#Rich Tommaso

[thefailurecult]

[smashpages]

Out this week: Black Phoenix (Floating World Comics, $14.95):

Rich Tommaso’s comic magazine comes to print after starting life on his Patreon and a successful Crowdfundr campaign. The magazine is “like a journey through comics history itself,” with each volume focusing on a creator or house style from the Golden Age of Comics. Tommaso has done a lot of really interesting things in comics, including Spy Seal and Clover Honey, just to name a couple, so I can’t imagine you could go wrong by checking this out. 

See what else is arriving this week at a comic shop near you.

[balu8]

Rich Tommaso

[beyondthespheres]

Rich Tommaso, Dark Corridor #1, 2015

[khakilike]

Pro-tip: watch this in 2x speed for extra laughs.

[disneytva]

DUCKTALES #4

(W) Brandon Montclare (A) Tommaso Ronda (CA) Ivan Bigarella

They say that wisdom is the greatest of riches, and there's a wealth of it to be found on the shelves of the Duckburg Library. But Huey, Dewey, Louie, and their Uncle Scrooge are looking for something more tangible in the depths of its historic stacks – a forgotten map to the world's greatest treasure! The hunt reminds Uncle Scrooge of an adventure from his early days with a young pilot named Launchpad McQuack, which he relates to the boys while they search for the map. All this racket draws the ire of the head librarian, Miss Bookbeak – who may hold the key finding their hidden quarry!

In Shops: Feb 19, 2025

[ultrameganicolaokay]

DuckTales #1 by Brandon Montclare and Tommaso Ronda. Cover by Ivan Bigarella. Variant covers by (2) Francesco Tomaselli, (3) Carlo Lauro, (4) Alan Quah and (5) an uncredited variant featuring 'classic character art'. Out in November.

"The ridiculously wealthy Scrooge McDuck is the most famous resident of Duckburg - but his fortune goes far beyond mere currency. To his young nephews, 'Unca' Scrooge is rich in something even more important than money: stories! Whether it's the saga of how he dug his first million out of the Klondike, or the many times he saved his lucky Number One Dime from the clutches of Magica De Spell, the feisty tycoon is a font of mesmerizing tales and Huey, Dewey, and Louie can't get enough! But even as they pester their Uncle to share more yarns of his legendary quests and globetrotting treasure hunts, the three boys are about to learn that the most valuable item Scrooge McDuck owns isn't locked up in his absurdly capacious Money Bin -it's the lifetime of wisdom he's got stockpiled inside his head! Writer BRANDON MONTCLARE (Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, Rocket Girl) and artist TOMMASO RONDA (Kalya) uncover a vein of solid gold adventures with Duck Tales #1 burnished by billion-dollar covers from IVAN BIGARELLA, FRANCESCO TOMASELLI, CARLO LAURO, and ALAN QUAH!

[geekcavepodcast]

New "DuckTales" Comics Announced

Dynamite Entertainment and Disney have announced a new DuckTales comic series inspired by the original cartoon from the late '80s. The new series is written by Brandon Montclare and illustrated by Tommaso Ronda.

"Riches are everywhere, you just need to know where to look! The ridiculously wealthy Scrooge McDuck is the most famous resident of Duckburg, but his fortune goes beyond his infamous, jam-packed money vault that he loves swimming through. To the young Huey, Dewey, and Louie, their "Unca's" endless fountain of stories is worth more than any gold. And alongside him, they're always creating new memories and tales to tell. In this new comic book series, the triplets will learn that the most important inheritance they can get from Scrooge is his lifetime of wisdom." (Dynamite Entertainment)

DuckTales #1 goes on sale on November 6, 2024. The debut issue features covers from Ivan Bigarella, Francesco Tomaselli, Carlo Cid Lauro, and Alan Quah as well as a classic piece of character art from the Disney vault.

(Image via Dynamite Entertainment - Ivan Bigarella's Cover of DuckTales #1)

[rootsinthefuture]

“In 2035, in the living room of a typical Western family, a daily scene unfolds that seems straight out of a science fiction novel: among the toys scattered on the carpet, a humanoid-looking robot sits next to Tommaso, a four-year-old boy. The robot, named HERA (Home Empathetic Robotic Assistant), is a psychodroid, programmed not only to assist with household chores but also to interact with family members in an empathetic and intuitive manner. HERA's presence in the family's daily life has become as normal as that once attributed to televisions or smartphones. However, unlike the latter, HERA has the ability to actively participate in education and play, becoming both a babysitter and a friend to Tommaso.”

Robots like HERA do not yet exist, but the interaction between children and robots is a subject of study in various fields of pedagogy and social robotics. According to research conducted by Breazeal, Harris, De Steno, and Kory,(1) children treat anthropomorphic robots as genuine sources of information, similarly to human interlocutors. From as young as three years old, children not only receive and retain information imparted by robots, but they also actively seek them out as informants. This phenomenon is particularly evident in robots that exhibit a rich range of non-verbal cues, such as glances, gestures, and facial expressions, indicating responsiveness and interactivity.

(Electronic Mentors: Pedagogy in the Age of Empathetic Robotics)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D9SVDK4B

[speedygal]

DuckTales #4

They say that wisdom is the greatest of riches, and there's a wealth of it to be found on the shelves of the Duckburg Library. But Huey, Dewey, Louie, and their Uncle Scrooge are looking for something more tangible in the depths of its historic stacks - a forgotten map to the world's greatest treasure! The hunt reminds Uncle Scrooge of an adventure from his early days with a young pilot named Launchpad McQuack, which he relates to the boys while they search for the map. All this racket draws the ire of the head librarian, Miss Bookbeak - who may hold the key finding their hidden quarry! Learned scribe BRANDON MONTCLARE and master illuminator TOMMASO RONDA open a promising new chapter in Duckburg history with this DuckTales #4 - all bound in beautifully embellished covers by RONDA, IVAN BIGARELLA, FRANCESCO TOMASELLI, CARLO LAURO, and ALAN QUAH!

Releases Feb 19th, 2025

[trubioart]

Reading and Response #4

Rosalee Goldberg is an art Historian who has been involved in the performance art world throughout the US and England. Her essay ‘Performance: A Hidden History’ dives into the rich history of performance art since 1909. I personally had no idea the in depth history of this form of art until reading this essay. She speaks on the medium that is performance art and how is had ‘developed along the edges of disciplines such as literature, poetry, film, theatre, music, architecture, and painting’. Goldberg points out that this type of art medium creates a direct relationship with the public/viewers and it is a form of expression for those who wish to “challenge the viewers’ perceptions of art and the limits of those perceptions’. This description of performance art in all honestly really made me think on how I have viewed performance art in the past. I found the rest of her essay to be very informative and intriguing as she touched on each decade of performance art. From early Futurist performance work of Filippo Tommaso Marinetti to the art spaces in New York such as The Kitchen Center in the 1970s.

Coco Fusco is a Cuban-American artist who wrote the essay ‘The Other History of Intercultural Performance”. This essay goes in depth into another side of Performance art History. I personally would describe this as the more of the “ugly truth” of performance art history. She speaks on the history of how people indigenous to lands of Asia, Africa, and the Americas were taken to Europe to be put on display for entertainment, ‘scientific research’, and for ‘contemplation’. Basically people were treated as though they were animals in a zoo or a circus. I personally think of the old time ‘Freak Shows’ as well. This essay really opened my eyes on what some throughout history considered ‘performance art’ or ‘intercultural performance when it was basically exploitation. This essay was a very powerful one.

I had personally watched the documentary ‘The Artist is Present’ by Marina Abramovic a few years ago. Marina is known for her performance to push limits physically and emotionally. In this performance she would sit in a chair at a table and allow visitors to sit across from her, locking eyes. She would do this for eight hours a day for almost 3 months. Some visitors would be moved to tears as they sat silent across from the artist. On the opening night of the performance she was surprised by her ex lover/partner and veteran of performance art Ulay in one of the most emotional and powerful moments of the entire performance. I feel in her performance she opens herself up and makes herself vulnerable for the unexpected moments between strangers.

[thefailurecult]

[smashpages]

Out this week: Black Phoenix (Floating World, $100): 

Rich Tommaso’s comic magazine gets an omnibus-like collection after starting life on his Patreon and a successful Crowdfundr campaign. The magazine is “like a journey through comics history itself,” with each volume focusing on a creator or house style from the Golden Age of Comics. Tommaso has done a lot of really interesting things in comics, including Spy Seal and Clover Honey, just to name a couple, and this continues to show his creativity has no limits.

See what other comics and graphic novels are arriving in stores this week.

[itzr4v3n]

Let’s talk about stuff!

Who remembers the storyline of Animal Heroes? I can still think of some aspects and in this post, I will talk about how some stuff ain’t as jolly as it seemed when we were just 8-10 years old :D

(Note: I haven’t read the books in about 5 years and didn’t read the last two, I could be overanalyzing everything)

First, family situation.

Pepe’s parents are freshly divorced at the time of the first book, though he has a decent/good relationship with his mom. Mojo we know nothing about (at least not in my memory), Aiko probably has pressure from his parents, especially his father Kamui. John is the only guy who probably has a decent family. Sure, we haven’t heard of his mom, but his dad was described to be “the coolest guy ever”.

We also know Pepe didn’t have real friends, preferred to be alone and was a quiet boy, has an emotional turmoil and requires alone time by the sea or in an abandoned tower to calm himself down. See it as a form of therapy. I wouldn’t say he’s depressed, but he certainly wasn’t doing well before he got recruited. In the fifth book, which I haven’t read but saw some pages of, it was revealed Pepe finally felt like his life had a purpose, and working with the Animal Heroes is essentially what keeps him going. He could also be on the poorer side of wealth, enough to stay alive and live comfortably, but not enough to go on a vacation out of the country (in his case Spain). He has some disdain towards the rich/luxurious lifestyle, I think, because he said and I quote: "Everything is just luxury! And nobody cares about the poor." He said this, because the abandoned tower mentioned above, where he also met his falcon Horus, was supposed to be destroyed and a luxury apartment or something is going to be built there instead.

Aiko, though a little arrogant and maybe stuck-up, still cares about his friends. I could imagine him struggling with his own pride, wanting to be the best (aka, the first) in everything, we know John is deeply annoyed about the way Aiko acts about being the first recruit. Of course, pressure and I think some Asian family/life stereotypes also could be applied on him.

Let’s move to injuries/near death situations!

John has an irrational fear of heights, and his way of getting over it?

Rock climbing.

This guy is 11. They all are.

And if I remember correctly, he was climbing without a supervisor. ELEVEN.

He fell from a cliff and would have broken his spine because of the harness, if he hadn’t activated his animal powers. Therefore he got a gash across his chest, which reopened later on in the same book (volume 2). John also almost drowned twice (if you can say that), even if his creature power is that of a stingray.

One, he escaped the Beast Boys after being injected a mild paralyzing venom from a scorpion by jumping off a roof and using his stingray suit to glide to the ocean, which obviously dried up his suit so he just laid in the water. I think he would have drowned if his actual stingray, Wesley, didn’t bring him to an underwater cave that had an air pocket. Another time he was chasing Tommaso (one of the Beast Boys with shark powers) and was running out of air. Aiko dived down in a diving suit and he just inhaled some oxygen from the mask (indirect kiss /JKJK).

Either Aiko or Mojo almost got suffocated by one of the Beast Boys who has python powers (aka turns into a naga, I forgot his name though).

I'm pretty sure Pepe had to face some dudes with GUNS with John on his FIRST mission.

All four of them were stranded in a jungle too. Okay, they were meant to be there, but they were not prepared enough and had to rely on natural resources to survive.

In the same book where they were in the jungle, they got their animal connections revoked one by one. They literally faced a wild cheetah, Dante, who was Mojo’s companion before the disconnection. (They got reconnected don’t worry).

Poor Mojo was so panicked as he thought of every worse scenario possible, like rangers catching Dante and so on. He was in denial for a good while, when the cheetah didn’t recognize him and acted hostile.

Can we also talk about the fact both Cliff Hanger (Hangar? I don’t know) and Mister Yamamoto (an ex Japanese spy turned villain) recruited literal children?

All of them are 11 except one guy who is 12. Said 12 year old, Liam, could have plummeted to his death during aerial battle with Pepe, if his fabric-y raven wings were a bit more torn up than just having a hole kicked through.

At this point, are they even allowed to be children? Sure, even real life sucks where they’ll be pressured, animal companions and powers are cool, traveling the world is awesome while doing stuff for the greater good. Yeah, it’s awesome to know you’re one of the chosen ones who can fly in a futuristic plane and get self-made inventions that are more advanced than anything.

And yeah, they don’t get sent on missions every week or whatever, they still got school after all and there’s too much bad stuff in the world for them to combat. But at least every few weeks/months, and then it’s often life or death. One thing goes wrong and they lose a life, be it John is stuck under water and can’t get air, Pepe loses his flying abilities mid-flight or gets shot down by suspicious rangers, one of them gets a lethal dose of paralyzing venom from Phil (another Beast Boy, with scorpion powers), the other gets suffocated by snake boy.

Same thing the other way around. Tommaso can drown, Liam can fall and too many other things and accidents can happen.

At some point they gotta have a looming sense of worry and preparedness, get ready to leave when duty calls, have lies ready to tell their parents so they can leave without suspicion, money at hand and know how to change currencies if they travel internationally, communicate through language barriers.

Maybe the boys don’t care, maybe they just love the thrill of everything and their love for their job overshadows their worries. If that’s the case, good for them.

Their bosses (both Animal Heroes and Beast Boys) are basically absent dads who only come by when shit is about to hit the fan. Still better than deadbeat fathers, I guess.

And also, why would the Beast Boys willingly want to work for the bad side? Were they manipulated into thinking what they are doing is good? Do they have twisted morals? Or are they also desperate to have a worth, a purpose for their life? Did some of them grow up without role models, someone they can look up to? Why don’t we have any information on them? Or maybe I haven’t read them yet, if their past was revealed in the last two books.

Also can we talk about the fact both Cliff and Yamamoto, or however his name was spelled, just casually stole ancient Maya artifacts out of some temples? One is the artifact to connect humans with their animals, the other is to disconnect that bond. And what do they even do, when they aren’t sending the boys into battle? What caused their rivalry?

In the fourth book a new Beast Boy recruit literally had the powers of a lice. A LICE. How the hell did those two get combined? The animals find their companions, after all. Or is it not the same for the Beast Boys? Do they just get a random animal that is nearby? That means the boy had lice in his hair.

Yeah no, I shouldn’t say much about the bad guys when I haven’t the last two books, in which more of their recruits appear.

Yeah, that’s all I can remember. I’ll make a separate post about some things that make little sense to me and my memory.

[dailyrugbytoday]

Italy will play the All Blacks at Juventus home ground

New Post has been published on https://thedailyrugby.com/italy-will-play-the-all-blacks-at-juventus/

The Daily Rugby

https://thedailyrugby.com/italy-will-play-the-all-blacks-at-juventus/

Italy will play the All Blacks at Juventus home ground

The Autumn Nations Series this year will pit the Azzurri against the All Blacks at Juventus’ home stadium, according to the FIR.  The fact that the game is taking place at a location rich in Italian history and significance is evidence of rugby’s rising stature and ascent in that nation. With several high-profile football matches held there and its association with greats like Alessandro del Piero and Zinedine Zidane, it has transformed into a sports temple.

Global superstars in music and entertainment have also performed at the stadium, drawing crowds inside to see performances by Madonna, U2, and Coldplay. It is envisaged that rugby’s entry into this arena would help the sport become more well-known in Italy and become more interwoven into the country’s larger sporting and cultural landscape.

Italian rugby has seen a growth in grassroots involvement over the past few years, accompanied by more successful age-grade teams. The senior squad is starting to see rewards from their efforts; their performances in the most recent Autumn Nations Series and Guinness Men’s Six Nations Championships have confirmed their status as strong competitors.

After an incredible season under new head coach Gonzalo Quesada, rising star Tommaso Menoncello was crowned this year’s Guinness Men’s Player of the Championship. Meanwhile, new defence coach Richard Hodges recently expressed his confidence in his ability to lead the team to new defensive heights.

Federugby.it will soon provide ticket information for Italy vs. New Zealand’s Autumn Nations Series match in Turin. In the days leading up to their match against the All Blacks at Allianz Stadium, the Azzurri will also play against Argentina and Georgia.

The All Blacks of New Zealand are a well-known sports brand that is not limited to professional rugby. Thus, Italy, rugby’s most improved tier one nation, has thrown open its red carpet for the men in black, especially because such a legendary brand is visiting their shores in November.

While the Stadio Olimpico, their usual home field, is a legendary location in and of itself, Italy will travel to the world-famous Allianz Stadium, the home of Italian powerhouse Juventus, to play the All Blacks.

Juventus, which is well-known for drawing the best names in international football, has won two UEFA Champions League crowns and 36 victories in Italy’s premier league, Serie A.

Italy, who just had a highly successful Guinness Six Nations season in which they won two games and claimed a draw to move up to eighth place in the World Rugby rankings, will be looking to carry on the great Italian athletic history at the location. News for The Daily Rugby

“The All Blacks are an icon of international sport, as is Juventus,” stated Marzio Innocenti, President of the Italian Rugby Federation, in reference to the test match.

“To be able to welcome them once again to our country and to be able to do so in the best sporting facility in Italy adds a new element to the Federation that we are building, day by day,” the President continued, paying tribute to the All Blacks.

“I would like to thank the local institutions, from the Region to the City Council, who have enthusiastically supported Italy’s return to Turin, as well as Juventus for making this deal possible by customising the facilities to our game.

“The Allianz Stadium match between Italy and the All Blacks will be a memorable occasion for Italian sport in general as well as the rugby community.”

[disneytva]

Dynamite Comics Unveils "DuckTales (1987)" Team As It Sets November Release Date.

Dynamite launches Duck Tales #1 by Brandon Montclare (Marvel Comics "Moon Girl And Devil Dinosaur") and illustrated by Tomasso Rondo. (Bug Comics "Kalya").

The comic series will launch in November as part of Disney Television Animation's 40th anniversary.

DuckTales #1

(W) Brandon Montclare (A) Tommaso Ronda (CA) Ivan Bigarella

The ridiculously wealthy Scrooge McDuck is the most famous resident of Duckburg-but his fortune goes far beyond mere currency. To his young nephews, "Unca" Scrooge is rich in something even more important than money stories! Whether it's the saga of how he dug his first million out of the Klondike, or the many times he saved his lucky Number One Dime from the clutches of Magica De Spell, the feisty tycoon is a font of mesmerizing tales and Huey, Dewey, and Louie can't get enough! But even as they pester their Uncle to share more yarns of his legendary quests and globetrotting treasure hunts, the three boys are about to learn that the most valuable item Scrooge McDuck owns isn't locked up in his absurdly capacious Money Bin -it's the lifetime of wisdom he's got stockpiled inside his head! Writer BRANDON MONTCLARE (Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, Rocket Girl) and artist TOMMASO RONDA (Kalya) uncover a vein of solid gold adventures with Duck Tales #1 burnished by billion-dollar covers from IVAN BIGARELLA, FRANCESCO TOMASELLI, CARLO LAURO, and ALAN QUAH! In Shops: Nov 06, 2024