Award Winning Artist Jill Thompson

In a universe and industry that is male dominated, Jill Thompson stands out among women comic creators.  Her art style is unique in that it is has an Alice In Wonderland feel to it.  It is bright, colorful and alive. Jill's artwork has appeared in books by Marvel, DC, Dark Horse, Comico, First, Topps, Sirius, Bongo, Caliber and Scholastic.  She is probably best know for her work on Neil Gaiman's Sandman and DC's Wonder Woman.  However, her best work is found in the works for which she has won Eisner Awards, 5 to be exact, for Best Painter/Multimedia Artist (Interior Art).  They are...

• 2001 Scary Godmother (Sirius)
• 2004 "Stray", in The Dark Horse Book of Hauntings (Dark Horse)
• 2007 "A Dog and His Boy" in The Dark Horse Book of Monsters; "Love Triangle" in Sexy Chix (Dark  Horse); "Fair Division", in Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall (Vertigo/DC)
• 2009 Magic Trixie, Magic Trixie Sleeps Over (HarperCollins Children's Books) 
• 2010 Beasts of Burden (Dark Horse); Magic Trixie and the Dragon (HarperCollins Children's Books) 

Jill Thompson is married to comic writer Brian Azzarello.  You can follow her on Twitter and Facebook.  She is very fun to chat with and is just as creative in her expressions as she is in her art.  

Michael Neno's New Comic - The Signifiers

Michael Neno, winner of the Award of Excellence from the Governor of Ohio, has recently produced a great new comic book featuring a sci-fi apocalyptic war story with a character named Splash who has to choose to obey or fight against a mysterious force called The Voyst.  Michael Neno is the recipient of a Xeric Grant, has done lettering for Dark Horse and Paul Pope's Horse Press, written and drawn the cover story for Silver Comics #8, 2 contributions to Cracked Magazine, coloring for a Beetle Bailey charity drawing by Mort Walker, and illustrations for the upcoming anthology, The American Zig-Zag.  Michael also writes and draws the online graphic novel, The Mesh.

I recently received a signed copy (thanks Michael) of .The Signifiers #1, and I found it quite interesting.  What or who are The Signifiers?  I don't know.  This is what makes it cool because Michael's unique writing style left us hanging at the end of the first issue.  Great writers are known for cliff hangers and leave the reader wanting to read more, salivating for the next issue.  While I admit that I had some trouble following the story in the beginning, by the time I got to the end I was left wanting to know who The Signifiers were!

The other thing I loved about this book was the art style.  It was done in black and white but in old school style.  It had a Kirbyesque look about it, and it was clearly done with a pen and india ink style of artwork.  This is art that is penciled and inked by hand with a brush or inking pen.  In fact, my copy was so fresh I could still smell the fresh ink off of the press.  I have always been a fan of Jack Kirby and while I am sure Michael wants to establish his own unique art style, I could not help but make that comparison.  It is unique in it's own right but also has that Kirby appeal to it. 

There is also a story about Landlark, The Heat Seeking Dwarf.  It is an interesting tale that quickly captures your attention and holds it.  This 48 page comic is priced at $4.95 and you can get an autographed copy directly from Michael Neno at the following link...http://www.nenoworld.com/The_Signifiers_No.1.html
This is a link directly to Michael's site because we do not have any here at Krypto-Knight Comics!   We know you will enjoy this book so get your signed copy today! 

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New Action & Adventure Video

New recently made the following video using Animoto.com.  It's a great site that does all the work for you.  The down side is that free videos are really short, HD videos cost more and the style of video is almost always the same.  However, it is still a BIG time saver and you have some creative say over the pics, words and music.  You can even download your own music.  Here is our most recent video.



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Casting Call - The Black Panther

Sometimes I like to think about who could play a certain comic book character on the movie screen.  One way I do this is by thinking backwards.  In other words, as I watch TV or movies I think, "What superhero does that actor/actress remind me of?"  Sometimes the answer is no one but on other occasions it becomes very clear.  Some actors are just born to play certain roles.  Christopher Reeve was born to be Superman.  Patrick Stewart is Professor X.  Hugh Jackman brought Wolverine to life (although too tall we accepted him).  Robert Downey, Jr. was awesome as Tony Stark.  Recently I decided who I think would be perfect for the role of T'Challa, the King of the African Country Wakanda.  We affectionately know him as The Black Panther, Honorary Avenger.

Who would I cast as the Black Panther?  Christopher Judge 

Who is Christopher Judge?  He is best know for his role on Stargate SG-1 and associated shows as Teal'c, the Jaffa alien who helps the ISO's Stargate program defeat the Goa'uld from ruling the galaxy as gods.  However, Judge has other credits to his name as well, some of which have ties to popular comic book characters.  In 2003, he was the voice of Zodak in 5 episodes of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe.  He also provide the voice for Magneto in the animated series X-Men: Evolution.  In other years he has appeared in episodes of MacGyver, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Andromeda, Sirens and Action Man.  Bird On A Wire, A Dog's Breakfast and Personal Effects are some of just a few of the many movie appearances he has had.

I like Judge for the role of Black Panther for several reasons.  He has the build being muscular and firm.  He has the look in his face that differentiates him from actors like Denzel Washington or Wesley Snipes, some who have been mentioned or rumored to be in such a role.  He also has the look as if he could be from another country because he is part African and part Cherokee.  He definitely has the voice of one who commands others,  injects fear and displays confidence. Finally, he has the size. At 6'-3" it is clear he is not a short man.  He has proven his ability to show a physical prowess, and his fairly solemn role as Teal'c, a character whose very demeanor commands respect, is similar in nature to that of the Black Panther.  Much like Patrick Stewart or Christopher Reeve, I believe he was born to play the Black Panther.

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Daredevil #1 CGC 9.2 Sells for $10,800 On ComicLink

The all-star cast of the Daredevil movie could not save it from being a bad movie.  It's a shame, too, because Daredevil is such a popular character among Marvel fans.  Fortunately the bad movie has not affected the loyalty of fans nor the popularity of The Man Without Fear.

To prove this fact, ComicLink recently auctioned a Daredevil #1 with a CGC grade of 9.2 with off-white to white pages.  Any collector would love to have a copy of this and if I have to explain why then, simply put, you are not a collector.  For what amount did this book finally sell?  With 15 seconds left on the auction the bid went from $6500 to $7450.  Then with only 2 seconds left, the final bid came in at $10,800.  Not only a beautiful book but a beautiful price, especially for the seller. 

My favorite Daredevil story was "Guardian Devil" written by Kevin Smith and drawn by Joe Quesada.  (I have a couple of issues signed by Joe Quesada.  View them here.)  The story forces Matt Murdock, DD, to protect a baby that he is led to believe will be either a Messiah or an Antichrist.  In the process he struggles with the death of  love interest Karen Page who was killed by DD's archenemy, Bullseye.  In the end, there is a surprise villain behind it all, one that no reader expected.  This storyline began the Marvel Knights series and revived the the popularity of Daredevil.

What's your favorite Daredevil story?
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