RobertBraveBear

“The Order of the Stick (OOTS) is a comedic webcomic that...

Thu, 10 May 2012 13:20:00 -0400

“The Order of the Stick (OOTS) is a comedic webcomic that celebrates and satirizes tabletop role-playing games and medieval fantasy through the ongoing tale of the eponymous fellowship of adventuring heroes. The comic is written and illustrated by Rich Burlew, who creates the comic in a colorful stick figure style.

Taking place in a magical world that loosely operates by the rules of the 3.5 edition Dungeons and Dragons (D&D), the comic follows the sometimes farcical exploits of six adventurers as they strive to save the world from an evil lich. Much of the comic’s humor stems from these characters either being aware of the game rules that affect their lives or having anachronistic knowledge of modern culture, which in turn is often used by the author to parody various aspects of role-playing games and fantasy fiction. While primarily comedic in nature, The Order of the Stick features a continuing storyline serialized in one- to four-page episodes, with over 800 such episodes released so far.

Although it is principally distributed online at the website Giant in the Playground, seven book collections have been published, including several print-only stories (On the Origin of PCs, Start of Darkness, and Snips, Snails and Dragon Tales). An alternate version of the strip appeared monthly in Dragon magazine for 22 issues; these strips, among others, are collected in Snips, Snails and Dragon Tales.”

“One day Millenium Boy decided to grab his hobo stick, his...

Mon, 07 May 2012 16:12:00 -0400

“One day Millenium Boy decided to grab his hobo stick, his bandana, and his Swiss Army knife, bid his mom goodbye, and head off on a quest for adventure. Joined by his best friend Steve (weapon: baseball bat; clothing: wife beater, cargo pants and sandals), they soon find themselves in a violent altercation with two other adventure seekers. It ends badly for their antagonists (“Whoa, check it out, dude! You actually knocked this dude’s brain right out of his cranium!”) and Millenium Boy and Steve become the proud owners of fancy weapons upgrades (a crowbar and a steel chain). So on they trek, and the next inductee to their group is the muscle-bound Lash Penis.

And then things start getting weird!

Readers of 2009’s Red Monkey Double Happiness Book will recognize Joe Daly’s delightfully unique stoner/philosopher dialogue and distinctive character designs, but the hilarious over-the-top Role Playing Game action (complete with periodic updates for each character’s status in ten criteria, including “dexterity,” “intelligence,” and “money”) propel this new story into a heretofore unachieved action-comedy realm. By the end of this book (the first chapter of a projected four-part epic), the trio has been joined by Nerdgirl the Archer, Lash Penis has nearly had his arm cut off, they’ve acquired a whole new nifty bag of tricks, and the menaces have become increasingly surreal and lethal. Where will it end?”

So free comic book day is tomorrow, May 5th, and I encourage...

Fri, 04 May 2012 13:58:00 -0400

So free comic book day is tomorrow, May 5th, and I encourage everyone to go out to your local shop and pick up anything that interests you and see what sticks, you never know what you might like!

If you aren’t aware of free comic book day, that’s ok, it’s only about 10 years old. It started in 2002 by the North American comic book industry and it’s a great way to bring in more people into the world of comics.

This year the list is fairly promising but personally I’m most excited for the Adventure Time comic based off of the wildly popular television show on Cartoon Network and following the continuity of the main comic storyline.

For a full list of the comics available you can check here http://www.freecomicbookday.com/Home/1/1/27/981

“Can you ever escape your fate? Three shadows stand...

Thu, 03 May 2012 15:44:24 -0400

“Can you ever escape your fate?

Three shadows stand outside the house – and Louis and Lise know why the spectral figures are there. The shadows have come for Louis and Lise’s son, and nothing anyone can do will stop them. Louis cannot let his son die without trying to prevent it, so the family embarks on a journey to the ends of the earth, fleeing death.

Poignant and suspenseful, Three Shadows is a haunting story of love and grief, told in moving text and sweeping black and white artwork by Cyril Pedrosa.”

Hark! A Vagrant! is Kate Beaton’s first book that collects...

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 15:57:31 -0400

Hark! A Vagrant! is Kate Beaton’s first book that collects her incredibly popular webcomic strips about history, literature, and general silliness.

http://harkavagrant.com/index.php to see more!

David B- Epileptic The book tells the story of the...

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 12:04:03 -0400

David B- Epileptic

The book tells the story of the artist’s early childhood and adolescence, focusing on his relationship with his brother and sister. His brother develops severe and intractable epilepsy, causing the family to seek a variety of solutions from alternative medicine, most dramatically by moving to a commune based on macrobiotic principles. As the epileptic brother loses control of his own life, the artist develops solitary obsessions with cartoons, mythology and war. The book’s graphic style becomes increasingly elaborate as the children’s fantasy life takes over, with their dreams and fears (including epilepsy itself) appearing as living creatures. In brief interludes, the children appear as adults when the artist begins the process of writing the story.

Vanessa Davis is another cartoonist I have a great deal of...

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 11:47:19 -0400

Vanessa Davis is another cartoonist I have a great deal of admiration for. She primarily works in the realm of the autobiographical comic and she’s incredibly genuine with all the subject matters she touches upon.

This is what Amazon has to say about her and her book titled “Make Me a Woman”

“…No story is too painful to tell—like how much she enjoyed fat camp. Nor too off-limits—like her critique of R. Crumb. Nor too personal—like her stories of growing up Jewish in Florida. Using her sweet but biting wit, Davis effortlessly carves out a wholly original and refreshing niche in two well-worn territories: autobio comics and the Jewish identity. Davis draws strips from her daily diary, centering on her youth, mother, relationships with men, and eventually her longtime boyfriend…”

Lauren Weinstein is a bit of a personal hero to me. I’m...

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 13:04:41 -0400

Lauren Weinstein is a bit of a personal hero to me. I’m not particularly attracted to her art style but her authenticity is stunning, especially in her book “Girl Stories”, which is a loosely autobiographical telling of many of her experiences and feelings from 8th to 9th grade, including but not limited to Homemade Barbie fashions, pining over Morrissey and feces in the locker of a certain ruthless bully.

Bone, written and illustrated by Jeff Smith “Three modern...

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 12:57:01 -0400

Bone, written and illustrated by Jeff Smith

“Three modern cartoon cousins get lost in a pre-technological valley, spending a year there making new friends and out-running dangerous enemies. Their many adventures include crossing the local people in The Great Cow Race, and meeting a giant mountain lion called RockJaw: Master of the Eastern Border. They learn about sacrifice and hardship in The Ghost Circles and finally discover their own true natures in the climatic journey to The Crown of Horns.”

Everyone should go out and read Moomin and live in the...

Mon, 09 Apr 2012 12:00:28 -0400

Everyone should go out and read Moomin and live in the moominvalley and create lots of chaos and friends!

“Gold, Silver & Crystal is the third chapter of...

Fri, 06 Apr 2012 12:05:00 -0400

“Gold, Silver & Crystal is the third chapter of the Pokémon Adventures manga.

This chapter features the journeys of Gold through Johto trying to at first search for the ones who stole his backpack and uncovers that the ones who stole his backpack are planning something. Two other new trainers come into the plot of the story, Silver, whose life is tied in with the villains of this series, and Crystal, an average Pokémon Trainer a staggering talent in catching Pokémon who later helps Professor Oak catch all the Pokémon to complete his Pokédex. Along with these three, the original 3 Pokédex holders come back to help these three along with Yellow. With their aid, will Gold be able to stop the reformed Team Rocket and their evil mastermind’s nefarious schemes?”

-From Bulbapedia

Manga Master!!!

Thu, 05 Apr 2012 12:02:33 -0400

Manga Master!!!

Volumes 4-7 of Pokemon adventures switches perspective to a new...

Wed, 04 Apr 2012 11:59:25 -0400

Volumes 4-7 of Pokemon adventures switches perspective to a new character named Yellow. We Briefly meet her in an earlier volume, when Red helped her catch a Rattata just outside of Viridian forest.

It takes place 2 years after Red becomes champion of the Pokemon League and Red has gone missing. After his Pikachu manages to make it’s way back to Professor Oaks lab, obviously beaten in a fierce battle, Yellow uses her mysterious power to heal him and they set out on a journey to find Red. On their way they encounter the Elite Four, a group of expert trainers who will use any trick at their disposal to keep the kind and timid Yellow from finding the person who inspired her to become a pokemon trainer in the first place.

I enjoy this series, Yellow is a kind character who doesn’t want to fight with pokemon but befriend them instead so she tries to use strategies which will avoid either party getting hurt. The direction the Elite Four takes is pretty interesting too, from being pretty neutral characters you must overcome to become champion in the games to being characters with clear cut agendas involving revenge and eco terrorism (which is kinda silly but c’mon, it’s for funs!).

Skim is one of my favorite graphic novels of all time with...

Tue, 03 Apr 2012 12:01:26 -0400

Skim is one of my favorite graphic novels of all time with incredible art and a great story that alienated teens and adults recovering from those awkward years can really relate with.

“Skim is a “not-slim” student (her real name’s Kim) at an all-girls catholic school. She is known as a goth, and practices Wicca. When popular girl Katie Matthews gets dumped by her athlete boyfriend, who days later kills himself, the entire school goes into mourning overdrive. With the school counselors breathing down her neck and the popular clique (including Katie’s best friend Julie Peters) forming a new club in its wake, Skim finds herself in the crosshairs, deepening her “depression”. And if things cannot get more complicated, Skim starts to fall for an equally quirky teacher.”

If you’ve ever met me, or even glanced at me on the...

Mon, 02 Apr 2012 11:59:01 -0400

If you’ve ever met me, or even glanced at me on the street, you’d probably pick up that I’m a huge pokenerd so of course I need to talk about the Pokemon Adventures series of Manga (Pocket Monsters Special in Japan).

The first three volumes follow the plot of the Red and Blue gameboy titles pretty faithfully. We follow the journey of a young boy named Red as he travels across the region of Kanto fighting for the eight gym badges and facing off against the wicked members of team rocket all while trying to outdo his rival Blue and avoid the tricky schemes of a new friend in a girl named Green.

In the past if you wanted physical copies of these you had to try to find the original Viz translations from the late 90s or rely on the poorly translated versions produced by the Singapore based company Chuang Yi (Who do not ship to the US but could be found on sites like ebay). Luckily Viz has taken to publishing these again for a US audience so they’re really easy to get your paws on.

Kazimir Strzepek’s comic series The Mourning Star is a...

Fri, 30 Mar 2012 12:05:06 -0400

Kazimir Strzepek’s comic series The Mourning Star is a wonderful look into a fully realized post-apocalyptic world that follows a large cast of characters.

The first book hold a tight focus on the journey of two friends trying to make it to the big city to try to find lost companions and build a new life. While they take the majority of the spotlight we also meet the Snipper-Sniper, a highly skilled warrior who happens to be a buffoon afflicted with amnesia.

The second volume focuses on the Snipper-Sniper and his journey into the same city. There is also much more exposition on the villains of the story and there are allusions that perhaps the comet incident wasn’t the accident everyone though it was…

I look forward to the 3rd volume though I have no clue as to whether or not it’s even going to come out. Strzepek does a great job at sucking you in and leaving you wanting more.

Some pretty awesome covers to some books I have no idea what...

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 12:00:06 -0400

Some pretty awesome covers to some books I have no idea what they are about. Classify these as “What is this, I don’t even…”

Lets time travel to 1995

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 12:05:06 -0400

Lets time travel to 1995

I picked up Spera on a whim, due to the consistant high quality...

Tue, 27 Mar 2012 12:00:05 -0400

I picked up Spera on a whim, due to the consistant high quality of the art and promise of a fantasy tale with young women in the lead who aren’t wearing chain-mail bikinis. Pira and Lono are princesses of neighboring kingdoms and when Pira’s mother kills Lono’s father Pira comes to save Lono, knowing that her ruthless mother intends to invade Lono’s homeland. Their friend Yonder, a kind older gentleman in polite society and a great fire spirit in the wilds, acts as their steed and takes them to Spera where they plan on exploring for treasure and hunting monsters for money.

Dungeon: Monstres by Joann Sfar, Lewis Trondheim, Mazan,...

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 12:05:06 -0400

Dungeon: Monstres by Joann Sfar, Lewis Trondheim, Mazan, Jean-Christophe Menu, Stéphane Blanquet, Andreas, Carlos Nine, Patrice Killoffer, J-E. Vermot-Desroches and Yoann

The Monstre series in the Dungeon world tends to focus on the adventures or secondary characters in the dungeon world like the Vulture sorcerer Horus, Alcibiades the wizard and John-John the terrible. The second volume also deals with a story that takes place closer to the time of the Twilight series, featuring Herbert and Marvin in a story as much more seasoned and powerful adventurers.