Tag Archives: image comics

PiercingMetal Goes To Book Expo America 2014: Part 1

May 30, 2014 Ken Pierce Leave a comment

Hey there readers, the other day I hit the 2014 edition of Book Expo America which is another convention that I have been attending for a few years and showcasing with you here on the PiercingMetal site. It’s quite different from the NY Comic Con event, but I like to drop in and see what might be coming our way in the realms of music related and comic book super-hero type books. I’m quite the avid reader with interests in a wide variety of entertainment properties so its always fun to wander this event meeting the folks that are putting out items that fall into our readership wheelhouse. Let’s get started with the banner that greets educators and press as they walk into the Javits Center.

Also hanging above our heads was a great banner showcasing the “Family History Of The Simpsons”. Since I have been a fan of that show since it began airing so many years ago I am going to try and get a glimpse of this book when I hit the Abrams Comic Arts section of the expo.

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Comics, Pop Culture

Presenting “Image Firsts” by Image Comics

April 9, 2014 Ken Pierce Leave a comment

There is no question about my love of the comic book medium here on the PiercingMetal.com site and for the last couple of years I’ve been doing my best to keep the stuff in play in the minds of our readers that also enjoy the hobby. The downside is that comics are really pricey nowadays with some titles commanding about $3 an issue and with most fans reading between 3-6 titles a month this can get super expensive. Fortunately Image Comics has a great solution that will bring a bevy of issues into your hands for the mere price of one dollar each. They call this initiative “Image Firsts” and it brings you the first issue of a title and the only difference is that it’s a buck. Check out the official press copy from their website along with the rundown of titles being offered and then I will chime back in.

“Image Comics is pleased to announce the release of ten new Image Firsts editions, printings the first issues of popular series that only cost $1. Perfect for readers interested in trying out a variety of new series without feeling the effects on their wallet, these new releases will be available in stores on May 1, just in time to coincide with Free Comic Book Day.”

ALEX + ADA #1: A sci-fi drama set in the near future and perfect for fans of the TV show Fringe and the Spike Jonze film Her. The last thing in the world Alex wanted was an X5, the latest in realistic androids. But when Ada is dropped into his life, will Alex keep her? (by Jonathan Luna and Sarah Vaughn).

BLACK SCIENCE #1: Grant McKay, former member of The Anarchistic Order of Scientists, has finally done the impossible: he has deciphered Black Science and punched through the barriers of reality. But what lies beyond the veil is not epiphany, but chaos. Now Grant and his team are lost, living ghosts shipwrecked on an infinite ocean of alien worlds, barreling through the long-forgotten, ancient, and unimaginable dark realms. The only way is forward. The only question is how far are they willing to go, and how much can they endure, to get home again? (by Rick Remender and Matteo Scalera).
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Features, Milestones

A Toast Of Flesh As “The Walking Dead” #1 Celebrates 10 Years

October 10, 2013 Ken Pierce Leave a comment

I haven’t really done one of these “Comic Book Milestone” posts after only a ten year span of publication but with the breakout hit that “The Walking Dead” became this was very necessary to do. Published ten years ago this month by Image Comics, “The Walking Dead” #1 was written and created by Robert Kirkman and featured art by Tony Moore. The series was set around a group of several individuals, primarily Police Officer Rick Grimes who after recovering from a life threatening gunshot wound awakens in an empty hospital and finds the world around him being slowly overrun by the living dead. The series is printed in black and white and while I don’t personally like those methods I feel that the level of gore is better delivered by not showing us so much vivid red. As a lifelong comic’s fan I am really surprised that I missed out on this when it first was released but then again I was much more into the superhero stuff to let it bother me all that much. My first glimpse of the actual comic was when I got a first issue reprint at the Book Expo back in 2011. I loved it and planned on ordering the trade paperbacks before cash got a little thin so I decided to wait until the compendiums were next on sale. Clearly this is one popular title and if you see anyone getting rid of single issues at a garage sale for cheap do yourself a favor and stock up on them (provided they are not the reprints of said originals).
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Events, Reviews

PiercingMetal Goes To Book Expo America 2013: Part 1 (5/30/2013)

May 31, 2013 Ken Pierce Leave a comment

It’s been a couple of years since I had adventured into the Book Expo America, and the first time around I had been able to attend the Blog Expo during the very same week which made the educational time all the more exciting. This year there would be no co-location with the blogging event and the halls of Javits were dedicated to the Book Expo alone. I would be joined by my stalwart colleague Skeleton Pete and our goal would be to focus on the properties that appeal to our mutual reader demographic. Join me on this largely photographic journey and by all means enjoy.

This is just a visual of the outside of the area designated as the Press Room. Essentially this was a cordoned off by a curtain space in the lobby of the Javits that had some tables and electricity and WiFi so we members of the media could keep our Social Networks in tune with the happenings around us. They also had coffee which I found to be a very welcome thing at the hour that we had arrived 🙂

One of the first stops we made was at the signing tables to check in with author D.L. King who would be offering up a new book that she edited and contributed tales to.

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