The first thing that you notice about West Philly’s Locust Moon Comics is how welcoming it seems. Upon entering the roomy store, visitors are greeted by a reading area, the centerpiece of which is a leather couch. The fact that such a ridiculously comfortable piece of furniture is featured in the store perfectly reflects the attitudes of store runners Chris Stevens and Josh O’Neill: they are about creating a neighborhood atmosphere as much as they are about selling comics.

Since moving the store’s new location last year, this commitment towards community building has become evident. Connected to the main retail portion of the store is a spacious gallery space that is regularly used to showcase the works of local and national artists. Additionally, the area is also the hub for frequent Tuesday movie night screenings, and will also be used as a place where anyone can learn about the art of comics through seminars and educational forums.

More than just a place to pick up the latest copy of The Superior Spider-Man, the store is also ground zero for a melting pot of Philly comic events. Last year saw the release of Once Upon a Time Machine, a Locust Moon Press release distributed through Dark Horse Comics that re-envisioned classic fairy tales. Stevens and O’Neill were also the minds behind the first annual Locust Moon Comics Festival. Held this past December, the event was a gathering place for the best indie comics folks around — including local artists Jeffro Kilpatrick and Tom Scioli. It was a huge success, and a 2013 follow-up fest is just one of the many events that Locust Moon will be holding this year.

But ultimately, it is all about the comics, and the gorgeous wood shelves that line the walls of the store are packed with every new issue and graphic novel you could imagine. What really makes Locust Moon stand out are the whimsical touches: a fish tank, a fully painted counter, a corner dedicated to pop culture stuffed toys, comics memorabilia — including a vintage Batman bubble bath dispenser — adorning the shelves, and a great DVD rental section that includes plenty of nerd-friendly titles alongside of art house favorites like Wendy and Lucy.

Despite what The Big Bang Theory would have you believe, most comics fans these days are mature adults whose love of fandom is just a part of a healthy, active and mature social and sex life. If you consider yourself this type of person, Locust Moon is for you. It is the next step in the evolution of the comic book shop, and Philly is lucky to have it.

Locust Moon Comics
34 South 40th Street
Philadelphia, PA. 19104
267.403.2856

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

Yup.  Badass.  Hybrid.  Cars.

As the proud driver of a Prius, I’m in love with the car’s spaceship like interior and fantastic gas mileage.  But it would be great if the car (dubbed Jennifer Walters, Esq. because she’s green) were a little more…awesome.

Enter Simon Hauger.  The engineer turned high school math and science teacher created the Hybrid X Team with students from West Philadelphia High School to design and build hybrid vehicles, winning multiple national competitions in the process.

Simon will discuss the Team’s successes, including being honored at the White House, and how he and his colleagues started an innovative new school called The Sustainability Workshop, where students are challenged to solve the world’s problems.

Science on Tap is a monthly series of informal presentations by scientists and other experts.  They’re held at National Mechanics, purveyors of fine food and drinks, on the second Monday of every month and are always a good time.

Science on Tap @ National Mechanics
Monday, February 11^th at 6pm

National Mechanics
22 South 3rd Street Philadelphia, PA 19106
(215) 701-4883
www.nationalmechanics.com

There’s really not much geeky going on in the City of Brotherly Love this weekend, but in case you don’t feel like staying inside, I’ve scraped up all I could!

Friday, February 8

Start the Geekend off right with Free at Noon at the World Cafe Live. This week’s band is Free Energy, and I’m completely intrigued by this sentence: “The band incorporates that style of classic rock into their punk/pop element, creating a unique sound that can only be described as post-70s glam.” That sounds like an awesome lunchtime to me.

After work, hit up the International House at 7 for As Above, So Below: An Evening with Sarah J. Christman. Christman’s films, which are “non-fiction films [that] examine the intersection between people, technology and the natural world,” will be followed by a Q&A with her. The films are As Above, So Below; Broad Channel; and Dear Bill Gates.

Looking to get into the mood for a sexy Valentine’s Day? Check out Blow Me A Kiss! at the Trocadero. For $20, you can see the Pee-A-Boo Revue’s Valentine’s Special, as they “pull out all the stops from their heart-shaped box.” The event is $20, and is 21+. Sorry, kids. Doors open at 8 and the fun times start at 9. Continue Reading…

Philly’s Retro Peel Productionsare on a roll. Their Philly based web series My Ruined Life has recently returned for a second season of ennui/character-based laughs that builds on the momentum of the first.

Writer/director/producer Lee Porter was recently kind enough to take time from his increasingly busy schedule to speak about My Ruined Life, how the series really comes into its own in this new season, and getting mentioned on Twitter by Questlove of The Roots.

How do you feel about the reception that My Ruined Life has received so far?

The reception to MRL has been really great. In just our first season, we were named “Best Web Series Shot in Philly” and “Audience Favorite (Web Series)” by FirstGlance Film Festival. It’s always nice to hear that your friends and family like your work. But getting recognition from an unbiased national film festival, based out of Hollywood? That really made us feel legit, assuring us that we’re onto something here.

All the Philly sites, including Geekadelphia, were really awesome about getting the word out last year. That meant a lot, too, as we were the new kid on the block. So the immediate love was greatly appreciated and heart warming.

Did you approach the second season any differently from the first? Where would you like to go with these characters from here?

The second season definitely has a lot more substance to it than the first. First of all, we added a new character Kristen (played by local actress Kristen Egermeier) into the mix. We learn more about Nate (played by local actor/comedian and Web series host Nathan Holt), his job and his relationship with The Man in Tuxedo with Beard (played by local comedian Greg Bailey). Brian (played by local actor Brian Cowden) continues to steer this comedy ship, so to speak, while getting much more animated by all of the wackiness around him. We have multiple cameos of recognizable Philly faces, too. So there’s a lot more going on this season than just two guys on a bench, waxing poetic about baby wipes.

What we’re doing with this series, at this point, is a challenging tiptoe, comedy dance along a balance beam. On the one hand, our loyal audience understandably wants to learn more about these characters and be invested in some sort of journey. On the other hand, we’re still growing our audience base, so we need to make our episodes, even in this second season, accessible to brand new viewers. Combine all of that with the short attention span of Internet viewers, and it’s definitely a balancing act. I’m confident that our second season offers much more depth than our first season, while, at the same time remains easily accessible to brand new viewers.

Someday, hopefully, given the resources and a larger audience, we can expand on the depth and plot. At the same time, they’re two-minute comedy bits. So we simply want viewers to recognize and feel connected to us, and we want to make people laugh. Continue Reading…

Hark, Geekadelphians– the Philadelphia DoGooder Awards Night is upon us!

For those who are unfamiliar with the concept of the ‘DoGooder’ projects: the DoGooder Awards are part of a national contest, which was created by YouTube (!) to recognize the excellent use of video in the non-profit sector (for short film projects that catalyze social good).

Being the innovative, creative city that we are, it’s no surprise that several Philly organizations– inspired by the original contest– brought a ‘community version’ of the competition to town, packed with a series of local volunteerism events… all of which will be showcased and recognized at the Philadelphia DoGooder Awards, on February 21st.

For details about the DoGooder video projects– such as the Video Hackathon– and peripheral volunteer projects, visit the Philly DoGooder blog. Learn how to win tickets to the fancy closing event by following the conversation on Twitter: #phillydogooder.

Philadelphia DoGooder Awards Night (ceremony and gala)

Thursday, February 21, 2013, 7:00PM – 10:30PM
University of the Arts: Hamilton Hall
320 S. Broad st., Philadelphia, PA 19103

 Guest Post from Joshua O’Neill

Mark Robinson is a Philly boy who’s been neck-deep in comics for most of his life. From his childhood invention of the gonzo super-team book BATTLE TEAM FIVE through his currently running live-wire mini-series I LOVE TROUBLE, Mark is a fountain of cartooning ideas and passion for his medium.

His art is swooping and breathless, a blend of silver-age thunder and modern manga flash. After a decade of work-for-hire for major companies such as Marvel, DC, Vertigo, IDW, and Top Cow, he is now unleashing a slew of creator-owned books through Image Comics. We spoke with Mark over the weekend while he enjoyed an ice-cold orange soda.

Back in October 2010 I went to NYCC and handed a sample packet of my work to someone over at the Image booth. Took a shot in the dark and about a month later I received an email from Eric Stephenson asking if I would be interested in teaming up with a writer (Kel Symons) that had been attached to a new series proposal. That new series became I LOVE TROUBLE, a four issue mini series that after more brain storming and creating went down, became a 6 issue mini.

I went to film school for Animation and I think it started to happen there. When I would create my storyboards I would drop in sound effects here and there just to give myself audio cue notes for sound production that was to come later. These “footnotes” became more technical when I started studying more of Eisner’s work. I am not really a fan of the computer programmed comic book fonts that you see in most comics. I find them too static and my work really doesn’t jive with that stagnation too much…

So I went for something that I always wanted to do and that was incorporate my own sound effects and “special effects” within the art work itself. It makes it more lively and comic booky fun for me… not to mention it’s old school and that’s how comics were made when I was reading them. I am really into fourth wall breaking in comics. Meaning, I want to let the reader in and give back their ability to imagine the story within the cracks of the story even if it’s not really the story at all. Continue Reading…

Bird porn.

Not two words you normally see together and definitely not something you would want to experience with your sweetheart on Valentine’s Day.

But the Wagner Free Institute of Science is not only going to make it possible for you to do just that, but they’re going to ensure that you like it.

On February 13th, the Wagner will be presenting pOrnithology: The Birds and the Birds and the Bees, by George Armistead of the American Birding Association. In this fully illustrated presentation, you will learn everything you need to know to understand why and how birds get their groove thing on. From mating rituals to complex courtship proceedings to birdsong to how they choose a partner, it will all be there for you to learn about and maybe steal a move or two from.

The lecture will run from 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM and as the name of the Institute implies, it’s completely free and includes access to the entire building and it’s collections.

So why would you want to do something boring for Valentine’s Day, like dinner and show? Go experience something you and your significant other will always remember.

Like bird porn!

For more information, visit the Wagner Free Institute of Science’s official website.

Our good friend Andrew Gormley, whose amazing work you might recall from our Philly Geek Awards 2012 video will be teaching a class next month through Skillshare.

He’s a talented video editor eager to share his skills with the general populace. Ever want to learn the basics of Final Cut Pro X or produce your own mini-documentary? Have a strong desire to experience the side effects of “rapidly dwindling hard drive space?” Andrew’s class might just be for you.

This class will be available online so you can enroll at any time and have access to class content forever. Learn at your own pace while collaborating with other students via Skillshare. Lazy slacker like myself? You’ll have unlimited time to complete the project. (But you probably shouldn’t delay considering the ever-changing landscape of digital video editing). Best of all, you get learn from Andrew, a swell guy who’s passionate, and incredibly knowledgable.

Visual Storytelling with Final Cut Pro X for Mac on Skillshare
UPDATE: Sign up with the promo code GEEKS and receive 50% off!*

*Limited quantity available

January blew by and February is upon us. If you’re starting to feel the midwinter blues, you should treat your ear balls to some fancy new chip-tunes by the artists of 8 static this Saturday.

We may have just avoided the apocalypse, but doom is still upon us. Doomcloud will be redefining his sound with some brand new equipment and some NES styled dance music. If you need some throbbing house music in your life, Doomcloud would be happy to oblige.

Local guy, Ro-Bear will be performing some of his latest songs for the pleasure of your Gameboy loving ears. His songs are brilliantly melodic and are some of the most complex and hypnotizing that you’ll find being made with a bit of electricity and handheld silicon.

The artist formerly known as Da Pantz will be making his debut change of name and style here at February’s 8 Static. Ricky Brugal has been making autobiographical songs for awhile now, so if you’d like to catch up with what has been going on, as filtered through vintage hardware, you should definitely come check out the show to hear his new sounds.

In addition to having an awesome website, Cutman has been mashing together chiptunes and video game music as DJ Cutman for awhile. This month though, he’s presenting your ear holes with some brand new tunes for you to dance to. Not limiting himself to vintage hardware, he’s even remixed some songs and sounds from Nintendo’s WiiU. He also has a pretty cool helmet.

Guybrush, insert Monkey Island reference here, will be on hand to provide the other holes in your head with some retina searing visuals. He mashes up a mix of realtime and audioreactive visuals to provide you with the best possible, one-of-a-kind, show experience. He’s also going to be manning the pre-show workshop about the demoscene.

You’ll definitely want to check out The Institute Bar after the show for some more music, dancing, and drinks. As an 8 Static patron, you get 10% off your bill too.

This month is shaping up to be a fantastic one for 8 Static so you’ll not want to miss it!

More info:
Tickets: $7-$10. (10 bucks gets you an awesome sticker for supporting 8 Static)
Location: PhilaMOCA, This Saturday
531 North 12th St.
Philadelphia, PA 19123

RSVP on Facebook

Your effects of tadalafil might persist for one day effectively as about double days. | Clients alongside impotence problems take click here required. | This unique is the reason why cialis is named a day tab

Arcadia University will be hosting JG a new film exhibition by Tacita Dean, a British-born, Berlin-based artist, who is also an analog film activist, February 7th through April 21st.

JG is a sequel in technique to FILM, Dean’s 2011 project for Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall. It is inspired by her correspondence with British author J.G. Ballard (1930-2009) regarding connections between Robert Smithson’s iconic earthwork and film Spiral Jetty (both works, 1970) and Ballard’s short story The Voices of Time (1960).

The new 26-minute work is a looped 35mm anamorphic film shot on location in the saline landscapes of Utah and Southern California using Dean’s recently developed and patented system of aperture gate masking. A radical departure from her previous 16mm films, JG tries to respond to Ballard’s challenge, posed to her shortly before he died, that Dean should “treat the Spiral Jetty as a mystery her film would solve.”

For more information, visit Arcadia’s website.

Welcome one and all to yet another edition of the Comic Roundup, where the reviews are honest and the opinions mine. This week we pull back the curtain on the new issue of Rachel Rising, the final issue of Myths & Legends and the return of the zero issue to Valiant with Harbinger.

Harbinger #0
By Joshua Dysart, Mico Suayan and Pere Perez

If you remember Valiant Comics from their first go around, then you remember that no one did zero issues like they did. Most of the time they were special promotional comics that ended up on eBay for insane sums of money that featured “untold” tales of the characters in the Valiant Universe. Well, you just knew they would return when Valiant made their comeback last year and now the first has arrived: Harbinger #0.

Harbinger #0 gives us the origin of Toyo Harada and why he is so determined to save the world from itself. It’s an emotional story that hits hard, much harder than you think it’s going to. That is a tribute to Dysart and what he has accomplished with Harbinger.

What started as a retooling of the original concept has now become something all its own, something much more interesting and fully realized. The art by Suayan and Perez is detailed, dynamic and looks incredible, just what you would expect from a Valiant title.

I have heard that the plan is Valiant wants to do zero issues for all the new titles that they are currently publishing. If they are all as good and entertaining as Harbinger #0, they will have no problem living up to the legacy that came before them. Continue Reading…

We don’t often talk about food on Geekadelphia, especially here in the Kickstarter feature, but you can be sure it’ll be awesome when we do. (Pizza Brain and Little Baby’s, anyone?) This week, we’re turning the spotlight on Dominic Episcopo’s Meat America project, a photo book with incredible high-quality shots of that tastiest of foodstuffs: meat. It takes a special kind of geek to spend months on end carefully composing giant slabs of beef to look like states, presidents, and other random bits of Americana. Dominic is that geek. Here’s the rundown:

At a time when America is searching to define its values and trying to uncover the inspiration of what it means to be uniquely ‘American’, we need a manifesto! And it would make sense that it should be carved out of meat. I have spent almost three years attuned to America’s spirit, humor and verve. I conceptualized raw images capturing the same, shot them for posterity and incorporated them into a book for publishing. Meat America, the book, is ready for prime time.

My name is Dominic Episcopo. I am an artist, photographer and carnivore. Working with meat, I aimed to bring to life our collective American appetite of insurmountable odds, limitless aspiration and immeasurable success. In the end, I served up what I hope you will find to be an amazing array of irreverent and iconic American images fashioned out of meat.

For some a coffee table book, others a bathroom one, MEAT AMERICA’s diverse acceptance is a reflection of America itself.

Take a look at some of the pictures on the project page and check out the story behind the project in the video above… Dat marbling. Projects as delicious looking as this one are rare; you know what to do!

The Project: Meat America

Creator: Dominic Episcopo

Sweet Spot: You can get an early bird price on a copy of the book for a $25 pledge. Deeper cuts will get you signed copies, museum quality prints, and more. I’m a Lincoln ribeye man, myself.

Funding Deadline: February 19th, 2013

More Info: There’s more backstory and lots of great pictures on the Kickstarter page, and you can catch up with other fans over on the official Meat America Facebook page as well.

Every Monday Geekadelphia features a Kickstarter created by local Philadelphians. Check ‘em out and support our local geek scene. If you have a project that you’d like featured on site, contact [email protected]