Tag Archives: Adventure

Interview: Don Wildman and ‘Mysteries at the Museum’ (8th Season Begins on Travel Channel, April 3, 9/8 central)

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Don Wildman, host of Travel Channel's "Mysteries at the Museum

Don Wildman, host of Travel Channel’s “Mysteries at the Museum”

Don Wildman leads an active life. Among his many adventures in documentary television, he’s explored hundreds of mysterious tunnels, catacombs, crypts and bunker systems for HISTORY’s hit adventure series, “Cities of the Underworld.” As the host of Travel Channel’s “Mysteries at the Museum,” he brings that same spirited determination. Don was gracious enough to chat for an interview where we talk about the show’s own history and what you can expect as it enters its 8th season with its premiere episode this Friday, April 3, 9/8 central. You can find details at Travel Channel right here.

The Mystery of the King in the Parking Lot

The Mystery of the King in the Parking Lot

Each episode of “Mysteries at the Museum” presents six stories coming to you from a wide variety of places. Each is a mystery of one kind or another. And each has an unexpected twist. It is the sort of program that you can relax and enjoy and come away with intriguing facts. It may very well inspire you to read further, explore further, or create your own adventure. If you’re a fan of Ripley’s Believe It Or Not, this will appeal to you. One interesting aspect to the show is how you can connect the dots with the past and the current scene. Do you think the Tea Party movement is something entirely new? Well, for example, you’ll want to see what the State of Jefferson movement was all about.

The Mysterious State of Jefferson

The Mysterious State of Jefferson

In this interview, Don gives us an exclusive as he describes the early days of the show with a very funny story involving the best use of props. And we talk about history and museums in general and, of course, about the show’s unique take on creating exciting content. As I’m in Seattle, we talk a bit on the vibrant Seattle museum scene which includes the new Museum of History & Industry and Living Computer Museum. Don clearly has a love for history and adventure. It’s a fun interview and I know it will add to your enjoyment of the show. Just click the link below to listen to the podcast interview:

You can watch “Mysteries at the Museum” on Fridays on Travel Channel, starting this Friday, April 3, 9/8 central. For more details, and clips to the show, be sure to visit Travel Channel right here.

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Filed under Documentaries, Don Wildman, Mysteries at the Museum, Television, Travel, Travel Channel

Review: NINJAK #1

Cover art by Lewis Larosa

Cover art by Lewis Larosa

It is a pleasure to see Matt Kindt’s mind at work. He’s always had a thing for intrigue and circuitous plots. His latest work on Ninjak is right in step with that. I love how this comic opens up with a dramatic fighting scene that turns out to be something from a movie that our main character was viewing when he was a kid. It’s one of those added touches you can expect from Matt Kindt (RAI, Mind MGMT). And you’ve got great follow through from artist Clay Mann (X-Men: Legacy, Gambit) in the first of two parallel stories running in our first issue.

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The idea is to show you Colin King from two perspectives: as a raw recruit; and, some years later, as a seasoned MI-6 master assassin. Kindt has a way with getting you deep into the story in unexpected ways. We next see Colin fight the sexy and deadly Roku. She’s been genetically enhanced. Her hair alone is a lethal weapon. It just takes three braided strands and her hair can “garrote or behead a man. It can cut through metal and it has incendiary capabilities.” Whoa, hang on there, how do you “garrote” a man? Yikes, that’s smarts. Quite quirky and memorable line. Kindt is definitely the guy to take Valiant’s Ninjak to new places.

Let’s linger just a bit more. Here’s the thing with a Kindt adventure, it just keeps building, twisting, and turning. That opening scene with the kid repeats itself in different ways to reveal a tumultuous and abused young life. But the kid keeps fighting.

We ultimately find Colin infiltrating the notorious Shadow Seven and then we make the jump to Colin as a raw recruit in North Korea, this time teaming up Kindt with artist Butch Guice (Captain America, Action Comics). The style is rougher and fits in well with that more gritty time in Colin’s life. This second ongoing story lacks some of the potency of the first but perhaps that balances things out. The thing I like most, so far, in this whole comic is the flipping back and forth between the 10 year-od Colin and the 30 year-old Colin in our first story. Overall, this is a well-executed first issue.

NINJAK #1 is available now. For more details, visit our friends at Valiant Entertainment right here.

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Filed under Comics, Comics Reviews, Matt Kindt, Valiant Entertainment

Review: THE JAMES BOND OMNIBUS, published by Titan Books

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James Bond came very close to only remaining a character in a series of novels by Ian Fleming. It was once hard to imagine James Bond in comics let alone as leading a magnificent movie franchise and recognized as a pop culture icon. Nice how things have a way of working out.

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You will find the Bond lifestyle in full gear in this comic strip, which began in 1958, Volume Five, the most recent, collects work by writer Jim Lawrence and artist Yaroslav Horak, which ran from 1966 to 1984. Published by Titan Books, this is a series of deluxe edition books. It is full of action, exotic locales, intrigue, villains, and sexy women.

The artwork and the dialogue are what you’d expect from an action comic strip. The Bond character is a hunk of a guy. He’s not necessarily reflecting the Bond on the big screen. Whoever the Bond is on the big screen is a tough act to follow. But that’s where the comic strip can claim some cred. It used to be the only Bond there was outside the novels.

Titan Books has collected the whole run of the James Bond comic strip into collectible volumes. Volume Five is 272 pages, priced at $19.95 US, and includes nine adventures: Till Death Do Us Part, The Torch-Time Affair, Hot-Shot, Nightbird, Ape of Diamonds, When The Wizard Awakes, Sea Dragon, Death Wing, and The Xanadu Connection.

Visit Titan Books for more details here.

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Filed under British Comics, Comics, European Comics, James Bond, Titan Books

Review: VELVET #1, published by Image Comics

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“Velvet,” published by Image Comics, is your next spy thriller addiction. It is written by one of the best crime fiction writers that comics has ever known, Ed Brubaker. And he is teamed up with one of the best artists he’s ever worked with, Steve Epting. This new series blasts away from the start. We have the dark and moody color palette that Brubaker favors, provided by colorist Elizabeth Breitweiser. We have the nondescript lettering, as if out of typewriter or teletype machine, provided by letterer Chris Eliopoulos. Yes, this comic is like a good martini, shaken, not stirred.

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Filed under Comics, Comics Reviews, Crime, Crime Fiction, Ed Brubaker, Image Comics, mystery, Pulp Fiction, Spy Thrillers

What It Feels Like To Ride The Kickstarter Beast

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I love Kickstarter. The ride has been exhilarating. You learn so much when you do a Kickstarter campaign. It really does come down to basics. You learn about yourself, what you’re trying to communicate, how you communicate. This video is interesting to me. I like it. And I know it could be improved upon, believe me. But, overall, I like it. I even love it. And I love my campaign that you can view HERE.

I like myself. Wait, check that, I lOVE myself. That’s important because you have to have a thick skin and accept whatever happens during a campaign. You need to keep perspective. You need to be able to step back and ask yourself if you’ve reached as many people as you’re going to reach during a campaign. I’m still gauging that. Maybe there are some people that I reached but wasn’t able to get them to that last step, the actual pledge. Maybe I missed a whole lot of people somehow. Well, so it goes. That’s the healthy approach. But, yes, there’s plenty of people still to reach. Big hint here to WordPress to make this a Freshly Pressed post! I will state here, without a doubt, I also love WordPress!

And I love all my readers: Hey, go for it! Support this campaign as best you can! Repost this. Give it an official LIKE. Spread the word in any which way you can. Maybe I just had to ask.

You learn, in a pretty significant way, what really matters in goal setting. You set out to achieve a compelling goal that is within your grasp and is in need of funds. Sounds pretty simple. And it can be. For me, my project came naturally to me. And, with only hours left in this campaign, I am so glad I did it, even if I don’t reach my goal. However, who wouldn’t like to reach their goal, especially one that has been carefully thought out and nurtured as mine has? Well, you’re right, I do dearly want to see my comics project make it.

This is a work years in the making and something that will attract readers from many directions: horror, sci-fi, humor, even romance. It will attract readers who love good quirky and offbeat stories. You know who you are! It will attract readers of good solid alternative comics with attention to slice-of-life details. If you love the more artful and literary comics, then this is for you. Each of the short works is an unusual story of self-discovery. One involves a man who must come to grips with killing a bear. Another, the title work, is about a luxury hotel with charming ghosts who are disturbed my a couple of guests with way too much emotional baggage. This story, set in the Sorrento Hotel, refers back to a lot of Seattle history and has a steampunk quality to it. There are a total of four short works that originated from 24-Hour Comics Day experiments. The long story is a coming-of-age piece about a young man’s first adventure in New York City. You can interpret that story in more than one way. So, I’ll keep fighting the good fight. I will. Because it’s so worth it.

You need to carry yourself like you’ve already won, even if it seems like there’s a certain level of indifference. You do this because you trust in yourself the most.

And I’ll definitely keep you posted after this campaign comes to a close on May 6. I’d love to read your feedback and share more of what I’ve learned. But, for now, there’s a campaign still under way! How bad do I want this thing? Pretty bad! You’ve got all the rest of this weekend and all the way through Monday. After that, we’ll talk and see how it goes. Just go to Kickstarter, A NIGHT AT THE SORRENTO AND OTHER STORIES on Kickstarter thru May 6, and head over HERE.

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Filed under Alternative Comics, Comics, Comix, Generation X, graphic novels, Henry Chamberlain, Horror, Humor, Independent Comics, Kickstarter, Romance, Sci-Fi, science fiction, Sex, Steampunk

SNAPSHOT #2 Review

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It is so great to see Andy Diggle and Jock working together again. “Snapshot #2” (of 4) kicks this noir adventure into high gear. And all in glorious black & white! Yes, if you’re familiar with these guys, you know that b&w is the way to go. The premise: A young man picks up a smartphone in the park and nothing is ever the same again. This isn’t like just calling up the owner and having a million thank-you’s thrown your way. No, this phone is connected to the world finance underground. Once you’ve tapped into that crazy shit, well, you don’t come back.

Now, let me talk to Andy Diggle and Jock fans and, if you’re new, please join in. Okay, so you know why you love Andy Diggle, right? The guy knows how to juggle clues, keep the plot moving, and make you glad you’re not the one running for your life in the pages you’re reading. And, Jock, we love the guy. Talk about a straight edge style so sharp along with a fluid sensibility. This guy loves what he does. He has a signature style that fits just right for that Diggle gritty worldview. If you haven’t gotten a chance, pick up “The Losers” and all this will totally make sense. Think mayhem with style. Andy’s crisp crime writing is in full effect in “The Rat Catcher” so pick that up too. You’ll also want to get Jock’s run on “Detective Comics.”

What a tight story this is. One false move, and our main character, Jake Dobson, a 19-year-old who works in a comics shop, is found accused of murder while being pursued by killers. It seems like he can’t loosen the noose around his neck but, so far, he manages to avoid a number of close calls. He can consider himself lucky but he would much prefer not to need the by-the-skin-your-teeth-you-were-just-about-to-die kind of luck. But he’s not alone. In this issue, he meets a teen girl named, Callie Twain, and she’s much deeper into this mess.

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All Callie wants is to find her dad. It’s been a terrible time for Callie. Her mom passed away. She knows her dad loves her and she has always relied upon him. Trouble is, her dad is tied in with some very bigger players in world finance and he somehow stumbled upon some things he shouldn’t know. Now, he’s missing; Callie’s life is in danger; and you already know that Jake’s life is totally in danger too. It is so hanging by a thread that you wonder how he will survive the pages of the next issue.

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If you enjoy a story where all hell breaks loose within a thoughtfully crafted story, then “Snapshot” is for you. If you are entertained by dramatic car chases and exquisitely drawn explosions, smashed cars, and all manner of chaos, well, there you go…”Snapshot.”

“Snapshot #2” (of 4) is a March 6 release. Visit our friends at Image Comics.

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Filed under Andy Diggle, Comics, Comics Reviews, Crime, Image Comics, Jock, Noir