Last season ended with The Governor tucking his tail between his legs, and running. Leaving Rick to bring all the resident of Woodbury to The Prison. Now, not a lot is known what direction the creative team will take season four, but you can rest assure that The Governor is bound to pop up some where. For the latest on The Walking Dead, make sure to check back here at Comic Book Therapy.

Jake Lester, First Look At The Walking Dead Season Four

I am a new cosplayer from Houston. I don’t have many cosplays so far, but I have so many planned!

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Comic Book Therapy – Thank you for taking the time out to speak to us. How have you been doing lately?

Jennifer Van Damsel – Very well, thank you. Just super busy since convention season has started.

CBT – What got you into doing cosplay?

JVD – I was going to my first comic convention, and I decided if I’m going, I’m going to “dress up!” This was before I even knew there was a cosplay community. A friend and I cosplayed the whole weekend, and I haven’t stopped since.

CBT – What is your process in choosing the characters you want to portray?

JVD – I only cosplay characters that I like, from games that I’ve played, animes I have seen, etc., so all of my cosplays mean something to me. Well, I’m sort of a nerd when it comes to organization, so every time I have an idea, I write it down in my “Cosplay Ideas” journal (yes, I have an entire journal for this purpose). When I know I’m going to a convention, I just go through the list and pick something that really speaks to me at the moment. I have way more ideas than conventions, so its’ really hard to pick sometimes. When I really can’t decide, I will post a poll on my Facebook page and let the people who are interested in my cosplay choose!

CBT – What was the first character you cosplayed as? Your favorite?

JVD – My first cosplay was a ballerina version of Zatanna and Black Queen of the Hellfire Club, Selene, at Comicpalooza in 2012. My favorite character I have cosplayed as so far is Magik, but the most fun to cosplay was Red Lantern Laira.

CBT – How long have you been making your costumes by hand?

JVD – The first thing I ever made by hand was Selene’s cape (May 2012). I had no idea how to sew or about patterns or anything, so I just winged it. Since then, costumes I’ve made entirely by hand are my B.B. Hood (Nov 2012), Laira (Aug 2012), and Dr. Strange (Jan 2013), including the Eye of Agamotto. I have a tremendous amount of respect for people that can and do make everything by hand, but if it saves me time and money to buy something and alter it (such as my denim shorts for my Western Wonder Woman), I do!

CBT – Creating costumes is very time consuming, especially when you want to make sure it’s authentic as possible. What keeps you motivated to continue and how do you handle the stress?

JVD – I just tell myself, “You have to get this done!” Usually the night before I leave for a convention is a very long one lol. I’ve even sewn in the hotel room the night before I wear something. I don’t really find cosplay stressful; I have kind of accepeted that I’m not a master seamstress, I’m still teaching myself, learning new things, so when things don’t work out perfectly, as much as I am a perfectionist, I accept it. Every new cosplay that I make, I try a new technique or learn a new craft, so I take the good with the bad!

CBT – Have you participated in any contests?

JVD – I only have twice, both at DragonCon 2012. I won Zombie Prom Queen with the help of my friend Lizzie Leigh. I really loved the idea we had and how she executed it. The other was the comic contest they held, but we just did that for fun.

CBT – What is your best Con memory?

JVD – Oh, gosh. I really can’t say that I have a favorite. At every convention, something really wonderful happens. Dancing in the tesla cage at Comicpalooza last year was a blast. I remember finding videos of it on the internet! In Albuquerque this year, I was talking to Billy Tucci and “another artist,” and Jonah Hex came up. I said how much I loved Jonah Hex; the “other artist” I had been talking to all weekend says, “Hey! I write Jonah Hex!” It was Jimmy Palmiotti! So embarrassing haha. So many good times

CBT – How would you describe yourself as a geek?

JVD – Pretty much any nerd activity you can think of, I enjoy it. I play MMOs, video games, Dungeons and Dragons, Warhammer, and Warmachine. I read comics, mangas, and other books (for fun!). I have comic book debates in public haha. I even work at a Comic book company, Overground Comics!

CBT – There’s been a lot of turmoil because of the “sexual” component that is being discussed amongst convention organizers that sees many cosplayers getting asked to put some more clothes or turned away because their costumes are to “risque”. How do you feel about the apparent censorship of these costumes?

JVD – I haven’t really ever thought about this in order to make an informed opinion, but I would say one thing- If everyone was just more courteous of one another, we wouldn’t have this problem. I don’t have a problem with a cosplayer wearing something sexy or risque, but before you put that on and go to a convention, just think of how there will be children there. At the same time, parents should realize there might be things at conventions they might not want their kids to see. If conventions would post a very specific “dress code” beforehand, I totally agree they should enforce it; a dress code sets the “mood” of the convention. To me, the atmosphere of say, DragonCon, is different than of Wizard World Austin. I don’t think you can treat them the same, but I also don’t think you can change the rules later.

CBT – Many Cosplayers are either into Comic Books or Manga/Anime. What are you most into? Favorite Comic or Manga/Anime?

JVD – I like both, but I read more comics. I like mature, deep animes, and it’s easier to find ones that I don’t like than I do. Favorite comic- All Star Batman and Robin. I LOVE IT! haha. I’m really sad there won’t be a continuation of it. Favorite manga- Angel Sanctuary.

CBT – Any advice you would like to offer up and coming cosplayers?

JVD – This is always my first bit of advice; I kind of touched on it earlier. Don’t be afraid to buy and edit! I know it’s a fantastic feeling being able to say you made 100% of a cosplay, and I think you should if it makes sense. But don’t make a pair of denim shorts if you can find them for $5 at a second-hand store. Don’t make a white pair of gloves if you can find them for $10 at a costume store. Most of the time you will save money, but you will always save TIME; Time you could spend paying more attention to other pieces of the cosplay!

CBT – Thank you so much for your time. Anything else you’d like for us to be on the look out for?

JVD – Lots of conventions planned this year, so that means a lot more cosplays! Keep in touch with me through my Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/JenniferVanDamsel

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Hey cosplay and fellow geeks!! As the continuing interest in the cosplay world grows, we want to reach out to the cosplay community and highlight those who dedicate their time and effort to a passion for cosplay. 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 a Cosplay Spotlight, please complete the following steps:

• Contact us at: dezdewberry@comicbooktherapy.com (Please put “cosplay” in the subject line)
• Gather 5-10 photos of you in your favorite cosplay outfits
• Sit down, relax and get ready to be contacted back!

Muy Mareado!, Cosplay Spotlight: Jennifer Van Damsel

For a couple years now, there have been two rumors floating around concerning Zombieland, with the most logical being that a sequel was in the works, which is kind of has. Writers have been trying to come up with something, but it doesn’t look like anything will actually come of it. The second rumor is that a television series was being worked on for CBS and oddly enough, that’s the project that may be moving forward, as a casting call just went out.

According to I09, the call went out to cast the series main characters, which would carry over from the film. There are some minor spoilers ahead, so read on with caution. Below are some abbreviated descriptions for the characters, which also includes a couple of new characters. the series looks to delve into the back story of our four heroes.

Tallahassee is still kind of a snarky weirdo, but he seems to have a much less spiky relationship with Columbus. He and Columbus have a pretty amusing thing where they riff on the fact that Steven Seagal movies always have three-word titles like “Marked for Justice” or “May Cause Diarrhea.” But Tallahassee also dispenses homespun wisdom about how to feel happy with your life. He also tells a weird story about being in a trailer park with a perpetually nude Matthew McConaughey. He also has a somewhat heartwarming scene where he tells Columbus that he’s been wandering aimlessly for a long time, but maybe he’s been put here for a reason — to help Columbus and the others.

Columbus is much the same, except that he tracks down his grandma and grandpa (Bubbie and Peepaw) only to find them recently zombiefied. Also, Columbus is trying to deal with his new-found relationship with Wichita, after their first kiss. He has started calling her “Krista,” her real name — but there are some problems, especially after she finds him reading a book about fatherhood. He tries to organize a romantic scavenger hunt for her in the IKEA they’re camping out in, but it goes kind of horribly.

Wichita is still trying to look after Little Rock, trying to teach her math with problems about someone stealing from a liquor store and jumping on a train going 42 miles per hour, with a cop chasing in a car going 88 miles per hour. We also learn a lot more about Wichita’s backstory, including how she ran away from her father after he had her stealing people’s Christmas presents — and later, she found out she had a sister who was also being a grifter with her dad.

Little Rock seems actually kind of excited about meeting Columbus’ grandparents, before they turn out to be zombies. And she shares some of her own backstory, about how her dad parked her at a school while he went off grifting on his own — and then yanked her out of school right before a dance that she was looking forward to.

Fred and Ainsley are two office workers at the start of the zombie apocalypse, obliviously complaining about problems with their iPhones and getting the wrong order at Starbucks, which they admit are “first world problems” with a hashtag — while people are being disembowled just outside the window they’re not facing. Tallahassee shows up to bring them their lunch orders, wearing a green polo shirt.

As you can see, the writers plan to keep much of the same tone to the series that helped make the movie so enjoyable. Not unsurprisingly, they seem to be making the relationship between Columbus and Wichita the main focus, but also seem to be making a family out of the group. Not a terrible concept, especially considering they series will be a half-hour comedy. Things look promising!

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UPDATE! It’s been revealed by Broadcast that this series will actually end up streaming on Amazon, rather than be a traditional aired TV series, much like the resurgence of the cult favorite Arrested Development. No mention of time frame, but as with Netflix, it can be expected that Amazon won’t be restrained by the usual “seasons” as with traditional television series.

Josh "ecksmanfan" Johnson, Updated! Zombieland TV Series Begins Casting Process

Throughout his career, hard-rock icon and celebrated filmmaker Rob Zombie has continuously challenged audiences as he stretches the boundaries of music, film and the fan experience. Zombie’s frenetic summer schedule includes a stop as the host of the first-ever Comic Con attendee party, followed by the release of his remix album, Mondo Sex Head, in the midst of finishing up post production on his latest feature film The Lords of Salem, working on his next film project “Broad Street Bullies” as well as a working on a new album in the studio with Bob Marlette, and planning for a tour.

Non-stop and driven by his art, Zombie has sold over fifteen million albums worldwide and has earned seven Grammy® nominations for his albums. He is among only a handful of people to have unprecedented success for six feature films as the writer and director. Zombie is no stranger to working with and pushing the limits of all modern-day art mediums to accomplish his vision.

Now, as the ultimate curator of the fan experience, Rob Zombie will take over San Diego’s Petco Park to ring in Comic-Con as host of the first-ever official Comic-Con Opening Night Attendee Welcome Party, “Dawn of the Con,” on Thursday, July 12, 5:30 – 11PM PT. Presented by VH1, “Dawn of the Con” promises a night full of fantasy, science fiction, monsters and heavy metal for all Comic-Con attendees. Additionally, partygoers will get a sneak peek of his new remix album Mondo Sex Head.

Zombie’s latest project, Mondo Sex Head, features new and unique remixes of Rob Zombie classics by some of today’s top DJs and curated and executive produced by Jason Bentley, Music Director at L.A.’s influential KCRW and Electronic Dance Music expert. With Electronic Dance Movement (EDM) and rock rapidly combining featuring remixes by the likes of KoRn’s Jonathan “JDevil” Davis (“Thunder Kiss ‘65”), Photek (“Living Dead Girl”), Document One (“Let It All Bleed Out”), Ki:Theory (“Foxy Foxy” & “Pussy Liquor”), Big Black Delta (“More Human Than Human”), ††† aka Chino of Deftones (“Dragula”), Das Kapital (“Lords of Salem”), Drumcorps (“Never Gonna Stop”), former Glitch Mob member Kraddy (“Superbeast”) and the Bloody Beetroots (“Burn”), among others. Each track was hand selected by Rob Zombie who road-tested many of the songs in his car, driving the L.A. streets.

Rob Zombie’s upcoming film The Lords of Salem is almost complete. Zombie’s next film endeavor is the story of the “Broad Street Bullies,” the legendary mid-1970′s version of the Philadelphia Flyers hockey. The project has the support of the Flyer’s organization, which will cooperate with Zombie and pull no punches in telling the team’s incredible story. This will be Zombie’s first biographical film, his previous film credits, with box office total of more than $121 million, include the cult smash House of 1000 Corpses (Lionsgate 2003), its sequel The Devil’s Rejects (Lionsgate 2005), the animated film The Haunted World of El Superbeasto (Film Roman 2009), and the blockbuster re-imagining of John Carpenter’s Halloween (Dimension 2007), along with its sequel Halloween 2 (Dimension 2009).

Zombie continues to surprise his fans with every project, but one thing is constant, he always delivers.

Agent Burgos, ROB ZOMBIE TAPPED AS HOST FOR PREMIERE COMIC-CON PARTY

Guided by a mysterious voice through a night of carnage, you know the worst of it is still coming. After all, every step of the way home has been a fight for your life, against a whole world out for your blood. Any nightmare could be waiting for you around the next corner.  The terrifying conclusion to a night of carnage, with the trail of blood leading right to your own front door!

We’ve come to the end of a truly odd, yet gripping story with Rebel Blood #4. You may remember reading my other reviews talking up this series. The final installment is no different. It continues that line of strong issues. In the last review, I raved about all the zombie action and this one has plenty more of that. Well it’s a little more complicated than that, but you’ll find out when you read it.

Charles Neville has faced down all sorts of terror on this one night and fought his way back to his ex-wife’s house to rescue his child. We see more of the mutant zombie-like creatures that have been terrorizing Charles over the course of the night. The hordes are drawn beautifully and really set themselves apart from your run of the mill zombie. Neville finally reunites with his kid, but all isn’t as it seems.

I don’t want to summarize this story or really talk in depth about it, because you don’t see the end coming. It’s a twist ending that doesn’t leave you mad about it being a twist ending. I’m not a big fan of twist endings either; you can thank M. Night Shyamalan for ruining those for me at least. This one works really well and explains all the weirdness that I’ve pointed out from the other issues. It doesn’t tie things together completely, but you can figure out enough from what you’re being told. I don’t know if there are plans to revisit this world again, but it seems like there are plenty of ways to go on when you read the final pages.

Alex Link and Riley Rossmo really crafted a great story. Rossmo’s art for the four issues is consistent throughout and overall very good. There are a few panels where things look a little off, but it seems like that is used to impart a particular effect. There is a scene where Neville is beating someone’s face with the butt of a gun.  It is somewhat simplistic, but very eye catching. The art took me an issue or two to really get into, but it is great and matches the story perfectly. This is an odd tale, so a slightly odd angle on the art helps exemplify that.  Looking back at the four issues, they all work towards the end and shape a somewhat familiar but fresh tale.

Bottom Line: Rebel Blood is definitely a miniseries you want to check out. There are some issues stronger than others, but taken as a whole this is an outstanding series. Like I mentioned, it can stand alone but I wouldn’t be upset if it was revisited in some way. Rebel Blood #4 was a fitting ending and I give it a 5/5.

Cody "The Thorverine" Ferrell, Advance Review: Rebel Blood #4

Ryan Rodriguez, Rebel Blood #1: Another Rebellious And Bloody Review

Who doesn’t like FREE Stuff??!!!

Following the unprecedented ratings of AMC’s “The Walking Dead” season finale, series creator Robert Kirkman and comiXology, the world’s largest digital comics platform available on iPhone, iPad, Android, Kindle Fire and the Web with over 50 million comic and graphic novel downloads to date, are giving away The Walking Dead issue #19 — which features the first appearance of Michonne and ties directly into this past Sunday’s season finale.

The Walking Dead issue #19 is available for free until this coming Monday, March 26^th 2012.

The Walking Dead #19 gained acclaim after its original print release by introducing fan-favorite character Michonne to the comic book’s cast. Now as television fans are left hanging with months of speculation until the debut of season 3, issue #19 serves as the perfect jumping-on point to the original comics book series.

Download The Walking Dead #19 for free until this coming Monday, March 26^th, then pick up the following issues in Robert Kirkman’s The Walking Dead for all the pulse-pounding, adrenaline-fueled Zombie action to tide you over until “The Walking Dead” season 3 this fall.

GET THE WALKING DEAD #19 FOR FREE JUST CLICK ON THE IMAGE BELOW!

About comiXology 
Founded in 2007 with the mission of bringing comics to people everywhere, comiXology — in just five short years — has revolutionized the comic book and graphic novel world. From creating the industry leading platform for digital comics to tools and services for brick and mortar retailers, comiXology has lead the charge in exposing new audiences to the rich history and culture of comic books. With the development of the Comics by comiXology digital comics platform — available across iPhone, iPad, Android, Kindle Fire and the Web— comiXology provides the easiest way worldwide for people to enjoy comics at just the click of a button! Regularly ranking as the top grossing iPad app in the entire iTunes App Store, Comics by comiXology was recently selected as a preloaded app on Amazon’s Kindle Fire. Providing digital comics across multiple platforms, comiXology will not stop until everyone on the face of the earth has been turned into a comic book fan.

About The Walking Dead: “The Walking Dead” is a monthly black-and-white comic book series created by Robert Kirkman that follows a group of survivors through a world overrun by The Walking Dead as they struggle to survive an even deadlier threat: Living humans so terrified about their own survival that they are willing to sacrifice everything else. Winner of the 2010 Eisner Award for Best Continuing Series, the Skybound comic has been translated into more than 30 languages, and is available in over 50 countries worldwide. IGN called it “one of the best monthly comics available” and Complex hails it as “one of the best comic series of all time.” It’s also become the highest-rated drama on basic cable of all time. The AMC television series, with Kirkman serving as a writer and executive producer, had 11 million viewers for the season two premiere and was instantly renewed for a third season. As the first TV drama to be launched around the world simultaneously, it’s in 120 countries, translated into 33 languages and is in 250 million households. The Walking Dead also dominated theNew York Times’ bestseller lists for graphic novels and was the top seller for 2011. www.Skybound.com is your destination for all news and merchandise for Robert Kirkman, The Walking Dead and all Skybound titles.

Agent Burgos, Do You Want a FREE Issue Of The Walking Dead?

Q: What can we expect from Michonne in Season 3?

Denai Guerrera to play Michonne (Photo by Zap2It)

Mazzara: Michonne is one of the lead characters in the graphic novel, so we’re excited to finally introduce her. She is a loner. She’s a kick ass character. She’s very dynamic and we really see her as a very, very important addition to the cast. She’s a significant character and she’ll be carrying a lot of story, so we’re excited about her.

We’re also excited about (Denai Guerrera) who is the young actress who is going to play this role, so we’re lucky to have her and look forward to seeing what she does with it.

Q: Are there plans to get T-Dog having some momentum in the story for Season 3?

Mazzara: You know what? The T-Dog question, I’m glad you’re asking that. I’ve been surprised at this because I’ve worked on shows before that have had characters in the background and have been on a slow burn.

With T-Dog, I’ll admit, T-Dog has been off to the side and has been forgotten. And part of my goal as show runner was to really address developing Rick’s character and some other stuff…I think (Irony Singleton) has done a fantastic job of establishing a character and making people interested in him with just very, very little to say…. So that’s a fair question and, you know, we haven’t done our work yet with T-Dog but we’re going to roll up our sleeves and get to it.

Q: Do you see the prison (arc) as something being wrapped up within the entirety of the 16 episode Season 3 or could that go on beyond?

Mazzara: That’s a great question. Right now I do see that prison as a significant storyline for Seasons 3 and Season 4. I do think that’s a major story line. You know, and I know we were on the farm for longer than perhaps people wanted. There were reasons for that.

So I do think that prison is a significant storyline. But we’re interested also in opening up the world. You know, the governor has a world of (Woodbury). There are other factors out there in the world, other groups. So I think that Rick’s group is really stumbling into a much larger world.

Q: I was wondering if in the back of your mind you had any additional comments, characters or storylines you’d like to tackle at some point?

Mazzara: Oh, well, certainly. I mean, there’s a lot of great material from the comic book and we see, you know, this show would have to go on 20 years to get to all of it. I think the (Tyreese) character is someone that we’re interested in introducing at some point.

You know, we still have Morgan and Duane out there from the pilot. We’re interested in them. So there’s — and there’s new characters that will be original to the series not coming straight form the comic book. So we are really, you know, I think I said yesterday to someone that I think Season 1 and 2 have been prologue and now it feels like we’re hitting the ground running.

Q: Is it safe to say that in Season 3 fans can expect to see the zombies take a back seat to a potential human threat as the episodes progress?

Mazzara: No, that would not be fair. Zombies will never take a back seat, okay. We will always have the human drama and we would like to introduce a significant human threat.

But we love writing the zombie material and I think those zombies are now fully integrated into the world. We’re not waiting for the zombies anymore to reach us. They are there. They are within, you know, in our eyesight, you know, all the time. They are, you know, part of the landscape.

Q: I wanted to know if the introduction of Michonne is going to signal potentially a little bit more of kind of the fantastical, sort of comic graphic novel feels of the actual graphic novel particularly with her being so kind of dramatically cloaked.

Mazzara: You know what? That’s a great question. That’s a great question and, you know, let’s be honest. The reason that the character’s cloaked at the end was because we had not cast the actress, okay. So that is a cheat there.

So I do think that that’s an interesting character. She comes from the comic book. She feels like she stepped off those pages into the show. I think that’s exciting. That’s a challenge for us but, you know, knowing me as a writer, I think I’m going to, you know, keep it real, keep it grounded because if it doesn’t feel real I think the audience will not be able to put themselves in the immediate circumstances of the story.

Muy Mareado!: In a sense for story lines and characters as far as the comics go, would you want to continue on for what he (Kirkman) has already established or was there anything that you wanted to do differently?

Mazzara: I love (Robert)’s material and I think that if anything, by introducing the possibility of the prison, by introducing Michonne and by, you know, obviously everyone knows we’ve cast the governor.

So I think we’re interested that we have to do it our way so that it really still feels, you know, realistic and gritty and grounded, as I just answered in the previous question. But I’m interested in getting a little closer to some of the stuff (Robert) has because I just think it’s worthwhile. It’s just great source material.

Q: Did you have any moments that you really enjoyed writing for Season 2, favorite episodes or scenes?

Mazzara: That is a great question. You know, I don’t know. It’s not a holy shit moment but you know what I think is really a wonderful scene that just kind of came out is where — in (Better Angels), Rick hands (Carl) the gun and he’s talking about — he says I wish I had something more profound to say.

You know, Rick’s opening up about his past there and that his son is not going to have the kind of life that he had. So that was kind of an intricate scene that was really beautifully photographed by (Ron Schmidt) and (Guy Ferland) and well-acted by (Chandler) and (Andy).

Q: How do you guys deal with sort of protecting the story lines and dealing with leaks?

 Mazzara: We want to really improve that. Leaks have been a problem and that is something that we take very seriously and also just the huge amount of attention that the show has — gets has been new territory for me.

So we actually internally have a security task force led by (Gale Anne Herd) and (Robert)’s on that and (Scott Kimple), who’s very computer savvy. AMC takes this stuff very seriously.

Q: Any desire yourself to sit in the makeup chair and become zombified and stumble around in the background?

 Mazzara: Yes, I would love to do that. Unfortunately, I would probably be horrible at it and get fired Day 1 because I am a terrible actor. But I do want to do that. I think — how could I not? I’d be crazy not to. That’ll be fun. So I certainly do it.

I was also thinking of doing it for maybe TCA but I thought that would be hard to explain. So we’ll see what happens.

Merle Dixon, portrayed by Michael Rooker

Q: Is there any chance we’re going to be seeing Merle again soon?

Mazzara: Merle is still out there and, yes, I’m excited to — figuring out what to do with him. So I would say he’s on the horizon.

Q: I’m actually going to go to a completely different subject here and ask about the infection. I think that that is just a horrifying detail for everyone to have to take in. Is that going to be explored at all in the next season, the effect of this?

Mazzara:   Well, certainly. I mean, that’s something that, you know, will continue to play. I mean, let’s be honest, you know, (Andrea) does not have that information, which is interesting. And it’s something that I think is now a new element to play with.

You know, we’re not really interested in going back and explaining how the infections started or having a lot of science fiction elements talking about finding a cure or that sort of stuff. You know, that’s not part of (Robert)’s work. That’s not something that’s part of the working demographic novel.

So that is material we’ll probably stay away from. It’s a question of how do our characters deal with this knowledge? What does that mean? You know, I’m sure Lori is wrestling with question about, you know, what happens if she dies in childbirth?

It was such a great conference call and it was funny hearing the questions about the dislike of Lori and the lack of T-Dog. My friends and I even made up a drinking game for whenever we saw and heard T-Dog speak. The end result: no one was drunk.

Stay tuned for more news on Season 3 of The Walking Dead.

Muy Mareado!, Glen Mazzara Talks Season 2 and Future of The Walking Dead

So, I got the chance to read a preview for the upcoming new comic book by Image Comics Rebel Blood #1. I have to let you guys know first what the comic is exactly about, is a zombie tale, yes another one, but not it’s not your ordinary zombie story. This one has not only infected humans, but also infected animals.

REBEL BLOOD #1 introduces Forest Ranger Chuck Neville, who, after a strange, unexpected silence, receives a final radio message that a plague is sweeping the country. He learns that the disease has turned every living creature into zombies, all at once rendering the entire animal kingdom unpredictable, violent, and willing to tear apart their neighbors with their bare teeth.

He races home to rescue his family, coming face-to-face with unbelievable horrors along his way and fighting to stay alive. However, when he reaches home, he may find the most horrible part of it all waiting for him…

While reading it you may get confused at first. We have the main character Chuck against some really weird looking wolves, and we have no idea what is going on. But as the story goes on, we get to know a bit of the character background story, and how every situation he finds himself in reminds him different scenarios for his family, a wife and a son. Chuck had a very problematic relationship with his wife, he was always lost inside the family, what caused it to tear apart.

The comic mostly develops with Chuck fighting infected humans or animals, and while that, having different visions of scenarios of his family inside his head, what he could have done different etc.

Another interesting point I have to bring up is a mysterious character who looks to be a mix of a reindeer with a human, he appears watching Chuck at some point, and in another we see that he/it may be responsible for the main event of the story. He is a creepy and interesting addition to the story, what may make the story look a bit more attractive in the future.

To finish this review I need to talk about the Riley Rossmo art, which is at same time interesting but doesn’t bring anything new on board, it made me feel a bit lost on the story to tell you the truth, but you get used with it eventually.

I won’t give a rating yet, I’ll be giving a full review with characters and art analysis as soon as the complete comic is out. Stay tuned.

WRITTEN BY: Alex Link, Riley Rossmo
ART BY: Riley Rossmo
PUBLISHER: Image
RELEASE: March 21

Lucas Silva M., Short Review: Rebel Blood #1 [SPOILERS]

In a world of zombies, Rebel Blood stands out. First of all, zombies may not even be the proper word. On the very first page we see our hero Chuck Neville shooting infected wolves. While animals infected by mysterious outbreaks aren’t new, it has been a while since we’ve seen it. The zombies look to have tumors or giant growths on the side of their faces. This is our first clue that something may be off from the normal ‘infection’ story we’ve seen time and time again.

Chuck Neville is our main character. He used to be a firefighter until he got injured on the job. His injury left him out of work, and began to take a strain on his marriage. His wife leaves with their son, and Chuck is now out in the woods watching for fires in fire tower 6 (or as he terms it his “landlocked lighthouse”).

He gets a distress call from Red from Whitlock Law Enforcement about people infected with “something like rabies” and are attacking each other. Red tells Chuck to stay inside, but Chuck is worried about his family. He treks out into the cold, snowy forest. Enter infected wolves. The remainder of the story is Chuck trying to get to his family.

On the first read-through, it was kind of confusing keeping track of what was actually happening. We see some different scenarios playing out with Chuck getting to his family. On a second read-through you can catch the great storytelling that is going on. It is kind of subtle, but you can notice a change in the art when we get a look into Chuck’s mind and how he imagines how the rescue of his family goes.

The art, absolutely magnificent throughout the book, takes on a green hue when we’re looking in Chuck’s mind. More than just a zombie book, the story centers on the psychological aspect of a zombie outbreak. Chuck is battling his mind figuring out what to do, each scenario plays out differently as he races toward his family’s house.

This book really piqued my interest for the remaining three. It requires you to pay attention, the subtle art changes make for a great story but if you aren’t thinking you don’t notice it and it just becomes confusing. I went back through to read it again, and it was just as rewarding as the first time. You can pick up on new things when you go back through. The story is by Alex Link and Riley Rossmo (Proof and Cowboy Ninja Viking) with Rossmo taking up the art. The art is worth the price of admission alone.

Bottom Line: This is a zombie story is worth a shot. It is familiar enough zombie fans and comic fans can immediately jump in and start with a new take on an old theme, but it is different enough you never feel like you’ve read it before. This first issue is very interesting, and I’m definitely going to be looking for the next three.

WRITTEN BY: Alex Link, Riley Rossmo
ART BY: Riley Rossmo
PUBLISHER: Image
RELEASE: March 21

Cody "The Thorverine" Ferrell, ADVANCE REVIEW: Rebel Blood #1

What could be worse then regular zombies walking amongst us? How about Nazi zombies that aren’t the regualr zombies we’re used to seeing. These monsters can think, can move, and more then anything can love to kill. For day 14 of 31 in 31 I bring to you the movie “Dead Snow” from Norway, directed by Tommy Wirkola and written by Tommy Wirkola and Stig Frode Henriksen.

A group of friends go up to a remote cabin for a ski trip and to just basically party and have a good time, but little did they know that they would ru into a group of Nazi zombies, and these living dead creatures want everyone dead. A movie that is more funny then frightening and gory merely for the sake of being gory I recommend grabbing a group of friends together and having a great time with this movie.

Michael Worthan, 31 in 31: Day 14 “Dead Snow”

Yogikai, REVIEW : Deadworld Omnibus Vol #1

Evil Robo Presents is the newest project from Evil Robo Productions.  The first issue features two new ongoing series.  The first of which is “BANG!” (story and art by Santino Castaneda),  ”BANG!” is a grindhouse influenced work (in line with movies like Machete and Kill Bill) that is about a young man named Richard Bang. Richard is on a revenge fueled venture after being framed for the murder of his father.  The second story “Trapped in Decay” (written by Kyle Stephens, art by Santino Castaneda and Eric Schock)  is a new take on the zombie apocalypse.  The story follows Sam Winston who was just a regular guy who had a normal life… until the outbreak hit.  His whole world changed when he was bit by one of the undead.  Now he struggles to survive while trying to hold onto his life, and his humanity.  The issue also features art from Evil Robo’s new artist, Mariah Wall and guest art by Phi Tran.

So let me tell you about of Trapped In Decay since the story really sparked my interest. Yes it is a zombie story, but before you say “another end of the world zombie story?” stop it! It is not, it has a nice twist, nice story, you can really visualize what is going on and it is only a preview of something bigger. I don’t want to spoil the story for you but let me just say it is a different take on the whole zombie-pocalypse genre. What about BANG!?  IT HAS FREAKING SWORDS!!!! Thats good enough for me! Plus it is full of dark humor and roofies…huh? I recommend you stay tuned because this is just the beginning since the Evil Robo crew is just getting started.

Besides, why not give the chance to young upcoming artists?  Here at Comic Book Therapy , we do.

If you want more info please visit www.evilrobo.com for more.

Agent Burgos, Evil Robo Presents: #1

Being a fan of zombie movies has directed me to watch many old and newer zombie movies, but 28 Days Later stays within my favorites because it is a look at something that could potentially happen in the world today. Zombies are used in many ways within the world, but nonetheless still something that scares enough people to think up “what would happen if” scenarios. Although these zombies are what people refer to as”runners” they are still the flesh eating, swarming group of virus carriers we have all come to love and fear.

If given the chance I highly suggest watching this movie, and if you’ve already seen it I say it never hurts to watch it again.

Michael Worthan, 31 in 31: Day 7 “28 Days Later”

- Where did you come up with the basis for Ex-Heroes? And did any of your heroes take after heroes from your childhood or did you envision them to be fully unique?
Ex-Heroes came about through some dissatisfaction and a bit of serendipity.  I’ve been a huge comic fan since I was about seven, but as of late I’ve become very bothered by the trend of aiming comics solely at adults.  The Big Two, who traditionally had a very young demographic, are now marketing pretty much exclusively to ages twenty and up.  And one of the ways they do this is by making all the characters as messed up and melodramatic as possible.  Being heroic is the least-important thing.
When I heard that one of the Big Two was going to do a zombie miniseries with a very Romero feel to it, I was thrilled.  Not only did I love the idea, but it was a situation that essentially forced the heroes to be heroic.  I imagined all these great last stands and classic heroes barricading themselves in buildings with civilian survivors.
Needless to say, the story was not that at all.  It wasn’t heroic at all, it was just a gorefest.  These weren’t even heroes—they were just cannibalistic ghouls wearing superhero costumes and talking non-stop.  They had to be tireless zombies to talk that much.
So I channeled my dissatisfaction and scribbled a bunch of notes onto a legal pad of what I would’ve done.  The ideas I would’ve explored with these heroes in this situation.  Super-powered twists on a lot of classic zombie tropes.  That sort of thing.
That probably would’ve been it, but a few months later my girlfriend and I decided to move in together and got a new place.  I finally had a home office and got to unpack a bunch of stuff I’d been hauling around for years.  One of the things I found was a pile of old sketchbooks from grade school and junior high, when my big goal in life was to write comics for Marvel.  There were tons of heroes and villains in there.  And I was paging through these and it struck me that a lot of these characters I’d created when I was ten or eleven would slot into the zombie story I’d hoped to see.
Granted, they needed a lot of work.  Some of them were kind of goofy, in that ten year old way, so there were some revamps and polishes to all of them.  Probably the biggest revision was that all my superhero characters were male.  At age ten I didn’t see what anyone could possibly find appealing about hot women in spandex fighting crime.  So in this revamp a few male characters became female.  Stealth was male, originally.  So were Cerberus and Banzai.  I think it worked out better for all of them.

–How much research did you do for diseases?
For the zombie idea?  I’d stumbled across the bit about the Komodo dragon years ago, and I’m cursed with a freakishly good memory for stuff like that.  It fit well, and I’d never heard of that angle before.
The funny thing is, right after the book sold to Permuted Press I got to interview George Romero for my then-day job at Creative Screenwriting Magazine.  So I was doing some random background research before we talked and found out he’d used the exact same analogy with the Komodo one time in an interview to explain why zombie bites were lethal in his stories.  I was horrified everyone would think I’d just ripped him off.  But then I talked to a few friends who were die-hard Romero fans and they’d never heard it, so I figured I was safe.
And then, as icing on the cake of shame, about a month or so before the book came out a study came out that showed Komodos really are poisonous.  The disease element is just an odd side-effect.
So my research is all crap, apparently…

Peter Clines as taken from his FB page

- Ex-Heroes goes from current story to the past and shows how each hero or hero that is now an ex got to that point in time. This is only the second time I’ve seen this done in a book and I really enjoy it will Ex-Patriots be similar? And how did you come up with that style of story telling?
I’m afraid to say it was laziness.  Well, not entirely, but it definitely wasn’t the case of a careful planned structure right from the start.  When I first started scribbling notes and ideas to myself—with no real idea where it would lead to—I was just doing little character pieces.  One of the first things I tried was more or less a first person short story which eventually became “The Luckiest Girl In The World,” the story of the Zombocalypse from Banzai’s point of view.  A little bit after that I wrote “Subtle Beauty” and “Enter The Dragon.” They were just things to let me get a grip on the characters and some of the backstory.  I knew my real story was going to be the aftermath, not the uprising.
I’m not sure exactly when it happened, but at some point it occurred to me that I could keep all of these chapters for just that reason—they gave a great view of the characters and they told some of the history.  In fact, with the three I’d scribbled, I realized I was telling the backstory sequentially.  Plus it meant I already had about 10,000 words done in the novel.  So I decided to run with it and it let me do a lot of fun stuff.

- Gorgon was my favorite character in Ex-Heroes, did you have a hero that you really enjoyed writing?
It’s tough to say.  I enjoyed them all because I love the idea of superheroes and each of the characters hit a certain archetype.  Gorgon is the gritty, borderline-vigilante.  St. George is the noble, larger-than-life symbol—the boy scout.  Stealth is the dark protector type.  Cerberus is the high-tech armored one.  Zzzap is the energetic one.  Even the ones we only get glimpses of hit a lot of standard tropes.  Banzai’s the super-nimble acrobat.  Cairax is the supernatural guy.  Blockbuster’s the strong guy (because every group has a strong guy).
I couldn’t really pick.  I could say that if I didn’t enjoy writing one of the character, I probably would’ve left them out.  I think that distaste shows through.  I even enjoy the bad guys.

- I was recommended your book by a friend and was very pleasantly surprised at how great it really was. As a fan I have become kind of  jaded with zombie books, but you took a fresh new approach. Are there any zombie novels, comics or anything of the sort that got you started on this unique genre of writing? If so who and why?
It’s funny you ask that.  I don’t think I really did anything that unique.  It wasn’t anything new, it was just going back to a lot of the standards I grew up with.  My zombies are really just your classic Romero shamblers.  They’re slow, they’re mindless, they walk into walls, they’re attracted by noise, and so on.  My heroes, like I mentioned above, are just a lot of standard superhero archetypes.
I think it’s that back-to-basic-ness which seems so fresh and new to people.  I think a lot of writers are determined to find “a bold new take” on classic ideas and they make big changes or shifts.  And, in all fairness, some of them really do some amazing stuff.  But I think after a while most people just end up wanting the classic.  That’s why no matter how many times they revamp Spider-Man or Superman, they always end up back in the same costume with the same powers.  We’ve had, what… the four after-death Supermen, the Electrical Superman (two different colors, even), Kryptonian battle-armor Superman…  In a year he’ll be back in the same fabric costume with the red shorts.  I’d put money on it.
Y’know what it is?  Have you ever gone to a restaurant where it’s impossible to get a cheeseburger?  They’ll have a braised ostrich burger with brie on a croissant, a garlic-seasoned patty with pine nuts and blue cheese crumbles on an oatmeal-sesame bun, or something along those lines.  And these are all good and nice for a little change, but in the end most folks just end up wanting a basic cheeseburger.  I think Ex-Heroes is a cheeseburger in a wave of new-age California cuisine.

- What is the most surprising reaction you’ve gotten to Ex-Heroes fan wise?
Honestly, I’m still kind of surprised people have liked it as much as they have.  I was pretty sure it was a good story when I finished it, but I also knew it was kind of an homage to the type of heroes and stories I grew up with.  Going off what sells in comics these days, I felt very alone in that, so I figured it wouldn’t work for most people.  They’d find it too silly or childish.  So it’s been kind of overwhelming to see the number of folks who’ve enjoyed and—as in your case—passed it on to other friends.
I will say, one thing that completely blew me away was some of the interpretations of how Cairax got infected.  It’s something I left a bit vague, yes, but all the clues are there for what happened to him.  Some of them aren’t even that subtle.  I never dreamed some people’s minds would drop so far into the gutter.  Well, okay, that they’d go on record with it, at least…

- The sequel to Ex-Heroes is coming out in a little while– what can we expect from Ex-Patriots? How far from the end of Ex-Heroes is this book set? And do we get to see maturity from all of the heroes that are still around from Ex-Heroes?
Ex-Patriots starts up about eight months after Ex-Heroes.  To be exact, it’s the summer of 2011 (lucky break, that).  The people of the Mount are settled in and exploring more of Los Angeles, because supplies are getting tight with their increased population.  And, as in any zombie story, this is when the military shows up.
One thing that was important to me, though, was that the Army not be the bad guys.  So often in this type of post-apocalyptic story the military gets portrayed as inept or mad with power.  Whenever you get a military hero, they’re either the rare exception or they’re a deserter—often both.  I knew there’d be a clash of methods and ideas between civilian forces and military forces, but I didn’t want the Army to be a group of deluded psychos going “muah-hah-hah—we’re here to take your food and your women.”
As far as the heroes themselves—the ones who made it out of Ex-Heroes, anyway—their lives have progressed a bit and they’ve all changed a little.   When I sat down to write Ex-Patriots I already knew I had a very, very strong chance of getting a third book, so this time I was able to do a bit more foreshadowing and plant some more seeds, so to speak.  There are some things left dangling in Ex-Patriots that are obvious set-ups for another story.  It’s my Empire Strikes Back, if I may be so bold.

- My questions have been a bit long, but this is the last one. I ask every author I get the chance to interview this same question and everyone has a different take so I would love to hear yours. What does it take to be a great writer?
A great writer?  Beats me.  I’m still trying to figure that one out myself.
To be a good writer, I think it’s pretty simple. Write.  Sit your butt in a chair and start putting words on the page.
I know that sounds kind of trite, but it really is the truth.  Most professional writers wrote and wrote and wrote before they got any small degree of success.  I wrote three or four novels that will never, ever see the light of day and dozens of short stories that didn’t sell.  But that’s how I learned.  I see so many people who want instant results and are furious their genius wasn’t recognized in the first thousand words they ever strung together.  Either that or they get so caught up in classes and how-to books that they never do anything.
Look at it this way, if I can use another food analogy.  Say you wanted to be a really good chef.   Would you really be all that surprised if no one wanted to pay seventy bucks for the first meal you ever cooked?  You could also read all the cookbooks in the world, study every recipe,  and spend every night watching cooking shows, but I think we can all agree that won’t make you a chef either, right?  You have to get in the kitchen and practice again and again and again.  Then maybe on your seventieth or eightieth or one hundred-fiftieth cheesecake someone will say “Wow—that’s totally worth ten bucks a slice.”  But you can’t expect it to happen without that work.
Man, now I want cheesecake…

I would Like to thank Peter Clines for taking the time and doing this interview with me, if you haven’t picked up Ex-Heroes yet I highly recommend it, and keep an eye out for the sequel Ex-Patriots.

Michael Worthan, An Interview with Ex-Heroes & Ex-Patriots Author Peter Clines