Single Father Superhero

WELCOME TO ANOTHER ADVENTURE OF COMIC UNKNOWN!

Today we have had a chance to review a comic that is a blast from the past.  From our very first interview, today we will talk about the Single Father Hero, Bedbug!

Buddy Sprang, the professional crime fighting entrepreneur known as Bedbug always wanted to be a super hero as a child. With an unfortunate event resulting in an irreversible spinal injury at a young age,  Sprang was told he could never walk again.  That didn't stop Sprang from later developing high tech jumping boots that allows him to use his motor skills, let alone becoming the hero everyone loves in the city of Silicon. With Issue One being completely sold out, Bedbug was clearly a hit! Issue one has four stories: Who He Is And How He Came To Be, Teacher's Pet, Invitation, and It Happened At Twilight.

Who he is and how he came to be drops us into an action scene where Bedbug is in progress of stopping a pair of baddies while showing the reader Bedbug's origin. With the art by Sam Ellis and story, colors, and lettering by Scott Rogers, Who he is and how he came to be is probably my favorite out of the stories. Its art and colors are eye catching and the combination with the writing gives this character life on the paper.

We are quickly drawn into what the creator calls A Bedbug Bugbite, in which are one page stories with this one being called Teacher's Pet. The story is by Chad Jones and art by Scott Rogers. From the this transition, although small, we see that Scott Rogers not only does the writing but can also show a thing or two in the art. The art in the story not only reminds me of the style of how newspaper comic are drawn, it also gives the impression of either Archie, Calvin & Hobbs or Jughead inspire the art style (in which I have no complaints). For a single page comic, I enjoyed it more than i expected, it shows the love Buddy has for Elvira and vice versa. 

The longest story is called Invitation which is the story and art is by Scott Rogers. In the story we see a new ally of Bedbug named Blue Tiger. Infused with a mystical sapphire in his chest, he help those in need with the super natural powers from the gem. In Invitation, Blue Tiger and Begbug find an invitation for all baddies to the "Crime Spree of the Century" after defeating the Grave Robber. Coincidentally, the invitation lands on the same day as Buddy's daughter's invite to a sleep over she has been wanting to go. While the crime spree invite isn't exactly what it seems to be, we see BB attempt to put a stop into it. With many villainous characters introduced, Invitation was biggest piece of the pie where we begin to develop the the Bedbug universe. It was a fun story with art that has the old school crayon or color pencil feeling to it. 

Lastly, we have another of Bedbug's Bugbite short called It Happened at Twilight. Written by Erik Burman and art done by Scott Rogers, the story has a humorous take on the recently popular vampire movies. It pokes fun in an innocent way where any reader will have a laugh at. 

In this day and age, we don't get to see standalone stories in the comic book world much. The short stories allows all audiences enjoy the book and reminds us that a good story does not necessarily have to be a four issue long story for us the reader to have a good time reading. It is aimed for everyone to enjoy and enjoy they shall. While issue one is officially SOLD OUT! Look for Bedbug #2 coming Spring 2014. For any updates of Bedbug, check out his site here!

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Interview with the Leapin' Lawman's Creator Scott Rogers

Welcome back to another great installment of COMIC UNKNOWN!

With great pleasure and an amazing opportunity, Comic Unknown had an interview with Scott Rogers, creator of Bedbug!!!

Who doesn't love a good interview?

CU: What made you want to work in the comic book industry?

SR: I have worked in many exciting industries in my lifetime - video games, animation, movies, theme parks - but I have always loved comic books. I learned how to read from comic books, I went to art school because I wanted to draw comic books, I have attended (almost) every San Diego Comic Convention since the mid-70's because I love comics. I love that you can tell any kind of story with comics. I love how unique every comic is because of the individual artists and writers - it's a medium where you can really hear the voice of the creator. I love how everything is valid in comics - it's a very accepting medium in terms of style and genres. I have lots of friends that work in comics as writers, editors and artists but I myself never worked in comics because it's a tough business to be in. It takes a lot of work just to make one comic book! That said, making BEDBUG #1 was something I had promised myself I would do - ever since I was a little kid - I was finally was able to find the time, the energy and the money to make it happen!

Sketch of Bedbug with his daughter Elvira

CU: Who is your favorite all time super hero/villain? Why?

SR: I'm a HUGE Batman fan. I call myself an "amateur Batman historian." I have read every story, seen every cartoon and film, I have a special "Batman Bathroom" in my house decorated with original art, classic toys and vintage comics. Besides Batman, there are many other heroes that I love that influenced Bedbug in big ways and small: Spider-Man, Blue Beetle, Jack Knight Starman, Hellboy, Alpha Flight's Guardian... Too many to list! My favorite villain is a toss-up between the Hobgoblin, Doctor Doom and the Killer Moth (You can blame Chuck Dixon for that last one) - they're all classic baddies with striking visuals. Is it too late to mention I love the Taskmaster too? Darn.


CU: What made you create Bedbug?

SR: I created Bedbug when I was six years old. He was originally called "The Black Beetle." When my friends and I published Shooting Star Comics Anthology in 2002, I felt that the name Black Beetle was too close to DC's The Blue Beetle so I changed his name to "Bedbug" - which I was amazed no one had used before - other than a super-obscure Jack Kirby baddie. But besides wanting to see my childhood creation come to life in a comic book, I had felt that modern "heroes" were not acting very heroic. I couldn't relate to the "grim and gritty" amoral anti-heroes of the late 90's/early 2000's and even good guys like Spider-Man were married to supermodels! I felt alienated from my childhood heroes. Having just had kids of my own, I knew that Bedbug needed to be a father too and I wanted to address the issues that came with parenthood. I wanted Bedbug to be a character that someone like me could see a bit of themselves in as well be a hero they could look up to.

Shooting Star 1-6 & Unconventional Special

CU: With all the downtime between now and Shooting Star, do you have many stories prepared for the Leapin' Lawman?

SR: I have many unfinished outlines for Bedbug adventures in my head as well as written out. There is one over-arching plot - the mystery of the Boogeyman - which starts in BEDBUG #1. How many of these stories I actually get a chance to tell - well, time will tell!


CU: Are all of your characters from Shooting Star transferring to the Bedbug series? If not can we get a hint on who will?

SR: Every Bedbug character that showed up in Shooting Star Comics Anthology will eventually show up in Bedbug's new adventures. I like my characters too much to leave any of them behind! In fact, fan-favorite The Grave Robber and the Blue Tiger (who I think steals the show in one of the new stories) have their moment in the spotlight in BEDBUG #1. 

Scrapper, Player One, Boogeyman, Rook and Calamity

CU: Are there many new characters? 

SR: I love creating new characters, especially villains. New villains, the Boogeyman and Calamity, make their first appearances to the Bedbug-verse in BEDBUG #1 and sharp-eyed readers will spot a few other new characters lurking in the background.


CU: How many issues do you have in mind for the series?

SR: Right now I'm going to shoot for four issues. There will be some connections between them, but I'm a big fan of "done-in-one" stories - something I think is lacking in today's comics. They say that every comic is someone's first, so I want to create a way for new readers to hop in to Bedbug's universe without feeling lost or alienated.


CU: Are all issues going to be in color?

SR: Absolutely! Once you go color, there's no going back!


CU: What was the most difficult part of in creating Bedbug #1?

Drawn by Sam Ellis

SR:It's a lot of work to create a comic on your own. Thankfully, I didn't create BEDBUG #1 all on my own. There are stories written by my friends Erik Burnham (Ghostbusters) and Chad Jones (Wrath of the Titans) and art drawn by Sam Ellis (Archer), Mitch Ballard, Drew Massey and Lane Garrison. I couldn't have created the book I wanted to produce without their invaluable contributions. (Thanks guys!) That said, finding contributors can be challenging but I always welcome people who want to play with me in Bedbug's universe!

CU: What was the easiest/funnest part in creating Bedbug #1?

SR: The funnest part is seeing people's reaction to the finished product. So far, the reader's responses have been very positive. When you work on something for so long, you have no idea if anyone is going to like it or not. I didn't publish Bedbug to get rich or famous but it is nice to be appreciated. :)

 BEDBUG #1, has 32 pages of full-color action! Can Bedbug balance busting crime with family time? All-ages action! Featuring four ALL-NEW stories, pin-ups, character bios and more! Bedbug is available for a cover price: $3.99. While both covers look awesome, I personally find the alternate cover looking pretty epic. 

Last but not least here is ANOTHER preview for the upcoming Bedbug #1 comic. ENJOY!

Want to know what else C.U. will have in store for you? Just follow the blog and/or twitter account here and you will see up to the minute updates of everything Comic Unknown!

The Return of Bedbug!

Welcome back to another great installment of COMIC UNKNOWN!

  As some of you know, Wednesday is the day of the new comic book releases. This week was a special week, you could even call it Bedbug Week. Wednesday, June 19, 2013 was the official release date of Bedbug #1. With that being said, Bedbug #1 is 32 pages of FULL-COLOR COMICS! It has a 1:5 awesome variant, and comes with four adventures that follows the Leapin' Lawman.

"Who He Is And How He Came To Be" is the NEVER BEFORE published origin of Bedbug. With art by Sam Ellis and story by Scott Rogers

"Teacher's Pet" is written by Chad Jones and art by Scott Rogers - will Bedbug's secret identity get revealed by his young daughter?

1:5 Variant

"Invitation" is written and drawn by Scott Rogers - What can a parent do when a big crime spree is the same night as your daughter's sleep over?

"It Happened At Twilight" is written by Erik Burham with art by You Know Who. Two words: Day. Vampires.

  And if that wasn't enough he also added bios of Bedbug's friends and foes. Here is a sneak peek into the adventure "Invitation".

You Can Buy Issue One Here!

CONGRATULATIONS SCOTT ROGERS ON BEDBUG ISSUE 1!

Want to know what else C.U. will have in store for you? With a great pleasure to announce, C.U. will have an interview with Bedbug's creator Scott Rogers! What do you have to do to know when it happens? Just follow the blog and/or twitter account here and you will see up to the minute updates of everything Comic Unknown! 

Graverobber V.S. Bedbug

Welcome to another installment of Comic Unknown!

  We recently have dipped our toes into the upcoming comic of Bedbug. But like we said before, this is not Bedbug's first rodeo. He has faced multiple villains and had great battles. One of the more notable villain is William "Billy" Craven also known as the Grave Robber, which his first appearance was Shooting Star #2 in 2003 . Having been originally named Head Stone, the Grave Robber changed his name when he first faced Bedbug. Bedbug consistently kept making fun of his name until Bedbug himself thought up of the name. Inevitably, Grave Robber was defeated and sent to jail. Since then, he has dedicated himself to bettering himself in the hopes of taking his rightful place as Bedbug’s archenemy.

  Grave Robber has a few tricks up his sleeve. He carries his prized possession six-shooter, as well as a Sonic Shovel that creates vibrations strong enough to cut through metal or release a reverberating shock wave when slammed onto the ground.

  Grave Robber has been confirmed to reappear in the new Bedbug #1 that is going to be released on June 19th.  

Stay tuned and keep your eyes peeled for more of Bedbug from COMIC UNKNOWN. 

Don't Let the Bedbugs Bite!

Welcome to another installment of Comic Unknown!

From the ashes of Shooting Star's Anthology, one character leaped out and finally got the chance to be the super hero he always wanted to be when he was a boy.

 Originally created in 2001 by Scott Rogers, Bedbug had it's comic debut in 2002 with Shooting Star Anthology #1. Since then, Bedbug appeared in each issue until the short lived series ended, with it's sixth issue in 2005.  Shooting Star also had two specials as well in which he appeared in both. Having been on hiatus since, Scott Rogers began to write ideas for a  Bedbug standalone series when he recently was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma in 2013. Having completed its first issue, Bedbug #1 will be released in June 19, 2013.

Want a preview for the new issue? Click on the following link to check out an exclusive three page preview. Want to be up to date with all things C.U. ? Take a quick second and click on the subscribe button.