Artist: William Smith

Illustrations by Texas-based William Smith

William Smith is a concept artist and illustrator located in Houston, Texas. William started his career in advertising working for Saatchi & Saatchi X. He eventually changed his career and became a concept artist and is now working at TimeGate Studios.

Artist: Shuxing Li

Illustrations by Shuxing Li

Humor: Bodies

"Bodies" by F.D. White and Denise Clamors

Via: io9 via Reddit via imgur

Like Gronkwena's "I knew I was different" comic (a personal favorite of mine), White and Clamors' comic starts out like a million others on the web about a person feeling discontent with their body, then it goes somewhere you don't expect.

Comic Round-Up: August 29, 2014

"The Sandman and Death" by Eddy Newell

Event: Cartoonist Liz Prince will appear at Powell’s Books in Portland, OR on Thursday, September 11th at 7:30 PM to sign her new graphic memoir TOMBOY!

Event: Farel Dalrymple will appear at Forbidden Planet in NYC on Friday September 19th at 6:00 p.m. to sign copies of his brand new (and long awaited) new graphic novel from First Second.

Event: Jay Faerber and Scott Godlewski appear at Third Eye Comics on Saturday, September 20th from 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM to celebrate the launch of Copperhead #1! RSVP on Facebook!

Interview: Antony Johnston talks about his new Image Comics series The Fuse, a police procedural set on a space station: “There have been ‘space cop’ stories before, and I’m sure there will be again, but many of them are more concerned with ker-razy sci-fi stuff than the actual crime. With The Fuse, that balance is reversed—there are no wacky aliens, no laser-gun spaceships, and definitely no psi powers. The sci-fi elements are there to serve the mystery.”

Interview: Storytelling, Comedy, Comics, And Film: A Career-Spanning Conversation With Berkeley Breathed of Bloom County, Outland, and Opus.

Link Round-Up: August 29, 2014

"Wardens of Nordrassil" by China-based Ken Liu

Interview: A Better Realm: Webcomics And Art With Benign Kingdom’s Evan Dahm 

6 Addictive Webcomics To Binge-Read

Explaining The Menstrual Cycles of Various Mythological Creatures

Full-size Tardis replica turned into outdoor toilet at pub. Here come the Doctor Loo jokes.


HBO to Air New Banksy Documentary "Banksy Does New York"

How can you find out if a musician is really indie or backed by a record company? Upload the song to Youtube and wait to see which major company claims copyright.  This is f-ing brilliant, and it would make for an amazing piece of journalism if anyone had the balls to write about pirating music.

NASA Reveals Top Three Designs for Future Mars Homes

Mash-Up: Lara VS Cthulhu

"Lara VS Cthulhu" by Italy-based Antonio De Luca

Oh my God!  Oh my God!  Oh my God! How is this not an actual game? Lara Croft investigates the mysterious disappearance of her father during an expedition to the polar North organized by Miskatonic University.  I would play the living hell out of that game.

Illustration: Batgirl Bucket Challenge

Batgirl takes the A.L.S. Ice Bucket Challenge
Drawn by Brenden Fletcher, Cameron Stewart and Babs Tarr

If you're reading this on the Internet, it's a safe bet that you’ve heard of the A.L.S. Ice Bucket Challenge, in which people challenged by friends dump buckets of cold water over their own heads to raise awareness of A.L.S., more commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease.  Over the past few weeks, the challenge has taken the internet by storm, but when the artists behind the new Batgirl became the most recent victims of the challenge, they decided to take it to a whole new level. 

"All three of us were called out to do the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge by Stella at Batgirl To Oracle. Since we all live in different countries we figured we’d try something different and get Batgirl to do it for us. ;)  Please donate at the link, even only a few dollars. it’s for a good cause!"

Humor: Worlds Greatest Mystery

"Answer to the Worlds Greatest Mystery" by Julia Lepetit of Dorkly

Comic Round-Up: August 28, 2014

Wolverine Variant Cover by Stephanie Hans

Event: Comic legend George Pérez will appear  at Larry’s Comics in Lowell, MA on Monday September 22nd from 6:00-8:00 PM to promote his new series: "Sirens!"

Event: Creator/actor David Henrie and series writer Caleb Monroe (PLANET OF THE APES, STEED & MRS. PEEL, PEANUTS) will appear at Collector’s Paradise in Pasadena, CA on Wednesday, September 3rd from 6:00 – 8:00 pm to premiere "CLOAKS" #1 from Boom! Studios! RSVP on Facebook!

Interview: Peter J. Tomasi & Patrick Gleason discuss telling the story of Batman's quest to resurrect Robin -- aka his son Damian Wayne -- in "Batman & Robin"

Illustration: Manzanero Covers

Birds of Prey #29 Cover

Cover Art by Merida, Mexico-based Jorge Molina Manzanero (ZurdoM)

[ DeviantArt | Facebook | Tumblr ]

Sci-Fi Round-Up: August 27, 2014

"Z-Gundam Girl" by South Korea-based Jeong hong Taek (Porco2)

Interview: Science Book a Day interviews Greg Bear, author of Darwin’s Radio.

Interview: Vulture talks to Margaret Atwood, author of MaddAddam, about the HBO Adaptation.

28 Stories Nominated for the 2014 Hugo, Nebula, Sturgeon, and World Fantasy Awards That You Can Read Now without the aid of either pants or a credit card. (Online for Free) I’m sold!

All three volumes of The Feynman Lectures on Physics are now online. A fantastic resource for anyone interested in Feynman or physics in general.

Ann Leckie Makes Science Fiction History With Debut Novel, Ancillary Justice.

Auxiliary Memory on Finding The Best Science Fiction Books To Read.

The AV Club provides a guide to the worlds of China Miéville!

Comic Round-Up: August 27, 2014

"Avengers cover" by Merida, Mexico-based Jorge Molina Manzanero

"So, this is my first Marvel cover ever. I loved doing this cause for the first time I had the chance to draw all the Marvel main characters that I love (no FF...I'm not a big fan after "those" movies) It was just a very special experience to finally say " i'm drawing Marvel characters for Marvel" finally after so many years of dreaming of it and sitting in my room when I was a kid coping comics...i'm finally there!"

Interview: Dylan Todd and company reveal the future in "2299" anthology

News: Dark Horse is planning to beef up its lineup of children’s graphic novels with four new titles for 2015: Rexodus, a story about dinosaurs from outer space, and three older properties, Rod Espinosa’s Courageous Princess, Samuel Teer and Hyeondo Park’s Veda: Assembly Required, and an adaptation of Roald Dahl’s The Return of the Gremlins.

News: The fun Marvel series Superior Foes Of Spider-Man is coming to an end

​7 Reasons Batman Needs to Shut Arkham Asylum Down Forever

13 Dimensions of MULTIVERSITY: DC Worlds We Want Brought Back!

Alternative Capes: Superhero Stories You Need To Read

io9 remembers Great Performances That Helped Prove Comic Movies Could Be Art

Researcher and filmmaker Robert Emmons talks about his new documentary, Diagram for Delinquents, which looks at Fredric Wertham and the comics scares of the Fifties.

Sci-Fi Meets Murder Mystery in Image Comics' "The Fuse"

Tor.com plays Who’s Your Daddy? (Star-Lord Edition)

Link Round-Up: August 27, 2014

"Rocket Raccoon" by Dennis Jones

Event: Frankenstein exhibition: British Library to display first image of Frankenstein's monster in an exhibition charting the changing face of Mary Shelley's creation.

Event: The Museum of Science Fiction is holding an Exhibit Design Competition.

Christopher Nolan Shares DIY Shooting Tricks of His No-Budget First Film, Following

The Greatest Line Every The Simpsons Character Ever Delivered

Here’s what happens When You Let the Internet Curate an Art Museum

HollyWood Elsewhere explains Why Critics Are Seen As Clubby Elitists

If The Simpsons ever ends, here’s how one show insider thinks it will happen

The Man Who 3D-Printed a Castle Now Wants to Print a Full-Size Two-Story Home.

Playboy explains The Wonderful Problem With Terry Gilliam

Quick Pic: No Portals to Narnia

Costco Wardrobe Sign photographed by Rohit Bhargava

Via: Nerd Approved via Neatorama

The legal labeling requirements in this country are out of hand!  Do we seriously need to manage people's magical expectations in addition to worrying about how they might injure themselves with a product?  Everyone with an iota of common sense knows that magical wardrobes are always English Oak.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a broom to return to Walmart.  It's the third one I've purchased that won't seem to fly.

Posters: Game of Thrones Sigils

Game of Thrones Sigils by Ontario, Canada-based Andrew Wight

Posters: Game of Thrones Houses

Game of Thrones House Posters by Canada-based WindsOfBeleriand

"FINALLY FINISHED!!! wow this took me waaaay too long to do. Darn majestic dragons and their millions of details. Worked hard to finish in time to celebrate the season 4 premiere. FLY MY PRETTIES!"

Posters: Adventure Time

"Adventure Time Fan Art" by Bogotá, Colombia-based Andres Rodriguez

Posters: Adventure Time!

"Adventure Time!" by Poland-based Mateusz Waluś

Posters: Studio Ghibli Movies

Studio Ghibli Posters by CinemaStudio

Prints available for purchase from Etsy. US$26

Posters: Studio Ghibli Set

Studio Ghibli Poster Set by Our Broken House

Prints available for purchase from Etsy. US$55.42

Posters: SamuraiTrooper

"SamuraiTrooper" by Italy-based Alessandro Uggeri

Posters: Japanese Motif StormTrooper

"Star Wars" by Colin Morella

Illustration: Morbid little comic

"A morbid little comic about banshees" by Sam of the Granted webcomic

Illustration: Artblock

"Artblock" by Dmitry Narozhnyi (Дмитрий Нарожный)
Via: Oh Yeah Comics

Translated by Lickal0lli

This is a great motivational comic for all the aspiring artists out there!

Artist: Flavio Bolla

Illustrations by Switzerland-based Flavio Bolla

[ DeviantArt | Facebook ]

Artist: Faanmiing

Illustrations by China-based Faanmiing

Concept Art: The Black Hole

The Black Hole Concept Art by Peter Ellenshaw

The Black Hole was my favorite "scary movie" when I was a kid.  When I finally got my hands on a copy as an adult, I was very pleased to discover that I love it almost as much as when I was little.  The sets are just gorgeous, and while the whole story is a bit kitchy, I'm too much of a Jules Verne fan not to enjoy it.

Concept Art: Thor

Thor Concept Art by Craig Shoji and Michael Kutsche

Via: io9

Concept Art: Nebula & Gamora

Nebula & Gamora (from Guardians of the Galaxy) by Andy Park
Via Twitter

There was far too little screen time for these two in the movie.  I hope we see more of them in the next movie.  About the piece above, the artist says: "#Nebula design I painted for @Guardians focused less on sexy & more on 'can kick your a$$'"

News: Open Letter to Aaron Diaz

"The Progression" by Mary Cagle

Three days ago, Mary Cagle of the webcomic Kiwi Blitz recently posted a comic she entitled "The Progression," in which she satired the disingenuous male feminism of artists who create highly sexualized "empowered" female characters.  While the comic doesn't refer to any specific artist, many people believed that Blitz's comic was triggered by cyborg-themed amputee pinup sketches artist Aaron Diaz posted to his Tumblr blog about a week ago, which he deleted shortly after Cagle's comic was posted.  (If that last link goes dead, just scroll down.)

Aaron Diaz, author of the popular Dresden Codak web comic and outspoken critic of sexist character designs, took this quite personally, responding both on Tumblr and Twitter.  Diaz has a strong reputation for being a genuinely good guy who comes out on the right side of most issues; however, Diaz's uncharacteristically terse response has garnered a great deal of negative attention.  Over the past few days, multiple women in the webcomics community have weighed in, culminating in Magnolia Pearl writing an open letter to Aaron Diaz yesterday: "You’re allowed to make art with male gaze. But please call a spade a spade."

Of course, this isn't the first time some one else has called Diaz out on his heavy-handed use of the "male gaze."  Solomon's Your Webcomic Is Bad and You Should Feel Bad blog (Part 2) addressed the issue back in 2008.

Personally, I hope Diaz continues his comic, and I hope people continue reading his comic.  For all of its excessive use of the male gaze, Dresden Codak does feature some genuinely awesome female characters, along with plagiarizing bears, nerds who play philosophical tabletop RPGs, and a lot of other fun silliness.

Humor: If Games Were Real

"How Long You’d Last if Your Favorite Games Were Real" by Julia Lepetit of Dorkly

Comic Round-Up: August 26, 2014

"The Church of Deadpool" by London-based Baz Mehdi

Interview: Don’t Draw The Darkness: Scott Snyder On "Zero Year: Savage City"

Interview: Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller talk new and old Sin City

10 Coolest Alternate Versions of Superman from Around the Multiverse

10 Reasons why Guardians of the Galaxy Sucked!

Artists critique that Manara Spider-Woman cover, while Tom Brevoort urges more communication.

Bring on the Bad Guys: Villains We want to Plague "Agents of SHIELD" Season Two

CNBC counts down The most valuable comic books of all time

She Has No Head! – The Manara Variant Isn’t The Problem

Link Round-Up: August 26, 2014

"Shingeki No Kyojin!!!" by Jarreau Wimberly (Reau)

Event: Gallery 1988 has announced a Joss Whedon art show!

Angelica Paez is a Texas-based collage artist whose works are wonderfully surreal and weird. She is also a collaborator in the decades-long One Thousand Thousand project, which aims to produce one million hand-made, original artworks.

Mallory Ortberg at The Toast offers an appreciation of Ralph Wiggum, which goes very well with this YouTube video highlighting Ralph's finest moments.

Watch abstract "art" being made by hermit crabs presumably just before being sold for at obscene price to someone with far too much money on their hands. [SLYT]

Short Film: Abiogenesis

"Abiogenesis" by Richard Mans

In the award-winning CGI 2011 short film Abiogenesis, a mysterious mechanical device lands on an uncolonized planet and harnesses its natural resources to bring life to a once desolate planet.  It's a visually spectacular piece with a message that's far more optimistic than most modern science fiction movies can no longer muster.

"In this breathtaking science fiction spectacle, a strange mechanical device lands on a desolate world and uses the planet to undergo a startling transformation, that has profound implications for an entire galaxy."

Quick Pic: D&D T-Shirt

"D&D T-Shirt" by Soberchipmunk

"made a thing to wear at D&D tomorrow :3"

Posters: Guardians of the Galaxy

Guardians of the Galaxy Poster by Germany-based ChipsEss0r

Posters: We Are Groot

"We Are Groot" by Georgia-based Legion of Potatoes

Posters: Star Lord

"Star Lord" by Georgia-based Legion of Potatoes

"Ever since seeing Guardians of the Galaxy I’ve been abuzz with drawing something for it. So many favorite moments, characters, scenes. A stunning, funny, touching and meaningful movie.

So here’s a poster."

Posters: Good, The Bad, And the Wookie

"The Good, The Bad, And the Wookie" by Morelia, Mexico-based Adam Rufino

Prints available for purchase from Society6. US$14.56 - $42.64

"The good, the bad and the Wookie was one of my first designs ever made for Tshirts, the people love it but I always feel like I lost the essence fo the original The good, the bad and the ugly movie poster, so I made this redesign focus in the western movie and working a lot more on the characters."

Posters: Star Wars Episode VII

"SW Episode VII - Teaser 1" by Ukraine-based AndrewSS7

After sitting through three disappointing prequels, there's a New Hope on the horizon.  Three new Star Wars films are coming, and they'll star all of our favorite.  In anticipation, AndrewSS7 has created a fantastic series for the trilogy's first installment, imagining that the next film will pick up right after the battle of Endor.  They're early efforts, given that we don't have any new material to work with, but I think that they're channelling exactly the kind of look and feel we’re all hoping will return to the Star Wars franchise.

"On this one you can observe Millenium Falcon and some X-Wings [flying over Endor?] being damaged after the Battle of Endor."

Posters: Star Wars Propaganda

Star Wars Propaganda Posters by Russell Walks

[ Previously: Star Wars Propaganda ]

"Here are some of the images I created for Topp’s new series of trading cards, Star Wars: Chrome Perspectives.  It was a blast to make them, and I’m gratified that the folks who’ve seen them seem to dig them."

Posters: Sysadmin Posters from the 1980s

Sysadmin Posters from the 1980s from Redditor Evandena

Source: Imgur via Redditor

These authentic 80's sysadmin warning posters look like dystopian parodies.

Posters: Capaldi Fan Art

Capaldi Doctor Who fan-art Poster by Jason Snair

Posters: Blade Runner

"Blade Runner" by Matt Ferguson

Posters: The 12th Doctor

"The 12th Doctor" by Matt Ferguson

Limited edition prints available for purchase from Bottleneck Gallery.

Illustration: Sherlock Portraits

Sherlock Portraits by Alice X. Zhang

Prints available for purchase from Society6. US$15

Illustration: Game of Thrones Portraits

Game of Thrones Portraits by Alice X. Zhang

Prints available for purchase from Society6. US$15

Illustration: Twelfth Doctor

"Deep Breath"

Portraits of the Twelfth Doctor by Alice X. Zhang

[ Previously: Doctor Who by Alice X. ]

Another regeneration, another round of portraits from Alice XZ!  "Deep Breath" was officially commissioned by the "Doctor Who: Earth Conquest" documentary.  Check out Zhang's cover art of the Twelfth Doctor for Titan Comics below.

Portrait: Pop Culture Figures

Pop Culture Portraits by Saint Petersburg, Russia-based Olga Tereshenko

OpEd: Male Gaze in Anime

"Days to Come" by Ireland-based Helixel

Prints available for purchase from Society6. US$17.68

As a manga artist, Masamune Shirow has an excellent track record of writing well-developed female characters.  His female cast are and often the center of plots that could justifiably be characterized as "competence porn."  By which I mean they are confident, intelligent, and highly capable.  However, Shirow also has a track record of depicting the female form in hyper-sexualized styles.

The Major, or Motoko Kusanagi, is the protagonist of the Ghost in the Shell franchise. If you Google her name the search will suggest autocompleting your phrase with "is hot," "in bed with a boy," and "in bed."

So why does the fan base of a science fiction franchise deeply rooted in existential philosophy spend so much time thinking about the sexuality of a character all but devoid of personal background and know only by a military rank?  In a still ongoing series, Claire Napier of Women Write about Comics examines the Major's body throughout the various Ghost in the Shell mangas and anime series. (NSFW)

Link Round-Up: D&D 5th Edition

   

   

Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition

Review: Base Attack bonus D&D 5th Ed. Playtest

Review: A great review of 5e from Matt at a FistfulofDice.

5 Reasons to Play Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition

The Basic Rules for Dungeons & Dragons are available as a PDF download for free!  Over 100 pages, in fact that covers the core of the game. It runs from levels 1 to 20 and covers the cleric, fighter, rogue, and wizard, presenting what we view as the essential subclass for each. It also provides the dwarf, elf, halfling, and human as race options, the rules contain 120 spells, 5 backgrounds, and character sheets.

BoingBoing offers an exclusive look at the new D&D Player’s Handbook

The Cloak and Dagger Syndicate explains in-depth Why You Should Play Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition and, incidentally, why 5th edition is better than 3.5.