Comic Round-Up: November 18, 2014

"Spider Gwen VS the world by artist Tom Kelly" by TomKellyART

Interview: Henry Jenkins of the Annenberg Innovation Lab posts audio of his conversation with Scott McCloud and a roundtable discussion about the future of comics, both of which were part of the Geek Speaks series at the University of Southern California.


Interview: Jill Lepore on The Secret History of Wonder Woman


Interview: Josh Neufeld and Michael Keller discuss their online graphic novel Terms of Service: Understanding Our Role in the World of Big Data, an exploration of privacy and data collection in the digital world.

Interview: Kel McDonald about her many comics projects, which include her webcomic, Sorcery 101, her graphic novel trilogy Misfits of Avalon (the first volume of which was just published by Dark Horse), how she makes a living as a creator — using a combination of revenue from her webcomics sites, convention sales (of self-published books she funds on Kickstarter) and Patreon — and the difference between self-publishing and working with a traditional publisher

Link Round-Up: November 18, 2014

"Calvin and Hobbes" by Kenneth Rocafort

The first concrete 3-D printed building in the world was completed in a Minneapolis, Minn. suburb in August, 2014. Engineer Andrey Rudenko “printed” out the authentic looking castle layer by layer using a machine he invented in his garage.  I can't wait for someone to use this to make some massive piece of public art.

I Love Typography reviews some great new font releases.

Inside NYC’s underground art museum – in the subway.

The Kantar Information is Beautiful Awards 2014 celebrate excellence and beauty in data visualizations, infographics and information art.  The Winners, The Short List, The Long List, All Entries.


Real Steampunk Computer Brought Back To Life: We discovered a 100 year old 19th century computer that does Fourier analysis with just gears spring and levers. It was locked in a glass case at the University of Illinois Department of Mathematics. We rebuilt a small part of the machine and then for two years thoroughly photographed and filmed every part part of the machine and its operation. The results of this labor of love are in the video series (short documentary), which is 22 minutes long and contains stunning footage of the machine in action — including detailed descriptions of how it operates. The photos are collected in a free book (pdf) . The computer was designed by Albert Michelson, who was famous for the Michelson-Morley experiment; he was also the first American to win a Nobel Prize in physics.

Yaya Han Discusses Cosplaying's Golden Age

Short Film: Singular

"Singular" Directed by Juan F. Orozco

Written by Esteban Orozco

"Singular" is a short film set in a world where everyone has super powers, everyone except for our protagonist.  It doesn't lean on special effects like your typical comic book movie, but rather, it plays up the romantic angle, which may not be to everyone's taste.

"In an world where everyone has superpowers, Andy, the only kid who doesn't have one, struggles to escape a group of bullies led by Sofia, who just wants to make Andy's life more miserable than it already is. But what begins as an ordinary 'everyday' beating ends up spiraling out of control, putting our hero in a life-or-death situation where courage, leadership and sacrifice will guide Andy -- and Sofia -- to discover the true meaning of "being special."

Short Film: I.R.I.S.

"I.R.I.S." directed by Hasraf HaZ Dulull

In the future, the US government has removed human oversight from its drone missions, leaving unmanned military operations and surveillance to an AI. But the folks behind the project regret that decision when the AI starts targeting humanity at large.

I.R.I.S. is another fun and stylish scifi short from director Hasraf HaZ Dulull, who also gave us "SYNC" and "Project Kronos." Hopefully, we'll see Dulull applying his visual sense to longer science fiction films in the near future.

"In the near future, nano tech driven drones are used for reconnaissance missions and social surveillance. These drones are run by IRIS, an advanced A.I system, which soon begins to unleash an attack upon mankind the likes of which we have never seen."

Short Film: PLUG

"Plug" directed by David Levy

The science fiction short film "Plug" tells the story of Leila Dawn, the last survivor of the nuclear holacost.  She's been raised by robots, but she can't ignore her longing to connect with other organic life.  She embarks on a quest to reconnect with her people.

This is the directorial debut of David Levy, the concept artist behind such eye candy as Tron Legacy, Prometheus, Ender's Game, Tomorrowland, and Avatar 2. It turns out that while the writers were screwing the pooch on those films, the guy doing the pre-production sketches was the one with the actual skills to tell a story. 

This short film is intended to be a back-door pilot for a science fiction TV series Levy hopes to one dayfilm.  Unlike the computer generation films Hollywood is churning out today, Plug returns to the aesthetic sensibilities of seventies classics with a practical effects and real world sets.  Taking cues from the J.J. Abrams school of film-making, Mr. Levy stayed heavy on the real and actual, utilizing CGI only when absolutely necessary. An excellent blending of the physical with the digital was exceptionally refreshing in a day and age when most blockbusters have actors performing entirely in front of a green screen.

It's an amazing film that's better than ninety-percent of new television shows and more engaging than most of Hollywood's dreck, and I wish Levy the best of luck in finding a home for his television series.

Read an interview with director David Levy at CG Channel.

"On a post-apocalyptic Earth, Leila Dawn (Natalie Floyd), is the only human survivor. Raised by Robots after humanity abandoned the planet they destroyed with nuclear warfare, Leila cannot forget her parents nor ignore her yearning to find other organic life. A hunt she sets out on with a Military Unit, Marker (Lex Cassar), leads Leila to discover the reality she’s been denied—a reality that sparks her ultimate quest."

Food Art: Death Star and Luke Bento

Death Star and Luke Bento Boxes by Micky Araben

I love that Araben has created Death Star and Luke boxes, rather than Luke and Death Star. There's no question who's the star of this show here.

"Star Wars Force Fridays - Death Star and Luke in his pilot gear from Episode IV: A New Hope.  And have fun at Star Wars Weekends at the Hollywood Studios. I’m jealous, but I am loving your posts from there!"

Food Art: Big Hero 6 Bento Box

Big Hero 6 Bento Box by Micky Araben

Baymax is a personal healthcare companion in Big Hero 6, but in this bento box, he’s your personal hunger companion. Made by Micky Araben, this edible Baymax is made from red pepper, nori, purple tinted ham, snap pea, asparagus, and broccoli.