Comic Book Therapy » Cartoon

Two Trailers For Disney XD’s Avengers Assemble Released

Cody "The Thorverine" Ferrell — Sat, 11 May 2013 15:39:27 +0000

It was just a few days ago that we got our first real look at Disney XD‘s Marvel’s Avengers Assemble via a still featuring most of the team standing back-to-back ready to fight some unseen evil. Now we’re getting our first glimpse at some footage via two Disney teaser trailers for the show. The XD channel will be airing a hour long special that will show the first episode of Avengers Assemble and maybe Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. on Sunday May 26th at 11am EST (we say maybe because we’re not sure if it’s both shows or two episodes of Assemble). After the preview day on the 26th, the show will make its official premiere July 7th. What do you think of the first footage for the show? Does it ease your Earth’s Mightiest Heroes pain?

Cody "The Thorverine" Ferrell, Two Trailers For Disney XD’s Avengers Assemble Released

Indie Spotlight: Yumi Sakugawa

Muy Mareado! — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 15:00:11 +0000

Welcome to Indie Spotlight! The independent scene is filled with many writers and artists alike and we here at Comic Book Therapy wanted to explore and reach reach out to these talented people to have the opportunity to learn about their works. For our first edition we present to you Yumi Sakugawa!

I am Yumi Sakugawa and I am a comic book artist and illustrator based in the Southern California. I am a regular comic / illustrator online contributor to Sadie Magazine and Wonderhowto.

Most recently, my comic zine “Mundane Fortunes for the Next Ten Billion Years and Other Stories” was selected as Notable Comics of 2012 by the Best American Comics anthology editors.

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Comic Book Therapy – Thank you very much for taking the time out to do this interview. How have you been doing?

Yumi Sakugawa – It is my pleasure! I’m finally fully recovered from a week-long cold so right now I am feeling pretty amazing.

CBT – You’re a self published comic book artist. How did you start?

Yumi – After I graduated from UCLA, I spent a year teaching English in Japan… because that’s what you do when you have just graduated from college with an art major and you have no idea what you’re going to do with yourself. During that time, a fellow English-teaching American artist friend and I spontaneously decided to sign up for a small booth at the bi-annual Tokyo Design Festa, a giant arts and craft convention that happens in Tokyo every May and November. I didn’t have any art on hand and I definitely did not want to show up as a first-time exhibitor empty-handed–so I furiously whipped up my first self-published 30-page comic zine “Milk and Moo” just in time for the event. Note to new artists, there is nothing like a convention deadline to really force yourself to kick your own butt to get something done.

This was back in 2008, and I had no idea that a zine culture even existed. When I moved back to Los Angeles, I made serendipitous connections with fellow artists in 2010 who introduced me to the zine scene and really got me hooked to showing comic zines at zine conventions.

CBT – What projects have you completed? Currently working on?

Yumi – I’ve self-published about eight comic zines in the last four years, ranging from illustrated guides on meditation to short comic story collections. My most recent self-published comic zine was a 50-page autobiographical diary comic of my travels in Paris and Rome.

Things I’m currently working on? I’ll definitely be releasing more self-published comics about meditation and mindfulness (people seem to really like those), and more short comic story collections. And since the world always needs more self-love and creative inspiration, I’m thinking of releasing a comic zine that deals specifically with self-love and staying inspired as an artist.

I’m also working on a longer fictional comic project right now, longer than anything I have ever made. It’s kind of a secret so either a lot of people will get to read it once it’s done or I won’t finish it and no one will ever know about it. Hopefully it will be the former and not the latter.

CBT – How long have you been in the art world? What inspired you to pick up the pencil/pen and create?

Yumi – I honestly don’t know what counts as being in the art world! I was in my first group art show in 2008 that wasn’t an art school student campus gallery show, so maybe since then? As for what inspired me to pick up the pencil / pen and create, I’ve always been drawing and doodling since I was a small kid, and drawing is the perfect medium to express yourself when you’re a really painfully shy kid and you’re trrified of talking to people.

CBT – As an artist, conventions and other means of showcasing are pretty important to promote your work. Have you attended conventions?

Yumi – Yes! I’ve attended maybe 6 different comic and zine conventions in the last few years and I really love the convention scene. For 2013, I’m really excited that I will be tabling away from the West Coast for the first time ever–at the Brooklyn Zine Fest in April and at the Toronto Comics and Arts Festival in May. Come visit my table if you think you’ll be going to either of those events!

I always make the coolest new friends and discover amazing new artists at every convention event. Seriously, I feel like there is a significantly lower percentage of douchey, pretentious creative types in the zine scene compared to other creative scenes or maybe I have just been really lucky with the people I’ve met. That, and I love having the opportunity to share my work with new people and connect in real-time with people who have seen my work previously on the internet or elsewhere.

If you are just starting out as a comic book artist, then I really recommend signing up for a table or a booth at a comic convention. Even if you don’t sell that many comics in the beginning, you get so much from the whole experience.

CBT – What is your best Convention memory?

Yumi – I think my best convention memory is the first comic and zine convention I’ve ever attended in 2010. I was crammed in one car with three other zine friends and left at 3 in the morning from Los Angeles to arrive just in time in Sacramento at around 10 A.M. to table at Indy Euphoria. I was only there for one day and I hitched a ride back to Los Angeles with another friend that same night. That convention memory is particularly special to me because that was the first time I had the chance to meet Dylan Williams, the late founder of Sparkplug Comic Books. It was at the convention when he actually bought copies of my first comic zine from me to distribute through Sparkplug and as a total newbie, I was so blown away by the possibility that complete strangers would really take a genuine interest in reading my comics. I feel so fortunate to have met him at that time and one more time before his unfortunate passing in 2011.

CBT – Things can be a bit difficult getting into the comic business. What encourages you to continue?

Yumi – I honestly don’t think much about the difficulty of getting into the comic business. Not because I naively think it won’t be difficult for me or anything like that, more so because I’m much more preoccupied on a narcissistic, mundane level with the daily difficulty of motivating myself every single day to find the time and the inspiration to move forward with my comic projects, regardless of busyness or creative blocks.

What keeps me going? Fan mail from an eleven-year-old girl. Complete strangers from countries I’ve never visited ordering my zines online. Seeing my self-published comics on display in my favorite independent bookstores. Kind messages from strangers. The painstakingly slow progress I make as an artist with every new project I finish. Being held accountable to my inner eleven-year-old who always dreamed of becoming a cartoonist.

CBT – Have you done work for other publishers?

Yumi – I’m actually working on something with another comic publisher. I can’t disclose too much information for the moment and more details will be revealed later in 2013. Stay tuned!

CBT – What do you enjoy most about doing comics?

Yumi – I think comics is the best creative medium for me to fully and honestly express myself as an artist and as a human being. Growing up, I was always torn between wanting to become a writer and wanting to become an artist; thankfully with comics, you can do both things at the same time.

CBT – With the year of rebirths and reboots, do you feel it contributes well to the comic business or takes the interest away from longtime readers?

Yumi – I’m the worst person to ask this question. I haven’t actually read any rebirth or reboot comic storylines.

CBT – Who is your favorite comic book artist? Favorite title or series that features his/her art?

Yumi – What a difficult question! I have many favorite comic book artists that changes with what I am interested in at the moment, but I always find myself revisiting again and again “Skim” illustrated by Jillian Tamaki and written by Mariko Tamaki. Coming-of-age stories with interesting female teenage protagonists are my personal catnip.

CBT – What comic book character would you find easy to relate to?

Yumi – This is a Japanese manga character, but I can relate too well with Maruko from the shoujo manga series “Chibi Maruko-Chan.” She’s lazy and disorganized, and prone to retreating to her own imaginary world a lot, just like me. (I can’t relate, however, to her immense dislike of nattou)

As for an American comic book character, this may be an extreme cliche answer but I think Charlie Brown and I would have had a lot of great coffee hang-outs. I was a pretty melancholy kid prone to over-nostalgizing my own childhood experiences in my head as they were happening in real time.

CBT – What would you consider your greatest piece to date?

Yumi – I don’t know if this would be my greatest, but I will always have a huge fondness for my first self-published comic story “Milk and Moo.” There is a wonderful magic that comes out of having no idea what you’re doing but somehow getting it done anyway.

CBT – For those who want to have a start in illustration, what advice would you share with them?

Yumi – Give the world as many opportunities as possible to see your artwork. Have a regularly updated art blog. Show your work at shows. Exhibit at conventions. Meet other artists. Make friends with artists whose skills and work ethic intimidate the shit out of you. Being an artist can be a lonely business, so find a community of artists you can join or make your own community. Find excuses to get your illustration out there, whether it’s volunteering to illustrate for a someone’s music event flyer or challenging yourself to publishing a weekly web comic with a friend.

In the beginning, all of this may seem like shooting darts in the dark. It is all worth it for the momentum that you create for yourself that will carry you over to your next great opportunity.

CBT – Thank you very much! Is there anything you’d like for us to be on the lookout for?

Yumi – Since so many people have asked about this, I will be releasing a limited artist booklet print of my emo-comic “I Think I Am In Friend-Love with You” sometime this month (January). If you are looking for the perfect not-so-subtle gift to give to your friend-crush for Valentine’s Day, this is it.

>Click Images for Bigger Versions<

Check out the sites below to see more of Yumi’s work and updates on her projects!

Bigcartel: yumisakugawa

Facebook: www.facebook.com/yumiverse

Flickr: yumisakugawa

Twitter: @yumisakugawa

Tumblr sketch blog: acrosstheyumiverse

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Hey writers and artists!! As the continuing interest in independent works grows, we want to reach out to the indie community and highlight those who dedicate their time and effort to a passion for their work. Tell us YOUR story! If you know someone that you would like to be featured in this section let us know!

To be featured in Indie Spotlight, please complete the following steps:

Contact us at: dezdewberry@comicbooktherapy.com (Please put “Indie Spotlight” in the subject line)
Provide a short bio and 5-10 pictures if you’re an artist
Sit down, relax and get ready to be contacted back!

Muy Mareado!, Indie Spotlight: Yumi Sakugawa

Advance Review: Todd, The Ugliest Kid On Earth #1

Cody "The Thorverine" Ferrell — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 21:29:26 +0000

This series, a collision of comedy, sex, and violence, follows the misadventures of America’s most dysfunctional family as they go head-to-severed head with an Oprah-loving ax murderer, a cult-crazy soap opera star, and a neo-Nazi prison gang.
First issue: Todd wants desperately to make friends, but every kid he approaches winds up decapitated. Or worse. Meanwhile, Todd’s mother is on a mission to get even with her husband who she believes is having an affair.

Todd, The Ugliest Kid On Earth is a new four issue series with a story by M.K. Perker and Ken Kristensen. The issue is written by Kristensen with art and letters from Perker. Cemal Soyleyen joins the duo by providing colors. Todd is an odd new book, but is it worth checking out?

A new family is moving into their new home when Todd, the ugliest kid on Earth, comes over to try and make friends with the nice little Korean girl. Todd frightens most other children his age because he walks around with a giant paper bag covering his face. But Todd is a nice, sweet kid who just wants to make a friend. That’s hard to do when Mike, the neighborhood bully, and his gang roll up on the scene to harass Todd and cause him to get into trouble. Mike is the little devil that bullies everyone but uses his silver tongue to talk his way into the good graces of the adults. Back at home Todd has to deal with his drunken father and inattentive mother. While watching the news, the family learns of an axe murderer on the loose who targets children. While the news report tells parents to keep their children inside, Todd’s mom wants him to take out the trash…in the rain…with an axe murderer in the area. You might be able to guess what happens. That sets off the comedy of misunderstanding that ensues.

Perker and Kristensen have a truly unique story on their hands. This odd, politically incorrect, and wacky story features a cast of messed up characters and humor that should hook any reader. While it’s hard to say there’s anything quite like Todd, the nearest compression would be something along the lines of The Maxx and The Oblongs. The art is absolutely amazing. Perker along with Soyleyen’s colors make a beautiful book. I mean this as a huge compliment, but it looks similar to what you would see in a children’s book. You have some cartoony looking art with bright and vivid colors. The backgrounds are fantastic and the characters are slightly exaggerated in their face, size, and features.

Bottom Line: Todd, the Ugliest Kid on Earth is a fantastic book like no other. This oddball story features slightly risqué humor with fantastic art. Perker and Kristense have a lot to live up to with the remaining three issues. If it’s anything like the first issue, we’re in for a great ride 5/5

Cody "The Thorverine" Ferrell, Advance Review: Todd, The Ugliest Kid On Earth #1

Avengers Assemble May Continue On From Earth’s Mightiest Heroes

Cody "The Thorverine" Ferrell — Fri, 13 Jul 2012 23:45:27 +0000

There was a lot of wailing and gnashing of teeth when it was announced that Earth’s Mightiest Heroes would probably be cancelled. It eased off slightly when some art for Avengers Assemble came out, and now it might be gone entirely.

Not exactly sure how to take this news, but Bleeding Cool is reporting from Comic Con and the Cup O Joe panel. They say that Quesada talked about what happened with EMH. It was expanded from 22 to 52 episodes a month but that was a big commitment. Then this next shocking bit:

They have decided to transition the series into Avengers Assemble, which better reflects the cast in the movie. But it will be a continuation of the old series, and will not stamp on the continuity, perform a reboot or give a new continuity. It will just grow…

So this will be a continuation of sorts from EMH. It will, like was originally reported, feel more like the movies but still keep some of the cartoon’s characters. Talking over this with some people, it was suggested this may be a transition such as Justice League to Justice League Unlimited. Only time will tell, but this is slightly encouraging news for EMH fans.

Cody "The Thorverine" Ferrell, Avengers Assemble May Continue On From Earth’s Mightiest Heroes

“ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN” SWINGS TO A SECOND SEASON

Agent Burgos — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 19:34:10 +0000

DISNEY XD’S #1 ANIMATED SERIES “ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN” SWINGS TO A SECOND SEASON ON MARVEL UNIVERSE PROGRAMMING BLOCK

A second season of Marvel’s #1 animated series “Ultimate Spider-Man,” the launch series of the Marvel Universe programming block, has been ordered by Disney XD, it was announced today by David Levine, Vice President and General Manager, Disney XD Worldwide. The debut series from Marvel Television premiered in April 2012 and to date, has more than doubled its delivery in Total Viewers, Boys 6-14, Boys 6-11 and Boys 2-11. Marvel’s “Ultimate Spider-Man” follows the action packed adventures of New York’s friendly neighborhood Spider-Man who joins S.H.I.E.L.D.’s exclusive training program alongside four other teens to learn what it takes to become the ultimate Super Heroes.

The TV series’ success extends to online as well where “Ultimate Spider-Man” games have held the #1 spot since their launch on DisneyXD.com. The “Iron Spider” game reached #1 in its first week (March 18) and stayed there for five straight weeks until “Cyber-Sabotage” launched on April 19, taking over the #1 spot for the next four weeks.

In making the announcement, Levine said

“The Disney XD audience has connected with Spider-Man and his super-powered friends as they face challenges in school and with their S.H.I.E.L.D. training. As the anchor of our Marvel Universe block, ‘Ultimate Spider-Man’ season two will be back with more humor, villains and adventurous storylines that boys (and girls) will love.”

“We are very excited about the return of ‘Ultimate Spider-Man’ inside the Marvel Universe on Disney XD,”

said Jeph Loeb, Head of Marvel Television.

“With season two, the series introduces popular Marvel heroes and villains you’ve never seen before on the small screen. With more action, more excitement, more humor, this is the ultimate Spider-Man for fans of all ages.”

The acclaimed creative forces behind “Ultimate Spider-Man” come back for a second season. Man of Action return to the series as Co-Executive Producers alongside Creative Consultant Paul Dini. Fans can expect even more scripts from fan favorite Consulting Producer Brian Michael Bendis, who has written every issue of the Ultimate Comics Spider-Man since its best selling launch in 1999.

The second season of “Ultimate Spider-Man” has Spidey teaming up with some of the biggest heroes in the Marvel Universe, the Avengers – Iron Man, Thor, Captain America and the Hulk. While the stakes get higher, the villains become more menacing as the young heroes encounter classic Spider-Man villains such as the Lizard and other familiar faces. Fans will discover the secret origins of their favorite S.H.I.E.L.D. trainees, with more revealed about Nova, Iron Fist, Power Man and White Tiger.

The award-winning creative team consists of executive producers: Alan Fine (“The Avengers,” “Iron Man,” “Thor”), Dan Buckley (“The Avengers,” “Iron Man”), Joe Quesada (Marvel’s Chief Creative Officer) and Jeph Loeb (Marvel’s Head of Television) (“Lost,” “Heroes”); co-executive producers: Stan Lee (“Spider-Man”), Eric Radomski (“Batman Animated,” “Spawn”), Man of Action (creators of “Ben 10″ and “Generator Rex”) Joe Casey, Joe Kelly, Duncan Rouleau and Steven T. Seagle, Dana Booton (“The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes”) and Cort Lane (“The Super Hero Squad Show”); creative consultant: Paul Dini (“Batman: The Animated Series,” “Lost”); and consulting producer: Brian Michael Bendis (visionary behind Marvel’s Ultimate Comics Spider-Man series).

Versus year-ago time period averages, “Ultimate Spider-Man” has more than doubled delivery in Total Viewers (+138% – 827,000 vs. 347,000), Boys 6-14 (+135% – 249,000 vs. 106,000), Boys 6-11 (131% – 187,000 vs. 81,000) and Boys 2-11 (+151% – 248,000 vs. 99,000), with solid double-digit percent gains in all other kid demos (+87% to +93%).*

“Ultimate Spider-Man” stars Drake Bell (“Drake & Josh”) as Peter Parker/Spider-Man, Chi McBride (“Boston Public”) as Nick Fury, Clark Gregg (“Iron Man,” “Thor,” “The Avengers”) as Agent Coulson, JK Simmons (“Spider-Man”) as J. Jonah Jameson, Steven Weber (“Wings”) as Norman Osborn, Greg Cipes (“Teen Titans,” “Ben 10″) as Danny Rand/Iron Fist, Ogie Banks (“Fatherhood”) as Luke Cage/Power Man, Caitlyn Taylor Love (“I’m In The Band”) as Ava Ayala/White Tiger, Logan Miller (“I’m In The Band”) as Sam Alexander/Nova, Tom Kenny (“SpongeBob SquarePants”) as Doctor Octopus, Matt Lanter (“Star Wars: The Clone Wars”) as Harry Osborn/Flash Thompson, Tara Strong (“The Fairly OddParents”) as Mary-Jane Watson, Misty Lee (“Batman: Arkham City”) as Aunt May, and recurring guest star Stan Lee (“Spider-Man”) as Stan the Janitor.

New episodes of “Ultimate Spider-Man” air Sundays at 11:00 a.m., ET/PT on Marvel Universe on Disney XD. The series is produced by Marvel Animation and carries a TV-Y7-FV parental guideline.

Agent Burgos, “ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN” SWINGS TO A SECOND SEASON

Bruce Boxleitner Talks About Tron’s Legacy And The New Cartoon

Cody "The Thorverine" Ferrell — Sun, 27 May 2012 17:40:17 +0000

Disney XD released the prequel episode of Tron: Uprising not too long ago online, ahead of the June 7th premiere. The cartoon takes place between the two films and is about a young program, Beck, who becomes the leader of a revolution inside the The Grid. He takes up Tron’s mantle, only to run into the legendary program who eventually becomes his trainer and mentor. Bruce Boxleitner reprises his legendary role of Tron in the cartoon. Boxleitner spoke with Collider recently about the legacy of Tron and his role in the franchise’s universe.

The first film did well, but only later did it gain its cult following. When asked if he was surprised by this, Boxleitner talked about how he gets asked about Tron more than anything at conventions he attends. He says Tron just came along at the right time:

With the things that you do, you wonder if anything resonates, and TRON did. I think TRON came along at a time just before all of this gadgetry that we have now. In its own naive, sweet way, it predicted a world unlike a lot of science fiction that took us places we would never actually experience. We’re actually experiencing some aspects of the original TRON story, with technology and video games. We had these big wall-size arcade games. TRON reflects the age of information that it was predicting.

Boxleitner thought an animated series was a fitting next step for Tron:

Our animated series is just another great venue for the TRON mythology. It speaks to it, right away. An animated series makes sense. And now, TRON fans can also get their fix, every week, for awhile. It fits in very nicely with the mythology that we’ve set up already because it falls between the films. I think it’s fun.

Boxleitner has stuck with Tron every step of the way, from film to television screen. Boxleitner touched on his decision to stay with Tron all the way:

I decided, way back, that I embodied this character, in the first place, so I’m going to be the only one that plays him. That’s it. I didn’t know this animated series was coming. I never saw any of this coming. It was just a job. I’m sure Jeff [Bridges] is as amazed.

The Tron: Uprising cartoon is visually amazing and the voice cast is just as great. Besides Boxleitner and Elijah Wood, you have Mandy Moore, Paul Reubens, Emmanuelle Chriqui (Entourage), and Reginald VelJohnson (Family Matters and Die Hard). To read the full interview with Bruce Boxleitner, you can click right here. The prequel episode with Beck’s introduction and origin can still be found online from Disney XD, but the show premieres on Thursday, June 7th.

Cody "The Thorverine" Ferrell, Bruce Boxleitner Talks About Tron’s Legacy And The New Cartoon

31 in 31: Day 26 “The Halloween Tree”

JordanGhastly — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 02:26:31 +0000

The Halloween Tree (Image via RottenTomatoes.com)

Hey folks, today’s 31 in 31 bring us the animated adaptation of Ray Bradbury‘s classic book, “The Halloween Tree“. I believe (but I could be mistaken) that it was made as a “made for TV” animated feature for Cartoon Network in 1993 as I have no recollection of it coming out in theaters. Ray Bradbury also wrote the screenplay for the feature and it was directed by Mario Piluso.

“The Halloween Tree” is about a group of friends who are about to go out for a night of fun trick or treating decked out in full Halloween costumed garb. when they find out that their friend Pipkin, Pip for short, isn’t anywhere to be found. A note left for them by Pip tells them to go trick or treating with out him. On their way, they see Pip and chase him to an old house way out just before the woods start. The friends follow Pip expecting to see him there. Pip is nowhere to be found, but they do find a tree that seems to be growing Jack O’ Lanterns. A Halloween Tree maybe? The kids do come across a mysterious man known as Moundshroud. Mounshround informs them that Pip is in trouble and they have to follow him through the “Undiscovered Country” in order to find Pip. Along the various places they stop through time, Mounshroud informs the kids on the origins of Halloween.

There are differences between the animated feature and the book. For one, in the book there is no female character and in the animated feature there is. Also one of the origins is glossed over a bit for reasons that deal with religion. However, even though there are differences, this is still a fun movie. If Ray Bradbury made a point of writing the screenplay for it, it must have his seal of approval. Maybe I’m just a big kid at heart, but this is the kind of movie that you watch as an adult and it brings back the feeling of being young during Halloween. It’s just pure fun. Sadly, I don’t think a DVD has ever been pressed of this movie, but I’m fairly certain a VHS copy exists out in the world. If you can find a copy, I have no doubt you’ll have fun watching this romp through the origins of All Hallow‘s Eve!

JordanGhastly, 31 in 31: Day 26 “The Halloween Tree”