Showing posts with label Nerdvana. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nerdvana. Show all posts

Thursday, September 7, 2017

Jay Thomas, RIP

The end of August was busy with preparations of Phoenix's Jack Kirby birthday celebration, but now that we've honored the King, I'd like to acknowledge another cool, creative person that just recently passed away -- Jay Thomas.  

Jay is best known for his roles on Mork & MindyMurphy Brown, and Cheers, but I knew him best for throwing a football at a meatball on The Late Show with David Letterman every Christmastime.  In 2016, I wrote an article for Nerdvana Media about what the tradition meant to me, and much to my surprise, Jay actually read it!  One of his producers contacted me about talking to Jay on his Sirius XM radio show, and I was elated at the opportunity.

I'm sure I posted the interview here then, but I'm re-posting now so you can hear how gracious Jay was. Jay was a wry, tongue-in-cheek comedian, but he was kind and genuine with me.  He let me talk about Letterman and plug my stuff, which was a Christmas gift I'll never forget.  To Jay -- and his staff at the radio station -- thank you. We'll miss you, you hippie freak.

Thursday, March 12, 2015

Turtles, Toys, and Other Places to Find KaraokeFanboy Online

I've been putting out a lot of content lately, per my new year's resolution to myself, and I want to make sure you're finding it online!

First of all, I've started a new vlog (that's video + blog = vlog, people!) called Comics I've Made, Comics I've Read, all about (wait for it) the comics I've made, and the comics I've read.  I'm two episodes deep, with a new episode sure to come before St. Patrick's Day.  Check out the latest:






Secondly, I'm really milking my interview with Kevin Eastman from the Amazing Arizona Comic Con (wouldn't you?) -- so you can read excerpts and inspirations over on Nerdvana, posted every Saturday in March to celebrate this month's Mini-Comics Day.

Finally, I have a new series that started today called I Forgot I Lost You, about toys and collectibles I've redisovered around Arizona.  You can find that on Pholx, which, in my opinion, transcends blog to straight-up online zine.

Everything is intentionally short and sweet, in the hopes that you'll check it out and enjoy.  I mean, a two minute video here, a few paragraphs there . . . and if you're reading this, you probably like what I like, so you'll dig it!  I swear!

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

KaraokeFanboy Podcast, Episode 4


In this episode, Kyle and I discuss the Amazing Arizona Comic Con, I talk with the organizers of Phoenix's Simpsons Trivia Night, and I score an awesome interview (part 1 of 2) with the co-creator of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Kevin Eastman!  Alex Wilson from Bleeding Cool is in on the interview, as well, and special thanks to Bob Leeper and Nerdvana for helping land the opportunity.

Friday, September 26, 2014

Amazing Arizona Comics on Nerdvana!

A special thanks to Nerdvana for now posting Amazing Arizona Comics: The Webcomic weekly!  Every Friday, visit Nerdvana to see the week's worth of strips in one convenient post.  It's the webcomic so nice, you need to read it twice!

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Thank You, Amazing Arizona Comic Con!

A special thanks to the crew from Amazing Arizona Comic Con for a great weekend!  If you visited my table, thanks for stopping by -- and if you didn't, hope to see you next year!  If you missed your chance to score a free sketch, I'm still happy to oblige -- just drop a note in the comments section.

Josh A. Cutler as Captain America 
Every comic con is full of stories, and I posted a few I had the pleasure of hearing over at the blog Nerdvana -- just click here to read them.


Finally, since I create a comic about superheroes in Arizona, this picture I snapped of Robin in downtown Phoenix has become one of my favorites.  Dig that shadow!  The teen wonder lives!

Don't forget, Phoenix Comicon is in May.  More stories await!

Friday, January 4, 2013

Fun Find Friday: Spider-man Light Switch Plate


Check out today's Fun Find Friday on Nerdvana here to read my review of this Spider-man light switch plate.

Saturday, December 15, 2012

The Thing Pillow


Check out Nerdvana for my latest Fun Find Fridays piece, about this ever-lovin', blue-eyed Thing pillow!

Sunday, December 9, 2012

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Once A Nerd: The Twists and Turns of Action Figure Collecting



Don't miss my latest article on Nerdvana: just click here!  (Warning -- Red Tornado makes an appearance.  Or four.)

Sunday, November 11, 2012

Once A Nerd

Exclusive Amazing Arizona Comics strips can often be found on East Valley Tribune blog Nerdvana, and I've recently begun a regular column there, as well, titled Once A Nerd.  Check out my first few articles here!

Sunday, October 14, 2012

Getting Back Into the Swing...

I'll be posting here with more regularity for the rest of the year, primarily with conceptual sketches from Amazing Arizona Comics and beyond, but until then I should mention "The Swing Vote of Sheriff Ape-aio," the serial strip that ran on Nerdvana last month (following the ambitious Speed Cameron's California Adventure, of course).  That's right -- before Sheriff Arpaio was campaigning for his own seat, he was endorsing Mitt Romney at the RNC, where he was transformed into an ape!  Guest starring Invisible President Obama, Clint Eastwood, Ben Quayle, and some mysterious visitors from -- Parallel Earth 1070?!  Check out the collection here!

Here's the trailer to whet your appetite:


Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Speed Cameron's California Adventure, chapter 3: Annotations

Tomorrow marks the end of Speed Cameron's California Adventure, so in the meantime here are some notes that annotate the third, penultimate chapter.

Page 1: When DC Comics announced that Green Lantern, a.k.a. Alan Scott, was gay, the topic was a high trender on Twitter.  (See here.)

Page 3: In the midst of the Supreme Court's deliberations over SB1070, San Francisco stood by the grassroots boycott of Arizona.  Here, Affirmative Action stands with their city.  (See the Huffington Post article here.)

Page 4: According to superhero historian Bob Leeper, Juan Hit Wonder is known to utter one hit wonder song titles before every attack.  A list of references can be found here.

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Speed Cameron's California Adventure, chapter 2: Annotations

The second chapter of Speed Cameron's California Adventure is up at Nerdvana (just click here), and the following notes explain the pop culture-oriented backstory behind this tale's pivotal events.  Beware, though: if you haven't read the story yet, spoilers are within!

Page 2: Andy Kaufman portrayed many "characters" during his colorful career, and Foreign Man, who would become Latka on Taxi, was the first.  Here, he references his appearance on the first episode of Saturday Night Light. (Wiki here.)

Page 3: Bon Jovi, Usher, and Celine Dion are among the most recent stars "murdered by hashtag," a term that describes when an Internet rumor announces the "death" of a celebrity.

Page 3: The Legion of Dead Celebrities consists of dead actors, athletes, and musicians that are highly rumored to still be alive.  Jim Morrison, Tupac, and Glenn Miller lead the charge.  Watch this short video series to learn how some of them may have survived this long.

Page 4: The Californauts were introduced in Chapter 1.

Page 5: Superhero historian Bob Leeper has suggested that Juan Hit Wonder may actually quote one hit wonders when he delivers his singular blow to opponents.  This chronicle takes that into account here.

Page 6: In addition to Andy Kaufman's devotion to Elvis (as thoroughly described in Bob Zmuda's Andy Kaufman Revealed!: Best Friend Tells All), Kaufman was also an avid follower of Transcendental Meditation (see Wiki linked above).  Speed Cameron is following his example here to achieve enlightenment.

Page 7: The truth behind Speed Cameron's origin, rooted in the same superhero pilot program that eventually funded the Californauts, was revealed in Amazing Arizona Comics #6, available for purchase via Paypal on the right of this screen!

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Speed Cameron's California Adventure, chapter 1: Annotations

Speed Cameron's California Adventure begins today as an online Nerdvana exclusive, and my thanks to Jayson and The East Valley Tribune for showcasing the West Coast escapades of Arizona's favorite speedster.  We all know Arizona's influence is global, but check out just how deep our desert roots run throughout the rest of the country's secret superhero community.

In the meantime, here are a few notes to supplement this week's installment.  A few of these links may forshadow things to come, as well . . .

PAGE 1: Spray Tanya soaked up as many UV rays as possible before the use of tanning beds by minors was made illegal last year in California.  Read CNN's story about it here!

PAGE 2: Crystal Lynn made her first appearance in this story last week on Nerdvana.  Check it out!

PAGE 4: "June Gloom" is the term commonly used to describe overcast skies in Southern California during the summertime, as explained by Wikipedia.

PAGE 5: That's Harvey and Max from TMZHarvey may have appeared in another comic book recently, but this time it isn't a stunt!

PAGE 6: Arnold Schwarzenegger was the Governor of California from -- well, if you don't know about that, you might not enjoy Speed Cameron's California Adventure!

PAGE 8: "That's When Your Heartaches Begin" is a great song with a rich history.

Monday, April 30, 2012

Saturday, April 28, 2012

Countdown Day 28: Sketchbook -- Shocking Revelations!




My first strip on Nerdvana revealed what REALLY happened when Herman Cain visited the Valley promoting an electrified border fence, and although the villain's origin wasn't depicted in the strip, it WAS drawn -- revealed here for the first time!  The top is the page layout, and the bottom is the rough pencils (just to prove I put SOME thought into this stuff).

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

BONUS: "Food Coma at the County Fair!"

Click here to see the latest Nerdvana-exclusive strip, starring June Monsoon and Sam Brero!

Countdown Day 17: President Obama, E.T.!



We can't discuss 2012 Presidential hopefuls without mentioning President Obama -- who finds himself mentioned in Arizona news more often than he'd like thanks to Sheriff Joe Arpaio's birth certificate investigaton. Of course, Amazing Arizona Comics knows the truth -- which you can read all about at Nerdvana. The complete President Obama, E.T. saga can be found here!

Friday, April 13, 2012

Countdown Day 13: The Protester



NAME: The Protester
FIRST APPEARANCE: Amazing Arizona Comics #1 (cover)
SUPER POWERS/ABILITIES: sonic screams, stopping traffic, occupying
OTHER NOTABLE APPEARANCES: Speed Cameron Vs. The Protest (Nerdvana exclusive comic)