Bad-Luck Bats

Art imitates life, but sometimes it goes the other way. A scene from Five Star Comics #2:

Now, from Cerros de Amotape National Park in Peru:

Photograph by Yufani Olaya

No, that's not a mutant. It's a cane toad that has just attempted to swallow a bat. What appear to be purple appendages on either side of the toad's mouth are actually the bat's wings. What appears to be a tongue is the bat's tail. Luckily for the bat, he made an unpalatable dish: the toad spat him out, he picked himself up, brushed himself off, then flew away.

You can read the whole story, "Alien-Like Creature Actually a Toad with a Big Appetite" by Pete Thomas, at the website GrindTV (Sept. 23, 2013), here.

Art copyright 2013 Terence E. Hanley

Text copyright 2013 Five Star Comics

Two-Front Page Photos in Two Days!

Five Star creator Larry Blake was on the front page of The Athens News yesterday. Well, today Terence Hanley matched him with a front-page photo on The Athens Messenger! The article is called "Ratha Con: Twice the Faces Seen at Year Two," and the writer and photographer on the story is Arian Smedley, who interviewed Terence and featured him in her article. Larry Blake and Gary Gibeaut are in the background of the photo. In the foreground are Terence Hanley and the Flatwoods Monster (but we're not sure which is which). The web version of Ms. Smedley's article is called "Ratha Con Doubles Attendance in Its Second Year." You can read it by clicking here.

Copyright 2013 Five Star Comics

Larry Blake: Front Page News!

On Saturday, Larry Blake was at the second Ratha Con, Athens' annual pop-culture convention, and his appearance landed him on the front page of today's Athens News. The convention took place this weekend, on May 11, 2013, in the gymnasium at the Athens Community Center. As always, Larry had his original art and hand-colored prints available for purchase. In the front-page photo of The Athens News, Larry is surrounded by some of his work, including drawings of The Ramones, The Runaways, and Gene Simmons of KISS. Larry also had drawings of everyone's favorite superheroes and TV stars. The photo was taken by Kate Munsch, and the accompanying article, "For One Day, Aliens, Trolls, Zombies Take Over A-Town," is by Cotrell Loftin. (The headline on the front page and on the web version of the article is "Ratha Con Suspends Local Space-Time Continuum.") You can see Larry's picture and read about the convention by clicking here.

Copyright 2013 Five Star Comics

Five Star Comics at Tri-Con!

The Five Star Gang will be at the Tri-State Comic Convention, otherwise known as Tri-Con, this weekend, Saturday, April 6, 2013, at the Big Sandy Superstore Arena in Huntington, West Virginia. Look for us at Table #15, next to the Dalek and TARDIS. Larry Blake will have original art and his own books for sale, Gary Gibeaut will have Mothman posters and postcards, and Terence Hanley will have his monsters and aliens coloring books for sale. In addition, you can buy the first two issues of Five Star Comics. We hope to see you there.

Text copyright 2013 Five Star Comics

Mothman poster art copyright 2013 Gary Gibeaut

Monsters from the Mountains Coloring Book cover art copyright 2013 Terence E. Hanley

Five Star Comics #3 Goes To Print

After many months in preparation, Five Star Comics #3 is finally going to print. This will be our biggest issue yet: five stories, seven creators, and 56 pages in all. Here's the lineup:

• Dead Harrah: Zombie Detective by Gary Gibeaut
• Kevin Cool by Larry Blake
• Marvel Maid by Terence Hanley
• The Amalga-Mates by Terence Hanley, Larry Blake, and Tim Corrigan
• The Black Bat by Terence Hanley, with illustrations by Larry Blake and Matt Marshall

Gary Gibeaut's zombie detective, Dead Harrah, is the star of the cover story and lead feature, "The Case of the Dark Angel." Gary's cover:

Five Star Comics #3 will be available soon, we hope by the time of the Small Press and Alternative Comics Expo (S.P.A.C.E.), which takes place on April 13 and 14, 2013, in Columbus, Ohio. Keep your eyes peeled for it.

The Five Star Comics main title design is by Seth Boring. Photoshop effects on Gary's Dead Harrah story are by Jason Roush.

Text copyright 2013 Five Star Comics

Art copyright 2013 Gary Gibeaut

The Five Star Comics logo is a trademark of Five Star Comics.

2013 Convention Schedule for Five Star Comics

Five Star Comics will be at several conventions and festivals this year. Here is our schedule as the convention season begins:

Tri-State Comic Con-Tricon
Big Sandy Superstore Arena, Huntington, West Virginia
Saturday, April 6, 2013
10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Small Press and Alternative Comics Expo-S.P.A.C.E.
Ramada Plaza Hotel and Conference Center, Columbus, Ohio
Saturday, April 13, and Sunday, April 14, 2013
Saturday: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Sunday: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Ratha Con
Athens Community Center, Athens, Ohio
Saturday, May 11, 2013
10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

River City Comic Con
Lafayette Hotel, Marietta, Ohio
Sunday, July 28, 2013
10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Mothman Festival
Point Pleasant, West Virginia
Saturday and Sunday in September
Dates and times to be announced

We hope to see you soon.

Comics Buyer's Guide Reviews Five Star Comics #2

Whitney Grace reviewed Five Star Comics #1 and #2 in Comics Buyer's Guide back in November. In last month's issue (the second to last issue of the magazine), Ray Sidman gave a little more space to Five Star Comics #2. He likes the expanded book (which went from 37 pages of stories and art in #1 to 46 pages in #2). "This issue includes five stories that range from decent to entertaining," Mr. Sidman writes, "with the best of them being 'Origin of The Black Bat' (due to its art and classic character) and 'The Case of the Nut Case' (with fun writing and a solid sense of humor)." That makes a thumbs up for two stories that have been a little neglected in reviews and letters of comment. Mr. Sidman concludes his review with these words:

The writing and art [on issue #2] aren't uniformly as satisfying as they could be, but the overall effect is an entertaining, pleasant reading experience. This small-press title is a good one, and promises more entertainment to come in #3.

We'll keep working towards a uniformly satisfying reading experience. And speaking of Five Star Comics #3, we're nearing completion on the book. Look for previews in the coming days.

Original text copyright 2013 Five Star Comics