Komik2u

The comic convention will be held at Sunway Pyramid of Subang Jaya for 2 days, starting from 20th of December.

Under independent organisation, the festival is sponsored by various multi-nationals such as Hewlett Packard, anime premier channel Animax and processor manufacturer AMD. Almost 150 freelance and professional artist booths will be available to serve fans. Among them are Malaysian well-known comic magazine Gempak artists and gentlemen from Imaginary Friends Studio (IFS) of Singapore. Some of the sub events featured during the 2-day fiesta are cosplay competition, autograph sessions, doujin competition, stage performances, as well as art demonstration and workshop by Animasia, Gempak, The One Academy and IFS artists.

Buy City of Dust #1C comic book 

Steve Niles is well known as the writer who brought horror elements into comic arena, and I agree with the statement after reading his widely publicisized 30 Days of Night although some claimed that Niles has his fair share of misses. Interestingly, this third title produced by the multi-media - Radical Comics, is another impressive debut in both story and art. Radical Comics had previously published Caliber (Sam Sarkar & Garrie Gastonny) and Hercules (Steve Moore & Admira Wijaya).

Steve Niles’s Magic Dust through Philip Krome!

City of Dust #1 Cover A

The plot takes place in a Bradburian nightmare surroundings where books are outlawed along with all form of creative thought. A world not that different from today where art programs are disappearing with more frequency from schools and corruption within the church casts a deep destruction on today’s society. Phillip Khrome is Niles’s hard nosed detective for the story’s main player. He’s a guy plagued by guilt from his childhood when he told his teacher about a bedtime story of his father.  Amazingly, it caused swift action which ultimately disallowed Khrome from meeting his father again. Now Khrome tracks offenders of the crime his father was accused of; arresting people for praying, reading, or using their right brain at all.

Zid of Imaginary Friends Studio

Setting this story in the future environment opens up all ways of possibility for Niles to venture through. The fusion of horror and noir elements that placed in a futuristic surroundings is the one expected from Steve Niles. There’s an especially effective scene in issue one that tells a lot about the environment. The storyline is placed in where Khrome’s literal-minded tech-bots come across a dead body that deflect all types of forensic detection. Khrome is forced to think outside the freaking mind-isolated society that has built around everyone as well in order to tackle the case. The mystery has only begun. But as Khrome finds a book of monsters, it appears Niles is going to demonstrate that a literal world overlooks a lot of important and dangerous things.

The art by Zid or his real name as Mohammad Yazid Kamal Bahrain is simply well done. He paints what he pencilled which makes his artworks well illustrated. The panels are angular and varied, given that Zid is purely art-directed instead of discretely storyline-oriented. This 24-year old bloke of MARA University of Technology (UiTM) had given his best shot for the golden opportunity to work with Niles.

Khrome is another interesting character by Niles, who is fast becoming one of the lead noir writers as well, as seen in Criminal Macabre of Dark Horse Comics and Dead She Said of IDW Publishing. Here, Niles puts a new interesting spin on the detective genre of science fiction.

Buy City of Dust #1D comic book

This comic proves that Niles’s strength lies outside of the mainstream as well. He’s treading through familiar territory with the detective noir and the horror, but putting a fresh new spin on it by plopping it firmly into sci fi territory. I wonder how futuristic the classic monsters would be and what kind of bumps Phillip Khrome would encounter under Niles’s idea commands.

Buy City of Dust #1E comic book

Liquid City is the first volume of comic anthology featuring Robots, Monkey Kings and Giant Whales, This comic artbook brings together artists and comic writers from Southeast Asian countries including Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and Philippines, as well as collaborators from outer region.

Kampung Boy’s Lat contributed too!

Liquid City Vol. 1 Cover

From Leong Wan Kok’s distinct post apocalyptic landscapes and alien creatures to Datuk Khalid or Lat’s charming look back at  Malaysian life in the 1960s, from Mike Carey’s meditation on colonialism to Ken Foo’s dark visions of  regurgitations and bodily transformations, this comic anthology presents an edgy life vision in cities of past, present and future.

Also featured are works by Charlene Chua, Lefty,Jon Foster, Sonny Liew, Gerry Alanguilan, FSC, Koh Hong Teng, Drewscape, Kuanth,Thanh Phong, Troy Chin, Shari Chankhamma and many more.

28 Stories and Spreads!

25 stories were featured in this anthology which are Metamorphosis by Leong Wan Kok @ Puyuh, Noirstorborg by F. S. C., Otah Tree by Troy Chin, Food Kingdom by Kaoru, Malinky Robot: Stinky Fish Blues by Sonny Liew, Love Hurts by Gerry Alanguilan, The Chicken Licken Phenomenon by Chin Sau Lim, Bird Bird by kenfoo, Me and My Food by Shari Chankhamma, Alpha Gorilla by Otto Fong, Cube by Michael Chuah @ C2V, Rogue by Kuanth, Face by Mike Carey and Sonny Liew, The Pouch Puppeteer by Koh Hong Teng, The Trip by Datuk Khalid @ Lat, Eidolon by Charlene Chua and Wayne Santos, The Boy and The Paper Plane by Nguyen Thanh Phong, Exit by by Ho Seng Hui, No Matter… by Suttichart Sarapaiwanich, For Love by Lefty, Regrets by Koh Hong Teng, Harpy Lullaby by Hu Jingxuan, I Grew a Spaceship by Drewscape, Invasion by Leong Wan Kok and Bear Bear by kenfoo.

3 spreads were also featured in this artbook including Robot Parade by Jon Foster, Civil Wars by Ray Toh and Lava Man Invasion by Gary Choo. Cover art provided by Shelly Wan, I personally feel that this book is worthy for Southeast Asian comic fans since it compiles new and well-known artists mainly in this Asian region.

Buy Street Fighter 2 Turbo #2A comic book

The second issue witnessed how the main casts prepare for the grand Street Fighter Tournament which organized by the Shadaloo. Continuing his adventures of experience gaining and training, Ryu’s haunted by his own self conflict depicting past, present and future, deep down in the snowy forest of Alaska. Thanks to one of Ken’s full bag of new skills, his mission to the tournament is nicely accelerated in good direction. Chun-li is training with Yun and Yang to improve her skills that she will soon need to fight her way through the tournament.

Psycho Drive eat an island!

This is the first book of Street Fighter series to show M.Bison’s true power which ultimately strengthen his mark as  a threat to the world.  In order to warn international military forces from interfering the tournament as well as marking the start of tournament, it’s more than enough for M.Bison to use up reflected Psycho Drive to abolish Vancouver Island of Canada. The last pages give you the new thrill and excitement as M.Bison directs Vega, Sagat and Balrog to supervise qualifying matches to be held up in Japan, Hong Kong and USA. Guess what, the venue in USA will be the Metro City, home of Final Fight Series, where a comic debutant of Street Fighter Alpha will heads up!

The story sets the mood for the beginning of the tournament comparing to the a reintroduction of the main characters in the last issue. My interest stuck on the back-up story of Abel as the first Street Fighter IV character to appear on comic. It’s a good appetizer before the real full issue commencing February next year, as we could also find out which Street Fighter character does Abel closely related t. Joe Ng’s art seems to be very much improved than his work in Street Fighter Remix one shot book.

I don’t know if others agree with me but I am kind of prefer Chamba’s artwork much more than Alvin’s. I do hope that he would improve more on his cute Chun-Li artwork as I am expecting our  greatest lady fighter to be sexier, at least more than Cammy. Chamba’s art on the fight between Evil Ryu and Ken is good especially on a near one page panel where we witness the Shoryu Reppa for the first time in the Comic.

The back-up story was illustrated by Joe Ng, the one who is going to pencil Street Fighter IV scheduled to be published next year. Some claimed that Joe Ng Style is so close to Alvin Lee’s and Arnold Tsang’s style which I am partially agreed. Certainly I am looking forward to Street Fighter IV comic series next year!

Buy Street Fighter 2 Turbo #2B comic book

Buy Ghost Rider #29 comic book

The issue starts with some flashbacks on the relationship between Danny Ketch and Johnny Blaze on the history of Blaze and Ketch’s relationship. Two flame heads, the red flame and the blue flame battle in a way which claimed to be too well organized. The fight takes turn one to another, making it looks like a neat war in 1700s, taking scenes from the picture Patriot starred by Mel Gibson. I think if Danny’s the one who initiate the penance attack, I doubt that our new Caretaker could make a save in time.

Danny Ketch’s Spirit of Vengeance thirsts for the rest of the Spirits!

Having noticed that the spirit of vengeance holds as a weapon of heaven bonded to him by the renegade angel, Johnny Blaze travels to the mountains of Tibet by just walking out of a door to exact his revenge. Zadkiel who had enjoyed himself on the dead Caretaker is busy preparing to overthrow throne of Heaven on the other way round. He then discovers that there are many different versions of Ghost Riders all over the world through the former nun as well. The death of horse-riding Tibetan ghost rider in return gives a hint that these Ghost Riders are actively on pursue by Danny Ketch who is now Zadkiel’s important pawn.

Newly introduced Ghost Riders might join Blaze!

The finishing page suddenly steer up my excitement for the next issue. The storyline is not linearly walk through the Ghost Rider past stories, but Aaron’s idea of spreading it globally is something that out of box in my thought. I have seen the Tibetan Ghost Rider including his demise in the previous book, which initially made me doubted whether we could witness other international Ghost Riders in action. The ambush of two Ghost Riders then opens up another interesting thoughts within me for at least there are Spirits of Vengeance that share the same direction as Johnny Blaze’s, though they might not be a perfect support against Ketch and Zadkiel.

Huat and Villarrubia’s art is as gorgeous as they worked on Silver Surfer,  maintaining a sense of urgency and movement if not much, even though most of the fight sequence is limited to five panels per page. I adore the design of characters, page and panel layouts, good enough to heat up Ol’ Flamehead’s fans on this first round of duel. Let’s just wait and see what these Taliban-wannabe and lady flameheads got to offer. On the other hand, the cover art by Marko Djurdjevic is severly sick! He’s totally up to my favorite illustrator’s list.