Tagged: IDW

Molly Jackson: Saved By The Bell – Fun For All

Saved By The Bell
Last week I was browsing my way through one of my many NYC comic shops, Carmine Street Comics, when I spotted the Saved By The Bell graphic novel. This book is out from Roar Comics/Lion Forge and IDW, and written by Joelle Sellner, with art by Chynna Clugston Flores and Tim Fish. When they first announced it, I was more than excited. It was a huge piece of nostalgia for me.
It was short stories very Archie-esque based at Bayside High, featuring the original cast we all remember. Screech chasing Lisa, Zack and A.C. fighting over Kelly and everything else, and the gang banding together when someone needed them. The setting is updated, with better phones (bummer!) and the Internet even being featured in the story lines. Personally, I’m eagerly awaiting the beach club volume and the Kelly and Jessie disappear for most of it volume.
When I picked it up to buy, some of my friends teased me a little about it. It’s a kids (albeit marked for teens), licensed book from an old TV show. Piffle!
While not all licenses books are great, this one was exactly what I wanted. A fun read using some great characters I have warm fuzzy feelings about from my childhood. And frankly, what’s wrong with “kid” comics?
Way back when, almost all comics were all ages and were enjoyed by all ages. You could pick up and read Batman or Spider-Man no matter what age you are and still be entertained. The term “All Ages” now has the connotation of being for kids. As comics evolved and readers matured, a lot of franchises became too much for a younger reader to comprehend.
Well, that’s just bollocks. Pure and simple. Comics are entertainment. All ages comics are some of the most entertaining works on the shelf and shouldn’t be ignored. Don’t get me wrong; darker comics have their place in the industry. Just don’t ignore and belittle the fun stuff just because of the all ages label.
So all my ’80’s and ’90’s kids, go pick up Saved By The Bell. Read it, and then go share it with a kid. Or an adult. Or someone in-between.

Tweeks: SDCC 2015 Part 2: The Haul!

This week is our 2nd San Diego Comic Con Recap…and our HAUL!  See all our stuff (well, most of our stuff) we got at the con, watch us play KISS pinball,  & hear our exciting stories about the Scholastic Party, meeting Jem, the fashionably nerdy mixer,  Holland Roden, Snoopy & Belle in fashion, & a lot of other stuff.

 

Will IDW’s New Jem Comic Cause Tweeks Civil War?

It’s not like we don’t fight — because we do, all sisters do — but we usually don’t have any problems with our pop culture picks. We like a lot of the same things most of the time.  But Jem seems to start a lot of arguments.  Maddy absolutely adores Jem, while Anya does not.  So, even though reviewing the new Jem comic from IDW risks a potential Tweeks Civil War, we did it anyway. So, yeah, you might sense a little friction in this week’s review — but actually, surprisingly, Jem and the Holograms Issue 1 written by Kelly Thompson was universally Tweeks Approved! 

Tweeks: Adventures at WonderCon Anaheim 2015

Last weekend, we totally geeked out at WonderCon Anaheim. So, in this week’s video we bring you the sights & sounds of our adventure.  Stay tuned because there will be more to come in the next coming weeks.  We kept busy over the three-days finding new comics, interviewing creators, shopping (lots of that), and people-watching.  Soak in the experience and then stay tuned for more WCA action.

Tweeks: Interview My Little Pony Artists & Writers

Comic_issue_1_covers_A-FWhile at Long Beach Comic Expo, we were lucky enough to chat with some of the writers and artists of IDW’s My Little Pony comics.  We talk with Agnes Garbowska about drawing Pinkie Pie’s ever growing hair and the difficulty of Rarity’s tail.  Christina Rice tells us about what it’s like to write the comics and how she’s like Rarity.  And Katie Cook not only gives us her backstory, but also lets us talk to her about one of our favorite Spiderverse superhero ever — Penelope Parker who acts EXACTLY as a tween girls should finding out she has spider powers….ewww, gross!

Molly Jackson: My Favorite Comic You’ve Never Read

savior 28 imageThis week I attended Big Apple Con, another small con in the big city of New York. While I was there I got to bug Papercutz editor-in-chief Jim Salicrup once more about a book I recommended that he still hasn’t read yet. In fact, it’s my favorite superhero comic. And I’m betting you’ve never heard of it.

My favorite comic is The Life and Times of Savior 28 written by J.M. DeMatteis and art by Mike Cavallaro. It was published by IDW Publishing oh so long ago in 2009. I remember seeing the ad for it in another comic and the art really caught my eye. Not just for the style or skill (which is fantastic in its execution), but the brutal, raw story captured in one panel. It just drew me in and I knew I had to read it.

The hero Savior 28 is like the “Superman” of DeMatteis’ realistic earth. The story shows how much the human spirit can handle and how one good man can be crushed by sadness. We start the comic at our hero’s final moment and relive his life through the words of his former sidekick. We watch Savior 28 battle evil from every turn and how he tries to cope with what he sees, not just in evil doers, but in everyday people.

Savior 28 is definitely inspired by DC Comics characters like Superman and Batman, but also pulls from Watchmen. The manipulation of the heroes as well as the government is similar in comparison. Additionally, see the two things that make the book’s impact so strong. One is the real events playing a role. The second is the slow fall from grace of our main character. After seeing so much horror, how hard does a hero have to fight for his own inner peace?

I’ve honestly declared myself the book’s defacto PR person, even if it is just me pushing it to one person at a time. I “took over” a Cavallaro comic signing just to promote it to the crowd. It’s ok though; I ended up selling the store’s only copy for them. Everyone has their favorite work and loves to talk about it with other fans. I’m just making sure I have other people to talk about it with!

I want to go into more details about the book and Savior 28’s character but I would rather you read his journey. It’s a fantastic book that I love so much, so please go check out The Life and Times of Savior 28. You won’t regret it.

Tweeks: Are Team Edward (Scissorhands that is)

edward-characterdesign-9c395The Tim Burton movie, Edward Scissorhands came out in 1990, so it’s totally possible that unless your parents sat you down to watch a “classic” this might not even be on your radar. Though we love Tim Burton and Johnny Depp (and our mom makes us watch a lot of old movies for our “own cultural good”) we hadn’t gotten to this one yet.  But thanks to IDW we are now fully Team Edward!  In our review of Issues 1-3, we let you know who Edward Scissorhands is and why he’s totally awesome.

Tweeks Draw 2014

DrawOurYearThumbWe seemed to watch a lot of “Draw My Life” videos this past year, so we felt it was appropriate to recap our 2014 with a white board and some dry erase markers. In under 3 minutes, we quickly doodle this year’s top movies, tv shows, books & comics.  We also draw our favorite Con experiences, the pop culture headlines that stuck with us, and the best hair of the year (belonging to Blythe from IDW’s Littlest Pet Shop Comics)!   Lots of wishes for a fabulous 2015, everyone!

Tweeks: We Love “Littlest Pet Shop”

tumblr_n2p7f779H81qa10uwo1_500There is so much to love about Littlest Pet Shop!  Not only are they just about the cutest little toys ever with their big eyes, and bobbly heads, but they also have a cartoon series on Hub that Maddy is obsessed with.  And now they also have a comic book series thanks to IDW!  Oh and did we mention Blythe Baxter’s perfect hair and a pair of diabolically evil twins?  Watch our review & then ask yourself, as we do often, why there isn’t a Brony-like following (yet) for LPS.