Unreal City Comics Toys Art

Fundraising Draw for Original Print by Patrick Bulas

theo — Thu, 17 May 2012 20:48:21 +0000

Drop by Unreal City and get your ticket for a chance to win a framed original print by Saskatoon artist Patrick Bulas.

All proceeds will go to the Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer which is 200 kilometer bike tour from Calgary to Banff. Patrick will be participating in the ride this summer to raise money for cancer research. The suggested amount per entry is $5 but you can give as much as you want and enter as many times as you wish.

The title of the print is Colony. The medium is mezzotint and the image size is approximately 5″ x 8″.

The draw will be made on at 4 pm on Monday, June 4th.

Patrick is a printmaking studio technician and sessional instructor at the University of Saskatchewan.

Free Comic Book Day is Saturday, May 5th

theo — Tue, 01 May 2012 22:06:11 +0000

Celebrate the 11th annual Free Comic Book Day this Saturday, May 5th at Unreal City. 3.3 million free comic books will be given away by at thousands of comic store around the world, including Unreal City.

Every customer can select one free comic book and if you spend $10 or more you can pick 5 additional Free Comic Book Day titles.

This year you can choose from over 40 different Free Comic Book Day titles insuring that readers of all ages will find something to stir their imagination.

Our special guest this year will be comic artist Riley Rossmo. Rossmois from Saskatoon and is the artist and co-creator of Proof, Cowboy Ninja Viking, and Green Wake. He is also the creator and artist of Rebel Blood, his current series with Image Comics. Rossmo and Green Wake writer Kurtis Wiebe are working together on Debris which will come out this July from Image Comics. Rossmo will be signing comics and will do one free head sketch for every customer.

We’re also having a Free Comic Book Day drawing jam that follows hot on the heels of our highly successful Avengers vs X-Men drawing jam. All customers are encouraged to grab some markers and add to this one-of-a-kind collaborative art piece.

Also on Saturday, our entire selection of Mini-Mates will be on sale: 2 pack sets will be $5 each and all box sets will be $10. We will have a selection of $10 t-shirts and all action figures will be on sale.

Free Comic Book Day at Unreal City is this Saturday, May 5th from 11 am to 5:30 pm.

I’m Going To Read The Watchmen Prequel, So What!?

Brendan — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 14:00:19 +0000

DC Comics is about to commit an atrocity; at least that’s what a large portion of the comic-book related commentators on the Internet (heretofore referred to as “the comics Internet”) will all-too-readily lead you to believe. The sheer multitude of opinions in the comics Internet can be difficult to fathom, especially given the actual amount of copies most comics sell. The fact remains that, whether or not people are actually buying comics, people who are interested in comics generally have a lot of opinions about comics and are very happy to share those opinions. The sheer amount of opinions, the amazing passion of the fans, the still-thriving (for all intents and purposes) “Direct Market” of comic shops, the cash cow that comics have been for Hollywood and the emergence of “graphic fiction” as a main-stream concept all can be charted back to a period in the 8th decade of the 20th century wherein comics really, truly, went from being the purvey of the young and young-at-heart to the complex and “mature” (pardon the expression) medium we know it to be today. Not to say that there weren’t comics before that time that challenged the status quo, but it took the one-two punch of Frank Miller’s Batman-bastardizing The Dark Knight Returns and the poli-sci-fi psych-rock of Alan Moore’s disillusioning Watchmen to really align 1980’s planet Earth with the world depicted in 1980’s comics.

Right, I mentioned an atrocity. DC Comics, home of both the aforementioned seminal series, is priming to publish Before Watchmen, a group of mini-series focused on the lives of the characters from the original in stories set, well, BEFORE the original. There are plenty of reasons to dismiss these books outright and some are even uttering the word “boycott”. There are also, at least in this unpaid person’s opinion, enough reasons to give these books a shot.

1) The creators

A lot of detractors have pointed out that working on this project is a sign that the creators involved aren’t necessarily as fine or dandy as they’ve previously been regarded. Oddly enough, I don’t think wanting to get a paycheque is necessarily a bad thing in an industry as fickle as the modern funnies. It’s not like the existence of Before Watchmen hinged on the precise writers and artists being involved that are, in fact, involved. Don’t kid a kidder. This project was going to happen no matter what. DC Comics is a business, and as such is almost obligated to publish a sequel (or a prequel, as the case may be) to one of their biggest hits of all time. If I were a talented and well respected person in the employ of the company, such as Darwyn Cooke, J. Michael Straczynski or Brian Azzarello, I would likely take the chance to work on the project not only because it would be a paying job in a time where most of the quality comics work is done for a loss, but because it would be an opportunity to help make sure that something as much of a “sacred cow” as Watchmen wouldn’t be totally screwed up. After all, it’s not like any of these guys think of themselves as bad at their craft. It’s the mark of talent to want to challenge yourself, not to look down on yourself, and what bigger challenge than to help successfully execute a comics project seemingly everyone not directly involved with wants to see fail?

2) The story

Another glaring target for the fanboys to aim their derision at has been the fact that Watchmen told a complete story, and any further exploration of the characters would be functionally unfeasible. Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons had 12 issues to lay out something with a beginning, middle and end, and did so with panache. In fact, being a true comic of it’s time and not some vanity project waiting to be adapted into a screenplay for someone in Hollywood to completely ruin, it really did have an end. The kind of end that made it virtually impossible to plan a sequel. Whether or not Moore wrote it that way for that very reason, it figures that the folks at DC have waited 25 years to release any other Watchmen-related comics. I’m not sure about any of you, but I read comics for the art AND the story. It’s hypocritical for anyone currently reading mainstream capes books to simply ignore BW. The only difference between it and the vast glut of other books featuring licensed super-powered characters is that there ARE still stories yet to be told. I love Amazing Spider-Man as much as the next web-head, but it’s in spite of the fact that every story with Spidey has really already been told. Not so with Watchmen. Yes it ended with no possibility of continuance, but that doesn’t mean the BW minis won’t cover fresh ground about the characters that aren’t a part of the original book. I wouldn’t mind finding out what happens.

3) I like comic books.

One of the questions I ask myself more than anything is “How long should I grow my beard?”. After that, though, I often ask myself “Why do I still read comics?”. It can befrustrating, as a fan of good stories well told, to see them so often hobbled by editorial SNAFUs, creative differences and silly gimmicks (useless crossovers, pointless costume changes, and gutless “new directions”). Somehow, through it all, I remain a steadfast fan of the medium, and I can’t help but chalk it up to the crazy combination of script, art and canon that makes geeks like me the world over get shivers down our spines. As a fan, it behooves me to pick up BW. It’s one of the big things happening in mainstream comics this year. Based on my pull list, I’d say I’m still very much interested in such things. Money talks. To not try these books out would be symbolic, yes. A way of saying “Hey, DC! Alan Moore doesn’t want you to do this!”. The thing with modern comics is that they don’t really sell enough anywhere to be that impacted by these sorts of boycotts. DC won’t necessarily measure this project’s success or failure by how many copies they sell. They might very well be looking at these comics as more of a PR move than a storytelling initiative. And since everyone on the comics Internet has been talking about these things ad nauseum recently, I’d say it’s already a success in that regard. They’re controlling the conversation. Do not adjust your picture. In an odd kind of way, though, picking up BW for the love of the medium and judging the books by their own merits flies in the face of this kind of corporate thinking. And since I legitimately enjoy knowing what’s going on in the world of comic books, I’m going to shell out a few dollars for the untold origins of Rorschach, The Comedian, Dr. Manhattan, Nite Owl, Ozymandias and Silk Spectre. If I didn’t want to know what was going on in the comics world on a weekly basis, I wouldn’t buy them on a weekly basis, wouldn’t look forward to New Comic Wednesdays. But, I do. I’ll inevitably have BW on the top of my stack. I’ll let you know how it turns out.

-Brendan Flaherty

Adventure Kartel Figures from ThreeA

theo — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 21:26:51 +0000

You’ve seen their World War Robots; get ready for the Adventure Kartel.

Artist Ashley Wood and ThreeA, maker of the world’s coolest toys, have released eight new Adventure Kartel figures that are now on sale at Unreal City. These highly articulated figures are approximately 12″ tall and are made from ABS and soft vinyl. Each figure is outfitted in real fabric clothing and some of the figures sport ThreeA t-shirts.

This Adventure Kartel assortment features three Hoodzombs, two Ankou robots (Junglevet and Johnson), two versions of the three thousand year old teenager Little Shadow (Shadow 2 and Penumbra) , and Adventure Kartel leader Tommy Red.

The Hoodzombs are dressed in hooded boiler suits: one red, one black and one white. The Johnson Ankou has robot claws for squishing zombie heads. The Junglevet Ankou has fully articulated robot hands and is armed with a revolver. Shadow 2 is dressed in jeans, skirt, hoodie, and high heel high top sneakers and carries a messenger bag for her Skullboom. The messenger bag has real stitching, adjustable straps and tiny plastic backpack clips that really work. Penumbra is outfitted in a winter parka, and also carries a messenger bag and Skullboom. Tommy Red has a red right hand, messenger bag and sports a hoodie with working zipper, skinny jeans and high top sneakers. The detail on these figures is amazing and the distressed clothing and accessories gives them a battle worn appearance.

Click images to see full size.

Opening Reception for Some Assembly Required

theo — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 20:28:45 +0000

Unreal City is pleased to present our first new art exhibition of 2012. The opening reception for Some Assembly Required takes place this Saturday, March 31, from 7 to 10 pm at Unreal City – 139 2nd Ave North. Some Assembly Required will feature new works by Jessica Edwards and Luke Warman.

Jessica Edwards was born in Vancouver but has spent most of her life in Saskatoon. She graduated from the University of Saskatchewan in 2007 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, and obtained her Master of Fine Arts degree in 2011 from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco.

Jessica is currently focusing on children’s book illustration, but enjoys both illustration and fine art projects. She is not working on her artwork or teaching classes at a local art school, Jessica enjoys spending time with her husband and four crazy cats.

Luke Warman was born in Edmonton and spent most of his childhood moving from Alberta to Ontario. Luke received his BFA from the University of Saskatchewan in 2009 with a focus on printmaking and contemporary art history. He also concentrated on etching, waterless lithography, and toner transfer collages. Luke’s work has been shown throughout Saskatoon in solo exhibitions and group shows. He is presently working as a graphic designer at Pro Print.

The opening reception is this Saturday, March 31, from 7 to 10 pm at Unreal City – 139 2nd Avenue North. The artists will be in attendance. Refreshments will be served.

New Tokidoki Vinyl & Plush Figures

theo — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 01:24:38 +0000

This week we got a bunch of new toys from Tokidoki.

5 inch vinyl figures of Tokidoki’s signature characters Adios and Ciao Ciao are now available. Adios and his girlfriend Ciao Ciao are the cutest undead lovebirds in this life or any other.

Adios and Ciao Ciao live together in their modern grave-loft with their cats Skeletrino and Skeletrina. Skeletrino and Skeletrina vinyl figures are also now on sale.

Tokidoki’s Cactus Friends are back with the Porcino 3 inch vinyl toy. The Cactus Friends zip themselves in cactus suits because they think the world is a cold and scary place, and they need some armor to face it.

Kaiju and Donutella are 9 inch plush toys constructed carefully from super duper soft Tokidoki fleece. Get ready for some crazy cuddles from these two.

Tokidoki was created by Simone Legno who lives in Rome, Italy.

Third Anniversary Sale

theo — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 20:51:06 +0000

Don’t miss our year three celebration on Saturday, March 3, from 11 am to 5:30 pm, right here at Unreal City

We’ll have a huge selection of comics on sale for $1, 20% off graphic novels, plus we’ll have select graphic novels on for $5 and $10 each.

Mini-mates, action figures, and select toys and designer toys will be on sale, plus we’ll have a variety of T-shirts on for $10 each. Come on down and celebrate our third year in business this Saturday.

Kurtis Wiebe Interview

Brendan — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 23:05:34 +0000

Kurtis J. Wiebe is no stranger to us at Unreal City, and regulars will recognize him as the writer of a couple of comics that we’ve been pushing shamelessly for the past year or so (namely, Green Wake with Riley Rossmo and The Intrepids with Scott Kowalchuk). There’s no reason to be shameful, though, since he’s proven himself capable of deftly penning tales in vastly differing genres. The first issue of his newest book Peter Panzerfaust, a World War II story by way of J.M. Barrie, hits comic shop shelves today. With art by previous collaborator Tyler Jenkins (Snow Angel), PP - an ongoing series – is set to prove Wiebe as a major contributor to the comics scene. Also in the pipe, Grim Leaper, a supernatural series with new artist Alusio Santos. But more on that farther down the page.

UNREAL CITY: How long has the idea for Peter Panzerfaust been kicking around in your noggin?

KURTIS WIEBE: It was an idea that came about from an e-brainstorming session three years ago with the series artist, Tyler Jenkins. We’d been throwing ideas back and forth for a while, trying to drum up concepts we’d love to put together. He mentioned some ridiculous idea about kid resistance fighters in Vietnam, to which he added, “kids like the Lost Boys.”

I didn’t like that much. So I made it World War II. That made much more sense.

UC: I guess we now know your favourite war! Is WWII an interest of yours or did you have to do a bit of research?

KW: I’ve always been a massive history nut. Thousands of stories with thousands of character, I can honestly never get enough. WWII is a special era that I’ve always found fascinating. The many stories of brotherly camaraderie. So, while I was already fairly knowledgeable in general about the events of the war, I definitely had to research in depth to ensure a high degree of historical accuracy. That attention to detail is really important to me.

UC: How much of a parallel can readers expect between PP and the actual Peter Pan story? It occurs to me that Captain Hook could also be the name of a military character.

KW: We’re going to be using all the characters remade to fit into the WWII setting and doing homages to certain scenes from the book as well. So, have a favourite Peter Pan character? That character will be present in the series, but probably not in the way you would expect. That’s half the fun for us.

UC: Cool. This isn’t your first rodeo with Tyler Jenkins. Has your collaborative process changed much? How much input does Tyler have storywise?

KW: I take care of most of the story elements and adapting the Peter Pan mythology, but I always run it by him to get his feedback. From there we try to develop it together, brain storm until we get something a bit more solid. Out collaboration this go around is pretty different because Snow Angel was a work-for-hire project that we were both significantly less involved with on a personal level.

This series is ours from the ground up, so we’re more invested.

UC: PP is an ongoing series and, correct me if I’m wrong, that makes this your first (since Green Wake was initially a mini that got the green light for more issues). Did you have to take a different approach to plotting, or have you found yourself using a similar process?

KW: The plotting process is pretty much the same, but with a wide scope planned. I’m aiming this to be about 30 issues, if we can manage to keep the series alive long enough. I’m a bit cynical these days.

UC: Any moments in issue 1 that were particularly fun to write?

KW: Probably my favourite sequence is right in the middle when the group of boys are trapped on a roof and are about to get shot at by a tank. There’s danger, but also a sense of a flight and fantasy that makes it a real joy to read, especially after seeing the pages come to life through Tyler’s vision.

UC: When can we expect to see Grim Leaper?

KW: The first issue comes out in May, though I haven’t received confirmation about the actual date. There should be some announcements coming out fairly soon, and I know Jim Valentino has put together a formal announcement for the Image Expo next weekend.

UC: Are you headed to any cons in the near future?

KW: Yeah, lots of conventions. Image Expo next weekend in Oakland, Emerald City Comic Con in Seattle at the end of March, Calgary Expo at the end of April and the Saskatoon Blitz in June. I’m also doing quite a few signings in between and after those events. It’s a busy start to 2012.

UC: Awesome! Well, here’s to the best in the future: success-wise, creative-wise and otherwise.

-Brendan Flaherty

Peter Panzerfaust Signing with Kurtis J. Wiebe

theo — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 19:51:46 +0000

Kurtis Wiebe will be joining us at Unreal City on Thursday, February 16th to sign copies of the first issue of his new comic series Peter Panzerfaust. Published by Image Comics, Peter Panzerfaust takes place in 1940 in Calais, the first city in France to fall to the Germans. A mysterious American boy named Peter rallies a handful of plucky French orphans and they must work together to survive Europe’s darkest hour.

Wiebe lives in Saskatoon and is the critically acclaimed writer of Green Wake and The Intrepids. He also made his Marvel comics debut last year in the Marvel Holiday Special with a story about Wolverine teaching some young X-Men how to play hockey.

Meet one comic’s rising stars and get your signed copy of Peter Panzerfaust #1 from 7 to 9 pm on Thursday, February 16th.

FatCaps Are Back! First New Kidrobot Toys for 2012

theo — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 03:38:09 +0000

The first new Kidrobot toys for 2012 have arrived at Unreal City. FatCap Series 3 blind box mini figures are on sale now. FatCap is a platform toy with a spray nozzle shaped head and an inner rattle that mimics the sound of an aerosol can.

Featuring 18 rad designs by artists new and old, Series 3 pushes the platform like never before. With a custom show feel, each member of the series reaches beyond the boundaries in graphics and sculpt, making FatCap crazier, hairier, cuter, meaner, and more human. Artists in this series include Flying Fortress, Jon Paul Kaiser, Julie West, KaNO, Kronk, Queen Andrea, Shok 1, and Sket One.