Vandroid's Graphic Novel Trailer is Pure 80's Pulp-Adrenaline

Vandroid is a limited-series graphic novel written by Tommy Lee Edwards and illustrated by Dan McDaid published by Dark Horse late last year. Golden Wolf, a London-based production company whose work we have featured before with their music video for Dog Blood's "Chella Ride", produced this brazenly cool promotional trailer for the novel's release. After watching this, I'm definitely planning on snatching up a copy on my next comic-store run.

Official site

The year is 1984. Washed-up mechanic Chuck Carducci is contacted by an old roommate from his MIT days to team up on a new project using cutting-edge artificial intelligence. With salvaged electronics from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab, high-performance van parts, and a plutonium- ion battery dubiously procured by a mysterious financial backer, Chuck builds a robot so human, yet so powerful, it can only be called VANDROID! Chuck puts everything he ever wished he was into Vandroid, and the robot now has a chance to fulfill his creator’s lost potential.

Stop Motion Usagi Yojimbo Is The Fan Tribute Stan Sakai Deserves

While not directly related to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, this fan tribute couldn't be more timely with Michael Bay's big screen adaptation. As a kid, I first learned of the Usagi Yojimbo comics through the animated series, in which the turtles travel through dimensions and meet Usagi. It was a rad concept then, and still an equally rad concept now, but also a concept that I'm glad Michael Bay never touched with his newest film.

The Last Request is a fan tribute to Stan Sakai's original character, and while there aren't massive explosions and Megan Fox cameos, Lintika Films holds the feel fans of Usagi Yojimbo have come to expect. The above short, originally created as a proof of concept for Sakai has since been approved for a full length film.

With about 90% of the film completed the small team at Lintika Films has their work cut out for them, with a DVD release planned after the film's completion. It's not everyday a comic book creator gives their thumbs up for a fan project, especially for a character as iconic as Usagi, but it's alway pleasant to see the acknowledgement from the creator. If you'd like to learn more on the full length film you can check out their Facebook over here.

The Art Of Ricken - An Interesting Take On Western Comics

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I've grown a little disenchanted with American comics- The eternal series of reboots, side universes, deaths and rebirths wore on me over time, making even the most cataclysmic events be lessened by the idea that 'it was all a dream,' or 'this was only a one shot not related to canon cycle #235.' Over time manga has become a much more worthwhile time investment, because I know there's always a beginning, middle and a definite end to any Japanese comic. I'm not saying there haven't been high points in mainstream US comics, there's been plenty- Alex Ross' Kingdom Come is one of my favorite comics of all time, just about everything Alan Moore has touched has been nothing short of incredible, and the wildly twisted reboot of Animal Man for the New 52 reboot was really refreshing.

Thing is, despite how amazing any of these takes on superheroes are, there's a lack of continuity that can be truly maddening. A desire to make money off these heroes keeps them going forever, which really highlights an interesting cultural difference towards creators of comics at home and abroad.

Comic rants aside I recently ran into the work of Ricken, who really caught my attention as a Japanese artist enamored with western comics. So much so that he's had the chance to work for the likes of DC Comics as a cover artist on a series of different franchises, ranging from Birds Of Prey to Batman Incorporated. While so many artists have over time found themselves influenced by anime, it's really cool to see the exact opposite- a Japanese artist working hard to emulate a western style with his work. Even Ricken's character choices for his illustrations are truly curious, with now obscure characters like Supeboy and Jubilee (I always thought she was awesome) gracing many of his pieces. More of Ricken's awesome work after the break!

New Samurai Jack Comic Series Is Pretty Much The Greatest Thing Ever

Samurai Jack has always been Cartoon Network's magnum opus for me. Genndy Tartakovsky's ability to blend a serious journey of a lone wanderer with a strong and well thought out post-apocalyptic future, as well as some of the best comedic timing to ever grace an animated world has remained untouched since the series cancellation in 2004. It was a cartoon tragedy when the series finally came to an end, especially without any solid resolution to appease fans.

Luckily Tartakovsky and IDW aren't leaving fans out to dry any longer. The comic book publisher has announced a return the series after a nine year hiatus. What does this mean? Samurai Jack might finally get back, back to the past. This news hits me pretty close to home, as I remember being devastated growing up to know that Samurai Jack's story might never be finished. The first issue is set to be released in October with a variant cover by Tartakovsky himself and Chew's Rob Guillory. Prepare yourself. Two more alternate covers for the comic after the break!

The Art Of Studio Blink Twice

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Studio Blink Twice is the result of a collaboration between two UK based brothers, Lorenzo (Art) and Robin Etherington (Writer). The two have been collaborating since 2003, cranking out a ton of original comics as well as comic tie ins for franchises including Transformers, Terminator, Wallace and Gromit and numerous others, with other clients including companies like Dreamworks, Simon and Schuster and Lucasarts.

Lorenzo's art style definitely reminded me of a mix between Jamie Hewlitt's work (Tank Girl, Gorillaz), and a few scattered influences, including that of Hergé (Tintin). Basically, a kickass combination resulting in pushed, colorful stylized designs and characters with a ton of personality make up the studios body of work. Check out more samples of their portfolio after the break!

Dave Rapoza And Lazerhawk Team Up For Skull And Shark

Dave Rapoza, aka that guy who creates all those amazingly gritty reimaginings of pop culture characters and freelance concept artist extraordinaire just released a teaser for his upcoming multimedia collab with Austin retrowave electro artist Lazerhawk. The teaser is specifically for a comic that Dave has been working on, which will be accompanied by a soundtrack and perhaps a motion comic down the line. Can't wait to see what comes out of this amazing collab! Stay tuned over at Dave Rapoza's website for more updates regarding the project.

Mortifera Trailer - How To Sell A Comic Right

I've really been on the fence about motion comics, simply for the fact that they typically walk an awkward line between static and animated, which always seemed a little redundant. The Pennsylvania based animation studio called 'More Frames' just released this teaser for an upcoming comic called Mortifera, placing emphasis on turning action segments into actual fully animated scenes to give them that much needed, exciting oomph. The animation is set to the awesomely unsettling music of Camille Saint-Saëns's incredible classic composition, The Danse Macabre.

The comic stars two sibling demon hunters who are part of a medieval order called The Mortifera, known for using the dark arts to banish their unholy rivals throughout a medieval European setting. The first issue is now out via Sea Lion Books, so get your hands on a copy!

The Art Of Giannis Milonogiannis

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To me, Giannis' work represents the melting pot aspect of the comic book world with the latest few generations of artists. The 24 year old artists was born in Maryland, lives and works out of Greece, and has a style that encompasses an international spectrum. Looking through his work you may see hints of Mœbius, Katsuhiro Otomo, Masamune Shirow and a slew of other western and eastern comic book artists and influences all blended up into a style truly his own.

If you like graphic, stark work that's heavy on the inks and reminiscent of retro-manga, you're going to like what you see after the break!

The Art Of SantoLouco

Wingnut (Via)

SantoLouco (Aka Mateus Santoloucou) is a Brazilian artist with a highly graphic style, heavy on the inks and graphic overlays. The type of style perfect for designing band gig illustrations, editorial work for mags, comic books and more, and SantoLouco's portfolio perfectly embodies the range of work that art style can get you.

With clients including DC, Marvel, Image, IDW Publishing, Oni and a slew of others, Mateus is a great example of the type of career you can expect by pursuing the comic book path. Check out more of his work after the break!