The Story of Star-Lord!

I've just posted my final installment in the solo story of Peter Quill - Star-Lord over at Medium. His story now continues as part of the Guardians of the Galaxy's story, which I'll be telling in future installments.

Get Star-Lord's story at Medium

Part One - His Origin, with insights from Steve Englehart

Part Two - Star-Lord a la Heinlein - Chris Claremont & John Byrne take over

Part Three - Sexy Deep Space Adventures - the Doug Moench years

Part Four - Star-Lord's Back - But Not Peter Quill? Timothy Zahn & Rafael Marin explain

-and, just posted-

Part Five - The Return of Peter Quill!

You can jump into Part One of the Guardians of the Galaxy's story at Medium HERE.

These articles are lightly rewritten and re-edited excerpts from my latest book - Star-Lord and the Guardians of the Galaxy: An Unofficial Comic Book History (Glow-in-the-Dark Radio Books 2018) - Available in paperback and as an eBook at Amazon. You can also get the eBook at DriveThruComics.

The Blurred Line Where High-Tech Works Like Magick...

Want free, independent SF audio adventure? Join host, narrator and author Mike Luoma each week on Glow-in-the-Dark Radio! Sample us this episode - hear the stand-alone short story Alibi Jones and the Wishing Stone – a tale tip-toeing up to the blurred line where high-tech works like magick, as a strange assignment brings Alibi Jones face-to-face with a phantom from his past! Adapted from a comic book short in The Adventures of Alibi Jones #2 with art by Meisha, Inks by Bill Nichols, and colors by Ken Lateer.   

Mike also explains why you're hearing this short story instead of the beginning of the next Alibi Jones novel, as promoted last week and even earlier this weekend. Evidently, there was a timeline error. We blame The Devrizium... Always free to subscribe, download and listen –The Adventures of Alibi Jones continue with Alibi Jones and the Wishing Stone on Glow-in-the-Dark Radio!    

Join the mailing list: http://eepurl.com/0_Z7z   



Get The Adventures of Alibi Jones comics for your phone or tablet @ comiXology: https://www.comixology.com/The-Adventures-of-Alibi-Jones/comics-series/13648?ref=Y29taWMvdmlldy9kZXNrdG9wL2JyZWFkY3J1bWJz   

Save at least 50% on Mike's eBooks @ Smashwords in July: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/mikeluoma   

Check out Mike's new radio home! http://wbkm.org  

Promo is for Flash Pulp! http://FlashPulp.com       

Home(s): http://mikeluoma.com - http://glowinthedarkradio.com - http://alibijones.com

The Last (Time) Battle

Time traveling aliens try to remove Alibi Jones from the timeline – find out if they finally succeed as Alibi Jones and the Time War of The Devrizium ends this episode with the stand-alone short story Alibi Jones: The Last Battle! Free, independent SF audio adventure with your host and author Mike Luoma. Always free to subscribe, download and listen - The Adventures of Alibi Jones continue on Glow-in-the-Dark Radio!  

BONUS MATERIAL AFTER THE STORY! The four stories in Alibi Jones and the Time War of The Devrizium were originally intended for the Alibi Jones comic books. Only the first, "About Time", actually made into a comic book – The Adventures of Alibi Jones #1. As Mike has been promising, he spends almost 20 minutes revealing the Alibi Jones comic books' "sausage making" in this behind-the-scenes account. Mike goes into details on how what came out as the Alibi Jones comics wasn't exactly what he'd intended going in, in terms of story content – and why it took so long to put the issues together.   



Join the mailing list: http://eepurl.com/0_Z7z   

Get Alibi Jones and the Time War of The Devrizium FREE @ Smashwords in July: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/309759    

Get The Adventures of Alibi Jones comics for your phone or tablet @ comiXology: https://www.comixology.com/The-Adventures-of-Alibi-Jones/comics-series/13648?ref=Y29taWMvdmlldy9kZXNrdG9wL2JyZWFkY3J1bWJz   

Check out Mike's new radio home! http://wbkm.org   

Promo is for Words for Granted: http://www.wordsforgranted.com/     

Home(s): http://mikeluoma.com - http://glowinthedarkradio.com - http://alibijones.com

Vatican Assassin #4 - Unveiled!!

The print proof of Vatican Assassin #4 arrived just in time for it's grand opening - on sale tomorrow 2/27!

 

Looking for An Artist for Alibi Jones #2

Are you an artist? Would you like to join the world of Alibi Jones? We're putting together the 2nd issue of The Adventures of Alibi Jones for Earthbound Comics. Issue one was pretty well received - here are a couple of reviews:

http://www.geeksofdoom.com/2011/12/28/comic-review-the-adventures-of-alibi-jones/

http://www.comicbooktherapy.com/review-alibi-jones-luoma-friends/

Lead artist Meisha from issue one has committed to a short story for #2, but time constraints prevent him from taking on the main feature of the book. I need to find a new artist to step in for the 21 - page story Alibi Jones: Vacation - Alibi and his girlfriend Katie head to the planet Paradise, but instead of finding R&R the discover a coup going down! It's science fiction, but most of the action takes place planetside. There's lots of people running around with guns...

Intrigued? Maybe we can work together.

You can see Meisha's interpretation of the character at http://alibijones.com to give you some idea of where we're starting from. While book one was black and white, book two will be in color. I'd love to find an artist who can deliver colored pages. I'd like to be thinner and younger, too... can't always get what you want, Jagger said. So I'm open to pencilers and penciler/inkers, too.

Earthbound Comics is a small company headed by Ben Ferrari. I've been the production manager for just over a year. For compensation Earthbound usually provides a print comp to each member of the creative team and copies at cost to sell on your own. Because I'm doing the production work gratis, Ben also gives me and my teams a percentage of back end profits on our books. As my collaborator on this story, I'll cut you in on a percentage of story ownership and profit depending on your level of contribution. As I'm the writer, the letterer and production guy in one, that pie doesn't get sliced too thin. Which is good, the pies have been small - but they're growing.

Putting that all out here because I like to be transparent about all this. If it sounds workable to you, please get in touch with me - Mike Luoma - at glowinthedarkradio (-at-) gmail (-dot-) com.

"Introducing... Red Hot!" - Out Today!

Earthbound Comics releases my brand new comic book today! Artist Rhys ap Gwyn and I have cooked up a good old-fashioned super-powered coming of age story that's already drawing comparisons to Geoff Johns' run on JSA - Introducing... Red Hot! Rhys's art is drawing some great comparisons, too.

Get it in print - POD - from Indy Planet for $3.99: http://indyplanet.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=6589
Get the DL from Drive Thru Comics for 99 cents: http://comics.drivethrustuff.com/product_info.php?products_id=98677

Read Glenn's review at CRIKEY: http://www.crikeyuk.co.uk/Hot.html
Read Gordon's review at Blog THIS, Pal: http://www.blogthispal.com/2012/01/introducing-red-hot-review.html
Hear the We Talk Comics guys Talk Red Hot (at about 1:11:40):


There are a couple of previews out now, too!
Major Spoilers: http://www.majorspoilers.com/sneak-peek-red-hot-1
Graphic Policy: http://graphicpolicy.com/2012/01/23/preview-red-hot-1/
Comic Related: http://comicrelated.com/news/14911/red-hot-1-preview

You can also scroll down for a preview here on my blog :)
More info at http://earthboundcomics.com

Introducing... Red Hot! #1 out next Wednesday!!

My first full-color modern super powered hero book comes out next Wednesday! Earthbound Comics releases "Introducing... Red Hot!" #1, written and lettered by me with art -pencils, inks and colors - by the talented Rhys ap Gwyn, on February 1st. It's a super-hero coming-of-age story - young Red Hot is trying to prove himself a hero worthy of following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather. Unfortunately, his latest tip leads to a bank being robbed by a most unusual criminal - the founder of the The Team! "Introducing... Red Hot #1" will be available Print-On-Demand at IndyPlanet.com and as a digital download from DriveThruComics.com.

Here's a preview!

Great Review of The Adventures of Alibi Jones #1 - The Comic - Today!

As I celebrate the release of the new Alibi Jones audio book today, along comes a review of the comic book from the folks over at Geeks of Doom - they loved it! How awesome is that!

"There is a lot to like in this issue. Action and intrigue, coupled with fantastic artwork make for a fantastic read. The Adventures Of Alibi Jones‘ first issue was great... Mike Luoma has introduced this great character in bold fashion."

You can read the full review here:
http://www.geeksofdoom.com/2011/12/28/comic-review-the-adventures-of-alibi-jones/

Souverain... soon!

December 1st...

The Earthbound Comics release for December is Souverain #1 by Ben Ferrari and myself, along with Matthew Grant, Kitae Kim and Vic Moya, and Seth Frail and Chuck Michael Obach on cover art.

Spent a long time on the lettering and layout on this, too - but, again, I wanted it to be right :)

Black and Blue From the New 52

This is not a complaining, bitching and moaning blog post. Got no problem with the New 52. I approve of the idea, the sort of risk-taking relaunch DC approached but failed to follow through on before – they almost did it a few times. Kudos to them for finally following through. It’s working. Sales are up. Digital sales are finally beginning to uptick. The timing on that couldn't be better with the excitement for new tablets and the market exploding right in front of us. Those new toys are going to need content. Could be time for a new comics renaissance. The future looks bright.

But right now? OW! OUCH! CUT IT OUT!

I’m getting black and blued by the New 52!

Call it "sucking all the air out of the room" or "dominating the market" or whatever you’d like, DC’s New 52 initiative has grabbed hold of the comic world’s collective consciousness and ferociously refuses to let go. Even now, Google "New 52" and you’ll discover article after article, blog post after blog post on "The New 52 – Two Months In!" and the like. The coverage is intense and exhaustive, from the highest trafficked websites down to the smallest comic book bloggers.

Hell, s’pose this is even more coverage... hurm.

This is all great for DC. As a fan of their iconic characters, gifted artists and talented writers, I’m happy for them. But their market saturation and domination makes the life of an independent comic creator an awful tough slog right now – it’s not easy for the little guy to fight against Supes, Batman and the rest of the Justice League!

My new book The Adventures of Alibi Jones #1 came out last month from small indie publisher Earthbound Comics. It’s a pretty sharp 40 page black and white comic with fantastic art and pretty good writing and lettering, if I do say so myself. It’s gotten a couple of great reviews. Just a couple, though. Because Alibi Jones is no match for Superman – it’s been almost impossible to garner coverage and reviews for my little indie book in the wake of the New 52.

Comic book blogs and websites aren’t doing anything wrong. They’re covering and writing about what the comic book buying public are spending their hard-earned cash on. I get Gary Scott Beatty’s Indie Comics Magazine’s emails. Today’s triggered this post, as I read, "DC had 51% of the comics unit share in October. That was a whopping 21 points over Marvel. My diamond brand manager said indie books are still struggling, some canceled, going up against books like Action Comics #1, #2 and #3."

I knew it wasn’t just me. Hard for all us little guys to go up against the Superheroes at full strength. Bad time to try getting an indie book noticed. 

So this post is a bit of a plea. If you’re a web site reviewer, reporter, writer or blogger, please consider reviewing or covering an indy book or two this week. If you’re a comic book reader, please consider buying an indie comic book this week. You can find them at sites like IndyPlanet.com and DriveThruComics.com, to name just a couple.

Of course I’d love you to check out my new book The Adventures of Alibi Jones #1... more at http://AlibiJones.com. If you review or cover comics and want a pdf of the book, please email me at mike (dot) luoma (at) gmail (dot) com.

It’s hard out here for an indie comic trying to promote. Show your favorite indie creators a little love if you can this week. The future is looking bright, but right now we’re all a little black and blue from the New 52.

First Review of The Adventures of Alibi Jones!

I've started sending out the review copies of my upcoming new comic book The Adventures of Alibi Jones. Gordon Dymowski over at Blog THIS, Pal! is the first reviewer in - and he likes it!
http://www.blogthispal.com/2011/09/ballad-of-alibi-jones.html

"...the kind of comic that's worth bugging your local comic shop owner to stock....or if that owner is a DC/Marvel zombie, make the decision to head to a cooler comics shop... Buy and read this book. You'll thank me later."

Hear A Brand New Audio Short Story on Today's Podcast - "Alibi Jones In Over His Head"!

Hear the audio version of the new story I have in the anthology Earthbound Comics Presents - Alibi Jones In Over His Head - on the new Glow-in-the-Dark Radio Podcast!



There's a brand new Alibi Jones audio short story this episode - no prior knowledge required. Dive right in and enjoy Alibi Jones In Over His Head - the audio version of a comic book short story. You'll find the comic, with art by Juan Carlos Quattordio, in the newly released anthology Earthbound Comics Presents #1.

Alibi Jones has a new mediation assignment, an early contact with the aquatic alien race known as the Kee'Klick, underwater on their world Kee'ere. There are some difficulties...

The comic book short is getting some rave reviews! Aint It Cool News said Alibi Jones In Over His Head "...is a gentle, humorous tale that brings to mind the lighter works of sci-fi legends such as Henry Kuttner or Ray Bradbury" http://www.aintitcool.com/node/51101#9. Blog This, Pal said the story is " Definitely one of the highlights... very funny (for all the right - and wrong - reasons)... And the last panel joke - killer" http://www.blogthispal.com/2011/08/i-know-cool-people-neverending-saga.html.

Get a digital copy of Earthbound Comics Presents #1 at Drive Thru: http://comics.drivethrustuff.com/product_info.php?products_id=93771 Or in print from Indy Planet: http://indyplanet.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=5827 More info at http://earthboundcomics.com.

Hope you enjoy the story! There's some background material after the story, as I read reviews and talk about the Alibi Jones Timeline, what stories happen when. There's also a promo before the story for Podioracket Presents: Glimpses: http://www.podiobooks.com/title/podioracket-presents-glimpses/

Finally, In commemoration of the 9/11 anniversary, I read a poem I wrote ten years ago after the attacks - We Are Gray.

By the way, I have recently been a guest on other casts - The Seekrit Projekt: http://www.theseekritprojekt.com/?p=130 & Zone 4: http://comicrelated.com/news/13189/zone-4-episode-128

More info: http://glowinthedarkradio.com

Earthbound Comics Presents #1 is OUT!

I've got a brand new short story in the new anthology Earthbound Comics Presents #1 - "Alibi Jones In Over His Head"! Juan Carlos Quattordio did the art. The book is out today, September 1st.

Earlier this year I became production manager for Earthbound Comics - helped shepherd this anthology into reality. It's a cool collaborative effort. One of the writer/artists is my old friend Ethan Slayton. Cover art is by Federico Guillen, artist on my Good Samaritan: Unto Dust. I'm proud of it!

You can get the digital edition here: DriveThruComics.com

The print edition is here: IndyPlanet.com

Here's the blurb: The new anthology from Earthbound Comics! Travel to dangerous, distant parts of the universe... and run into nearer threats just down the road a ways. Meet Villains - naturally - and some heroes, too. There's horror, and comedy - get a taste of what's to come from the new era of Earthbound Comics!

"The Core" - Story by Max Fauser and Ethan Slayton - Art by Ethan Slayton - Letters by Nikki Foxrobot

"Shots Fired: Shake And Bake" - Story by Buck Weiss - Art by Ruth Garcia - Letters by Nikki Foxrobot

"Alibi Jones In Over His Head" - Story and Letters by Mike Luoma - Art by Juan Carlos Quattordio

"Villains: Preview" - Story by Ethan Slayton - Art by Ben Ferrari - Letters by Nikki Foxrobot

Cover Art by Federico Guillen

HEAR A BRAND NEW AUDIO SHORT STORY ON TODAY'S EPISODE!



Vigilante character Souverain has, up until now, been exclusively a denizen of the comic book page. Listen today as she debuts in an all-new format -an audio short story - as I read you my new tale "Souverain: The Kid"!

I'm Mike Luoma - writer and reader of the stories on Glow-in-the-Dark Radio. We'll travel back to Bagdhad in 2009 as Lieutenant Lane of the U.S. Army moonlights as the masked hero Souverain, as she attempts to bring justice to the women and children trapped in the war zone! Souverain was created by Ben Ferrari and first appeared in Lady Fight #1 from Earthbound Comics. I've written and Ben has illustrated 3 more comic books shorts featuring Souverain that appear in Lady Fight 2 - 4. These will be collected along with this brand-new story - with new illustrations by Kittae Kim - in Souverain #1 - coming soon from Earthbound Comics!

Find out more about Souverain at
http://glowinthedakradio.com and http://earthboundcomics.com

New Anthology on the Way From Earthbound Comics!

I've been working hard on the new anthology from Earthbound Comics this weekend - pushing it over the finish line! It's now off to Ka-Blam for print copies and up on Drive Thru Comics for digital downloads. Official release date is September 1st! I'm proud of this book, even though I've only got a four page short story in it's 36 pages. I've been working on the production and helping pull together the book - it's really the first Earthbound book that I've been full time production manager on, as The Longhunters #1 was a previously released work. I helped to give it it's new look, and get the book out... but the new anthology is a bit more my baby. Well, it's a book with a bunch of fathers and a couple of mothers - all the creators involved have a lot to be proud of.

Here's a look at the cover, and the book info follows:

Earthbound Comics Presents #1 - The new anthology from Earthbound Comics! Travel to dangerous, distant parts of the universe... and run into nearer threats just down the road a ways. Meet Villains – naturally - and some heroes, too. There's horror, and comedy - get a taste of what's to come from the new era of Earthbound Comics!

"The Core" - Story by Max Fauser and Ethan Slayton - Art by Ethan Slayton - Letters by Nikki Foxrobot

"Shots Fired: Shake And Bake" - Story by Buck Weiss - Art by Ruth Garcia - Letters by Nikki Foxrobot

"Alibi Jones In Over His Head" - Story and Letters by Mike Luoma - Art by Juan Carlos Quattordio

"Villains: Preview" - Story by Ethan Slayton - Art by Ben Ferrari - Letters by Nikki Foxrobot

Cover Art by Federico Guillen

For Earthbound Comics - Ben Ferrari: Publisher and Editor in Chief - Mike Luoma: Production Manager - Buck Weiss: Web and Promotions

Earthbound Comics Presents #1 Published by Earthbound Comics. 1826 Silverwood Drive, Concord CA 94519. Earthbound Comics copyright Ben Ferrari 2011. All stories and related characters, logos and trademarks herein are copyright by their respective creative teams 2011.  

The Final Chapters of ALIBI JONES!!

This is it! The exciting conclusion of my science fiction adventure Alibi Jones! Hear the second half of Chapter Nineteen AND the final chapter - Chapter Twenty - on today's Glow-in-the-Dark Radio Podcast episode. Join me, writer and reader Mike Luoma, for the end of the novel and the beginning of The Adventures of Alibi Jones!



When we last left Alibi, the Ancient Enemy Scientist Azhumet was about to saw off the top of Alibi's skull...

Also - check out a promo for Phil Rossi's new short Frederick's Little Secret (Voice over talent: Zeus Legion; Music by Nine in Nails available under creative commons at www.nin.com)

http://glowinthedarkradio.com
The Glow-in-the-Dark Radio facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/glowinthedarkradio
Glow-in-the-Dark Radio Comics at Graphic.ly: http://graphicly.com/glow-in-the-dark-radio-comics
http://alibijones.com
Alibi Jones on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Alibi-Jones/142797717510
Alibi Jones Paperback & eBook $13.98 combo pack at Drive Thru: http://scifi.drivethrustuff.com/product_info.php?products_id=89354

Glow-in-the-Dark Radio Comics Now at Graphic.ly!

Mike Luoma here - creator and publisher behind Glow-in-the-Dark Radio Comics - happy to announce that we've now partnered with Graphicly to make Glow-in-the-Dark Radio Comics more readily and easily available to read on your iPhone, smart phone, iPad or any tablet or computer!

The thing that impresses me about Graphic.ly is their "flow" - they adapt comics, it's not just a pdf download - their flow brings up parts of the digital "page" as the story flows along, highlighting and popping up individual panels and dialog without sacrificing the comic book "feel".

If you've never tried Graphic.ly it's worth checking out. There is a Graphic.ly app for Adobe Air that lets you read them on your PC, so this isn't just for techies.

Right now, you can get Panthea Obscura: Deifornication through Graphic.ly. Each of the issues is 99 cents and features full-color art by Juan Carlos Quattordio with lettering by Pablo Lizalde. The cover to issue one features art by guest artists Ethan Slayton and Mike Sellers.

You'll find Glow-in-the-Dark Radio Comics at Graphic.ly here: http://graphicly.com/glow-in-the-dark-radio-comics

I'm just beginning to get my books up on their site. As they DO work to adapt the books they offer through their site and apps, it takes a little bit of time to get titles up and running, but my experience with them has been fantastic so far. And more titles are coming! 

Here's The (Probably) Final Version of the Cover

After some tinkering and discussions, here's a look at what will probably be the published cover of the new anthology:

The Penultimate Vatican Assassin Trilogy Podcast!

The excitement continues in two more chapters of Vatican Abdicator on this episode of the Glow-in-the-Dark Radio Podcast! As we near the end of the entire Vatican Assassin Trilogy, the battle with the Eldred continues. Will Dolomay appear? Hear Chapters 20 & 21 on this episode. There's news of $2.99 novels and a contest to talk about, too, plus a promo from Jake Bible...




Did you know you can read the first novel in the trilogy as a comic book, issue-by-issue, in graphic form? Artist Cristian Navarro and I are adapting it -Vatican Assassin #3 is out now, and can be read as a free webcomic - the new pages are up Wednesdays and Fridays. Good Samaritan: Unto Dust is free on the web for a time. The new "trailers" for Good Samaritan: Unto Dust #1and doodle-rama are up to watch. The links for all follow below. Links to everything can also be found on my homepage: http://glowinthedarkradio.com

Alibi Jones: Vacation (short story) 
Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Alibi-Jones-Vacation-Adventures-ebook/dp/B004NNV00E/ref=pd_rhf_p_t_1
eBook: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/42208
Print: http://www.lulu.com/product/item/alibi-jones-vacation/14874811

Good Samaritan: Unto Dust: http://goodsamaritanuntodust.com
Vatican Assassin: http://vaticanassassin.com
The Vatican Abdicator Free Audiobook: http://www.podiobooks.com/title/vatican-abdicator/
Glow-in-the-Dark Radio Comics @ Drive Thru Comics
Good Samaritan Trailer
doodle-rama dreams

Getting Reviewed!

Woo-Hoo! They're starting to talk about my new books!

Spacebound #1 just got reviewed by George Marston at Newsarama:

http://www.newsarama.com/comics/best-shots-comic-reviews-101018.html
(about 2/3rds down the page)

I wished they'd been kinder to Matt - thought his Mastorism deserved better! Have to admit, I did like this part:

Writer Mike Luoma has a strong grasp of how a story should be told, and conveys his ideas clearly through the dialogue and plotting.

And he was kind to Meisha:

The art on this story, by Meisha, is top notch. Great storytelling, clear panel construction, and expressive inking...

AND Decapitated Dan reviewed Good Samaritan: Unto Dust #1 over at From The Tomb:
http://fromthetomb.wordpress.com/2010/10/19/good-samaritan-unto-dust-1/

He wasn't as kind to my writing (though in my defense, Good Samaritan was written before Alibi... just sayin'):

...I enjoyed the story a good deal as it went out, but I found it to be a little too sporadic. In one instance we were at point A, then on the next page we jumped to point C. I missed the middle ground in there. The dialogue was good, but again a little choppy. I found the action to be the highlight here though. I find the characters intriguing enough to come back and with a good cliffhanger ending I plan on it.

If you do reviews and want to review either comic book please let me know-
Email: glowinthedarkradio@gmail.com