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Preview: Night of the 80s Undead #3 (of 3)

Posted on December 9, 2013 by Brett

NIGHT OF THE 80’S UNDEAD #3 (0f 3)

Writer(s): Jason Martin
Artist Name(s): Bill McKay
Cover Artist(s): Bill McKay
FC/ 32 pgs./2.99 US
On sale DEC. 11

This is it! Our gang of Hollywood teens make their last-ditch effort at escaping the escalating commie zombie cocaine virus that is rapidly spreading to engulf their fellow tinsel-town residents! Can a superstar celebrity’s outlandish home offer respite from the pending cold war meltdown? Can anyone survive the Night of the Cokeheads?

10 Questions With Action Lab: Danger Zone’s Jason Martin

Posted on July 18, 2013 by Brett

With San Diego Comic-Con kicking off this week, we got a chance to interview the writer of Night of the 80’s Undead, Jason Martin about the series, Action Lab, and his career in comics.

Martin was nice enough to be subjected to 10 Questions!

Graphic Policy: How did you get involved in the comic book industry?

Jason Martin: I self-published my own comic, Super Real, an over-the-top mash-up of reality TV and comic book super-heroes, and then started publishing other books under my Super Real Graphics (SRG) imprint (such as Wolves of Odin, and Zombie Tramp).

GP: Did you read comics growing up? Do you read them now?

JM: Yes, and yes. I started reading Marvel in the late 70’s with their Star Wars adaptations, and then got into the black & white indie comics of the early to mid-80’s. I stopped reading for about a decade and then got back into them in the mid-90’s, and haven’t stopped since. (I’m a junkie, it’s true!)

GP: How did you come to work with Action Lab on this project?

JM: I actually run their mature readers imprint, Danger Zone, which my Night of the 80’s Undead is a part of. Dave Dwonch, Action Lab’s creative director and I have worked together before, and things lined up for me to join him at Action Lab. He and I both really love working with other creators to help bring cool projects to the market (and our own books too).

GP: Where did the idea of Night of the 80s Undead come from?

JM: I was looking to create a zombie anthology, featuring Zombie Tramp stories and more, and wanted to create a short zombie story of my own. My idea to do something 80’s with zombies came later, but once it did, it quickly took on a life of it’s own…

GP: Night of the 80s Undead has a lot of pop culture references, what’d you do to prep for the series and are you a general fan of pop culture?

JM: Watched too much TV, read too many comics, listened to massive amounts of music, and checked out as many cool movies as I could… for 40 years!

GP: The coloring of the series screams 80s with its pastel coloring. How much input did you have when it came to the art and coloring?

JM: Well, I’m an artist, but on this book I’m collaborating with Bill McKay for the art, he’s great. Since I’m pretty visual, my scripts tend to be fairly detailed, but Bill adds and changes things some (and tolerates my panel layout OCD). Also, I color the book, and asked Bill to let me do so straight from his pencils. I love pencil art, plus, his pencils are great, and they add a nice raw/rough element to the art. But yes, I’m using a pretty aggressive 80’s color scheme to help scorch the awesomeness into retinas.

GP: The comics from the time were the beginning of the “gritty” period and when it blew up. Were there any thoughts on incorporating that time for comic books?

JM: No, I saw this as more an exploration of 80’s genre cinema (aka VHS movies), and 80’s Undead, while gory and dark, is all about fun and the joy of comics.

GP: There’s a lot of winks and nods as to what’s happened over the years to some of these celebrities, were there any jokes you didn’t use because they went too far?

JM: Nope. I try not to censor myself. If I offend folks with a comic book about raging cocaine fueled zombie celebrities, then perhaps I’m doing something right.

GP: What types of hurdles have you met creating comics, and any lessons learned you can share? What advice do you have for someone breaking into the entertainment industry?

JM: The biggest hurdle is just committing to do it. To create that book you’ve dreamed up. In this day, if you have a passion for comics and want to tell your own stories, there are so many options for you. Go for it!

GP: What can we expect from you next?

JM: Maybe some 80’s Undead sequels? But first, issue 2 and 3, then the trade paperback collection. Plus you can get the book digitally too. We’ve got lots of really cool books coming out now from Danger Zone, and more on the way. So hopefully I can get some more concepts of my own into the mix. I have no shortage of ideas and stories.

Preview: Night of the 80s Undead #1

Posted on July 9, 2013 by Brett

NIGHT OF THE 80’S UNDEAD #1

Writer: Jason Martin
Artist: Bill McKay
28 pages, full color
$3.99
Mature Readers
Bi-monthly 3 issue mini-series

It’s 1986, and Russia’s last ditch cold war effort is to strike at our American excess lifestyle with bio-engineered Colombian cocaine. What happens when two girls out for a good time cross paths with a huge celebrity party hyped up on commie zombie blow?!?! Radical undead action man! Totally!!

Diamond Order Code: APR130760

Picks of the Week: Princeless: Tales of the Family Ashe

Posted on July 9, 2013 by Brett

I’m a huge fan of all things Princeless. So, of course I’m going to recommend this one-shot Princeless: Tales of the Family Ashe by Action Lab .

While Adrienne is having the adventure of her lifetime, her family is getting pulled into the fray! Learn what happens to the ethereal Angelica in the aftermath of Adrienne’s rescue attempt! Shudder to learn what horrible fate has befallen Adrienne’s next sister, Angoisse! And learn the rest of the tale of the young King Ashe, ensnared in the trap of the fiendish elves.

There’s numerous reasons to recommend this comic and series every chance I get. The first is, with this one-shot, we get more of what’s going on with Adrienne’s family. The second is, this is one of the few series that’s as smartly written for kids as it is for adults. Third, it’s also a series that throws out all of the stereotypes and tropes we see in other comics and stories, giving us a strong female minority lead. This continues to be one of the most important comics currently being produced.

Here’s 9 other comics to check out this week in alphabetical order.

A1 #2 – The first issue of Titan Comics’ anthology series was beyond fantastic. I’m expecting more of the same from this one.
Ghosted #1 – A horror/crime mashup that’s equal parts Ocean’s 11 and The Shining. Sign me up!
Hawkeye #12 – One of the best Marvel comics on the market. It’s not afraid to shake things up in its storytelling techniques.
Justice League #22 – Trinity War, nuff said.
Night of the 80s Undead #1 – Another Action Lab comic. This time from their adult Danger Zone imprint. The series skewers the 80s with a mashup of zombies.
Quantum and Woody #1 – The popular Valiant duo returns!
Shelterd #1 – The men and women of Safe Haven have been preparing for any-and-all end of world scenarios for years. However, their bunkers, weapons and training can’t save them from the one threat they never could have expected: Their own children.
The Standard #3 – This should be on everyone’s list. The publisher offered you your money back if you don’t enjoy it.
The Westwood Witches #2 – A great horror comic from indie publisher Amigo Comics.

Review: Ehmm Theory #1, Ghost Town #1, The Final Plague #1, Double Jumpers TPB, The Trip, Night of the 80s Undead #1

Posted on June 5, 2013 by Brett

Ehmm Theory #1

What start’s out as a horror comedy, with young Gabriel Ehmm waking up dead with his kitten now talking, begins to shift into more genres as they try to solve the mystery of what’s happening to them… you know while battling giant cyborg crabs!!!!

A mix of horror and comedy Ehmm Theory is one of the flagship titles for Action Lab’s Danger Zone imprint. As far as a title I’d throw out there as a flagship it’s not too bad, though I think some of the other series are strong.

This series might come down to personal taste of how you like your horror and comedy mixed together. While I thought a lot of it was funny, some of it also fell flat for me. Further issues, I’m crossing my fingers to see how it goes, because there is a lot I like.

Overall the series is pretty solid start. If you enjoy horror and comedy, this is a good pick for people who enjoy those types of stories. I went back and forth as to whether this is a “buy” or “read,” but I’m leaning towards “buy” for folks who enjoy those types of stories. This one could be more than anything else and it’s a series I feel definitely deserves to be checked out.

Story: Brockton McKinney Art: Larkin Ford
Story: 7 Art: 7 Overall: 7 Recommendation: Buy

Ghost Town #1

Moments after scientists create a time machine, terrorists steal and weaponize the device, sending bombs into the future. Las Vegas evaporates in flame as the terrorists reveal their future target: Washington DC. Now, the FBI must find the terrorists before the capital becomes a Ghost Town, The clock is ticking.

Take Time Cop and throw in terrorism and you have this series. It’s an interesting concept and presented in a way for folks who are fans of tense police thrillers. Can the terrorists be tracked down in time? And time is the key thing here, how does time travel twist up the concept of this series that we’ve seen before. That’s enough to make it unique and got me really interested.

There’s this dread throughout and build up of tension as the comic moved on. As time passed me reading the comic, the tension increased. For me, there was something really fun about that.

This the type of comic I’m drawn to, so it’s not shocking at all as to how much I enjoyed it and that I’d recommend it for others. There’s some cool characters, an exciting plot, and a concept that leads to tension and some interesting possibilities. Take in the fact that a major city goes bye-bye early on, you don’t know how far the comic will go, adding in to the excitement. Overall, a solid read that I want more of.

Story: Dave Dwonch Art: Justin Greenwood
Story: 8 Art: 7.75 Overall: 8 Recommendation: Buy

The Final Plague #1

The Final Plague has begun, and with it mankind’s final hours. Can a rural Iowan family survive the initial onslaught of crazed, rabid animals, presumably the product of a mutated super-virus? Or will they succumb to the plague that threatens to end all life as we know it?

I hate rats. That fact alone had me squirming as I read this comic. This is a horror comic that plays off the real world fears of individuals. I see rats daily living in a city, and we’re talking big ones and you better believe the disease they carry is on my mind. Reading this comic, that wasn’t helped at all.

The story and art are beyond creepy. Just thinking about it, I get shivers. This is Arachnophobia but with rats, big plague carrying rats.

What I also liked about it, wasn’t just the ick factor, but also the characters. The family dynamic here is really solid and how everyone interacts with each other. It’s really great stuff and the fact you have these very normal characters, that you like, dealing with this type of issue, the build up is tense and left me a bit uneasy.

As you can tell, I liked this for the gross factor. A nice horror comic that could actually be all too real, which makes it all the much better.

Story: JD Arnold Art: Tony Guaraldi-Brown
Story: 8.5 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.5 Recommendation: Buy

Double Jumpers Vol. 1 TPB

The cult hit of 2012 is finally collected! After Jason and his team of programmers get stuck in virtual reality game, Dungeon Lords, they must find a way back to the real world. Unbeknownst to them, the fantasy characters they inhabit have taken control of their bodies… and now wizards and warriors run free in Las Vegas!

I’m a fan of video games, so when I first found out about this 9-bit of fun, I had high expectations. Then there’s also the fact that when I think of Action Labs I think of some great comics for all ages and very “girl friendly.” Then I got to read the first issue and boy was I off in what I was expecting.

Instead of some deft commentary on gaming and its community instead we got a series that played directly into the juvenile stereotypes you’d expect. This was more dick and fart jokes than anything else. That’s not a bad thing and I went with it for a while.

And there’s a lot I thought was funny. The story and its plot, how it played out, that was solid. It was some of the jokes that fell flat for me. The biggest is the idea of a female character being stuck in a male character’s body and vice versa. Most of it was easy jokes and some of it a bit tasteless, but that’s my personal opinion. Others might find it funny, but there’s so much of it, for me, it drew me out from really enjoying the rest.

When it comes down to it, this one is very much a personal taste thing. It might be different for you, but this wasn’t really for me.

Story: Dave Dwonch Art: Bill Blankenship
Story: 6.75 Art: 7.75 Overall: 7 Recommendation: Read

The Trip

A group of college kids on a desert-baked road trip take a Native American drug that unlocks their deepest fears. Now, if a teenager and his grandfather from the local reservation can’t find them in time, they’re going to have to face their own personal terrors, or be consumed by them! The Trip is an Indian drug fueled ride into horror!!

A college road trip, how many horror movies start out with one of those? Then the kids do something stupid, like have a party or do drugs (as in this case) and then all hell breaks loose and people die. That’s the basic plot here, generally what you’d expect in a horror movie, and at the same time I came away enjoying the story, a lot.

Like many of the other horror titles for Action Lab’s Danger Zone imprint, it’s the dread that got me. The tension and build up as bodies piled up got me hooked and wanted to see what was coming next and how it’d get resolved.

This is basically a drug trip gone bad, but that aspect, to me at least, was pretty original. What the drug does and how each individual meets their fate kept me entertained.

Then there’s the main character and the issues she faces, it’s hard to go into that one without giving spoilers away, but while everyone else’s horror was a bit out there, this one was all too real. That again helps the story and adds to it all.

While this might seem like a typical college road trip gone bad, there’s something here that makes it unique and worth checking out. It has that “messed up” quality that makes it stand out.

Story: Jess Grillo Art: David Brame
Story: 8 Art: 8 Overall: 8 Recommendation: Buy

Night of the 80’s Undead #1

It’s 1986, and Russia’s last-ditch cold war effort is to strike at our American excess lifestyle with bio-engineered Colombian cocaine. What happens when two girls out for a good time cross paths with a huge celebrity party hyped up on commie zombie blow?!?! Radical undead action man! Totally!!

I grew up in the 80s. I appreciate 80s music and 80s movies and 80s fashion. The fact this comic takes all of that and rips it to shred made me enjoy the comic. Making fun of that decade and the stars, that alone makes the comic a buy for folks who grew up during that time and remember it well. If jokes about Charlie Sheen and OJ Simpson among others seems entertaining, well then here you go. That’s funny to me, and the comic is so absurd and over the top, it works, really works.

There’s a commentary here that’s not only funny, but also has a deft message about the excess of the 80s. The drugs, the debauchery, the “me me me” it’s all here and nothing seems to be too sensitive to make fun of.

There’s the whole thing about looking at the past through rose color glasses, in this case though, it’s looking at the past, and then pissing on it, while giggling. Sign me up.

Story: Jason Martin Art: Bill McKay
Story: 8.25 Art: 8 Overall: 8.25 Recommendation: Buy

Action Lab Lowers Comic Prices

Posted on April 29, 2013 by Brett

While some publishers were making announcements about new series and creative teams at C2E2, Action Lab Entertainment was going a different direction. Instead they’ve announced the reversal of ever rising comic book prices.

The publisher has announced starting with their comics listed in June’s Previews being offered for $2.99 instead of their previous standard of $3.99. The next part is those comics now being a standard 32 pages. The publisher’s NFL Rushzone books will now be available twice monthly with 20 pages for $1.99.

Additionally, beginning with Jamal Igle’s Molly Danger (in the current previews, available in July), Action Lab will be offering a number of 48 page oversized European style hardcovers at $19.99. This is coming right on the heels of the release of our first preview of Molly Danger alongside their breakout hit Princeless in their Free Comic Book Day release.

Perhaps even more impressive is that this month marks the launch of Action Lab’s new mature readers line Action Lab: Danger Zone. This launch will be approximately doubling the size of their monthly catalog and will include a variety of books including: Ehmm Theory (where a dead man and his talking cat are tasked by St. Peter with a number of insane missions – including fighting zombie circus clowns), The Final Plague (an infestation of undead animals), Ghost Town (a tale of time-travel and terrorism), and Night of the 80’s Undead (a mashup of John Hughes type romance and George Romero type horror).

Over the past two years Action Lab Entertainment has made remarkable strides as a small comic book publisher. The company has gone from it’s first published work to its first Eisner nomination and on to its first major license (announcing an NFL RushZone comic earlier this year).

Kickstarter Spotlight: Action Lab’s Danger Zone!

Posted on April 2, 2013 by Brett

Action Lab Entertainment has launched a Kickstarter campaign to help push its recently-announced Danger Zone imprint, which incorporates a wide variety of titles aimed at more mature readers.

The Kickstarter campaign’s primary focus is on six of the first creator-owned titles to be released under the Danger Zone banner. Three of them–The Final Plague, Ghost Town, and Night of the 80s Undead–are bimonthly series, while the remaining three–The Trip, Zombie Tramp, and Double Jumpers–are either trade paperbacks or original graphic novels.

Donors to the Kickstarter can receive a number of unique items only available there, including exclusive covers, a fold in poster, original artwork, and even the opportunity to hang out with the Action Lab crew at San Diego Comic Con 2013.

With the emphasis on fun no-limits content, Danger Zone titles offered range from comedy, to horror, to science fiction, to whatever creators can dream up! Danger Zone is the place where anything goes, both for readers and creators. As with any independent publisher, Action Lab is tirelessly working to get this exciting material in front of as many eyes as possible. The company believes the Kickstarter campaign can contribute to that goal.

Having read the majority of the comics featured, they’re entertaining and fun to read. Absolutely a project worth supporting.

Best Pledge: $30 – there’s a few choices, but you get unique Kickstarter covers of the individual issues, a poster or can get one of the trades. There’s lots of different levels and combos, so go with the series that interests you.

Risk: LOW – Action Lab is a solid publisher that knows what they’re doing. Since I’ve read review copies for most of these series, creating them isn’t an issue. Maybe printing and shipping could be delayed a bit, but I’m confident they’ll come through.

Crowdfunding

Action Lab merges with SR Graphics to take comics to…The Danger Zone with a Mature Line!

Posted on December 17, 2012 by Brett

Action Lab Entertainment is excited to announce that Super Real Graphics publisher Jason Martin has accepted a position to spearhead its new mature readers line, Action Lab: Danger Zone, and merge his SR Graphics with the new brand.

While Action Lab is known more for its high-profile all-ages friendly properties, including the Eisner-nominated Princeless, the upcoming Molly Danger from Jamal Igle, and various licensed properties from toys and animation, it reinforces its dedication to publishing a full spectrum of comic book content. The creation of the Danger Zone imprint allows it to continue to seek out the best projects for any audience, and as the newly-appointed publisher for the brand, Martin can use his experience running a mature readers line of books to help ALE achieve bigger and better things.

In merging the two creator-owned publishing companies, Action Lab now also brings the existing Super Real Graphics properties to their new Danger Zone catalog, including the cult indie hit Zombie Tramp from Dan Mendoza. A fan favorite since its release in late 2010, Zombie Tramp’s sold-out graphic novel will be getting both a new printing, as well as a sequel series in 2013. Additionally, all of Action Lab’s current projects that qualify as ‘mature’ will move over to the new line, including the trade paperback collection of Dave Dwonch’s just-concluding critically acclaimed video game raunch-fest, Double Jumpers.

In 2013 the line will launch with several new books–both from new talent (with titles like the horror-tinged desert-baked graphic novel The Trip, the viral-outbreak survival saga The Rabid, and the mind-bending genre-blending exploits of a boy and his talking kitten in Ehmm Theory), and from previously- published creators (including Tony Fleecs and Tone Rodriguez’s poetry-powered American Goth Chick, Dave Dwonch and Rob Ruddell’s time-hopping rogue nuke mythology Ghost Town, and Martin’s own Regan-era zombie lovefest Night of the 80’s Undead). There are more titles in store as well, including the aforementioned SR Graphics title Zombie Tramp, and Grant Gould’s Norse mythology by-way-of Tolkien The Wolves of Odin saga. Overall, this is a truly inspired line-up for fans of graphic fiction that will see release in print via comic book shops, as well as online via ComiXology and all major digital providers.