Let’s take a quick look to see what I picked up at the 2011 Austin Comic Con.

Buffalo Speedway vol. 3
by Yehudi Mercado

One of the highlights of the show was picking up the climatic volume to Mercado’s epic series. I reviewed each of the previous volumes in past Nexus Graphica columns.

As a bonus, Mercado included a set of his 9 Game of Thrones of Muppets cards and since I had already purchased the previous two volumes (he was including when buying all three books), he added the Buffalo Speedway pizza box.

Pirates of Mars Volume 1
Written by JJ Kahrs
Art by Veronica Fish

The first collection of the fun bi-weekly adventure strip. Fish is a talented newcomer worthy of keeping an eye on.

JESUS CHRIST WAS A CARPENTER… t-shirt
by John Lucas

’nuff said!

Happily after nearly 15 years, I reconnected with artist Mark A. Nelson and picked up three of his books. I first met him in the 90s shortly after he completed illustrating the Joe R. Lansdale God of the Razor comic series Blood & Shadows. While with Mojo, I commissioned him to produce the cover to my anthology The Big Bigfoot Book. Apparently, he relocated to Houston (from Chicago) sometime in the previous decade, where he continues to produce covers, comics, illustrations, and other artsy stuff.

Tales of the Dinosaur No. 1
by Robert A. Nelson, Mark A. Nelson, and Michael Russick

One of Nelson’s earliest published works, this 1983 publication also featured a contribution from Mark’s father Robert.

Silverwing Special
Written by Michael Dimpsey
Art by Mark A. Nelson

Collects the stories from Eb’nn #2 & 3. The 1987 issue promotes a full length Silverwing graphic novel. Sadly the book never appeared.

From Pencils To Inks: The Art of Mark A. Nelson

A magnificent collection of Nelson’s b&w illustration and comics work.

Let’s take a quick look to see what’s arrived at the Geek Compound.

Dagar the Invincible Archives Volume 1
Written by Donald F. Glut
Art by Jesse Santos

Promo copy:

In a time when gods and demons walked the earth as men, a young warrior raises his sword to the skies and declares defiance! Dagar the Invincible is a hero of blade and sandal, and Dark Horse Books uncovers the exciting legend of his journey through the ancient, mystical world! The first of two volumes in this archival series introduces Dagar and tales of his quest, originally published by Gold Key Comics in the 1970s. Collects Tales of Sword and Sorcery: Dagar the Invincible #1-#9.

Abe Sapien: The Devil Does Not Jest #1
Story by Mike Mignola and John Arcudi
Art by James Harren
Cover by Francesco Francavilla

Promo copy:

Buried in a demonologist’s basement is a deep, dark family secret, where horrific occult practices prove to be life threatening for Abe Sapien.

* An early Abe adventure

* Abe is pitted against demonic family curse!

* From the pages of Hellboy!

The Strange Case of Mr. Hyde #4
Story by Cole Haddon
Art by M. S. Corley

Promo copy:

Jack the Ripper’s reign of terror is coming to an end. His true identity has been discovered and Inspector Thomas Adye of Scotland Yard and his fiendish partner, Dr. Henry Jekyll–who has a few revelations of his own to share–are hot on his trail. In the fourth and final part of Hyde, written by Cole Haddon and illustrated by M. S. Corley, our monsters collide in a sewage-pumping station for an epic showdown that’s not to be missed. When the dust–and sewage–settles, will Adye still be the good man he was when our story began?

Conan: Road of Kings #8
Written by Roy Thomas
Pencils by Mike Hawthorne
Inks by John Lucas
Cover by Aleksi Briclot

Promo copy:

In underground catacombs beneath Aquilonia’s capital, a desperate Conan fights to protect himself–and a young child–from creatures more hideous and deadly than anything he’s ever encountered on the surface. The Road of Kings is no place for weaklings!

Star Wars: Dark Times—Out of the Wilderness #1
Written by Randy Stradley as “Mick Harrison”
Art by Douglas Wheatley
Cover by Pablo Correa

Promo copy:

Darth Vader confronts a deadly assassin…

…The outlaw crew of the Uhumele arrives at the scene of Jedi Dass Jennir’s last adventure–but Jennir is already gone…

… And half a galaxy away, Imperial fighters are shot out of the sky by an “unarmed” pleasure craft…

Return to the dark times, that uncharted era of Star Wars history when the Empire was new and the Jedi were hunted by Darth Vader!

Turok, Son of Stone #4
Written by Jim Shooter
Art by James Harren
Cover by Raymond Swanland

Promo copy:

In a lost land where anything and anyone from anywhen might be, Native Americans Turok and Andar face perils beyond imagining. Swooping down from the clouds astride the awesome Sky-Terror, Turok fights to save Andar and his own beloved Aasta from cruel death at the hands of the Aztec god–king, Maxtla. Turok’s unlikely ally is a fighter pilot from an age yet to come. But can even the firepower of the future stand against thousands of fearless warriors and swarms of trained dinosaurs?

Graphic novels/comics received 11/13/11 Dark Horse edition was originally published on The Geek Curmudgeon

Let’s take a quick look to see what’s arrived at the Geek Compound.

Dagar the Invincible Archives Volume 1
Written by Donald F. Glut
Art by Jesse Santos

Promo copy:

In a time when gods and demons walked the earth as men, a young warrior raises his sword to the skies and declares defiance! Dagar the Invincible is a hero of blade and sandal, and Dark Horse Books uncovers the exciting legend of his journey through the ancient, mystical world! The first of two volumes in this archival series introduces Dagar and tales of his quest, originally published by Gold Key Comics in the 1970s. Collects Tales of Sword and Sorcery: Dagar the Invincible #1-#9.

Abe Sapien: The Devil Does Not Jest #1
Story by Mike Mignola and John Arcudi
Art by James Harren
Cover by Francesco Francavilla

Promo copy:

Buried in a demonologist’s basement is a deep, dark family secret, where horrific occult practices prove to be life threatening for Abe Sapien.

* An early Abe adventure

* Abe is pitted against demonic family curse!

* From the pages of Hellboy!

The Strange Case of Mr. Hyde #4
Story by Cole Haddon
Art by M. S. Corley

Promo copy:

Jack the Ripper’s reign of terror is coming to an end. His true identity has been discovered and Inspector Thomas Adye of Scotland Yard and his fiendish partner, Dr. Henry Jekyll–who has a few revelations of his own to share–are hot on his trail. In the fourth and final part of Hyde, written by Cole Haddon and illustrated by M. S. Corley, our monsters collide in a sewage-pumping station for an epic showdown that’s not to be missed. When the dust–and sewage–settles, will Adye still be the good man he was when our story began?

Conan: Road of Kings #8
Written by Roy Thomas
Pencils by Mike Hawthorne
Inks by John Lucas
Cover by Aleksi Briclot

Promo copy:

In underground catacombs beneath Aquilonia’s capital, a desperate Conan fights to protect himself–and a young child–from creatures more hideous and deadly than anything he’s ever encountered on the surface. The Road of Kings is no place for weaklings!

Star Wars: Dark Times—Out of the Wilderness #1
Written by Randy Stradley as "Mick Harrison"
Art by Douglas Wheatley
Cover by Pablo Correa

Promo copy:

Darth Vader confronts a deadly assassin…

…The outlaw crew of the Uhumele arrives at the scene of Jedi Dass Jennir’s last adventure–but Jennir is already gone…

… And half a galaxy away, Imperial fighters are shot out of the sky by an "unarmed" pleasure craft…

Return to the dark times, that uncharted era of Star Wars history when the Empire was new and the Jedi were hunted by Darth Vader!

Turok, Son of Stone #4
Written by Jim Shooter
Art by James Harren
Cover by Raymond Swanland

Promo copy:

In a lost land where anything and anyone from anywhen might be, Native Americans Turok and Andar face perils beyond imagining. Swooping down from the clouds astride the awesome Sky-Terror, Turok fights to save Andar and his own beloved Aasta from cruel death at the hands of the Aztec god–king, Maxtla. Turok’s unlikely ally is a fighter pilot from an age yet to come. But can even the firepower of the future stand against thousands of fearless warriors and swarms of trained dinosaurs?

If for some reason you wanted to (re)watch the stinkers listed in my Blastr piece “12 disastrous movie sequels we wish didn’t exist to spoil series we love,” I’ve done the work for you and found which ones are available via streaming. Lord knows, you wouldn’t want to be caught actually renting one of these.

I checked Netflix, Hulu, Hulu Plus, Amazon Prime, and Crackle.

King Kong (1976)

Netflix

Superman III

No streaming available.

Conan the Destroyer

Netflix

Ghostbusters II

Amazon Prime

Crackle

Star Trek V: The Final Frontier

No streaming available.

Highlander II: The Quickening

No streaming available.

Batman & Robin

No streaming available.

Planet of the Apes (2001)

No streaming available.

Matrix: Reloaded

No streaming available.

Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines

No streaming available.

X-Men: Last Stand

No streaming available.

Spider-Man 3

No streaming available.

With all the other crap available via streaming, I’m a little surprised by the meager selections available from this list.

This streaming info is accurate as of 11/13/11. As with most things online, streaming availability is always in flux.

***YMMV***

12 disastrous movie sequels – Streaming edition was originally published on The Geek Curmudgeon

If for some reason you wanted to (re)watch the stinkers listed in my Blastr piece "12 disastrous movie sequels we wish didn’t exist to spoil series we love," I’ve done the work for you and found which ones are available via streaming. Lord knows, you wouldn’t want to be caught actually renting one of these.

I checked Netflix, Hulu, Hulu Plus, Amazon Prime, and Crackle.

King Kong (1976)

Netflix

Superman III

No streaming available.

Conan the Destroyer

Netflix

Ghostbusters II

Amazon Prime

Crackle

Star Trek V: The Final Frontier

No streaming available.

Highlander II: The Quickening

No streaming available.

Batman & Robin

No streaming available.

Planet of the Apes (2001)

No streaming available.

Matrix: Reloaded

No streaming available.

Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines

No streaming available.

X-Men: Last Stand

No streaming available.

Spider-Man 3

No streaming available.

With all the other crap available via streaming, I’m a little surprised by the meager selections available from this list.

This streaming info is accurate as of 11/13/11. As with most things online, streaming availability is always in flux.

***YMMV***

Let’s take a quick look to see what’s arrived at the Geek Compound.

Conan The Adventurer: Season Two, Part One

Promo copy:

The battle between good and evil continues as the brave barbarian adventurer Conan, his trusty steed Thunder, lovable phoenix Needle and his many warrior friends (including Zula, Jezmine, Greywolf and Snagg) take on the sinister Snake Cult, led by the dark sorcerer Wrath-Amon! But are Conan’s might and his sword, forged from the mysterious and very powerful Star Metal, enough to fight off the Set worshipping horde? Prepare to find out!

Enjoy the first 13 episodes of the animated series’ glorious second season on two action packed discs!

5 Days of War

Promo copy:

Inspired by the real events of the swift–but devastating–five-day war between Russia and Georgia in 2008, this action-packed international thriller centers around an American journalist (Rupert Friend) and his cameraman (Richard Coyle) caught in the combat zone during the first Russian airstrikes against Georgia. Rescuing Tatia (Emmanuelle Chriqui), a young Georgian schoolteacher from the attack, the two reporters agree to help reunite her with her family when she loses them in the chaos in exchange for serving as their interpreter. As the three attempt to escape to safety, they witness–and document–the devastation from the full-scale crossfire and cold-blooded murder of innocent civilians.

They desperately attempt to broadcast the footage they’ve captured while under attack from the Russian soldiers and local mercenaries, but are met with resistance from American and international networks either shorthanded from covering the Beijing Olympics or simply fatigued by war news. The trio realizes their survival is paramount, so they can live to broadcast the truth.

This vivid, heart-pounding film directed by acclaimed director Renny Harlin (Die Hard 2, The Long Kiss Goodnight, Cliffhanger), 5 Days of War sheds light on the complicated politics and dangers involved with exposing the truth during times of war. 5 Days of War also features an international ensemble cast, including Heather Graham, Johnathon Schaech, Rade Sherbedgia, Mikko Nousiainen, Dean Cain with Andy Garcia and Val Kilmer.

DVDs received 11/11/11 was originally published on The Geek Curmudgeon

Let’s take a quick look to see what’s arrived at the Geek Compound.

Conan The Adventurer: Season Two, Part One

Promo copy:

The battle between good and evil continues as the brave barbarian adventurer Conan, his trusty steed Thunder, lovable phoenix Needle and his many warrior friends (including Zula, Jezmine, Greywolf and Snagg) take on the sinister Snake Cult, led by the dark sorcerer Wrath-Amon! But are Conan’s might and his sword, forged from the mysterious and very powerful Star Metal, enough to fight off the Set worshipping horde? Prepare to find out!

Enjoy the first 13 episodes of the animated series’ glorious second season on two action packed discs!

5 Days of War

Promo copy:

Inspired by the real events of the swift–but devastating–five-day war between Russia and Georgia in 2008, this action-packed international thriller centers around an American journalist (Rupert Friend) and his cameraman (Richard Coyle) caught in the combat zone during the first Russian airstrikes against Georgia. Rescuing Tatia (Emmanuelle Chriqui), a young Georgian schoolteacher from the attack, the two reporters agree to help reunite her with her family when she loses them in the chaos in exchange for serving as their interpreter. As the three attempt to escape to safety, they witness–and document–the devastation from the full-scale crossfire and cold-blooded murder of innocent civilians.

They desperately attempt to broadcast the footage they’ve captured while under attack from the Russian soldiers and local mercenaries, but are met with resistance from American and international networks either shorthanded from covering the Beijing Olympics or simply fatigued by war news. The trio realizes their survival is paramount, so they can live to broadcast the truth.

This vivid, heart-pounding film directed by acclaimed director Renny Harlin (Die Hard 2, The Long Kiss Goodnight, Cliffhanger), 5 Days of War sheds light on the complicated politics and dangers involved with exposing the truth during times of war. 5 Days of War also features an international ensemble cast, including Heather Graham, Johnathon Schaech, Rade Sherbedgia, Mikko Nousiainen, Dean Cain with Andy Garcia and Val Kilmer.

My new article “12 disastrous movie sequels we wish didn’t exist to spoil series we love” is now up at Blastr.

I listed 12 examples including Terminator 3.

Check it all out at Blastr.

12 disastrous movie sequels we wish didn’t exist was originally published on The Geek Curmudgeon

My new article "12 disastrous movie sequels we wish didn’t exist to spoil series we love" is now up at Blastr.

I listed 12 examples including Terminator 3.

Check it all out at Blastr.

Let’s take a quick look to see what’s arrived at the Geek Compound.

The Third Section
by Jasper Kent
Cover by Paul Young

Promo copy:

The third novel in Jasper Kent’s enthralling, chilling and acclaimed historical vampire sequence — The Danilov Quintet.

Russia 1855. After forty years of peace in Europe, war rages. In the Crimea, the city of Sevastopol is besieged. In the north, Saint Petersburg is blockaded. But in Moscow there is one who needs only to sit and wait — wait for the death of an aging tsar, and for the curse upon his blood to be passed to a new generation.

As their country grows weaker, a brother and sister — each unaware of the other’s existence — must come to terms with the legacy left them by their father. In Moscow, Tamara Valentinovna Lavrova uncovers a brutal murder and discovers that it is not the first in a sequence of similar crimes, merely the latest, carried out by a killer who has stalked the city since 1812.

And in Sevastopol, Dmitry Alekseevich Danilov faces not only the guns of the combined armies of Britain and France, but must also make a stand against creatures that his father had thought buried beneath the earth, thirty years before.

American Colossus: The Triumph of Capitalism, 1865-1900
by H. W. Brands

Promo copy:

In this grand-scale narrative history, two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist H. W. Brands brilliantly portrays the emergence, in a remarkably short time, of a recognizably modern America.

American Colossus captures the decades between the Civil War and the turn of the twentieth century, when a few breathtakingly wealthy businessmen transformed the United States from an agrarian economy to a world power. From the first Pennsylvania oil gushers to the rise of Chicago skyscrapers, this spellbinding narrative shows how men like Morgan, Carnegie, and Rockefeller ushered in a new era of unbridled capitalism. In the end America achieved unimaginable wealth, but not without cost to its traditional democratic values.

Certainly an unusual book to arrive at the Geek Compound, but one I look forward to reading.

The Ruined City
by Paula Brandon

Promo copy:

Paula Brandon’s epic and captivating trilogy continues as magic and mystery wreak havoc with the very fabric of existence.

Reality is wavering. Soon its delicate balance will shift and an ancient force will return to overwhelm the Veiled Isles. Now those with the arcane talent forge an uneasy alliance in hopes that their combined abilities are enough to avert an eerie catastrophe. Yet it may be too late. The otherworldly change has begun. The streets of the city are rife with chaos, plague, and revolt. And it is here that Jianna Belandor, once a pampered daughter of privilege, returns to face new challenges.

The dead walk the streets. The docile amphibian slaves of humanity have taken up arms. Jianna’s home lies in ruins. Her only happiness resides in her growing attraction to Falaste Rione, a brilliant nomadic physician whose compassion and courage have led him to take dangerous risks. Jianna, stronger and more powerful than she knows, has a role to play in the unfolding destiny of her world. But a wave of madness is sweeping across the land, and time is running out—even for magic.

The Human Blend
by Alan Dean Foster
Cover by David Stevenson

Promo copy:

In this first novel of a thrilling new series set in our near future, New York Times bestselling author Alan Dean Foster reveals a place where criminals are punished through genetic engineering and body manipulation—and poses profound questions about what it means to be human.

Given his name because radical surgery has reduced him to preternatural thinness, Whispr is a thug. In a dark alley in Savannah, Whispr and his partner in crime, Jiminy Cricket, murder what they take to be a random tourist in order to steal his artificial hand. But the victim is also carrying an unusual silver thread, which Whispr and Jiminy grab as well.

Chance later deposits a wounded Whispr at the clinic of Dr. Ingrid Seastrom. Powerful forces have been searching for Whispr since he acquired the mysterious thread, and Jiminy has vanished. All Whispr wants to do is sell the thread, and when he offers to split the profits with Ingrid, she makes an astonishing discovery. So begins the formidable partnership between the Harvard-educated physician and the street-smart thief—as long as they can elude the enhanced assassins that are tracking them.

RevSF editor-at-large Alan J. Porter interviewed Foster about the hardcover release.

Everything is Broken
by John Shirley

Promo copy:

Twenty-year-old Russ arrives in the northern California town of Freedom to visit his dad. Freedom has peculiarities other than its odd name: the local mayor”s ideas of “decentralization” have left it without normal connections to state or federal government and minimal public services. Russ meets an interesting young woman, Pendra, but before he can get to know much about Freedom or its people, a savage tsunami strikes the West Coast. The wave of human brutality that soon hits the isolated town proves more dangerous to the survivors than the natural disaster. Russ, his father, Pendra, and the other townsfolk must tap all their courage and ingenuity – and find strength they never knew they had – if they have any hope of living to find real freedom!

Books received 11/3/11 was originally published on The Geek Curmudgeon