Friday Night Videos - Merry Christmas!

Indy Comic Book Week - CBTs

Only 7 more days until Indy Comic Book Week and there are many, many other books I could recommend checking out when you go to your local comic shop next week, but truth be told I just don't have the time. I still have some last minute Christmas shopping to do! Fortunately, there are a lot of other places online to check out indy books and if I may be a tad self-serving for just a minute, you could do worse than our comic-related preview site, www.ComicBookTrailers.com.

Currently, we are displaying more than 200 CBTs on our site and a huge majority of them are indy books. If you thought comic books were just super heroes, you'll be surprised at the diversity of material on our site. There's crime, horror, fantasy, comedy, self-reflection, experimentation, historical drama, children's fare, political intrigue, satire, nostalgia, and even a few super hero books too. One thing they all have in common is the passion of creators who cared to bring their visions to life. As a soon-to-be indy creator himself, I can assure you that developing a comic book is no easy task. It takes a lot of hard work and much more time and energy than anyone could afford to pay me, though I certainly would welcome any one to try. Most indy creators aren't in it for the money (yet the dream is there). The projects are labors of love. You can see it in the comics themselves and in the promo efforts. Many of the promo videos featured on our site are by the creators themselves.

That's why www.ComicBookTrailers.com welcomes all creators of comic-related projects to display videos on our site for FREE! It is our hope that this site can be a valuable resource for creators, publishers, retailers, and readers alike. If you or anyone you know has a promo video for a comic book, or comic-related project, please contact us!

We invite folks interested in Indy Comic Book Week to browse around our site before heading to the shop. Just like viewing the previews for all the blockbuster movies coming soon, these trailers are much more diverse and likely to be sitting on the shelf of your local comic shop right now. I too will be shopping for something a little different next week. I'll be sure to post the results and be happy to read yours as well.

Tis the Season for FREE Music!

Looks like a lot of the music industry is feeling less than Scroogey this year! I've discovered tons of holiday-themed tracks for FREE by surfing in a cyber wonderland. If you are in need of some tunes to help get into the spirit, click on the pics and try these:


Bob Dylan "Must Be Santa"
iTunes gifts a couple of FREE holiday tracks each week. One of this week's offerings is "Must Be Santa" from Bob Dylan's Christmas album. That's right. I typed it. Bob. Dylan's. Christmas. Album. You know you want to it for novelty sake at the very least. And it is FREE this week. Er, at least until Tuesday 12/22. Unfortunately, FREE iTunes usually are only available for one week only. But there should be another two released on Tuesday. If we're lucky maybe they will be from Twisted Sister or Billy Idol's Christmas albums! iTunes offers a lot of FREE content year 'round and to help keep up, I suggest subscribing to the Free iTunes blog or be their Facebook friend.


Tori Amos "Snow Angel"
Not to be outdone, Amazon is promoting 25 Days of FREE, unveiling a new holiday song available to download free for a limited time. Featured artists include Tori Amos, Lady Gaga, Tracy Lawrence, Billy Bob Thornton, and even Curious George. Unlike iTunes, these tracks are available for more than 7 days.


Frank Sinatra "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear"
Furthermore, Amazon is offering the 7-track Sampler Claus of some more classic versions of songs by Frank Sinatra, Robert Goulet, Mahalia Jackson, and more. You can also find a few more tracks by checking out the list of FREE music downloads. When it comes to giving out Christmas music, Amazon wins the prize!


Blondie "We Three Kings"
Blondie is back! Get a FREE Download of Debbie Harry and the boys performing a holiday classic when you sign up for the newsletter and look for a NEW album from the band in 2010!


Blue Mercy Cafe "O Come All Ye Faithful"
Good friend Sean Taylor has gifted us with a couple of tracks from Christmas past. Check out a rockin' version of "O Come All Ye Faithful" and the demo of his melodic reaction to consumerism, "Unfit for a King."


And for those of you who say "Bah Humbug" to Christmas music and just want to hear a bedtime story, the classic Dickens tale read by Antonia Bath is available for FREE at LearnOutLoud.com.

With all these FREE tunes, it is not too late to ask for a bigger iPod from Santa!

Friday Night Videos - Super-Sized!

Indy Books of the Week - Two of the Best

With only a couple of weeks left before Indy Comic Book Week, I thought I'd best not mess around. The following are not only my personal favorite indy comics of the year, but two of the best comics I read this year in general. These are the best of the best folks, so pay attention!

It should come as no surprise that I have an affinity for all things "legend." I'm not sure exactly why, but I've been attracted to the word ever since I can remember. So, when I saw that one of this year's Free Comic Book Day offerings was a preview of The Stuff of Legend, I had to pick it up. As I reported then, the book had "an intriguing premise and fanciful artwork" and I looked forward to seeing the actual issues. The first two have not disappointed in the least. The Hollywood sales pitch is Toy Story meets Vertigo's Fables in the best of both. I eagerly await the third issue scheduled for spring of 2010. As beautiful as the artwork is, I look forward to seeing it collected in a hardcover, but I cannot wait that long to read the next chapter! To find out more about The Stuff of Legend, check out the Th3rd World Studios site, where you can read the FCBD preview for FREE!

It is not an overstatement to say that reading the first two issues of Cursed Pirate Girl is the most unique experience I've had with a comic in a long, long time. The cover of the book is disarming and does not at all prepare you for the lavishly illustrated journey you'll undertake with creator Jeremy Bastian at the helm. Though the artwork, plot, and characters have roots in the familiar, the storytelling style is one of the most original I've ever had the pleasure of reading. Cursed Pirate Girl is (dare I say? yes, I double-dare) a work of genius. You can see some preview art and find out more information about the artist and the series at JeremyBastian.com and OlympianPublishing.com.

Friday Night Videos

Indy Books of the Week - Two for Tuesday

There's not much time left as we get closer to Indy Comic Book Week, so I thought I'd double-up on the home stretch to spotlight more indy books. Some of my best friends write indy books and here are the latest offerings of two of them.
At first glance, you might think you'd need a special permit from the CMLDF to purchase Gene Simmons' Dominatrix, but there's a lot more to this comic than the chosen profession of the main character. The KISS bass player may have his name on the title, but the book is all Sean Taylor. Sexy, fun, adventurous, intriguing, dangerous, and witty - all things the writer aspires to be someday! :) Artist Flavio Hoffe and Esteve Polls serve up the story with plenty of helpings of cheesecake and the series features gorgeous covers by Alex Garner. Dominique Stern is Diana Prince by way of Quentin Tarantino. If you liked J.J. Abram's Alias tv series, you'll want to check out the volume one trade which should be available at fine comic and book stores everywhere. Keep up with all that is Sean at the Taylorverse.

Last week saw the release of Fantastix, a graphic novel created by Jason Shane Powell, written by Bobby Nash with art by Daniele Serra. A dark tale of meta humans fighting for survival in a world not too different from our own. I have not yet had the chance to read this graphic novel, nor the Fantastix:Code Red novel by Bobby Nash, but I did recently complete the writer's suspenseful thriller Evil Ways. The man knows dark and I also happen to know he knows his superheroes too (even if we do have different titles at the top of our stack), so I'm extremely interested to read about the world of Fantastix. The graphic novel is on sale at IndyPlanet and to keep up with all that is Bobby, be sure to check out the Nash News blog.

Friday Night Videos

Indy Book of the Week - Freak Show

I did some comic shopping while I was in Dublin last week and picked up the first couple of volumes of Freak Show published by Atomic Diner. I also had the pleasure of meeting writer Robert Curley at his comic shop in Dublin, Sub-City. Great guy, great store. I started reading the first trade as soon as I got home and couldn't put it down. It is a blend of detective 40's noir and 50's silver age. Think L.A. Confidential meets The Outer Limits. The stories feature art by Stephen Mooney and Stephen Thompson. I crowed about Mooney in my last indy post and I'm pleased to say that his work here has impressed me even more. And Thompson's contributions are equally brilliant. After tearing through both volumes, I checked the net for more and was surprised to learn that these are a few years old! They may not be new, but they were new to me and if you can find the single issues or trades, I strongly recommend picking them up. I have read that Robert is working on other projects, but I hope there's more Freak Show to come!

Many thanks to FlintLockjaw, warpspeed,mickr7an, and Leftcoastlove at TheComicForums for their suggestions for Irish comic shops!