Alainmendez

Remember the cool Sci-Fi series Firefly? Well if you liked that and enjoy board games then you should check out Gale Force Nine's Firefly: The Game. The board game includes custom dice and miniature figurines and features missions and locations from the series. Players take command of their very own firefly transport ship and take on missions around the star map to try to take on missions and deal with Alliance Patrols and Reavers along with other challenges

Firefly: The Game was a con exclusive at GenCon this year. However it looks like it will be hitting mass market soon as pre-orders are now available for it over at amazon.com. Hopefully local hobby shops will carry this one too.

Be sure to check out the gallery to see some more pictures from the game.

Via NerdApproved

In this ad for Android company HTC, Robert Downey Jr. comes up with some bizarre suggestions for what HTC could stand for — and they become real. Including Hipster Troll Carwash. The final moments are like a bizarre dream sequence.

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stupidasstime:

If anyone wants the QR Code for Ramba Ral`s uniform.

WHAT??!

Despite our successes at describing the inner workings of the universe (Higgs, anyone?), there are still some gaping holes in our knowledge. Where's our Grand Unified Theory or our Theory of Everything? And why is Einstein's General Relativity still at odds with Quantum Mechanics? Why should we want to unify them anyway?

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Pokémon get a new, Maya-inspired look in the hands of artist Monarobot. These modern monsters look majestic with their ornate, Mesoamerican makeovers.

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As fans of the Gundam series, that Vertical has taken a chance in releasing Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin has tickled us pink. With the second book on the shelves, we figured we would do another article on the series to remind people it is out there.

We could have tried to interview Ed Chavez (as he is fairly eager to promote the title), but the Gundamn and Cockpit podcasts had already done that. Instead of going over similar ground in a new interview, we thought of someone with a different perspective: translator for the series Melissa Tanaka.

Translation is one of those jobs that you don’t often think about when it comes to manga unless something goes horribly wrong. Because of that fact though, we all know translation is vitally important to how the series is received by readers. The translator acts as a sort of tour guide for a series. A poor translator can’t completely diminish an outstanding work but a great translator can let non-native speakers take in a work as if they were able to read the original version.

Thankfully for Gundam fans, Melissa Tanaka has done just that for Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin.

Reverse Thieves: First, could you tell us about a little yourself and how you got into translation?

Melissa Tanaka: As one of those bookish kids who grew up in genre fiction, for a long time I thought I wanted to be a writer, but I was never that great at coming up with plots on my own. When I encountered anime and manga in high school, my focus shifted, because here was this whole other world of stories with a totally different presentation, an aesthetic presentation. And then I’d look at the subtitles or the translator’s notes and think, someone is doing this, people are working to bring these stories to us from another language.

From Spanish class, I already knew that I got a kick out of learning another language. So I studied Japanese all through college, did a year abroad in Kyoto, and never stopped loving it. I worked for a year at the NY office of a Japanese cosmetics company, but I really wanted to be involved in translating some form of fiction. I went back to school to get a Master’s in Japanese Literature, then became a freelance translator.

When I started, I was translating anything and everything, from erudite academic papers to lists of automobile malfunctions, but now I’m pretty much working exclusively on manga. I’m lucky enough to have the job I wanted for 15 years and still love it. Sometimes I scream at it, like any job, but I enjoy every page.

MT: I’ve spent most of my time in other genres, and my mecha experience was limited to partying like it was 1999—marathoning Eva fansubs on VHS and catching a few episodes of Gundam Wing on Toonami. I was familiar with the basic setup but not much detail. Going in with that sort of blank slate might have given me some disadvantages regarding the hard sci-fi elements, but I think getting to know the characters as they are in the reboot, without the set-in-stone ideas of decades of fandom, has allowed me to present them more transparently.

This is a story of war fought with technology, but the characters’ actions and interactions are paramount. It’s a very human drama—that’s what the best science fiction, or any kind of fiction, comes down to, and what made Mobile Suit Gundam so memorable. The manga brings that to the forefront. And I have to say, if I wasn’t a fan before, I am now. The Origin is just a brilliant work.

MT: No, that doesn’t really seem to be an industry standard for translators. Vertical might have received one for lettering and such, but I haven’t had a list of strict guidelines or anything. My translation might be altered in production, whether for stylistic reasons or logistical concerns like bubble sizes (Japanese characters have a much higher information density than the Roman alphabet, on top of a different orientation). But this is normal for the industry, and it happens in-house.

MT: My research consists of watching the series and the movies, and frequently referencing resources like gundam.wikia.com to check the details. The most challenging thing to translate, however, is not the technobabble but the military babble—sometimes it makes me wish I read more Tom Clancy than Anne McCaffrey. I spend as much time looking up real-life military and naval terminology as I do the vagaries of beam cannons.

Another complication is that in Japanese, the names of ranks are the same for all branches of the armed forces. Some of the lower ranks that appear in Gundam don’t even exist any more—it’s almost an old-fashioned naval warfare feel. So naming a person’s rank doesn’t immediately tell you what it should be in English. Various translations of the anime versions have used different rank conventions, and on top of that, Mr. Yasuhiko changed the ranks of some characters in The Origin. So rank has caused me a bit of angst.

I also speak to both American and Japanese fans of the original Gundam. In Japan, it has at least the cultural significance that something like the original Star Wars does here, so there are lines and scenes that remain near and dear to fans’ hearts. Which lines and scenes those are might be different on either side of the Pacific. So, to my mind, one of the most important and challenging things about this project is to genuinely and accurately convey what made those moments so memorable to the longtime Japanese fans, without alienating the English-speaking fans who may have grown up on different interpretations. I hope those moments come through to the newcomers, too, and draw them into the shared experience of the fandom.

The other challenges are common to all translation of fiction, such as getting the character voices just right. With Sayla, for instance, she comes from an elite background but she’s not a snob. When she shows disdain it’s for very specific reasons, like when she tells off Kai. I have to express her pride without making her into a stuck-up princess. Striking that sort of balance is the most difficult part of the craft and the most rewarding.

MT: Translation by nature is invisible work. If it’s done well, most readers don’t really notice it; if not, they do and they say something. You only see a window if it’s dirty. So I realize that if there are reactions specifically mentioning the translation, a lot of them will be critical. I have to look without going too far down the rabbit hole, and try to find the things I can use constructively. I’m always trying to hone my craft, and I want to deliver the best translation I can to those who rightfully have high expectations for such a significant series.

In general, it’s not possible to produce a translation that everyone finds perfect, because the work does involve a lot of judgement calls. Individual fans will bring different priorities and experiences to any work, and come away with their own interpretations and feelings about it. That’s especially the case for the original Gundam saga, a classic with different versions and many translations of each, and a generation-spanning fandom. People were making and trading copies of fan-subs when I was a toddler shoving a peanut butter sandwich into the VCR. And The Origin is a reboot, not just a retelling—there are a myriad of small changes, in mecha design and specs, ranks, personalities, dialogue, and plot details. So I do all I can to get it right, but not every fan will agree with the results.

MT: Unfortunately, that doesn’t really happen any more. I can’t think of any manga translators besides Matt Thorn who have interacted with the authors of their projects.

MT: I guess I shouldn’t have been, since Vertical picked it up, but I was suprised at what a stunningly well-crafted manga this is. Mr. Yasuhiko draws every single panel himself, every dramatic expression and every mechanical detail, with a brush, no assistants, nothing. That alone would be amazing, but the character development is also fantastic. Like the critical essay in the back of Volume 1 pointed out, the characters really do have more depth and substance than in the anime. Maybe it has to do with the medium, how the still framing of manga can really focus on particular moments, because Mr. Yasuhiko definitely knows how to use that to its fullest potential. So I’m also surprised at how much I’ve come to care about the characters myself. . . . And that I’m fangirling for Bright more than Char.

This project is a genuine pleasure to work on, and I hope it’s at least as great a pleasure to read. And now the obligatory plug: as much as I’d like to tell you to support your local bookstore or comic shop, for this series, put in your Amazon preorder. I repeat: Preorder, preorder, preorder! Those numbers will help Vertical keep bringing it to you!

Now you can build your way back to the future with LEGO's Back to the Future DeLorean time machine set. Modeled after the DeLorean from the movie series, this miniature version comes highly detailed. This model has opening gull-wing doors, fold-up wheels, flux capacitor and a time travel display.

It even comes with two California license plates. Along with all the cool features, you can customize the car to make it look like the exact version from each movie. If you think that's cool, you can even fold up the wheels and go into hover mode.

Of course your DeLorean needs people to man it, that's why Marty McFly and Doc Brown will come with it. Marty even comes with his skateboard in case the car gets boring. This set will be great for all Back to the Future fans because it also comes with a booklet that has production notes, original images and details from the movies. Coming with 401 LEGO bricks, this set is available for US$34.99.

[via Action Figure Insider]

Index has another social game spinoff on top of Persona 3 Social, Persona 4: The Play, and Devil Hunter Zero. Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Collection was just announced for Mobage and this title is based on the core Shin Megami Tensei series.

Read Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Collection Turns Demons In To Cards on Siliconera!

The mecha offerings this year was a little thin. Perhaps the shift towards anime kits is becoming more pronounced but none of that really matters now as we have been given a diorama of Capcom fighter, Choukou Senki Kikaioh! Or Tech Romancer, if you prefer its western name! Needs more Diana 17 though but beggars can't be choosers!

Aside from the diorama, we get a rather diverse selection of giant mecha... who all take the exact same stance as eachother. These include Rai-oh from the Super robot Wars games, Cybuster from the Masou Kishin series and even a Dai-Guard! We also get various custom Variable fighters from various Macross series (sadly, non-transformable) and a custom Gunvarrel from Robotics;Notes.

Now, if you haven't seen it before, I recommend you go and watch the original anime-esque opening for Tech Romancer and let the hot blooded tears flow!

[via Dengeki Hobby, Plus Alpha and HK-DMZ]

What isf Pacific Rim tossed out the whole "we're not doing Godzilla" pretense and just went full classic Kaiju crazy? We bet it would feel a little something like this. Watch as Guillermo del Toro's monsters are recut to sound just like the original big bad kaiju in this amazing recut of the Pacific Rim trailer.

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CyberConnect2's JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle fighter has two more additions to its roster according to Jump. The latest of Hirohiko Araki's oddball cast to be confirmed includes Kosaku Kawajiri and President Funny Valentine. 

Valentine (pictured right), former soldier and 23rd President of the United States, serves as the chief antagonist of Steel Ball Run, while Kawajiri comes from the fourth part of JoJo's, Diamond is Unbreakable. 

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle hits PlayStation 3 in Japan on August 29. 

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Joseph Luster is the Games and Web editor at Otaku USA Magazine. His blog can be found at subhumanzoids. Follow him on Twitter at @Moldilox.

areu:

so i found this tribute comic collection at the bookstore today and there was a dog au….. i’ve been thinking of one before so here you go

yeah i’ve lost control of my life

(misato: saluki, shinji: chihuahua, rei: tibetian terrier, kaworu: cairn terrier, asuka: english spaniel)

Max Factory had a nice showing of figma at Wonfes this year. They had a beautiful flying figma of Amy from Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet that I want to pre-order right now.

Additionally figmas of Kristina and Okabe from Steins;Gate were there strutting their stuff. Some IdolM@ster Cinderella girls made their way onto the show floor as well. Most impressively there was a large Panzer tank with figma from Girls und Panzer on display in it. Several Black Rock Shooter figures were on display as well. There was even more than this on the floor show but these figures stood out to me as the best looking of the bunch. If you want to see more you should check out our full gallery.

At Wonfes this year, our on the scene girl Kristina spied something very interesting. She saw what appeared to be independent sculptors displaying their work based on Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet. Even though it is unlikely that any of these customs will be made into a mass market form it is nice to see indies being represented and able to show off their work at such a large convention.

My favorite of the lot is of course Amy, because she is cute and has a very bright personality. Her squirrel also helps to bring her emotions out and this is well represented through figurines of her here. Of course there are also several attractive Ledo figures as well as an impressive Chamber and Striker set. Really if you have any interest in Gargantia you should go check out the gallery, simply because these are cool works.

Feast your eyes on the first art from Star Wars Rebels, Lucasfilm's followup to Clone Wars – including the show's logo!

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Long running mystery manga Detective Conan (aka Case Closed)) hit its 80 last week. In honor of this milestone in the adventures of a crime solver named for Sherlock Holmes and seminal genre writer Edogawa Rampo, a video looks back at the detective portraits that author Gosho Aoyama illustrate for the series' collections.

also author's caricatures

and Kogoro Mouri knockouts

via NiceoTube

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Scott Green is editor and reporter for anime and manga at geek entertainment site Ain't It Cool News. Follow him on Twitter at @aicnanime.

I'm not entirely sure why Binbougami has ended up stealing the hearts of figure producers everywhere, but the gray-haired Sakura is showing up again and again in PVC form. I knew the series was popular, but we're seeing way more figures than I'd ever have expected. This latest comes to us from FREEing, and has Sakura mixing a gym uniform with a few accessories.

The pose is a little awkward-seeming, but I like the addition of her gym jacket slung around her shoulders instead of worn properly. FREEing's retained Sakura's curvy look as well, and I certainly can't complain about staying true to source! Overall, it isn't necessarily the best Sakura I've seen, but it's a decent enough release that fans will probably want to take a look. Besides who can resist the allure of gym bloomers? You'll be able to get this latest version of the lucky lady in December for about ¥8,381.

[ Pre-order at HobbyLink Japan | Hobby Search | AmiAmi | CD Japan | J-List ]

reblogging for ed

Fans of Saber and Fate series may be interested in Good Smile Company's latest Saber Nendoroid that is available for pre-order. One thing that is sure to catch your attention about her is that she is armored in red and has a semi transparent skirt. Yup she is based on Fate/Extra and apparently red was her color. I suppose it is not too surprising though as we have seen her dressed in whites, blues, silvers and even black in fate Zero so why not eh? I kind of appreciate how much Saber seems to change themes actually but I am getting off topic.

Saber Fate/Extra Nendoroid comes with three facial expressions which you can see in the gallery. She also comes with a different version of her sword Excalibur called the Gelatine Excalibur. One must have prop that she ships with is a rose. I can almost see the valentine Nendoroid photos taken with the rose already.

If you’re interested in pre-ordering GSC's Saber Nendoroid Fate/Extra then you may be interested to know that she comes at a suggested price of ¥3620 and should ship out in late November of this year.

[ Pre-order at Hobby Search | AmiAmi ]

Just in case you haven’t noticed… Here is our final cover for Gundam the ORIGIN vol 3. We had to jump through a lot of hoops to get this done last minute, but I think it turned out well.

fullonanime:

[X]

'What do you want to see?' asks Bluefin Tamashii Nations, which has opened up a post-SDCC survey so that non-attendees can weigh in on what they'd like to see in the future. The poll, noted as being part of their market research, is comprised of nine questions ranging from queries involving existing properties to potential new selections.

Notable questions include "Which Hollywood movie, and/or Comic Book characters do you want to see as a high end figure?" for which you should answer "Gremlins", but also have the choice of the 90s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Robocop (ie, Brian's answer), Ghostbusters, and Pacific Rim. There was also a video game question whose possible answers included several Nintendo franchises as well as the expected Dragon Ball Z questions.

Be sure to vote in the survey. It's your civic duty... to vote for Gremlins. Even if they just mean the first movie.

Saber Lily is just one of those designs that appeals. It's not flashy, bright, or overly adorned. Its beauty lies in its simplicity. Whenever a company has their take on the alternate Saber, it's hard to ignore the beauty. All that said, it's hard to ignored Alphamax's new 1/7 Saber Lily.

This new entry to the Saber figure multiverse will be different from the previous renditions of Saber Lily, as she will be seated instead of the usual 'ready for battle' poses. The dress is nicely spread out over the floor and Excalibur provides a nice set of colors to escape the monotony of whites. Even with its 1/7 scale, as she is seated, it will stand just higher than 5 inches. With this kind of pose, I would hope that it would at least be 1/6, but it's still not too diminutive to ignore it altogether. 

Pre-orders are available now for Alphamax's 1/7 Saber Lily for a retail price of ¥9,800. She'll be released in December, perfect for a wonderfully white winter wonderland. It's a bit pricey given the overall size, but hey, it's Saber and she'll still be bought.

[Pre-Order Alphamax 1/7 Saber Lily at AmiAmi | Hobby Search]

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By Nicholas Eskey

Almost 25 years ago, a comic book that really didn’t look, read, or follow the other hero laden stories that were more in circulation hit local store shelves. Its main character didn’t look like any of the flying, spandex wearing beings that saved damsels in distress and diverted near-world-apocalypses. In January of 1989, DC comics under the imprint of Vertigo, introduced the world to Neil Gaiman’s Sandman.

Located in room 6DE of the San Diego Convention Center, DC comics and Vertigo brought together a brilliant collection of people who worked on the comic. In attendance was Shelly Bond (editor during the comic), artists Todd Klein, Sam Kieth, Dave McKean, and JH Williams III, and of course Neil Gaiman himself (who I might add is a classy man with a stylish hairdo). The collective discussed the humble beginnings of the Sandman series, its better known issues and artwork, to even the series’ future.

Once the entire panel had been seated and said their introductions, we were shown on the big projector screen next to the proctor’s podium a house ad for DC comics from 1988. It showed the main character of Sandman (Morpheus) who fans would come to know eventually, holding in an outstretched hand a small pile of golden sand, his eyes glowing red. The words “Sandman” emblazoned below, with the tagline “He controls your dreams.” In big bold lettering off to the side the caption read, “I will show you Terror in a handful of dust.”

“Originally I used ‘I will show you Fear in a handful of dust,’ a quote from T.S. Eliot,” said Mr. Gaiman. “I got a call from DC who asked if it really was a quote, and I said yes. Then they said it needed to be changed then just in case T.S. Eliot’s estate would want compensation. So ‘fear’ became ‘terror.’”

Just before the idea of Sandman as we know and love came to be, Neil Gaiman was one of the writers working on Black Orchid #3. But, it was decided by a representative of DC that since he was a relative unknown at the time, to raise his profile and benefit the eventual release of Black Orchid, Neil Gaiman would start doing a monthly comic.

He came up with idea after idea, until his vision of reinventing Sandman (which was a comic done by Jack Kirby and Ernie Chua between 1974 and 76) won out. Instead of using the original character of Sandman who was named “Wesley Dodds,” Mr. Gaiman would create a whole new character. A god of sleep. And so, his first monthly published comic came to be.

“I felt I need[ed] something I can go anywhere with. A vehicle, a machine.” And with this proposed Sandman, he felt that it was just the vehicle he needed that could take him places that no other comic would or could go in terms of subject matter.

As the panel talks on, it is revealed where the whole design of the character of Morpheus came from. “I didn’t want to go in the direction of ‘Super Hero…’ I will make him look like a rockstar!” said Gaiman. Which he ended up looking very Bono-Bowie. “We said ‘who can draw this thing?’” he continued. “That’s where Sam’s name came up.”

Sam Kieth is the man who is credited for designing the look of Morpheus (The god of Dreams) which was eventually settled on, and has been used for all 75 issues of the comic’s series.

The panel then shifted focus, showing covers of various popular Sandman issues, and discussing them more in depth; starting with the very first nostalgic issue, to the very last. Each with a different story to call its own. Two of which I found personally interesting were the one’s entitled “Midsummer Night’s Dream” and the “Tempest” (which was also the last issue for Sandman). Somewhere along the way Neil Gaiman began to use William Shakespeare as a semi-reoccurring character. Personally inspired by this, the writer decided that Midsummer and Tempest needed to become issue titles, as they were the only two original, not borrowed plots used in Shakespeare’s plays.

Then in great fashion, to end the panel in wonderful fashion, a great announcement was made in regards to the future of Sandman and the character Morpheus. “Some stories I had written just never fit in the series.” revealed Mr. Gaiman. “At Sandman’s 20th anniversary, I came to DC with the idea of using them for a comic.” Sadly, the one’s at the helm at the time didn’t see fit to run with the stories, and they were left aside.

Nearing the 25th anniversary however, a new set of helmsman approached Mr. Gaiman and asked if he had anything special in mind. The stories he had set aside resurfaced. And hence the coming of what is to be known as Sandman Overture. It will deal with the story of how Morpheus before the original Sandman comic got mixed up in a battle on another world, and then later in a weakened state came to be captured in Sandman issue #1.

For any and all Sandman or story driven comic fans, the beautiful artistry that has been placed into this new series will wonder, astound, and awe. Much like the original series did of course. Be on the lookout for Sandman Overture, coming this year in October.

Devin T. Quin, writing for Bleeding Cool:

For you, the sad Venture Brother’s true fan who didn’t make the pilgrimage out to the San Diego Comic Con 2013, TAKE HEART! Just follow these easy steps, and YOU TOO can simulate the panel in your very own living room. Here goes!

First, stand outside in the sun for about two hours. Continuously worry that you won’t get back in your home. It will help if you dress your house pets or children up in Adventure Time costumes and have them occasionally slink by dejectedly, as Adv. Time was the panel before Ventures which many fans were shut out of.

Wait an additional 15 minutes, then come on back in and have a chair. Cut several pictures out of your High School Yearbook and tape them to a wall. The Indigo Ballroom at the Convention Center Hotel is so huge, these photos will be indistinguishable from the REAL Doc Hammer, Jackson Publick and Patric Warburton sitting a football field away from you.

Read the following statements, in order, and digest them.

• Doc Hammer and Jackson Public are writing season 6 now.

• Obviously Doc Venture is not dead, as was pictured at the end of the last episode, as he’s the main character.

• There will be an Art of the Venture Brothers book from Dark Horse, but no release date is available.

• The Season 6 opening episode is the REAL season 5 finale, and this last, upcoming episode of season 5 meerly sets it up.

• The only thing stopping them from making a Venture Bothers video game is that nobody has ever asked them.

Now that you have learned everything of substance there was to learn, inhale deeply from your canister of Nitrous Oxide, call up your crazy, drunk Aunt and have her babble at you for about 20 minutes about whatever comes to her mind. Laugh your butt off. Hang up the phone, get up, leave.

THE END

DON’T GET ME WRONG, The Venture Brothers is my favorite TV show currently on the air. Originally a goofy parody of Johnny Quest, The Ventures universe quickly became a sensitive love poem to failure, 70s-80s pop culture and the burning quest for identity. It is slick, smart, ridiculously funny when it wants to be and spontaneously heartbreaking at other times.

The show is directed, written, edited and art directed by only two guys, Jackson Publick and Doc Hammer. These two, dapper gentlemen are college friends who love what you love, unless it’s “Game of Thrones.”

“I do not watch that stupid Show.” says Doc Hammer, sporting a minty fresh black speedsuit with an orange to yellow color chevron and Astro Base patches. “It just seems like Falcon Crest, but with Dragons.”

“And yet you love Falcon Crest.” intones Jackson, in a matching speedsuit.

“I love Game of Thrones,” states Patrick Warburton. Patrick is the voice of Brock Sampson, the Venture family’s off-and-on again bodyguard. “I’m not wearing a jumpsuit,” Warburton stated earlier, “because I wasn’t given one. They cost about $300 dollars.”

“Thank you Shirt Club” adds Jackson deadpan. He is slightly upset that he couldn’t convince Doc to wear matching orange turtleneck dickies underneath their speedsuits, and holds one up for the crowd.

Two clips were shown for the attendees. First up was the opening three minutes of the season finale, premiering this Sunday. A shorter version is currently available on Adultswim.com. The clip shows Hank and Dean waking up to their new lives as wards of their Godfathers, The Action Man and Colonel Gentleman, after reading a note that their father may be dead.

The Second clip featured the Monarch, Doctor Venture’s arch nemesis, creating a list of tortures to perform on the captured and prone body of his foe. Doc states to Dr. Mrs. The Monarch that he is far from afraid, as he’s been kidnapped before and no one is really going to hurt anyone. The former Dr. Girlfriend chillingly informs him of his mistake, and then breaks his arm.

Patrick’s son is in the audience, cosplaying as Shore Leave. Doc and Jackson essentially make fun of Patricks 15 year old kid until it is slightly uncomfortable for everybody. Doc assure people that they have prepared no content, and proceeds to ramble about bowel movements, Patrick’s voice and his regrets at killing off fan favorite 24.

“I have pages of jokes for him,” says Doc. “Can’t we do a flashback?”

The boys open the floor up to questions, which they have no intention of answering with any urgency. Jackson answers a “Yes or No” question with “Yup.” When asked if there would be a follow up to a plot point that Doc Venture was writing a musical, and would we see more of it, Doc explodes “Really, you want more music in your cartoon? Do you want more kissing too? When I was a kid, I hated that stuff.”

A fan asks if the characters Dean and Hank, the eponymous Venture Brothers, are slowly turning into Doc and Jackson as the show goes on. “The whole cast is slowly turning into us” says Doc.

“Next season Hank will have a bad knee.” agrees Jackson.

“Or a bad back,” adds Doc. “So sure, I don’t know, who cares?” Doc

A fan starts her question with “My first dumb question is – ” before Doc breaks in with “OH! There’s a series of them? Excellent!”

This is what a Ventures Panel is. Funny, unfiltered ego trying to push past the discomfort two brilliant artist feel when thrust out of the studio and forced in front of a giant ballroom’s worth of screaming fans. This devil-may-care attitude is one of the reason these Venture panels are so well attended. An absolutely adoring fan base is another.

A costume contest is held, and the winner is given a T-shirt from the new T-shirt club the lads run. Shirts based on episodes,  are designed and produced by Doc and Jackson, and are sold through their website to provide merch for the fans and help with the bills. The winner gets to be the model for the new shirt, and the photo is taken on the spot with Doc’s Droid. “I’m just going to get my cell phone out and take a picture of it, because that’s how crappy Shirt Club is.” says Doc.

Are you getting the idea?

At the beginning of the panel, Doc states that he’s sorry that it takes the two of them so long to make their show, but that they try to make it wonderful and they really love what they do. They love their fans, but get bothered by the criticisms regarding turn around times.

“Stop getting mad at us and just love us” states Doc. This is not a joke, but an earnest request.

We do, Doc. You, Jackson, Patrick and all of the Venture Brothers family. We love you, We love you, We love you….

Venture Brothers Creators Announce an Art Book from Dark Horse, Talk Nonsense. The Ventures Panel at SDCC 2013