Ink Tales Graphic Anthology is an IndieGoGo

Ok, so some crowdfunding campaigns have been getting a bit of thrashing of late, not only in Australia but all over the world especially the Comic & Graphic Novel variety for various reasons. But that doesn't mean you should not still help projects that are transparent and hold merit achieve their dream of being published. After all that's why these sites were created for. 

One crowdfunding project we think is worth some of your hard earned cash is INK TALES, a Graphic Anthology that is centred around the theme of tattoos. This is an all Australian fair that is written and illustrated by some of Australia's most unsung talent (in alphabetical order of surname):

Black Betty, Ary Bizar, Steve Boyd, Jeffrey ‘Chamba’ Cruz, Gee Hale, Billy Hysteria, Andrew Isaac, Lindy Lou, Dale Maccanti, Kate Moon, Bruce Mutard, Jason Paulos, Will Pleydon, Benjamin Plymin, Grange Wallis and Justin Woolley

Now this is not an original idea to centre a book around the subject of the timeless art of Tattooing, but what sets it apart from the rest is that it's an anthology of stories featuring a plethora of styles and tales from:

Tattooed femme fatales, high-tech tattoo viruses, alien prophecies and even the 6 deadliest numbers in history!

Have we peaked your interested yet? If that's not enough (which it should be) how about the rad front cover created by Jeffrey 'Chamba' Cruz or some of these original art pages by Will Pleydon? 

Ahh it's all about what's in it for you and yeah it's you're money that's helping to get this awesome book out of the hearts and minds of these creators and into your hands and eyeballs. For only $30 (additional $10 shipping outside of Australia) you receive 120 pages of large than life format (28.5 x 19.5cm), colour cover, black and white interior with the beautiful 'Chamba' art soft cover Graphic Novel. The list of rewards just gets bigger and better from there. 

But don't take our word for it, here are some quotes from other reputable sources:

"This collection features stories of horror, suspense, pain and regret, every one etched in blood and ink." – Emmet O’Cuana (The Momus Report) 

"Does a great job of showcasing the diverse talent emerging from the Australian comics community." – Kane Melbourne (Non Canonical Comic Podcast) 

"Ink Tales suggests that comics and tattoos are quite similar- scar tissue, artistically rendered in ink. It’s a sharp book. I want another tat now…" – Anthony N. Castle (Australian Comics Journal)

"What's the catch to all this" I hear you say. The catch is simple! Like all crowdfunded campaigns, this one ends 16th November, 2013, so be quick to get Inked up by pledging towards this exceptional book.

For more info check out:

Pledge Page    Facebook    Twitter    Tumblr

Now Every Guy Can Look Super

Let's face it, most of us Creative, Geek or Enthusiast guys don't get into sports or outdoor activities as we're usually glued to our favourite Film, TV show, Interwebs or latest Game. I like you could definitely hit the gym a few days a week to look like a sparkling Vampire or hairless Werewolf, but lack of motivation and confidence are usually the reason
I/we don't. 

Thanks to Funkybod we now have a Super answer introduced to us as the padded Muscle Top or Wundershirt. The Funkybod Muscle enhancing top is manufactured from materials which allow the skin to breathe whilst maintaining a snug fit and natural looking enhancement when worn under clothing. Worn by itself the fake muscles cover the man boobs but are easy to spot. However when worn under another shirt no one will be able to tell you don't spend every morning at the gym with the plates even feeling like real muscle.

The Funkybod undershirt is designed to enhance your natural physique. Because of the way it is designed, there is a marked improvement in the look if the wearer has the typical visual man boob issues when wearing a shirt. 

Features of the Funkybod muscle top:

• Chest plates giving a pumped look.

• Shoulder plates to give a broader look.

• Bicep plates giving bigger biceps.

• Tricep plates giving bigger triceps.

• Feels realistic to the touch.

The Muscle Top is available in Grey, White and Black from sizes XS to L. So with $50.50 AUD for a Wundershirt comes great responsibility to not only look Super but start getting out and earning those temporary muscles for realz.

Images courtsey of Funkybod & Vertigo Comics (Flex Mentallo)

Whatcha Turns 50 with a Live Show at ArtBoy Gallery in Prahran!

Whatcha celebrates its 50th Episode at the amazing ArtBoy Gallery in Prahran

Oh what a night, Whatchas!

This Friday night at Artboy Gallery in Prahran the Whatcha crew hit the stage for a live recording of our 50th episode – and what a night it was! There were games to be played, debates to be fought, prizes to be won and costumes to be admired (oh, the lycra, oh the Star Wars dress!). If you were there then you’re one of the lucky ones who had a chance to join in the fun (I’m looking at you, Jose…). If you missed out – and boy, did you miss out! – then this is your opportunity to catch up on the night that was…

The event launched at full speed, with fans, geeks and art enthusiasts lining up at the opening hour to join the crew for pre-show drinks and to admire some damn fine art - and things didn’t slow down until the final curtain was drawn and the lights were shut off. Let’s start with the art. One word: nerdgasm! Whether it was Lukas Stobie’s Super Pixel Series, Mr Duke’s amazing Star Wars cardboard art, or Alan Carey [aka “The Tardis Guy's] badass Captain America shield (which sadly, was not for sale) there was something to suit everyone. Needless to say, much awe was inspired as was coin dropped. In fact, Whatcha’s own Dean snagged some su-weet DC Muppet paintings (by artist, Sean Stagg ) whilst Em went home with a fabulous Bowie/Aladdin Sane cameo necklace courtesy of Nicole Smith. Just some of the fantastic artists who displayed their work on the night include: Dirtfish, Mr. Duke, Almo, Sean Stagg, J-F Tranquille, Ryan Hall (UK), Lukas Stobie (JPN), Jonny Crennan, Keltie Mullin, Doodlz, Nicole Smith, G9, Eyal Miller and many more. Even Watcha’s own Mike submitted an impressive “comic panel teaser” which offered a glimpse into the wacky world of the Whatchas.

Following the initial art show (and some minor technical difficulties!) the team kicked off with the first act. Along with the usual “Whatcha watching?” segment, the first act featured many highlights. The first worthy mention goes to our honourary Whatcha, Jose, who was adourned with his very own Whatcha Live Episode t-shirt and made an unofficial member of the team - keep those "likes" coming, Jose! Discussion intensified with an hilarious debate on the merits of paper comics versus digital downloads between Andrew Shaw and Steve "Sparky" Sparke, with analogies drawn to sex versus porn – you stay classy, Shawy! Needless to say, the paper classics won out in the end. Finally, as if the crowd weren't already tempted enough the first half featured a special word from one of the event organisers, Marc Huntington on the amazing art adorning the walls.

The second act was all about participation: game on! We got several audience members involved for this half, which started with a round of Whatcha Blanking with three teams competing for the blanking crown. Kudos to Mike and Danie Dangerous for winning the round with their curiously cheesy responses... Next up was Whatcha Intelligencing where boys versed girls in the ultimate battle of wits. Nath sat this one out and was replaced by the cunning and verbose Nathanial who MC'd the round resplendent in suspenders and bow-tie. Naturally, the girls won and the Intelligence crown was returned to it's rightful owner, Em (for now....) Well done to audience team-member, Jess for battling it out for the girls! We also had an opportunity to interview Alan Carey, aka "The Tardis Guy" about his amazing Captain America Shield. There were more than a few guests who wished that item was on sale! The night ended with an epic prize give-away finale, with none other than Jose, our honourary Whatcha winning a set of amazing collectible Transformers coins from the friendly folk at Downies.  

And so it was, the Whatcha 50th Episode Live Show. It all ended far too quickly but it's safe to say that all had an absolute ball on the night! We would like to extend a special thanks to the owners of ArtBoy Gallery, Marc Huntington and Matt Griffiths for letting us use their amazing space, to the artists, too numerous to mention who displayed their incredible work as part of ArtBoys current show, Poptober and added credible geek chic to the event, our sponsors, including Downies, All Star Comics and ArtBoy Gallery who donated a range of amazing prizes and of course, our incredible fans. We literally wouldn't be able to do this without your amazing support. Much geeky love to all of you and see you at the 100th show! 

Look out for the 50th episode podcast this weekend.

Artboy Celebrates Poptober with Whatcha

On the eve of Poptober we spoke to Matt & Marc, the boys from Artboy Gallery about what to expect & find out if they were ready for the Whatcha invasion with the
live 50th episode on
Opening Night.

Poptober sounds so exciting; you guys always do your Fanboy vs Artboy events, what inspired you to make Poptober happen?

We love our Fanboy vs Artboy shows …they have taken on a life of their own these days and everyone's eager to know what the next theme is!! We love that kind of passion! We wanted to curate an exhibition that was different to the Fanboy vs Artboy events. There had been a handful of artists we had been keeping a keen eye on in the fan art shows and the idea of seeing a full collection of work by them excited us!!

The collective in Poptober is a mix of 'best in show' winners, 'gallery's choice' and 'stand out artists'. Add in the suggestion to host your 50th episode, some rare collectable movie posters from the US, custom toys and comic art… and voila'…Poptober is born! Opening night kicks off this Friday night the 18th @ 6pm with "Whatcha live" and will run until the 27th.

Was it hard to choose the artists whose work you were going to use?

We wanted to highlight a range of artistic styles and as many facets of pop culture as we could to make sure it wasn’t just another 'superheroes' exhibition. Making sure each artist's discipline was different to the next was paramount. We wanted just one urban artist, one pixel artist, one paper craft artist, one collection of movie posters and so on. With so many artists at our finger tips culling the list was tough, but we got there!

Props must go out to the Whatcha crew for showing us Ryan Hall's paper craft earlier this year. His work sells as soon as it arrives…sometime before! We think we have enough diversity in the show for everyone to get excited about. I mean, c’mon… we've got Muppets!!!

What’s the most excited piece of work you’re looking forward to displaying?

We can’t be biased or play favourites, but we're most excited to display a brand new body of work from one of our best selling artists, Dirtfish. It’s been almost 2 years since his last collection and i cant tell you how awesome this stuff is! It's a new direction but still distinctly 'Dirtfish'. Think superhero/aussie anti-hero!

And the work’s all available for sale?

Absolutely!!

How did you guys end up owning and running a gallery?

Marc - I've been in the industry since I finished high school a hundred years ago and although I’ve loved working and managing other galleries, ultimately at the end of the day you are still working for someone else and can have only so much say in the artists you would sign to the gallery. We started discussing the idea about 5 years ago about own space and how we would shape it. The most important thing was to make it an exciting retail gallery full of locally created artwork. It had to be vibrant, inviting and accessible for all ages. We wanted to remove any pretentiousness that people perceive a gallery has and be a place for people to drop in every week to see what's new! Kind of like a comic book store, gaming store or, dare I say, when I was a kid, a record shop!!

What’s your favourite pop culture genre or show?

Our lives are a mix of video gaming, TV, art, movies, TV ...and more gaming. But us in a nutshell goes like this: star wars, transformers, WWE, horror & sci fi movies, prisoner cell block h, game of thrones, trashy and not so trashy reality TV, masters of the universe, David Lynch, HBO dramas and a love hate relationship with blockbuster movies!

Who should Dean Dress up as on Friday?

Matt: SKELETOR

Marc: He needs to don the infamous 'dazzler' outfit one more time. Is it creepy that Dean as Dazzler is my contact pic on my phone for him?? Yes..no..?? Lol

How crazy are you guys doing Poptober and having us crash your opening night with our live 50th ep... Go on tell us.. Who’s your favourite Whatcha?

Our opening nights are always a blast..great art, great vibe, great people & its going to fun handing it over to you guys. We'll be able to kick back, relax and enjoy the show!! Who's our favourite Whatcha? …c'mon, that’s like choosing favourites between your 2 kids (when your least favourite 3rd kid is out of the room) …We love you all equally! *group hug. Mouths to Mike, you’re our favourite"*

Artboy Gallery 99 Greville St

Prahran VIC 

03 9939 8993

contact@artboygallery.com

Public Transit: Prahran Station

http://www.facebook.com/artboygallery

http://www.artboygallery.com

Pictures courtesy of Artboy Gallery 2013

Whatcha 049 - Whatcha Silent Whatchering

Dean, Mike, Nath & (Dr) Emma give you, your weekly dose of all things Pop-Culture.

In this weeks does of all things pop culture the Whatcha crew are joined by a silent whatcha audience in preparation for episode 50 the Live Show. Em and Mike fight it out over Horrible Bosses while Nath & Dean enjoy the show. Plus our regular segments including a Whatcha Blanking pairs edition and Nath's new segment "Running with Tom'.

Don't forget on 18th October 2013 we'll celebrating our 50th Episode with Whatcha Live! So if you're in Melbourne then head on down to Artboy Gallery for some fun, games & seriously rad prizes.

Oh, and did we mention prizes? AMAZING prizes? Just by joining the event you could go into the draw to WIN an Amazing set of limited edition collectible Transformers silver coins valued at $259, thanks to Downies.

WHATCHA WANT:

Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/whatchapodcast

Twitter
http://www.twitter.com/WhatchaShow

iTunes
https://tinyurl.com/whatchaitunes

Nath - www.twitter.com/nathfromwhatcha

Dean - www.twitter.com/deanarcuri

Mike - www.twitter.com/mickytoons

(Dr) Emma - www.twitter.com/EmmaBeddows

Thanks for listening

Whatcha 048 - Whatcha Tangenting

Dean, Mike, Nath & (Dr) Emma give you, your weekly dose of all things Pop-Culture.

In this weeks does of all things pop culture the gang are back together for another week that seems to run off on a tangent as Em transports out as Mike transports in and then vice-versa. Confused? So was Dean & Nath but all will make sense upon hearing our second last episode before Whatcha Live.

Don't forget on 18th October 2013 we'll celebrating our 50th Episode with Whatcha Live! So if you're in Melbourne then head on down to Artboy Gallery for some fun, games & seriously rad prizes. For more details check out: http://on.fb.me/18ELHU9

Oh, and did we mention prizes? AMAZING prizes? Just by joining the event you could go into the draw to WIN an Amazing set of limited edition collectible Transformers silver coins valued at $259, thanks to Downies. Check out the rad prize and details on how to enter the competition here:http://bit.ly/1fauhGl - The winner will be announced on the night.

WHATCHA WANT:

Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/whatchapodcast

Twitter
http://www.twitter.com/WhatchaShow

iTunes
https://tinyurl.com/whatchaitunes

Nath - www.twitter.com/nathfromwhatcha

Dean - www.twitter.com/deanarcuri

Mike - www.twitter.com/mickytoons

(Dr) Emma - www.twitter.com/EmmaBeddows

Thanks for listening

Whatcha Comic Launching

All Star Comics Melbourne who's reputation to support local talent, hosted a launch for three new local comic books this past weekend.

After a busy morning of riding in the Batmobile and buying up a storm at the Lobos Toy Garage (true story for another time), Mike and I (Nath) headed to the city district of Melbourne to attend the All Star Comics Launch! 

Just like in the TV series 'Charmed' the power of three came together in the form of three new released comic books containing three powerfully different styles and genres.

From Above by (W&A) Craig Bruyn
Melbourne City. A vast sprawling metropolis encompassing all of what was once the state

of Victoria. Globalisation has seen governments fall and corporations rise to own and police their own sectors. For those not fortunate enough to live in these corporate controlled sectors, life can be tough. Morality is becoming a forgotten concept and there are few who will stand up for what
is right.

Tales to Admonish by (W) Andrez Bergen & (A) Matt Kyme
Born the day after Jack Kirby's 96th b'day TALES TO ADMONISH pushes the boundaries of silver age comics, pulp, horror & detective noir—with a surreal bent.

Divine Comedy by (W) Matt Nicholls & (A) Simon A Wright
He gets shot for a living while living a double life. Sometimes our soul is more valuable than we think.

The launch was a huge success with all three books flying out the All Star elevator doors, as a steady flow of fans, family members and first timers flocked to get their copies with accompanying signature from the creators.

 

It was a great experience to part of to see the creative teams interact with the patrons sharing stories of their inspirations and future plans for their books. One of the highlights was Devine Comedy roaming the store of All Star which Mike assumed was a statue and had to change his Batman undies when Divine moved his head to stare Mike down. Lucky Divine Comedy didn't see the need to strike vengeance on Mike or anyone else that day.

To find out how you can win all three of these titles, check out our Facebook page HERE along with listening to this Whatcha Quickie on the low down from the comic creators themselves.

[Note] We did have some technical difficulty with our interview with Matt Kyme regarding Tales to Admonish which will not be in this Whatcha Quickie and apologies to Andrez Bergen, Matt Kyme and all you Whatcha's who wanted to hear about Tales to Admonish.

Photo credits: Natasha Nicholls, Nath Stones and Muhammad Iqbal

Whatcha 047 - Whatcha Sh'Turtlin

Dean, Mike, Nath & (Dr) Emma give you, your weekly dose of all things Pop-Culture.

In this week's dose of all things pop-culture the gang is back together for the first time in ages and are joined by our good friend of the show Sparkey which means a whole lot of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle talk. As well as Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. plus our regular segments.

Don't forget on 18th October 2013 we'll celebrating our 50th Episode with Whatcha Live! So if you're in Melbourne then head on down to Artboy Gallery for some fun, games & seriously rad prizes. For more details check out: http://on.fb.me/18ELHU9

WHATCHA WANT:

Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/whatchapodcast

Twitter
http://www.twitter.com/WhatchaShow

iTunes
https://tinyurl.com/whatchaitunes

Nath - www.twitter.com/nathfromwhatcha

Dean - www.twitter.com/deanarcuri

Mike - www.twitter.com/mickytoons

(Dr) Emma - www.twitter.com/EmmaBeddows

Sparky - www.twitter.com/stevesparke

FEC Comics - www.feccomics.com/

Thanks for listening