Thursday, October 13, 2011

PIX afterword and Pittsburgh's ToonSeum

Well, this post is coming a little bit later than I'd promised Ron Frenz, but now I'm glad it is, so I can include the video below. First, a warm and heartfelt THANK YOU to the staff of the Pittsburgh ToonSeum for the hard work they did putting together the second annual Pittsburgh Independent comic-book eXpo a.k.a. PIX! It was much appreciated, and I think what those of us in attendance enjoyed the most was a low-key weekend getting caught up with our peers.

Thanks as well to those of you who visited all of us artists and creators who had set up shop. Oh, and thank you to Paige Shoemaker for feeding everyone. We heart you Paige!

Here is a new short documentary on the ToonSeum, featuring local creators Wayne Wise, Ed Piskor, Joe Wos (the director of the ToonSeum), and a certain creator and his book that you just may recognize...!

Saturday, May 7, 2011

FREE COMIC BOOK DAY 2011!

Come join M.L.Walker and friends at PHANTOM OF THE ATTIC in Pittsburgh's Oakland to celebrate FREE COMIC BOOK DAY!

Phantom of the Attic Comics in Oakland
411 South Craig Street
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Saturday, May 7 · 10:00am - 7:00pm

Guests this year include several local small press artists, including;

M.L.Walker - creator of HERO CORP., INTERNATIONAL
 
Seth Fronzoli & Shawn Atkins - writer and artist of EXPLORERS OF THE UNKNOWN
 
Nick Marino- creator of TIME LOG
 
Dave Wachter - Eisner-nominated creator of THE GUNS OF SHADOW VALLEY and artist of the upcoming IDW book THAT HELLBOUND TRAIN

Fun! Free Comics! Discounts! Guests! Candy!

Friday, March 11, 2011

Comic-Book Support Squad: RENDERWRX PRODUCTIONS

Our friend Paul Houston over at Renderwrx Productions was kind enough to feature an interview with M.L. Walker back in October, coinciding with the release of HERO CORP., INT'L #1. Once again Paul comes through with a shout-out announcing the online sales debut of our first issue. We can't get anywhere without the help of our comic-support squad, so every bit of outside promotion helps.

In the turnabout-is-fair-play department, go check out the webcomics, columns and articles over at Renderwrx. It's fun and engaging stuff. I recommend the stories COMMUNITY, which was written and illustrated by Paul himself, as well as GREY LEMON (a personal favorite), MR. AMAZING and STRONG.

Thanks again, Paul. Hope you're able to make it back to the Capitol of Champions in July for the unofficial Hero Corp. reunion we're planning!

Saturday, March 5, 2011

Latest News (Releases & Appearances)

Great news: CLIFFHANGER BOOKS today announced their list of short stories and writers to be included in their upcoming anthology GODS OF JUSTICE, slated for release later this year. Amongst them is a self-contained HERO CORP., INTERNATIONAL prose adventure titled "...HEROISM IS OUR BUSINESS!" It features The Pro, RedGlare and other main characters, and will offer new insight into company protocols during a sudden meta-emergency. Oh yes, and it takes place in New Pittsburgh, the Capitol of Champions! We will post release dates here as they become available.



In related news, HERO CORP., INTERNATIONAL #1 is also finally available for online purchase via ComiXpress! For those of you who haven't been lucky enough to get to Pittsburgh and score a copy in person, now's your chance to own a bit of history! More details can be found under our PURCHASE link.

Lastly, for anyone living in the Columbus, Ohio area, come out and meet M.L.Walker in two weeks when he visits S.P.A.C.E. on March 19th and 20th! A group of cartoonists representing Pittsburgh will be setting up at the annual Small Press and Comics Expo. The RICOCHET GRAPHICS table will also be featuring the lovely, talented and all-around fierce Dawn Best, who will be unveiling her own creator-owned book VARULV at the Expo!

Look for us at table 75, where you can put in an application to work at H.C.I. and become a meta-agent. Not even the sky is the limit when heroism is your business!


UPDATE 4/1/11: "...HEROISM IS OUR BUSINESS!" is no longer scheduled to be included in GODS OF JUSTICE. We will let you know where and when this story will potentially surface.

Friday, March 4, 2011

Big News Tomorrow!

Followers!

Yes, It's been a while since our last update, but we're going to make up for it!

We've got some exciting news to announce about HERO CORP., INTERNATIONAL, so come back tomorrow, Saturday March 5th. Trust us, this is good.

 "What is it?" you're asking yourselves. You'll just have to wait and find out...!

Monday, February 28, 2011

QRD Interview!

Using the time-bending powers of it's Hourglass Class agents, HERO CORP., INT'L now reaches back to last month to let everyone know that QRD was gracious enough to post an online interview with M.L.Walker as part of its February edition (#48). In conjunction with S.P.A.C.E., it focuses on Indie/Mini Comic Creators, including Nick Marino (Superhaters), Bob Corby (organizer of S.P.A.C.E.), Ross Campbell (Hack/Slash), and Dave Sim (CEREBUS).

Get a little behind-the-scenes peek at what goes into HERO CORP. at the conceptual level!

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

2011 State of the Universe Address

[Following are excerpts from the transcript of today's Annual State of the Universe Address from Hero Corp. Academy, given by The Pro.

The proceedings began with a five minute standing ovation as The Samaritan of Heroes flew into the Presentation Hall, greeting students, fellow agents, leading politicians and executives from H.C.I., eventually taking to the main podium.]

Fellow Citizens of the World, from every nation, and our friends watching from the stars beyond, I greet and thank you today.

As I stand here, I am once again overwhelmed by your enthusiasm and support, which only seems to increase with every passing year. The faces I see before me, both of my fellow Agents, many of whom I have proudly worked side-by-side with, as well as the cadets of Hero Corp. Academy, all renew my belief that the future of our world will always be on the horizon. And we will always have champions brave enough to see to it that tomorrow shines brightly.

As a company, Hero Corp. is dedicated to reaching out to consistently serve our customers' needs with ever increasing speed and efficiency. Our critics would have you believe that our company is solely profit-minded, and the common good takes a back seat to our profit margins. I'm here to assure you, this is not so.

Does Hero Corp. exist to make a profit? Yes, which is nothing to be ashamed of; democracy and freedom should be considered the single biggest dividends of a world-society smart enough to invest in its future by adequately funding its protectors. Everything in our lives comes with cost, and nothing with greater cost than the assurance that tomorrow will be better than today.

We have accomplished much this past year, and succeeded in raising the bar of standards of excellence in providing heroic support wherever we are requested. We set goals for our company, and surpassed them. Last April, we announced proudly at The Pittsburgh Comicon that we would have a new issue of HERO CORP., INTERNATIONAL available for consumers to follow our exploits, and it would be ready by the Fall.

And after months of labor, and the best efforts of our mortal enemies to derail our plans, we stayed on track to present Issue Number One at the inaugural Pittsburgh Independent Comic-Book Expo a.k.a. P.I.X. in October!

[Another lengthy standing ovation.]

To my fellow agents I thank you for your dedication and service, and yet still challenge you to work harder than ever towards achieving our most difficult goals. In the days, weeks and months to come, there will be more hard work to do. By early February, HERO CORP., INTERNATIONAL #1 will be available for purchase online. And in mid-March, H.C.I. and RICOCHET GRAPHICS will jointly venture into S.P.A.C.E. as I travel to Columbus, Ohio to promote our book at the Small Press and Alternative Comics Expo, along with honorary H.C.I. Board Member Dawn Best.

I say to every Hero Corp. Agent of every classification, our accomplishments are many, yet we still have much work to do. Let's not forget our pledge, and always remember that heroism is our business.

To the students of Hero Corp. Academy, let me remind you of the tremendous challenges you too face. I implore you to follow in the footsteps and slipstreams of these agents before you. As you look to them for inspiration, they - and I - look to you for justification of our efforts. When the day comes that we are to pass along to you the torch of our hopes for a safer, more peaceable world, we know it will burn even brighter in your capable hands. You are all truly the brightest stars in our universe.

The challenges before us are shared by everyone though, meta-powered or not, from every walk of life. If we should feel disillusioned or unsure about our collective ability to rise to the challenge, remember that strength comes in numbers and conviction. Those of us lucky enough to call New Pittsburgh our home need look no farther for evidence of this than the black-and-gold flags of Terrible Towels that are propelling our Steelers toward another Super Bowl victory!

[Another ROUSING standing ovation.]


Let me close by renewing my pledge to honor my charge as Provost Marshall of the Planet Earth's Meta-Human Defense Network, and always stand for Principle, Equity, and the Milky Way.

God bless the United Nations, all peoples of the Good Earth and the populace of our Universe. Thank you.