Neat huh?? We’re just getting started. We have a new comic book hitting the Indyplanet.com and Drivethrucomics.com racks every month for the next 12 months!!

We started off the summer with a bang with Longhunters #1 in August, moved into September with Earthbound Comics Presents #1 and have The Adventures of Alibi Jones #1 appearing in October! Souverain #1, Longhunters #2, The Stars, October Ages #1, Villains #1, Earthbound Comics Presents #2, Son Chasers #1 and many more come in the months to follow!

Starting with a stunning cover from Federico Guillen! Federico tells his own story within the cover, adding to the anthology experience! Look for new sci-fi from Ethan Slayton with a story called “The Core”! Ethan and Ben Ferrari team up or a six page preview of their superhero epic, Villains #1, due out in December! Buck Weiss contributes a “Shots Fired” short story seen in Lady Fight #4 and completes the shocking story here in ECP #1, along with artist Ruth Garcia! Mike Luoma’s “Alibi Jones makes an appearance with art by Juan Carlos Quattordio! Letters by Nikki Fox Robot!

Earthbound Comcis Presents #1 will be available August 1st, 2011 through the Earthbound Comics digital store at http://indyplanet.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=4223

What are the science fiction movies and books that influence you as a writer of great fiction like The Vatican Assassin Trilogy and comic books like Alibi Jones, Good Samaritan, and Panthea Obscura?

He came back with a wonderful collection of films and novels that is a great starting place for anyone interested in science fiction as a genre.  We’ll start with his movie picks this week and come back for his list of novels.

Also, check out the  Alibi Jones story that Newsarama called a “a noir-tinged detective procedural in space” in Spacebound! #1 from Earthbound Comics.

Buy it here - http://indyplanet.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=4223

And, Read Mike’s new Web Comic – Good Samaritan: Unto Dust.  Here is a preview of a page with art by Federico Guillen.

Now, onto Mike’s Top Five Science Fiction Films and please reply with any questions or comments.

Mike – For both these lists I went for those that have influenced me the most. For example, these five movies are not the best science fiction films that I like, but the ones that have meant the most to me. Likewise, the ten books are the ones that had the most influence on me, not necessarily the best by each author I mention.

My Top Five Science Fiction Films… at least for today:

5. 2001: A Space Odyssey – Stanley Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke’s masterpiece is one of my favorites for a few reasons: they made commercial space travel look attainable, no real liberties were taken with the actual physics of space travel, the silence of space was respected… and the trippy ending was open to interpretation. It makes the future feel real.

4. Star Trek: Wrath of Khan – KHAAAAAAAAAN! One of the greatest space battles on film. Unlike the Gee Whiz Awe of Star Trek: The Motion Picture this second Star Trek movie accentuated the fun side and the excitement of the original television series. The Genesis plotline was clever and its theme of rebirth seemed appropriate for the Enterprise’s original crew. But ultimately it’s the space battle between Kirk and Khan and their ships that gets this one on my list. Classic!

3. Blade Runner – Thinking about my top movies has made me nostalgic…. I can remember reading Starlog magazine back when Blade Runner was about to come out. There was an article on the designer/futurist Syd Mead and the contributions he was making to the upcoming release, with a photo of the car and concept pictures – it looked pretty wild! I hadn’t yet read any Philip K. Dick – seemed like his work had fallen out of publication at the time, except for British editions you could find at dealers’ tables at science fiction conventions – but the movie sounded cool and it had Harrison Ford in it – so I got my Dad to take me to see it when it came out, as I had to be accompanied by an adult. I remember him being surprised at how good it was. Like 2001, the future represented in the film seemed like a plausible, convincing extrapolation of our current reality, if a less optimistic one than the shiny, clean vision of 2001. I wasn’t a fan of Ford’s voice over in the original theatrical release, but subsequent new cuts have fixed that, like the so-called “Final Cut” released around three years ago.

2. The Empire Strikes Back – The best of the Star Wars films isn’t my #1 simply because Star Wars came out first and changed EVERYTHING. But Empire IS the best of the six Star Wars movies. George Lucas collaborated with other strong talents – among them Irving Kirshner on Direction and Lawrence Kasdan on the script – and the movie is the better for it. Kirshner’s direction brings more emotion out of the actors, creates more character moments that highlight their humanity – even when it’s an alien character like Yoda. And Kasdan’s script gives him a lot to work with – in the hands of the man who would later go on to write and direct The Big Chill, the archetypal young quester, the wizard, the princess, the rogue and the fools turned into more fully developed people with complicated relationships. Empire took the world I’d been enchanted by in the first movie and made it a fuller, richer place. Even John Williams’ music got better – this is where we first hear The Imperial March (Darth Vader’s theme),  one of the greatest leitmotifs in movie history – a damn fine piece of music!

1. Star Wars – To me, it’s not “Episode IV: A New Hope” as that retcon started with the release of Empire. Nope, to me it will always, simply be Star Wars. I remember my friend’s older brother took us to see it the first time I saw it in the summer of ’77. I was an eleven-year-old geek who read science fiction and got picked on for being smart and weird. And for the first time in my life, up there on the screen was a film that thrilled my imagination, stirred my soul, and let me know I wasn’t alone, wasn’t the only one who loved this sort of thing – even before it became a monster hit. Star Wars didn’t make science fiction that much more respectable. Better than that – it.made science fiction marketable! The explosion of science fiction entertainment was awesome. It all began with Star Wars – the special effects were incredible, groundbreaking at the time. The story was timeless, reinforced by its setting “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…” with its echoes of Fairy Tale and Flash Gordon. After years of reading Jung and Campbell I know where Lucas cribbed his plot from… no matter. When I was eleven or twelve and going back to see it for my tenth time, The Hero With A Thousand Faces was a long way in my future. But its story’s mythic roots gave it resonance, made it hugely popular, its otherworldly setting giving it the power of modern myth. Star Wars really DID change everything, for me personally and for our culture as a whole, as science fiction finally broke through into popular culture in a big way.

Next: Mike runs down his favorite Sci-fi novels.

Come back for new posts and updates.

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This year’s highlight item will be Spacebound! #1 which features the latest print installment from Matt’s award winning webcomic Mastorism.  Spacbound also features the latest Alibi Jones installment from Mike Luoma and Meisha.  Also, you will be able to purchase various other Earthbound books, including the Mastorism trade paperback, issues of Lady Fight, Winter War and more!  In addition to all of that (yes there’s more!) there will be prints, t-shirts, original art, and even (or so I hear) some of Matt’s paintings.

This year is supposed to be one of the biggest years for APE yet, so I wouldn’t dare miss it if you’re in the area!

For more information on APE, please visit: http://comic-con.org/ape/

SPACEBOUND! – DOUBLE FEATURE

Leave the Earth behind and head for the stars with Earthbound Comics new ongoing science fiction double feature, Spacebound! In every issue look for two or more action packed sci-fi adventures that will propel you into the far reaches of space!

Spacebound! #1 features two dynamic stories featuring two longtime science fiction comic creators:

From Mike Luoma’s Vatican Assassin universe comes Alibi Jones! In this Alibi yarn, we read tale of diplomacy, political intrigue, and action! Is the planet Poyas the ideal remote getaway? A perfect place to live the quiet life…. or certain death! It’s up to Alibi to uncover the truth! Story by Mike Luoma, Art by Meisha.

From Matthew Grant’s award winning webcomic, Mastorism, comes a brand new tale! Fifteen years after the Universal war, the Phantom Lord is within inches of his final conquest of the universe, when his darkest secret is stumbled upon, and it threatens to ruin everything for him! Now, he and the Dark Mastor will stop at nothing to keep their sinister plans in action! Story and art by Matthew Grant

Spacebound! will be featured at the Earthbound Comics table 617 at this years Alternative Press Expo, October 16-17, 2010, at the Concourse Exhibition Center in San Francisco, California. Mastorism creator and Earthbound Comics President, Matt Grant will be making an appearance. He will have copies of the book and many other titles from the Earthbound Comics library.

Spacebound #1 is available through the Earthbound Comics digital store at http://indyplanet.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=4223

Martin Montiel to Draw Son Chasers Two Issue Mini-Series

World War II ended with the death of Hitler and his wife Eva Braun. This is how history was written, but it is wrong. Eva escaped, carrying Adolf Hitler’s child. Eva gave birth to a son in South America named Heinrich (Henry) Hitler. Son Chasers is the story of this man and the hunt to find him, to eradicate the Hitler bloodline from our world. The problem? Henry is not his father. He is a good person and he’s on a mission to redeem his name.

Son Chasers is the brain-child of Ben Ferrari and Buck Weiss. Ferrari has been making comics both as a fan and as an assistant editor for Extreme Studios for many years and started the imprint Earthbound Comics with Matt Grant in 2009.

Earthbound Comics has been blessed with the talents of Martin Montiel (The Victorian, Darkness, Magdalena/Vampirella)for this project. He has produced an 8 page sample (seen on the Kickstarter site) and a cover (attached below). Montiel’s art adds a gritty violence and realness to Weiss and Ferrari’s story of espionage and redemption.

The first storyline is comprised of two issues (53 pages). Earthbound Comics is raising money through Kickstarter.com to produce and publish two issues including individual covers and re-interpretations of World War II propaganda posters.

95% of the money will go to pay the artist, inker, and colorist that we believe are worth their weight in gold. The rest will be put toward the actual printing of the books.

This comic will be an action-packed thrill ride and Backers can be a part of it. We have a great incentive program that gives anyone who would like to help a chance to pre-order the book, get signed copies, cover posters, thank you mentions, and original art. Buck, Ben, and Martin have also agreed to make one contributor the President of the United States. Their name and image will appear in the book itself.

The project is located at: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1342281204/son-chasers-2-issue-comic-book-mini-series

Now, onto the full notice!

Hello there Earthbound Comics fans! I know it’s been a while, but con season is now upon us, and we’ve geared up with plenty of new books and two (count ‘em) TWO big con appearances coming right. That’s right, we’ll be at Orlando’s MegaCon on the east side of the country in March, and then at San Francisco’s WonderCon on west in April. Right now, though, we want to get you especially pumped about… MEGACON!

What: MEGACON (of course!)

When: March 12th – 14th, 2010

Where: Orange County Convention Center Hall D
9899 International Drive, Orlando, FL 32819

Why: Cause Earthbound Comics is gonna be there, that’s why! Be sure to look for us at table RED 4 in the Independent Press section! The Sensational Sebastian Piccione will be on hand to take care of all your Earthbound Comics needs.

But what would an Earthbound Comics convention appearance be without some world premier Earthbound Comics? Well, admittedly, it would still be pretty cool, in my opinion– but just in case, we’re throwing out two brand spankin’ new books that you should be excited about:

LADY FIGHT: AGGRESSION

In the latest issue of the Lady Fight Anthology, Sebastian Piccione & Mike Dreher’s CAT. 5 faces the swashbuckling supernatural off Florida’s Gold Coast; Matt Grant’s EXPLOSION PROOF has a hot time, with hot cars, in the hot sun; and Ben Ferrari & Mike Luoma’s SOUVERAIN continues her assault on the Warlord hierarchy of Afghanistan Cover by Rob Nix. 24 pages. B/W. $3.00

MASTORISM VOL. 1

Collecting the first six issues of Matt Grant’s award winning sci-fi space opera epic, Mastorism is a tale of chaos, order, tyranny, intrigue, and sibling rivalry. This massive collection features brand new, never before seen chapter lead in artwork, and an introduction by original co-creator Jeff Blanchard. Cover colors by Norman Wong.
156 pages. B/W. $10.00

We’ll have plenty of other books in tow, as well, including both previous issues of Lady Fight (each $3.00), as well as Ben Ferrari’s Sleepbringer original graphic novel ($10.00). This is the first time any of these books will be available at a con outside of California, so if you’re heading to MegaCon, definitely swing by and check us out!

And of course, all of the comics mentioned will be available at IndyPlanet.com. Just go there and search EARTHBOUND!

If you’re curious about what we’re doing for WonderCon, stay tuned! We’ll giving you the low down on that con before you know it… but I promise you: MORE comics and MORE premiers! Can it get better than that?

–Earthbound Comics

MegaCon is March 12-14  at the Orange County Convention Center Hall D.  Superstar (at least in our eyes) Sebastian Piccione will be on hand showing off the very latest Lady Fight, Mastorism, Winter War, and Sleepbringer books, along with the Grim Crew’s Dead Future books, in which his stories are featured.  Come by and say hello, get signatures, buy comics, and test your Blue Beetle knowledge against THE MASTER.