Massive Linkdump, YAY!

Comic Book Urban Legends Revealed #114.

Bratz are the X-Men for girls. Thanks, Lea.

The mayor of San Diego is a complete jerk.

The Comics Reporter's Collective Memory of San Diego Comic Con 2007. Newsarama San Diego Linkages.

Dorothy has Demographics.

Scholastic Fairs Pick Up Amelia Rules! I used to buy TONS of books through Scholastic and such. My father never denied me books.

Jim Rugg draws Aquaman. Oh, and some other news, too. Check out Jim Rugg's LiveJournal. Scroll down to see the Aquaman images, or click the following links: The Plain JLA, Three Aquaman Images 2, Three Aquaman Images 1.

J K Rowling is a great storyteller, but sometimes her writing could use a bit of work. This is just one example of why some people like me (English grads) pull out hair even while we enjoy Harry Potter.

Coyotes and Google Maps.

Oh dear. Just watch the vid. Heh.

Ah! This article explains why I feel hungry after drinking chocolate milk or hot cocoa (both very rich in calories). Piece by piece we understand ourselves better.

Man, I really want The Popeye DVD Set. Although it's incredibly unlikely, maybe some rich person is slumming in my blog and will buy it for me from my Amazon Wishlist. I know, not gonna happen, but a girl can dream.

Every single piece of DRM invented has been cracked. Why keep wasting money on useless security devices instead of making products better and cheaper so people won't be tempted to pirate them.

Singing about Mathematics.

Lunk a Dimp, Lunk a Dimp

People are getting ready for this weekend: Illusive Arts and Jeff Parker just to name a couple.

Colleen Doran has more on 300. Have I mentioned lately that I really like Colleen Doran's blog?

Mike Gold is a Luddite. Or so he sort of says. But hey, I love my cell phone precisely because I can turn it off so easily if I want to.

Also from Mike: Is Song of the South going to finally be released? I would love to see a good treatment of the movie, with plenty of information along with it to put in it context.

Cool Barcode Doormat.

Saturn is strange. There's a hexagon at the North Pole and an eye at the South Pole.

Two 14-year-old schoolgirls test the vitamin C content of various juices, and find out one juice maker was lying about the amount of vitamin C in their product. GO GIRLS!

Why an eBook reader won't displace books. I would buy a $20-50 eBook reader, but not a $200-300 one.

The Farewell Dossier. What happens when you spy and are caught at it.

The Blog Death Threat made the BBC News.

Sunday Lunkdimp

I'm doing a little guest-blogging at Elayne Riggs' Blog, while she's dealing with grief and being with friends. Do check out my pathetic efforts to live up to her Estrogen Month posts.

Comics Fairplay will be at Emerald City Comicon. So will I, but I won't have a booth. However, if you want to find me, you'll probably have the best luck by checking in with the great folks at Illusive Arts (BUY TONY LOCO!).

TangognaT has the Manga Giveaway Results.

Augie directs us to an article about a car powered by compressed air. I want.

DMCA is a failure! says the guy who created the thing. Along the same lines: "RIAA Updates Mission Statement".

Running out of combinations, Washington State license plates to get longer by a character.

Linkdump

Illusive Arts has updated their website. Oh, and BUY TONY LOCO.

Heidi is angry at the news organizations that spoiled a comic book before she could even get to the store. If I was a Marvel reader, I'd be upset too.

Comic Book Urban Legends Revealed #93. What will they do when they hit the big 100, I wonder?

Grumpy Old Fan speculates on a Justice League movie.

Young Adults and Comic Books. Things are looking up?

Ooooh, I like this. I have lots of junk that could be displayed with them.

What has the most perks, Google or the local prison?

Pi Day Is Coming. I need to go get some ingredients, I think.

I think I would actively avoid any gas station that installed video ads in the pumps that turn on as soon as you start pumping your gas.

For hubby-Eric: You Don't Know Jack Online.

This is almost enough to make me remove my link to the Red Cross.

Pug for the in-laws. I have to wonder if the in-laws ever read or notice all the pug links I put up for them. It's just that, every single time I see a pug on-line I think of them. And this one is pretty cute, too. Un-pug that drain!

Tony Loco Needs YOU

Check out this release from Illusive Arts:

Critics loved it. Consumers fell into it. Just not enough of them got a chance to read it. So Illusive Arts Entertainment, with the encouragement of Diamond Comic Distributors, has decided to relaunch the unique series Tony Loco.

This February, several hundred comic book stores will receive free copies of Tony Loco #1 so they can experience this fresh story and recommend it to their customers. Tony Loco #2 was originally intended for release on February 14, but to allow comic book stores and comic book fans that haven’t yet seen Tony Loco the time to take it in, Tony Loco #2, will be re-solicited in Diamond’s March Previews and will be released May 2, 2007. The bi-monthly release schedule will continue with Issue #3 coming out in July.

"We have decided to go ahead and print Issue #2 at this time, so we can have it at our Spring conventions- WonderCon, Emerald City, and APE- to allow the public a chance to become familiar with Tony Loco and grow the audience," said Illusive's Chief Make-It-A-Success Officer, Anna Warren Boersig. "We apologize to the wonderfully supportive retailers and fans that placed orders for Issue #2, but we need to relaunch this series and re-solicit the second issue to raise the order numbers and meet Diamond's bar, so that Tony Loco can be a successful comic book. Our first series Dorothy has an amazing following and we think that this sophomore effort should get a chance to build the same audience and thrive."

Series creator, writer and artist Mark Teague said, "Tony Loco is a complex story of personal quest. As such, it will take time to find its audience, but we are committed to do so."

If you haven’t heard the buzz, take a look:

"Tony Loco ROCKS!"
- Keith Champagne, writer (DC's JSA, Green Lantern Corps and World War III)

"I enjoyed 'em."
- Patton Oswalt, comedian/actor/writer (JLA: Welcome to the Work Week, Negative Burn)

"I can't wait to see what happens next."
- Tim Bradstreet, artist (The Punisher, Criminal Macabre)

"With its haunted atmosphere and weirdly compelling storyline, Tony Loco is spellbinding from page one."
- Mark Hamill, actor/writer/director

"If you want something different then check this out. You will not be disappointed."
- Richard Vasseur, Jazmaonline.com

"Yet, the story of TONY LOCO never falters or stumbles. It pulls you right in and moves you along. It combines elements of drama, humor, pathos — and just about anything else you'd want in a story."
- T. E. Pouncey, Geekzine.com

"The writing and dialogue of this issue is engaging and tight. I was actually made uncomfortable and ill at ease by the setting and the treatment of the residents by the staff. It's difficult to really describe the overall sensation of reading the set-up issue of the series, but I will state that I'm hungry for more."
- Koben Kelly, Newsarama.com

Tony Loco can be described as "Batman in the barrio" while being a "dark re-imagining of Don Quixote." Tony Loco is a bi-monthly 32 page color comic and carries a retail price of $3.50. Art samples and further details can be found at www.illusivearts.com.

My own review of Tony Loco #1 has a choice quote for you all:

"This isn't an easy book to categorize. It promises to be adventure, but has horrific overtones. It also has mythic roots that show up in the artwork brilliantly. It's a very strange mix. To be completely honest, I really don't know what I think of it. I know I want to read the next issue, even if I'm not certain what I'm getting.
What I suspect, though? I suspect I'll be getting a fascinating and well crafted tale with a unique art style. After all, that's what Illusive is good at."
-Laura Gjovaag, Bloggity-Blog-Blog-Blog

Go talk with your retailer, order a copy of this book, and give it a chance. So many great books never get off the ground because they lack enough readers. Give this one a boost. I can't promise you'll love it, but I'm certain it'll be different than what you are currently reading.

Review Copy Review

Tony Loco by Mark Teague and Derek McCaw. Published by Illusive Arts.

I know what to expect from Illusive now, I thought before reading this book. Dorothy is a fascinating and well crafted tale with a unique art style. When I heard about Tony Loco, my first thought was simply, huh? It sounded so utterly unlike what I expected that I pretty much dismissed it as the infamous sophmore effort. I ordered a copy, more out of loyalty to the gang at Illusive than with any expectation of actually enjoying the book.

Despite having ordered the book, I gratefully accepted a review copy when offered, so I could give an opinion before the book actually hit the shelves. And ... let's just say it's taken me a long time to digest the book enough to feel up to writing about it.

This isn't an easy book to categorize. It promises to be adventure, but has horrific overtones. It also has mythic roots that show up in the artwork brilliantly. It's a very strange mix. To be completely honest, I really don't know what I think of it. I know I want to read the next issue, even if I'm not certain what I'm getting.

What I suspect, though? I suspect I'll be getting a fascinating and well crafted tale with a unique art style. After all, that's what Illusive is good at.

Bonus Rapid Review: Says the hubby-Eric, "Interesting premise, it's definitely set-up. I want to see what happens when Tony really gets going!"

UPDATE: There's a Preview of Tony Loco up on YouTube. Check it out for some samples of the artwork and the style.