When I heard about the teaming up of Chris Ryall (Zombies vs Robots) and Ben Templesmith (30 Days of Night) I was on board before I even saw a teaser page. Thankfully, I can say that the pair didn't let me down with the first issue of Groom Lake.
I won't hit on major details since this is an advanced review, but I will go on about how well the story is laid out. Ryall has added bio captions that are hilarious at times and always informative. Overall, the story moves very quickly and leaves you anxiously awaiting the next issue. Ryall tackles all of the UFO theories head on and starts to blaze a path of his own in the genre. Karl Bauer's introduction tale into the world of aliens is both intriguing and hilarious. I really want to go into more on Karl's intro but I don't want to give away any details.
Templesmith's distinct style only compliments this off beat tale of aliens and conspiracies. His facial expressions convey what the character is feeling, be it terror or the utmost seriousness. Not to mention that his color palette choices drive those moods home. I probably don't even need to mention the fact that his aliens and robots just make this tale that much more enjoyable, but I will anyway.
I'm the Chief Creative Officer and Editor-in-Chief of IDW Publishing, a San Diego-based comic book and graphic novel publisher. I've been in this role for over half the company's existence, since July 2004. In that time, been involved in the acquisition of such brands as TRANSFORMERS, G.I. JOE, STAR TREK, and many other major licenses. In my time at IDW, the company has grown to become the fourth-largest publisher in the United States.
I'm also an Eagle- and Eisner Award-nominated editor and comic book writer, having written nearly four dozen comic books. These comics include:
- SHAUN OF THE DEAD (4 issues, released as a TPB and hardcover)
- MASTERS OF HORROR (2 issues, released as a TPB)
- GEORGE A. ROMERO'S LAND OF THE DEAD (5 issues, released as a TPB)
- CLIVE BARKER'S THE GREAT AND SECRET SHOW (12 issues, released as a TPB and a hardcover)
- DOOMED (adaptations of stories from Robert Bloch, Rochard Matheson, and David J. Schow, including the Eisner-nominated "Best Short Story" from 2005, "Blood Son." Released as COMPLETELY DOOMED TPB and as DOOMED PRESENTS: ASHLEY WOOD)
- BEOWULF (4 issues, released as a TPB)
- TRANSFORMERS MOVIE PREQUEL (4 issues, co-written with Simon Furman; released as a TPB and as THE COMPLETE TRANSFORMERS MOVIE COLLECTION, VOL. 1 HC)
- "Circle Seven" in GENE SIMMONS HOUSE OF HORRORS TPB
- ZOMBIES VS ROBOTS (co-created with Ashley Wood; released as an oversize HC, THE COMPLETE ZOMBIES VS ROBOTS TPB [now in its 2nd printing] and ZOMNBIUS TPB)
- ZOMBIES VS ROBOTS VS AMAZONS (released as an oversize HC, THE COMPLETE ZOMBIES VS ROBOTS TPB and ZOMNBIUS TPB)
- D'AIRAIN AVENTURE (2 issues, with "Zombies vs Robots Prequel" and "Black Magick"; The ZvR stories were collected as part of THE COMPLETE ZOMBIES VS ROBOTS TPB)
- "The Adventures of Booby-Watcher," a web-only tie-in to the movie ROLE MODELS; not collected)
- IDW: THE 10-YEAR HISTORY (an oral history of the company, co-written with Ted Adams and Kris Oprisko)
- GROOM LAKE (co-created with Ben Templesmith; 4 issues and a TPB)
- WEEKLY WORLD NEWS (4 issues and a TPB)
- ZOMBIES VS ROBOTS AVENTURE (4 issues and an oversize HC)
- Frank Frazetta's Neanderthal (one-shot for Image comics; collected in The Fantastic Worlds of Frank Frazetta, Vol. 2 HC)
- ZOMBIES VS ROBOTS: UNDERCITY with artist Mark Torres (4 issues starting in April 2011)
Prose:
- SUPERHEROES AND PHILOSOPHY (contributed a chapter, "The Fantastic Four as Family," co-written with Scott Tipton.
- COMIC BOOKS 101 (co-written with Scott Tipton; available as both a paperback and on the Kindle.)
- CLASSICS MUTILATED; I contributed "Twilight of the Gods," a mash-up of Twilight and Norse mythology, to this collection of "monster-lit" prose. Available as a prose book and on the Kindle.
Prior to all of this, I served as Editor-in-Chief for filmmaker Kevin Smith's entertainment Web portal for four years; was a corporate speechwriter for American Honda; a creative executive with Dick Clark Communications; and an advertising copywriter. In 2010, I wrote the text for Oakley's "Legion of Oakley" advertising comic book campaign and Web site.
I'm based in San Diego, where I live with my wife Julie, daughter Lucy, a cat, Pablo, and my adopted second child, who I call MacBook Pro.
