There’s less than two weeks until Wizard World takes over the convention center and the event’s organizers want to let you in for free…if you’ll winning to prove just how nerdy you are.

Starting last Friday, fans wanting free passes can submit pictures of themselves dressed up as their favorite sci-fi/TV/comics/movie character at the Wizard World Philly Facebook Contest Page. If the Book of Faces isn’t your bag, you can also tweet @wizardworld with the hash tag #wizardpic to have your pals retweet your entry. Wizard Entertainment will take the five most popular Facebook pics and the five most popular twitpics and then choose three folks who will win:

- Grand Prize:  A VIP pass to the Wizard World Philadelphia Comic Con (includes celebrity autograph of the winner’s choice), the ability to bypass all the lines at the convention — trust me, this will come in handy — and five free tickets to Snow White and the Huntsman.

- Second Prize: An autographed photo of the winner’s favorite celebrity who is appearing at the con, as well as three free tickets to see the upcoming Charlize Theron film that isn’t Prometheus, Snow White and the Huntsman.

- Third Prize: Two free tickets to, you guessed it, Snow White and the Huntsmen.

These winners will also be placed in the running for a national contest for round-trip airfare for two to any 2013 Wizard World event with VIP tickets and a two-night hotel stay. Not too shabby. (Full contest details can be found here).

So get out your cameras and get cracking. And be sure to check back for Geekadelphia’s complete Wizard World Philly coverage in a few weeks!

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…)

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…)

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…)

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…)

Photo via The Mark News

Over the last year or so, Philly’s own Zenescope Entertainment has gone from being a small, boutique publisher to becoming a force to be reckoned with in the world of comic books. Part of the reason for this is the innovative ideas that get peoples attention, all spearheaded by Editor-in-Chief Ralph Tedesco.

The latest is Comic Company, a web series documenting life at Zenescope offices. It is a funny, informative behind the scenes look at what goes on at Zenescope that the public rarely gets to see. Mr. Tedesco was nice enough to answer a few questions about Comic Company, the Grimm Fairy Tales Kickstarter and what’s coming up for Zenescope.

What was the genesis of your new web series Comic Company?

The idea just sort of popped into my head while I was watching an episode of The Office one night. I love that show (especially the earlier seasons) and I started thinking that I’d love to do something similar to that with a documentary style feel. But I didn’t want to imitate The Office because that would be a bad move. Then the idea of integrating characters from our books into our office came to me and I knew it had to be done.

The key was that we needed to make sure the series was entertaining and fun. I’ve always been a writer and I feel I have a decent feel for comedy and I’ve been acting for 15 years and always loved it so that felt natural but I’d never directed anything before and I knew that would be the biggest challenge in doing this. But I’ve been really happy with the results and we have an amazing team involved. (more…)

Let’s play a game. I’ll say a word, and you respond with the first thing that comes to your mind, mkay?

LARP.

How might you respond? If you’re like my friends, whom I polled in a completely scientific way, your thoughts ran the gamut from “Huh?” to “Goofy!” to the more knowledgeable “Hit points” and “boffers!”

LARPing, or Live Action Role Playing, involves taking your favorite sci-fi or fantasy characters, dressing up like them, and then acting out scenarios in those roles. Have you ever imagined yourself storming a castle or surviving the zombie apocalypse? Sure you have. LARPers act out their fantasies, in the process inviting the derision of the hipper-than-thou crowd and dyed-in-the wool “grown-ups,” who sneer or scratch their heads at folks dressing up and running around the woods “slaying orcs.”

Lizzie Stark takes an axe to LARP misconceptions in her debut book Leaving Mundania. Lizzie, a journalist, immersed herself in the LARPing scene (Lizzie uses the lower case term, “larp”) as research. She played an interdimensional detective from an alternative 1920s universe and produced a medieval newspaper in the Pennsylvania woods.

And Lizzie spoke with a lot of LARPers, all of whom are much like you and I: Geeks who are passionate about something. Normal people. Fathers, sons, mothers and daughters. Folks who just want to escape reality for a while.

Each chapter of Leaving Mundania introduces the reader to a new aspect of LARP: The first chapter brings the reader along as Lizzie heads down the rabbit hole, and the second humanizes LARPers whom I (yes, I admit it) might otherwise have scorned. A later chapter talks about in-game economics and racism. Lizzie writes with clear prose and an observant eye, and she opens up to the reader worlds about which he or she never knew. Anyone with an interest in gaming, pop-culture or even sociology will be fascinated by Leaving Mundania. (more…)

Usually when it comes to G.I. Joe, I’m old school or nothing. I was a huge fan of the original Marvel series and generally felt that unless the book was written by Larry Hama, it wasn’t worth my time. So when IDW got the license to publish new G.I. Joe comics and announced that they were creating a whole new continuity, I shrugged my shoulders and went and reread the old Marvel books.

Turns out I didn’t know what I was missing.

IDW’s G.I. Joe is a fast paced, espionage thrill ride in the vein of Tom Clancy and Call of Duty, yet still has that G.I. Joe flavor that makes it unique. And nowhere is this more evident than the G.I. Joe: Cobra vol. 2 trade paperback that collects the second half of the title’s part of the Cobra Civil War storyline.

Collecting issues #5-8 by the creative team of Mike Costa and Werther Dell’Edera (with an assist from Antonio Fuso); it tells the story of Black-Out, a Cobra sleeper agent trying to infiltrate G.I. Joe while the competition to find a new Cobra Commander rages on. All the while he’s playing a game of cat and mouse with Chameleon, an ex-Cobra agent trying to become a member of the Joes. It is an intense, fast paced story that takes no prisoners and leaves you guessing until the end you never see coming. (more…)

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This week in the Roundup we’re going to try something a bit different. In addition to new issues of Uncanny X-Men and The Flash, I’m going to review the trade paperback Hack/Slash: My First Maniac. Since so many fans read comics these days via trade only, I thought this would be a good way to put the spotlight on some books that deserve it.

Uncanny X-Men #11
By Kieron Gillen and Greg Land

One of my pet peeves with Marvel events is that many times, the main miniseries turns out to be nothing but fluff, with most of the important story elements taking place in the crossovers. I had the same fear when I went to read Uncanny X-Men #11, the first tie-in to Avengers vs. X-Men for the series. Shockingly, I think Marvel may have finally gotten it right.

In the issue, Gillen takes the opportunity to flesh out some of the battles from the first two issues of AvX. We see the Colossus/Red Hulk fight in all its brutal glory and the Hope/Wolverine confrontation from Hope’s point of view. It works as the perfect compliment to the main AvX miniseries, but doesn’t overshadow or contradict it. Land’s art is still incredible in all its photo referenced glory. Ironically, some of the best art in the issue is the underwater fight between Red Hulk and Colossus, where I would imagine reference material would have been hard to come by.

I really hope all the tie-ins for the series follow this example. It would be nice to read the 12 issues of AvX and not feel like I missed a huge part of the story because I didn’t read Avengers Academy or New Mutants. (more…)

In 2008, when Iron Man premiered on movie screens across the country, did anyone really think four years later we would all be anxiously counting down to an Avengers movie this May? I know I didn’t.

But somehow Marvel Studios pulled off the impossible; they created five interconnected, enjoyable movies that show the beginnings of the film version of the Marvel Universe. And all that hard work comes to a head on May 3rd, when The Avengers brings all the heroes together for a knock down, drag out blockbuster spectacular.

Lucky for us, someone decided that being able to watch all 6 movies in one sitting was a great idea. So on May 3rd, you will be able to watch Iron Man 1 and 2, Captain America, Thor, The Incredible Hulk and The Avengers together in one theater. And in Philly, we actually have two options if a movie marathon like this makes you weak in the knees.

First, AMC Theaters will present all 6 movies starting at 11:30 AM on May 3rd. There are two locations you can see the marathon in this area, Neshaminy and Cherry Hill, and you get a special commemorative set of RealD 3D glasses (one of 4 Avengers themed designs). The whole shebang will cost you $40 and you will be one of the first to see The Avengers on the big screen.

Now, if you prefer something where you can get a meal and a drink while watching almost 14 hours of Marvel movie goodness, there is another option. Movie Tavern, located in the Providence Town Center in Collegeville, PA, is also running all six movies for only $35. The marathon starts at noon and, while you don’t get the cool 3D glasses, you can get a cold beer, so it’s up to you to decide what your priority is.

So there you have it; two different ways to experience the culmination of Marvel Studios road to the Avengers. Tickets are already selling out in some locations, so get you butt in gear, buy your tickets and yell “Avengers Assemble!”

AMC Theaters Ultimate Marvel Marathon
www.go.amctheatres.com/marvel

Movie Tavern Marvel Mania Marathon
www.movietavern.com/marvel-mania-marathon/2970

Just weeks away, Image Comics is set to release D.O.G.S. OF MARS, the thrilling 120-page graphic novel from Philadelphia-based writers Johnny Zito and Tony Trov. We sat down with the artists over a few beers to chat about the new book, digital publishing and how Fishtown sort of looks like Mars.

Set on Earth’s first Martian colony where the Division of Global Survey (D.O.G.S.) are stationed on a terraforming mission, this fast-paced space-horror title opens with a mutiny. But that’s not the worst of it – there’s something out there. Something deadly.

“There’s a love triangle, there are power struggles, and at the center of it, a horrifying monster,” says Zito. Originally published as a four-issue digital series on ComiXology, D.O.G.S. OF MARS introduces us to Zoe, the captain of this doomed military mission, and a crew that threatens to fall apart once the nocturnal monsters invade. “Isolated on the farthest frontier of civilization…Zoe faces mutiny, death and dishonor; she must sacrifice her humanity if she hopes to survive,” the creators describe.

Adds co-writer Trov, “We take you to the edge of the future and find that people haven’t changed all that much. Things go ‘Lord of the Flies’ pretty quickly and these characters discover who their friends and enemies really are.”

The artwork for this gruesome tale is done by Paul Mayberry, who Trov and Zito previously worked with at Zuda Comics, DC Comics’ now-shuttered webcomics publisher. “With Zuda Comics, they found the best artists in the world, then they shut it down and everybody went back to their lives,” Zito says. Mayberry, the award-winning artist whose work has been featured by Marvel, DC, Dark Horse and many others, illustrated the project with a graphic, industrial style. The entire book is awash in dusty reds, stark white blood and Japanese gore.

“We were fans of his, wanted to work with him,” says Trov. “We have a lot of the same influences and knew he just ‘gets it.’ There’s a thematic match-up there.”

The artists’ favorite part of the comic: naturally, the reveal of the monster itself, which was “designed by a monster effects guy [they] know,” and bursts on scene as a “grotesque, alien twist on the classic werewolf.” Very film friendly stuff, this comic. And that makes sense: the duo is also releasing a movie this month, Alpha Girls, another horror project about an evil sorority.

“We also did a lot of weird research on this project, like figuring out ‘How would you terraform Mars?’ You’re creating life where there is none,” Trov says. The space station, where the story takes place, is based on a power plan in Fishtown, with its six giant smoke stacks inspiring the setting for Mars Base Bowie. “It’s amazing there. You wouldn’t believe it.”

The graphic novel debuts May 2 and is available for pre-order from Image and Amazon.com (Get it now for a limited time at half price. In fact, get two.)