program in Historic Preservation, will talk about how Philadelphia first began using electricity, its advertising and how it spread to other parts of the area.

The lecture is free and open to the public with a Members Reception following afterwards. And just think; the next time the power goes out, you’ll be able to regale everyone with stories of how electricity first came to Philly to keep people entertained. Win/win.

Electrifying Philadelphia
May 23rd, 2011, 5:30pm

Wagner Free Institute of Science
1700 West Montgomery Ave. Philadelphia, PA 19121
(215) 763-6529
www.wagnerfreeinstitute.org

Because someday… this could be you.

All your life you have dreamed of working in advertising. So you went to school, got your degree, graduated and now have a kick-ass portfolio you are just dying to show off and can’t wait to get your career as a creative professional off the ground. Or maybe you worked in advertising, but with the economy the way it is, got laid off or downsized and are looking for an opportunity to start over and get the creative juices flowing again.

Now, for the tenth time, Portfolio Night will descend on Philadelphia and give aspiring copywriters, art directors and designers the chance to network and show off their portfolios to creative directors from some of the city’s top agencies. Done in a “speed dating” format, you will be able to have your portfolio looked at and reviewed by directors from the city’s top design firms, make connections and get valuable feedback.

So put the finishing touches of your portfolio and be at Lincoln Financial Field (West Club Level) on May 23rd at 5:00 PM. The cost if $30, but experiences like this are really invaluable. And who knows, you may walk away with that creative job you have always dreamed about.

Portfolio Night 10
www.portfolionight.com/10

If you have ever starred blankly at your Kindle because it wouldn’t work right or tried to figure out how to set up a TypePad blog and went to the bookstore to get some help, then you probably know the name Scott McNulty. The author of several books about everything from Google + to WordPress, Scott has been helping people get in touch with their technology for years.

Scott was nice enough to answer a few questions about writing, being a foodie and giving writing advice to your wife.

So tell the Geekadelphia readers about yourself. Have you always been a tech guy?

I’ve always been a geek, even in the Dark ages when that wasn’t cool, but I haven’t always been a tech guy. I spent most of my childhood/teen years reading about elves and spaceships, but I wasn’t really interested in technology. In fact, I didn’t even own a computer of my own until a year after I graduated from college in 1999.

What’s the hardest part of taking something like, say, the Kindle Fire, and making it easy for anyone to use?

Probably getting people to realize that tech books offer up useful information that you won’t find in the manual. Technology companies spend a lot of money trying to convince people that their products are “intuitive” and “easy to use.” In some cases this is true, but I find that lots of people still turn to the geeks in their lives to answer a variety of questions.

When I write I try to image myself in that role of tech confidante, answering the questions people have but might be hesitant to ask because the gadget they’re using is supposed to be so simple to use.

Other than that it is all about judging how much your reader knows vs. what they don’t. Will they know what “tapping” and “swiping” on a screen means? Surely they’ve heard of apps, but do they really know what apps are?

You are also something of a foodie. Are there any similarities between writing about food and tech?

I don’t do a heck of a lot of food writing, but I can tell you that people really into food, just like those really into tech, have strong opinions and aren’t afraid to share them.

Your wife Marisa McClellan just published the Food in Jars cookbook. As someone who has written a whole bunch of tech how-to books, did you have any advice for her?

All writers have a natural enemy: the deadline. My biggest piece of advice for Marisa, which she ignored, was: start writing as much as you can now even though your deadline is months and months away. When I wrote my first book I had something like 7 months to write it, so I spent the first month thinking about how cool it was I was writing a book.

I spent the second month thinking maybe I should start. The third month was devoted to really getting that outline fleshed out while the fourth month was all about organizing my desk (I can’t write this all these distractions!). Then I freaked out because I only had a few weeks to turn in the first half of the book, so I spent as many of my waking hours as possible feverishly writing.

I hoped to spare Marisa this experience, but you really have to live through it to understand.

So what’s next for you in terms of writing?

I’m sure I’ll write another tech book or two that no one in my family will read.

If you had a choice, get your hands on the next-gen iPad a month before everyone else or dinner at a brand new high end restaurant so you could write a review, which would you choose?

Assuming the dinner was free, I’d go with the restaurant. It would be neat to play with a next-gen iPad, but you have to return those review units so I’d end up buying one for myself. However, I don’t think the restaurant would want me to return my meal.

Scott’s Website
www.blankbaby.com

Fork You
www.forkyou.tv

Have you ever watched a parade and then had a burning desire to build a float of your own and take it for a spin? Or watch as floats go by you in person? If you said no, then, well, go to the next post and have a nice day.

However, if you said a resounding yes, then get your tools out and get to building. As part of the Trenton Avenue Arts Festival, they will be holding the 6^th annual Kensington Kinetic Sculpture Derby on May 19^th at Trenton Ave. and Norris St. in Philadelphia.

Last year over 120 people participated in the Derby, which features human powered floats parading down Trenton Avenue, all heading for the infamous mud pit and the judge’s panel. But that’s not all! You will also be able to check out the wares of over 150 art vendors and more food choices than you could possibly imagine.

The activities begin at 12:00 and go until 6, so you will have plenty of time to watch the Derby and do some shopping as well. It all goes toward the revitalization of the neighborhood and is a great way to spend a Saturday in the city.

Kensington Kinetic Sculpture Derby
www.kinetickensington.org

Time stopped for a few minutes on May 4^th last week when word spread that Adam Yauch, better known as MCA of the iconic band The Beastie Boys, had died. Only 47 years old, he had been fighting a courageous battle against cancer since 2009 and leaves behind an impressive legacy of music and fighting to bring freedom to Tibet.

In honor of Yauch and his work, The Awesome Fest and the Trocadero are holding a special screening of the Beastie Boys concert film “Awesome; I F*ckin’ Shot That!” on this Thursday, May 17th. The 2006 film was directed by Yauch and was filmed by giving camcorders to 50 members of the audience at the band’s show at Madison Square Garden.

The event is a 21 and over, free event with a charitable donation of $5 to go toward a charity of the Yauch family’s choosing. The doors open at 7:00 and the movie begins at 8:00 with a DJ and an anthology of Beastie Boys videos before the movie.

So head down to the Troc this Thursday to celebrate the life and work of someone who was truly a unique voice in music.

Awesome; I F*ckin’ Shot That @ The Trocadero
Thursday, May 17th, 2012
http://www.thetroc.com/

This week the Roundup gives everyone the lowdown on the Night of the Owls in the pages of Batman as well as the debut of John Byrne’s new series Trio and the arrival of Rob Liefeld on Deathstroke.

Batman #9
By Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo

Every month for nine months now, Batman has been the comic I most look forward to reading each and every month. Snyder and Capullo have captured magic in the pages of this book, each issue topping the last and never once letting the reader stop to breathe. This month the Court of Owls storyline that has been running in Batman since issue #1 spills out into the rest of the Bat-family of titles, but Batman still manages to steal the show.

The Court of Owl’s assassins, the Talons, have been let loose in Gotham with a long list of people to kill. While the rest of the Bat-family tries to stop them, Batman himself has to deal with the Talons that have invaded Wayne Manor and come to terms with the fate of an ally.

Snyder has pushed the volume up to 11 as he begins to bring the saga of the Court of Owls to a conclusion. This is wonderful example of textbook tight plotting and pitch perfect dialogue. Capullo’s artwork moves the story at a breakneck pace, as each panel flawlessly conveys the story to the reader. In more than one place, I was heavily reminded of Frank Miller and his version of Batman (once you see the Bat Armor Batman wears, you’ll see what I mean) and I can think of no better compliment than that.

Batman continues to be a “must read” title for anyone who loves comic books. Honestly, they just don’t get any better than this. (more…)

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It seems like I can’t go down to my local comic shop lately without seeing a brand new, must buy Image title on the stands. The list of quality titles they have published over the last few months just goes on and on. But one that has stood out from the pack for me and is always at the top of my reading list is No Place Like Home.

This reimagining of the story of Oz by Angelo Tirotto and Richard Jordan has intrigued me like few comics manage to these days. And a big part of the reason for that is the artwork of Jordan. His style is unique in comics today and mixes equal part creepy visuals with solid, straight forward storytelling. He was nice enough to answer a few questions via email about No Place Like Home and his artistic process.

How did you become involved in working on No Place Like Home?

It seems like a long time ago now. Back in July 2010 I had put some sequentials of Catwoman up on the comic art forum Penciljack, I got a decent response from people wanting to collaborate. Out of the offers Angelo’s ideas struck a chord with me most and he came across as more experienced and professional.

We pitched a WW2 vampire idea to Image initially and then almost as an after thought he asked if I would like to pitch NPLH too. As I started working on it I realized that NPLH was the book I wanted to work on. Fortunately Image saw both pitches and decided they wanted us to do NPLH first. Score. (more…)

Steampunk has long been one of the most underground of underground subcultures. Just try to explain what Steampunk is to someone and you might understand why. It is a genre that oftentimes defies description and can result in blank stares from those who don’t “get” it.

But over the last few years, Steampunk has become more and more mainstream, with the genre being a large plot point in the fifth season of The Guild and even having an episode of ABC’s hit series Castle devoted to it.

And now, anyone can go and experience the thrill and uniqueness of Steampunk at the Steampunk World’s Fair taking place on May 18th through the 20th at the Radisson of Piscataway in New Jersey. There you will be able to enjoy what is billed as the best Steampunk Festival in the world. It will include guests such as Leanna Renee Hieber, V is for Villains, PJ Schnyder and many more as well as a midway, an Absinthe tasting, a costume extravaganza and too much more to describe here.

Tickets, hotel information and more can be found on their website. So whether you are an old hat to the world of steam or if Steampunk is something that always intrigued you but you didn’t know where to start, The Steampunk World’s Fair is where you probably want to be.

Steampunk World’s Fair
May 18th – 20th, 2012
http://steampunkworldsfair.com

I hope everyone had a great Free Comic Book Day and enjoyed all the freebies up for grabs at comic shops across the country. This week I review two of the DC Comics New 52 Second Wave of books, Earth 2 and Dial H as well as the return of Valiant Comics with X-O Manowar.

Earth 2 #1
By James Robinson and Nicola Scott

I was always a fan of DC’s Earth 2 concept. I liked the idea of a parallel earth where older versions of Superman, Batman and their children lived and fought crime as the Justice Society of America. When it came to an end in the pages of Crisis on Infinite Earths, I missed it, but thought the idea had probably run its course. Now DC has revived the idea for the Second Wave of the New 52 and, wow, I really wish all comic books were like this.

On the new Earth 2, an interdimensional war has ravaged the planet and cost it the lives of all its heroes. Now, 5 years later, a new crisis has emerged and a new generation of heroes must stand and fight. But that barely covers what goes on in this first issue. Robinson is taking the idea of “world building” to another level and creating a whole new mythology, one that may be a bit more familiar to fans of the pre-Flashpoint DC Universe. And Scott, who previously was only known for work on books like Secret Six and Birds of Prey, may give Bryan Hitch and George Perez some competition in the widescreen, epic art department. Her work here is just off the scale and makes you wonder why she isn’t drawing Justice League.

Earth 2 is epic in every sense of the word. Start reading now and watch an entire world come to life a page at a time. A definite must-read. (more…)