Round Up

Some cool things from the web:

The Substitute Teacher

By my friend Josh. I would have LOVED to have that guy in my classroom on the days I was gone.

Weird, Wild Stuff

And awesome. My friend Time Baron is one of the most out there artists I know. Just wild!

New Hulk Trailer

Wow, does this movie look awesome. I liked the first one. But this one looks good, too.

Speed Racer, season 1, free online

Seriously? You mean, on the same website where you can watch the entire series of both the original Battlestar Galactica and Galactica: 1980 (except the first three episodes which were the only three episodes worth watching of that series . . . well, except for the episode about the final fate of Starbuck) online? And new episodes of the new series? And the episode of Buck Rogers that guest starred Gary Coleman? Yes. The same. Free and legal, you too can watch the wonder than is Hulu.

I don't have cable, but around noon the day after it airs, they post the new episode of the new Battlestar Galactica series. 

~ Ben

"Comics Worth Reading" -- Thrivers

For a comic book writer who has a blog, I don't blog about comics much, do I?

Well let's change that, shall we?

In the spirit of my last post, about the Clockwork comic, I hereby start something new for my blog. Comics Worth Reading. These are comics that I feel are, uh, worth reading.

Today, I want to point you in the direction of Eric Merced's blog, where he has posted a comic called Thrivers.

In his own words, Thrivers is "a short 12 page comic with the goal of bringing awareness to the mass about emancipated Youth from the Foster Care system".

In MY words, it's a beautiful story that is, unfortunately, too often very true. The art for this story is spot on. The dialog and pacing are smooth and natural. The message is strong without being preachy.

So please, check it out HERE. You'll be glad you did.

~ Ben

FREE COMICS from Wowio

Well, there's been some exciting things happening with some of my projects. They have been put online on the book website Wowio.

First, the newest thing:

TIMEPIECE, one of my first projects with Community Comics, is available as a free download from Wowio.com.


Wowio is a free book downloading service that operates much like iTunes, except it's free. Be aware, there are some titles on that website that I do not endorse. However, there are some comics that I DO endorse. Let's take a look at some of them.

First, there's Hero TV.


Hero TV was created to be a free giveaway a few years ago. A couple years, and a couple thousand copies, later, we're finally getting it online. A follow up to this book has been in the works for a little while and is finally nearing completion.

Next up is the project that I was most excited about seeing FINALLY completed. The Thieves.


I've touched on this before, but it was a project that has been a couple of years in the making and I finally was able to get an artist who would do the story justice. I was very pleased with how well this turned out. It's the story of the thieves who were crucified with Christ. This is not available in print anywhere.

Next, there's Tempest.


Tempest is, in many ways, a companion to Timepiece. They both start with the letter "T", they both have two syllables in the title, they both were written by me, and they both were illustrated by multiple artists. While I'm a little embarrassed of Timepiece (it WAS one of my first comics and there are a few plot and dialogue elements I would love a chance to change), I am still proud of it. I feel Tempest, however, is one of my most personal projects to date. Both of them deal with similar themes, and both reflect me at the time they were written. Tempest, however, is the work of a writer who has honed his craft slightly.

Finally, here's Seven Seconds and a Dead Fish.


Yes, the title is odd but the book is wonderful. It's created by Jesse Hamm, a great artist with a unique vision.

So there's a brief glimpse through Wowio. Some are from people I think you should support, some are from myself and Community Comics. You may notice some of my other books on Wowio, and there are a few. If you just want to read them, go ahead. I'm proud of that work also.

~ Ben

A Really Cool Comic to Check Out

I have a lot of friends who want to Make Comics. And some of them actually are doing it.

It's sad, actually, as I was thinking the other day about the paucity of solid comics by my friends. Not that they can't do it. Just that they don't.

Anyway, here's a guy who's got that "can do" attitude, and he's being rewarded for it. His name is Josh Alves. He's a cool guy, and he's got a cool comic called Araknid Kid.

So cool, I should add, that he was selected to be in the Zuda comics competition. Zuda is, in a nutshell, an American Idol style competition that DC Comics is hosting. The winners of the contest get some sort of deal wherein they get paid to produce more content.

Anyway, check out Josh's comic on Zuda. It's fun, a lot of fun:

http://zudacomics.com/user/4311



And if you like it, give 'im your vote.

~ Ben

EDIT: Also, check out Josh's website where he has some "DVD extras" about Araknid Kid:

http://araknidkid.joshalves.com/wordpress/