Usagi Yo Jimbo vs Invincible by Ryan Ottley

For those of you who don't know who Ryan Ottley is, he is the kind of guy working in the comic industry that I adore. The reason is because he is a true self made man... dude hated his regualr job, so he began creating his own personal web comics to gain exposure. Instead of submitting samples to the comic companies and hoping they would change his life with a job offer, he published his own stuff and it was seen by the right person... Robert Kirkman, the creator of The Walking Dead, and he loved it! So he offered Ottley a job penciling Invincible... and the rest is pretty much history. Ottley kills on Invincible, and also has drawn variant covers for The Walking Dead and Haunt, which was a collabo between Kirkman and Todd McFarlane. The guy is a great artist, and I really dig his whole path to success. Joe Fletch sent me a cool ass pic he had posted over on his Deviant Art page featuring one of my favorite lesser known characters, Stan Sakai's Usagi Yo Jimbo taking on Invincible himself. The piece is beautiful, but also humorous... it plays up to Yo Jimbo's fearlessness but also the impracticality of attacking Invincible with a sword. Great piece. You can see much more of Ottley's work over at his Tumblr, Deviant Art page, and Blog... and check out the awesome Man vs Rabbit piece after the jump...

The Walking Dead To Re-screen Episodes In Black & White? Yes Please!!!!!

One of the coolest things about The Walking Dead comic books has to be the fact that Robert Kirkman & Tony Moore decided to do the comic in black and white. It adds a level of creepiness to the story and helps mute some of the over the top blood, guts & gore that occupy Rick & the gangs world. Last year the premiere episode of the TV show was re-aired in black & white as an homage to the comic and it went over gangbusters. So AMC has decided to roll the dice and re-air the first two seasons of the show in its entirety in black and white as well. As someone who enjoys both the original comics and has saw the first episode in black & white, I for one am thrilled. I can't wait to revisit the TV version again in this altered state. The re-airngs will be taking place starting February 14th. Check out the first episode opening scene in black & white and make sure to tune into AMC this February for a whole new take on the show...

You Can Finally See Edgar Wright's 'Ant Man' Footage From SDCC... Kinda Sorta!!!!

I have been salivating to get a shot a seeing Edgar Wright's Ant Man test footage from San Diego Comic Con 2012 since the day after it aired and he 'Net nearly exploded talking about it. As a fan of the character in general, the Robert Kirkman 'Irredeemable Ant Man' comic series, and Edgar Wright as a film maker in general this is the perfect storm for me. But Marvel has been chincy with releasing the material (for once they should take a page out of DC Comics playbook from when they leaked that Blue Beatle test footage to much fan fare) and since Avengers just came & went on Blu Ray without it appearing (there was a rumor it would be a special feature on there) it seems like we might never actually see it. But artist Samurai Jack (someone we have featured here on CCD before) was in attendance at the panel back in August, so he decided to storyboard and animate what he saw on the big screen. This is the closest we are gonna get to the footage for now, and going from what I heard sounds ALOT like what was really shown. Way to show iniative Samurai!!! Check out the clip after the jump....

Take A Tour Of The Prison From The Upcoming 3rd Season Of The Walking Dead

The Walking Dead is one of my favorite current shows on TV and I have been a fan of the original comic for quite sometime. I recently have re-read issues 1-75 of the comic (I am currently trying to catch up) and am super psyched for the upcoming season because they will be introducing Michonne, The Governor & the Prison. Fans of the comics know just how great these things are, and in just a few short weeks you will to. Join Robert Kirkman, the creator of the original comic, on a tour of where Rick & the crew will be moving to next after the jump. I for one can't wait....

CCD Holiday Geek Gift Guide #5: What To Get The Comic Book Newbie In Your Life

I am a veteran of the comic book game... I have been collecting since I was four (just over 28 years) and I have tons of comics/graphic novels to prove it. I, along with many of my fellow 80's baby comic geeks, were way ahead of the current comic book movie craze and have read ALL of the source material that is making the summer blockbusters the masses are devouring at a record pace. But what if you have to buy a gift for the person who is just getting started with comics? Here is a list of a few of my personal faves that will give any comic fan, new or old, a smile on their face. These will even work for a hardcore fan, even though a true comic book head SHOULD have in their collection (both in issue format and collected versions...lol). Click after the jump for my suggestions...

The Walking Dead... Gone Way To Soon!!!

So... I was going to post this on Monday, but I wanted to let a day pass for me to soak in the masterfulness (I don't think thats a word, but I don't give a fuck) that was the season 1 finale of The Walking Dead. It actually irks me to call the 6 & 1/2 episode mini series a "season", but thats what AMC is going with... so lets not argue semantics.

Rick & the crew...



I will say this. I am a huge fan of the original series (I read about the first 24 issues or so) and an even bigger fan of Robert Kirkman, the original comic book writer. The way he writes people is fanatstic. Perhaps the biggest mistake that people make is that this is a horror series. Sure, its based in horror, but it truly is a character study on human beings way more then just a shoot em up zombie adventure. But here is the catch: When they do the zombie stuff, they do it to death (literally)!!! There is no shortage of violence, gore and general zombie awesomeness on this show. Yet its all done in a wonderful context, and how the actions going on in this post apocalyptic world affect these survivors is pure harmony.



Issue #1... Where it all started



If I have one drawback on the show, its the fact that I have to wait until next October for the second "season". This can officially be called a "season" because we will have 13 episodes. I love this cast, especially Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes. Thats my boy right there. Not to mention anytime someone finds a way to fit Norman Reedus into an ensemble cast, they are doing something right. Big ups to Frank Darabont and the crew for that one. Thanks for a great mini seri... er, I mean 1st season. Looking forward to much more to come!!! See you guys next October.



Zombie Attack!!!


Did you guys like season 1 of The Walking Dead? Tell us what you think about the show and where you thinks it stands in this seasons TV shows in the comments below. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on a great show...

AMC's Walking Dead Premiere Killed It... Literally.

To quote our favorite fugitive rogue rebel leader, "I love it when a plan comes together!". Here are the facts about The Walking Dead:

1. The comic it is based on is phenomenal and writer/creator Robert Kirkman is one of the best comic writers out there write now.
2. AMC has been knocking it out of the park with their original programming... Breaking Bad, Mad Men and Rubicon are all critically and fan acclaimed, and receive both high ratings and are showered with awards.
3. Frank Darabont is made to direct creepy ass shit like this. Not really straight horror, more like compelling drama with a supernatural twist. Check out The Green Mile & The Mist for proof of this. He does drama better than TNT, and if you add a freaky twist to it... well, then it just makes him a better choice. 
4. It premiered on Halloween night, and on a Sunday. If Halloween would have fell on a Friday or Saturday, than no one would have watched this show (at least that night... Tivo anyone?) But a Sunday, which is when the show will air anyway... the stars aligned for this one. 
5. They are keeping the blood and gore... god, is there a lot of blood and gore. Many people thought AMC was gonna cut down on the blood & guts and raise the drama factor. Check out this clip for proof that while there will be tons of dramatic moments, this show will be true to the source material:

Well guess what... it worked!!! AMC got 5.3 million viewers for the 10 pm premiere, and picked up another 2.8 million in the 11:30 pm replay that immediately followed. That accounts for 8.1 million viewers on Sunday night alone, and that's not factoring in DVR/Tivo stats which come out later. This is the highest viewership ever on AMC. This show did all it could ever have been expected to do and more. Congrats to Kirkman, Darabont, the cast & crew, and everyone over at AMC. I hope the show lives up to the lofty heights that the pilot has reached, and since its already been picked up for a full (12 episodes) Season 2 run chances are it will pan out. What were your thoughts on The Walking Dead premiere... did you like it or hate it? Tell us in the comments section below. We want to hear your comments!!!