Comic Preview: Genius: Cartel # 2 (of 5)

Story: Marc Bernardin & Adam Freeman
Art / Cover: Rosi Kampe
Colorist: Brad Simpson
Letterer: Troy Peteri

After chafing at the rigid rules of the Madrasa Institute, a government school for wayward prodigies, and losing her only friend, Destiny agrees to spearhead a mission south of the border. Her target: the Mexican drug cartels. But, given that the greatest military mind of her generation is no one’s pawn, what is she REALLY after? And who’ll risk death by getting in her way? From writers MARC BERNARDIN and ADAM FREEMAN (Castle Rock, Alphas, X-Men Origins: Nightcrawler, The Authority, The Highwaymen) and rising-star artist ROSI KAMPE comes a sequel that promises to set Destiny’s world—and ours—ablaze.

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Think Tank, Vol. 5: Animal TP

Story: Matt Hawkins
Art / Cover: Rahsan Ekedal
Color Flats: Shannon Lilly
Letterer: Troy Peteri

Several key NATO figures are assassinated…by animals? Someone has perverted Dr. David Loren’s surface thought-reader and turned it into a device that sends animals on kill missions. Still recovering from his recent suicide attempt, Loren is forced back into the military game to help uncover who is behind this. His fragile relationship with Mirra Sway is tested even further when his father shows up…with a sister he didn’t know he had. Collects THINK TANK: ANIMAL #1-4

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RollaLife Double Length Special!

Today, we have not one but two new episodes of the RollaLife podcast!

Ever wonder how it would feel like to sit around a fire pit with The Rollalife Podcast crew? Well.. get your marshmallows, wieners, and Susan Boyle manga! Let’s burn things for fun.

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Enjoy this extra long episode as we all take the journey to our chosen festivities. In this episode, we talk about how it is like being an American Corolla enthusiast visiting Japan.

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The Legendary Revival of Pokemon Go

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It has been a little over a year since Pokemon Go has come out and we here at Retrenders have played through all of its highs and low points.  When the game first hit our phones, tons of players from all over the world were playing together to catch Pokemon int he real world. Months went by and with a lack of updates, the number of players dropped drastically.  Right about the time of the one year anniversary, Niantic finally gave us a new big update introducing us to the Pokemon of the Johto region.  With new Pokemon, came the return of some players.  But the game was still missing one thing…  Legendary Pokemon!
During this years Pokemon Festival in Chicago which happened a little over a week ago, Niantic introduced the world to its first set of Legendary Pokemon, Articuno and Lugia! They also gave us a time frame for when the rest of the Legendaries would see the world. Articuno has been out since the 22nd and saw its last day yesterday on the 31st of July. But when one door closes, another opens. With Articuno gone, Moltres will take his place from [Read more…]

TITAN COMICS Announces Official THE BEATLES’ YELLOW SUBMARINE Graphic Novel Adaptation!

Apple Corps and Titan Entertainment expand their relationship and set sail for the Sea of Green with a range of 50th anniversary Yellow Submarine projects!

TITAN COMICS ANNOUNCES OFFICIAL 
THE BEATLES’ YELLOW SUBMARINE GRAPHIC NOVEL ADAPTATION! 

Written and illustrated by Bill Morrison for the film’s 50th Anniversary in 2018!


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EVO 2017 Takeaway

There were many exciting matches that took place in Vegas over the weekend. Whether it was in Tekken, Blazblue, Street Fighter or any fighting game for that matter, if there is one thing Evo is known for, it is HYPE. But hype doesn’t just come from the matches, it also comes from the many announcements made over the weekend.  So here are our top 3 [Read more…]

Rollalife Podcast: Episode 3

It is the end of the month and you know what that means….
A NEW episode of Rollalife!

Booty, Beams, Beasts. They all start with “B” and so does [Read more…]

RollaLife Podcast: Episode 2

 

Hedgehogs are fast and so aren’t corollas. On this episode Wes changes out his pan-difficult bar and tells us how he first got his corolla. We ask the question “what is a carguy?” We also tell you a lot about Sonic fan art and vocal fry for some reason.

 

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Ivy Cottage and their Special Edition STAR WARS Tees at SVCC

Arturito - RetrendersFrom Clovis, California, Ivy Cottage is a small gift shop located in the Sierra Vista mall. I found their Star Wars MexiCool cultural fashion icon t-shirt series, ESTAR GUARS, pretty funny, which simply reflect some of the colloquial spoken Spanish language translations of Star Wars characters, if not made up for a little bit of Mexican pop humor. I have to admit, I’ve actually heard R2-D2 pronounced Arturito. Anyways, their ESTAR GUARS Special Edition T-shirts were a hit at SVCC.

If you’re in the neighborhood of Clovis, CA.,  and really want to get one of their ESTAR GUARS T-shirts, here’s their address: Sierra Vista Mall, 1050, 1007 Shaw Ave, Clovis, CA 93612

Comic artist Ethan Castillo at SVCC

_DSC2290 Ethan Castillo RetrendersETHAN CASTILLO Artist, Gamer, Nerd
I can’t believe it’s been five years since we met Ethan Castillo at Big Wow Comicfest; the Retrenders crew has literally watched him evolve as a comic artist. I know I will probably say the same thing next year, but it has definitely been amazing to watch him idolize and focus on the art of drawing Spiderman to now catapulting himself into creating his own superhero characters.

Ramon Angel caught up with Ethan Castillo at Silicon Valley Comic Con 2017 to find out about his latest undertakings.

RollaLife Podcast: Pilot

Fan of AE86s or automobiles in general? Join Wes, Turtle, and Reyson as they explore the wonderful topic of “Rollalife”. We plan to give you a peek into the various lives and personal stories of drivers, builders, and car enthusiasts. Rollalife is an ever growing term, catch a ride in our passenger seats as we take this drive.

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Retrenders at Silicon Valley Comic Con

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The Retrenders crew will be in San Jose at Silicon Valley Comic Con this weekend and will be doing convention coverage of the event. We’ll be doing what we do best,
getting the scoop on the convention as well as [Read more…]

The Great Wall – The Official Movie Novelization

One of the “Wonders of the World” is the Great Wall in China.  Why was this gigantic wall built?  It was to keep out evil monsters that appear every 60 years.  This is the big budget East/West production by Legendary Pictures directed by award-winning Zhang Yimou.  “The Great Wall” stars Matt Damon as the mercenary William Garin.

In search for fame and riches, mercenary William Garin and his men find themselves in remote China.  His remaining men are tired and hungry after days of being hunted down by bandits in the region.  As they rest for the night, they encounter a mysterious creature.  William is able to fend off the beast by cutting its talon off.  William and fellow survivor Pero Tovar stumble upon the amazing gigantic structure – the Great Wall.

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The Assignment Vol. #1

From the Hard Case Crime imprint, this collects the 3 issues of Walter Hill’s The Assignment.  With the upcoming movie starring Sigourney Weaver and Michelle Rodriguez, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this trade paperback.

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Hekla’s Children by James Brogden

Four teens on a outdoor hiking trip disappear.  A day later one of the teens return alive.  Hekla’s Children starts out like an episode of FOX’s Bones with sci-fi/fantasy elements.

Teacher Mr. Nathan Brookes with his “Team Leftovers”: Ryan Edwards, Catharine “Scattie” Powell, Olivia Crawford and Brandon Whitehead go on a outdoor hiking test.  During the hike, they find themselves in a different part of the park and seem to be transported to the past – the “Bronze Age.”  One survivor Olivia Crawford reappears traumatize and without memory of what happened.

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Doraemon Sneakers

This bubbly blue robot cat Doraemon is very popular in Asia.  The character created by Fujiko F. Fujio gets a special sneaker treatment from Packer Shoes x atmos x Reebok, the Doraemon Instapump Fury OG Pad.

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Comic Book Preview: Assassin’s Creed – Reflections #1

Lots Assassin’s Creed comics dropping March 8, 2017.  I’m looking forward to this new Assassin’s Creed series Reflections.  Templar agent Otso Berg’s work takes him to 15th century Florence.

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The Great Wall – The Art of the Film

thegreatwallbookThis weekend Legendary Pictures releases one of their big films of the year into the multiplexes – The Great Wall starring Matt Damon.  Suppose the Great Wall in China was not just built to defend from the human element but also “monsters.”  Actor Matt Damon and the all-star Chinese cast look to defend the Great Wall and humanity from these evil beasts.  Titan Books official companion guide The Great Wall – The Art of the Film takes a behind-the-scenes at the epic production.

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Anno Dracula 1899 and Other Stories

annodracula1899Over the years of reviewing various novels and comics for Retrenders, I’ve enjoyed reading the many tales of Kim Newman’s vampire creation Anno Dracula and world of characters around him.  “Anno Dracula 1899 and Other Stories” is a collection of short stories to get fans primed for the upcoming novel Anno Dracula 1899: Daikaiju.  Not only that, Titan Comics will kick-off a brand new Anno Dracula series by author Kim Newman and art by Paul McCaffrey launching in March 2017.

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Food: Kit Kat Sushi

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With Valentine’s Day coming, Kit Kat in Japan is offering for a limited time Kit Kat Sushi.  You can only get the 3-piece Kit Kat Sushi when you spend more than $27.00USD at the premium KitKat Chocolatory shop, located in Ginza, Tokyo.

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Toy Story Combiner Robot

bandaitoystoryrobotThe popular Pixar animation Toy Story gets the Chogokin treatment.  This is the Tamashii Nations Chogokin Toy Story Super Combined Buzz The Space Ranger Robo!

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xXx: Return of Xander Cage

xandercage“You know how I came up with the idea of the Triple-X program?  Skateboards and swimming pools.”  (Augustus Gibbons)

I remember watching the first Triple-X in theaters and I had to say, I enjoyed watching the Vin Diesel popcorn flick.  Bypassing Ice Cube’s xXx sequel, like Brett Ratner’s X-Men 3, Vin Diesel reprises his role as super punk-rock agent Xander Cage.  I now find myself reading xXx:  Return of Xander Cage – The Official Movie Novelization and just maybe watching this Fast and the Furious wannabe at the multiplexes.

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Magazine Preview: The Walking Dead – Companion to the Comic Series

walkingmagazine0101The Walking Dead has been a pop-culture phenom in both TV and comics format.  This official The Walking Dead magazine provides a guide to the comics series which great for fans and beginners to this zombie universe.

The companion comics guide features interviews with creators Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard.  There are also articles discussing fan-favorite characters, defining comic book moments in the series, exploration of the Walking Dead universe and interviews with the creative team.

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“Hear Me Spirit” by Zachary Sweet

zachsweets03Oaktown artist Zachary Sweet showcases his “Hear Me Spirit” Collection at Woot Bear.  It’s a mix of weirdos, monsters and ghosts from his dreams, nightmares and his artsy brain.  The “Hear Me Spirit” Collection features new paintings, mixed media pieces and resin figures.  If you like dark humor, then check this art at Woot Bear.

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Comic Book Preview: Samurai #2.5

samurai00Teacher Master Kaz mission is to rescue Takeo and his brother Akio.  The brothers find themselves in danger Ogomo.

samurai01 [Read more…]