#plus the designs of the oni sisters

[sargehev]

Taiko Trailblazer

[destinygoldenstar]

Here's an idea for how to fix Secrets of the Forbidden Spinjitsu (despite there being a lot of ways)

The Oni Trilogy is the first introduction to the ninja's new designs, which acts as an age-up to the ninja adjusting out of teenagerdom and into adulthood.

(Yes I know they say they're teenagers. They also say they're grown up teenagers. Which is 18-19. That's technically adulthood. At least where I'm from.)

It’s an aspect of the show I never knew I needed until I got it. Allowing its characters to grow up with its audience.

That sounds like a given, but you’d be surprised.

The ninja in the Oni Trilogy FEEL like older, more mature versions of their characters. (Except or Kai, but you can make an argument that's him healing after being forced to grow up at five) They're functioning without any mentor to guide them. They're taking solo missions. Jay and Nya get engaged. Something teenagers don't do.

Dragons Rising, they're also very clearly adults. They kind of need to be for that story to work.

And then right at the start of s11, they're going back to the status quo, and silently acting like the ninja are minors again. Wu is back mentoring them and treating them like kids, for example. The capability they had in the Oni Trilogy without him is gone.

They even remove the mentorship angle the four ninja had with Wu. Irony galore.

I CAN understand why the writers did that. This is a kids show, after all. It's more appealing to kids to have their heroes also be kids. And they wanted a lighter tone than the Oni Trilogy. As light as Frozen Genocide can be. I understand that.

I am not against a lighter tone. But you can have a lighter tone and still push the narrative of the ninja being adults now. And also not make them dumb as a post at times.

For first change I would do is s11 is: NO reverting back to teenagers. It's a continuation of the growing pains of a new chapter in their lives as they transition into this new age category.

Like, they could be attempting their ideal happy endings they can finally achieve now that they're old enough. (Because they think all crime and evil is over.) Like, say, Lloyd is taking care of a retired Wu and trying to find part time jobs to hold up the monastery bills (his Green Ninja status could be a detriment to finding one).

Cole could be trying to uphold a cake decorating career, even if he's not good at it.

Jay and Nya are getting married. I can't stress that enough, I WANT TO SEE THEIR WEDDING.

(Bonus if Kai is late to it because he had to get a wedding gift for his sister from downtown and it took forever. Jay doesn't get a gift from him because 'screw my in law')

And the narrative setup for s11, a fire/ice rivalry, is that the only ninja who don't know what they want to do/can't accept the change, is Kai and Zane.

Kai is very content with his status as a ninja and considers that the best version of himself he could ever ask for. He's found family he could cherish. He's got a sick job as a hero. But there's no crime anymore, and his friends are moving on and doing other stuff, and Kai is not. He doesn't know what else he could be doing with his life besides this. He doesn't exactly have the best relationship with his parents even after the reunion, and his blacksmithing only reminds him of the past which was... miserable. (You tell me Kai had a happy life before he met Wu, you're lying) Plus, he already became an adult the moment he was abandoned, so he can't process the idea of becoming an adult physically. This is the best chapter in his life. If that chapter doesn't last and goes away... what is he?

Zane is, well, PROGRAMMED to protect those who cannot protect themselves. That is his whole life purpose. So there's no more crime to stop. And there's nobody TO protect. Which means that Zane has no purpose. But knowing Zane, he still tries to smile and be supportive and be kind to his friends, being happy for them. However, he is starting to process the reality of his situation when understanding this new stage in life. Zane outlived his inventor, who died of old age. His friends have aged up. Zane's going to outlive them unless the worst happens. He'll watch them age and die too, and there won't be anything he can do about that. And it's HAUNTING to Zane, even if he doesn't want to talk about it.

Cause, you know, robots. Robots be immortal. Being immortal sucks in this regard.

Both of them are visibly isolated from the other ninja as they seem all happy and content with the changes, and said changes are taking everything away from the two. (Also perfect time for the Fire Chapter to have Zane and Kai friendship moments. You know, before everything goes wrong.)

By the time the other ninja realize their friends aren't stable and need reassurance, it's already too late. Kai's powers are gone, solidifying that his glory days are over and he's nothing important to anyone anymore. Zane's banished to the Never Realm with a twisted mindset on how he can keep his programming and stop the human aging problem. "Protect those who cannot themselves. Everyone will be protected from everything when everyone's frozen solid."

Maybe the Forbidden Scrolls are they keys to solving all their problems. With them, they have the power to make sure nothing changes. By their logic, Kai should've been able to react to the scroll, (idk why he couldn't) so imagine if he could use it, and he started using it as a crutch and clinging to it more than the others. It becomes an unhealthy way of coping with his problems.

There's two scrolls, right? What if both the fire and the ice ninjas took one and got corrupted for the worst? We'd have a rivalry of two corrupted ninja on the opposite spectrum of power, duking it out in a war.

Or if you don't want evil Kai, he could still be with the ninja, and clinging to the scroll for his own gain, and we see through the village how bad the corruption gets on his end. (So we can kind of understand how bad it went for Zane, who endured it for years) And upon realizing what he's turning into, the others help him get off the scroll, and try to use his powers normally again. And he becomes the Firemaker, and the village's hero, which would probably be later into the story than it does in the original.

It also makes the full rejection of the scroll, and this awesome dragon slay moment from Kai all the more powerful.

There's kind of obvious other ninja reactions that they have to confront these two and make it clear they still care about them, change is not going to break their bonds apart. Change happens, but the best thing you can do is try to find a healthy way to adjust to these changes.

Cause if you don't accept your own vulnerability/mortality, you live your whole life in a lie.

This is just one idea though. There are a lot of ways you can improve s11, there's a lot of potential with the season that's wasted, and I don't actually think it's an overall Wildbrain issue, just an issue for this season.

[ehud1564]

Ireprible damage part 5

part 1: here part 2: here part 3: here  part 4: here 

part 5: Conclusion: 

“ I didn’t want to stop the freanch American ceremony from happening! If I have to lose my freedom for everyone else to have their’s than fine, put me in jail” says the villain with a brand new form. One by one, all the heroes arrived at the scene, at the trap planted by the super villain. And one by the Heroes were “Liberated”. Majestia was liberated from her fear and sadness, Knight Owl was freed from his Morals, and went to arrest easier criminals. And so on and so on and so on. 

 “What is going to happen? How will the situation be fixed?” asks rose, panicking. “I don’t think it can be fixed” said Nino. “Even if by some miracle, the heroes will be defeated, it will not bring the dead back to life.” added Alya. “Too bad they don’t have Ladybug in here.” said Kim. “If it weren’t for Ladybug, We will have a similar amount of victims daily”.    

And than the Television switched to show Hawk Moth. “Ladybug, Chat Noir I am in New York. If you don’t want the party to be ruined, your only option is to hand your miraculous over to me.” 

“Hawk moth is here?” Asked Iven bewirlded. “Aperrently so” said Mrs. Mandalave, wondering why couldn’t she have a more peacful trip and questionin whether coming here was a good idea.

Jess went outside, to hide and be alone. “OK! I am completly alone against super heroes much stronger me, without my weapons, and the only thing I do have for me is that freanch girl!! No presure!!!!!” she said completly freaking out.  

“OK! Calm down! Calm down!!” she said focusing. She transformed into Sparrow and went in the direction of where the fight ended, using the shadows to not be seen. She found the manhole cover close to the building.  With a smirk, she said “Found you!” 

Marinette has started to calm down. She still has a headache, and she is still afraid, but she feels a little better. Now she is sitting and meditating, a thing she was taught by Fu before he lost his memory.  

“Ladybug” she hears from the direction of where she came from. “Spots on” she say with determination running away.   “Wait!! I need your help!!” Sparrow says, staisfied seeing Ladybug had stopped.  “Hawk Moth is in New York, and it seems he akumatized the Techno Pirate!!!  his powers made the heroes destroy the city!! We are the only herores left that can stop him!!”. “Hawk Moth is here? What did he to do here?” Questioned Ladybug. “I don’t know, but we must defeat and clean the damage!” answered Sparrow. “Well if we will be able to do that, we will bring you sister back to life, as all the damage done by the villain will be erased.” Said Ladybug ready to spring to action. “That’s a relief” replied Sparrow, with a sigh.   

Both of them came out of the sewers and went to hide on the earth, where they had a visual of the heroes.

Ladybug: “We need to think where the Akuma is. It’s probably in his handcups! He already wore tham when he attacked at the museum!”   

Sparrow: “He is also wearing the necklace from the museum! The one Lahfayete gave to Washington!” 

Ladybug: “It’s probably a miraculous! That will explain his sudden power boost! We need to get it and we will be able to return the heroes to normal!” 

Sparrow: “But how will we get pass the heroes? We don’t even where he is.”

Ladybug Yoyo got a notification on it, and it showed a rocket rising from the water. You could hear Hawk Moth in it saying “Ladybug and Cat Noir! If the rocket were to take off because of you a world war will be declared! Unless you give me your miraculous of cours1 you have seven minutes~!” and than it showed the villain on the statue of liberty. 

Ladybug: Well now we know where he is. How will we get there on time? 

Sparrow: If the heroes notice us we will be fried! Can you somehow teleport? 

 “Let’s see” Ladybug said, pulling out glasses from her Yoyo. “Can you help us get there?’ she asked the Kwami. “No, I am exauhsted” he answered.  “We need another way than. Who else can teleport?” She asked Sparrow, checking the design of the statue for any week spots.

 Sparrow: “Doorman!” 

Ladybug: “Now we just need to find a way to convience him to help us! Any ideas?” 

Sparrow: “No. How about you?” 

 “Let’s try! Lucky Charm!” Ladybug said, throwing her Yoyo in the air, and catching a red liberty statue key chain. “Doorman love keys, we can use them to tempt him!” Sparrow said trying to rush things.  “But how will we covince him to go there?” said Ladybug with a frown. “He always wanted to see the safe inside the statue!” Sparrow said happily already tasting victory. “Let’s find a door than!”  

“Sorry miss. We need to use your phone and you house door! Do you have a pretty box?” Ladybug asked the women they broke into her house? “On it” replied the women bringing a shoe box. “Thanks! Now hide” Ladybug replied taking a picture of the closed box with the ift in it, sending it from the women’s phone with “Hi! I saw you were going on a tour so I made you a gift! come get it in *appartment*”. Ladybug and Sparrow hid so they would be out of sight. 

Doorman apeared, and opened the box. “I know you really liked keys, so here is a key chain as a gift for you!” he red from the note on it. “Why thank you! Wait…. the stuate, that’s where I should have started! Of course!” 

Doorman closed the door and reopened it, and Ladybug and Sparrow followed, hiding so he won’t see them.  “Here it is! the key for the safe hidden in the statue!” They quickly followed him as he made another door, letting him see what’s inside as they quickly climbed up. An alarm started ringing. “We ony have twenty seconds left!” Ladybug said, accelerating her pace.  

She opened the door, quickly taking the necklace and throwing it over to Sparrow, “Transform and fix the heroes, I will distract him!” Sparrow wore the necklace and the Kwami apeared “Hello fledgling, all you have to say is Leere, Wings of liberty!”.  “Lerre wings of liberty” Sparrow transformed (without turning into Jess, so not revealing she isn’t the original Sparrow) and contiued saying  “Cool down”, bringing the heroes back to normal. 

 Meanwhile Ladybug managed to catch the remote and keep Techno Pirate from lauhnching the missle. “Where is Chat Noir?” he asked. “Never coming back!” she replies fiercly while launching her yoyo at his head. He lanched her claws at him and she caught two of them with her yoyo.  Sparrow came from behind them, using his weapon to tie him up, and Knight Owl cut his handcups. 

“No more evil doing for you little akuma! Time to devilise! Bye bye little butterfly. Miraculous Ladybug!!”  and thus the damage is repared. Uncanny Valey was repared and reunited with her Mother in a very emotional reunion.  “Well. I think I have misjuged you Ladybug. You are a good hero.” said Knight Owl. “And you too Sparrow. You have proved that you are ready to streach your wings as well. I am proud of you” he said as he hugged him. “Thanks sir!” 

 Sparrow tried to take of her necklace but was stopped by Ladybug. “Or… maybe you can come and help me in Paris? We worked really well together, and I need some help in Paris. So what do you say?” Ladybug asked hopefully. “No bad feelings if you don’t of course.” she added.  

“What about New York? I can’t just leave. Plus I can’t speak freanch. Sorry Ladyug.” Sparrow said a little upset. “That’s OK. I will figure it out. Can I have the necklaece than?” Ladybug asked, disappointed. And Sparrrow gave it back. “Well, goodbye than.” Ladybug said, as she went away and transformed back. 

Marinette went back to where all their friends are, to be abseloutly crushed by a group hug. “Marinette you are alive!!! I am so sorry!! I should have never done that to you!!!! I understand you want to move on from Adrien, and I promise I will help you. I shouldn’t have done that!!!!!” Alya said crying. “Oh it’s OK Alya. Thank you!!”  

“We are doing a video for Adrien as a suprise. Do you want to help us?” Alya asked. “Nah” Marinette answered. “I rathar not.” 

Bonus: 

Later:

“Let’s try it than” Marinette said, wearing the necklace. “Leere, Wings of liberty!” Marinette transformed. She used her power on Tikki “Tikki, you are enslaved to the miraculous, forced to follow all of the holders orders and transform when said. I free you from that enslavement!” 

“Did it work?”  Marinette asked. “Let’s try” answered Tikki.  

Marinette: “Tikki, I order you to bring me that cookie!”.

 Tikki:“No”

Marinette:“Great it worked!!!” 

Marinette detransformed, “Let’s try Transforming than. Resist it.”. “Tikki spots on!!” She said, but she didn’t transform. “It works!!! Great!! Now we could liberate all the Kwamies and no one will ever be able to use them for evil. And of course, you aren’t forced to obey me.” 

The End. Probably.

[burnt-bliss-novel]

Part I: Meet the Characters! 

This blog is dedicated to analyzing historical romance novel Burnt Bliss. But before we jump into our first analysis, we have to meet our vibrant cast of characters and see what their initial appearances were like. 

William Garnett: Will lives with his rich family in England's countryside. He's intelligent, he loves to read and often writes in his new journal. At 15, he's now slated for both an arranged marriage and an Accounting position in his parents Merchanting business, but neither of those prospects suit him, especially after he develops feelings for Augustus.

Augustus Black: Will's passionate, affable best friend of the same age he met as a child through their fathers working together. After his youngest sister dies of Plague, he and his other sister move in with Will's family. He is uneducated but very intelligent & is inspired to become a doctor. He and Will soon develop from a friendship to romance. He cares a lot about the poor and working class, and is uncomfortable with the Garnetts' litany of servants.

Lillian Garnett: Will's spirited younger sister. She is gifted with extraordinary abilities in mathematics and wants to have a career one day. Her parents want to ready her for a proper marriage, even at 13. While she resents her expectations as an upper-class young lady, she willingly dresses femininely and isn't a tomboy. She's just extremely sensible and pragmatic.

Margaret Garnett: Will & Lily's mother who enjoys her privileged life and the latest fashion. She's very image-conscious and expects her children to care about what others think as much as she does. She does love her children, but is controlling and manipulative towards them to accomplish her own goals.

Francis Garnett: Will and Lily's father who's unemotional and very sexist. He pushes Will's future career and gives Lily no credit despite her obvious talent. He's much harsher than his wife, who tries to placate everyone. He does actually love his wife, but doesn't show it often or have a warm relationship with his children.

Amadeus ("Uncle Deus") Garnett: Francis's freethinking scientist brother. He's open-minded, quirky and very devoted to Will and Lily. He's a matchmaker on the side. He's the total opposite of Francis and Margaret. He is the lone adult supporting Will and Augustus's relationship.

Sarah Brighton: A wealthy girl about Will's age. Her parents have done business with Will's, and they've set up an arranged marriage for them, but she currently has eyes for her parents' stable boy. She's intelligent and extremely creative, often designing and wearing original dresses. While she appreciates her carefree lifestyle and her parents love and respect her, she eventually longs for more freedom.

Color Symbolism In First Impressions

When we first meet our characters, I use color symbolism via their clothing to denote something important to know about each of them. 

Will is first, and he wears a sky-blue jacket. This specific color makes me think "head in the clouds", Will is someone who daydreams, or analyzes and ponders the world around him. He can be sensitive, and a little shy around new people.

Will is also wearing an opposite color to Augustus, who's wearing a similar coat, but in a scarlet red with gold embroidery. This evoking the Red/Blue Oni trope, fire and ice, & the concept of "opposites attract".

Augustus’s coat being red makes us think of passion, energy, fire, or courage. The specific hue of scarlet may hint at rebelliousness or impropriety. (After all, The Scarlet Letter was set only twenty years before this story) Augustus is someone who has strong morals, and a certain type of bravery that may include acting rash, even if doing what he sees as the right thing puts himself at risk. He’s emotional and unapologetically so. The gold embroidery could symbolize having a ‘heart of gold’ or being ‘bright’ as in clever.

When we meet Will’s mother Margaret, she’s technically wearing the same color as her son, blue. But she wears a very different shade with a very different meaning. She wears a royal blue and black gown of velvet and a string of pearls. She wears pearls here as they're both in vogue for the time period and prove how rich and classy she is. Plus, the name "Margaret" in fact, means "pearl".

So, royal blue, of course immediately makes us think of kings and queens: powerful, important, rich and in an absolute, unquestioned position of authority. This blue paired with black can also denote elegance, mystery and maybe a 'cold' personality.

When we first met Will’s sister Lily, she's wearing a gold dress with a brocade fabric. The color gold and the fashionable, expensive material shows she's rich and able to keep up with the latest trends, much like teenagers do today. The gold color can also be seen as someone with high aspirations, like the term "going for the gold". It's described as a "brilliant" color to signifying her exceptional intellect.

The last important color symbolism is with Augustus’s mother Caroline. She wears a forest green wool dress, which is described to be “as comforting and familiar as her voice.” This tells us several things: if it’s as familiar as her voice, she probably wears it often, implying she can’t afford to have dozens of dresses to chose from. The wool fabric, while good for the winter weather, isn’t nearly as fancy or expensive as Margaret’s velvet. The color symbolism of forest green shows us Caroline is grounded, “down to earth” and has a healthy, natural way of viewing the world, not needing anything flashy to show off to others.

If you're curious about the story after reading this post, here's the Wattpad link!

https://www.wattpad.com/story/11544455?utm_source=android&utm_medium=link&utm_content=share_reading&

Now that we’ve learned vital information about our characters, our next post will delve into the relationships between them. Stay tuned!

[comixconnection]

Choose Your Three Free Comics!

At long, long last...Free Comic Book Day is here! Unlike the usual “first Saturday in May” celebration that has defined the even in normal years, due to issues with the ongoing pandemic the folks in charge have decided to move this year’s celebration back to August 14th. Want a sneak-peak at the books...?

The following titles will be available at Comix Connection on Aug 14th (while supplies last!). Everybody gets to pick three! Unlike previous years, we will NOT be accepting FOOD DONATIONS in exchange for additional comics. Instead we will be collecting monetary donations to give to the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank. For every DOLLAR donates, you may select an additional free comic book!

We know the line for the FCBD comics can get long (if you want to come in and shop first, you can skip the line and head straight inside!) so in an effort to both entertain you while you’re in that long line and to help it go a little faster by giving you a preview of the various titles so you can decide ahead of time what looks good, the Comix Connection Counter Monkeys have read and reviewed all of the available FCBD books! Take a peek!

CHOOSE YOUR FREE COMICS:

One hundred years before the Skywalker Saga began, the Jedi Knights were the guardians of peace and justice in the galaxy! In this prelude to the ongoing Star Wars: High Republic Adventures comic series, follow padawans Ram Jomaram, Lula Talisola, and Zeen Mrala as they try to save Lonisa City from the dreaded Nihil. Also read the beginning of Star Wars: High Republic Adventures #1! [All Ages]

“Two brand-new adventures from the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender! In Clearing the Air, Tenzin attempts to teach his rambunctious children a lesson Aang taught him about how to resolve conflicts. In Match Makers, Iroh runs into some trouble with a few friends...that just might lead him to something fun he’s been trying to hide from!” [All Ages]

Who Sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott? gives a sample of the upcoming graphic novel by the same name, a tale telling the true story of the “Mother of the Civil Rights Movement,” Rosa Parks! This excerpt features the immediate aftermath of Rosa’s arrest, and her decision to start a legal battle that would change the course of American freedom! [All Ages]

“There's nothing better than a beautiful sunny day reading comics, so join us for a look at this summer's fantastic all-ages reads, courtesy of Oni Press! From the gentle, magical worlds of The Tea Dragon Tapestry (by K. O'Neill) and The Sprite and the Gardner (by Rii Abrego and Joe Whitt), the adventurous magical mystery of Mooncakes (by Suzanne Walker and Wendy Xu), and the action-packed Jonna and the Unpossible Monsters (Chris and Laura Samnee), there's something for everyone. Sneak a peek at these four fantastic fantasy graphic novels!” [All Ages]

Sonic is 30 years old! Celebrate the anniversary of the world’s fastest hedgehog with this peek into the ongoing Sonic comic series. Things get meta when Amy Rose starts drawing a comic about Sonic, Tails, and their friends...but what will Sonic think when he finds out he’s been turned into a comic book? Prepare for the big 30th Anniversary Sonic Celebration here! [All Ages]

It's the crisis of infinite Archies! Celebrate 80 years of the Riverdale Gang with this tale featuring a dimension-hopping Archie Andrews in his quest to save the multiverse. Then, witness Archie go toe-to-toe with... himself?! May the best Archie win! Plus, get a preview of the newest Archie One-Shot in shops! This title includes several versions of Archie (from classic to TV to horror) and showcases his evolution as a character over eight decades, all while being a tie-in to the company's 80th Anniversary plans. [All Ages]

“Despite the pandemic and the swirl of world events, back issue comics are booming! It's not all record prices (though there are many) or bargain basement deals, but rather it's many different categories! The team that brings you The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide shines the spotlight on this exciting part of the universe of comic books. Includes tips on how to collect, care for your comics, and preserve them, among other things.” [All Ages]

“Get a sneak peek at book four in the bestselling InvestiGators series! With agent Brash trapped in a mysterious coma, the technicians at S.U.I.T. have designed the ultimate replacement: RoboBrash! This high-tech replica has been programmed with all of the original Brash's crime-fighting skills and know-how--but it seems he's got a few bugs in his system! Will Mango and his new partner be enough to stop the giant ants that are on a rampage in the city? Orchestrated by the spaced-out villain, Maestronaut, and Houdino, the dinosaur escape artist, it seems criminals are certainly upping the ANT-e!” [All Ages]

“My name is Grace, not ‘Kyle's little sister’!” Having a good-looking, friendly, outgoing older brother sucks--especially when you're the total opposite: someone who likes staying home and playing video games. Your parents like him better (even if they deny it!) and everyone calls you "Kyle's little sister" while looking disappointed that you're not more like him. Grace was really hoping she'd get to go to a different middle school, but no such luck. At least she has her friends...until he finds a way to ruin that, too! What will Grace have to do to get out of his shadow?! [All Ages]

Jewish mythology has it that when God created the universe, He left one corner of it unfinished. Opinion is divided on why, but everyone agrees that the Unfinished Corner is a dangerous place full of monsters. Twelve-year-old Miriam is too busy preparing for her Bat Mitzvah to care about the Unfished Corner. She spends her days wrestling with whether she even wants to be Jewish--until a peculiar angel appears, whisking her, her two best friends, and her worst frenemy off to this monstrous land with one mission: finish the Unfinished Corner. [All Ages]

“The City of Gloomhaven isn't "safe" at the best of times, but lately, more folks than usual seem to be disappearing. In a city paralyzed by an unknown menace, only one adventuring crew will do: The Jaws of the Lion! Based on the hit games, Gloomhaven and Jaws of the Lion from Cephalofair Games, comes a fantasy adventure with humor and heart.” [All Ages]

The Last Kids on Earth and their friends each tell their own best story of the Monster Apocalypse, including Jack's high-stakes baseball game, Globlet's attempt to take over the world, Quint's bad-day-away invention, Dirk's bragain with a witch, and June and Skaelka's creepy carnival--plus a surprise story from some bad guys on the run... [All Ages]

Being the new kid is tough, even for a superhero/ward and heir to a billionaire, Damian Wayne (aka Robin)! Join Damian as he struggles to learn patience and understanding from the students at Gotham Metro Academy, including star student and all-around Great Guy, Howard! Plus, an adventure of Amethyst, princess of the mystical realm of Gemworld by bestselling authors Shannon Hale and Dean Hale! [All Ages]

To celebrate the new animated TV series premiering on Nickelodeon Fall 2021, Papercutz is releasing a new series of graphic novels entitled The Smurfs Tales. Preview it here with a number of silly short Smurfs Tales, with a back-up appearance by one of Peyo’s other beloved creations: Johan and Peewit, the young page and the court jester. [All Ages]

In Edge of Balance, a new High Republic story set in the wake of the Hyperspace Disaster, meet new Jedi and their enemies 100 years before the events of the Skywalker Saga! Young Jedi Knight Lily Tora-Asi is assigned to help displaced civilians relocate to Banchii in the Outer Rim. She and her padawans will face more threats there than just anxious settlers, from the insidious Drengir to the Nihil! And in Guardian of the Whills, encounter Baze and Chirrut before they join the Rebellion against the Empire in Rogue One! Presiding over the Kyber Temple on Jedha, the Guardians of the Whills had hoped to maintain the balance despite the growing presence of the Empire in their Holy City. Yet when a rebel named Saw Gerrera appears, Baze and Chirrut must decide if they're willing to compromise for peace, or if Saw's plan is too dangerous to risk. Read the first chapter of these two new Star Wars Manga Graphic Novels here! [Teen]

It wouldn’t be the Teen Titans without heightened teenage emotions and romance! Fan favorites Beast Boy and Raven are travelling away from the dwellings they know to find homes they can feel comfortable in. Along the way, their paths cross, sparks fly, and even a destiny or two might be found. [Teen]

“Street Fighter heads back to school, as the world's young fighters flex both their academic and martial arts prowess! Fan favorites Sakura, Ibuki, Karin, Makoto, and Elena come face-to-face with a new challenger - the leather-clad, motorcycle-riding Akira! It's a square-off of (rival) schools in this action-packed one-shot!” [Teen]

[NOT FINAL ART] “This Fall, jump on board here as VALIANT UPRISING overthrows the status quo with new titles, new creators, and new takes on Valiant's most iconic characters! The VALIANT UPRISING FCBD SPECIAL features: A brand new X-O MANOWAR story from Harvey Award-winning writer Dennis Hopeless and breakout star Emilio Laiso. It's the perfect jumping-on point as Valiant's flagship hero prepares to "Upgrade the World"! Then, get a special advance preview of THE HARBINGER #1, an all-new series from co-writers Jackson Lanzing and Colin Kelly join superstar artist Robbi Rodriguez that promises to take Valiant's psiot rebel in a vivid new direction! Plus, find out how the world's greatest spy responds to being unmasked, hunted, and trapped in a first look at NINJAK #1, the pulse-pounding thrill ride from Ringo Award-winning writer Jeff Parker and legendary artist Javier Pulido. Finally, get a sneak peek from writer Cullen Bunn and artist Jon Davis-Hunt of what's to come when SHADOWMAN returns!” [Teen]

Three epic new Marvel moments begin here! Read the beginning of the upcoming Spider-Man Beyond story that will be starting in Amazing Spider-Man #75! Big changes are coming to everyone’s friendly neighborhood Spider-Man...but are they for good, or ill? Also discover the new Venom series, which will take spider symbiosis to whole new levels in the wake of King In Black. And last, sneak a peek at the Luke Cage: City On Fire mini-series, which will pit Luke against not just the Kingpin, but Daredevil too! [Teen]

Gotham is under attack, and it’s by the people claiming to keep it safe! Billionaire Simon Saint has slowly been taking over the institutions of Gotham with his insidious private security Magistrate program. Meanwhile, Batman finds his mind infected by Scarecrow’s fear gas, forcing him to question every decision he makes. It is all leading to the DC-spanning event FEAR STATE that will rock Gotham to its core. Plus, read a preview of Oscar-winning screenwriter John Ridely’s I Am Batman series in which the sons of Lucius Fox struggle with the legacy of both their father and Bruce Wayne as they take up the cowl to defend Gotham. [Teen]

Who is Avenger Prime? And what has spurred the chronal collapse that has them sending their army of Deathloks out to save all of space and time? Discover the start of the end here! Then, journey into the unknown with the Incredible Hulk! Bruce Banner never wanted to smash, he wanted to discover. Now, it’s finally time for the Hulk to expand his horizons with Operation: Smashtronaut! [Teen]

In this story from Critical Role, explore a small but important corner from the adventures of the Mighty Nein. Then, in The Witcher, it's an original tale featuring the iconic witcher himself, Geralt! Created in close collaboration with CD Projekt Red! [Teen]

A fascinating graphic adaptation of historian Timothy Snyder’s book On Tyranny, a collections of essays and reflections on lessons from history and how they can help America steer away from the course of authoritarianism. Recommended for anyone looking to learn more about how tyrants all through history have manipulated people and systems to take away the freedoms of others. [Teen]

“Side A: "BLACK: Interlude" What else was going on the night Kareem Jenkins was shot by police and discovered only Black people have superpowers? Find out in this FCBD one-shot! Side B: "CALEXIT: Hollywood Babylon" Once California refused to be ruled by the US government, its resistance fighters became overnight celebrities. Zora used her infamy for recruiting, but Emmie-X has other ideas.” [Mature]

In 2019, James Tynion IV (Batman) and Werther Dell'Edera (Briggs Land) introduced the world to Erica Slaughter, the iconic monster hunter who came to Archer's Peak, Wisconsin to save the town's children from the monsters only she can see. But Erica is not the only member of the House of Slaughter... With nearly half a million copies sold, Something is Killing the Children has become a true comic phenomenon and this Free Comic Book Day you are invited to enter the House of Slaughter...if you dare. [Teen]

Crewed by teenage geniuses frozen in cryosleep, the JEMISON is on a mission to terraform other worlds and provide hope for the human race. But when the ship is mysteriously stopped over a planet that isn't on any of their maps, the crew finds themselves suddenly awoken ten years early. One half remains behind to try and assess the damage and the other is dispatched to the planet below to figure out the answer to a perilous question: What stopped the ship, and is it friend or foe? [Teen]

As the earth dies, salvation is offered to five thousand children who will be spirited away from our planet’s apocalypse -- but what of the other children, still hoping to find one of the bracelets that give them their ticket off planet? In this wistful one-shot from the sci-fi hit We Live, go into the Broken Lands with a group of friends...but there are four of them, and only one bracelet to be found. How will they decide who gets to leave? Then, preview the Rainbow Bridge graphic novel where Andy has to help his beloved dog Rocket save eternity! [Teen]

“The comic adventures of Max, Chloe, and Rachel from the award-winning video game Life Is Strange continue in this exclusive lead-in to an epic new story arc! This FCBD special features the first comic book appearance of an all-new character who will feature heavily in the Life is Strange universe in 2021! This FCBD issue contains exclusive original material!” [Teen]

“To reclaim the Dungeon that fell to the scheming William Delacour, the plan is simple: Marvin the dragon, Isis, and Herbert the duck must find some magic “fugus purit” and use it to dislodge the current occupants of the fortress. But is this really the Guardian's plan? Our heroes will have to fight against everyone to save the Dungeon. Meanwhile, will Marvin succeed in his engagement blast-of-firebreath 'Tong Deum'? Preview the new series here!” [Teen]

See the next chapter of the super-powered scifi epic The Resistance, and then meeet the “Moths”: a subset of the super-powered Reborn. The pandemic that granted the Reborn their gifts during The Great Death gave power to people like  Emily Kai and the rest of the Moths, too...but the moment they use their gifts, their clock starts ticking and they have six months to live. Also, get a sneak-peek at the just-released Not All Robots futuristic techno-depressive-thriller! [Teen]

The second semester of School for Extraterrestrial Girls is in session! Peer into the lives of Tara Smith (fire lizard!), Misako Sato (extra-dimensional fairy!), Summer Cortez (pink tentacle void beast!), and Ekaterina and Zvenislava (anthropomorphic Russian kittens!). They’re all normal teenage girls...except that they’re all aliens stuck on Earth, and since Tara partially destroyed their old school they’ve been sent to bunk at the School for Extraterrestrial Boys while it’s repaired...that’ll go fine, right? Read the first issue here! [Teen]

This official spinoff manga of Rent-A-Girlfriend, the rom-com turned hit anime, features fan-favorite Sumi, the shy girl longing to come out of her shell. Written and illustrated by original creator Reiji Miyajima! Catch up on the manga before the Rent-A-Girlfriend anime returns for a second season, coming soon! [Teen]

Zom 100 is a violent and funny take on the zombie apocalypse! Its main character, Akira, is so depressed in his soul-crushing job that he uses the undead hordes as motivation to finally complete his bucket list! Also included is a sample of the hit fantasy manga Demon Slayer. [Teen]

“Known as the the Weakest Hunter of All Mankind, E-rank hunter Jinwoo Sung's contribution to raids amounts to trying not to get killed. Unfortunately, between his mother's hospital bills, his sister's tuition, and his own lack of job prospects, he has no choice but to continue to put his life on the line. So when an opportunity arises for a bigger payout, he takes it...only to come face-to-face with a being whose power outranks anything he's ever seen! With the party leader missing an arm and the only healer a quivering mess, can Jinwoo somehow find them a way out?” [Teen]

In the small Pennsylvania town of White Ash, there isn’t much going on aside from mining...and keeping the fact that there are elves and dwarves living in the town secret, of course! In this pre-launch of Season Two of the ongoing series, a romantic rendezvous for the grieving dwarf Alex and mischievous elf Lillian doesn’t go as planned...with potentially disastrous consequences! Also read a preview of The Game, a new series where your every action affects impacts the score of your life! Plus a sneak-peak at some vampiric troubles in colonial America in Stake! [Teen]

World of Zorro gives readers a peak at the upcoming titles for the legendary masked swashbuckler, both new stories (that range from the familiar to supernatural horror) as well as newly-translated classic tales! [Teen]

For FREE COMIC BOOK DAY, enjoy this special expanded edition of the hit IMAGE series, STRAY DOGS! Stray Dogs is a comic thriller that features art inspired by classic Don Bluth-style animation, telling the story of a group of dogs brought together by a mysterious loner. Rather than behave like four-legged humans, the brilliance of Stray Dogs is that it gets inside the heads of its canine characters, showing the human world from their perspective. Unique, entertaining, and creepy. [Teen]

The undead Vampirella has been around since 1969, and as the celebrations of her 50th anniversary draw to a close, Dynamite presents a reprint of the first issue of their series that kicked-off her modern adventures! [Teen+]

Take an inside look at everyone’s favorite bipedal shark god, King Shark (aka Nanaue)! Suicide Squad’s many-toothed muscle is currently inside Belle Reve prison, but he won’t remain there for long. PLUS: a sneak peak at the just-released Suicide Squad miniseries Get Joker! [Mature]

“After 20 years of antics coming out of Sunnyvale trailer park, the underground TV phenomenon Trailer Park Boys is finally coming to comics! Full of short stories and activity pages, several of comics' finest join to create a series of comic book specials in 2021 and beyond honoring Ricky, Bubbles and Julian and everything fans have come to love about the series.”  [Mature]

Fungirl is a humor comic that is as unpredictable and hilarious as it is observant and smart. Cartoonist Elizabeth Pich’s creation does as much smashing the patriarchy as she does dreaming of delicious donuts and being spit on by llamas. [Mature]

“Tensions between the clans are high, so when Cecily Bain, an enforcer for the Twin Cities' vampiric elite, takes a mysterious new vampire under her wing she finds herself in over her head and dragged into a massive undead conspiracy! Meanwhile, on the outskirts of the city, a rebellious found-family of clan-less vampire cast-outs investigates a vicious killing.” [Mature]

“Preview the forthcoming full color, original Space Pirate Captain Harlock series from ABLAZE, personally overseen by the legendary Leiji Matsumoto! ��In this brand-new Captain Harlock adventure, planet Earth is threatened by an upcoming invasion by the Sylvidres and despite being banished as a pirate, Captain Harlock won't give up trying to save the world. Will Captain Harlock and his crew manage to solve this mystery and save the Earth from yet another menace?  Also includes teasers for 3 highly anticipated upcoming manga/manhwa releases from ABLAZE, including The Breaker Vol 1 omnibus (critically acclaimed martial arts manhwa), Versus Fighting Story Vol 1 (Capcom e-sports shonen manga) and Crueler Than Dead Vol 1 (zombie horror seinen manga).” [Mature] 

“An evil so profound it threatens all mankind... the mightiest heroes on the planet uniting to defend us all... a secret crisis of such utter finality that a countdown to civil or infinite war seems unavoidable... but have you ever wondered what really happens during Crossovers? The Seven, Payback, Teenage Kix, Fantastico and every other supe on Earth team up for an annual event like no other... and where the supes go, can a certain "five complications and a dog" be far behind? Vought-American prepare to make their move, in a story that will change the world of the Boys forever: Herogasm #1. The first-ever Boys spin-off mini-series features the pairing of Ennis with Hitman artist John McCrea and covers by Boys artist and co-creator Darick Robertson!” [Mature]

“The most eagerly-anticipated series of 2021 gets the FCBD treatment with this ALL-NEW "bonus" issue of the series! Featuring 33 pages of comics produced exclusively for FCBD, from the creator of Hip Hop Family Tree and X-Men: Grand Design, designed as a perfect entry point for new readers and a must-have for those already on board. Aided by the anonymous dark web and nearly untraceable crypto-currency, there has emerged a subculture of criminals who live-stream and patronize webcam murders for entertainment. Who are the murderers? Who are the victims? Who is the audience? How do we stop it? An outlaw, splatterpunk masterpiece, as seen on Piskor's YouTube channel sensation, Cartoonist Kayfabe!” [Mature]

“An award-winning comic and soon to be Netflix anime series!  When dusk arrives in the city of Manila, that's when you become the most likely prey of the underworld. Kidnappers and thieves will be the least of your worries. Beware the criminals that can't be bound with handcuffs nor harmed with bullets.  Beware the ones that crave your blood, those who hold your heart ransom, and the ones that come to steal your soul. When crime takes a turn for the weird, the police call Alexandra Trese. Featuring a preview from TRESE Vol 2: Unreported Murders, a section on the forthcoming Netflix TRESE anime series launching this summer (including an interview with Director Jay Oliva), bonus pages with w/ background about the monsters of Philippine myth as told by TRESE creators Budjette Tan and Kajo Baldisimo, and a teaser on TRESE Vol 3: Mass Murders, coming this Sept from ABLAZE!” [Mature]

“2000 AD Presents All-Star Judge Dredd is a thrill-powered showcase of the past and shocking present of the iconic lawman of the future! Witness the birth of the world of Judge Dredd in an incendiary preview of upcoming prequel graphic novel Dreadnoughts by Michael Carroll with art by Watchmen's John Higgins. Fan-favourite Judge Hershey travels to the ends of the earth to dispense her own brand of justice in long-anticipated blockbuster spin-off, Hershey: Disease by Rob Williams (Suicide Squad) and Simon Fraser (Doctor Who). Along-side these teases for Fall 2021 epics enjoy a bone-rattling all new stand-alone Dredd caper from elite writer Al Ewing (Immortal Hulk, Marvel's Empyre) and Caspar Wijngaard (Star Wars, Home Sick Pilots)!” [Teen]

“Four titanic tales of pure fun and entertainment for everyone to enjoy! First up. It's no dog and pony show here! Bringing back the iconic puppets from the San Francisco Bay Area "Charlie and Humphrey"!! The modern-day Gumby and Pokey! A true love for al ages featuring a tale by Justin Sane and John Hageman! Next up is "Red Dawn" Written and created by Brandon McKinney, with inks by Bill Anderson and vibrant colors from Ross Hughes!! The government has created the first "controlled" superhero doing the bidding of a shadow operation until things go bad leaving our hero to blame and now on the run. The following story is only exclusive to this FCBD edition. Written by Greg Boucher and illustrated by Victor Moya they bring you "Rock and Roll Biographies: FIGHt" See how a troubled Rob Halford leaves the world biggest heavy metal band to form his own supergroup and take metal back!! Our last preview is written by Mel Smith, illustrated by Frank Cirocco/Alex Sheikman and hand colored by Gerhard! "Becoming Frankenstein" takes down the journey of a troubled Victor Frankenstein as he grieves the loss of his mother while harvesting the body parts of victims to create life again for his monster! Learn the tales of the victims and who they were before they became what becomes Frankenstein's ultimate creation! : This will be the only edition to feature this Rock and Roll Biographies story featuring FIGHT “ [Mature]

Enjoyed your Free Comic Book Day books? Want to read more? Let your friendly neighborhood Comix Connection Counter Monkey know which ones caught your eye, and we’ll be happy to direct you to the next part of the story!

[atrixfromice]

So I ruined my life...and now what?

I always knew my greatest passion and dream was making comics and animated cartoons, since I can remember. I knew I was born to tell histories with endearing characters, hearwarming and useful great life lessons.

And I had all planned up. I had all planned all of it since I was seven. my career, my future...where I was going to be in 30 years from there. And as I saw it, I had two pretty cool options. Follow the path of science or the path of art.

I though I could go to elementary school, then the equivalent of highschool for mexicans. And studying english in the meantime and work middle time, so when I could finish all the basic school levels at 18 years old. I'll then take my suitcase and the money I saved and travel to study art at Oxford and ten trying to apply to some of the biggest animation studios as visual artist.

Or in the case I couldn't travel to USA, to study visual arts at the UNAM (one of best universities on Mexico) and then try to apply to a job on some of the small mexican studios and climp from there. And in the mean time doing  my personal comic projects, and maybe write a graphic novel.

The other option was to be a scientist which had more or less the same path. Basic studies, marine biology studies, studies to become a teuthologist. Working on fisheries related stuff a bit if it's all what it's avaliable, and then go to US after gaining some experience to some of the stuff I dreamed ;  apply in a  nice public aquarium to take care of the animals and to try teach an enteroctopus dofleini in aquarium to comunicate with us, throught a language I had created over the years, adapted to them. Oh of course! I also wanted to take marine photography and observe the enteroctopus dofleini's behavior in the wild!

But things aren't as easy as you think when you’re a kid...

In my journey for these paths I found a lot of obstacles, not only economic problems, but a lot of people who told me I wasn't good enough. And also my own lack of self-confidence ony myself and my skills.

When I was 13 one of my teachers made every student an "apptitude test" and told me, that even if I loved science I wasn't going to be good for it not because I wasn't intelligent, but because "science it's, organized, methodic, and you are not." I remember that made me enraged and sad and tried to be more organized since then.

At that time I thought science was better, because my dad said that an art field career would never get me a job, and will make me starving.

But with time I realized I loved more to make cartoons in general, so I decided an art related career and something on art field as a job could be a better path for me than a science career. So I tried to follow it.

I studied basic school. And in the meantime I studied English, and I took a part time job after school to save for my college as I was planned.

But lack of sleep because all the tasks I had to do were affecting my notes. My parents saw that and said it was ok if I only concentrated on my studies, that they could save to give me a college career at least in a Mexican university.

I stopped worrying and spent the money I had earned on stuff like videogames, movies, art supplies, and on intiving my family to dinner Pizza or some other fast food from time to time.

I think that was one my biggest mistakes on my life.

If someone had told me that when I had finished my basic school I wouldn't have enough for my college...I would have saved my money.

I think the other biggest mistake I made, was to be a coward...

When I finished my basic studies and was supposed to make my trip to Mexico City, my parents said they couldn't go with me because their work was there. And my brothers and sister were too small to go with me.

I was scared to live alone and work alone on a city where I didn't know anybody. Specially after my dad commented I watch out cos I could be robbed and rapped, and be kidnapped so my organs could be stolen and be sold to rich people.

This is why I made them chose my career for me the first time. My dad suggested it was better idea to move to a more closer city, 3 hours from where I lived, and study accounting, and that then after that I could work as an accountain and study what I really wanted on the side. So I thought it was maybe an smartest idea than mine, and I tried it.

But accounting never filled my spirit.  

When I was trying to figure out the business taxes my teacher had given us to work with, my mind was not there...

...it was day dreaming, thinking about what the next scene in my comic was going to or what traits of personality my next character should have. Immersed in fictional characters' character development and wonderful fantastic universes.

I last there a couple of years, mostly because my dad was helping me to pay the school and he seemed to be convinced it was the best path for me.

But One day at late night, I looked at my taxes work. And I noticed I had my accounting notebooks and books full of little doodles, sketches of comics and drawings of characters in heroic poses. And that the same thing happened to my elementary school, junior high and my highschool notebooks. And I had an epiphany. I was right when I said as a little kiddo I was born to make cartoons.

So I told my dad "Please don't keep helping me with money for this career, I'll leave it! I will never finish it, it doesn't fill my spirit"

My dad was mad and told me he was dissapointed when he heard that, of course. But in retrospective, I think he said that because he thought his help and advice had been in vain, and he was actually sad. And also because he felt money have been wasted.

Then I decided to be brave for the first time and stop letting people to decide for me. I looked up for some art related career, and luckily I found a college that wasn't as long as the UNAM.

Then I and I studied graphic desing there instead of visual arts, cos at that time visual arts on the university that had it has already started, and time was running and I was getting old. I worked there as well at the same time.

Studying graphic design instead of graphic arts was not the best decision of my life, now I realize it. But at that point in my life it was no longer time to study and let my parents pay for my college, but to work to earn a life of my own.

I studied in a modality where were classes were more difficult and rush up, but time to finish the carrer was a bit less and you could work on the side. Plus I wanted to make my best effort with this one because I felt so ashamed of leaving accounting.

I finished my graphic design career with 9.3 final note (it's the equivalent of having an A+) and at the fabulous age of 27 years old. (usually people finish college at 23-24, to give you a prespective )

And the rest is shorter, hehe.

My fabulous career and high notes weren't very useful in work field. I graduated and I tried to apply for a graphic designer job, but everbody wanted both experience in enterprise and a career, and I haven't worked at any enterprise at that moment. Finally, I worked on graphic desing industry on enterprise once. But I left it, because I was being exploited with insane schedules and on top on that, bad payed.

Luckily I found out that selling artcrafts and gourmet food from my hometown was a lot less exhausting and an agreable way to earn a life. It was cool actually, because I could practice my english and french with the tourists that could come, and meeting new people every day and heard their stories of their trips to exotic places.

And on the side I offered my services as a freelance illustrator and graphic designer. And while I'm not a super popular artist, I've got some money from there, and I'm making way to the artist field little by little. :)

So it was all good...until my workplace closed because of the coronavirus quarantine. So now I depend enterely of my  artwork to survive and it's scary..

And is in these moments I wonder... ...Have I ruined my life?

What would have happened if I had saved money from part time jobs and if I haven't been so chickery to travel to hollywood or to study in Mexico but far away from home?

Or I was dommed to fail since I choosed the art field as a career? As my dad and many other people told me.Should I have chosen the path of science and leave art as a hobby or a side work?

And if I had, could I have been able to make my tests to confirm t my theory that enteroctopus dofleini are intelligent enough to learn complex language to comunicate with us?

The answers of these questions, specially the last one....I will never know them...

And it breaks my heart! But at the same time it's something I need to face and accept it, to cope with it.

I think the important question isn't if I ruined my life or not, because that’s history.

But the important question is: what can I do to make my life better in this moment? And I think there's still a hope for me!

I'm not sure if I should talk about this..because then people might try to scam me into telling them my ideas without being a scientist, or without the intention to devote their life to make them a reality.

But it's been a good time I've been looking up for a scientist who already have studied marine biology or something related, and who would love cephalopods and would loved to put away their social life to dedicate their life to discover more about the enteroctopus dofleini. To inherit my work and that he or she puts in practic my experiments and tries to teach the octopus the language I invented.

I know by doing this I'll never receive any credit, neither fame nor recognizion, neither money or anything related. It will be the scientist that work with my heritage who will do it. And he or she will. I'm darn sure the enteroctopus dofleini can comunicate with this!

of course, I feel sad with this, I would have been glad to dedicate the rest of my life to do it myself, and see with my own eyes how people arround the world are amazed when the enteroctopus dofleini could tell us not just what he wants to eat, but complex emotions like rage, the amazement, hapiness, sadness, dissapointment...

But look at me! look at who I am!

I'm no artist, I can't earn a life as an artist.

I'm not a scientist...

And it’s too late for me to have the opportunity to study a science career now.

I'm a nobody, and that’s the truth.

So I'm aware this is the best decision. I worked a lot on this projetc, almost a life time. I prefer someone else do it, than all my work to be lost forever when I die.

And I did all that work, not because of money nor fame, or people's love. Not because I wanted people validate me as an intelligent person who achieved something extraordinary.

It was for one reason, and only one reason:

Because deep in my heart I wanted people stopped seeing the enteroctopus dofleini only as food and the lowest of minds.

People shouldn't eat the enteroctopus dofleni!! It's already discovered they're more intelligent than dolphins, birds, and even apes! Then why people keep eating it raw and cutting it in tiny pieces while being alive like they do very often in japan? Causing them unnecesary pain and suffering.

And we human race are supposed to be the most intelligent beings.

People shouldn't eat them, they should take care of them and protect them. They shoulf preserve their natural habitat and studying them in the wild so discover more and know more about them! They can be the key of our own survivence in the future years to come.

 If I give my work to a dedicated scientist and he or she conclusively prove that the enteroctopus dofleini is intelligent enough to do what I say, then my theories will have official validation! And hopefully this will bring conscience to people about them and they will stop treating them like shit! And they will start treating them more ethically and humanly as possible.

Before I die I would like to see that! Even if I don’t get the credit for my scientific work.

As for my artistic career goes, well..I arrived here, no?

I think I'll have to just keep going, and trying my best to gain a place on the artistic field. And keep moving forward...

I think I might not be successful in animation...but for the comics and graphic art part I think I can still do a great job!

Sorry I talked a lot, I have the impression I shouldn't have, hehe But see it this way, I think it's been a while I needed to write this to organize my ideas and know what I can do in this moment to make my better, and moving forward. And hopefully it will work and you will never see me  writing this much about my personal life again hehe.

I have an advice for all you folks. If you dream of something, go for it! No matter how difficult or scary it is, don't be a coward like I was for a while, and pursuit your dreams since the beginning. Don’t let anybody make choices for you.

Believe me, it’s less harder than it sounds. And in my experience, at the end of the day, you will only regret of what you didn’t do when you had the chance.

[nightcoremoon]

Top 10 Badass Female Characters in Fire Emblem Fates (in my opinion)

10- Reina/Peri

Okay so the reason why there's two people in this slot is because they're literally the same archetype. They love blood and killing and violence and blah blah blah, BUT ALSO they have at least some levels of depth and complexity to their character to keep them from being boring one note death machines. Problem is Reina doesn't have any supports with anyone so you don't get to know much more about her, but she protected your mom. Peri protects your older brother. Anyone who keeps your family safe is definitely badass.

9- Kagero

Ah Kagero. You get captured all the freakin time but that's not your fault. You're still the best dread fighter hands down, and definitely my favorite ninja (Kaze is too fragile and Saizo is too slow and Soleil is unavailable to a path). Plus she's an artist and while she may not be the best painter she still loves it and enjoys her hobby. She's a loyal servant and an even more loyal friend, and would put her own life on the line to protect your brother.

8- Anna

Can't fault a girl for war profiteering. Strong independent woman don't need no man, been around the block for centuries and across kingdoms, crack shot with a bow, gold farmer, feisty redhead, runs circles around the L crew, I could go on. She's always on my team and is supported by MC for dem stats and the unity ability in pretty sure procs make a killing but idk. Regardless she's still gr9.

7- Arete

She gets killed like four times before finally going down, and that first time was fairly heroic honestly. Definitely one of the most important people in regards to lore.

6- Camilla

What list would be complete without the best sister??? No not because of her giant tiddies (awesome to look at they may be) or the giant ass window (also awesome to look at) or even the weird incest thing going on (I guess from a Japanese lens that's awesome too but eeehhh) but because she's actually a great combat unit especially if she spends a couple levels as a hero getting those skills. Axes AND magic AND an attack buff means she should always be out on the field. She may be insane and has a lust for blood rivaling Peri, but she's a good sister, a good ruler, and a good unit.

5- Soleil

Oh yes. FUCKING SUPERB YOU FUNKY LITTLE LESBIAN! She's a big glass cannon so I always make her a master ninja and god is she a good ninja. She never gives up even in the face of innumerable odds, she's got great stats all depending on who her mom is, she's SUPER FUCKING GAY FOR GIRLS, oh yeah and she's a teenager leading a band of mercenaries; how fucking cool is that?

4- Rinkah

Stomp on me like you stomp on enemies. Oni savages are like fighters with better stats and both blacksmiths and chieftains have some top notch skills and she's the only one in the game who can do that naturally. She's an adamantly staunch advocate for her people, and makes leaps and bounds of character development through her supports. She's also clearly the most visibly sculpted lady sans for maybe Effie and anyone packing that much solid muscle has got to be pretty fucking awesome.

3- Hinoka

Real talk tho Hinoka is the actual best sister slash mom. Proof? Setsuna and Azama are both still alive somehow. The providence that protects them from traps and getting choked to death has got to be the pegasus knight. She's the second best female offensive lance user in the game (excluding knight/cavalier/merchant/basara/etc who have different roles than pure adjacent physical lance-based dps), especially if she A+'s either Camilla or Setsuna and S's either Xander or Silas. She's got enough variety to her that I feel the Lucina seal would simply be wasted on her. My only complaint is that without reclassify she kinda sucks but hey, just buy a freakin heart seal.

2- Scarlet

VIVA LA REVOLUCION! Tragic you can only use her in one path. I romanced her in my very first playthrough to give stats to my Kana (and also because I knew it would be my only chance to really use her). She deserves so much better than to just be fridge stuffing to give Ryoma that manpain. Dammit Japan. At least she's got the coolest armor design.

HONORABLE MENTIONS TIME!

Azura: the fucking queen of Valla who carries the plot on her shoulders. literally the most important person in canon. deserves better.

Felicia: accidental badassery still counts, right? slap on a flame shuriken and watch heads roll.

Hana: best samurai. like lon'qu but actually with personality. rough and abrasive but has a heart of gold.

Beruka: cold blooded contract killer trying to learn how to feel. similar to Reina/Peri but she doesn't kill for fun, she kills to survive. she's just really good at it.

Lilith: f

Cassita: she bakes you cookies. SHE. BAKES. YOU. COOKIES. okay. when will your fave ever? except for camilla, she baked you cookies too, but camilla has crippling depression, mommy issues, a whole lotta weird borderline incest stuff going on (even though you're adopted so it's okay according to japan... oh, who am I kidding, I fucked leo to have dragon forrest and because FOLGERS COFFEE COMMERCIAL). anyway. cassita only knows that you're armed, dangerous, here to kill the king, and once knew her darling elise, but she shelters your entire fucking army and then BAKES. YOU. NICE HOT FRESH CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES. bless her big beautiful heart. you can be badass without kicking someone's ass.

AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST

1- Oboro

fuck, man, she is just the best. best outfit, best stats, best combat ability, best class, and has a personality and hobbies and interests and likes and dislikes and flaws... I literally cried a little bit when I had to kill her in conquest. she is my favorite character in the whole game and she just kicks so much ass. I can't adequately put it into words, it's just... agh, she's great. 10/10

[fireeaglespirit]

beyond-far-horizons

more-oc-questions: Which OC claims they’re tough...

OOOH Sindra and Aquila come close? That is so cool or rather warm given the trope.

YESS. This is literally the central theme and the heart of the story... 

Among Aquila’s main relationships Sindra is the most substantial because its at the heart of the story and conflict and its resolution means a change in the world itself (think Madara and Hashirama and the clan conflict in Naruto).

They are the ‘lead characters’ of the main sides of the story and they’re at the center of this and eventually they reach for each other.

Hence the opposite color scheme, theme, personality, etc.. i.e. Aquila is warm and somewhat careless, Sindra is cold and strict, etc... they have a lot to gain from each other and evolve together.

They’re supposed to be the friends to enemies to friends trope we all love so much, plus red oni/blue oni, fire/ice, light/darkness, chaos/order, etc... 

Of course, as years pass by I have created many other important relationship for these two characters, but they were sort of the initial spark and still central to the theme. In fact, Aquila is much older in my head, but she was supposed to have a frienemy from the start and that took the shape of Sindra... so they’re both old AF (at least 14 years old as I've started drawing the outlines during school).

The story was initially just birds vs dragons and very simple, but now I added a third element in the form of humans and its becoming more complicated. Still, basically in the initial we have both axis like this...

Aquila has more or less...

1: Her own phoenix related issues to work with (what means to be a phoenix, dealing with the deity, etc..),

2: Her parents stuff (her father’s disappearance and her mother’s sorrow), Aquila goes on an Horus-like quest to find her dad (they mirror the Egyptian family of deities quite perfectly as in, Aquila: Horus, Damaris: Isis and Suzaku: Osiris/Ra, from there on you guess...

3: Her own quest understanding her ancestor, the Raven Queen and uncovering ancient avian secrets (which eventually leads her to Eltanin and draconians)...

4: Aquila & Altair’s quest involving the true nature of flight (a self discovery quest which messes up with the avian’s own nature, etc.. which will lead eventually to the origin of avians and their ancestors) and also to...

5: The transformation of the avian society and her relationship with the other phoenixes,

6: Her personal quest is one of gaining freedom initially and them sharing it with the world, she’s a catalyst of change. Aquila starts the story as a very naive and even childish person due to her complicated childhood (she basically died and duh) she was kept on a ‘golden cage’ for a long time after becoming a phoenix... because she was in great danger. After she goes out of it we have the start of her arc of self discovery and traveling around the world uncovering its secrets, basically.

Sindra has more or less...

1: Her own issues about being a draconian and her dragon ancestors (Polaris & Ishanur and how she relate to them and her evolving relationship with them, what influences they have on her, etc...), basically Sindra feels conflicted about her nature and rejects her human side due to dragon slayers having killed her parents which leads to... she needs to build a balance and understand it all,

2: Her revenge quest for said parents. They were friends with Aquila’s parents and trying t build a bridge to peace between all races, and they were murdered due to it... so here is a point they get close (Aquila & Sindra, early on)

3: Her sister Nix which she is very protective about, basically she need to learn how to deal with this all and also Nix leads to the next one:

4: Her issues with the human kingdom of Novencia enhances after Nix gets enamored with Procyon,

5: Lyra and the dragonslayers (they want to kill each other) lmao, basically her primary antagonists early on,

6: And least but one of the more important: her relationship with her aunt, Kigaly which is due to explode as soon as she finds out she had a hand on her parents demise....

This is my fault I haven’t given any sensible way for people to guess what the story is about. In fact, I have avoided some central subjects and branched out to more and more concepts, etc... I need to sit down and write what this is all about but I don’t know if I’ll live long enough, at this rate (lmao)

Anyway, this is just the very beginning and the premises I want to work about for these two, but they meet somewhere in the middle. Also, many characters such as Eltanin were designed to have ties to both of them:

1: Eltanin, the main antagonist... loved Raven (Gienah), which was Aquila’s most infamous ancestor (due to being perceived as a traitor by her kind since she joined the draconians eventually and whose story parallels Aquila in her struggles with the phoenix deity and her desire to change the avian society, etc...)

Eltanin is an ancestral figure to Sindra and supposed to be like Madara is to Sasuke (a shadow both in the past and future of their kin). Sindra follow his footsteps somewhat and almost falls to the same themes, so they are mirrored also by their relationship with the dragon Ishanur (a fatherly figure to both of them).

Sindra later on joins Aquila in order to stop him, etc..

2: Kigaly mainly serves as an antagonist for most part of the story as she behaves quite madly and puts everything in danger in order to get her heart’s desire... her story ties closely to Sindra as I mentioned, they have a lot of beef to solve, etc.. but Kigaly also is interested in the phoenix power since she perceives it as a chance to bring her beloved sister back from the dead, so she is destined to be an antagonist to both Aquila and Sindra and this can grow more personal later on.

3: Aquila and Sindra are supposed to join forces later on and travel a bit together on a quest they eventually wind up on a place called Gaea, which is basically a forest with meso/south america theme where they meet an ancient culture which has potential to teach them their kinds can evolve together, etc... among other things they have to work this out.

4: Later on Sindra deals with Erebus, which is the dark parallel of Aithnë (the fire spirit) so they both have mirrored themes in having to deal with dangerous and complicated other-worldly beings, etc... (lulz).

By the end of the story they’ll be great friends and much more than that, soul mates in a way... and they’re supposed to lift each other and complement each other, etc... initially it might appear impossible and that’s exactly the premise of the story. Aquila opens up sooner as she noticed Sindra’s inner turmoil and despair as a silent scream for help... (she’s very perceptive and empathetic), but it takes a while for Sindra to accept any help from the outside, but eventually she does... she will have to rethink her life as she starts defrosting and focusing on what really matters, so eventually she repays the kindness in due and both are supposed to grow and evolve becoming much better than their initial versions, while keeping the structure and theme.

I hope I haven’t forgotten any important aspects of the story, LMAO. I’m quite sleepy right now but wanted to write you this quick guide to their relationship...

To sum it up, Aquila & Sindra are destined to some big things, they are the opposite forces that need to work together to make the world better, etc.. they are the central focus of the whole ‘bird vs dragon’ thing, of course I have many other characters which have become perhaps just as vital but they were the root of this all in my mind and everything has branched from it.

They’ll clash a lot before that, and there’s a reason it looks like they’re not very connected. A: I’m dumb and don’t write down things and B: you always see the base characters on my posts as I’m developing this...

And yes, I love the theme and I agree its rather warm, lol. But I have to make sure not only Aquila takes action on it, lol as she’s more prone to it.

[evobedevo]

Question from SwordSparks:

"Do you have any family?"

EVELYN:

"Yup~"

"My dad is an archeologist, my mom is a clothing designer and a yoga instructor, and my older sister works for a graphics company, but she does cartography as a hobby...seriously. She's actually really extroverted and a bit of a thrill seeker."

Fun fact, Evelyn is the first character I've drawn the entire family of. Yes, she gets this prestigious claim before any of my "main" OC's.

I was hoping to reach this piece soon, since I actually have quite a bit to divulge about these admittedly relatively minor OC's. 

Though that does mean that they might become more than just background characters since I have a lot to write about.

----------------

Faustin:

Evelyn's dad, a French born Quebec resident, is an archeologist by trade. He's also a full time classic "dad" dad. Bad jokes, wise advice, supportive and comforting aura, the works. Evelyn was admittedly the most terrified of telling him about her being trans, but he took it in stride. 

He's the main reason the family has those squared off spiral shaped trinkets on their outfits, he found them on an expedition and while they were being studied, were found to be relatively recent and designated as "junk." So he was allowed to take them home. 

I'm not spoiling what they do, but they ARE actually rather important~

Olympia:

Evelyn's mom is French Creole, from a marsh just outside of Baton Rouge. She and Faustin met during college, her parents sending her up to Quebec to find better opportunities. She was studying fashion design, and managed to graduate with the experience to open up her own little shop around the area where she designs her own outfits. It's decently popular, though she hopes to expand her business soon and is always on the hunt for new designs. On the side, she also teaches yoga. Personality wise, she's definitely the more energetic of Evelyn's parents, and was one of the first people she came to about being trans. She was fully on board from the start, and admittedly she sometimes goes a bit overboard in making her feel like a proper girl by using Evelyn as a pseudo model to test her new ideas. Evelyn doesn't mind TOO much.

Aurora:

Evelyn's older sister, who works for a company that specializes in graphic design and typographic logo's. Due to being the FIRST subject for her mom's obsessive fashion forward moments, she has an EXTENSIVE collection of outfits to choose from, and her beauty plus her sense of style means she's gotten a reputation around their hometown as the "popular girl who's way out of everyone's league". 

A stigma she admittedly hates, since it means people tend to be intimidated by her. In reality, she's a big dork and a genki girl at heart who loves adventure and exploring. Heck, one of her hobbies is cartography, and she has an innate sense of direction, mainly geographic. Evelyn is really the only other person who understands that her sister is actually quite the red oni as opposed to the blue oni that everyone sees her as, and thus is usually dragged into new adventures and expeditions with her. 

The fact that the family is 3 types of French is something I like to joke about, as Evelyn knows all 3 dialects and flips between them when speaking French with her family. 

[elisapsycho]

Aoba Galerunner | The Bunny

{IMPORTANT NOTICE: Topics with the * symbol beside them would be unknown to the public. Please do not act like your character would know everything about mine, as I wouldn’t do that to anyone else. I ask this nicely, I will not be as nice during interaction if it happens. Thank you! <3}

Name: Aoba Rina Galerunner Alias: N/A Nickname: Bunny, Monk-Monk

AGE: 20 to a Human. SPECIES: Sin’dorei GENDER: Cis Man

CLASS: Monk

BIRTHPLACE: Eversong Woods BIRTH: December 3rd SIGN: Sagittarius 

MARITAL STATUS: Single pringle! SEXUAL ORIENTATION: Homosexual. Flaming homosexual. PROFESSION: General Herbalist & Mistweaver Medic RESIDENCES: A second-story apartment in Silvermoon

HISTORY:

•  (RP to find out please! Lots to write plus mystery!)

[PHYSICAL FEATURES]

APPEARANCE: (Vito Basso)

HAIR: Thick dark brown loose curls that fall to his shoulders. Though his hair looks black and shines a sort of deep blue in direct light. EYES: Aqua green, more blue than green but the Fel taint is still present. Irises underneath are a light brown. SKIN: Deeply and evenly tanned and sunkissed. His skin is smooth and blemish free apart from a few hidden scars here and there. HEIGHT: 6′5″ WEIGHT: 197lbs OTHER: He has two tattoos on either side of him, “Ocean” on his left ribs written in Thalassian and a diamond on his right ribs with “Life-Hog” written in Pandaren underneath it and set between two wings with some designs underneath the whole thing. He has a lip piercing and a septum, though rarely wears them these days, then he has a few piercings downstairs and heart piercings on his nipples.

[FAMILY]

SIBLINGS: • Shiroba Galerunner - Twin Brother (Alive) • Syralia Galerunner - Younger Half-Sister (Alive) PARENTS:  Koulandrel Galerunner & Kyrina Galerunner OTHER RELATIVES:

• Vandsondra Galerunner - Aunt - Deceased • Hynlestal Galerunner - Uncle - Unknown • Hynlanath Galerunner - Uncle - Alive • Savinia Galerunner - Aunt - Alive • Artemisia Felspark - Cousin - Alive • Hathrian Felspark - Cousin-in-Law - Alive • Gwendasyl Felspark - Second Cousin - Alive • Lilestela Dewbrook - Adoptive Aunt - Deceased • Kreinast Dewbrook - Adoptive Uncle - Alive • Vyrin Dewbrook - Adoptive Aunt - Alive • Zarendrala Dewbrook - Adoptive Cousin - Alive • Adriano Dewbrook - Adoptive Cousin - Alive • Raedaelin(ia) Dewbrook - Adoptive Cousin - Alive • Zarendrel Dewbrook - Adoptive Cousin - Alive • Raedrel Dewbrook - Adoptive Cousin - Alive • Raedaelina Bloodhaven-Frostscythe - Adoptive Great-Aunt - Deceased • Acandisa Frostscythe - Adoptive Great-Aunt - Undead & Wandering • Krinas Frostscythe - Adoptive Great-Uncle - Deceased

ACQUAINTANCES/FRIENDS:

”Ren” - Ex-Boyfriend Aelrindel Everlove - Ex-Lover Artemisia Felspark - Best Friend & Cousin Valendranas Voidstrider - Frenemy Anyone else I missed - You know who you are

Enemies/Rivals: “Cecily”  - Ex-Lover’s Younger Sister

ANY PETS?: yes [x] || no [ ]

• Oni - Black tabby female, oldest of the three cats and mother of both Uni & Ani. • Uni - White persian-tabby female, alpha of Oni’s first litter. • Ani - Black & White tabby male, runt of Oni’s second litter.

[ATTRIBUTES]

BASICS:

• Strength - 7/10 - Being a Monk, Aoba has a considerable amount of strength. He absolutely couldn’t go toe-to-toe in a fist fight versus a rogue or anything, but he isn’t a weakling when it comes to carrying things! Sure, he’ll whine, but he can do it.

• Dexterity - 10/10 - Also with being a Monk, Aoba has learned to move quickly and gracefully, as well as becoming very flexible over the years. He can do a full side split without even blinking.

• Constitution -  8/10 - Yet again with being a Monk, - I know, we’re all sick of hearing that. - Aoba takes very good care of his body and has a good deal of stamina and energy! Not to mention he’s very wild and driven behind closed doors as well.

• Intellect - 8/10 - Aoba’s a pretty smart guy bookswise, he has to be considering he’s a medic! He doesn’t have very good memory but he’s got a good head on his shoulders and is an avid study-worm despite his wild life.

• Wisdom - 4/10 - Not a very bright cookie streetwise. He’s got enough common sense to not walk down an alley alone or buy something from a stranger, but he commonly goes home with and flirts with men who look like their only intent is to snap his neck and steal his wallet. He hasn’t met such a bad fate as of yet fortunately.

• Charisma - 9/10 - The only people who don’t find this little hellcat charming would have to be either straight men or innocent people that don’t know of his intentions. It’s how this little beast smuggles his way into the hearts of one night stands and scores peacebloom on discount after all!

• Comeliness - 7/10 - Something he could practice better is his hygiene. He isn’t filthy or disease ridden, but he could take showers a bit more often. He brushes his teeth twice a day, showers about four times a week, only washing his hair once or twice every two weeks. You expected the medic hellcat to be as clean as a whistle, right? But, he does always shower before he goes to work and usually the times he doesn’t shower is weekends or when he knows he’ll be studying. He’s clean while he’s working!

[TRAITS]

—— POSITIVE ——

• Likes to help • Playful • Free-spirited • Optimistic • Friendly

—— NEGATIVE ——

• Untrustworthy • Flighty • Flirty • Sassy • Cold when pressured

[LIKES]

COLORS: Pastels and neons! SMELLS:  Floral scents in general, salt water scents & woodsy colognes. FOOD: Vegan dishes with a Pandaren twist! FRUITS: Oranges, pears, & pineapples.  DRINKS: Fizzy drinks and citrus drinks

ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES?: yes [x] || no [ ] • Favorites?: Most kinds of mixed drinks.

[DISLIKES]

COLORS: Moody colors. Red. SMELLS: Anything vile or just very strong in general. FOOD: “War Foods” & Meat FRUITS: N/A DRINKS: Milk ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES: Very hard drinks, bitter drinks.

[OTHER DETAILS]

SMOKES? yes [x] || no [ ]

• Aoba doesn’t smoke normal cigarettes, but he is often seen with peacebloom blunts.

DRUGS?: yes [x] || no [ ]

• Aoba’s trademark is a peacebloom blunt after all! He doesn’t dabble with hard drugs however. He’s just a pothead.

DRIVER LICENSE?:  yes [x] || no [ ]

• Aoba has a riding license though he never uses it. He likes to walk everywhere since he rarely ever leaves the city and his little sector.

EVER BEEN ARRESTED?: yes [ ] || no [x]

• Surprisingly, as wild as a person that Aoba is, he’s never been arrested. He even smokes under the radar of the guard considering he has a history of working with herbs for his medic practice. That, and he’s usually taken home before he can cut up while drunk, whether by a man he’s planning to have fun with or just his brother getting him out of trouble.

[broken-foreword]

Plus this example is out of context. One of the girls from original Eva make more sense to compare to Rem as women who are meant to be eye candy and Waifu bait with interest in the main character.

This vs Golden Boy who manga being basically hentai aside, the anime is 6 episodes long and 5 of them are entirely about the main character running into a girl made to be overly sexy first instead of easy to drawn for Story or fit their role like Rem.

In golden boy he gets the girl in the end without actually getting her, so each one is meant to be full adults (except one) of near impossible beauty standards

This vs Rem who is designed first and foremost to look like a plain maid who with her twin sister are a red and blue Oni allowing their look to give away a spoiler. So guys fell for her from personality and story rather than “hot girl who’s really good at swimming and caring for kids” as Golden Boy has there

why do anime girls from the 80s and 90s look so much better than anime girls today

[allspark]

It’s time for our weekly Diamond Comics Shipping List! Check out some great titles IDW has in store for us next week like Transformers, Go-Bots, G.I. Joe, DuckTales, Star Wars, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and much more! All coming your way for March 27th!

TRANSFORMERS #2

Brian Ruckley (A) Angel Hernandez (A/CVR B) Ron Joseph (CVR A) Nelson Daniel

“Your life is yours to shape.” These words form the backbone of the Transformers’ society. But Cybertronian police officers Chromia and Prowl learn there’s a dark underside as they investigate the murder that’s caught Bumblebee in a web of lies and secrets.

GI JOE SIERRA MUERTE #2

Michel Fiffe (A/CVR A&B) Michel Fiffe

While Stalker & Scarlett dodge downtown bullets, Baroness & Destroy are corned in a high-rise shootout. As the G.I. Joes circle closer to Cobra’s secret headquarters, an unlikely alliance in the battlefield of love is born. Can a dying Cobra Commander cling to his hate long enough to ensure victory?

GO-BOTS #5

Tom Scioli (A/CVR A) Tom Scioli (CVR B) Dash Shaw

The jaw-dropping conclusion to Tom Scioli’s epic tale is here! The fate of all Go-Bots hangs in the balance! From the creative mind that brought you IDW’s Transformers vs. G.I. Joe! Visionary creator Tom Scioli unleashes his imagination on the bizarre, absurd, and wonderful world of Go-Bots!

30 DAYS OF NIGHT 100 PAGE GIANT

Kelly Sue DeConnick, Steve Niles (A/CVR) Justin Randall

Out of print for over a decade, the superstar creative team of Kelly Sue DeConnick (Bitch Planet), Steve Niles (Kick-Ass), and Justin Randall (Changing Ways) tackle the classic 30 Days vampires! Stella managed to bring her husband Eban back from beyond… but he came back hungry!

Direct market exclusive! Complete story in one overstuffed issue! A key piece of IDW history back in print! Part of IDW’s 20th anniversary celebration!

DISNEY COMICS AND STORIES #4

Andrea Castellan, Stefan Petrucha (A) Lorenzo Pastrovicchio, Xavier Vives Mateu (CVR A) Paolo Campinoti

Three stories never-before-seen in the U.S. await in another fun-filled issue! In “Mickey Mouse and the Unreachable Island,” the Phantom Blot forces Mickey onto a deserted island in order to spare Mouseton’s citizens from his latest dastardly plan! Then, in “Run, Fethry, Run,” Fethry Duck finds himself facing off against a most unusual-and hilarious-opponent. Finally, in “The Art of the Perfect Traveler,” Mickey finds his method for packing for a trip leaves one essential item to be desired!

DUCKTALES #19

Various (A/CVR A&B) Various

What new adventures will Scrooge McDuck and company get up to this month? Find out in another exciting issue of DuckTales!

FEMME MAGNIFIQUE 10 MAGNIFICENT WOMEN CHANGED WORLD

Various (A/CVR) Various

Just in time for Women’s History Month, we’ve curated a one-shot selection of short stories from the critically acclaimed anthology, FEMME MAGNIFIQUE: 50 Magnificent Women Who Changed the World. Part mini-biopic, part personal salute to their personal icons, the subjects and creative teams include: Margaret Hamilton by Alisa Kwitney and Jamie Coe, Sylvia Earle by Maris Wicks, Kate Bush by Gail Simone and Marguerite Sauvage, Margaret Sanger by Lucy Knisley, Hillary Rodham Clinton by Kelly Sue DeConnick and Elsa Charretier, Cindy Whitehead by Jim Rugg, Mary Blair by Casey Gilly and Jen Hickman, Harriet Tubman by Chuck Brown and Sanford Greene, and Rumiko Takahashi by Chynna Clugston-Flores, Sally Ride by Cecil Castellucci and Philip Bond!

From artists to astronauts, from performance halls to the Skateboard Hall of Fame, the magnificent women featured in this single issue have one thing in common: they’ve shattered ceilings and continued to empower, educate, and promote equality.

Still Available: FEMME MAGNIFIQUE: 50 Magnificent Women Who Change the World, a 240-page paperback that deserves a place on every bookshelf in libraries, classrooms, bedrooms and boardrooms.

GLOW #1

Tini Howard (A/CVR A) Hannah Templer

The Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling are ready to take on the world-or at least LA-in this comic based on the hit Netflix series! When the unthinkable happens and the women of GLOW find themselves ahead of schedule, Sam ruins the promise of a wrestling-free weekend with… more wrestling! Robbed of blissful relaxation and forced to raise money to fund their way to the event, the GLOW team is less-than-prepared for their opponents: real gorgeous lady wrestlers. What could possibly go wrong?!

MAGIC THE GATHERING CHANDRA #2

Vita Ayala (A/CVR A) Harvey Tolibao

After her latest defeat, Chandra feels broken as events of the past continue to haunt her, and a familiar foe seizes the opportunity to strike! Will Ajani’s heroic intervention be enough to help her overcome the threat and stop her from traveling farther down a self-destructive path?

Rising star writer Vita Ayala and powerhouse artist Harvey Tolibao continue to expand the bounds of the Multiverse in the first Magic: The Gathering® series in nearly five years!

STORY SPINS DIRECTLY OUT OF THE NEWEST CARD SET, OCTOBER’S GUILDS OF RAVNICA , AND ITS SEQUELS, JANUARY’S RAVNICA ALLEGIANCE AND THE UNNAMED SPRING 2019 SET!

Magic: The Gathering, its logo, Guilds of Ravnica, Ravnica Allegiance, and character names and distinctive likenesses are property of Wizards of the Coast LLC and are used with permission. ©2018 Wizards of the Coast LLC. All Rights Reserved

MARVEL ACTION BLACK PANTHER #1

Kyle Baker (A) Kyle Baker (CVR A) Juan Samu

Readers of all ages can get lost in the technologically advanced African nation of Wakanda as they follow the adventures of its monarch, the Black Panther! King T’Challa is responsible for defending his people-and the world-from any threats. And he gets plenty of help-and sass-from his genius sister Shuri. A Marvelous new era begins here!  A bold new era for Black Panther begins here! From the mind of multiple Eisner and Harvey award winner Kyle Baker!

PUNKS NOT DEAD LONDON CALLING #2

David Barnett (A/CVR A) Martin Simmonds

In the spirit of awkward house calls, Fergie and Sid’s urgent quest for Fergie’s long-absent father finds them holed up in a dilapidated London boozer… where they meet some unwelcome old enemies and make an interesting new friend. Back in Preston, Dorothy Culpepper of The Department of Extra-Usual Affairs gets a proper wallop and Fergie’s mom Julie and kinda-girlfriend Natalie end up with blood on their hands. The spirit of ’77 is alive by night with power chords and psychic grenades in London Calling: “To the Faraway Towns.”

RICK & MORTY VS DUNGEONS & DRAGONS DIR CUT #1

Jim Zub, Patrick Rothfuss (A) Troy Little (CVR) Alex Cormack

Re-presenting the sold-out first issue in deluxe format! This special edition includes excerpts from Patrick Rothfuss and Jim Zub’s original script, work-in-progress process pages from the art table of Troy Little, and a section of some of the rare and hard-to-find covers! Presented in conjunction with Oni Press! Patrick Rothfuss, the multiple award-winning, bestselling author of The Kingkiller Chronicle series, joins Dungeons & Dragons fan-favorite Jim Zub (Avengers, Wayward) on a tri-dimensional fantasy adventure!

SOLO A STAR WARS STORY GN

Alessandro Ferrari (CVR) Eric Jones

Capturing the galaxy-spanning action of Solo: A Star Wars Story, experience the new movie as a beautiful graphic novel combining the wonder of Star Wars with streamlined young-reader friendly designs. This all-ages graphic novel is a must-read for longtime fans and a great introduction for young newcomers!

•   Advance solicited for November release! •   Combines the epic wonder of Star Wars with streamlined, young reader-friendly designs.

SYNERGY HASBRO CREATORS SHOWCASE

Various (A/CVR) Various

In recognition of Women’s History month, IDW and Hasbro are teaming up to create SYNERGY: A HASBRO CREATORS SHOWCASE, a celebration of fan-favorites and new talent working with some of the most beloved Hasbro characters. With 13 fabulous covers drawn from the IDW archives and 27 pages of new material-including autobiographical works by Mairghread Scott (drawn by Sara Pitre-Durocher, reuniting the creative team behind the beloved Transformers: Till All Are One series) and Katie Cook (writer on the hit My Little Pony comic), as well as three original stories inspired by G.I. Joe, Transformers, and Jem and the Holograms-this anthology celebrates the women who have made, or will make, an impact on the world of Hasbro for many years to come.

•   Celebrate Women’s History Month with women creators who made history! •   Includes a collection of some of the most gorgeous and dynamic covers IDW and Hasbro have to offer-plus exciting new stories!

RISE OF THE TMNT TP VOL 01

Matthew K. Manning (A/CVR) Chad Thomas

ADVANCE SOLICITED FOR MARCH RELEASE! Expands on the new Nickelodeon TV series! The Turtles are back in an all-new animated series from Nickelodeon: new characters, new attitude, and a new age of mutant madness begins here. Join Leo, the self-proclaimed “coolest” brother; Donnie, the “genius;” Mikey, the “prankster;” and Raph, the leader of the group, as they uncover the secrets of New York City and untap their mystic ninja powers while learning to work together as a team. Will the TMNT be able to master their new world, or will their new world master them?! Collects issues #0-2.

TMNT URBAN LEGENDS #11

Gary Carlson (A/CVR A&B) Frank Fosco (CVR B) Erik Larsen

As the Turtles and their allies close ranks on the murderer haunting the streets of Chicago, they find themselves facing their most terrifying adversary yet! Just how are they going to get out of this one?! The entire TMNT Volume 3 run-all 23 issues-reprinted in full color for the first time!

WALT DISNEY DONALD DUCK NEWSPAPER COMICS HC VOL 05

Tom Waltz, Kevin Eastman (A/CVR A) Michael Dialynas (CVR B) Kevin Eastman

From the Disney Vaults! The original Donald Duck daily strips, collected for the first time ever! This fifth volume includes 750 sequential daily comic strips from January 1, 1948, through the middle of 1950 drawn by Al Taliaferro and reproduced from original material in the Disney files! It’s time to laugh again with Donald, Daisy, and those impetuous nephews: Huey, Dewey, and Louie.

•   Donald’s daily adventures collected in their entirety for the first time!

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[londontheatre]

Sublime – Photo Credit Sarah Thomas

The opening scene in Sublime was so slow to get going, and the subsequent scenes weren’t much pacier. It never gained the momentum that it could have done, especially given the rather dark storyline. The problem with talking about plans to do this and do that, without seeing any of the action taking place, is that it becomes as ultimately believable as an early ‘I wish’ number in a musical. I thought of tunes like ‘Wouldn’t It Be Loverly’ from My Fair Lady, or ‘Money To Burn’ from Half A Sixpence. What to Sophie (Adele Oni) and to a lesser extent her brother Sam (Michael Fatogun) are achievable aspirations comes across as delusions of grandeur.

This may granted, have been quite deliberate. Occasional moments of dark humour were pleasing to observe, though for the most part, this was a world in which nobody trusts anybody, whether stranger or close relative. In the latter case, however, familiarity bred contempt indeed. A more hard-hitting second half, as opposed to the comparatively lukewarm first act, could have been more explosive still. The narrative instead fizzles out. The two siblings that were at each other’s throats in public kiss (too strongly and for too long than biological siblings ordinarily would, and that’s all I’ll say about that subplot) and make up, and all is well with the world. There might as well have been an ‘all together now’ finale number from a musical to round things off with.

There’s not much sweetness and light, however, in what goes on. Sam has made attempts to go straight and has a girlfriend, Clara (Suzy Gill) plus a day job. Sophie appears to have presumptuously waltzed straight back into her brother’s life after an extended period of absence. Sam retains subtle links with the underworld, despite repeatedly telling his sister that he does not want to go in for the hard and dangerous sort of criminal activity anymore. Being as cutthroat and ruthless as ringleaders are, these remaining unsevered ties count for little, if anything, especially when it becomes known among those who need to know that Sophie has carried out three ‘jobs’ in less than a week, far too frequent to stay incognito. One more musical reference, if you can bear it. The siblings’ attempts to draw Clara into their family reminded me of ‘Consider Yourself’ from Oliver!

A convincing supporting performance from Declan Cooke, doubling up as Clara’s father and a senior figure in London’s thieving hierarchy, adds much needed extra layers to a show that would otherwise be a series of stilted and awkward conversations. For a story of this nature, the characters live their lives remarkably drug-free. This production was too much of a slow burner for me. Whilst I had some interest in how things would turn out, I also had some difficulty maintaining it. The sense of suspense and intrigue that permeated earlier scenes gradually dissipated as there was more of the same. In the build up to yet another robbery, I found myself – morality aside – just wishing them to get on with it.

Elsewhere, I wasn’t too keen on the padding out of the narrative with stories about the siblings’ childhood experiences. The tepid ending could have been improved if, for instance, someone went down in a blaze of glory. That the siblings come away completely unscathed doesn’t seem entirely credible, particularly given the upset the siblings apparently caused. Even they seemed surprised to live to see another day, and it is at least an unexpected plot twist. The script could do with some tightening to become a 90-minute no interval play: the break in proceedings here disarmed whatever tension there was. A good effort given it is the writer’s first play, however.

Review by Chris Omaweng

Sophie bursts back into her brother’s life, on the run from trouble after going missing for two years. Can she lure Sam away from domestic coupledom to rekindle their old crime partnership and save her skin? Balaclavas, wigs, jewels and forbidden passions collide in this tough-talking, fast-swindling dark comedy thriller.

CAST Adele Oni Declan Cooke Suzy Gill Michael Fatogun

CREATIVE TEAM Writer Sarah Thomas Director Ben SantaMaria Sound & Lighting Designer Keri Danielle Chesser Stage Manager Cornelius Dwyer

SUBLIME A provocative new play from Sarah Thomas, directed by Ben SantaMaria Tue 4 – Sat 8 April http://ift.tt/23UW86S

http://ift.tt/2o3q3cQ LondonTheatre1.com