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Things almost went wrong for Miranda when her sister's best friend caught her snooping around Lindy's house, but the Cat barely gets time to breathe before having to jump into the breach once again to take on the previous Cat's hellacious arch-nemesis.
Happy Valentine's Day from Ares & Aphrodite!
Yes, we know that the actual high holy day is not until this weekend, but this is also to celebrate the digital finale of the first volume over on Comixology. Have you read it yet?
Megan Levens and I are excited to have this book out in the world at last.
Here's something to listen to while you read. Gigi quotes this song in an earlier chapter, in a way that is as much a threat as a promise. :)
Current Soundtrack: Karen O, Live from Crush Palace
The digital edition of Ares & Aphrodite wraps up this Tuesday. You can get that and previous chapters from Comixology.
Needless to say, this gallery previewing that sixth installment has spoilers. If you've not been reading, scroll through at your own peril.
I was surprised with a first-look advance copy of the actual printed comic this week. It came out gorgeous! Hilary Thompson at Oni Press really did a marvelous job bringing it together. And I think Megan's colors look even better on paper.
And remember, when this bad boy comes out in April, it has a bonus story, process material, and an afterword not available in the serialization.
Current Soundtrack: Cornershop, Hold On It's Easy
...but today is the day in Ares & Aphrodite when we find out who wins the bet, Will or Gigi. Is this particular knot about to get tied?
It's the penultimate chapter. You're going to know how this whole little romance turns out next week, just in time for Valentine's!
Download Ares & Aphrodite #5 now.
Scroll through the preview below.
The printed book is out in April. Order it now.
Current Soundtrack: The Charlatans, Modern Nature
The fourth digital chapter of Ares & Aphrodite: Love Wars takes us into the final act. Get “The Morning After the Night Before” on Comixology now.
Two issues to go, still plenty of time to catch up. Scroll trough the preview of #4 for more.
This chapter also has a self-deprecating two-panel exchange that never fails to crack me up.
And don’t forget to preorder the print edition coming in April.
Current Soundtrack: Taylor Swift, 1989
While The Double Life of Miranda Turner #6 is being lettered, here is a sneak peek at the cover to #7.
Current Soundtrack: Pet Shop Boys, "Songs of Sorrow" playlist
You can now grab Ares & Aphrodite chapter 3 from Comixology. Preview gallery below.
Thought, technically, it's chapters 5 and 6, since the digital versions have two chapters each. With their own special titles, even.
Major Spoilers has been giving the book a lot of great coverage, including:
Don't forget to tell you favorite retailer to order you the print edition in April. Details here.
Megan's first issue of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 10 also goes on sale tomorrow from Dark Horse Comics. You can see a full preview at Comic Book Resources, ut here is a quick tease.
Current Soundtrack: The Thrills, So Much for the City
Chapter 2 of Ares & Aphrodite hit Comixology today.
The book is written by me, with art by Megan Levens, and lettering by Crank.
Published by Oni Press.
If you dig romantic comedies with a little bit of mystery, then this is the book for you. Published weekly through Valentine's Day digitally, with a print version in April.
Scroll through the gallery below for a preview.
Current Soundtrack: Mark Ronson, Uptown Special
Did you pick up The Double Life of Miranda Turner #5 this week? And by pick up, I guess I mean download it from Comixology? Up, down, either way.
Well, if not, Panel Patter has a review that let's you know why you should.
Despite not being a ton of pages, there's a lot going on. Rich know just what to say to give meaning to the story while also piling on the jokes, showing his lighter side. With Kambadais pulling in stronger visuals again, playing with perspective, using better color contrasts and generally mixing things, up, this is well on its way to hitting my main favorites list in 2015.
And if that's not enough, how about a sneak peek at the #6 cover?
Current Soundtrack: Michelle Rosenthal's 2014 playlist. If you don't follow her art blog, start.
On sale today is the digital-only The Double Life of Miranda Turner #5.
If you haven't tried the book yet, entry is cheap. You can get the whole series so far for just under $5.
Or you can just jump in now.
Because that's what Steve Strout did.
First off, I really enjoyed the writing. Written by Jamie Rich, it seems like the book is aimed at a younger audience, but the story is well written and brilliantly illustrated enough to keep me interested, though more than a few have referred to me as a big kid. This is definitely a "fun for all ages" story.
The art in this book is bold, colorful, and right to the point. The art isn't over done, and it absolutely compliments the writing. I think artist, George Kambadais tells the story in his drawing, perfectly!
Here is a preview of the book's opening. Just click on the images to scroll through the gallery.
Current Soundtrack: Vince Guaraldi, The Very Best of Vince Guaraldi
Ares & Aphrodite debuted today on Comixology. You can get the first installment and sign up for a subscription right here.
The full print version is going to follow in April. Diamond has details. It has some extra features, including a small sketchbook section, an afterword by Sequential Crush's Jacque Nodell, and the "Two Wheels, Two Feet" short story that Megan Levens and I did for Double Feature a couple of years ago.
Here is a short preview. Click on the image to scroll through.
PRESS RELEASE:
Portland, OR (January 6th, 2015) – Oni Press is pleased to announce the launch of Jamie S. Rich & Megan Levens’ newest graphic novel, ARES & APHRODITE, the first chapter of which is now available at ComiXology and Madefire!
ARES & APHRODITE is the second collaboration between Levens and Rich, following 2014’s MADAME FRANKENSTEIN, and will be split up into weekly chapters, released every Tuesday for $1.99. There will be six chapters of ARES & APHRODITE in all, finishing up on February 10th—just in time for Valentine’s Day!
ARES & APHRODITE follows the exploits of divorce lawyer Will Ares and wedding planner Gigi Averelle. Under normal circumstances, they’d probably never meet, but their respective clients are getting married! Set against the beautiful and duplicitous backdrop of Hollywood, this romantic comedy is sure to satisfy even the most bitter of hearts.
Intrigued? Readers can click HERE to get Chapter 1 of ARES & APHRODITE from ComiXology, or head over to MADEFIRE.COM for the first installment!
***
Current Soundtrack: Charli XCX, "Gold Coins;" Rita Ora, "Grateful"
THE DOUBLE LIFE OF MIRANDA TURNER #5
written by Jamie S. Rich, illustrated by George Kambadais, lettered by Crank!
Miranda has been caught red-handed snooping around her dead sister’s apartment. Or at least that’s how it looks. Lindy Turner’s best friend, the teleporting superhero Portal, has been wondering where her pal the Cat has disappeared to, and so it doesn’t look good when a girl she’s never met shows up at the Cat’s lair wearing the missing crimefighter’s costume.
On sale January 7, published by Monkeybrain
Current Soundtrack: Mark Ronson feat. Kevin Parker, "Daffodils"
George Kambadais' Holiday Card 2014
Wow, this Comics Alliance write-up of Lady Killer is really amazing.
Annnnnd...they have a full preview of the book's opening sequence. Please check it out.
Followers of Jones’ cartooning and illustration will recognize her fondness for period imagery. Her Tumblr routinely features artwork that calls back to the vintage fashion and pin-up illustrations of mid-century America, and her and Rich’s graphic novel You Have Killed Me dives head-on into the period with more of a straightforward noir approach. But Jones has also demonstrated a penchant for action, particularly in her recent work on Adventures of Superman and the awesomely violent Viking fantasy series Helheim.
With Lady Killer, Jones found a way to synthesize both of her artistic strengths to magnificent effect in a first issue that I had the chance to read. The book is at once adorable, funny, sexy and savage. It’s Americana viewed in a funhouse mirror that calls special attention to details like wallpaper, furniture, the contents of a kitchen cabinet, the way clothes hug a body, and the way a knife sticks out of a corpse. It will be obvious to anyone who reads Lady Killer that Jones relished drawing every page.
In other comics news, the Outhousers give a really swell write-up to The Double Life of Miranda Turner #4.
George Kambadais designs echo Batman The Animated Series, with his clean line work and simple coloring. The sepia toned flashbacks separate them from the present time and when the two time lines are side by side, they’re easy to follow. The panel of Miranda seeing Lindy’s ghost for the first time is genius use of using dialogue to have the reader’s eye create its own sense of motion in a single panel. A small, yet smart design comes from letterer Crank! using blue speech bubbles for Lindy echoing her blue ghost nature.
This issue is the darkest so far of the short series, but retains the humor and playfulness of previous issues. The mystery is unfolding smoothly, as Miranda gets one step closer to finding her sister’s killer. The Double Life of Miranda Turner is well worth the $0.99 price tag on Comixology, especially if Rich and Kambadais can get this book back on a regular schedule.
In regards to that scheduling, The Double Life of Miranda Turner #5 is set for a January 7 release, the same day as Lady Killer #1 and the day after the first digital chapter of Ares & Aphrodite: Love Wars. So never you fear!
Current Soundtrack: Wu-Tang Clan, A Better Tomorrow
Did you get your copy of The Double Life of Miranda Turner #4 from Comixology today?
You might also want to stop by the Robot 6 tumblr, as they have an exclusive look at the creative process, seeing the stages of a story page from my script to George Kambadais' final colors. Give it a look.
Current Soundtrack: The Magic Numbers, Alias
Preview the fourth issue of my Monkeybrain title The Double Life of Miranda Turner, co-created with artist George Kambadais.
At long last, it can be revealed: the events of the night Lindy Turner was killed. With a new clue to go on, Miranda and her sister relive the evening that led to the Cat's murder.
Preorder the digital-only comic now in advance of its Wednesday release.
Click on the image to scroll through.
Current Soundtrack: Digster UK's Best of 2014 playlist on Spotify
It's been a bumpy road, but she's back!
December 4 will see the digital release of The Double Life of Miranda Turner #4. I'm excited to see it released, as this is the one where you finally get to see how Lindy Turner died.
George Kambadais did a knock-out job on the art this issue, and he's already done with #5. Scripts for the entire first nine-issue story arc are also in the can. So we're hoping to be steady rollin' from here.
You can preorder The Double Life of Miranda Turner #4 right now. It's only $0.99. If you haven't started the series yet, you can jump in right now for less than $4!
Current Soundtrack: The Orb, The Orb's Further Adventures Beyond Dark Matter
Archer Coe & the Thousand Natural Shocks is now on sale as printed comic!
And so is Madame Frankenstein #3.
I have another interview discussing both books, and a bunch of my other stuff, over at Broken Frontier. Read my conversation with Tyler Chin-Tanner right here.
Newsarama also gave Archer Coe a pretty solid review of 8 out of 10.
Up and comer Dan Christensen was a perfect choice for a book like this. Right off the bat, you're going to notice Christensen's sophisticated simplistic style, shaded gloriously in grayscale for that extra touch of noir. His cartooning nature and storytelling abilities are the big win here. His linework being a cross between something like Andrew MacLean and Darwyn Cooke, his handling of busy club scenes and intimate moments gives the book it's noir/old school pulp feel that it deserves.
And then there is this piece on Madame Frankenstein #3 from Unleash the Fanboy.
Likewise, Backwards Compatible chimes in on Madame Frankenstein #3:
The way Jamie S. Rich is drawing in themes from science to class is an intriguing part of the series. It mirrors the complexity of Mary Shelley’s original work albeit in a shortened form. Thankfully for the modern storyteller a picture is able to tell a thousand words and he is supported in this fact by the art from Megan Levens.
The art has the same level of depth and detail that we have seen in the previous issues. The expressive nature of the characters is put at the centre of most panels and helps make this story feel like the character study it really is.
Madame Frankenstein is a story that deserves your attention; it is well crafted and has a human focus that other stories sometimes fail to deliver.
I am sure more reviews are to come. Both comics are also available on Comixology. Go here to my author's page.
You can also get a multi-format DRM-free option for digital downloads of Madame Frankenstein directly from Image Comics.
Panels from Madame Frankenstein #3
Current Soundtrack: Broken Bells, After the Disco
Don’t be a mug! Get Madame Frankenstein #2.
In stores today.
Or buy it digitally through Comixology or the DRM-free options at Image Comics.
Annnnd, if you're in the market for digital comics, might I also recommend:
* Snipe, by Kathryn & Stuart Immonen
* Amsterdam Sketchbook by Natalie Nourigat
Current Soundtrack: Ride, Going Blank Again (expanded edition)
* Reminder: This Saturday, I am at Zeus Comics in Dallas with Mike Norton and Joëlle Jones to celebrate Free Comic Book Day. I will have books for sale, including advance issues of Madame Frankenstein in limited supply. Come down!
* Archer Coe & the Thousand Natural Shocks: We are more than halfway through the digital serialization. Response has been great.
Sequential Pictures even has a very thorough, albeit spoiler-free, review that includes talk about the $0.99 roll-out.
Archer Coe combines 1940′s noir cinema and the masked adventurer pulps of the same era to great effect. It centers around Archer Coe, a stage hypnotist whose craft is not a parlor trick, but a grander “exchange of information”. His profession and eclectic lifestyle first cast him as belonging to the large pantheon of masked adventurers. Unique abilities, high ideals, and a costume all set the story to be an adventure narrative. By the second issue, it evolves into something that bares a greater resemblance to a Phillip Marlowe novel, than one about Doc Savage.
You still have almost an entire month to order the book from your favorite retailer. Grab our handy order form.
* Madame Frankenstein: If you'd rather meet Megan Levens than me, I can't blame you. She'll be doing two events in Southern California to promote the book launch.
First, on Saturday, May 2, at Blastoff! in North Hollywood for Free Comic Day: details.
Second, Wednesday, May 7, at Earth-2 in Sherman Oaks: details.
Like Madame Frankenstein on Facebook.
Comic Front Line had some kind words about the book, too.
As a big fan of women in comics and the original Frankenstein story, I’m looking forward to see how adding a reanimated woman into the lore as the monster will be done. The mood is also supposed to be very reminiscent of classic horror films. Levens describes it by saying: “I've always been strongly drawn to the moody, old-Hollywood glamour of the classic Universal monster films, and I felt that aesthetic would be a perfect match for the elements of horror and romance in this story…
And look, the real thing exists...
Current Soundtrack: Kelis, Food
