Since my most recent Nexus Graphica is about my adventures at the Austin Comic Con (aka Wizard World Texas), I figured it’d be a good time to catch up with what I picked up at the con.
As You Wish
Princess Bride tribute
Signed 11″ x 14″ print from an illustration by Chet Phillips.
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This tribute showcases famous quotes and icons from the Rob Reiner film “Princess Bride” based on the book by William Goldman. Signed on bright white archival 60 lb. paper.
by Chet Phillips
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Created for Hero Complex Gallery’s “Kings of Cult” art show, a tribute to the films of Joe Dante and Roger Corman.
Story by Austin Tinius & Robert Salinas
Artwork by Andrew Whyte, Stefano Cardoselli, Antonio Brandao, Cecilia Latella and Ilaria Bramato
Cover by Ignacio Vega
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The smartest man in Philadelphia, Dr. Arthur E. Muscles, is about to retire from a life of science when things go awry. A fortuitously modified formula at his research laboratory transports Dr. Muscles to another dimension, known as Quargo. Dr. Muscles now finds himself the lab rat in a maze full of perverted wizards, enslaved species, beastly giants and western motifs. His only shot at returning to Earth is to reach the Ultra-Lord at the end of the maze. Along the way, Dr. Muscles picks up various misfits and does his best to do the right thing, which usually ends up backfiring.
Story by Austin Tinius & Adam Tinius
Artwork by Stefano Cardoselli
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Synopsis: The year is 2051 in New York City, and gravity is a thing of the past. For the last thirty years Tycho Industries has remained the only manufacturer and seller of gravity boots. Now a new company has entered the ring with a plan to finally restore gravity back to the city once and for all. The former face of Tycho, Holli Hox finds herself thirty years in the future braving an unfamiliar world. With the ceremony to restore gravity back to New York in less than twenty-four hours, and a paralyzing illness weighing her down, Holli must find her father and discover her destiny before time is up.
by Alan J. Porter and Aaron Smith
Afterward by Ron Fortier
Interior art by Clayton Hinkle
Cover by Ingrid Hardy
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A CLASSIC HERO REBORN British adventure writer, H. Rider Haggard’s most popular fictional character was Alan Quatermain, the irascible African big game hunter. As the hero of the classic KING SOLOMON’S MINES, Quatermain immediately fired the imagination of readers across the world and created an instant demand for more of his adventures. Now Airship 27 Productions answers that on-going demand by presenting two brand new Alan Quatermain novellas each filled with a host of suspense, action and exotic African locales. When a French river boat pilot discovers elephant ivory suffused with gold, it sends the expert guide on a quest find a fable elephant’s graveyard to learn answer to the “GOLDEN IVORY” by Alan J. Porter. Next a naïve American lad follows Quatermain deep into the jungle to find eight missing white women only to uncover an ancient evil capable of possessing the bodies of its victim’s in Aaron Smith’s chilling “TEMPLE OF LOST SOULS.” Here are complete tales that will thrill pulp fans and introduce a whole new generation to one of the most famous adventure heroes of all time; H. Rider Haggard’s Alan Quatermain
by Danny Fingeroth
Foreword by Stan Lee
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In Disguised as Clark Kent, Danny Fingeroth–a long-time executive in the comics business who wrote and edited Spider-Man as well as other famous lines for Marvel–reflects on the phenomenon of the heavily Jewish elements that, consciously or not, went into the creation of the superhero.
Centering on questions of Jewish identity, which is historically about the push and pull toward and away from that very identity, Disguised as Clark Kent brings valuable insight into the fantasies that fuel our imaginations and entertainment industry, as well as many significant and often hidden aspects of our society.
Written by Jeff Parker, Stan Lee, Larry Leiber, and Jason Aaron
Art by Giancarlo Caracuzzo, Leonard Kirk, Bob Powell, Jack Kirby, Dick Ayers, and Roger Curz
Cover by Dave Johnson
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Shooting from the pages of ATLAS, comes an all new exploration of fan-favorite GORILLA MAN! Yes, Ken Hale is blessed with might and cursed with inhumanity, but you don’t know the entire tale, and how his history may destroy his present! See his storied past as an Agent of Atlas, a soldier of fortune, an ally of the Avengers, and a Howling Commando!
This collection also features tales from the annals of Marvel history of the Gorilla-Men who proceeded Ken Hale, as well as of Hale himself.
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Berkeley Breathed, the mad genius who boggled and bewildered us with “Bloom County”, is back! Soon after retiring “Bloom County” – and at the peak of its popularity – Breathed returned with an all-new Sunday-only newspaper strip: “Outland”. Debuting just four weeks after the final “Bloom County” was published, and with many of the same cast members, “Outland” continues on in the same traditions set forth by its forebears – ranging from delightful whimsy to raging satire! This volume contains every “Outland” strip published, some never-before-collected in book form, and nearly all have been scanned from the original art, provided by Breathed from his personal archives. It includes more than 280 Sunday pages, all in fully remastered color, from September 3, 1989 through March 26, 1995.
Written by Stan Lee with Jim Shooter
Art by Jack Kirby, Ron Frenz, Joe Sinnott, John Buscema, John Romita, John Romita Jr., Scott Hanna, Barry Windsor Smith, Kerry Gammill, Al Milgrom, Marc Silvestri, Jerry Ordway, Vince Colletta, Bob Wiacek, Klaus Janson, Steve Leialoha, Joe Rubinstein, Nick Dragotta, and Mike Allred
Cover by John Romita, Jr. and Scott Hanna
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The comic-book equivalent of a lost Beatles track! Together, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby produced 102 consecutive issues of Fantastic Four. But there was a 103rd story they’d begun in 1970, but never finished – until now! Working from copies of Jack’s penciled pages, Stan Lee and Joe Sinnott reunite to complete the work they started almost four decades ago! Plus: The legendary writer and Fantastic Four co-creator joins forces with artist John Romita Jr. to tell his final story of the team that started the Marvel Age! Collects The Last Fantastic Four Story, Fantastic Four: Lost, and Fantastic Four #296, #543.
Game design by Steve Jackson
Art by Winchell Chung
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The giant tank rumbles toward its target . . . its guns are destroyed, its movement crippled, but only a few defenders are left. Will they stop the robot juggernaut, or will it crush the Command Post beneath its gigantic treads?
Ogre was Steve Jackson’s first game. First released in 1977, it set a new standard for fast, exciting boardgame play. Over 25 years after its release, Ogre earned a spot in James Lowder’s popular book Hobby Games: The 100 Best.
In 2012, Steve Jackson Games launched the “Designer’s Edition” of Ogre on Kickstarter . . . an 18-pound box with giant maps and over a thousand counters, retailing for $100.
Now Ogre Pocket Edition takes the game back to its roots. A small rulebook, 140 counters, and the same bare-bones map Steve drew himself for the very first printing. And the price is the same as it was in 1977: $2.95. ($2.95 in 1977 dollars translates to be over $10 today when adjusted for inflation; this is Steve’s way of saying “thank you” for your support for Ogre over the last three decades.)
Despite its “pocket” size, Ogre Pocket Edition will have more than enough counters to play all five of the “Ogre vs. Command Post” scenarios. It includes two different conventional forces (a Black force and a White force), with a whopping eight White Howitzers! That’s a whole lot of gameplay for $2.95.