So, I haven't used this blog in a while and for those of you wanting more comic book stuff from me, well, learn to cope. This is much, MUCH more important than whatever I think about Superman walking around in the suburbs or whatever the fuck else is going on in comics right now.
Kate Beaton, a funny and fantastic web cartoonist, has been getting attention for a great charity - Women For Women. Essentially, you can either make one-time donations or sponsor her and other women on a run for charity to help other women in the Congo. Women who suffer through atrocities like this (I warn you, clicking on and reading that article may make you as incoherent with fury as it made me for a very long time. I had to go punch the shit out of my bed just to be able to type this post without shaking with rage).
This is a good cause sponsored by good people. Go donate something, however much you can.
Be a real superheroine or superhero to women who desperately need it.
If you possess excellent taste like I do, I'm sure you already know that famed comics blogger Chris Sims has been kind enough to grace the world with The Chronicles of Solomon Stone, half-vampire skateboarding private eye. You may read previous text versions of Mr. Stone's rousing adventures here and here.
We here at The LookOut congratulate Mr. Sims on making his impressive dream a reality. I find his series inspirational, mostly as it gives me hope that one day, people will be ready for Kismet "Kizzy" O'Hara-Ohashi - my slightly crazed, maybe precognitive, happy-go-lucky thief who runs around the universe causing Dirty Pair-level chaos and changing lives in the year 2483. Not to use the impressive work of Mr. Sims to shamelessly plug my own upcoming comic book or anything*. That would be tasteless. *cough*
*Yes, I know that there's no way in hell I can top a half-vampire P.I. with wicked skateboard moves. Must you rub it in? Curse you Sims, for being so awesome! *shakes fist* SIMS!!!
Aloha and bienvenidos to my humble blog about comics. I am your host, K. D. Bryan. I write, draw (badly) and blog in my spare time.
A quick primer for folks new to The LookOut (as all the cool kids call it*): 1. I am a 31-year-old writer who writes when he is not earning a living through soul-deadening retail-related labor. I currently write fairly well-received short stories (found hither and yon) but I'm aspiring to write comics and the next Passable American Novel. I have something cooking in the very early stages with this talented gentleman, whose name is Shad Tischer. A hint of what's to come can be found more specifically here. 2. I do semi-regular Haiku/Limerick Reviews of new comics. Most of them are favorable because if a book makes me unhappy, I just stop reading it. I'm a bad comic book fan, I know.
3. I have written a pretty well-liked list of 14 Comic Book Couples I Love, which has been unfinished for over a year now because I am a jerk. Luckily, since people have been asking what my "Scott and Jean" is, I will soon respond with "Scott and Emma" (although fellow comics blogger Kevin Church's answer of alcohol and more alcohol is also high on the list). This kooky list of my favorite comic book couples has generated the most Google hits for The LookOut - mostly relating to A) images of Spider-Man and Mary-Jane Watson-Parker, B) comics about people making love (I can only imagine - Illustrated Classics 11 - The Karma Sutra?), and C) Emma Frost naked.
. . . blogging can be a very fulfilling hobby. Just not when I check my search strings.
4. I badly illustrate and write a webcomic based on my real life called K. D.'s Real Life. Yes, my creativity knows no bounds. If you would prefer to read biographical comics by a talented comic book artist instead, I recommend clicking here. 5. Screechy fan entitlement drives me bonkers as a general rule but I get a lot of traffic whenever I dig down into my well of harsh criticism and drop the hammer down on titles or trends in the industry which greatly upset me. It is a conundrum, wrapped in a riddle, shipped in a enigma and stamped with a self-addressed mystery. In any case, I thank the always awesome ladies over at When Fangirls Attack and every other kind soul who's been nice enough to link here. You know who you are and I thank you.
6. My most consistent Google search engine term since the start of The LookOut has been "Emma Frost naked". Often, I hate the Internet. And yet, I continue to blog. So, clearly, I am full of self-loathing and confusion, which I mask with dry wit. Just like Emma Frost (or let's face it, Deadpool, given the level of my comedic stylings). Oh, the irony.
So, in short, The LookOut - Come for the incisive feminist critiques and comic book musings, stay for the Chimpanzee Riding on A Segway. Bam, bam-ba-ba-bam!
*Nobody actually calls it that. No matter how much I wish they would.
Given that it's the Holiday Season, we here at The Lookout have decided that it's time to share a beautiful holiday tradition . . . the story of Krampus, Santa Claus' most wicked associate.
First, instead of that boring Wikipedia entry above, I suggest reading this heartwarming explanation from the webcomic Something Positive. All done? Grand. Now it is time for the Festive Krampus Song!
And don't forget the Krampus Parades!
Merry Krampus, everybody! Sleep tight and don't let the Krampus bite!
- Some free webcomics from Slave Labor Graphics to read are here.
- One of the folks behind the massively hyped Scott Pilgrim series (theoretically to become a motion picture starring the guy from Arrested Development, Superbad and Juno) has put up a comic here (and I'll read it as soon as I can get all the pictures to load properly). Also, note to self: read Scott Pilgrim Vs. series, see what all the fuss is about.
- Nerd Prom 2009 registration is go! I hope to actually attend this or NYCC next year, assuming the tickets don't sell out in the next two seconds.
And now I'm going to collapse on my couch and try to get some much needed sleep.
While I know most of you come here for the Batman-jokes and a wistful hope that I will post more about Emma Frost (be it naked or clothed), I have decided to help you all understand spirituality instead*. No need to thank me - the look on your faces is more than enough.
