Saturday, March 29, 2014

On to Kismet!

Hear great audio science fiction adventure on Glow-in-the-Dark Radio every week with writer and reader Mike Luoma! We're into The Adventures of Alibi Jones – get the "story so far" and some news, and then chapter eighteen of Alibi Jones and The Sunrise of Hur! Alibi is disguising himself as a cat-like alien Dakhur to sneak his way onto the planet Kismet. He's been warned – if he sets foot on Kismet, he's a dead man...



Join the email list: mailto:glowinthedarkradio@gmail.com?subject=Join

Links:

Get the book you're hearing - Alibi Jones and The Sunrise of Hur - At Amazon (paperback/kindle): http://www.amazon.com/Alibi-Jones-The-Sunrise-Hur/dp/1300203315/
Drive Thru Fiction (paperback/pdf ebook): http://www.drivethrufiction.com/product/105874/Alibi-Jones-and-The-Sunrise-of-Hur
Lulu (paperback): http://www.lulu.com/shop/mike-luoma/alibi-jones-and-the-sunrise-of-hur/paperback/product-20393535.html
All eBook formats – Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/236604
Free Audio Book at Podiobooks.com: http://podiobooks.com/title/alibi-jones-and-the-sunrise-of-hur/

Home(s): http://glowinthedarkradio.com   http://alibijones.com  http://mikeluoma.com https://www.facebook.com/glowinthedarkradio  https://www.facebook.com/mikeluoma

We're part of the Comic Related Podcasting Network – Find Us Each Week at http://comicrelated.com

Saturday, March 22, 2014

Back To Hur...

Dedicated to Moses Rozal – 1926-2014

Solar Alliance Mediator Alibi Jones is on his way to Hur on a mission for his aunt – and on a quest of his own. The aggressive alien power The Greater Tah "annexed" Dakhur space, and Alibi's Dakhur friend Kit is now missing. Can Alibi Jones do anything to help? Officially or unofficially? Listen for science fiction adventure on Glow-in-the-Dark Radio with writer and reader Mike Luoma! We're into The Adventures of Alibi Jones – get the "story so far" and some news, and then chapter seventeen of Alibi Jones and The Sunrise of Hur!



Links:
Get the book you're hearing - Alibi Jones and The Sunrise of Hur - At Amazon (paperback/kindle): http://www.amazon.com/Alibi-Jones-The-Sunrise-Hur/dp/1300203315/
All eBook formats – Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/236604

We're part of the Comic Related Podcasting Network – Find Us Each Week at http://comicrelated.com

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Getting Ready for "Guardians..."

I've been re-reading Marvel's Cosmic events from the past decade doing research for a new installment - part four - of my in-depth look at the character Star-Lord for Comic Related. Went as far back as 2003's THANOS series, then up on through Annihilation and Annihilation: Conquest. Some great storytelling in those books, both in the writing and the art! Many different styles of art, too, from near photo-realism at times from Mike Perkins to fun, more impressionistic stuff from Timothy Green II... lots of cool cover art as well.

Those two events also set the stage for the Guardians of the Galaxy comic book series. The new team was created during Conquest, and the first issue appeared a month after the event ended. Star-Lord is one of the main characters in Conquest and in Guardians of the Galaxy. He's also one of the lead characters of the Guardians of the Galaxy movie - coming out this summer!

The new column with part four will probably be out later this week. In the meantime, find out more about Star-Lord, from his origin with Steve Englehart and early days with Chris Claremont and John Byrne, up through later years when Doug Moench wrote the character, on through Timothy Zahn's turn at writing Star-Lord in the 90s, in the first three installments of my character biography:

Part One: http://comicrelated.com/news/17021/star-lord-part-1
Part Two: http://comicrelated.com/news/17937/star-lord-part-2
Part Three: http://comicrelated.com/news/18390/star-lord-part-3

I've also written a series of columns on the original team known as the Guardians of the Galaxy - although they are NOT the folks the upcoming film is based on, that's a newer team - at least one member of this original team does show up in the new movie. This first Guardians of the Galaxy team dates back to 1968, though it was during the 1970s when Steve Gerber wrote them in The Defenders and beyond, and in the 1990s in Jim Valentino's hands, when the team truly became loved. Get the story on all those years in an earlier series of columns:

Part One: http://comicrelated.com/news/16790/guardians-of-the-galaxy
Part Two: http://comicrelated.com/news/16855/guardians-of-the-galaxy
Part Three: http://comicrelated.com/news/16856/guardians-of-the-galaxy

I began writing my Cosmic Crackle column for Comic Related when Thanos showed up at the end of The Avengers movie. That blew my mind! Had to share what I knew about his history. Here's that first column, on Thanoshttp://comicrelated.com/news/16094/the-mad-titan

To top it all off, you can listen to me and the guys talk about Marvel Cosmic on the latest Zone 4 podcast, while you're reading. We cover some Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. stuff and other comic news first, then dive on in... http://comicrelated.com/news/24628/zone-4-260

Saturday, March 15, 2014

The Expanding Empire of The Greater Tah...

Enjoy science fiction adventure? Check out Glow-in-the-Dark Radio with writer and reader Mike Luoma – hear free audio science fiction – currently The Adventures of Alibi Jones – every week! Mike catches you up on the "story so far", gives you a little book news, and, this episode, chapter sixteen of his novel Alibi Jones and The Sunrise of Hur! Solar Alliance Mediator Alibi Jones is proven right when the aggressive alien power known as The Greater Tah officially "annexes" Dakhur space. Will Alibi Jones be vindicated?  Listen in and find out...



Join the email list: mailto:glowinthedarkradio@gmail.com?subject=Join

Links:

Get the book you're hearing - Alibi Jones and The Sunrise of Hur - At Amazon (paperback/kindle): http://www.amazon.com/Alibi-Jones-The-Sunrise-Hur/dp/1300203315/
Drive Thru Fiction (paperback/pdf ebook): http://www.drivethrufiction.com/product/105874/Alibi-Jones-and-The-Sunrise-of-Hur
Lulu (paperback): http://www.lulu.com/shop/mike-luoma/alibi-jones-and-the-sunrise-of-hur/paperback/product-20393535.html
All eBook formats – Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/236604
Free Audio Book at Podiobooks.com: http://podiobooks.com/title/alibi-jones-and-the-sunrise-of-hur/

Home(s): http://glowinthedarkradio.com   http://alibijones.com  http://mikeluoma.com https://www.facebook.com/glowinthedarkradio  https://www.facebook.com/mikeluoma

We're part of the Comic Related Podcasting Network – Find Us Each Week at http://comicrelated.com

Saturday, March 08, 2014

ComiXology Submit NEWS NEWS NEWS...

Some cool news from comiXology this afternoon, as they reveal that their indie platform SUBMIT - where I sell my books! - is kind of their #3 publisher in content, #6 for sales, when viewed in aggregate. Here's the PR:

 For Immediate Release:
SXSW INTERACTIVE 2014:
Comixology’s Submit Self-Publishing Platform Celebrates One-Year Anniversary With Special Offer: 100 Books For 10 Bucks
ComiXology also unveils the data behind Submit’s first year of transforming the comic book industry
ComiXology SXSW Gaming Expo Booth #125

ComiXology SXSW 2014 Submit Bundle

March 8, 2014 - New York, NY, /Austin, TX – Celebrating the one-year anniversary of comiXology Submit at SXSW today, comiXology co-founders David Steinberger (CEO) and John D. Roberts (Director of Submit) announced the availability of the top 100 books from the Submit program for only $10 – a savings of over $300. The announcement was made from the Geek Stage at the SXSW Gaming Expo, where comiXology officially unveiled Submit last year in 2013.

“ComiXology Submit lets readers experience a broad range of content from creators who deserve exposure but may not be able to get the attention of print publishers, and what better way to celebrate our first anniversary than to make the top 100 Submit books available for only 10 bucks?” said John D. Roberts, Director of Submit & Digital Storytelling and comiXology co-founder. “SXSW has long been known as the place to discover new indie music and films, and today fans can now discover indie comics and graphic novels as well.”

ComiXology’s Submit platform has transformed the comics industry by allowing independent creators and cartoonists to upload their comic book and graphic novels for sale at no cost. Once approved, comiXology does the rest, from transforming the work with comiXology’s immersive Guided View™ reading technology to making it available on comiXology’s buy once, read anywhere cloud-based digital comics platform, which includes an top grossing apps on iPad and iPhone, Android, Kindle Fire and Windows 8, and the web at www.comixology.com. “Submitters” and comiXology equally split profits, with submitters maintaining full ownership of their work.

In addition to debuting the promotion on the panel, comiXology revealed some key metrics behind the Submit platform from its first year (March 6, 2013 - March 6, 2014):
  • #3 in overall content released for the past year
  • #6 in all downloads released for the past year
  • #10 in gross revenue among all releases for past year
  • 1007 submission available for sale
  • 47,347 in pages released
  • 26 countries represented
  • 6 out of 7 continents represented; including Africa, Europe, Asia, North America, South America, & Australia except Antarctica.
“It speaks volumes to the hunger readers have for diverse content that – when viewed in aggregate like a single publisher – Submit content ranked #10 in gross revenue among new releases in its first year,” said Chip Mosher, comiXology’s VP of Communications & Marketing who moderated the panel at SXSW. “We look forward to the day we finally get that submission from Antarctica!”

Also during the panel, Steinberger and Roberts were joined by native Texan submitter Fabian Rangel, Jr., creator of Doc Unknown – a new hit comic that debuted this year on Submit – who spoke to the benefits of the Submit platform. Rangel’s appearance follows a tradition of spotlighting Texas-based comic creators that started last year with the appearance on stage of Shannon Wheeler, who created his seminal indie comic hit Too Much Coffee Man in Austin and which was part of Submit’s debut.

"Self-publishing is a constant struggle. But now, thanks to comiXology Submit, that struggle has gotten a lot easier,” said Fabian Rangel, Jr. best known for writing and creating the series Doc Unknown. “Submit is one of the newest and most effective weapons a comic creator can add to their arsenal. People from all over the world are now reading the adventures of Doc Unknown.

ComiXology Submit enables independent comics creators and cartoonists, from promising new talent to established veterans, to reach a global audience of comic book and graphic novel fans for whom comiXology already created the first viable digital marketplace for leading publishers.

Creators and cartoonists interested in submitting works for approval can visit http://submit.comixology.com.
Comic book and graphic novel fans interested in finding works by independent creators and cartoonists now available on comiXology are invited to visit http://www.comixology.com/submit.

About comiXology
ComiXology has revolutionized the comic book and graphic novel industry by delivering a cloud-based digital comics platform that makes discovering, buying, and reading comics more fun than ever before. ComiXology’s Guided View™ reading technology transforms the comic book medium into an immersive and cinematic experience, helping comiXology become one of iTunes top grossing iPad apps in 2011, 2012 and 2013. Offering the broadest library of comic book content from the top 75 publishers, and including independent creators as well, comiXology will not stop until everyone on the face of the planet has become a comic book fan. A privately held company, comiXology is based in New York City, with offices in Los Angeles and Paris. For more information, visit www.comixology.com.

******

Thought that was kind of cool!

Consequences...

Hear free audio science fiction – The Adventures of Alibi Jones – every week on Glow-in-the-Dark Radio with writer and reader Mike Luoma! Get the "story so far", a little news, and then serial science fiction adventure with Alibi Jones and The Sunrise of Hur! This week - in Chapter Fifteen - Solar Alliance Mediator Alibi Jones must deal with the consequences of his failed negotiations with the aquatic race known as the Kee'Klick – he's returning to HQ to face the wrath of his superiors...



Join the email list: mailto:glowinthedarkradio@gmail.com?subject=Join

Links:
Get the book you're hearing - Alibi Jones and The Sunrise of Hur - At Amazon (paperback/kindle): http://www.amazon.com/Alibi-Jones-The-Sunrise-Hur/dp/1300203315/
Drive Thru Fiction (paperback/pdf ebook): http://www.drivethrufiction.com/product/105874/Alibi-Jones-and-The-Sunrise-of-Hur
Lulu (paperback): http://www.lulu.com/shop/mike-luoma/alibi-jones-and-the-sunrise-of-hur/paperback/product-20393535.html
All eBook formats – Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/236604
Home(s): http://glowinthedarkradio.com   http://alibijones.com  http://mikeluoma.com https://www.facebook.com/glowinthedarkradio  https://www.facebook.com/mikeluoma
We're part of the Comic Related Podcasting Network – Find Us Each Week at http://comicrelated.com

Wednesday, March 05, 2014

Who Was That Blue Guy?

There was a pretty cool "reveal" towards the end of last night's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - SPOILERS AHEAD! As Agent Phil Coulson tries to find out how he was brought back to life in the hope of saving the life of his protege Skye - using some of those means - he and his team infiltrate the "Guest House", a remote facility which only Level 10 SHIELD agents should have access to, which they also point out is not a SHIELD facility. They're trying to find a substance - GH 325 - and they do. But Coulson decides to go further and go behind a hatch marked T.A.H.I.T.I. to find the source of the serum, and he finds the floating torso of the Blue Guy:




All the tubes that extract the sera lead back to two tubes coming from the floating torso. Somehow, they're harvesting his bodily fluids - or something. So who is the blue guy?

My theory? Somehow, the operators of the facility have acquired a Kree... one of the advanced alien races of the Marvel Universe: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kree. Our floater reminded me - in a way - of the Kree Supreme Intelligence:


We can be pretty sure the Kree will be showing up in the Guardians of the Galaxy movie, as Ronan the Accuser - a Kree, at least in the comic books - is a major character. So perhaps this is a way to begin to introduce the aliens? On the other hand, my buddy Bill Gladman thinks the floater could be an Atlantean (http://ow.ly/uhPWG), specifically the character U-Man - an Atlantean named Merranohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U-Man. But I'm hoping it's a Kree.

That leads to another bit of speculation - whose base was that? Who ran the "Guest House"? If my guess on the identity of the floater is right, it leads me to believe it was a S.W.O.R.D. facility. S.W.O.R.D. is like the interstellar version of S.H.I.E.L.D. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S.W.O.R.D._(comics) And? S.W.O.R.D. was invented in Marvel Comics Astonishing X-Men Vol.3 #6 by... Joss Whedon. Who has a little something to do with all this.

Saturday, March 01, 2014

Alibi Jones In Over His Head - A Stand-Alone Short Story

A stand-alone episode – Alibi Jones is having a hard time on water world Kee'ere negotiating with the aquatic race known as the Kee'Klick in the audio short story "Alibi Jones In Over His Head"! Ain't It Cool said this story reminded them of Bradbury's lighter stuff – no kidding! Listen in as writer and reader Mike Luoma gives you a little book news and science fiction adventure. Hear free audio science fiction and The Adventures of Alibi Jones every week on Glow-in-the-Dark Radio!



Join the email list: mailto:glowinthedarkradio@gmail.com?subject=Join

Links:

Get The Adventures of Alibi Jones #1 at ComiXology: http://cmxl.gy/LrPjDR
Drive Thru Comics: http://comics.drivethrustuff.com/product_info.php?products_id=94851
Indy Planet - Print: http://www.indyplanet.com/front/?product=the-adventures-of-alibi-jones-1-expanded

Home(s): http://glowinthedarkradio.com   http://alibijones.com  http://mikeluoma.com https://www.facebook.com/glowinthedarkradio  https://www.facebook.com/mikeluoma
We're part of the Comic Related Podcasting Network – Find Us Each Week at http://comicrelated.com