Hardware aisle twelve, shop smart, shop S-Mart!

so i'm always looking for a neatOh addition to my "lair of intimidation"
(and yes it is intimidating, right down to the unicorn clock that creeps in the seconds watching you, swaying from side to side).

while searching random etsy stores for more ways to clutter my home, i came across a different way for a fangirl (or boy) to express some love for the evil dead trilogy.

the husband and wife team over at *Geekopolis* offers an embellishment of the alternative kind.

Check out these stitched up quotes framed and ready to hang in your cubby hole, topographic point , man cave, hide out, abode, dwelling, habitation, castle.... for the SMart price of $25.00

you can find more unique items by clicking here, also check out their blog http://www.g33kopolis.com./ as they post items, their own and suggestive, there regularly as well.

the beast of chicago: the murderous career of h.h. holmes.

this book is part of writer rick geary's (National Lampoon, Mad, Rolling Stone, Heavy Metal) ongoing non-fiction comic book series titled - A Treasury of Victorian Murder. The Beast of Chicago is the sixth volume in the series.

in case youre unfamiliar with the subject matter, Herman Webster Mudgett also better known as Dr. Henry Howard Holmes, was one of the first documented American serial killers within the modern sense of the term. He was also a con man, and he kept several wives and families.

during the 1893 World's Fair in chicago, Holmes designed, built and opened a hotel in which he had designated as his personal labyrinthine chamber of horrors. while he confessed to 27 murders, of which four were confirmed. his actual body count could be as high as 200 as he took an unknown number of his victims from the that years World's Fair.

this graphic novel was the perfect medium to explore Holmes' "Castle," .... (which was) a maze of secret doors, airtight rooms, gas chambers, and ovens where he disposed his victims.

Holmes' traveling cons, bigamy, and murder spree was criminally ambitious to say the least, but building an elaborate murder castle really shows how today's serial killers are kinda slacking.. JOKING!

Geary's interpretation of details drawn from old newspaper reports and courtroom drawings are awesome. his rendition of the Castle’s mysterious second floor, with all its secret passageways and deadly rooms are even more incredible. ex- asphyxiation chamer, hanging room,


geary places holmes against the glowing electric lights of the fair and does a great job at presenting the "history and myth" surrounding Holmes's ever-changing aliases, schemes, co-conspirators, families, and victims. i think the inherent complexity of the tale reduces many of the episodes and I wish he had settled into some of the details of the story more, especially the characters. It has a slightly less well developed plot in this book but that may be in relation to the extent of his crimes were never really uncovered ,much less a time line for most of them. But it was chilling story none the less.


The black-and-white artwork comparisons to Edward Gorey (in theme and style) are inevitable. but geary's work has a stylish and engaging feel to it: very clean lines and good use of space. This macabre tale prob better suited for older readers who are fans of murder mysteries, or true crime.

thanks to brett hampton for this most excellent gift!

Prophet Relaunch Sells Out Before Release Date

MAN OUT OF TIME
Brandon Graham and Simon Roy's Prophet Relaunch Sells Out Before Release Date

Brandon Graham and Simon Roy's brilliant re-imagining of Rob Liefeld's PROPHET doesn't hit stores until Wednesday, but it's already sold out at the distribution level today. Image has announced a second printing of PROPHET #21 is being rushed to press as back orders for the first issue of the Extreme relaunch continue to grow.

Kicking off an all-new era for Rob Liefeld's Extreme titles, PROPHET #21 opens with John Prophet awakening from cryosleep in the distant future on an Earth that has been inhabited by alien settlers. His mission is simple: Re-start the human empire. Critically acclaimed KING CITY creator Brandon Graham heads up the visionary new creative team on PROPHET, with up and coming artist Simon Roy (JAN'S ATOMIC HEART) providing the breathtaking visuals. The first issue features a painted cover by Russ Manning Award winner Marian Churchland (BEAST, ELEPHANTMEN), plus a variant cover by Rob Liefeld. The second printing cover will feature an all-new image by Roy.


"This is one of those situations where I hate to say something as glib as 'We told you so,' but in the nicest way possible: We did," said Image Comics Publisher Eric Stephenson. "There's been review after glowing review, along with rousing endorsements from the likes of Warren Ellis – it's not a secret Brandon and Simon have turned in a brilliant first issue. It's always nice to be able to say orders on a book have continued to climb post-FOC, but personally, I think it's better to actually have books on the stands.


"We're going back to press on PROPHET #21 to help retailers grow their orders on this excellent new series, but I'd recommend taking a second look at orders on issue #22 and GLORY #23, as well. PROPHET only gets better from here, and for it's just the tip of the Extreme iceberg."

Added Graham: "I'm really looking forward to being able to do all the barbarian science fiction ideas we've got planned for this series. The freedom Rob and Eric are giving us to take this character and run off the board with it has been fantastic."

PROPHET #21 (NOV110358), a 32-page full-color comic book for $2.99, is on sale in stores and digital platforms this Wednesday, January 18, while supplies last. The second printing of PROPHET #21 (NOV118136) is now available for reorder and will be back in stores the week before PROPHET #22 (DEC110566) hits on February 15.

ABOUT IMAGE COMICS
Image Comics is a comic book and graphic novel publisher founded in 1992 by a collective of best-selling artists. Image has since gone on to become one of the largest comics publishers in the United States. Image currently has five partners: Robert Kirkman, Erik Larsen, Todd McFarlane, Marc Silvestri and Jim Valentino. It consists of five major houses: Todd McFarlane Productions, Top Cow Productions, Shadowline, Skybound and Image Central. Image publishes comics and graphic novels in nearly every genre, sub-genre, and style imaginable. It offers science fiction, romance, horror, crime fiction, historical fiction, humor and more by the finest artists and writers working in the medium today. For more information, visit www.imagecomics.com.

WITCHBLADE'S NEW START

New information from TOPCOW/IMAGE Comics on Witchblade! Check out the press release, cover and previews below:

Witchblade Moves to Chicago and Invites New Fans To Join Her:

The New Year brings a slew of fresh starts and Witchblade bearer, Sara Pezzini, is no exception. Pezzini will start 2012 in Chicago with a new job and brand new life, thanks to the fresh ongoing creative team of Tim Seeley (HACK/SLASH) and Diego Bernard (The Man With No Name).

Sara Pezzini has always been a born and bred New York City detective, in addition to wielding the ancient Artifacts, the Witchblade. That all changes with WITCHBLADE #151, the first issue by Seeley and Bernard, which finds Pezzini living outside of the Big Apple for the first time in the series history and working as a private detective. The mystery of how and why Sara is in Chicago, as well as what else has changed about her situation, will drive the story and reader interest for the coming year. This issue kicks off the 5-part story arc, entitled “Unbalanced Pieces,” in which Sara must find a way to balance her new role in the Windy City.

"WITCHBLADE is a dream project or me: A great character, an epic art and editorial team, and an important legacy in the history of comic books!" said Seeley. "Top Cow is giving me an awesome opportunity to reintroduce Sara Pezzini to new fans, old readers, and to a whole new setting!"

WITCHBLADE #151 is the first issue in Top Cow’s REBIRTH, an initiative spinning out of the end of the ARTIFACTS event, which concludes in ARTIFACTS #13. REBIRTH will provide ground-level entry points for each of Top Cow’s Universe titles - WITCHBLADE, THE DARKNESS, and ARTIFACTS - and ushers in a bold new age of story-telling to coincide with Top Cow’s 20th Anniversary. In addition to containing the full first story by Seeley and Bernard, the issue will include a five page bridging sequence by Ron Marz (MAGDALENA) and John Tyler Christopher (ARTIFACTS) and an ongoing prose story backup feature by Seeley.

WITCHBLADE #151 is a 32-page full-color comic with no ads for $2.99, and will be available in comic stores and digitally today. This issue ships with two wraparound covers by regular cover artist Christopher. For more information, please visit www.topcow.com.

THE MANHATTAN PROJECTS DESTINED TO BLOW UP

Hickman & Pitarra's New Ongoing Science Fiction Debuts in March

– What if the union of a generation's brightest minds like Albert Einstein and Robert Oppenheimer was not a signal for optimism, but foreboding? What if everything… went wrong?


In the year 1945, the atomic bomb proved its capacity for immense devastation, but what if the creation of that ultimate killing machine was just a cover for a series of other, more unusual, programs? A brand new, monthly ongoing series from Image Comics will pose that question by taking a look at one of the most critical periods of change in the 20th century through a lens both darkened and strange. Join us, for what is poised to the breakout hit of 2012, THE MANHATTAN PROJECTS!


Award-winning writer Jonathan Hickman (THE NIGHTLY NEWS, FF) and one of the best new talents to debut in comics during the last year, Nick Pitarra, are teaming up once again to present THE MANHATTAN PROJECTS. Following the completion of their critically acclaimed science fiction success, THE RED WING, the duo are taking the cautionary aspect of science fiction and applying it not to the future, but to our past!


"I think anyone that's followed my work knows about my affinity for near-future/alt-history, and THE MANHATTAN PROJECTS pretty much represents the crown jewel of all the stories I've ever cooked-up in that vein," detailed Hickman. "Honestly, if we do this right -- and at this point in the process, it sure feels like we are -- I think this might the perfect example of why I do these stories: It takes a world everyone knows, and blurs the lines between fiction and reality in a way that makes you question where one ends and the other begins. I can't wait for people to read it!"


"Jonathan is a great collaborator, he really sees the page as an artist first," explained Pitarra, "With THE RED WING and with this new series, his guidance has meant everything. I have freedom in the layouts and planning stages, but I know that with him, as careful a storytelling as he is, if he suggests a change the page always comes out better. It's good to work with a writer you can trust."


THE MANHATTAN PROJECTS #1, a 32-page full-color science fiction comic book for $3.50, will be on sale in stores on March 7 and available for order in the January issue of Previews. In the mean time, both THE RED WING TP (OCT11047, ISBN: 978-1-60706-479-4), a 144-page full-color trade paperback for $14.99, & THE NIGHTLY NEWS ANNIVERSARY EDITION HC (SEP110423, ISBN: 9978-1-60706-4619), a 272-page full-color hardcover graphic novel for $34.99, will be on sale in stores December 14.