Marvel Unlimited, Scribd and Comixology Unlimited: A Comparison.

For any comic fans wanting to read hundreds of comics without breaking the bank, there are now several options available.  One option is sites like HumbleBundle and Groupees which occasionally offer bundles of digital comics for incredibly cheap prices.  Another way is with a monthly subscription to Marvel Unlimited, Scribd, or Comixology Unlimited, which you could loosely describe as kind of like 'Netflix for comics'.

Here's a summary of each of the services...

Marvel Unlimited

Marvel Unlimited

Pros:
1) The Marvel Unlimited library includes over 17,000 comics!

2) You can save up to 12 comics to your device for offline reading.

3) The Marvel Unlimited app is available for Android and iOS, and subscribers can also read comics on the Marvel website.

4) A monthly subscription costs only $9.99, or an annual subscription is even better value at $69.  Look out also for special introductory offers from time to time, such as your first month free, etc.

5) The Marvel Unlimited library is fairly comprehensive from 2000 onwards.

6) New comics are added every week with recent titles added after a six month delay.  The exact number of new additions varies from week to week, but 25-40 per week is fairly typical.  As well as recent (six month old) comics being added, each week you'll generally see a few comics from years-gone-by added as well.

10 Websites For Free Comics, 'Pay What You Want' Comics and Cheap Bundled Comics

Free and great value introductions to the world of comics...

With the current trend for successful Hollywood movies based on popular comic book characters, it's likely that a number of new readers will have been attracted to the comic book market in recent years.  If you're curious about comics yourself, but not sure where to start, then here are a few websites where you can legally download free digitial comics, 'pay what you want' comics, and cheap bundled comics...

Django/Zorro: One of over 200
comics in the Dynamite Mega Bundle.

Bundled Comics:

1) The Dynamite Mega Bundle

I'll start things off with an absolutely brilliant deal from Dynamite Entertainment and BitTorrent; The Dynamite Mega Bundle.  This comics bundle has two levels; the basic bundle is free and features 30 comics, or the complete bundle features over 200 comics and is available for a 'pay what you want' price, with a minimum of $6!  Personally, I would definitely recommend buying the full bundle, as at $6 for over 200 comics, that works out at under 3 cents per comic!

If you want to test the water first though, then the free bundle is also a great deal and features a wide range of comics, with my own personal favourites including Django/Zorro, Bob's Burgers, Ex-Con, Uncanny and The Twilight Zone.  Truthfully though, I'm still only a fraction of the way through reading the entire bundle, so I'll probably discover several more recommended comics before I finish reading the entire set of comics.
The Dynamite Mega Bundle!

Music: Five Chilled Out Summer Tunes

Mellow tunes for a lazy summer's day...

Garrett Borns

As summer approaches, this week I feature a round-up of five songs which are perfect for a lazy relaxing summer's afternoon...

1) B.O.R.N.S. - 10,000 Emerald Pools

Within about the first five seconds of 10,000 Emerald Pools, I realised that this is the sort of tune which transforms your mood completely and makes you feel totally happy with the world.  And as the song progresses it just gets better and better, and to me it somehow sounded nostalgic, yet also fresh and exciting.  Garrett Borns' dress sense has a hippie retro look, and the music also captures the feel of an era from days gone by.  You can purchase 10,000 Emerald Pools from iTunes or listen to it below on Soundcloud:



And if you love the tune, then it's also worth checking out an acoustic studio performance on Youtube:
10,000 Emerald Pools (Acoustic Version)

Website: Trustpilot.com

Trustpilot: Building trust between consumers and companies.

If you're buying goods or items on the internet, standards of customer service can vary from one website to another, so it's wise to base your purchase decision on more than just the cheapest price.

For example, I once booked a holiday only to find that when I clicked the final purchase button, the confirmation page had suddenly added an extra £80 onto the advertised price!  To make matters worse when I rang up to complain about being overcharged they then agreed as 'a gesture of goodwill' to refund me half of the overcharged amount!

Trustpilot: Making your shopping experience more transparent.

So let me get this straight...  You've incorrectly overcharged me by £80, but as a gesture of goodwill you'll keep half of the money!?  I don't think so!

Luckily, I had kept screen prints of every stage of the purchase, so when I threatened to take things further they eventually agreed to return the full overcharged amount which they had incorrectly taken from me.

Books: The Walking Man by Wright Forbucks

"The Walking Man is a unique book which deserves to be discovered by a much bigger audience."

The Walking Man by Wright Forbucks

The Walking Man tells the story of Francis 'Buddy' Morris, a selfish yet strangely likeable character who suffers from Myasthenia Gravis, an autoimmune disease which causes paralysis after muscle use, and right from the start it quickly becomes clear that this is a book which isn't afraid to pull any punches.  Likewise, author Wright Forbucks isn't a writer who will sugar coat his stories.

I was hooked right from the very start, and a combination of the unique story and the memorable characters meant that within a few chapters I was thoroughly engrossed.  It's the type of book where you say to yourself, 'I'll just read one more chapter,' and then two hours later you realise that 'one more chapter' has quickly become an extended reading session.

If you were a cynical person then you might possibly argue that certain elements of the plot are unrealistic, but as Wright Forbucks himself points out, the truth is often stranger than fiction.  Real life can also be incredibly unrealistic sometimes, and despite the non-conventional nature of the plot, the blurb describes The Walking Man as 'loosely based on a true story'.

Free Stuff!

Music, web shows, guide books, etc ... all for free!

This month's post is for the benefit of anyone who spent a little too much cash over Christmas and New Year.  All the items featured in this post are free!

1) Free web series:

Pioneer One was funded entirely through donations.

Pioneer One is a cool web series which was financed via crowdfunding and won the Best Drama Pilot at the 2010 New York Television Festival.  It's distributed with a creative commons licence, and each episode is available free (via torrents) from the VODO website:

This is the blurb:
"A mysterious spaceship has entered Earth's atmosphere. A US Department of Homeland Security investigation has uncovered a live human being in a Soviet space suit in an unstable condition. A note in Russian, found at the crash site, claims the man is the child of cosmonauts living at a base on Mars."

Movie: Frankenweenie

Frankenweenie: An excellent movie for kids of all ages.

Sparky, the reanimated star of Frankenweenie.

Frankenweenie tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a science obsessed school kid with no real friends other than his loveable dog, Sparky.  Victor and Sparky are residents of New Holland, a town which for some reason seems to get more than its fair share of lightning strikes and while the kids at school speculate as to the reasons behind all the lightning strikes, Victor instead follows a different train of thought.

During a science lesson from Mr Rzykruski, Victor learns that even after death, the muscles of a dead frog will still respond to electricity.  Given the title of the movie it’s safe to say that I won’t be giving too much away when I reveal that by this stage Victor’s dog Sparky has befallen the fate of many unfortunate animals in Disney movies, and when you throw in the already mentioned frequent lightning storms, you can probably guess how things develop.  I won’t say any more other than that the words of Mr Rzykruski prove to be very prophetic when he states that ‘science can be used for good or bad.’  Or in some cases, both…

TV: Bates Motel

Bates Motel: "Had me hooked from the first episode."

Bates Motel

Bates Motel is a TV prequel to Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho, but with a modern day setting, and the show is based on the early life of main character, Norman Bates.  The show explores the loving but intense and occasionally creepy relationship between Norman and his mother Norma Bates, and also examines the psychology of this young Norman Bates and the events of his early life which will eventually lead to him becoming the psycho of Hitchcock's movie.

This early version of Norman Bates is a long way from becoming the ultimately unhinged Norman Bates from the Psycho movie though, and you don't have to be a fan of the original movie to enjoy Bates Motel.  The show does include some clever and interesting details which fans of the movie will recognise, however, such as the beginnings of Norman's interest in taxidermy, and of course his complex relationship with his mother, Norma Bates.

Perhaps the danger with doing a show about a character who goes on to become a psycho killer is that you could potentially alienate some viewers by having a main character who it's difficult to sympathise with.  However, at this stage in his life Norman, although already showing signs for concern with his mental state, is nevertheless a largely likeable character.  Actor Freddie Highmore is the perfect choice to play Norman, and helped by some talented writers he does a superb job or portraying the deep and complex nature of Norman Bates' character.  He also infuses the perfect balance of edginess and vulnerability into Norman, with the overall result being a character who you cheer for even when his psychological problems surface.

Funny Webcomics Worth Checking Out

Surreal humour from comic strips found on the web...

There are lots of amusing webcomics out there with large followings of fans, but in my opinion many of these webcomics deserve an even bigger audience.  This month I've therefore featured below a few comic strips from some favourite webcomics of mine...

1) Unearthed Comics

This first comic strip is from the Unearthed Comics website created by Sara Zimmerman (with her husband Rob providing support), and it features quite a literal joke...

Movie: Clear History

A treat for fans of Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Clear History starring Larry David

Any Larry David fans who haven't yet seen Clear History will be pleased to know that it follows the tried and tested format followed by Curb Your Enthusiasm, and the result is a brilliantly funny movie.  Although not a carbon copy, Larry's character Nathan/Rolly still has some similarities with the Larry David character from Curb, most notably that they both seem cursed with the same bad luck.

Another similarity is that Clear History was also produced in an improvisational style, rather than by following a script.  According to Larry David, in some cases this helped create extra unintended laughs, as for example the character of Frank (Nathan's friend and co-conspirator in his quest for revenge, played by Danny McBride) was originally meant to be more of a straight role, but because of Danny McBride's improvisational skills he ended up with more jokes in the finished version than intended.

One thing which is different though, is that Nathan has a sinister side to his character and this provides a key element of the plot.  The story sees Nathan Flomm fall out with his friend and business partner just before the launch of a new electronic car (known as the 'Howard') which goes on to be the success story of the decade.  As a result Nathan loses out on what would have potentially made him a billion dollars, and becomes a figure of media ridicule.

Music: 6 Cool Tunes By Australian Artists

Six of my favourite songs by Australian musicians

In my youth I don't remember being aware of that many Australian bands and musicians who were big in the UK.  However, I'm guessing there were actually loads of great Australian musicians and the problem was just that their talent hadn't gained the worldwide recognition it deserved.

Whatever the reason, the internet now means that great bands and artists from all over the world can be enjoyed all over the world, and Australia seems to be producing more than its fair share of great music at the moment, so to highlight some of the best, here are six of my favourite tunes by Australian artists.

1) Cypher - Liar

Liar by Cypher

An absolutely brilliant track to start things off.   Liar opens with simple piano and vocals, then gradually builds up as more layers kick in, and it's a tune that for a brief spell I listened to on repeat.  The first time I heard it I sort of casually had it on in the background, but it turned out that Liar was so excellent that I had to stop what I was doing and give the song my full attention to fully take in and absorb every moment of its brilliance.

Cypher recorded Liar on Garageband on her iPad and if the marketing executives at Apple had any sense they would launch a promotional campaign around this song to showcase the excellent standard of music you can potentially produce with GarageBand.

Listen to it and download it for free from the Triple J Unearthed website:
Cypher - Liar

Like Cypher on facebook:
Cypher

Graphic Novel: Anya's Ghost

Anya's Ghost: "...brilliantly illustrated in a way which makes it impossible not to connect with the characters."

Anya's Ghost by Vera Brosgol

Anya's Ghost tells the story of Anya Borzakovskaya, a Russian girl growing up in America.  Her life takes a twist one day when she falls down a well and meets a ghost called Emily, and after an initial tentative start they then go on to become friends.

The theme of ghosts in fiction is hardly a new idea and yet the concept behind Anya's Ghost manages to come across as fresh and unique.  It's also a creatively concocted story, with lots of cool ideas and twists.  I have to admit that when the main twist arrived it took the plot in a direction away from the storyline I expected and hoped for, but within a few pages I was drawn into the story even more and the unexpected developments definitely crank up the intrigue and drama.

The author, Vera Brosgol's, own life mirrors the basic outline behind Anya* in that she was born in Russia but grew up in the US, so that probably helps explain why some of the emotions Anya describes about growing up as a Russian in America and feeling like an outsider, feel so genuine and believable.

* Apart from the bit about the ghost, presumably.

TV: Impractical Jokers

"Warning: The following program contains scenes of graphic stupidity among four lifelong friends who compete to embarrass each other."

Whichever Joker gets the most fails is that week's loser
and has to suffer the end of show punishment.

That's the cautionary note that precedes every episode of Impractical Jokers and at its most basic level that's what the show is all about; four friends trying to embarrass each other.  What the warning doesn't mention though, is just how funny Impractical Jokers is.

I got into Impractical Jokers more and more as the first season progressed and I think it definitely helps the humour once you get to know the personalities of the four jokers.  Once I was hooked, some of the episodes had me absolutely crying my eyes out with laughter and in fact on one occasion I was literally laughing so much that I had a sore throat.

Animated Short: Spacebound

"Everyone but the most hard-hearted of viewers will enjoy Spacebound."

Spacebound is a touching animated short movie which tells the story of an astronaut and his cute space dog who are stranded in space with their oxygen supplies running dangerously low.  The movie reveals how the dude and his dog spend their last few minutes and in a way Spacebound is basically an animated version of the saying, "Stop and smell the flowers."

You can watch it below...

Android App: Time Of Exploration

Time Of Exploration: Its simplicity makes it instantly appealing.

Time Of Exploration: A game of statistics.

Time Of Exploration by Androdan Games certainly won't be for everyone's tastes, but for a spell when I first began playing it I found myself constantly and eagerly checking at regular intervals throughout the day to see how my settlement was getting on.

The game follows a simple format; your buildings produce resources which you can then use to construct additional buildings, and as the production of resources accrues in real time, it therefore makes Time Of Exploration the perfect game to dip in and out of for a brief spell a few times each day.

The object of Time Of Exploration is to expand your settlement, and in this modern day of flashy graphics and all action gameplay it's perhaps hard to explain just why I found it so addictive.  If you were to show someone a few screenshots of the game, they might perhaps be puzzled as to how a few menus full of statistics (which is all Time Of Exploration basically is) could combine to produce such an addictive game.  However, despite the games basic nature, there's nevertheless something strangely satisfying about unlocking new building options and watching your settlement develop.

Music: Finally We Are No One by Mum

Finally We Are No One: Lullabies For Adults

Finally We Are No One by Mum

The first time I discovered Mum was when another Icelandic band, Sigur Ros, posted a link with a glowing recommendation on their facebook page.  As a big Sigur Ros fan, I was immediately intrigued, and after checking out the link I was instantly hooked.  In some ways Mum remind me of Sigur Ros, as both bands are experts at creating beautifully atmospheric and emotional music.

Finally We Are No-One was the first album by Mum I listened to and right from the first listen it was an album which had me excited to have belatedly discovered such a cool and creative band.  The whole album is hauntingly beautiful and after a stressful day at work it's the perfect album to put on to help you switch off from the stresses of the world and drift off into a calming inner peace.

Comics: The Li'l Depressed Boy

The Li'l Depressed Boy: A Uniquely Appealing Comic

The Li'l Depressed Boy: "A comic with a lot of charm."

When I first discovered The Li’l Depressed Boy, I was immediately curious about the title, but at the same time it was a title which also almost put me off reading it.  I wondered if maybe this was a downbeat depressing comic where the main character just mopes about feeling sorry for himself.  Thankfully, I was wrong and The Li'l Depressed Boy is just a regular dude who likes doing regular things, trying to deal with regular life.

It’s hard to really describe why I enjoyed the opening issue so much, as all that happens is that the Li’l Depressed Boy meets a girl and does ordinary stuff like going to gigs (and playing laser quest!).  Whatever the reason though, the opening issue left me feeling excited at having discovered a cool new comic, but also confused as to why exactly I had enjoyed this comic so much.

Maybe part of the appeal is the fact that writer S. Steven Struble has created story-lines about everyday real-life, rather than fantastical adventures, and therefore many readers will find it easy to relate to.  And without doubt another of the reasons why I instantly made a connection with this comic is the cool stylised way in which The Li’l Depressed Boy is depicted.

TV: Celebrity Bedlam

Celebrity Bedlam: It's got celebrities in it and it's bedlam.

Lee Kern, the presenter and creator of Celebrity Bedlam.

In the words of Lee Kern, "Celebrity Bedlam is the show where we explore the hot topics of the day by playing pranks on fame-hungry celebs and getting them to take part in fake TV shows."  In reality there’s very little exploration of hot topics going on and the focus of the show is pretty much entirely based around ridiculing celebrities through crazy and sometimes bizarre jokes and tricks.

Each episode of Celebrity Bedlam features sketches and pranks of a similar general theme, such as the environment, travel and adventure, or health and lifestyle, but in truth it’s all just a big excuse to have a laugh at celebrities’ expense.

Website: Thrilling Tales Of The Downright Unusual

Thrilling Tales: An interactive website featuring gorgeous retro inspired illustrations.

Thrilling Tales of the Downright Unusual is a cool website featuring various pages and gadgets, but as the name suggests the main spotlight of the website is a series of lightly interactive retro sci-fi stories written and illustrated by Bradley W. Schenck.

Some of the Thrilling Tales you can read include The Lair Of The Clockwork Book and Trapped In The Tower Of The Brain Thieves and as you can probably guess from the nature of the titles, the stories are set in a sci-fi retro future in the city of Retropolis.  The stories are free to read on the internet and are accompanied by gorgeous artwork which captures the retro sci-fi vibe of decades gone by absolutely perfectly.

Books: How To Save The World: An Alien Comedy by Charles Fudgemuffin

"...an entertaining humorous read."

How To Save The World: An Alien Comedy
by Charles Fudgemuffin.

On Worthy Of A Bigger Audience I usually feature music, movies, TV shows, books, etc which in my opinion more people need to know about.  However, I'm not really qualified to make an unbiased decision as to whether the book featured this week is worthy of a bigger audience, because I wrote it.

The book in question is How To Save The World: An Alien Comedy which is the first book in the 'How To Save The World' saga.  You can sample the first three chapters for free on amazon's website, so any Kindle owners (or Kindle app users) who enjoy sci-fi comedy have nothing to lose by downloading the first three chapters for free and giving it a read:
US: How To Save The World: An Alien Comedy
UK: How To Save The World: An Alien Comedy

Here's a quote from a review of the book on amazon.com from Todd A. Fonseca (member of Amazon Vine™ Voice):

"How to Save The World by Charles Fudgemuffin, is funny.  Think Monty Python meets Saturday Night Live funny...  ...this is an entertaining humorous read.  The style of humor is likely one that will not resonate with everyone, so grab a sample from Amazon or Charles' website and find out.  If you like the sample, you'll enjoy the rest."