Blake Worrell

Author Archives: Blake Worrell

“PunchLine” joins the recent run of indie comics successes on Indiegogo

Posted on July 30, 2018 by Blake Worrell 3 comments

Over the weekend, the crowdfunding campaign for PunchLine: Blood Sisters ended successfully, raising 178% of its original funding goal for a total of $9812. The creative team behind PunchLine includes industry veterans Bill Williams (writer) and Matthew Weldon (illustrator), though this project is their first collaboration together. The Indiegogo campaign was set up to fund signed hard cover and trade paperback

Jon Del Arroz’s “Flying Sparks” comic launches on Indiegogo, fully funded on first day

Posted on July 27, 2018 by Blake Worrell One comment

On Friday, award-winning author Jon Del Arroz launched a crowdfunding campaign for Flying Sparks: A Hero and Villain in Love via Indiegogo. Del Arroz is best known for his steampunk novel For Steam and Country. The Flying Sparks comic features illustrations by Jethro Morales (Dejah Thoris, The Green Hornet) and a cover by the Jawbreakers: Lost Souls art team of

Graham Nolan’s “Monster Island” Kickstarter campaign ends successfully

Posted on July 27, 2018 by Blake Worrell 2 comments

On Thursday, the crowdfunding campaign for Graham Nolan’s Monster Island ended successfully, raising a total of $25,091 from 248 backers. The Kickstarter project was for two books, a 20th anniversary hardcover edition of the original Monster Island as well as a special release titled Black Book: the Art of Graham Nolan, which includes a number of sketches and previously uncirculated

Red Rooster: Golden Age crowdfunding campaign crosses $100k milestone

Posted on July 25, 2018 by Blake Worrell 4 comments

Earlier this week, the Indiegogo campaign for Red Rooster: Golden Age topped $100 thousand. As announced on social media by Golden Age colorist Elizabeth Breitweiser, the $100k stretch goal brings with it a chance for one lucky backer to win original artwork by Red Rooster creator Mitch Breitweiser and Cyberfrog creator Ethan Van Sciver. Red Rooster: Golden Age is a

Navy veteran successfully crowdfunds indie comic “Beatdown Girl” via Indiegogo

Posted on July 19, 2018 by Blake Worrell 2 comments

Early Thursday morning, the crowdfunding campaign for Beatdown Girl ended successfully, raising 216% of its original goal for a total of $2,673. Beatdown Girl is the first independent sci-fi comic/graphic novel written and illustrated by Navy veteran Jacob Bihl, who studied at the Kubert School of Cartooning after his service in the Navy ended. According to the project’s Indiegogo page,

No, Saudi Arabia didn’t ban 47 games in a single day, and that’s just the start of the false reporting

Posted on July 17, 2018 by Blake Worrell One comment

I like to give Australians a bit of crap over how miserably their government approaches mature-themed video games, but truth be told, Australia has nothing on the over-the-top nonsense that comes out of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This week, several Western news outlets reported that the Saudi Arabian government had added 47 games to the list of those banned

First issue of new sci-fi horror comic “Stardust” hits Indiegogo; fully funded at light speed (Updated)

Posted on July 17, 2018 by Blake Worrell One comment

A new sci-fi/horror comic Stardust was launched on Indiegogo Monday and was fully funded within the first 24 hours. Stardust is created by writer Nasser Rabadi and illustrator Shawn Langley, who appears to be heavily inspired by the mythology of H.P. Lovecraft. Both creators have previously delivered on past creative projects, as Rabadi has published two novels while Langley has

Nintendo finally releasing more classic arcade games on Switch; 5 Arcade Archives titles that we want to see

Posted on July 17, 2018 by Blake Worrell Leave a comment

At E3 2018, Nintendo announced their plans to release more classic arcade titles on the Switch eShop as part of its “Arcade Archives” program. Priced at $7.99 a pop, Nintendo added the original Donkey Kong as well as the previously Japan-only Sky Skipper to the list of already available digital games, with the latter arriving on the eShop this week.

Cautionary Comics’ “Ravage” sucessfully funded on Indiegogo; Are you ready to “Kill All Men?”

Posted on July 16, 2018 by Blake Worrell 6 comments

Earlier this week, the crowdfunding campaign for Cautionary Comics’ Ravage – Kill All Men ended successfully after raising nearly $37 thousand, which is 247% of its original funding goal. The story of Ravage is the brainchild of writer and Cautionary Comics’ founder, Benjamin L. Henderson (The Magus, The Offworlder), who is joined by co-writer and long-time comic veteran Chuck Dixon

The Indiegogo campaign for Lonestar: Heart of the Hero now live; fully funded in first day

Posted on July 15, 2018 by Blake Worrell 2 comments

The crowdfunding campaign for Mike S. Miller’s Lonestar: Heart of the Hero launched over the weekend, and it’s already off to a solid start raising over $18 thousand and already surpassing its original funding goal of $15 thousand. Mike S. Miller is a 26-year veteran of the comics industry, having worked most recently as the artist in the Injustice video

The Indiegogo campaign for issue 2 of “Jack Irons: the Steel Cowboy” is a 268% success

Posted on July 13, 2018 by Blake Worrell 3 comments

The crowdfunding campaign for Jack Irons: the Steel Cowboy issue 2 ended on Friday, hitting 268% of its funding goal for a total of close to $7 thousand. Jack Irons is an 8-issue comic series written by Cody Fernandez, illustrations by Maximilliano D’allo and colors by Matias Laborde. Issue 2 is expected to be 32 pages with an additional 16

Yakuza may come to Xbox One if there is enough fan demand; Switch port unlikely, series producer says

Posted on July 13, 2018 by Blake Worrell One comment

The once PlayStation-exclusive Yakuza series will soon be expanding its audience when Yakuza Zero comes to PC later in August. But will Xbox One owners ever get a chance to enjoy Yakuza titles on their platform? Series producer Daisuke Sato says, “Maybe.” In a recent interview with Gameblog, Sato indicated that his team at SEGA would consider porting the Yakuza

An elaborate special edition of Toki is coming to Switch in Europe, publisher hints at US release (updated)

Posted on July 12, 2018 by Blake Worrell One comment

Publisher Microids has announced that their retro arcade platformer Toki is coming to Nintendo Switch in November along with a special edition that features a physical arcade cabinet. This remake published by Microids not only features upgraded visuals and re-orchestrated music, but there will also be the ‘Retrollector’ edition which includes a physical copy of the game, a comic book,

Upcoming Vertigo graphic novel “Six Days” a touching tribute to writer’s hero uncle

Posted on July 11, 2018 by Blake Worrell Leave a comment

On Tuesday, DC Comics released the first details of their upcoming Vertigo title Six Days via an interview with the two writers of the book, Robert Venditti (Hawkman, Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corp) and Kevin Mauer (No Easy Day: The Firsthand Account of the Mission that Killed Osama Bin Laden). Six Days is a nonfiction book that recounts

Issue 1 of Sean Campbell’s “The Ferryman” successfully funded on Indiegogo

Posted on July 10, 2018 by Blake Worrell 3 comments

In the wee morning hours on Monday, the Indiegogo campaign for issue 1 of The Ferryman successfully reached its funding goal of $2,200 with 18 days remaining before the campaign ends. The Ferryman is written by Sean Campbell and features illustrations by Dennis Tirona and colors by Ester Salguero. This first issue of this science-fiction/mystery series is a 22-page comic

“Jungle Comics” successfully funded on Indiegogo; new cover option announced

Posted on July 9, 2018 by Blake Worrell 2 comments

The Indiegogo campaign for Jungle Comics ended over the weekend, and it successfully raised over $10 thousand, nearly twice its original goal. Jungle Comics is an all new story designed as a throwback to the classic jungle genre of the Golden Age. Written by long-time comic veteran Chuck Dixon (Batman, Bane Conquest) and featuring art by Kelsey Shannon (Jawbreakers, Justice

Legendary comics creator Steve Ditko passes away at 90

Posted on July 6, 2018 by Blake Worrell One comment

Last week, the comic book community lost one of its most influential creators. Steve Ditko, co-creator of Spider-Man, Doctor Strange and the Question, was found dead in his apartment on June 29; it is believed that he died on June 27. No cause of death was announced. In 1961, Ditko created Spider-Man with the editor-in-chief at Marvel Comics, Stan Lee.

Mitch Breitweiser’s “Red Rooster: Golden Age” graphic novel hits Indiegogo; fully funded in hours

Posted on July 5, 2018 by Blake Worrell 3 comments

On Thursday, Mitch Breitweiser’s Red Rooster: Golden Age went went live on Indiegogo, and reached its $15 thousand funding goal approximately two hours later. Featuring illustrations by Mitch Breitweiser (Captain America), colors by Elizabeth Breitweiser (Batman) and scripted by Mark Pellegrini (Black Hops), Red Rooster: Golden Age is described as Rockwell meets Lovecraft in a dust bowl-era, southern gothic cape

SNK 40th Anniversary Collection coming to Nintendo Switch in November

Posted on July 5, 2018 by Blake Worrell One comment

NIS America has announced that the SNK 40th Anniversary Collection will be available November 13th in North America and November 16th in Europe. This collection includes over a dozen old-school SNK arcade games, and by “old-school,” I mean pre-Fatal Fury fighting game era SNK, though publisher NIS has teased that more games will be revealed at a later date. This collection

Namco Museum Arcade PAC coming this September for Nintendo Switch

Posted on July 3, 2018 by Blake Worrell Leave a comment

Bandai Namco has announced Namco Museum Arcade PAC (…pack. Get it?) for the Nintendo Switch. This is a seemingly cool announcement until you realize that this new release is merely a retail version of both Namco Museum and Pac-Man Championship Edition 2 Plus, both of which are already on the Switch eShop. Still, if you’re a retro gaming fan and don’t own either

Bitmap Books announces SEGA Master System Visual Compendium

Posted on July 2, 2018 by Blake Worrell Leave a comment

On Monday, UK-based Bitmap Books launched a Kickstarter campaign to create an officially-licenced coffee table book on the SEGA Master System. SEGA Master System: a visual compendium is officially licensed by SEGA and is the first book of this kind to be released focussing on the Master System. SEGA Master System: a visual compendium is being created by an experienced

Splatto Comics launches “Iron Sights” one-shot on Indiegogo… and it’s already 100% funded

Posted on July 1, 2018 by Blake Worrell One comment

Coming hot on the heels of their last crowdfunded success, Splatto Comics announced Sunday that their next project, Iron Sights, is now available to support on Indiegogo. Written by Richard C. Meyer and Carlos Ivan Silva with art by Ibai Canales, Iron Sights is the story of an Iraq War veteran nicknamed “Ramadi” who inadvertently starts a border war when

Too Many Games 2018 – full recap

Posted on June 30, 2018 by Blake Worrell One comment

I’ve attended the Too Many Games convention in Phoenixville, PA for several years now, and over that time I’ve seen it grow and expand into quite a girthy experience. I only had one day (Saturday) to see and do as much as I could, but I was not lacking activities to jump into. Below are the highlights of the trip.

Cyberfrog smashes comics crowdfunding records, Indiegogo campaign extended for 30 days

Posted on June 29, 2018 by Blake Worrell 2 comments

Ethan Van Sciver’s Indiegogo campaign for Cyberfrog: Blood Honey crossed the $400 thousand mark today, cementing itself as the most successful comic book project in crowdfunding history. Uh, yeah. Despite attempts by others to derail the project, Blood Honey has blown past other crowdfunding success stories such as Lady Death & Jawbreakers. Building upon this achievement, project creator Ethan Van

Toejam and Earl: Back in the Groove to release in 2018, loses Adult Swim as publisher

Posted on June 28, 2018 by Blake Worrell One comment

According to the latest backer update from HumaNature Studios, Toejam & Earl: Back in the Groove will be released before the end of 2018.* The Nintendo Switch version of Back in the Groove is almost ready to submit for certification while the other console versions are reportedly close behind. The backer update also announced that a closed beta will launch

PlayStation Plus titles for July include Zero Escape: Zero Time Dilemma and Heavy Rain

Posted on June 28, 2018 by Blake Worrell Leave a comment

July’s free PlayStation Plus games have been revealed! The free PS4 titles include both martial arts-focused fighting game, Absolver, and Heavy Rain, a story-focused psychological thriller by Quantic Dream. PlayStation Vita owners can snag the sci-fi world destruction title Space Overlords and the mature-themed puzzle adventure game Zero Escape: Zero Time Dilemma, the latter of which is playable on the PlayStation

Story DLC coming to Kingdom Come: Deliverance in July

Posted on June 27, 2018 by Blake Worrell Leave a comment

Publisher Deep Silver and Warhorse Studios revealed Tuesday a first glimpse of new story DLC for Kingdom Come: Deliverance, set to release in July. Titled From The Ashes, the main thrust of the DLC features a town-building expansion in which players create a new settlement from the ground up and adjudicate disputes between settlers. Also on Tuesday, Warhorse Studios released

Rampage film scores big in China

Posted on June 27, 2018 by Blake Worrell Leave a comment

Rampage starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has become the actor’s highest-grossing film in China and also the second highest grossing Warner Brothers film of all time in the country, surpassing other successful WB films such as Batman. With a budget of $120 million, Rampage had a weak showing in the U.S. taking in just $97 million, domestically. However, the Chinese

All-female fighter “Koihime Enbu RyoRaiRai” coming to PS4, PC

Posted on June 26, 2018 by Blake Worrell One comment

Degica Games has announced that Koihime Enbu RyoRaiRai, a one-on-one fighting game set in ancient China and featuring a roster of 100% females, will launch for Windows PC and PlayStation 4 on July 12th. Koihime Enbu RyoRaiRai is an enhanced version of Koihime Enbu, which was released on Steam in 2016. This new “super turbo” version, you can now choose

E3 Recap: 5 brand new IPs we’re looking forward to playing (besides Cyberpunk 2077)

Posted on June 26, 2018 by Blake Worrell 2 comments

Like every E3, we were wowed and bombarded by a steady stream of refreshes and updates to gaming properties we all know and love. But while these forays into the familiar may get most of the press, developers at E3 2018 still had several interesting new IPs to show off. Below, we’ve featured five of our favorite new IPs from