Kickstarter Spotlight: Sharkasaurus

Kickstarter has been one of the biggest platforms to get your comic book out to the world, and it shows with over 700 projects currently looking to be funded. One of those projects is Sharkasaurus.

Sharkasaurus is a graphic novel about “a pair of star-crossed lovers; the rebellious emo son of Paleontologist falls for promiscuous daughter of a widowed creationist. After they accidentally awaken a prehistoric tunnelling dino-shark, they must evolve their ideological difference or succumb to the inevitable jaws of Sharkasaurus.”

 With the mention of satire and one-liners as well this seems like a very promising and entertaining graphic novel.  Along with the graphic novel, there is also a short movie based it, with a trailer on their Kickstarter page.

The project has reward tiers for every type of budget. 8$ (Canadian) gets you a digital version of the graphic novel (PDF) and a download link for the short movie, which is a sweet deal. For 25$ (plus shipping) you get the physical copy of the graphic novel including any stretch goals and extra.  For the same price, there is currently 44 of 100 First Backer Version available of the physical copy of the book. It comes signed and number, I choose this tier because signed comics and graphic novel are excellent! So if you’re like me, and like signed books get your pledge in ASAP. If you ever wanted your likeness in a graphic novel and have some extra cash Sharkasaurus can make it happen for a pledge of 250$ or more.

Sharkasaurus currently has 94 backers and raised 5,492$ of its 20,000$ goal. There are 23 days left to pledge (July 28th, 2016 12 am EDT) Pledge Here https://t.co/bDMzqsoHoc if you can. We here at Skatronixxx are happy to support and spread the word about Sharkasaurus.Follow them on  Twitter at @Sharkasaurusnow.

UPDATE: Friday, July, 15th 2016: Sharkasaurs Is now over 50% funded with 12 days to go. Please support If you can!

UPDATE #2 July 22nd, 2016: There are 5 days left for Sharkasaurs to reach its funding goal of 20,000$. They have currently raised 16,555$. If you can support, please do so asap. If not, please share on social media to help them out, the deadline for funding is  Thu, July 28, 2016, 12:00 AM EDT.

Spencer Estabrooks (writer) and Tyler Jenkins (Illustrator) are the Canadian creators of Sharkasaurus. 

PipeDream Comics

To quote Bender from Futurama

 

 

        

I have survived the annoyance of moving and am happy to be back writing for skatronixxx.com!

I was fortunate enough just shortly after setting up my PC to have a brief meeting through social media with Alex Thomas. He is the Editor of The Pull List a fanzine that launched through PipeDream Comics earlier this spring.

The Pull List is loaded with content via PDF download format. It highlights Digital indy comics and content. From comic previews with links to their sites, to full on reviews, to opinion and advice pieces by indy creators, I found myself wanting to check a few titles and creators  I wasn’t aware of. The fanzine also has a few interviews with creators.

The Pull list is organised, and there are not too many ads. They have a top 30 picks for Comixology  Submit (Digital comics platform for publishing original comic book content) in the first issue. They also give some attention to current comic books campaigns on  Kickstarter. 

The PipeDream Comics site has recommendations for digital comics apps for IOS, as well as alternative apps to Comixology. There is also information on how to create digital comics.

The Pull List is released Quarterly and costs £0.99  per issue at gumroad.com/pipedreamcomics 

There are currently two issues out, and issue #1 is free with the option to name a fair price (support if you’re able to).

If you are a fan of the fanzine format, The Pull List is worth the investment. I found myself engaged and wanting to read the content continually.

More articles on the way in the near future, keep checking back at skatronixxx.com.  If you’re on Twitter follow @Skatronixxx, you can also follow me at  @concreteshawzee .

Let’s Meet The Owl-Vengers

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Let’s face it the internet is full of dark and depressing news these days apart from at Skatronixxx.com of course. Whilst doing my daily rounds looking for breaking news I stumbled across a DeviantArt artist who drew the ‘Owl-Vengers‘ well, what are the Owl-vengers I hear you cry? Well it is what it says on the tin! It’s our furry feathered friends crossed over and mashed up with Marvel’s Avengers. Yes I know it may not be news as such, but as I’m boss of the site, I thought people could do with a cheering up, and a smile on a Sunday afternoon 🙂 So sit back and click through the slideshow and enjoy!

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P.S. Yes I know there’s Deadpool in there and he’s not an Avenger but evetyone loves Deadpool, so why not!

 

Donald Trump Joins The Spider-Man Universe As M.O.D.O.K

Some people love him, most people loath him, there’s one thing you can’t deny Donald Trump has a really big chance of being the next President of America. Never before has there been such a polarizing character that has divided the opinion of the people. It seems now that Marvel (who are in the anti-Trump camp by the way), have decided to capitalise on this with the latest issue of Spider-Gwen.

Set in the alternate reality where Gwen Stacey was bitten by the spider instead of Peter Parker, Spider-Gwen features a hot of already well established characters from the Spider-Man Universe.

One of these characters is M.O.D.O.K (Mental/Mobile/Mechanized Organism Designed Only for Killing), now how would I a long time Spider-Man fan describe M.O.D.O.K ? Well how about a self indulgent, ego maniacal, giant head?

Sound familiar?

Look at the picture and decide for yourself, is the humorously renamed M.O.D.A.A.K (Mental/Organism/Designed/As/America’s/King) a shot at Donald Trump?

The team at Skatronixxx.com certainly thinks so!

.K.,,.,

Interview With UK Crime Writer Tom Bale

UK Crime Writer Tom Bale

After my review about Tom Bale’s recent book  ‘See how they run’, I can proudly announce, that he agreed to give me an interview too! How cool is that? I’m pretty excited to share this awesome interview about an incredidbly talented writer with you . Let’s find out some more about top author Tom Bale.

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First of all, the question you’ll probably answer the most.

How did you become a writer?

A lot of reading, and a lot of writing: it really is as simple as that. I’ve never taken any classes, never belonged to a writers’ group or had any kind of mentoring. I just read a lot of books, and taught myself how to analyze what worked and what didn’t. Over the years I wrote short stories, novels, TV scripts, comedy sketches, poems – I sent them out and got nearly all of them rejected, but gradually I began to get a few encouraging comments from editors, and I used that feedback to improve my writing.

Tell us a little bit about yourself and how your job as a fulltime writer changed your life.

I was submitting my work from the age of fifteen, but it took nearly a quarter of a century to become a full-time writer. Before that happened I had various other jobs – I was an insurance claims handler, a project manager and business analyst, and I also had a few years at home as a house-husband when my children were very young. When I finally had the break-through it was literally a dream come true – I still have to pinch myself, almost, at the thought that I earn a living from making up stories.

What is your writing progress? Do you have a strict process from the shape of the idea to the finished book?

Often I set out to write a detailed plan, but I tend to reach a point where the notes start to morph into the book itself. My main goal, once I’ve begun, is simply to get a finished draft, no matter what kind of state it’s in. That means I usually end up with a large, messy document, full of odd little ideas that I’ve thrown in on impulse – and then the real work begins! I love the process of rewriting, throwing out the ideas that no longer fit, and building up those that do. Typically I will cut around 25% of the total word count in order to get the story as streamlined as it can possibly be.

What do you feel when you have finished a book? And what is the first thing you do, when you’ve finished a book? Probably sleeping the whole day, right?

That’s a good question – and very relevant right now, as I’ve just finished an intense period of rewriting. For several weeks I was working from 8am till 2am, seven days a week, so catching up on sleep is certainly a high priority! There’s always a great exhilaration when a book is finished, and but the strange thing is how quickly it wears off – within a few days I’m usually starting to feel a bit low, a bit grouchy, and then my wife will remind me that I’m always like this when I’m not writing, and that means it’s time to think about the next project.

Let’s have a look at your recent work, how did you came up with the idea for ‘See how they run’?

See How They Run is different to most of my books in that it was inspired by a real event. Someone tried to break into our house one night, soon after I’d gone to bed. Because I was still awake, I heard a noise and then saw our outside light come on. When I opened the bedroom window, the intruder escaped through the garden. But afterwards I realized that if I’d been asleep I probably wouldn’t have heard him – and the thought of someone prowling through the house where my family were sleeping was very scary. From that I came up with the idea of a young couple, Harry & Alice, who wake to find two men in their room, demanding to know the whereabouts of a man called Renshaw…

I have to say, that I really liked the bad guys the most. You really have a talent for bad guys, don’t you?

Thank you, that’s very kind. I have to admit that I love writing the scenes with my bad guys, though I have to be careful not to become too sympathetic to them. It’s a case of getting the right balance, so that they come across as human rather than cartoon-like, while also remaining nasty enough to truly unsettle the reader.

What inspires you during writing? Do you listen to music, or do you got out for a walk and just let the nature inspire you?

Most days I try to leave the house and walk or cycle to a local café. I find that a bit of fresh air and exercise helps to get me in the right mood to write; and odd as it sounds, I often find it easier to concentrate in a busy environment – especially if I make sure there’s no wifi! But for the rewriting and editing I prefer to work at home in my study, and then I’ll often listen to music. As long as it’s something very familiar, I find it easy to concentrate with music playing.

Do you have some ideas, which you want to put into a new book?

I have lots that I haven’t yet been able to use, some of them going back twenty years or more. Although I mainly write thrillers, I sometimes get ideas that are better suited to other genres. At the moment there’s a supernatural horror novel that I’m desperate to write, but it’s probably going to have to wait a while.

Can you remember your very first story, you’ve written?

I can remember it very clearly indeed. It was called The Other Side of the Hill, and I wrote it when I was thirteen. It’s about a young boy who takes his dog for a walk – they discover an alien spacecraft and come to a grisly end!

One last question: Can you tell us a little bit about your upcoming book ‘All fall down’?

Yes, All Fall Down is another standalone thriller, which starts with the Turner family enjoying a Sunday afternoon barbecue. Suddenly a dying man stumbles into their garden, pleading for help. The family do what they can, but the man dies before he can tell anyone what happened to him. In the days that follow, the Turners experience a number of strange and unsettling events, but by the time they realize they’re being stalked, it’s too late…

So that was my interview with Tom Bale! I want to thank Tom, who took his precious time for this awesome interview and a special thanks to Kim Nash from Bookouture! She made it possible, that we can raffle a eBook version of ‘See how they run’ on our site! So here’s how you can win a copy: Make sure you’ve liked and retweeted this interview on twitter. I’ll announce the winner on Sunday, 10th July.

If you want to learn more about Tom, you can check him out at his homepage: www.tombale.net

Or use social media channels to be updated about his actual and upcoming projects at twitter @t0mbale and Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tombalewriter

And for those who haven’t read my review of ‘See how they run’ yet, check it out here: https://skatronixxx.com/2016/05/23/review-of-tom-bales-see-how-they-run/

Weekly Bookette #1 Genre of the Month (July 2016)

Skatronixxx.com is your home for all things nerdy, geeky, trendy, and awesome. The site covers many different angles on the entertainment world, and today we are proud to expand on one of those angles. Books!

Ilvermorny The School’s Origins And Houses

Earlier this year, J K Rowling, through PotterMore, introduced us to many different wizarding schools all over the world!

Earlier this week however, a short story about how Ilvermorny, the North American Wizarding School, was founded found its way online, and it is such a beautiful story!

Justin Trudeau – A Leader of a Different Sort

Move over Captain America! Step Aside Captain Britain! Make way for Captain Canada!
Teacher, occasional Boxer and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau can now add Superhero to his CV.
Toronto based Ramon Perez has designed the variant cover for Civil War II: Choosing Sides #5, featuring Justin Trudeau sporting a big red Maple leaf on his tank top, the Haida tattoo on his shoulder, the famous tousled hair, grin and brilliant blue eyes.

Marvel’s ‘Luke Cage’ On Netflix is Heading to Comic-Con

San Diego Comic-Con is the yearly event for fans of all things comic and nerdy – with tickets selling insanely fast, incredible line ups and exclusive sneak peeks at the most anticipated upcoming tv-shows and movies, it’s the place to be every Summer.

So it should come as no surprise to Marvel fans that Marvel’s Luke Cage will be making an appearance at SDCC next month. Joining the debut for the upcoming series, the main man Mike Colter (The Good Wife, Salt, Jessica Jones), alongside Alfre Woodward (State of Affairs, 12 Years a Slave, True Blood) who will be playing Mariah Dillard, a politician who wants to usher in a new age for the streets of Harlem where she grew up. Also joining them will be Theo Rossi (Sons of Anarchy, Cloverfield, Meth Head), who will be playing Shades, AKA Alvarez and and showrunner Cheo Hodari Coker.

Further casting for the show includes Rosario Dawson (Rent, Sin City, Death Proof) reprising her role as Claire Temple (seen in Daredevil and Jessica Jones), Sonia Braga (Kiss of the Spider Woman, The Outlaw, Donas de Casa Desesperadas) as her mother, Soledad Temple; Frank Whaley (Pulp Fiction, Vacancy, Under the Dome) has been cast as Detective Scarfe and Simone Missick (The Road to Sundance, Black Card, Ray Donovan) as Misty Knight.

Luke Cage first made his appearance in the first season of Marvel’s Jessica Jones, a bartender who Jones is drawn towards due to her ties to the murder of his wife. During the series, Jessica and Luke strike up a relationship, and she comes to learn of his unbreakable skin and superhuman strength. Luke Cage will be exploring Luke’s story as a wrongly accused man who escapes prison. He’s a fugitive, trying to keep a low profile and rebuild his life. But soon, he’ll be forced to confront the past he’s tried to keep behind him.

Marvel intend to show preview footage from Luke Cage during their panel at SDCC, which many fans are excited for, especially since all we’ve had so far is the short (but oh so very sweet) trailer for the show.

At present, Jessica Jones leading lady Krysten Ritter isn’t due to make an appearance with the cast.

Luke Cage is scheduled to premiere on Netflix on September 30th 2016.

Previewing This Week In Comics: 6/29/16 Edition

Hey everybody you may know me as the Lucha Underground writer for this site so I’d like to welcome you to my new weekly comic book preview for Skatronixxx.

I recently got a job at a comic book store and have the chance to check out and read these issues before many others get the chance to. I hope this info helps you decide what you may pick up this week and I’ll make sure to do it spoiler free.

I’d like to start my first article by beginning with my pick of the week.

Steve’s Pick of the Week: Captain America: Steve Rogers #2

I know many people are frustrated and bothered by the end of the last issue and I was no different. Cap turning “heel” (that’s a wrestling term for you non-wrestling fans) was one of the weirdest decisions in recent comic book history.

Why is this my pick of the week? Let’s just say this issue may be even more intense than the first one. I will admit though, if you had problems with the first issue you may have them with this one as well.

Also this week from Marvel we are getting new issues of Black Panther, Captain Marvel, Darth Vader, Squirrel Girl and Star-Lord. Just to name a few.

Black Panther has been remarkably well-received at my store so far and is consistently towards the top of the popularity list. I’ve enjoyed the first two issues and am looking forward to checking out the third in the next few days.

As I mentioned, we are also getting new issues of other Marvel comics this week. One I suggest you check out is Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #9. I really enjoy this series and this issue is no different. Each issue of this comic is just plain fun.

On the DC side of things its a bit of an off week. There’s no new Rebirth comics week but we do get some interesting annuals from Teen Titans, Grayson and Deathstroke.

My pick on the DC side of things this week would be Dark Knight III: The Master Race #5.

The series is off to a great start and I think that streak continues this week in issue #5.

This week from IDW we get new release like Bebop & Rocksteady Destroy Everything #5, Micronauts #3 and Wynona Earp #5. As a massive TMNT fan, I suggest you check out Bebop & Rocksteady Destroy Everything #5 this week.

For other companies like Oni Press, Dark Horse, Image and Boom!, we’ll see some pretty great releases this week from them too. Those being new issues of Rick & Morty, Steven Universe, East of West and Mae.

East of West has been terrific and continues to be in the next issue as does Mae in what is only it’s second issue.

I hope you all have enjoyed my first article on the comics of the week! If you decide to pick up any that I suggest, tweet me at @JellyBeanSteve or @Skatronixxx and let us know what you thought about my choices (rather good or bad).

Thanks for reading and go out and buy comics everybody!