I The Behrend Beacon Coming soon: By Patrick Webster managing editor paw 175 Ca` psu.edu As a quasi-comic book enthusiast. I always like to be on the look out for new and interesting material. Established companies like Marvel and DC can he expected to put out passable products ‘\ ith some regularity, and so dominate the market that forming a small new comic company is something akin to business suicide. The only ways new companies can hope to survive is by acquiring established licens es like IDW did with Tran.sfinmers, or by debuting with such high quality material that it is hard to ignore. By all reports, newcomer Red 5 Comics is taking the riskier but pos sibly more rewarding second route. Red 5 Comics, founded by Paul Ens (formerly of Lucasfilm's star wars.com and Lucas Online) and Scott Chitwood (theforce.net and ComingSoon.net). is starting five completely new comic fran chises. The first three hooks are going to be released in October, with the other two on schedule to start in November-December. Since Red 5 is a new company, if you want any of these books, you're probably going to have to order them directly from your local comic provider ( like Books Galore on Peach Street) or from one of several online mail delivery providers. The first three books, Abyss, Atomic Robo, and Neozoic have so far been the recipients of rave reviews. I'll briefly discuss each of these comics and the kind of reviews they're getting. Abyss: Written by Kevin Rubio with art by Lucas Marangon (if these names sound hoo-l-wish-I-were-human - robot story. Atomic a touch familiar, its because Robo wants to be recognized as sentient for his these are the guys behind the own reasons, and other than that. more often short spoof film Troops and regards humanity in terms of annoyance rather Dark Horse comic's Star Wars: than envy. Tag and Birk), Abyss follows the Like Abyss, Atomic Robo has received story of the son of the title char- CONTRIBUTED PHOTO strongly positive reviews from several establish- Abyss takes the bold and possiblby risky step of killing ments. Matt Brady of Newsarama wrote: acter, Abyss, as he deals with his father's death. Oh, and there's off the title character in the first issue. "Wow... I really liked this book. It was pure fun. Celebrity Matching Game Match the celebrity's name to their license plate number 1. California 2. Georgia 3. California 4. New York 5. California 6. S. Carolina 7. California 8. New York vt(- ya think this is funny? Well, you should write humor articles for. The Beacon. Why? Cuz Stone Cold said so! GVNBOR DED AS K 9 NOT FAKE PMS 4 EVA YES IM 18 BLONDUH NITE N PARIS CH 911 CHING lir I \ 9 I `'y q . 1 ) 1 toe Ot 06 05 C.k t fo) ftC'l/41- a. Lauren Caitlin Upton (Miss Teen USA) b. Lindsey Lohan c. Paris Hilton d. Michael Vick e. Rudy Giuliani f. Hilary Duff g. Arnold Schwarzenegger h. Hillary Clinton oas t also that thing about Abyss being one of the world's most heinous supervillains. Don't worry. not spoiling anything here: most of this information is quite easily visible on the cover of the book itself. The real story is what happens afterwards, as the son of Abyss learns not only of his massive inheritance hut the legacy of his father. This hook has garnered a lot of positive reviews. Chris Mullin of Silver Bullet Comicbooks wrote: "I'll just come right out and say it: this book was a really good read. The artwork by Marangon is top notch. Many upstart publishers are shying away from the capes stuff nowadays, and I like the stones it took for Red 5 to put this book out. With a couple more titles like this under its belt, this publisher just might be going places." Atomic Robo: Written by Brian Clevinger (8-bit Theater and Nuklear Age) with art by Scott Wegener (Killer of Demons), Atomic Robo seeks to form a new genre defined by Clevinger as Action Science. I have to admit I'm somewhat biased when it comes to any work by Clevinger. I've fol lowed 8-bit Theater for years and thoroughly enjoyed his book Nuklear Age. I've also communicated with him and artist Wegener personally. That being said, I was excited CONTRIBUTED PHOTO enough about Robo that I've Atomic Robo seeks to create a new genre: Action Science. already pre-ordered two copies. Here's the low-down: Atomic Robo is an "Automatic Intelligence" designed and built by famed scientist Nikola Tesla in the 19205. Over the next century Robo finds himself entangled in several historic events as well as general scientif ic weirdness. This isn't another weepy "800- Red 5 Comics Superbad is grrrrrrrrrrreat! Eh, it was ok By Chris Brown opinion editor cm hs 31 3 psu edti Last week I saw the movie Superbad, and until then, it had been a while since I actually cried in the movie theatre. Well, cried when seeing a com- edy that is Superhad was made from the same group of writers. actors, and comedians that produced other instant classics Knocked Up. 40 Year Old Virgin, Declared, and Freaks & Geeks. The plot itself is not anything ground breaking. The story follows three high-school students, Jonah Hill, Michael Cera, and Christopher Mintz- Plasse, who are trying to get laid on what could be the last time they all get together before they go off to college. What separates Superbad from other movies that it shares this genre with. Can't Hardly Wait and Trojan Wars among others, is the delivery and believability that the actors are able to convey. I was a little worried about the time-span the movie covers when I first realized that it compress es a whole day's events into a two hour movie. But, it ends up working in the movie's favor. Around every bend and turn there is a joke to be had and Former Behrend Beacon editor Jerome B. Pohl 111. has moved to California in pursuit of pornographic celebrity status and found Jesus instead. And Behrend thought they got rid of Mr. Pohl. Neozoic, the massive aster oid that annihilated most prehistoric life 65 million years ago was nudged off course, causing it to never impact the earth. The dinosaurs have always been here, and civilization is natu rally much different. Again, like Red s's other two premiere issues. Neozoic was the recipient of mostly positive reviews from comic critics. Prehistoric Pulp loved it, writing: "If you get a kick out of watching a hot chick take down a T. rex with nothing more than a sword and a gauntlet that shoots acid a la Buffy the Vampire Slayer with dinosaurs this title is for you." Like I mentioned earlier. these books probably won't be on shelves because they are debut issues from a brand new company with no bankable distribution. If you're interested in any of these, help a new company out by preordering them or at least expressing interest in them to your local comic shop. You can also email me at the address at the top of the article and I can point you in the right direction. they leave no comedic stone unturned. I couldn't even catch my breath in between the constant vol ley of original jokes. It isn't just the number of jokes that amazed me, but the originality of them...lets just say that I'll never dance with a girl the same way ever again (you'll get it after you see the movie). As expected, not everything goes as expected for the three friends and they have to overcome a num ber of obstacles. These invariably lead to a number of situations ripe with comedy and the writing and comedy capitalizes on them. Perhaps what makes it a better movie than others is that it puts a human face on comedy. It takes sit uations that every high school kid has experienced at one point or another and shows how even the most embarrassing moments in life have comedy in them if we just take the time to notice it. It has a serious side to it also. It deals with the worries that many recent high-school graduates and freshmen at college deal with, how to maintain friendships with friends going to different schools and how peer pressure to fit in. Even with so many great movies coming out this summer, Superbad stands out as a unique comedy. It will surely become a staple in many students' DVD collections, including mine. Friday, August 31, 2007 something often lacking in comics today. It's filled with action, adventure, and snap py dialog. Who doesn't love a smart-ass robot! Stan Lee would love this book!" Neozoic: Written by Paul Ens (Star Wars: Evasive Action) with art by J. Korim, Neozoic explores a world in which the dinosaurs were never wiped out and humans were forced to evolve along side massive predators and almost-as-dangerous enor mous herds of herbivores. This is a very different prem ise from a lot of dinosaur books and stories, where by some freak of nature, mad science or time travel humans find themselves unexpectedly face to face with dinosaurs. No, in CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
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