Magnetic Press Ambassadors Club Magazine 01 - Dec'15 Premiere issue

December 2015 - 1

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Hello, fellow Ambassadors!

Welcome to the inaugural issue of the MAGNETIC PRESS AMBASSADORS CLUB MAGAZINE, a monthly digital zine dedicated to the refined art of visual storytelling.

Each month, we’ll bring you a wealth of inspiration and eye-candy, and hopefully a healthy dose of awe, offered exclusively to you for being a member of the club.

Each issue will feature an inside peek at upcoming releases, as well as an in-depth interview with an exciting featured creator. This month, we’re thrilled to kick things off with a look at GOLEM by the immensely talented LRNZ! This guy is a monster, and we’re stoked to have his first full graphic novel on deck!

In addition to the featured artist interview, we’ll also spotlight an artist we absolutely dig, someone you may or may not already be familiar with, but someone we think you should be if you aren’t. This month, we’re showcasing BRYNDON EVERETT, a brilliantly original illustrator with a style unlike anything we’ve seen before. Check out his work and get to know him!

We’re also getting ready to debut an exciting new site called THE IMAGYMNASIUM, which will offer a slew of visual and verbal creative exercises on a regular basis. Whether you’re looking for an idea to kick-start that awesome project you’ve been noodling around with, or just want a fun way to spend a few minutes (or hours), this will be the place for you!

On top of all this, we’re starting a BRAND NEW, COMMUNITY-DRIVEN COMIC, exclusive to this magazine, created (in-part) by YOU! Each month, we’ll add 1-2 pages to the ongoing story, followed by a members-only poll asking “what happens next?” We’ll then take that direction in the next month’s page or pages! This month, in lieu of a starting point, we’re opening up the floor with a starting poll asking you “Where do we begin?” Help us define the genre, starting location, and situation, and we’ll use that to generate the opening of what will undoubtedly become a fast-paced and zany ride that YOU HELP STEER. And that’s not the only place where you get to shine – we’re opening the doors to future sections, including a FAN ART GALLERY, FAN PHOTOS, and even a Q&A LETTERS COLUMN. We want this magazine to be about you as much as for you. We want you to be proud to be a Magnetic Press Ambassador, part of a privileged community of insiders who get to not only see how things get made, but actually have a hand in making them.

Best,

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THIS ISSUE: WELCOME .........................................................................................................................................................2 ON THE HORIZON:

GOLEM, ANGELARIUM, and BASIL & MOEBIUS vol.3 “SECRET OF THE ANCIENTS” ...............4

FEATURE INTERVIEW: LRNZ on GOLEM .........................................................................................7 THE IMAGYMNASIUM ............................................................................................................................13 LET’S MAKE A COMIC! .............................................................................................................................15 WHAT WE’RE DIGGING ON......................................................................................................................16 ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: BRYNDON EVERETT WHAT’S IN THE BOX?

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piece by LRNZ

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ON THE HORIZON GOLEM

by LRNZ Young Steno Critone doesn’t want to stop dreaming.

In a world where no one has the time to try something that isn’t already provided by the system, Steno fears that his dreams will one day die.

He has no idea that the fate of the world relies on his ability to dream.

Set in a future, post-Eurozone Italy, entrenched in a culture of hypercapitalism, GOLEM follows young Steno Critone as he is kidnapped during a political protest gone sour. Taken in by the band of labeled “terrorists,” he learns that things are not as they seem in society, and that he has the power to not only change the city, but reality itself.

This intensely imaginative political-sci-fi graphic novel is a visual feast, created by contemporary design icon Lorenzo Ceccotti, better known as LRNZ, whose design-influenced illustration provides a lush, fluid backdrop of manga-like dynamism with the cinematic scope of western comics, creating a style that is wholly unique and absolutely breathtaking.

This debut tour-de-force is making its premiere on Comixology and Google Play, with the complete volume scheduled to hit shelves in February.

Get more details at www.magnetic-press.com/golem

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“It’s not the story, or the art, or the even the design that makes GOLEM a great book. It’s the union of those things – the whole. LRNZ has crafted a perfect package of pure entertainment. “

- JONATHAN HICKMAN

(East of West, Marvel’s Secret Wars, The Manhattan Projects)

“LRNZ on Golem is a revelation. It’s an incredibly crafted comic, drawing upon all the best comics has to offer, and Lrnz’s imagination makes it uniquely its own. “

- NICK DRAGOTTA

(East of West, X-Statix, Superman: American Alien)

“GOLEM is a truly breathtaking work of unrivaled imagination and dark beauty. LRNZ is the future of comics.”

- BRENDEN FLETCHER

(Batgirl, Black Canary, Gotham Academy, Assassin’s Creed)

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ANGELARIUM

by Peter Mohrbacher and Eli Minaya A stunning project unlike anything seen before, ANGELARIUM is a deeply mythic journey that weaves illustration, poetry, painting, and prose into a singular, mind-bending narrative that takes us through the gates of the eleven angelic emanations that embody the Tree of Life. ANGELARIUM paints a world of sheer awe, unveiling unknowable symbolic entities that point toward an ancient, immutable truth: “As above, so below.”

The Angelarium is a place where experiences, ideas and archetypes exist as real living entities. It’s the domain of angelic emanations. Growing at its center sits the Tree of Life, a physical manifestation that reflects the whole of existence.

This 60 page art book is a chronicle of Enoch, a living man who traveled the Angelarium and explored the interior world of the Tree of Life. He encounters its ten emanations, and ruminates upon the unknowable being that is Ein Sof. It includes illustrations, poetry and short stories that take us on a journey through the 11 emanations of the Tree of Life.

ANGELARIUM will be In book stores next month - January 2016 -- but is now available directly online.

You can find more details at www.angelarium.net or at www.magnetic-press.com/angelarium

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SECRET OF THE ANCIENTS:

A Basil and Moebius Adventure vol.3

by Ryan Schifrin, Larry Hama, and Novo Malgapo Alaric Moebius and Basil Fox are a pair of scoundrels tethered against their will to serve the mysterious – and other-worldly – billionaire known only as “The Collector.” After traipsing around the globe stealing ancient artifacts at his demand, they are desperate to find a way out of their curse, and it seems at long last they might have found their solution. Recorded on 13 ancient stone discs lies the secret history of The Ancients, a fabled race of godlike beings who may still be living among us. And The Collector may be the most dangerous one of them all! A high-thrills adventure spanning all four corners of the globe!

The third volume in the thrilling saga features a cover painted by the award-winning, fan-favorite painter GLENN FABRY! ANGELARIUM will be In book stores next month - January 2016 -- but is now available directly online.

You can find more details at www.magnetic-press.com/basil-and-moebius

“A delightful romp mixing pulpish delight with bold, eye-catching graphics and instantly likable characters. Old school fun for the 21st century!”

- GUILLERMO DEL TORO

(Director/Producer, PACIFIC RIM, HELLBOY, PAN’S LABYRINTH) December 2015 - 6

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AN INTERVIEW WITH

How we’ve gone this long without knowing about the brilliant, breathtaking work of Lorenzo Ceccotti, better known as LRNZ in Italian art circles, is a sobering mystery. Each single piece of his work contains enough wonder and meaning to fill an entire book, so you can imagine how magnificent and jam-packed his first full book actually is. GOLEM hits shelves in English for the first time this coming February, and with it’s release, he’s about to take the scene by storm.

We chatted with LRNZ recently to pick his brain apart and learn just a little bit about the creative machinations behind his process.

\\\ Artist, designer, painter, animator, and author. You do a lot! What path did you initially want to take, and how did the other elements find their way into your repertoire?

I ended up taking a very devious one for sure!

Love for drawing was the original spark that started it all. Then I studied industrial design instead of following proper fine art classes. Back then I was very frustrated: I wanted an academic, full-fledged, classic painter education, but my family insisted that art schools were a bad choice, giving small or nonexistent employment perspectives. I still feel a huge sense of inadequacy when I think about my work, knowing that it could be so much better with a deeper education. Still, design classes brought my idea of drawing and visual communication to a totally different place. Suddenly I got convinced that poetry and technique are inextricably linked, one being the lucid choice of the other, so that every formal device should have its reason to be that way. The medium itself should be chosen according to your communication/artistic needs.

That’s why there are some ideas that are perfect for a painting, a single image, as strikingly powerful or subtly layered that it may be. Some others come to my mind as a sequence of images, and need a sequence to be coherently expressed to someone else, hence the choice of comics -- is it important to explain what happened before and after that drawing that you like so much? Is there a way to make visual sense flow between individual images? Animation helps give time and sound a totally different meaning than they have in comics. For each need you can choose your favorite solution.

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Now, I know that my approach to art and form in general may look a bit arrogant, even if it’s only in the intentions. That’s for sure. And that’s why, of course, my quality will never reach that level of excellence that purists and specialists have in their unique field of choice. I’m aware of that. Never being satisfied with what I do helps me change “skins” a lot, trying to find a better way, or tool, to catch what inspires me most, every day.

\\\ Your artwork ranges in style and technique, from painted realism to illustrative line work to colorful graphic design, all of which are selectively used in GOLEM at different points of the story. How do you use each of these to convey different moods or messages?

Golem is a weird convergence of visual needs.

Every one of those needs was urging me to find a very specific solution for each of them. First of all, I do believe in the reader’s visual powers and culture. The human brain is a pattern-spotting machine. I could’ve used a much more pedantic approach to the novel’s structure: heavy use of captions, textual aids to set time and space, deranging the reader from the deep experience that visuals can deliver.

I decided to use a more subtle approach instead, one that enriches vision and leave the textual storytelling to an almost empty state. That gives the viewer all the information he needs without having to explain anything, using a multi-layer channel. Exploiting the reader’s ability to make sense out of complex visual information. Dreaming, flashbacks, augmented reality, vision of the future, insanely fast action, daydreaming: they are all rendered in a very specific technique to make a deal with the reader, to set a reading pattern that needs no explanations.

\\\Whose work most inspires you?

It’s an endless list of timeless masters.

Speaking of comics, if I really have to make a choice I would go with: • Scott McCloud (Understanding Comics), for its deep breakdown and understanding of comic rules and specific features.

• Osamu Tezuka (Black Jack), for his signal to noise ratio.

• Moebius/Jodo (l’Incal), for their use of symbolism and allegory in comics.

• Takamichi (Gelatin, short stories), for his shockingly straightforward use of color in manga.

• Claudio Acciari (Meka Chan), for his relentless search for life in his drawings.

• Frank Miller (Ronin), for his focus on what’s really important to deliver.

• Syd Mead (Anything future from the last 40 years), for unveiling the designer’s approach to drawings.

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Title piece and these facing pages: LRNZ’s wraparound cover illustrations for Jeff Vandermeer’s SOUTHERN REACH trilogy of novels.

\\\ You have produced and created numerous experimental and eye-popping animation shorts (many of which can be seen on your Vimeo channel). How does this work differ from telling stories with silent, sequential art or a single image? The amount of planning and preproduction must be immense.

Animation is something that goes beyond any rational give/take evaluation that you do before a venture of any kind takes place. It’s always about giving A LOT. It takes your life, all of your time, your soul. It drives you crazy. The result is so little yet so rewarding, that I ‘m always fascinated by it.

When I did my last animation work, “The Dark Side of the Sun,” I had to build a very specific pipeline, team, and narrative style to match our production needs, both in terms of deadlines and budget. We had 60k to deliver roughly 30 minutes of traditional animation. I started working on the economy side: I went almost crazy analyzing 70’s limited Japanese television animation craving for solutions, and I found a huge lot of ‘em, mostly in the directorial and narrative approach. My drawing style was compromised by this process in a “no way back” fashion: in animation every extra line you draw on a character design must be animated for every frame this given character appears in. Efficiency comes from wise use of design and deeply focusing on what’s important to tell with your drawings: repetition will teach you the harsh way what was absolutely pointless in your designs, and what was truly essential. Animation is a state of mind (that helps making 100+ pages of comics seem like nothing!).

\\\ What tools do you prefer to use for illustration, design, animation, etc?

Whatever fits my needs best. Digital drawing is of course a great general purpose tool of the trade: it’s completely free of any particular constraint and under control like no other. It delivers an immense spectrum of possibilities. Still, traditional fine art tools, on the other hand, have their own very specific features and powers: they can bring you to places you could never think of, and it’s very important to consider their immediacy. I really appreciate being able to obtain my result without having to work around it, with an unlimited level of detail, literally thinking outside of the box.

Recently I’m very interested by the original art versus digital art debate made by comic art and illustration collectors, and its pointlessness strikes me more every day.

\\\ What other hats do you wear? Musician? You released a number of experimental electronic tracks and an LP under the name Buromaschinen. What corner of your brain does that satisfy, and how often do you explore that corner?

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Calling me a musician would be an overstatement. But I’m deeply fascinated by it.

Music has the immense ability to suggest sensations, feelings, places, ages, stories without any vision or description. As a visual artist, this is absolutely striking. Moreover, electronic music has this puzzling feature to be even more abstract and shapeless, somehow granting the opportunity to build your vision from scratch, bending electric energy into waveforms and manipulating it with basically no constraint. I love working with synthesizers for these specific reasons.

Anyway, I love listening to music while I draw, so I started composing music to make tunes I could draw to. Last but not least, even if kinda off topic, I’m desperately looking for a tool that works for drawings like synths work for music: a standalone, super custom tool meant to do just one thing - drawing. No general purpose OS, no icons, no framework, no social networks, no email on my way to the goal. A shoutout for the Elektron Monomachine, my favorite synth. Probably my favorite object, along with my bicycle; it draws a map of what the digital drawing experience should be and it’s still not.

\\\ Are there other creative directions you would like to explore?

This year will be all focused on drawing photo realistic from real life, with traditional media. I usually don’t like photo real images, but I would be lying if I didn’t admit that it’s something out of my technical abilities right now. I just don’t have the skill.

Even if I’m pretty convinced that taking away from reality is what makes a drawing great, I want to be honest with myself and make sure that whatever I will be taking away from real life is because of a choice I’m aware of and not a technical limit I’m struggling with. It’s all about pushing your limits to set a space where you have complete, absolute freedom of choice.

\\\ What project has you most preoccupied right now?

Monolith, a cross media project: it’s a full color comic book written by Roberto Recchioni and Mauro Uzzeo that I’ll be drawing in the coming months, and a movie directed by Ivan Silvestrini that came out of the same story (originally written by Roberto Recchioni). I’ve been working on this movie in LA as a concept artist, production designer, and storyboard artist.

This year I will be also be working on “Geist Maschine,” a new miniseries for Bao Publishing. It will be spread out in three books.

\\\ What project do you dream of completing one day? Have you already started?

I’m very much in the mood for an animated movie adaptation for GOLEM and I’m about to explore production possibilities. I will probably start by trying to send a submission for the European Media Program and see what happens. Fingers crossed!

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Previous page: Two of five pieces in the “Radial� series of concept branding and interactive animation.

This page: Three of over a dozen covers for the Italian comic book series LONG WEI, by Diego Cajelli and Luca Genovese.

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Top left: LRNZ’s poster for the award-winning sci-fi short film THE NOSTALGIST, for which he also designed numerous pieces of original concept art. (www.thenostalgistfilm.com) Top right: One of many mock cover concepts for Batman stories yet to be written.

\\\ You’ve hinted before that GOLEM is the first of three “tankobon format” books in the series. Is this still the plan? If so, what do you have in store for the other volumes?

Oh yeah... That is from a VERY old interview. 7 years ago, GOLEM started as a 20-page series project, but I then decided to develop it as a standalone, self-contained book. So, as for now, no Golem sequel on the horizon. I will probably produce some extra contents for the book (including some extra comic book pages) starting 2016. The Desmo Scanner would be a nice thing to search for on the app/play store to start finding clues...

Treat yourselves to a long tour through LRNZ’s website, filled with tons more of his work, at www.lrnz.it !

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THERE IS LITTLE MORE DAUNTING THAN A BLANK PAGE. Everyone has a need to be creative, whether they recognize it or not. Creativity isn’t reserved for the “writers” and “artists” of the world -- everyone has that thing called “imagination.” Whether you’re solving an everyday problem or coming up with an explanation for something that catches your attention, you are being creative.

It is a universal tool that can be applied to any situation, and creative thinking is the technique we all use to address the everyday questions of “how” and “why.”

THE IMAGYMNASIUM is a place to practice using that tool. The exercises you’ll find here are meant to be fun, and only as long or deep as you choose to make them. Each month we’ll present a verbal prompt for writing and a visual prompt for doodling. These aren’t puzzles, and there are no right or wrong solutions. They’re just starting points to discovery, the first footstep in what could end up being a real treasure map.

Don’t shy away from one or the other because you don’t think you’re enough of an “artist” or “writer”. Take a crack at both of them and have fun! They don’t have to relate to each other, unless you’re inspired to make them that way. The important thing is to let yourself go, think outside the box, and above all, have fun.

Sometimes you just need a starting point, and a little shove. Like improv theater, the best direction is often the one you didn’t see coming. So give this writing prompt a try and run with it!

You’ll need a 6-sided dice and something to write on/with. (analog or digital, doesn’t matter.)

1) Roll a 6-sided dice three times, writing down the resulting numbers.

2) Use those numbers (in order) to select prompts from these three columns:

COLUMN ONE 1. A group of twelve guys 2. A Boston terrier named Dave 3. The coolest guy in school 4. My great-aunt Florence 5. A blind wizard 6. The kid behind the counter

COLUMN TWO

COLUMN THREE

1. Finds a box filled with 2. Wakes up in field surrounded by 3. Spends the last eight bucks on 4. Tracks down a strange noise to find 5. Has an unexplainable craving for 6. Tries to rationalize a strange dream about

1. Wads of baloney.

2. Bits of twisted sheet metal etched with alien symbols.

3. Three blown-glass Christmas ornaments.

4. A six-pack of flat diet soda.

5. A pillowcase full of doorknobs.

6. Talking spiders.

3) Write a scene about the resulting combination!

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1) Print out this page.

2) Pick a letter of the alphabet at random.

3) Draw that letter anywhere in the box below BACKWARDS using your NON-DOMINANT hand (not the hand you normally write or draw with).

4) Now select a concept from the list below (or use a 6-sided dice to pick one at random): 1. Heroic 2. Evil 3. Cute 4. Ugly 5. Fast 6. Relaxed 5) Now TURN THE PAGE UPSIDE DOWN. 6) Look at the lines in the box, including the backwards letter you drew, now upside down and backwards.

Visualize something in those lines that expresses the concept selected in step 4 and draw the rest of what you see. (You can draw using your proper, dominant hand now.)

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Whataya say? Wanna make a comic together?

Right here, each month, a page or two at a time? Tell you what -- you help come up with the premise, and tell us what happens next each month, and we’ll draw the dang thing. Well, by “we”, we mean we’ll have it drawn, by any one or a combination of awesome artists in our friends-list, like Caio Oliveira, Lucas Marangon, Brett McKee, Bryndon Everett, etc.

So where should we start? How about you answer these questions (also found at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/VVQTDD7),

and we’ll get the ball rolling based on the most popular responses.

2) Setting: a. Big City b. Moon base c. Underwater d. Arctic e. Farm town USA f. Desert g. Subterranean cavern h. Aboard a large transport vessel i. OTHER: __________________________________ 3) Main Character: a. A guy b. A girl c. an animal D. a robot E. OTHER: __________________________________ 4) Main Character’s job: a. Janitor b. Scavenger c. Scientist d. Soldier e. Monster/bounty Hunter f. Farmhand g. OTHER: __________________________________ 5) Main Character’s disposition: a. Swaggering scoundrel b. Awkward nerd c. Cocky jerk d. Lovestruck fool e. Loner by choice f. Optimistically naïve g. OTHER: __________________________________

6) Main Character’s aspiration: a. To get rich b. To find true Love c. To become famous d. To find the answer to a burning question e. To return home f. OTHER: __________________________________ 7) The Main Character suffers from: a. The worst luck ever b. Defective short-term memory c. A physical limitation or handicap d. Low self-esteem e. Anger-management issues f. OTHER: __________________________________ 8) The Main Character’s Primary obstacle: a. An age-old rival b. A sudden natural disaster c. Being at the wrong place at the wrong time d. OTHER: __________________________________ 9) Opening scenario: a. The main character discovers something exciting b. The main character discovers something terrible c. The main character stares at certain demise d. The main character is introduced by way of a secondary character talking about them to a third party. e. The main character is targeted by a mysterious antagonist for reasons unknown. f. OTHER: __________________________________ we have NO preconceived ideas at this point, other than to make something fun and organic that grows from month to month. who knows -- if this crazy thing someday turns into a billion-dollar franchise, we’ll probably have to cut everyone in on a piece of the royalties, wouldn’t we? (Our lawyers say “no”, but you know what? We WILL. Somehow.)

(full discolosure: the awesome background strip is by the awesome James Turner -check it out here: http://eruditebaboon.livejournal.com/26749.html)

1) Genre: a. Crime Noir b. Space Opera c. Zombie Apocalypse d. Mythical Fantasy e. Superhero f. OTHER: __________________________________

So go vote now so we can get this party started. Deadline for responses is Jan 2nd, 2016, so we can have the first pages in next month’s magazine.

Seriously, what are you waiting for? GO! December 2015 - 15

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WHAT WE’RE READING: THE REALIST BY ASAF HANUKA This collection of autobiographical strips and editorial illustrations by acclaimed Israeli cartoonist Asaf Hanuka is both visually arresting and dynamically poignant. Originally created as single-page comics for Israeli newspaper Calcalist, each page builds upon the last to paint a picture of the Eisner-nominated writer and artist best known for his work on projects like PIZZERIA KAMIKAZE and the animated feature film WALTZ WITH BASHIR. While the works are individually framed from the author’s own experience and perspective as a working-class illustrator in Tel Aviv, the themes, situations, and messages are universally identifiable: relationship issues, financial juggling, technology, social media, parenthood, and a basic human reaction to the ever-present current of politics affecting us all. Published by Boom/Archaia, this 192 page hardcover is the kind of visually dynamic and lasting impression that Magnetic Press Ambassadors would appreciate. (http://www.asafhanuka.com/)

WHAT WE’RE PLAYING: TALES FROM THE BORDERLANDS Telltale Games does it again. Whether you’re a fan whatever genre they are playing within – zombie apocalypse (THE WALKING DEAD), hardboiled fairy tale (THE WOLF AMONG US), 80s nostalgia (BACK TO THE FUTURE), or mature high-fantasy (GAME OF THRONES) – there’s no denying the complex and sophisticated narrative structure their games take. And not just in their semi-branching, decision-based interactive structures, but in the thoughtful, engrossing, and more often than not genuinely surprising twists that come at you at the most unexpected points. TALES FROM THE BORDERLANDS is a 5-episode series based in the wild sci-fi frontier of the popular first-person-shooter games developed by Gearbox Software, and it has everything Telltale does best: a great, twisty storyline that builds from episode to episode, a cast of unique and well-defined characters portrayed by fantastic voice actors, laugh-out-loud dialogue, an awesome soundtrack (by one of our favorite composers, Jesper Kyd), and genuine sense of directorial style, most notably illustrated in each episode’s opening credit sequence. Seriously, look them up on Youtube, they’re not at all what you would expect from a series like this, and that’s what makes them so awesome, especially when they trigger on their own at the appropriate spot during gameplay. Whether you’re familiar with the BORDERLANDS franchise already or not, it doesn’t matter one bit – this is an excellent 5-episode series that rivals most sci-fi shows on television these days.

And this is one you get to PLAY. (https://www.telltalegames.com/talesfromtheborderlands) December 2015 - 16

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WHAT WE’RE WATCHING: DRUNK HISTORY If you feel like you should know more about history, but find reading or lectures too boring, then this is the show for you. Originally created as a web series of shorts by Derek Waters, the show (now in its 3rd season on Comedy Central) features educational recreations of notable historical moments as narrated on the fly by drunk comedians. Yes, genuinely drunk. Often close-to-passing-out drunk, so you can imagine how hilarious their historic retellings can get. Couple that with lip-synced recreations by an awesome cast of regular and revolving celebrities, actors, and comedians, and it gets head-swimmingly fun to watch, with every nauseated belch and slur perfectly incorporated into the scene. You know what? Just go watch it. Describing it does no justice. (https://www.youtube.com/user/DrunkHistory)

WHAT WE’RE LISTENING TO: WE GOT THIS WITH MARK & HAL (PODCAST) Are you a podcast listener? We have to qualify that question because it’s still kind of surprising how often people respond to the word “podcast” as if it were the same thing as “short wave radio signal.” But those in the know are the ones in control (catch up, grampa!) and it’s a hotbed of some of the most creative content being made these days. Like radio in the 30s and 40s, it’s the home of some of the freshest, awesome comedy (as well as some not-so-awesome, trying-too-hard-tobe comedy). And tops on that list for us has been WE GOT THIS WITH MARK AND HAL. Each week, the two hosts, Mark Gagliardi and Hal Lublin (both alumni of the equally-awesome THRILLING ADVENTURE HOUR podcast and stage show), sit down to debate and ultimately solve an important, age-old, and socially divisive question. What’s better, Star Wars or Star Trek? Marvel or DC? What’s the best TV Theme song? Should ketchup ever go on a hotdog? Toilet paper: rolled over or under? Leave it to these guys, they will answer these questions once and for all, no arguments, and no go-backs, what they declare becomes Law. And you will be richer for their decision, as well as for the hilarious and spontaneous route their ambling discussion often travels getting to that end-point. These guys rock, and are endlessly easy to listen to. We binged through hours of back episodes, and not once got bored. If you are one of them new-fangled podcast listeners, this one needs to be high up on your shortlist. (http://www.maximumfun.org/shows/we-got-this) December 2015 - 17

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HOT ARTIST SPOTLIGHT:

BRYNDON EVERETT

Freelance artist (and proud new papa) Bryndon Everett lives in Idaho Falls, Idaho, creating comics, animation, and commission pieces for companies like American Dreamlabs, Spyderwise Media, and Magnetic Press. His work has been featured by Popshot Magazine, Varoom, 1985, WeHateReality, Gnomon School, and Gallery Nucleus, as well as on The Blaze Network and the Glenn Beck program.

We’ve been thrilled to have him on a couple of projects with Magnetic Press, too! Not only has he provided stunning pinups for both THE WORLD OF CASSYNO and the upcoming HUGO BROYLER, but little-known fact until now, he generated a wealth of original character and concept art in the early phases of POET ANDERSON development! While the story direction took many different routes before final scripting began, much of the art Bryndon provided inspired the style and mood of the final graphic novel.

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PREVIOUS PAGE : (top / background) pinup poster from THE WORLD OF CASSYNO (bottom) pencil and color test of POET in action THIS PAGE: Various character designs and concept pieces for POET ANDERSON

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While much of his art tends to fall “behind the scenes”, as storyboardist, concept artist, or character designer, he has original projects in the works that he hopes to see released in 2016, including his introductory short, “Cordova” and the fulllength fantasy “Adrift.”

In the meantime you can follow him on Tumblr or Facebook to keep track of what he’s got coming up next!

www.bryndoneverett.com

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