THE JOLENE HOUSER SUPPORT BOOK

Jolene Houser Support Book and Dusk (Vol. 2) by David Doub



Proceeds to benefit Arizona artist Jolene Houser



"On her way to the convention Saboten-Con, artist Jolene Houser was in a car accident. She had a fractured skull, 17 stitches in her forehead, 6 staples on her elbow from a large laceration, and a fractured #1 vertebrae. During the show, all the fans and staff were very supportive and sent their well wishes the best they knew how, but that got some of us thinking. Why stop there? To show our support for Jolene and her amazing talent, we've put together this sketchbook. All profits will be given to Jolene to help with various bills stemming from the accident and her medical care."



~ David Doub, author and publisher, Dusk Comics







Special Note! There will also be a Live Art Auction held to support Jolene -



Saturday, April 2, 6:00pm - 11:00pm

Hastings

2311 Colorado Blvd.

Denton, TX

(940) 565-1764



Comic book artists are a special breed, and Arizona native Jolene Houser, who has been a comic book fan ever since she got her first taste of Witchblade and Sailor Moon, is no exception. This serious student was studying all forms of art in order to advance her skills and further her work in her Arizona studio when she was in a serious car accident she is still struggling to recover from.



To help with the inevitable medical bills, co-artist and friend David Doub, author and publisher of Dusk Comics, organized their fellow artists to put together the Jolene Houser Support Book. The book's goal is clear. As the title page says, "We can rebuild her. Better. Faster. Stronger. Starring Jolene Houser as the Bionic Artist."



This outpouring of love and respect contains 32 pages of sketches drawn by 17 different artists, and all proceeds from net sales go directly to Jolene. Doub notes that the book, available online through Amazon and Barnes and Noble, is POD and will not run out of stock.



Also, since Jolene drew one-third of the illustrations for volume 2 of Doub's vampire comic creation Dusk, Doub is donating these proceeds (from online sales or orders through Ingrams) to her as well through May 31, 2011, though he notes that the support book will continue to be sold, with all proceeds going to Jolene, for as long as needed. "Artists have to pull together and help each other," he says.



For more information on the Jolene Houser Support Book or Dusk (Vol. 2), contact david@duskcomics.com.

THE BASEMENT OF BARON MORBID EPISODE 32

The Basement of Baron Morbid Episode 32 from Douglas Waltz on Vimeo.

The Penultimate Chapter of the Web Comic Competition

Okay, we are back with the final decision making blog. Then the next will award the winner the lifelong contract of buying their merch when possible.

GIRLS WITH SLINGSHOTS

I have been reading this one since day one. The little cactus McPedro makes me laugh. The girls are funny. One is super girly and likes girls. The other one is a lot cruder and prefers men. Never, ever judge a book by it's cover. This one has made me laugh out loud a number of times.

SHORTPACKED

The concept of a group of people working togther in a toy store has endless comedic possibilities. They have also made me laugh quite a bit.

MENAGE A 3

Just a fun filled demented strip. Plus, look at the picture. Why wouldn't anyone read this?

LEAST I COULD DO

Another one that I have read from the start. I have suffered through multiple artists and it just is funny to watch this main character plow through life, women and cadbury eggs. Simply delightful with a sharp, sarcastic wit.

NEW DVD STUFF!!

Yup, time for another update on what is out there in DVD land. Hold on to your hats!

BILL MOYERS:IN SEARCH OF THE CONSTITUTION
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This 11 part series, originally broadcast in the late 80s takes an up close, intricate look at the brief document that shapes everything we come to accept as part of being an American. Along with the DVDs there is a 16b page booklet that contains quite a bit of information for such a small tome.

BILL MOYERS: A WORLD OF IDEAS - WRITERS

First, the list of writers that appeared in this series; Chinua Achebe, Issac Asimov, E.L. Doctorow, M.F.K Fisher, Carlos Fuentes, Nadine Gordimer, Jeanette Haien, Joseph Heller, Toni MOrrison, Bharti Mukherjee, Derek Walcott, August Wilson and Tom Wolfe.
This series, originally broadcast in 1988 looks at all forms of writing from science fiction to Broadway. It examines what it means to be a writer.
There is an updated bonus feature with more authors in it as well as an informative booklet.

MURDER INVESTIGATION TEAM

The British Version of CSI, but more realistic, gritty and edgy. Originally broadcast in 2003, this crime drama is the bar which all others must meet. Unflinching, disturbing and something that once you start watching it, can't stop.

THE GENIUS OF DESIGN

Originally broadcast on the Smithsonian Channel in 2010, this series shows us the things that shape the world we live in. Along the way we discover that design has actually influenced the outcome of war. A great series.

THE COSMOS: A BEGINNER'S GUIDE.

Available for the first time in the U.S., this series gives us weighty information with a subtle touch to make it easier to absorb for the layperson. Ladies  and Gentlemen, welcome to your universe and what makes it tick.

UPSTAIRS, DOWNSTAIRS: SERIES ONE

The fortieth anniversary of this beloved classic of British television. The tale of the wealthy Bellamy family and their loyal servants. Set between 1903 and 1909, this is a tale of scandals, political upheavals and the horrors of the First World War.
This edition contains over six hours of bonus materials making it a must for any fan of this series.

THE WEB COMIC COMPETITION CONTINUES

 This time around I went to each webcomics online store to see what kind of merch they had.

Girls With Slingshots

Collections of the strips at affordable prices and a McPEdro Plushie. There was other stuff, but when I saw the plushie I forget what it is.

Menage A 3

Two collections of the strips. That was it.

Shortpacked

Some books, some hats, some posters. Various stuff. Nothing really drew me in

Least I Could Do

Oh. My. God! They have more merch than I have ever seen! Is this a good thing? I'm not sure yet. It is a bit overwhelming.

Next I will give the reason why I like each strip and see if I can make a decision from that.

Seeya!

WEB COMIC COMPETITION

I have a handful of web comics that I read on a regular basis. These people put them out there for free and hope that you love them so much that you will buy some of their merch to help them out. I have read all of these for a very long time and I have made a decision.
I will pick one of them to devote a small portion of my hard earned cash to.
And the nominees are:

LEAST I COULD DO

I have stuck it out with multiple artists and bizarre storylines. The continuing adventures of the oversexed manchild Rayne make me laugh all the time.

GIRLS WITH SLINGSHOTS

Ah, Jamie and Hazel. Those crazy gals and their crazy adventures. Actually my favorite is McPedro the talking cactus. This one recently went to full color and while I'm a big fan of the classic black and white strip, color is good.

SHORTPACKED

Life at a toystore with some of the weirdest employees on the planet. Ronald Regan used to work there. EVEN AFTER HE DIED! Also a sentient car, a ninja and, well you get the idea, right? 

MENAGE A 3 

Last in the group. The only black and white strip in the batch. Menage a 3 is like an Archie comic. A sex charged, deviant Archie comic with a sweet side that it doesn't want to admit to. It is also the only one in the group to have nudity. A lot of nudity.

So, there you go. The criteria was pretty simple. These people do their strips day in day out for our reading enjoyment. Least I Could Do is actually seven days a week now. Impressive. They also do these for a living. For the next four posts I will examine why each of these strips is such a good read and why I like them. Then after that I will be choosing who I will be throwing my cash to.

Stick around, this should be fun.

Happy St. PAtrick's Day

New Charlie's Angel's series!?!

The 2011 television series of Charlie’s Angels is currently in production in Miami, FL. Kimpton’s EPIC Hotel served as a filming location this weekend for some of the scenes. Among some the actors, Rachel Taylor and Minka Kelly (Derek Jeter’s girlfriend) were spotted on the hotel grounds – even during overnight filming!
I had no idea this was even been made!?!

DVD ROUND UP

Okay, kiddies, we have a ton of them so pay attention and let's see what is out there for us to groove on.

A cop by day and a  single mother of four by night, Detective Chief Inspector has her hands full. This is gritty, gory police drama with none of the punches pulled. The box set collects the entire series in one convenient package for  show that must be seen to be believed.

An hour long documentary about how these two men put on a production of Hamlet. You would have to be a huge Kenneth Branagh fan to sit through this. I, unfortunately, am not.

Robert Downey Jr. is excellent as always. Galifinakis seems out of place in this. It has some truly laugh out loud moments, but I really don;t need to see it again.

This time we are in colonial times with a young girl and the horse she loves. It's family fare and well worth the watch. An American Girl series puts a lot of effort into their releases and makes a good film.

William Garrow was a real British barrister in the 1700s. Not a good time to be convicted of anything because British justice just assumed you were guilty. Until Garrow came along. Infused with the British melodrama we all know and love, Garrow's Law is quality television.

Katherine Heigl is a waste of a one note actress. She plays the same part over and over again. If you need to watch her in something for whatever reason just watched Knocked Up again. This is another romantic comedy that is a waste of time. Oh, and it has a cute baby in it. Maybe that's the thing. Watch it if you like cute babies. Yeah, they should have more of that cute baby in there and less of Heigl. That would be a good thing. I will not be button the Amazon button after this one so you won't feel I am endorsing this in any way shape or form.

Another attempt at mining the genius of the original series. Only they failed. The romantic nonsense is dumb . I do like the continuing storyline, but not enough to recommend this to anyone. No button for this review either.

Wow! Check out that box. Hot and funny at the same time. Sort of a win-win kind of thing. This is one of those rare urban comedies that plays well to all audiences. The dialogue is funny, the women are smoking hot and it's a fun, little, date night kind of a flick.

Classic Tom and Jerry at budget prices. Get the kids away from those new cartoons and show them what cartoons are meant to be. Mayhem!

Finally, we have a documentary that everyone should be forced to watch. This is one that got it right by just talking to normal people like you and me to see what could cause people to change their way of thinking after decades of being one way. This is something that would be beneficial to show children in schools.