August 29

The Staff of Fanboy Comics warned you that this day would come. In fact, we traveled through time on August 4th to tell you about the activation of Skynet. And now, prepare to welcome our new computer overlords; it is Judgment Day.

Judgment Day, also known as J-Day, refers to the day in the Terminator film that the artificial intelligence Skynet became self aware and started a nuclear strike on America, Russia, and other regions, killing three billion people. Due to the effects of time travel, as well as several film, TV, and novel adaptations of the Terminator story, the month, day, and year of Judgment Day has varied over the years.

The following is an interview with Mark Gonyea, who is a comic book creator and scratchboard card artist. In this interview, Fanboy Comics Contributor Managing Editor Barbra Dillon chats with Gonyea about how and when he began his work as an artist, what intrigues him about working with scratchboards, his experiences in exhibiting at San Diego Comic-Con, and his recently released children's book.

This interview was conducted on August 21, 2013.

At San Diego Comic-Con this year, digital studio Madefire announced its partnership with comic book publishers like IDW Publishing, Top Cow, and BOOM! Studios, which would launch their bestselling titles as motion books.  Now, IDW is debuting its popular titles, including Star Trek, Transformers, and My Little Pony, on the Madefire platform starting today!

Please see Madefire and IDW's official press release below for further details on the groundbreaking release of these new motion books.

The following is an interview with professional animator and illustrator Mary Bellamy, who is the creator behind several comic book series, including Faux Facts - The Truth Can Be Strange! and Ah Heck!! - The Angel Chronicles. In this interview, Fanboy Comics Contributor Managing Editor Barbra Dillon chats with Bellamy about her journey to becoming a professional artist and comic book creator, her ventures in self-publishing, and her experiences at San Diego Comic-Con.

This interview was conducted on August 22, 2013.

The following is an interview with the comic book writer/artist team of Bryant Dillon and Chris Thorne, who will be contributing their short story, "Buried," to the upcoming horror-themed anthology Skin Crawling Comics. In this interview, Fanboy Comics Managing Editor Barbra Dillon chats with Dillon and Thorne about their introduction to the horror anthology, what inspired their short story, and where you can find more of their work.

This interview was conducted on August 15, 2013.

Comic book publisher Top Cow will soon be releasing the ninth issue of Think Tank, written by Matt Hawkins and illustrated by Rahsan Ekedal, and the publisher has been very generous to the Fanboy Comics staff.  In advance of the Wednesday, August 28th, release date, we are now able to share a preview of Issue #9! 

This has been a monumental year for the LGBTQ community.  From the US Supreme Court's rulings on Prop 8 and DOMA to the repealing of the US military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, encouraging advancements in acceptance and equality have been made for members and supporters of the LGBTQ community.  There are still struggles, though.  Russia has introduced a law that bans so-called "propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations," causing LGBTQ supporters to call for a boycott of Russia's upcoming Winter Olympics.  In light of these events, we at Fanboy Comics want to bring your attention to a very special Kickstarter campaign for Virgil, a new graphic novel that, according to creator Steve Orlando (Outlaw Territory, Mystery in Space), " . . . uses a story every reader can get behind to open eyes to the LGBTQ community's battle. It doesn't ignore the darkness within. It's not utopian, and braver for it. It's time for LGBTQ literature to grow past black and white. This is a rich world of gray areas, hopes, and failures. The real people, real atrocities, and real reactions of a fight that most didn't know was being fought."

Comic book publisher Inverse Press has a new project in the works, and they have returned to Kickstarter to fund the 20-page Western comic book called Last Ride for Horsemen.  For details regarding the comic book and its Kickstarter campaign, please see Inverse Press' full press release, below.

As a reader of Fanboy Comics, chances are that you are a fan of comic books, movies, video games, and other creative media that are generated by independent creators.  For that reason, I am excited to announce that there is a new indie publisher in town, and they have an exciting, new business model in store for readers that not only includes a long list of talented creators, but the chance for YOU, as the reader, to be involved!  

Identity Comics is an independent comic book publisher, led by Phillip Kelly and Lars Canty, that recently launched a Kickstarter campaign for its very first anthology, Verge.  The series will follow four ongoing stories, and the path of those stories will literally be left up to the audience.  From issue to issue, feedback from the writers, artists, and readers will determine which direction to take a story or if a story should even continue. 

Comic book publisher Top Cow will soon be releasing the fourth issue of Aphrodite IX, written by Matt Hawkins and illustrated by Stjepan Šejić, and the publisher has been very generous to the Fanboy Comics staff.  In advance of the Wednesday, August 21st, release date, we are now able to share a preview of Issue #4!