This week I review and dissect the first issue if the newest Image series Alpha Girl, the latest addition to the world of Captain America, Winter Soldier and a preview of the beginning of the Star Wars universe in Star Wars – Dawn of the Jedi. All in this week’s Comic Roundup!

Alpha Girl #1
By Jeff Roenning and Robert Love

As the year goes on, I’m starting to realize that if you want a diverse, fun line up of titles month in and month out, Image is the place to be. From The Walking Dead to The Strange Talent of Luther Strode to the resurrection of the Extreme Universe, Image literally has a book for anybody. It continues this month with the launch of Alpha Girl, a different look at the apocalypse. (more…)

Stick a fork in us, we’re done… looking for the perfect Valentine’s Day cards, that is.

Partycake, a Conshohocken-based greeting card start-up launched in early December, is rolling out their second batch of handmade greeting cards just in time for February 14. With lines like “You + Me = Sin” and “I’ve been hit by Cupid. Call the police,” how could we resist?

From the minds of local designers and PhilaMade members Brandon McNeely and Paul Nazarchyk, the line of “crudely concepted, tongue-in-cheek cards” provide all the sharp wit of your favorite e-cards, but with the benefit of locally-designed and beautifully-printed paper.

“It gives us a chance to step away from the computer screen, reconnect with doing print work and laugh for a couple hours. We feel that the effort put into a original, hand-crafted card has more of a personal impact than receiving a .jpeg in your inbox,” says co-founder McNeely.

The designers first explored the idea after a collection of jokes and sketches posted on Nazarchyk’s blog. The Kutztown University grads started sketching, and put out a modest first run of holiday cards – snarky notes about Christmas hangovers or a limited knowledge of the Jewish religion – to great success last month.

Partycake cards have a simple concept: crude, witty characters on quality recycled paper, with an emphasis on craftsmanship and passive aggressive humor. The founders also hope to “restore the hand-made touch lost in most communication today,” adding hand-stamped and personalized thank-you notes for every customer.

The next line of holiday cards are now available online at Partycakecards.com, featuring just the right kind of sexy/crude/passive-aggressive humor to make us laugh and hope our Valentines feel the same way.

When you think of Valentine’s Day, what comes to mind? Is the heart? Cupid perhaps? How about a fetus, or embryos? It’s plenty romantic in theory. Some 20th Century artists believe this is a perfect way to depict romance for the Valentine holiday. These images also symbolized love, passion, politics, and society.

Professor of Biology, Dr. Scott Gilbert found that artists Gustav Klimt (The Kiss (1907-1908) and Diego Rivera (Man, Controller of the Universe (Or Man in the Time Machine) (1934)) depicted images of fertilized cells and embryos (with scientific accuracy) in their artwork. Dr. Gilbert will take an in-depth look at their paintings to see how they merged science and art at a special lecture at the Wagner next week.

The Wagner Free Institute of Science examines a period in history when science and art intermingled, and biology influenced artistic creativity in turn creating a method for political and social commentary. Scott Gilbert will bring science to art with insight into the history and meaning of these works.

This presentation is free and open to the public at the Wagner Free Institute of Science on February 9th at 5:30 PM.

What’s Love Got To Do With It?
February 9th, 2012, 5:30pm, Free

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

Photo via Brave New Worlds

An important side note to begin: For you geeks in town who didn’t make it out to the ZOE STRAUSS: TEN YEARS opening party at PMA two weekends ago, fret not: the exhibition runs through April 22nd. If you’ve driven down 95, Delaware Avenue or 76, you’ve likely seen one of the 54 billboards in the Billboard Project accompanying the exhibition– but did you know there’s also a Foursquare contest? Check in at a billboard before April 2nd and enter for a chance to win the grand prize: a private tour of the retrospective and lunch with Zoe Strauss and the exhibition curator.

February means that folks are finally getting back into the First Friday groove, post-holiday season. Here’s what’s happening:

FIRST FRIDAY IN CENTER CITY

Some great standards are happening on February 3rd in Center City: Starting in Old City around 7pm, note the HAMMY SPARKLE opening at Brave New Worlds. If you’re 21+, feel free to cross Market and head a few blocks south– first to the DRINK PHILLY space for a free gallery showing and live jazz on Chestnut Street (don’t forget to RSVP!); then head farther south around 9pm to see notorious duo Tony Trov and Johnny Zito (of South Fellini)’s opening party for TRAMP STAMP! at Tattooed Mom’s. Tunes and drink specials, included.

OTHER EVENTS

If you’re farther down the Schuylkill, you can pop by Lucky’s Last Chance, a vintage pub on Main Street, as they are hosting a February event for (the new-ish) MANAYUNK FIRST FRIDAY.

Sadly, there were no advance updates on any South Philly Second Saturday happenings on East Passyunk Ave next weekend, but here’s a head’s up on two galleries for this weekend in NoLibs/ Fishtown:

On Friday, PLANAR SPLIT, features ‘sci-fi folk art’, and has a reception with live music from 6-10pm at Part Time Studios on Frankford. On Saturday, February 4th, the Slinguff Gallery in NoLibs has an opening: WELCOME SKATEBOARDS AND JASON VIVONA.

BONUS event on Friday, February 3rd:

He may not be showing art… but if you’re out in the South-Eastern PA ‘burbs this Friday, you’re already more than halfway to a DAN AKYROYD BOTTLE SIGNING for Crystal Head Vodka at Total Wine in Claymont, Delaware… Cross the DE border, high-five Dan the Man for being in some of the best movies of your youth, and let him know the Crystal Head Vodka bottle unintentionally gives you tiny rage stroke flashbacks to the last Indiana Jones movie.

Happy travels!

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A Geek’s Gallery Guide is a new monthly preview for First Friday and Second Saturday artist showings in Philadelphia. Submit tips for upcoming gallery events to geekadelphia@gmail.com.

As anyone who likes to read knows, Flash Fiction has taken the literary scene by storm over the last few years. Short, powerful stories that are usually only a couple pages or, in some cases, just a couple paragraphs, they distill fiction down to it’s simplest, most basic form and are full of power and emotion.

Stripped: A Collection of Anonymous Flash, edited by local Philadelphian Nicole Monaghan, takes that premise one step further and gives it a twist. The new anthology, which collects Flash Fiction from authors such as Meg Tuite, Michelle Reale and Robert Smartwood, removes the author’s bylines from the fiction so you will have no idea who wrote what stories in the anthology. It makes the book a unique reading experience and a fun guessing game to boot.

There is going to be a launch party for Stripped: A Collection of Anonymous Flash on Saturday, February 4th at Fergie’s Pub in Philadelphia. The fun starts at 2:00 PM and several of the contributors will be attending and doing some readings from the book. Maybe with enough drinks, you can find out which author wrote what story. Regardless, it should be a great time for all.

Fergie’s Pub
www.fergies.com

There are very few comic books that I will go to the trouble and expense of owning both the individual issues and the trade paperback. Grant Morrison’s Doom Patrol is one and Death: The High Cost of Living is another. And now I can add Raven Gregory’s Fly to that very small, exclusive list.

As most readers are aware, I loved Fly when it came out. It was even my pick for Best New Title of 2011. But what I didn’t expect was to enjoy the book so much more as a trade paperback. Being able to read the whole story in one sitting makes Fly go from a really, really great comic to a truly outstanding story.

For those that don’t know, Fly is the story of Eddie Patron and the drug that gives him the ability to soar among the clouds and, in turn, ruins his life. Gregory tells the story in both the past and the present as we see the beginnings of Eddie’s relationship with the love of his life Danielle and also the tragic end. We meet Francis, who first turns Eddie on to the drug Fly and the mysterious man looking for revenge.

The amazing thing about Fly is how by the end of the book, you really care about the cast and what they’re going through. You feel emotionally invested in them and their situation. This is because Gregory is writing Fly from personal experience as he uses memories from some of the darkest times of his life to give the book a real world feeling. Take the drug Fly out and substitute any other narcotic and the story would still have the same power and raw emotion. (more…)

Last week, the National Constitution Center announced a number of events tied to the upcoming From Asbury Park to the Promised Land: The Life and Music of Bruce Springsteen exhibit. Parties, screenings, and a special appearance by Vini “Mad Dog” Lopez (the original E Street Band drummer) are just some of the highlights.

The National Constitution Center detailed the events in a press release. Scope ‘em out below. (more…)

There’s a memorable scene in the “Tricks and Treats” episode of Freaks and Geeks in which an English teacher berates her young students for doing book reports on titles like the novelization of Star Wars and Al Jaffee’s Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions.

When I heard the name of the latter title announced, a knowing smile crept across my face — in fifth grade I too wrote a report about the book that was received pretty much the same way. I’m sure I’m not alone. You see, that paperback introduction to the wonderful world of sarcasm has been a schoolyard staple since it was first published in 1975 as a spin-off of Jaffee’s popular Mad feature.

While the aforementioned snarkfest remains my personal favorite of Jaffee’s works, there is no doubt that his greatest contribution to the magazine — and pop culture in general — is the Mad Fold-In. Since 1964 the interactive joke has been closing out each issue of Mad, and each and every one of these gags has been written and illustrated by Jaffee. As the decades have progressed the publication has withered into an edgeless shell of its former self, yet the Fold-Ins have remained sharp and hilarious.

At the age of 90, Jaffee’s wit and talent continues to inspire fans and contemporaries alike. So it is something of a profound honor to have him visiting the Gershman Y this week. Joined by biographer Mary-Lou Weisman (author of the insightful Al Jaffee’s Mad Life), the cartoonist/humorist will be on hand to discuss his work as well as his childhood in which his family fled from their home in Lithuania to the U.S. when Hitler ascended to power.

If you attend, expect to hold court with a true living legend. And if you decide to ask him a question, make it a good one or prepare to suffer the humiliating consequences…

Al Jaffee @ The Gershman Y
Tuesday, January 17th at 7pm. $8 to attend/$22 to attend & receive an autographed copy of Al Jaffee’s Mad Life.

The Gershman Y
401 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147
215-446-3022
www.gershmany.org

Living legend and Philadelphia favorite Scott Derby rocks TeeFury.com once again with his latest old school tattoo-inspired design, this time paying homage to Tim Burton’s classic film Pee Wee Herman’s Big Adventure. Derby’s endlessly awesome artwork reminds me of a big cable knit sweater that someone keeps knitting and knitting and knitting and knitting…

BUT ACT FAST! A Loner, A Rebel will only be available for 24 hours tomorrow, Wednesday, January 11th. And priced at only 10 bucks, it’s your opportunity to be stylish AND frugal.

Don’t miss out!

Local game developer Cipher Prime, award winning creators of the games Auditorium and Pulse, have recently released an updated version of their addictive music/puzzle game called Fractal. Featuring colorful graphics, cool music, various play modes, and deceptively simple gameplay, Fractal will keep you hooked for hours.

Fractal’s main campaign starts you of creating “blooms”, which is when you connect a group of similarly colored pieces called fractals to create a giant hexagon cluster on the board. For every bloom you create, you also are rewarded with music. The more blooms you take off the board, the more music you hear within the level.

The catch is that you only have  a certain amount of fractals to put on the board while also trying to achieve a certain amount of points per level. As you move through the campaign, the difficulty certainly ramps up. Multiple colored fractals pop up on the board, suddenly making the player have to be aware that the upcoming fractal might destroy an attempted bloom combo.

While playing Fractal I was reminded of the game Lumines, but while that game had a style of gameplay very reminiscent of the classic puzzler Tetris, Fractal feels like it’s own thing. It has its own style  and pace. The campaign doesn’t have you trying to complete a level within a certain timeframe, nor does it suddenly ramp up the speed of gameplay. It all comes down to the player. How the player decides to interact with the level determines the tension and complexity of each level. Needless to say you can discover multiple ways of creating blooms within a level which certainly ups the replay value of the game. (more…)

Photo by Kate Lynch

Whether you want to admit it or not, the holiday season is here. Christmas music is blasting in every single store you walk into, there are wreathes and trees all over the place… sorry geeks, it is impossible to get away from. Luckily, all the fretting over presents for loved ones is easy to avoid, as the folks at the Hacktory are throwing together an awesome workshop perfect for whipping up unique, handmade gifts.

Fans of the Hacktory are no stranger to the Recycled Electronics Jewelry workshops they throw on an annual basis, and they’ve got another one going down on Saturday, December 10th from 1:00-5:00pm. Here’s some deets from a press release issued by the Hacktory.

The Hacktory promotes the combining of art, technology & recycling–so we created the Recycled Electronic Jewelry Workshop. You can add beauty and interest to the world by reusing electronic components that would needlessly end up in our growing landfills. It’s great fun and sparks creativity.

You’ll learn basic jewelry-making skills including design ideas, basic soldering and assembly skills, and how to choose materials for creating your own jewelry and small sculpture. You’ll also learn fun stuff about new & old electronic parts so you can talk about your creations. No experience necessary.

It only costs $20 to join in the workshop, and that includes all the supplies and materials you’ll need for basic jewelry makig. These tend to sell out, so RSVP while you can.

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CSI: The Experience is a hands-on exhibit that showcases the scientific techniques and disciplines used to solve crimes. Visitors interact with multimedia displays that explain different forensic science fields such as DNA identification, toxicology, and blood splatter analysis. Add in a high dosage of the CBS hit TV show and you have a fun way to learn about science.

I walked into CSI: The Experience at the Franklin Institute jaded. These types of experience exhibits always seemed cheesy. I expected a half assed exhibit that used the popularity of the CSI television program to get people to buy tickets. But by the end of my visit, I felt strangely proud that I had solved a pretend crime.

You could say CSI: The Experience needs to be experienced. YEAAAAAAAAAAAH! (more…)