A post with kick

In honor of "OnomontoPOWia Friday", I bring you a series of kicks to the crotch. Some of these you have seen here before and some are new, but I think we can all agree that any blow to the boys is fun, no matter what. Enjoy.

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And finally, when fighting for your life in a transgendered future bar, there's no relief like realizing the person you just kicked in the crotch is pre-, not post-operative:

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Note that when American Flagg kicks someone in the junk, it is silent. I don't know for sure what that means, but given that this is Howard Chaykin writing, it's probably both deep and disgusting at the same time.

Random Panel: Is that like Disco Dancing?

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Recommended comics blog reading

I can hear you out there right now, thinking "I like reading this blog and Jeff Hebert is one darn sexy bald guy, but where can I go for yet more excellent comics-related blogging?" Luckily for you I am not just a mind-reader, but also a subscriber to the following Certified Good Comics Blogs:

  • "Chris's Invincible Super-Blog": Chris has become a true Titan (or Inhuman, or New God, or Asgardian, or any other comics-related mythological bad-ass of your choice) of the comics-blogging world, with his weekly review of new releases and all things related to Batman kicking people in the face.
  • "Again With the Comics": The highest compliment one creative type can give another is to say "I wish I'd done that", and that's exactly how I feel about Brian Hughes' "One Hulk, Two Hulk, Red Hulk, Blue Hulk" post.
  • "Comics Worth Reading": Primary author Johanna Draper Carlson offers a great take on the comics industry, including a number of excellent reviews of Manga releases about which, frankly, I know nothing. If you're trying to expand your comics tastes, check out her recommendations.
  • "Fraggmented": I keep reading John Seavey's blog largely due to his "Storytelling Engine" series, where he takes a thoughtful look at why certain kinds of characters and books work and others do not. It's a good read when you're wanting something thoughtful instead of lame jokes about sentient trees wearing William Shatner's wigs (what loser would write something like that?!).
  • "The Vault of Buncheness": Chris Bunche, comic book industry insider, gives good post on a wide range of topics of interest to the types of people who read comics. This one comes with some strong language and a few not quite safe for work images, so be warned.

That's pretty much what I read when it comes to comics blogs. I'd love to hear about others that you follow in the comments, so by all means feel free to throw out your own favorites!

Random Panel: Who all does that include?

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Set toupee on "Stun"!

I know drawing celestials or other-dimensional characters presents numerous challenges -- how do you represent something truly alien? -- but surely if another world evolved some sort of ultra-powerful, face-eyed sentient tree trunk, it wouldn't have the crippling lack of self-confidence necessary to don James Kirk's rug:

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On the other hand, as a sentient tree he's probably getting tired of people asking him "Why don't your roots match your hair color?".

(Image and character ©Marvel Comics.)

Random Panel: Smartass being the operative term

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META: The Macintosh cometh!

Behind the scenes here at HeroMachine Central, I am writing this post on my "new to me" Macintosh Pro, just received a couple of hours ago. So far it's going well -- nothing has exploded and, even better, I have not yet turned into the dorky "Mac Guy" from the commercials.

Continue reading

Caption Contest 14: Huggy Bear

Come up with the best caption for this comic book panel and you could win your very own custom black and white illustration from professional artist Jeff Hebert!

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The rules are simple:

  1. Keep it clean -- think "appropriate for a prime time broadcast sitcom" here.
  2. No more than three entries.
  3. Make your entry in the comments to this post, below.

Good luck everyone! If you want to see some examples of previous winners' prizes, click here.

Caption Contest 13 Winner!

The winner of Caption Contest 13 is ... DerKork! Here's the panel with that bit of wittery included:

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Many thanks for all the fine entries, this was one of the best sets yet! Among the honorable mentions were:

Niall Mor:

Balloon 1: “Floyd, when we said you should relax a little and let it all hang out, this is NOT what we meant!”
Balloon 2: “Seriously!”

Frankie:

Lady one: “Oh, him? That’s just my brother. He has the ability to hover about five feet or so over the ground. But he says he can only do it while naked and meditating.”
Lady two: “I see…He dosn’t go out and try to fight crime, does he?”

Elder:

Balloon 1: “Where did you get him?”
Balloon 2: “I made him in Heromachine 11.4″

Thanks to everyone who entered! I'll be trying to get with DerKork to work out the prize. And keep an eye out for Caption Contest 14, coming up later today, for your chance to win your very own custom black and white illustration of whatever you like (within reason)!

Random Panel: Election thoughts

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