Pipedream Pull List Extra: Mars Attacks The Transformers (IDW Publishing)

The eternal comics conundrum of ‘who would beat who in a fight‘ has kept comics in fresh storylines for almost as long as comics have been around. The latest unlikely pairing to be pitted against each other, courtesy of IDW Publishing, are those robots in disguise, the Transformers and the manic martians from Mars Attacks in this brilliantly insane one off. IDW have a real knack for creating these one-off, ‘what if’ scenarios, thanks in part to their wide selection of licensed characters, and so after pitting them against the Ghostbusters, Kiss and Popeye it’s time another iconic group of heroes to take on the onslaught of the cackling martians.

Pipedrem Pull List: Captain Stone Is Missing #4 (Madefire)

The newest installment of Captain Stone is Missing, aka the Digital Comic of the Year 2012, has hit the Madefire app and not only is it another bleeding edge example of what the motion comic app can produce, but it features this little website on the cover alongside artwork from the legendary Bill Sienkiewicz! This latest episode, (it feels wrong to call it an issue!) delves further into the back story of the Captain, and his subsequent fall from grace with writers Liam Sharp and Christina McCormack managing to completely enthral without much happening beyond exposition.

Behind the scenes of Cryptozoic’s The Lookouts with writer BenMcCool and artist Robb Mommaerts

The Lookouts is the brilliant new series from the guys at Penny Arcade, and Cryptozoic Entertainment. It’s been getting loads of attention as a result, and made several ‘Best Of 2012’ lists, however the real stars of the book aren’t the guys at Penny Arcade, they’re writer Ben McCool and artist Robb Mommaerts. Ben is the writer crafting this fantastic rich world of a group of junior lookouts protecting their village from the creatures of the forest and Robb is the brilliant mind who is bringing them to life in stunning detail every issue. We wanted to find out what the secret of The Lookouts was and so got in touch with Ben and Robb to find out exactly what goes on behind the scenes of the Eyrewood forest.

Pipedream Pull List Extra: Zombies Hi (Uproar Comics)

Proof that digital comics is the great democratizer comes this week in the form of Northern Irish zombie anthology Zombies Hi, from Uproar Comics. This self published digital only title features a brilliant mix of zombie themed stories supplied by writers and artists from the Derry area alongside a main story written by Uproar co-founder Danny McLaughlin with artwork from fellow co-founders Kevin ‘Gio’ Logue and John Cambell. By basing their stories in and around the Derry area it  gives the book a fantastic localized feel, and so makes much more distinctive than dozens of other books which follow in the shuffling footsteps of the Walking Dead. 

Pipedream Pull List: The Loxleys and The War of 1812 (Renegade Arts Entertainment)

A 175 page book about an obscure American/Canadian war from the 19th century may not sound like an obvious choice for a comic book adventure, but thanks to the intelligent writing of 2000ad legend Alan Grant and the sublime artwork of Canadian illustrator Claude St. Aubin, The Loxleys and The War of 1812  from Renegade Arts Entertainment is an enlightening and informative look at the futility of war and the effect it has on family life, that is as relevant today as it was back then.

“We celebrate great comic art in all its glory” Comics legend David Lloyd discusses bringing the best digital comics to the world with Aces Weekly

British comic legend David Lloyd is perhaps best known for his work on the seminal V For Vendetta with Alan Moore. However in recent years he has embraced the world of digital comics, first with his interactive graphic novel Kickback (which earned 3rd place in our Top 10 Digitial Comics of 2012), but most interestingly with the weekly web comic anthology Aces Weekly. Featuring work from some of world’s finests writers and artists (including David himself), Aces is an online subscription comic which has engendered a passionate following (and would have secured 4th place in our poll had their extra votes been included). So we got in touch with David and asked him all about Aces.

Pipedream Pull List: Tales of the Buddha (Before He Got Enlightened) by Alan Grant, Jon Haward & Jamie Grant

At the opposite end of the comics spectrum from last week’s kid’s comics The Phoenix is this stoner-infused look at the early life of Buddha, which is definitely for adults only! From the wonderfully warped mind of 2000ad legend Alan Grant and fellow Dredd alum John Haward and Jamie Grant Tales of the Buddha (Before He Got Enlightened) gives us a gag and ganja-heavy account of the eastern mystic as he searchs for enlightenment. Each 1 or 2 page strip sees our portly hero travelling the world and across history, getting up to all sorts of un-pious mischief while meeting a host of famous faces along the way – from Hercules and the Argonauts to Elvis and more. Forget your historically accurate timelines sacred scriptures, and just revel in the smart jokes and brilliantly quirky artwork of this supremely smart and enjoyable creation.

“Dredd at his best works best for the pessimists” 2000ad PJ Holden on drawing Dredd and going digital

If anyone was going to embrace the world of digital comics then you’d think the ‘art droids’ of legendary British comic 2000AD would be there at the forefront. To find out just how much they are loving this new high-tech world of comics, we cornered long time art-bot PJ Holden, who has been slaving away at Tharg’s drawing desks for more than a decade, and we got him to spill his circuits on whether he has banished his pen and ink brushs to the trash heap and  just how the world of digital is affecting the the Mega City One lawman.

Pipedream Pull List: The Phoenix Weekly Story Comic (David Fickling Comics)

This week sees the launch of the first digital edition of the weekly UK comic The Phoenix launched via Apple Newsstand with an app powered by the team at Panel Nine, this is a bold new step for the company, but one that helps The Phoenix find its natural home in the 21st century – on the iPads of the nation’s kids. If like me you’re a child of the 80s then reading The Phoenix gives you a delightful trip down memory lane as it feels very much like a natural successor to classic British kids comics like the Beano and the Dandy. This is in no part thanks to it’s anarchic sense of humour, and unpatronising tone, combined with a 21st century update and so it creates a brilliant blend of quirky comic strips with potentially strong characters that help keep it looking current and relevant and should keep kids and parents alike amused.

Pipedream Pull List – Amazing Spider-Man #700

This weeks must-have digital comic is an obvious one, partly because its the only major title released this post-Christmas week, but mainly because it is the final issue of one of Marvel‘s flagship titles – The Amazing Spider-Man. After events in recent issues (and this is your SPOILER warning, stop if you haven’t read them yet!) life in the Spidey-verse is about to change forever. And we are assured this is a forever change as it brings to an end the most iconic title in the Marvel cannon and also the end of Peter Parker as Spider-Man.