Beat Rush

Something awesome is coming to a GTA comic book store near you. Imagine a newspaper that is part zine, part comic collection and whole lot of creativity. Welcome to Beat Rush! And with the launch event coming up this Friday and Saturday, it is guaranteed to be a Good Friday and Better Saturday. So if you are not into any of the religious stuff, come and check out the launch of this brand new comic experience at either of these great events in the heart of down town Toronto. 

The first of the two events taking place on Friday at the Silver Snail comic book shop at Yonge and Dundas. The event will take place at 5:00 and will go on until 8:00 PM roughly, but a lot of the artist who worked on several of the comics will be on hand as well. So come, get yourself a copy or two and be sure to pick up plenty of comics while you are there, Snail has a great collection of back issues, variants and a massive collection of different toys and figures. Don't forget to grab a coffee or a latte as well at the Black Canary cafe. 

The second event is taking place on Saturday over at A&C Games at Spadina and College, from 2:00 PM to 7:00 PM. This event will have a beat em up game theme going with it, so that means all those old school classics like Final Fight and Double Dragon. I am more of a fighting game guy myself, but you know those games are pretty fun as well. Hopefully they have some Street Fighter II over there as well. If you have never been to A&C Games, it is the absolute collectors store as far as video games go, they have a massive treasure cove of classic games and consoles. So if you are looking for the copy of say...Gex 64, they probably have a copy or two. 

And most importantly, friends from around the world and outside of Toronto, you can check out plenty of Beat Rush over at their Facebook Page and also at their Homepage. Give them a follow and plenty of love, these guys are working away everyday.

So will I see you there this weekend? Maybe talk some comics over at Silver Snail or perhaps will play a few rounds of Captain Commando? Which ever event you choose, be sure to bring a toonie and pick up your copy of Beat Rush as well! I am looking forward to this weekend and I will see you there, until then, keep chasing the storm! 

Be Awesome...

Toby...basically Flounder but more sassy.

So I am doing some plugging here today in this post, and this one is for a very dear friend of mine, my little twin, Toby. To start off, there aren't enough words to describe this little gentlemen, but he is my ultimate bro, the Finn to my Jake, he is the guy who is always ready to help and ready to make things happen. At this day and age, you don't find many people like that and I for one and some glad to have Toby there for me as my best friend. We both have a long way to go in our art journeys, but I am happy to be there for him. For those of you in the Toronto area, be sure to go down to the Silver Snail, not only will Toby be there drawing and selling some incredible art, he will be joined by the great and talented Kevin Briones and Paul (Becarepaul) Limgenco. So go get some new releases and be sure to take advantage of all the great artist that will be available. But for those of you outside of Toronto and all over the world reading this, let me share with you a collection of Toby's work and all the links so you can follow him and share some love. And be sure to tell your friends as well, spread the word! 

A few examples of Toby's work...

And a collection of various links for you to follow as well...

• Toby's Blog
• Facebook Page
• Tumblr Page
• DeviantArt Page

So be sure to give him a follow and maybe order some art as well while you're at it. Especially if you want some pretty ladies, Toby has got you covered. And don't forget Toronto people, go to Silver Snail tomorrow! And also stay tuned for more art and comic book related posts here on my own little corner of the web. I got to get going though, so stay awesome and keep chasing the storm! 

Future Spider...

I am starting to really try and figure out my approach to one-shot stories in comic books. I mean I know going in that it's going to be a one time deal, the story starts and finishes in the same book, and most of the time it will be some side adventure, although I have read a lot of good Annual books that have a big character development that carries over to the main story or something big has an affect on the world. So with that being said, I am scratching my head on how to review last weeks release, part of the Marvel 100th Anniversary series that's going on this month, Spider-man! And off the bat, they give you a run down on what's been going on in the story so far, apparently this is the last issue of an 8 issue story, I wouldn't mind seeing the rest of these being made one day perhaps. But our hero, Peter Parker is arguing with Eddie Brock over the control of the "Techno Symbiote" suit, which means it's like Venom but it gives you control over all technology and in a future world, that's a pretty useful thing to have. But before they can decide who keeps this great power, bam, Kingpin shoots Brock and takes the suit for himself. Not really a spoiler here though guys, this is actually the cover for the book, gives you an idea of what to expect going in.

I will say this much though, this book looks incredible! With artist In-Hyuk Lee pages you see a very cool digital art, which for a story based in the future really works, it makes sense. The futuristic world created is one that seems possible and near, no flying cars in sight but plenty of bright lights and great looking city designs. The ability to control technology with the suit is a big deal here, especially in this kind of world, there is an interesting commentary here on our dependence on technology. The writer Sean Ryan creates a situation that leaves the Kipling in complete control of the entire city and possibly the entire world if left to his own devices. And while this does work for a story and I would have liked to seen more of this world, I am still left wondering on how necessary this book is at the end of the day? What does this do for the Spider-man legend? Even with a massive multiverse Spider-man story coming soon this year, how does this change anything? Was it meant to at all?

I will say that the book looks great and it is a decent read as well, feels a little short but when you only have one issue to tell a story, that will happen. But if you can't afford to get the extra book here and there, you aren't missing out too much. And this applies for the three different Marvel 100th Anniversary books out there, unless you can and you are a die hard fan of said series, no reason to stop you here, a lot cool ideas are presented in a different world with the characters you know and love.Wait for a collection book, that might be coming out in a few months as well. But clearly in my opinion, if you are going to do a one shot comic, make sure it has a lot to give, Superman: Doomed for example was a one shot that set in motion the big events leading to all the current Superman titles. You can tell a bigger story in one issue, you just have to play the cards right.

So that's my take on Marvel 100th Anniversary Spider-man, let me know what you guys thought, did you like it more and why, did you want to see more of this story and it's world? Let me know in the comments below and be sure to subscribe, got more comic book reviews coming up and ChileanStorm news and updates as well, so be sure to check it all out. That's all the time I have for today, I will see you guys later on in the week, until then keep chasing the storm!  

My Comic Pile...

There comes a time in every geeks life when he has to look down at the piles on the floor and at the boxes in the corner and say to himself, "holy crap, I've got a lot of comics to read!" And I do, like a lot of them. I was just organize a few that were out of my collection, bag and boarding a few loose comics as well, when I realized that I have a lot of books that I still need to read. Which isn't a bad thing, it's actually really cool when I think about it. One of my problems may stem from the fact that I want to get more comics and try to catch up with more current ongoing series. The life of a comic book geek. But I figure I have this floor to speak and well I guess I should use it to talk comics! More reviews and thoughts on all these amazing magical books that I have collected over the years. The only thing is though, part of me wants to cover the indy comics, give light to those who need and share my with you guys, help out friends here as well. But I really enjoy the big company books, like Marvel and DC Comics and hell even stuff from Image and Dark Horse. So the only question is, what do I first?

So I am going to start off with this bad boy that I just finished a few weeks ago, Earth X! From Marvel, by the incredible team of Alex Ross, Jim Krueger and John Paul Leon, Earth X is based in an alternative future for the Marvel universe, but with many elements ground in the early days of Marvel to help paint a creative and different kind of future. How different? Well for one, everyone on the planet has now gained some form of super power and/or mutation. So how good is a super hero when everyone is super? Powers never defined heroes in the first place though, and it shows us here very early on with Captain America. Literally wearing the red, white and blue across his chest, we see that Rogers is still fighting for that old world, but he is older and tired from all the wars, when does it stop? We see an older and fatter Spider-man, who has a daughter who has taken the mantle as city web swinger. We see the Inhumans, looking for a lost member of the royal family in a world much similar to their own. Everyone you know and love has been altered in some shape or form in this world, and everyone is trying to find their own explanation to all of this. All the while, Machine Man has been tasked by a blind Watcher to take up his role and be witness to what will happen next to this new Earth. 

The imagination of this book alone is reason to check it out, but this story is absolutely incredible! The scale of things grows each chapter, and it always awesome to see what has happened to all our favourite Marvel heroes and villains! I can't believe it took me this long to finally get this book but I am glad I did! As a story, Earth X is one that gets you reading and reading, just to find out what's going on and to see what's going to happen next. That being said, while the art is strong, it's not the best looking book I have seen. The character designs by Ross are incredible though, I guess it would have been too much to ask to have him draw the entire book as well. But the art does work really well for the story, it never becomes a problem, a lot of great panel work and some incredible splash pages as well. All in all, it makes for an incredible epic that all comic book fans should take a look at, it's a reminder on why we love comics in the first place. I know the story continues in Paradise X and Universe X, but strictly as a stand alone book, Earth X should be part of everyone's collection. 

So there you have it, my review on Earth X. I could go into depth on each issue and each character, behind the symbolisms of each characters design and purpose in this world, but it would take a whole blog for each character, not to mention massive massive spoilers to those who have yet to read it. But I also have a busy day ahead of me, going to be working late getting ready for Pride week and also going to be watching my team, Chile play against the Netherlands! I can't wait for that! Well let me know what you think of Earth X and what kind of book you want me to look at next, I've got tons to choose from, so comment below! Much love to you all, and keep chasing the storm. 

Start Living...

"You get busy living or you get busy dying".

It's times like these were I think back to them old lazy days, playing video games until morning and sleep in until I feel the need to wake up. Of course, back in those days I was practically invisible to the world and those who could see me weren't very impressed. Those lazy days are long gone now though. Now a new chapter is starting for me, and it's one that will be taking up pretty much all of my time. A lot of work and jobs coming up, but right now I know what I need to do. I have a lot of debt that I need to pay off and a lot of money I need to save up, but at least I am in the right direction. A big thank you to my big brothers who have helped me out with these different jobs, going to do my best to make you guys proud. To all my friends and family who I haven't had the time to see, I apologize but I want to let you all know that I am working my ass off and I haven't forgotten you guys and gals. I promise you all, I will find the time for each and every one of you. 

And I haven't forgotten about my responsibilities as an artist either. Been hitting up a lot of inking as of late, had the chance and honor to ink up art from Vince Sunico, Toblyawesome, Shane Heron, Kevin Briones and that's just to name a few. It's a great excercise and practice, I try my best to show the lines of the artist and as well try to add my own touch to the piece. I still need a lot of practice, but it's been a great excercise. I have posted a few of these on Instagram in the past few weeks, so if you have yet to see them be sure to follow me @ChileanStorm and tell your friends as well. Also been hitting up on Deviantart as well, posting a lot of the sketch covers that I have done in the past months as well, so be sure to check them out over at my Deviantart page as well, under MindMage. Going to have to bring that name up to speed, but make no mistakes it's me. And also be sure to shoot me an email or a comment below if you want to see some original content or if you are looking for some commissions, I would love to do some work for you guys, so let me know.

Well that's all the time I got, but I will do my best to keep you guys updated. Just know that I am going to be really busy, also going to be doing some shows with the SP crew in the next few weeks, so be sure to follow us and see us at the shows. Much love to all of you, and keep chasing the storm. 

And Here We Go...

The weekend comes and the weekend goes. Welcome everyone, back from the first big show of the season at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre and feeling great and ready for a new year of excitement and adventure and all that good stuff in between. First and foremost a big thank you to everyone who came to the Artist Alley and stopped by at the Spent Pencils table, I appreciate every moment and everyone who stopped by and showed their support, it means the world to me. And a big thank you to all the artist as well who spent the weekend working away as well, a lot and I mean a lot of amazing and creative talents on display this weekend. From new art groups like Breaking Lead, Legion of Beards and From a Hat, this is the power of the GTA art community, glad to have you guys at the shows! And of course a thank you to all my crew and to my friends in the Artist Alley, I can't wait to keep evolving and growing with all of you.

I sold a lot of different prints this weekend and a few sketch covers, so I should let you guys know I sold both the Thunderbolts and the X-Men sketch covers. But I will be doing an X-Men/Adventure Time cross up prints, have those ready for the next shows as well. That being said, let me know what kind of prints you would like to see from me and I can have that done for you. Also got some more blank covers, so give me ideas on those as well. Aside from that I was giving out a few free sketches and some postcards as well, which I will be making more in the near future. And I was lucky enough to get a lot of cool swag this weekend as well, from Apocalypse 4 tee and print, original books and some prints as well. I will be reading a lot of these in the near future and I will let you know what I think, but I highly recommend that you all get Black Hole Hunters Club, Teuton, Omega Zone and Two Mistakes Two Many. Look these books up, these are all original books and you need to give these guys plenty of love and support. 

So I've got to get going now, plenty to clean up and I've got to work later on tonight. But again, thank you all for all the support and keep it coming, follow me on Twitter and Instagram under @ChileanStorm and be sure to follow this blog for all the updates and news and reviews that I can give you. Until then, keep chasing the storm. 

Also, check this blog and video out, a certain lil storm makes an appearance. 

Beast is Always Hungry...

Mother nature, make up your mind sweetheart. I really don't mind clear skies or snow or even rain. Just next time, pick one for the day. Okay. Thanks.

That said, another event down and for the books. Today we were out in Brampton, drawing for fans of the Brampton Beast. Apparently this is the farm team of the farm team of the Tampa Bay Lighting. So you are 10 degrees separated from playing on the top line with Stamkos or St.Louis. That's pretty cool, when you think about it. But come hell or high snowy winds, we drove out to the Powerade Centre and set up for the night. I would like to thank Maddsketch, Vince and Nich for being good sports and getting into the hockey mood by rocking some of my hockey jerseys. I let Maddsketch rock my Alternative black Chicago Blackhawks jersey (one of my favourite designs of all time), Vince represent in the vintage San Jose Sharks jersey and Nich looked great in the old Buffalo Sabres jersey. Me, I had to rock the old blue and white Toronto Maple Leafs. Although that does remind me, I need to get the Winter Classics jersey soon. I mean we won the game, so we got some good memories with that one. I got to sit right next to the awesome duo behind one of the best independent books currently out there, Ricky Lima and Shane Heron, the talents that create the Black Hole Hunters Club. I can't stress this enough, get this book. Seriously. It's an excellent and incredible look piece of work, a lot of fun to read and with a big cast of crazy characters. I am going to write up a more in depth review later, but when you get a chance, get these books. And tell them, ChileanStorm sent you. But it was a good time for sure, a big thanks to Stadium Comics for having us and to the Brampton Beast. Spent Pencils, we will draw anywhere and any time. It's what we do.

Afterwards we decided to pay a visit to my little brother, Toby. Poor dude had to work today and he was really under the weather, so what better cure then blueberry tea, chips and some Blue Mountain State. This is a football based comedy about jocks from Spike, and let me be the first to say, it is awesome! It's on Netflix right now and you probably turned your nose at it in passing. But I can honestly say it's a lot of fun to watch, it's got the raunchy college comedy thing down. It accomplishes what so many movies and TV shows have tried to do in the past, but have fumbled on. Yes, it's portrayal of both men and women is really sexist and over the top, but you need to watch this with a light heart and mind. It's got some great series running gags, an awesome casts and one of the best openings I've seen in a while. Just makes you want to grab a cold beer and chug. But seriously, check this show out.

Well that was my day, it's been a long day. Be on the look out for the latest episode of Time Well Spent and the Twin Cast. Also we did a photo shoot last night, so I will share those with you guys on my page here and other social media pages like Tumblr and Instagram. Going to be taking part in the day long Comic Book Jam challenge, it's going to be a good test to see if I can get something done in that time frame. I can't wait. Also, I have been tested with the challenge of realism and portraits. So will see how that goes, but I got to give it a try after all. Thank you again guys, be sure to comment and subscribe to the page and be sure to let you friends know all about me and the entire Spent Pencils crew. Keep chasing the storm.

Links:
Maddsketch YouTube channel
Tea Em YouTube channel
Spent Pencils
Spent Pencils Facebook Page
Stadium Comics

Not Down with the Sickness...

Hey Storm Clouds, ChileanStorm here (or Papa Storm, I guess) with a quick update. Long story short though, this past week has had me trained out completely. I am pretty sure I caught some sort of sickness, everyone at work has been ill and a few of my fellow Pencilnecks as well, needless to say I have been out of it for a while now. But nothing a few extra hours of sleep, honey and plenty of Refresh mint tea can't fix. I am actually feeling a lot better today, which is good cause I got to go shoot the latest episode of Time Well Spent. Again guys, three new episodes are already up, so please give them a view or two and spread the word. I am going to be recording another episode of Twin Cast with Toby tonight, episode 4 is just waiting to be uploaded but it should be soon. So you will have plenty of Storm n Tea to watch and hear this weekend. And also be sure to subscribe to both channels as well, plenty of cool content to be seen. 

Also I am doing a late post on a blog I wrote up last week on our trip out in Brampton, for the Brampton Beast night, I have the link here, so give it a read as well. Plenty of good times with the crew and with friends from Stadium Comics. As well this past weekend I took part in the twelve hour comic book challenge! It was a great chance to stretch my creative muscles and see what I can do within that time frame. I worked on a little idea I had, one that came up during a night out with friends from my old work place. It's a pretty dark take on the day to day routine of a part time worker, I don't want to give away much more, but know that I will be posting it up here on Storm Watch and as well on the upcoming SP web comic page that is set to release soon. With short stories by Maddsketch and Toby as well, be sure to keep an eye out for those as well. 

And we are just about a week away from the first big convention of the season, the March Comic Con at Metro Toronto Convention Centre. I am getting hyped up and ready for this show, going to have more prints of the Avengers Time and Loki Lemongrab as well as original sketch covers. I am also going to be having free sketch deals and sketch card give aways, so be sure to come by and spread the word. Also I am always available for commissions, so if you are looking for something cool and unique, drop me an email or a comment below here. Ready to unleash the storm and let the world know what I am all about.

Again thank you for your time guys, please be sure to comment below and spread the word out on ChileanStorm. I will be back later, until then keep chasing the storm.

Also Canada gets gold! Sweet!

Joy in the Kill

Na na na na na na na...
You know the tune, the songs and the band, now it's time to know what happens next, today I will be taking a look at the first two issues of Dark Horse comics The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys.  This book comes from the same creative team behind Umbrella Academy, with Gerard Way at the helm of the story that takes place after the events of the last My Chemical Romance album, Danger Days: The Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys. Now this being said, don't feel it necessary to have heard the album to follow along with the story, the songs and the music videos however give you more content and make the world in Killjoys that much bigger, it's a cross medium kind of cool. So without giving away to much of the plot, I am going to let you know why you should be reading all about these fabulous killjoys.

The Killjoys follows the journey of a young girl who is trying to survive out in an apocalyptic dessert setting, being hunted by the dangers of Battery City, a futuristic but oppressive like city that battles the rebels of the dessert, who take up after the fallen heroes known as The Killjoys. All we know about these legendary heroes known as the Killjoys is that they were the main resistance against to companies of Battery City and that this girl was someone of great importance to them, someone they all died to keep safe and alive. We see her trying to scavenge some food and items early on and runs into a new "Killjoys" kind of group, taking up the image and fighting the same battles. After a run in with agents of the city, known as Dracs. The Dracs try and turn others against former family and friends by placing a "Dracula" looking mask over the victim which shows them only a world of their greatest fears. After the battle, we see that these new "Killjoys" are much more violent, something the original heroes were not as we see the girl run away and hide from them. As the story unfolds we also get to see the lives of two android from Battery City, these android twins are losing power and thus one them works the night to keep her sister alive, it's interesting to see how the city and it's society try and stay alive. It gives the universe of the story that much more content, as you also see what the major bad corporation is planning as well. So you get to see all the different angles to the story, both worlds at battle and ready for war. Everyone wants to change the world, but no one wants to die. 

I am really impressed with the story and writing in The Killjoys, I always enjoyed Gerrard Way's storytelling through his albums with My Chemical Romance, cause say what you will at the end of the day of the music, the ability to string along a story though out song is impressive. And this story is awesomely told and unraveled though the pages here, with an art style that is reminiscent of Scott Pilgrim with designs straight from movies like Blade Runner and Mad Max. The book will most likely attract a younger teenage crowd, but it's honestly really good and shouldn't be dismissed as such, it's smart and provides interesting themes and concepts that could only be told in this kind of book. A brand new book with only two issues out, if you are looking for a great and new different alternative to the big two, then give this book a read! I highly suggest you take a look. 

 That's all the time I got right now, thanks for reading and remember to subscribe to this blog to follow all kinds of comics news and reviews and inside look at the world of comic books. Also be sure to follow me on Twitter and Instagram, by following @ChileanStorm. I am also on YouTube, doing Time Well Spent on the Maddsketch channel and also doing my own Storm VLOG videos, so please subscribe to our channel, give a like and leave a comment. And be sure to like the Spent Pencils page on Facebook, one like goes a long way. I am ChileanStorm, and remember to chasing the storm.

The Saga Continues

A few months back, if you've been following, I reviewed a graphic novel comic book by the name of Saga. If you haven't read said blog yet, go read it here first (insert link here) and then check out the first volume of Saga before you read more. I would like to call this a review, but I mean who are we kidding, Saga is fantastic. And I will say this much, these next issues keep the pace going and gives the story more twist, background and character development. This is the kind of book that shows are made out of. So it goes without saying if you got the first volume, get the second one for sure, the series doesn't skip a beat. So for the rest of this blog I wanted to go through some of my favourite moments in the book. So please come back once you've read the books, don't want to be the guy to spoil the story for you.

Warming spoilers up ahead.

•The Will: let's get this one out of the way, I love The Will! He is by far my favourite character of the series so far and you get to see more and learn more about him in this book.

After the first volume, he is a mess after finding out his former flame and fellow Contractor, The Stalk was murdered by Prince Robot IV. So you see him early on in the book very depressed and look through old memories of him and his ex. We then see a perfect dream of his, together again with The Stalk and freeing the young captive girl on Sextillion, and not mention killing everyone in the way. Upon waking up though he is introduced to one of the clients who hired him to kill Marko and Alana in the first place, Gwendolyn. That is Marko's ex-fiancé, Gwendolyn.

Needing The Will to finish the job he was paid to do in the first place, Gwen is there to see what's been the delay. She informs him that Prince Robot IV is also on the hunt for the infamous new family, and that finding them will also allow him to lay retribution for The Stalk. The Will agrees to get back to work but only if she can help him free the slave girl, which with some political push she manages to do. The Will sees that the great interest in him finishing the job must mean there's a history between Gwen and Marko.

By the end of the book though we have another family traveling the galaxy hunting for the bounty. This I loved, cause this family may be even more dysfunctional than our story's main heroes. The little girl is able to sense and hear the artifacts the Gwendolyn and Marko carry, so they use her to follow them through out space. And Gwen is not exactly The Will favourites ship mate, but they must work together now to finish the job.  And how could I not mention Lying Cat, everyone loves Lying Cat. How can you not?

•Marko & Alana: the family that changed the rules. At the end of the first volume they just got off the planet and were headed into the great unknown of space, when suddenly they are stopped by unknown intruders in their rocket ship, these intruders are actually Marko's parents.

The story starts with Marko and his mom heading to the nearby planet to rescue the ghostly babysitter, leaving Alana with the baby and her estranged father in law. We get to know the parents and how they feel about the relationship and how they feel about their granddaughter. The mother is very upset with Marko, especially for leaving Gwendolyn. The dad however wants to get to know his granddaughter and his son's wife, seeing how he has very little time left to live. That was a really good twist to the story, it was a bittersweet moment of connection.

We also get to see flashbacks to when Alana and Marko first met. We see that Alana's world is changed after reading a romance novel, the romance between two different creatures. She is inspired by the book and wants to share this book with as many people as possible. I loved that the first meeting between them ended with Alana knocking out Marko's teeth to the floor. We see them spending more and more time together as prisoner and guard keeper, Alana is able to share the story with him. It's in a desperate moment that Alana decides to free Marko and run away with him. That's how their story together begins. I love the idea that from a simple love story these two have made a connection and formed a love that has the potential of changing everything in the universe. And all this from a small little love story.

•Prince Robot IV: probably the most unlikeable character in the story so far. After killing The Stalk and stealing her ship, he has decided to go find the author of the love novel that Alana had read. When we see him for first time, it appears he is dying on the battlefield, when he is saved by a field medic. Unfortunately for said little field medic, she blows up after inhaling toxic gases. We then see it was a dream or perhaps a memory, still not sure actually. There is something about this scene that I will touch on later, if you've been following comic news I am sure you know what I am talking about. He is then reminded on finish the job to take out Alana and Marko, but remains calm and lands on the planet to find the author.

Once he find the author, he begins to question him on the book and if he knows that what he wrote could be the spark to a revolution. After a back and forth, Prince Robot IV shoots the author and decides to stay and wait for the family, as he assumes that they will be coming to the same planet to find the author. And little does he know that there hiding up stairs. And that is where the volume ends.

Okay so apparently there was some controversy over issue 12, at the beginning of the book we see a wounded Prince Robot IV on the battlefield, on his screen face though there are images of man giving oral sex to many other men. According to a lot of websites on all iOS products this book has been banned. What I am curious is about why ban it? Saga is an extremely mature book and up to this point there have been many and many graphic images. So why now? It doesn't make sense, just have an age warning and let it be, it seems a little strange in my opinion, but maybe in time we will learn. Actually if anyone knows why this happened, by all means please let me know.

It's incredible how consistently amazing this book has been thus far after two volumes, I am happily surprised by all the fantastic elements of this story, from the art work to the concepts and all the characters, Saga is going to be the book of 2013. I can't recommend this book enough to everyone, so spread the word and let the world know, Saga is a must read.

That's all the time I got right now, thanks for reading and remember to subscribe to this blog to follow all kinds of comics news and reviews and inside look at the world of comic books. Also be sure to follow me on Twitter and Instagram, by following @ChileanStorm. I am also on YouTube, doing Time Well Spent on the Maddsketch channel and also doing my own Storm VLOG videos, so please subscribe to our channel, give a like and leave a comment. And be sure to like the Spent Pencils page on Facebook, one like goes a long way. I am ChileanStorm, and remember to embrace the storm and keep running forward.

Spent for YouTube

Put this in your tube and watch it! 

You want some content? We got content right here! In efforts to connect with you, yes you, we've been hitting up YouTube with a lot of different videos and I got some of the updates and links right here for you, but I implore you to subscribe to our channels, give a like and leave a comment, the feedback is super important to us, so please do some interacting! I swear we don't bite. So as you may or may not know, the main channel to get a lot of sweet artist and comic book content is the MaddSketch channel, so click and enjoy the various different shows, like Doodle Tuesdays and The Sequentials. You can also watch yours truly on Time Well Spent, if you haven't seen it yet we got 4 episode up, so watch and see what you think. I will be posting up the video down here as well. You can also watch both me and Tiffany on our own YouTube channels; Tea Em will be vlog-ing and will also looking through more comics that have a personal connection, not to mention doing video gaming as well, so check her out for sure! On the ChileanStorm, I will be doing just vlogs and updates, I have thought of going through my collection of games and comics and share them with all you. So you want more TWS awesomeness, subscribe to our channels and love us more then that goldfish you got last year at the Ex.

As promised earlier here it is, episode 4 of Time Well Spent! It does end a bit early on us, but we wanted to encourage more interaction with the channel, so if you are reading this, please a like and a comment, it won't kill you right? And tell your friends! 

And here is the brand new episode of Sequentials! This was done during the 100th episode of Unboxing Wednesdays, and has a great collection of amazing and creative talent, so give it a watch!

And here is my own quick video vlog I did on Wednesday at Silver Snail, for July Well Spent. I could have made it longer, but it happens. And I will post one by the end of the day as well, so stay tuned for that. 

So there you go, plenty to watch here and on all of our channels, we are not stopping with giving you as much content as we can and all three of us have comics in the works and online as well, be sure to check out Tiffany's Tales of Lost, which up right now and updated every week. So be sure to subscribe to that page as well. Alright everyone, that's all the time I got for now, and I got to get ready for all the events this weekend! So stay tuned, and keep watching the Storm!
 

Ready, Spent, Go!

Breathe deep and breathe in, I got a big day tomorrow and it will be the kick off for the next week and well the next month as well. And what ends in July will only bring on August and the big show at the end of that month, so this will be my hardest working month ever. Not to mention the story I need to finish and the content I want to provided all of you every single day. This isn't going to be easy by any means, I also need to make money for my responsibilities and my debts. But at the end of the day, this is what I want to do, I want to be part of this world and I want to leave my mark as well, and I don't want to stop. It's work yes and I have a responsibility, but I am having a hell of a good time! I am meeting new friends, I am finding great new stories, I am learning new techniques to improve as an artist, but more importantly I get to do this everyday and that to me is a gift. That being said here is a rundown of what's going on this month...

July Well Spent +Silver Snail : Starting tomorrow the Spent Pencils crew will be at the iconic Toronto comic book store, and will be there every Wednesday and Saturday for the month of July. And tomorrow it will kick off with the Go-Man, Kevin Briones and Paul "Amazing Just The Way He Is" Limgenco and this guy, the ChileanStorm, Alvaro Cruz. I am so hyped for this show, I can't wait to get down and do some drawings! And here is a listing for the rest of the days, but honestly be there for all these days of good times with the greatest art group in the GTA.  
 
Wednesday, July 3
Kevin Briones, Alvaro Cruz, Paul Limgenco

Day 2: Saturday, July 6
Kevin Briones, Briana Chan, Oliver Castaneda

Day 3: Wednesday, July 10
Aaron Ong, Vince Sunico, Daniel Wong

Day 4: Saturday, July 13
Joe Osei Bonsu, Aaron Ong, Mark Williams, Dave Edwards

Day 5: Wednesday, July 17
Gemal Plummer, Briana Chan, Vince Sunico

Day 6: Saturday, July 20
Oliver Castaneda, Arnold Trinidad, Tiffany Medeiros

Day 7: Wednesday, July 24
Mark Feltham, Daniel Wong, Gemal Plummer

Day 8: Saturday, July 27
Briana Chan, Khanh Nguyen, Joe Osei Bonsu

Day 9: Wednesday, July 31
Alvaro Cruz, Mark Feltham, Khanh Nguyen

And then as the week goes on we got an event in the city of Mississauga, the Paper Road. We will be there all weekend at Mississauga Celebration Square lending a helping hand and getting everyone involved with drawing on the large paper road. So don't be shy and be inspired to add your art to the bigger picture. This will be held from Thursday to Sunday in the evenings, so drop by! 

And on Saturday we will also be out in Orangeville, at Gauntlet Comics! We will be there all day drawing and sketching away for you, so come on down and get some unique art! Also it's always a great time at Gauntlet Comics! 

And that's what we got for July so far, but more events are on the horizon so stay tuned here or like Spent Pencils on Facebook, so you can stay tuned for all SP related news and updates. I got go get ready, big day tomorrow, I can't wait, hope to see you all there! 

After 5: Young Avengers

I want to do a run on reviewing different comic book series but as a package kind of deal, that's were this idea comes from; After 5 will be me taking a current ongoing series and breaking it down and letting you know how it is, tell you all the great things and bad things with the series so far, and if its worth getting the series, staying with the series or simply skip it all together. Think of it like a super review or something. And if you are curious about any current series and would like me to take a look, by all means let me know and I will look into it for you. For the first one in this series of reviews, I wanted to expand on my feelings that I have for this series from episode 3 of Time Well Spent, if you have yet to see the episode, you can see it by clicking the link. I suggest to watch the video first, but if you prefer to just read then by all means continue on.
Fresh from the big Marvel Now franchise relaunch that has been going on with most of the Marvel books, the Young Avengers book picks up with new and old characters running into one and other, we have Hawkeye (Kate Bishop) and Marvel Boy hooking up and battling Skrulls out in space, back on Earth we see Hulkling (Teddy) and Wiccan (Billy) arguing about what's been going on in the last few months, vowing to never return to the super hero life after the events of Children's Crusade (look it up, really good story arc). But when you have the power to make a difference, you probably should. And when you have the power to warp reality and save your boyfriend's mother before she's executed...well you probably shouldn't. Especially when a young God of mischief, Loki, is looking to steal some power. But with Miss Americas timely interference on Loki, things turn upside down really fast. And whatever Wiccan pulled out of that reality is now taking control over parents minds and recreating the world in its vision. And the best part, all six of these heroes need to work together to set things right. Easier said then done, especially with a wild card like Loki in the ranks. But after a few bumps and crashes, the team manages to hold of the alien parasite just enough for them to decide to head off into space and try and finish the job once and for all. Also Wiccan gets a pretty cool update on his costume, reminds me a little bit of Quasar from the early 90's days of Marvel. It looks good.

That's pretty much the story so far, without mentioning some of the awesome panel by panel battle scenes, with interesting and unique ways of laying out the battles, especially in issue 4 and 5. Then there's the back and forth banter among the characters, the best ones being with Loki, as he attempts to convince them to lend him some help. I really love Miss America being the one who is keeping Loki in line, ready to smack him three ways from Sunday if she needs to. Although I still think she needs to cut back on the random Hispanic slang that's thrown in every now and then. Just keep her to speaking all English or all Spanish, other wise it just seems to be a very unrealistic, and dated form of letting the reader know her background. Besides she looks Latina, so it's really not necessary at all. I also wasn't too happy with making Wiccan so whiny and weak at first, it was only until half way through the fifth book that we started to see the Wiccan we know and love. But before hand we see a young hero who is filled with doubt and fear of his own powers, fear of being who he is supposed to be. And it's strange cause Hulking seemed fine, maybe nursing and taking care of Billy a bit more then usual, but for the most part he was great. I am curious to see what rift if any will get between Kate and Noh-var, so far they seem to be really in love and all seem to be going well, interested to see if they dig up some dirt from Marvel Boy's Dark Avenger days. Even still this story is fantastic, if not for the brave creative choice in the story approach, but also for these fresh new heroes that we love to know more about and the one we would like to meet. Young Avengers is able to be different and change conventional systems that are a staple in comics and makes it one of the most enjoyable series in comic today. So yeah, right now it's not perfect (but this compared to some of the previous story arcs in Young Avengers history) but it still stands as one the most enjoyable reads today, I highly recommend this series as part of your collection.

That's all the time I got right now, thanks for reading and remember to subscribe to this blog to follow all kinds of comics news and reviews and inside look at the world of comic books. Also be sure to follow me on Twitter and Instagram, by following @ChileanStorm. I am also on YouTube, doing Time Well Spent on the Maddsketch channel and also doing my own Storm VLOG videos, so be sure to subscribe to both channels. And be sure to like the Spent Pencils page on Facebook, one like goes a long way. I am ChileanStorm, and remember to embrace the storm and keep running forward.

Also all the art on today's blog is from one the most creative and talented people I have the privilege of working with, the amazing Tiffany Medeiros! Also be sure to check out her super cool out this world manatee infused web comic, Tales of Lost.

What's HSDS?

High School Dance Syndrome. 

No, this isn't an official scientifically certified term, but I am making now. So what is it? Well you remember back in High School those really lame dances that you said you'd never go to (and hats off to you if you never did end up going, you didn't miss much) but then realized you were going cause all your friends wanted to go to, yeah those one, super lame DJ and disco ball included. I remember always seeing a lot of my friends stuck to the wall, all night, afraid to dance or interact with anyone, even one and other. Now granted, I have no shame, so I was doing my best of what I think would be considered dancing, just to have fun. We are here, might as well have fun with it. Now I know social experiences aren't for everyone, hell I find myself in a cold sweat in large crowds without any of my well known elements; the guy in the two sizes too small Superman shirts, comic book cosplayers and a guy in a bear suit. Sometimes it takes a while for me to break the ice, but I do what I can, whenever I feel like I probably don't belong in a place or situation, I leave. Simple as that.

I bring up HSDS, because I want to get to know more fans, more artist and creators, I want to get to know you! Yes, you. As much as I write, draw and do videos on the things I like, I want to get to know who you are and what are your likes and dislikes. Yeah I am screaming out into the darkness of space that is the internet, looking for signs of life, but we are in the social media age are we not? And things can only be social if we interact, got a comic I should read, let me know. Got an art page, let me know. Think I am doing it wrong, then by all means please let me know. Especially for us freak and geeks, we need to stick together and interact way more, this isn't high school anymore, you are among friends. So please by all means, talk to me, I won't bite. 

I am also starting a Vlog series right now on my YouTube page, but I will be posting them here as well, here's the first episode of Storm VLOG...

So these will be quick little updates with what I am doing in the day, unedited straight from my phone and sent to all of you. Going to need some subscribbers and comments to let me know how I am doing. And I want to see what you're doing, got a blog or channel, please tell me, I would love to see all the different content and communities out there for comic books and artist in general. So let's kick the HSDS bug out the window, hope it falls on a car and blows up to pieces. This our world and our universe, let's take control and make it what we want it to be. 

That's all the time I got today, going out to enjoy some Pride festivities! Be happy with who you are, gay, straight, trans, bi-sexual; whatever you choose for your life, live that life to the fullest and love with all your heart. <3

 art from yazzdonut 

July Going to be Spent!

Episode three is here! Watch it and love it! 

But yeah, here it is, on this episode we look at Jim Carrey being weird about Kick-Ass 2, Jim Lee will paint on your wall for 25K, and on the Spotlight I suggest people to give Luke Cage Noir a read. And remember I have an in depth review here on this blog a few posts back, so go check that one out as well. On the Reviews, we take a look at the Young Avengers! Me and Tiff were really happy to do this series, it's a lot of fun and it's got great characters, so check it out if you haven't. But yeah, check out the episodes and subscribe and leave some comments below, don't be a stranger. We want to hear from you, what do you want to see from the show.

And also big news for the month of July, take a look at the picture below and you will see what I mean...

 

There you go, Silver Snail comics is hosting Spent Pencils in store every Wednesday and Saturday for the month of July! So come on down to Younge and Dundas location and meet three different members of the Spent Pencils crew.  We got an event page on Facebook, so you can keep track of all the different artist who will be drawing during these days. But make sure to come by all the days, say hi and get some cool original art work! Your time will be well spent! 

Thanks again for reading guys, stay tuned here for all comic book news, reviews and all that good stuff.

The Royal We3

First off a big thanks to my spent sister, Tiffany, for letting me give this book a read. And how I went all this time without ever reading this book is totally beyond me, I can't believe it took me this long to even hear about this book. And I guess today, I wanted to reflect and take a look at some of the themes and components that make We3 incredible. This isn't going to be a review, cause lets face it this needs to be read if you haven't already done so. This is going to be more just me trying to make most sense of what I just read. And of course, super mad spoilers, so make sure you've read the book before you continue on...

SPOILERS YOU'VE BEEN WARNED!!!

Theme 1: Mortality

Death is a huge theme within the book, hell it might be the driving force for the whole story. At the very start we see a black ops raid going on against what we can only assume are a terrorist cell. Everyone in the house is annihilated by the animals, the We3, and in quite the bloody format, the head of the group gets blown to pieces by a rain of bullets. The thing is though, you don't know who killed them, cause it looks like it was done by robots or cyborgs of some sort, it's then revealed that there were pets inside; the dog, the cat and the rabbit. Also at the story is beginning we are introduced to one of the main researchers on the project, Roseanne Berry, who seems to be mourning the loss of her father and is in a very lonely state in her life. Again, death is used to frame the importance of life to one and other, what is left when one is taken. Once the call is given to exterminate the We3, them being prototypes and all, it's Roseanne who decides to release them and give them a chance to live and fight for their lives. She acknowledges that these creatures were once loved and had a life before they were taken and made into government weapons. She realizes that she had helped in stealing away their lives. In contrast, the government and the rest of the facility see things differently, that these three were weapons and now they need to be discarded at all costs, that in the wild these animals are a threat to human life. The interesting thing here is how these are viewed as two different entities, human life and an animals life. The swift and cold command to discard the We3, but the concern at the threat to any human is handled with a completely different feeling. Never is the animals life even considered, only by Roseanne who releases them. During their run and escape, the animals are looking and trying to find "home". They all once had a place they called home and a family who loved them, they just don't remember it. These creatures had names and were loved, had a life if you will, but now they are doing their best just to try and stay alive, unaware of the threat they can be, clueless as to why they're being hunted. Why does simply being human entitle us to be the ones who decide what counts as a living life? What about wild animals? Fish? Insects? Trees? How do we define what's alive on this planet?

Theme 2: Roles

I thought it was interesting the theme of "roles" that was in the story, an interesting concept especially when using animals as the main characters, the way each animal interacted with one and other as well. And as government weapons as well, the dog acted as the tank, the cat as the assassin and the rabbit as a stealth bomb expert. They were programmed for these roles, something I am sure many of us have felt in the past through different constructs of society. The animals act like one would imagine they would; the dog is extremely loyal and wants to help and keep everyone safe, the cat is a lot more selfish and self invested, and the rabbit is a more curious kind of creature. But just as they have these roles, the animals act on their own and break out and do things on their own accord. The dog  losses his cool and cuts loose, the cat helps out its friends and the rabbit displays courage like no other. The element here is free will, an action to displays they are not just weapons or simple animals, regardless of the settings that we are faced with in life, it's our choice to choose who we are and what we will do. The We3 want to be able to choose what they will be and what they will do with their lives.


Theme 3: Home

One of the goals for the We3, was to find "home". Although they had no idea what it meant, were was "home"? Cause they only home they remember was the one that turned them into weapons and decided to flush them out, that couldn't be home could it? A journey with no destination can get you anywhere. The We3 are thrust into a strange and dangerous world, a world of fear and hatred, so were exactly do they fit in? Each of them do have a home though, they just don't remember it, which is one of the most tragic elements of the story. Lost creatures with the answers in lost memories. By the end they do find a home of sorts, they are taken care of by a homeless man. The unity and shelter becomes the "home" that the We3 were looking for.

Man, didn't expect to take that long on this one, but I hope I got my ideas across here, that within the story these animals deal with many real issues that all of us deal with on a daily basis; confronting our own mortality, being labeled into classes and roles, and trying to find a place we can call home. The use of animals to portray these themes should remind us that as smart and advanced as we are, we can't forget and disregard any other form of life on this planet. We are all in this together. Well that's about sums it all up, let me know what you thought of the story and what did you get from the story, leave a comment below and get the discussion going, always looking to hear from different opinions. Also be sure to subscribe to the blog for more in depth look at your favourite comics and graphic novels. A lot of things are coming your way this week and as well as next month, so stay tuned! Thanks for reading guys and as always embrace the storm!