What Is Techno Again?

Exploring Underground: Interview with Steve Lieber

Another interview touches down upon the Impulse Creations forums today, and this time I converse with artist Steve Lieber (Whiteout, Gotham Central) and briefly with writer Jeff Parker (Agents of Atlas, Fall of the Hulks) about their collaboration, Underground (Image Comics). If you’re interested in peeling back the pages, head over to Impulse now. Here’s a sneak peek just in case:

Steve Lieber and Jeff Parker’s Underground from Image Comics concludes next week. If you’re not on board with the environmental adventure that takes a dangerous turn, then dive in and enjoy. Series artist Lieber agreed to answer some of our questions about the comic that’s off-the-cave-wall exciting, and writer Jeff Parker jumps in, as well.

Impulse Creations: Thanks for sitting down with us, Steve, and agreeing to talk about your work on Underground! Can you tell us a little about the comic?

Steve Lieber: Underground is a comic about a fight over a big cave in a small town. Our heroes, Wes Fischer [Ed. note: the female lead] and Seth Ridge, are two Park Rangers in Kentucky. They come into conflict with some locals over what to do with the cave: preserve it for the naturalists or open it up for the tourists. Misunderstandings quickly escalate into violence, and the result is a deadly chase through the cave.

Tags: Image Comics, Impulse Creations, Interviews, Jeff Parker, Steve Lieber, Underground
Posted in Comics, Impulse Creations, Writing | No Comments »

Interview: Fraggle Rocking with Comic Writer Heather White

If you’re a Fraggle fan like Heather White, you’ll probably enjoy this interview I conducted with her regarding the upcoming Fraggle Rock comic series from Archaia. It’s full of good stuff, including her all-time favorite Fraggle. Check it out over at RadNerd!

Muppets and rock. Whoever conceived that match (Jim Henson) certainly knocked some socks off, and now Archaia Comics has adopted the one-two Talking Puppets punch.

I sat down with writer Heather White, who enthusiastically answered my pressing questions about translating the musical television show to the page. As we chat about the comic itself, Heather touches upon the Henson Company, gives the book’s other collaborators their dues, and discusses what Fraggle familiars and n00bs alike can generally expect from this all-ages medley. You might find that the switch from show to comic is a little more sensible than you might presume.

Tags: Archaia, Fraggle Rock, Heather White, Interviews, RadNerd
Posted in Comics, RadNerd, Writing | No Comments »

North America Sees Starry Skies This Summer

Sentinels of the Starry Skies, that is—as in Dragon Quest IX. Apparently the title scored four million copies sold in Japan, and now Nintendo means to introduce westerners to the Square-Enix game.

Square-Enix and Nintendo have built themselves a nice little raft comprised of those four million and are now floating out to sea together. Okay, maybe that was a little excessive, but you get my drift (literally). At the Summit in San Francisco yesterday Nintendo announced that it will be handling NA publishing duties for the DS game.

Despite the Alan Moore-esque metaphor, this sounds like cheery news to me granted the game doesn’t flop. I could use a Dragon Quest fix, even though I still can’t swallow my pride and accept that the series is now known around the globe as “Dragon Quest,” and not “Dragon Warrior.” What can I say? When it comes to RPGs, I’m a sucker for dragons and orbs (boooo crystals).

Are you holding your breath in excitement for Sentinels of the Starry Skies (which is a weird name if I ever heard one)?

[Konami]

Tags: Dragon Quest, Nintendo, Sentinels of the Starry Skies, Square Enix
Posted in Gaming | No Comments »

Review: Robot13 #3

Need another good comic recommendation? Check out Robot13, Thomas Hall and Daniel Bradford’s quietly flourishing creation. If you like mythological stories, or just skeleton robot guardian thingies that look ridiculously awesome, then you’ll probably enjoy the indie book.

Thomas Hall and Daniel Bradford’s singular Robot13 caps Book One with an earth-shaking finish that’s bound to pique your attention. Floating on the same wavelength as Hellboy, Robot13 trades the paranormal for the mythological and shapes it refreshingly well.

The comic fixates on a mechanical amnesiac investigating his own mysterious origins. For those unfamiliar with the fascinating yet surprisingly uncomplicated indie hit, its hero—a unique cross between robot, futuristic spaceman, and ancient skeleton warrior—reawakened and rose from underwater depths, saving innocent fishermen from monstrous, tentacled peril. Although the sea-faring crew expressed their infinite gratitude and even offered him a place on their boat, the lonely Robot13 yearned for something else: to return to his creator, the “Doctor” (and no, he isn’t British and doesn’t wield a sonic screwdriver).

Read the rest here.

Tags: Blacklist Studios, Daniel Bradford, OneMetal, Robot13, Thomas Hall
Posted in Comics, OneMetal, Writing | No Comments »

Pull-O-Rama: February ’10

Computer troubles got you down? That’s been the case for me recently, but luckily I did crank out my weekly Impulse Creations coverage. This month’s Pull-O-Rama investigates this Wednesday’s Grimm Fairy Tales #44 as well as Resurrection #8, Salem’s Daughter #3, and Angel: A Hole in the World #3. They have nothing to do with computers, but a lot to do with good reading material. Below are some previews:

“Roper grants the comic a surprisingly authentic feel, and Brusha keeps our eyes glued to the pages.” - Grimm Fairy Tales #44

“As usual, Guggenheim builds conspiracies and knocks down nations in stride.” - Resurrection #8

“Some might consider the witchcraft angle a tired subject, but fortunately the creators stuff more than crooked finger-pointing into this comic.” - Salem’s Daughter #3

“Those who are still exploring Whedon’s Buffy/Angel world will enjoy this comic depiction of a fantastic episode streak, but those who recognize Acker’s stellar performance will probably find that it falls short.” - Angel: A Hole in the World #3

Tags: Angel, Grimm Fairy Tales, Impulse Creations, Resurrection, Salem's Daughter
Posted in Comics, Impulse Creations, Writing | No Comments »

Review: The Complete Alice in Wonderland #2

Want more Alice? Then try Dynamite’s The Complete Alice in Wonderland #2 on for size and bide the time until the upcoming Disney/Tim Burton movie. I bet your nonsensical wordplay has gotten rusty over the years, anyway.

Lewis Carroll fanatics Leah Moore and John Reppion expand their all-ages adaptation in The Complete Alice in Wonderland #2. The manga-styled Alice sits with a quirky Mad Hatter and the March Hare, attempts croquet according to the hasty Queen’s rules, visits the Mock Turtle and watches his lobster dance, and finally attends a rather unconventional trial.

Anybody up for batting around some hedgehogs with flamingo croquets?

Tags: Complete Alice in Wonderland, Dynamite, Èrica Awano, John Reppion, Leah Moore, Lewis Carroll, OneMetal, PC Siqueira
Posted in Comics, OneMetal, Writing | No Comments »

MAJA Otaku Blast

I’m a video games junkie (obviously), but I like to sprinkle a little manga and occasionally anime on my nerd platter. A rather unexpected email dropped into my inbox yesterday, and I ran smack into the massive video game, manga, and anime interest known simply as Otaku. Rapper MAJA (“Mey-juh”) just channels that passion into a musical, J-pop barrage of snappy lyrics and old school love.

Catchy, right? MAJA’s work continues to grow rampant throughout Youtube’s musical niche. In 2007 he joined CARTOONMOGUL and produced “Transformer,” which has accumulated over 130,000 views. “Anime” shot him into Japanese television stardom, and his album, The Amalgam Project (August 2007), further combined anime and hip-hop.

Rap and I still share a gaping space of emptiness and confusion between us, but sometimes Bayonetta beats and retro gaming funk just bridge that lonely mass. This could be a new and beautiful relationship … maybe.

Tags: CARTOONMOGUL, MAJA, Otaku, The Amalgam Project
Posted in Gaming | No Comments »

Creating a 3D Dot Hero, One Pixel at a Time

Today Aram Jabbari, Manager of Public Relations and Sales at Atlus, loaded a 3D Dot Game Heroes customization breakdown onto the PlayStation.Blog website. Even the character editor shines with a warm, nostalgic feel. I mean … ye ol’ Final Fantasy, anyone?

Players wield the power to invent their own heroes and send them merrily into the kingdom. Apparently the North American launch will boast more custom characters than the original Japanese turf release, so those of us who cry over our “stick figure” drawings can compose ourselves a little at the news.

Allegedly the editor will be a breeze to operate; the copy, paste, and flip shortcuts facilitate the process. Textures won’t concern you according to Jabbari, who assures us of the wondrous and magical “real-time lighting engine” … whatever that means … that eliminates the issue. We’ll take his word for it.

If you like sharing the love, then a quick USB-to-hub transfer will upload your unique character to the 3DDGH community online.

3DDGH punches classics in the face on May 11th and comes generously priced. What kind of hero will you design?

Tags: 3D Dot Game Heroes, Atlus, PlayStation 3
Posted in Gaming | 5 Comments »