Well, my first Con experience turned out to be very good. I met a lot of artists and writers that are super awesome, and didn’t end up making a fool out of myself in front of any of them.

…

Okay, I may have involuntarily danced a jig when I found out Jason Armstrong was selling artwork to Hawaiian Dick #6 (I got a page!) but other than that, I think I maintained a level of awesomeness.

I’ll be posting a few images a little later, but right now, I wanted to post some links to some of the more local-ish web comics (that are totally awesome).

We’ve got Fluent Gibberish done by Frank Fowler and Giovanni Mussio. It’s a full color comic about two guys who hang out and cause shenanigans. They’ve got one up now about con attending - having product and whatnot - and I’m almost tempted to see if I can make a go out of it for next year! Maybe… may. be.

Also there was Ed Ryzowski, creator behind Geek Tragedy and colourist of Brad Guigar’s Evil Inc. He’s a very talented guy and he does some great and funny work. The flyer purports that the strip now has 14.7 percent less dick jokes, so if you’re looking for some stuff with less dick, head on down.

Jennie Breeden was also there with her web comic The Devil’s Panties. This was one of two web comics at the Calgary Expo that I was already aware of (and enjoy) - so we had a quick chat about the second collection of her strip (coming soon) and then I bemoaned the fact that I had already blown all my cash. She does some great work as well, so check her out.

Last, and certainly not least, there was Tony Esteves and his web comic Cigarro & Cerveja. He lives in the same city as I do now, and has two great collections for sale. And he’s damned awesome.

Also, while I was going around, I told them about the big changes for my site coming up in May. A lot of my readers don’t know what’s coming, but it’s going to be big and awesome.

Anyway, I had a great time, and I look forward to returning next year - maybe along side them? Might need to get talented between now and then to make that happen. Stay tuned.

Apparently, I’m Spider-Man

Marvel Superhero Personality Test created with QuizFarm.com

You scored as Spider-Man/Peter Parker You are shy, intelligent, loving, has great willpower, and has a good sense of humor. Spider-Man/Peter Parker 83% Multiple Man/ James Madrox 67% Daredevil/Matt Murdock 58% Human Torch/Johnny Storm 58% The Sentry/Robert Reynolds 58% Deadpool/Wade Wilson 58% Power Man/Luke Cage 50% Doctor Strange/Stephen Strange 50% Iron Fist/Daniel Rand 50% Thor/Thor Odinson/Donald Blake 42% The Punisher/Frank Castle 42% The Hulk/Bruce Banner 42% Silver Surfer/Norrin Radd 42% Iron Man/Tony Stark 33% Professor X/ Charles Xavier 33% Mister Fantastic/Reed Richards 33% Ghost Rider/Johnny Blaze 25% Winter Soldier/Bucky Barnes 25% Cyclops/Scott Summers 25% Nick Fury 17% Captain America/Steve Rogers 17% The Thing/Ben Grimm 17% Gambit/Remy LeBeau 8% Wolverine/James “Logan” Howlett 8%

“Baby, I’m like Jesus. Prepare for the second coming.”

C’est Gronk is the random comic review feature at Lost Toast of dubious timing. Much like the title, there is little rhyme or reason to when the reviews show up, how legitimate they are or what length they will be. Try the hummus, it is splendid.

Hazed GN
by Mark Sable, Robbi Rodriguez, Nick Filardi and Kristyn Ferretti

Sharp eyed fans of anything that I do will not know who the shit Mark Sable and Robbi Rodriguez are, because I don’t really think I’ve talked about them before. Let it be known that I am a big fan of both of their work. Sable worked on the great Image minis “Grounded” and (shit, I was just going to type “Hazed” here… stream of conscious review powers… activate!) “Fearless” - one about a normal kid dropped into a school for young heroes, and another about a hero who is fearless when powered, and fear…ful? When not. Great concepts, well executed.

Rodriguez has worked on such minis as “Hero Camp”, and has more recently been drawing the ongoing series “Maintenance” from Oni Press - which I always spell wrong. I want to type “MainTAINance” - but the damn angry red line tells me that I’m retarded, and so I change it. But am I wrong in thinking that “maintainance” is such a better way of spelling that word? I mean, seriously! Its the act of maintaining an appearance, dammit!

So anywhich, Hazed is their collaborative effort in the form of an original graphic novel. It’s a comedy about casual sex, eating disorders and hazing, and features a scene in which a girl, after not getting accepted into a sorority, hurls herself out a window. Below, a fireman cries, while someone attempts to comfort him. “You can’t save them all,” the sympathetic shoulder person explains. Another funny moment involves a can of gasoline, a match, and a body. And if that doesn’t scream “buy me”… you’re probably a very boring person, you silly boring person you.

Terry Moore’s Echo #1 - Interesting. A veer in genre from the guy who brought the world “Strangers in Paradise, moving from the action romance tale, to a more sci-fi action tale. The first issue doesn’t give much information about the major players, but it’s interesting enough to continue with, no doubt about it.

Dynamo 5 #11 - In this issue, there is fisticuffs! And a callback! The best part of any serialized story is when a former story can inform a current one in acceptable and surprising ways - and this book does just that, taking the death of Captain Dynamo, and bringing elements of it back for the end of the titles first publishing year. Grreat jorb.

Teen Titans: Year One #3 - Canada repreSENT! Karl Kerschl is just knowcking out the visuals on this book - somewhere down the line, they need to slap him on a HUGE book - he deserves to be one of those guys people are rabid about.

Nightwing #142 - And then we come to the only Batman book I read anymore. I know that Grant Morrison is gearing up for something crazy and Grant Morrison-y, and that Dini tells dome great single stories, but… they both pale in comparison to the stuff we get here. In each issue, there’s a solid balance of super-heroics and civilian life. And not only that, the relationships in both worlds are just superb. I’m very happy that Tomasi chose to leave the world of editing behind for this, because hot damn, the guy is golden.

C’est Gronk is the random comic review feature at Lost Toast of dubious timing. Much like the title, there is little rhyme or reason to when the reviews show up, or what length they will be. Also, you might contract AIDS. Easy does it.

Invincible Presents: Atom Eve #2 - In which one of the best terrible action lines of the year is uttered - and I quote: “The Good Doc knows full well that treason is the reason for the season, and that season — IS DEATH CHRISTMAS.” Thank you for that, Benito Cereno.

Dead Space #1 - I almost didn’t get this, mainly because of the words “based on the upcoming video game” - but hot damn, am I happy I put myself down for this. As always Johnston delivers a great story, this time with a touch more sci-fi creepiness that is brought about by Wasteland cover artist, Ben Templesmith. Great. Damn. Read. Hug it. Love it. Buy a copy of your own.

The New Dynamix #1 - Been getting into Wildstorm in a big way since Gage was writing Stormwatch - and has subsequently moved towards blowing up the Wildstorm U. The imprint, apparently, hasn’t been doing as well as it used to numbers-wise, but lately, it’s been trying a lot of great, new things - this title being one of them. Taking a bit of old, and a bit of new and mixing it together to make awesome. Well done.

Northlanders #4 - Issue one was good enough, issue two a bit better. But now? Now, this is a book I need to read. It took a bit of doing to get there, but now I can feel all the characters. Soon, comes the time for swift and awesome vengeance. I bet it’s going to be awesome.

Justice League: The New Frontier Special #1 - What would I give to have more stories tell in this universe? I vote, a kneecap. Possibly a spleen. I can live without one of those, right? Right??? Anyway, what the hell does a spleen actually do? And what the shit kind’ve a name is spleen anyway? Some guy named Dewey Spleen probably came up with it, I wager. Though that sounds more like a medical problem than anything else.

Scapled #15 - If I had a penny for every time I killed a bitch on an indian reservation and had my right eye plucked out, I think I would have… a duck. Still, a fantastic read. Any fan of the crime noir genre should at least try out the first trade (a mere $9.99 ‘merican!)

C’est Gronk is the random comic review feature at Lost Toast of dubious timing. Much like the title, there is little rhyme or reason to when the reviews show up, or what length they will be. Onwards!

Criminal Vol. 2 #1 (Icon/Marvel)
by Ed Brubaker, Sean Phillips, and Val Staples.

And so finally, a new issue of Criminal arrives. I haven’t talked about Criminal on the site before - this is because an issue hasn’t come out since I started dropping my love of comics into the blog-space on this site. In my opinion, that is a terrible thing. After all, comics like Criminal are far too few. In fact, I can’t think of a single thing out there like it on the stands. Brian Michael Bendis’ Powers comes close - but it’s not as grounded as Criminal is. Warren Ellis’ fell also toes closer to the style, but there is still a lingering sense of the fantastic in the pages that it just narrowly misses the genre.

Criminal takes place in a world where reality is a rule, more than anything. The punches hurt and the emotions grind and nothing about it screams with the bombastic. It’s a nasty, gritty little thing that cracks you in the teeth with the combined might of Brubaker’s word and Phillips’ pics, and makes you beg for more. And then, unlike other comics on the stands, it gives you more, with a back section filled with various interviews and essays on the genre the book is soaked in. Everyone that’s into a good crime story should definitely be reading this book. Look for it at your local comic shop now.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer #12 (Dark Horse Comics) - Is it in poor taste to make a Muffy joke? Yeah? Right then. Moving on.

Casanova #12 (Image Comics) - Greatest, balls-out death ever. In my dreams, I write a comic like this. Don’t judge me - it is better than masturbating furiously.

Green Lantern #28 (DC) -Behold, the wonder twin powers of Geoff Johns and Grant Morrison. Shape of bat-shit insane, form of a comic book! Which is to say, it’s good.

I love the name of this feature, so it might be around for more than 5 installments. Stay tuned.

I did a small review of this book over at ComiXtreme, but this title really deserves all the exposure it can get, sooo…

The Nearly Infamous Zango #1 (Absolute Tyrant)
By Rob Osborne

How does Indie Hero Rob Osborne follow a book about World Domination and another about a retirement community? By combining the two into one of the strangest tasting peanut butter cups ever. The Nearly Infamous Zango is all about a super-villain who was a real threat back in the day - but something in his past has rendered him passionless… to an extent. He still wants to take over the world, and he hates it when he hears about threats larger than he making bids for world domination - but he can’t seem to bring himself away from the couch. Even the gift of a ruthless attack monkey does not awaken his maniacal tendencies. All in all, a great package from Osborne, but after all he has accomplished, that is to be expected. Seek out this book!
Rating: 4/5 –B. Schatz

If you feel like you’ve missed any strips recently, it’s probably because you have. We’ve gone daily to celebrate the 4th anniversary of the strip, and bring all the storylines to a head by the end of March.

You’ve been warned!

…in my yard. There’s been some competition, but these results are promising.

(It should be noted that I did not, in fact, create the graph, nor do I know who did. But it’s fricken’ Awesome)

I have some very talented friends - much more talented than myself - and they’ve got a lot of great stuff out there that you can actually fit in your hands. Check it out:

Andrea Speed - she of In Absentia fame - has a book out called Alone with the Dead. I’m about halfway through reading it, and it’s killing me to take a break to write this post. A great horror/thriller that your collection can’t be without.

Blake Petit has a couple of books available to purchase, Other People’s Heroes and The Beginner. OPH has got to be one of my favourite books, and… to be honest, I have yet to start The Beginner. Although that remains true for far too many books in my collection.

Justin Stewart is the creative force behind Popped Culture (which looks like its down right now). He’s also got some fingers in hold-in-your-hand comics, having coloured the new story in the Tales of the Clerks trade, colors on Jim Mafood’s story in the first Popgun book, and the letters in Astronaut Dad - all are still available to order at your local comic shop.

Buy these books! You’ll enjoy it.