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Open Book Society is please to announce a new feature that will be starting in February; Graphic Novel and Comic Reviews.

Our first foray will be with Arcana Comics title “Dark Horrors Anthology“. Published in 2006, Dark Horrors brings together a collection of horror short stories akin to Tales of The Crypt. Arcana held a talent search on their forum, which was open to writers, pencillers, letterers, inkers, and greyscalers/colorists who think they had what it took to create macabre stories of psychological horror. The lucky winners had their art and stories published in this book.

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http://openbooksociety.com/article/comic-and-graphic-novels-reviews-01-30-10/

Adding to lore of Lovecraft, by creeps and bounds
by Julia Keller

One of my favorite scenes in “Howard Lovecraft and the Frozen Kingdom” — and there are many contenders in this splendid new graphic novel by Chicago native Bruce Brown — occurs when young Howie stands before a gigantic, green, grotesque and multi-tentacled monster.

The monster says, “You saved my life, Master Howard. I am your humble servant. My name is Thu Thu Hmong.”

Generally, such encounters ring with grim portentousness. Child and creature, after all, are forging a bond that may save civilization — or see it perish at the behest of a terrifying, all-powerful villain. Surely a manifesto is to follow, a bombastic declaration filled with passion and conviction, or at least a decent blood oath or two.

But hearing his new friend’s odd moniker, the kid replies, “I’ll never remember that.” They agree that Thu Thu Hmong will hereafter be known as “Spot.”

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http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/books/ct-ae-0124-lovecraft-lit-life-main-20100122,0,6140639.column

Recently I became worried when I saw little Cthulhu-themed toys appearing as geeky gifts. Small plastic creatures from the netherworlds of H.P. Lovecraft should stay where they belong. However, with Lovecraftian horror making a comeback of late, perhaps I was a bit hasty in my assessment of these strange little tsotchkes. Maybe there’s room in the realms of the Old Ones and the Deep Ones to ensnare unsuspecting victims new blood a new generation of fans by enticing them with toys!

In that vein, I recently had the opportunity to review a new Lovecraft-inspired graphic novel from author Bruce Brown and illustrator Renzo Podesta – Howard Lovecraft and the Frozen Kingdom. The title sounds so innocuous… and when you see the cover with a boy and this strange looking green creature, you wonder what kind of a journey this kid might be taking…

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http://blogcritics.org/books/article/comic-review-howard-lovecraft-and-the/

As an architect of a genre once dubbed “weird fiction,” the creative engineer Howard Phillips Lovecraft envisioned a vast bestiary of creatures still highly regarded in pop culture and lore today. But the monster fabled as the Cthulhu earned its place as one of H.P. Lovecraft’s most notable and infamous fictional designs. In a new graphic novel from Arcana’s line comes Howard Lovecraft and the Frozen Kingdom, an all-ages book that weaves the mythos from the very beginning—spotlighting Howard Lovecraft as a child swept up by a magical world beyond imagination.

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http://www.onemetal.com/2009/12/29/howard-lovecraft-and-the-frozen-kingdom/

When asked about the recent Bloodstrike back-up story that was featured in Image United #2, acclaimed comic creator, Rob Liefeld, had this to say:

Nrama: Just like there’s new members of the comic team, there’s also new members of the creative team – you’ve got Mark Pouton scripting and art from Marat Mychaels, Jeremy Roberts & Mike Capprotti. How’s you get this team together – you told us a bit, but I want to know more?

Liefeld: Yes, I wrote the story, handed it to Marat and started scripting the story, got overwhelmed in deadlines and called Mark Poulton who is a long tenured member of my message boards and has showcased his work for Arcana the last 5 years on books as diverse as Koni Waves and Velvet Rope. He has a great passion for the Extreme Library as well, he was a natural choice and he did a great job polishing and completing the assignment.? ?

The full article can be read here:

http://www.newsarama.com/comics/091223-Liefeld-Bloodstrike.html

“After visiting his father in Arkham Sanitarium, young Howard Lovecraft ignores his father’s warning and uses the legendary Necronomicon to open a portal to a strange, frozen world filled with horrifying creatures and grave danger. Alone and scared, Howard befriends a hideous creature he names Spot who takes him to the castle of the king where he is captured and sentenced to death.“

Artwork: 3.0 out of 5
The overall look and feel of this book is really nice. The only thing that got me to not judge it so highly was the handling of the characters from panel to panel. They were not as consistent as I would have liked. Now that being said a lot worked really well on this book. I loved the wide eyed children as a way to express their age. The colors were spot on to set the mood and I was never left wondering what I was looking at. I was also a big fan of the cover and chapter artists pages. I think it was a cool way to showcase different looks for the story.

Story: 3.5 out of 5
I didn’t expect what I just read. So is that good or bad? If you ask me it’s good, because I am not a big Lovecraft fan. Not saying I don’t like the genre…

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http://fromthetomb.wordpress.com/2009/12/12/howard-lovecraft-and-the-frozen-kingdom-review/

Slacker Superheroes Can Be Found ANYWHERE

Comedy Central Producer Tom Akel isn’t just taking you anywhere; more specifically, this November, in conjunction with Arcana Studios, he’s bringing readers a comical look at super hero comics called Anywhere. Set in Akel’s “Heroverse,” Anywhere is a six issue mini-series which follows the misadventures of two unlikely heroes, Wormhole and Dust, as they schlep across the globe as a not-so-dynamic pair of slacker-superheroes.

Newsarama contacted Akel to talk about the merits of underachieving, alternative methods of saving the world involving hours of playing videogames and the fact that the would-be-heroes of Anywhere can think of a million ways they’d rather spend their time than saving the world from despair and destruction.

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http://www.newsarama.com/comics/091123-Anywhere-heroes-interview.html

It’s Wednesday, and you know what that means. Yes, it’s Shelf Porn time once again! Our Guest this week is Mark Poulton, the VP of Operations at Arcana Comics, as well as the writer/co-creator of Koni Waves. Since Waves takes place in Hawaii, Poulton decided to build a tiki bar in his basement to display his collectibles.

Before we get to Mark’s collection, though, let me offer my regular reminder. Sure, you may be saying “My collection is nowhere near as awesome as the ones featured here. There’s no way I should send my pics in.” You know what I say to that negative thinking? Fiddlesticks! Send me photos of your collection, be it large or small to cmautnerATcomcastDOTnet and we’ll post ‘em with love no matter what.

Now, here’s Mark to take us on a tour of his home …

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http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2009/10/send-us-your-shelf-porn-39/

If blessed with the ability to instantly transport to anywhere on Earth, it would be nice to think that one might use that power for something more substantial than simply popping over to India for a curry. But then again, real adventuring might cut into video game time. Such are the challenges facing Dust and Wormhole, the heroes of Comedy Central producer Tom Akel’s “Anywhere,” a six-issue miniseries debuting in November from Arcana. Akel co-wrote the book with Eric Mahoney, and Alan Quah provides the art. CBR News caught up with Akel for a quick chat about the series.

Akel described “Anywhere” as “the equivalent of a sitcom centered around 3 protagonists in a world of superbeings, and what happens to the ones who aren’t motivated to do much more than anyone else their age. It’s for readers of comics like ‘Howard the Duck’ and ‘Hero Squared,’ or who watch shows like ‘Aqua Teen Hunger Force’ and ‘Squidbillies.’ The humor is a bit sophomoric, and all in good fun.”

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http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=23345

Arcana is pleased to announce The Gwaii has one the Gold Medal at the 3rd Annual Moonbeam Awards for Best Comic/Graphic Novel! Written by Sean O’Reilly and Grant Chastain and illustrated by the Geat LP, The Gwaii tells the tale of Tanu, a small Gwaii, who searches the Canadian wilderness for his injured mother. With his newfound friend Jaadaa at his side, they must face the most fearsom mythological creatures ever whispered about in the wild wilderness if they are to find their family and their way back home.

The Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards are intended to bring increased recognition to exemplary children’s books and their creators, and to support childhood literacry and life-long reading.

The Moonbeam Awards ceremony will be held on October 10th as part of West Virginia’s Book Festival in Charleston, WV.