Citywide Blackout

Citywide Bytes-Ryan Estrada shares some heartfelt stories in his new comics

The newest guest on the Citywide Bytes live show has worked on award-winning titles such as “Banned Book Club,” “Occulted,” and is here to talk about two great new titles.

Ryan Estrada joins me to dive into “The Silver City,” the second part in the “Student Ambassador” series, which features a new adventure with main character Joseph Bazan. We talk about Joseph and how he came to be as well as how he fares in the newest mystery. This comic is based on a very real place and Ryan goes into how he world-built the newest comic.

For “No Rules Tonight,” Ryan worked once again with his wife Kim Hyun Sook on this very real look at South Korea in the 1980s. We talk about what the country was like in this time period and how this influenced the story. Ryan shares the collaboration process with his wife and how this continues the story found in “Banned Book Club.”   

Don Silver’s new book takes on a powerful coming-of-age story

Many know Don Silver for years in the music industry as a producer, talent scout and much more. But Silver’s also an accomplished author, as we see in his soon-to-be-released book, Scorched (May 7, Holloway Press). Here’s a look at what’s in store:

After his father's sudden death, 14-year-old Jonas tries to support himself and his mother by selling weed and tranquilizers at parties–until he gets busted and sent to a boarding school for fatherless boys. To survive Lafayette Academy, Jonas and his four roommates form a tight bond. The boys vow to have each others’ backs for life--but that promise is broken the weekend before graduation when they’re drawn into a violent encounter that results in a man’s death. Twenty years later, when one of his old roommates shows up unannounced, Jonas is forced to confront his complicated past once and for all. 

Max and Don talk about the origins of the book, how he got into the head of Jonas, and how the main character changed over the course of the writing process. Don talks about how he got into writing in the first place and three books later, if he feel he has “arrived.”

This is Don’s second book in the “coming-of-age” genre and we go into what about this type of story appeals to him. We also shed light on the rest of the cast, and how they grow the story in different ways.

Citywide Bytes-Mark Femino talks 30 years of music

In our most recent episode of the live show Citywide Bytes, I’m joined by Mark Femino, and if you’re in the Boston music scene, that’s a name you likely know. Mark’s been a professional musician, performer, and teacher for nearly 30 years and actively toured in the mid-90s with the jam band, Blind Man’s Sun.

Today, Mark is a seasoned musician and, in this interview, we talk all about the path he took to get here, including the recent release of his single, “Damn Girl,” a really interesting take on a breakup song. Mark also has a new acoustic album called “These Are The Moments,” and he shares some of the stories he’s captured in these eight songs. We also get a couple live songs!

Following this interview is the new single, “Damn Girl,” in its entirety.  

Dennis Hopeless shares his past in new comic series

Dennis Hopeless is known for titles such as X-Force, Darth Vader, Suicide Squad and Invader Zim. Now, he shares a true-life story in the Comixology-exclusive title “She’s Running on Fumes.”

Set in Deepwater, Missouri circa 1984, a criminal named Jody is severely injured in a car wreck and his wife discovers he was a drug trafficker and begins her own criminal career in a desperate bid to keep her family afloat. The twist is that this tale of crime and survival is inspired by Hopeless' own parents.

In this episode, Dennis talks about what led him to bring his family’s story to this new series and how his mother helped him to collect all the details. We talk about his past work, which includes titles like X-Force, Spider-Woman and Suicide Squad and how at times his own backstory inspires what he’s written.

Dennis goes into the fiction portion of “She’s Running on Fumes” and how he views this portion of his life, which he witnessed at a very young age. He talks about how he views his father as a person, all these years later.

Citywide Bytes-Mark Maia takes into his new dark comedy comic series

Our next guest in the Citywide Bytes series is set to release an 8-issue dark comedy series, “So-Called Living” set in a world much like our own…Well, except for all the vampires, werewolves and zombies, that is. 

Mark Maia’s story focuses on a guy named Jack, whose life is turned upside down when he finds himself unwillingly transformed into a vampire. With the help of his friends, he tries his best to adapt to this new way of "living." Unfortunately for Jack, he's gotten himself mixed up with the wrong kind of "people," and "living" is about to get difficult.

Mark talks about what inspired the series and introduces us to Jack and how he manages life when he’s technically no longer among the living. He talks about the great art team he worked with and the choice to utilize AI in one of his covers.

There’s a Kickstarter going on until April 25, and Mark talks about meeting (and exceeding) his goal and how it feels to know the project is fully funded. He also provides a few glimpses into what else we can expect in this series.

Amanda Blake shares the meal to end all meals in “Question Not My Salt”

Ever been to a dinner and you just know it’s going to go badly? Well, you may have a new perspective after reading Amanda Blake’s extreme horror story, “Question Not My Salt,” available through Crystal Lake Entertainment. Here’s a little taste of what’s in store:

“Sierra's first American Thanksgiving promises to be unforgettable when her college roommate, Zoe, invites her to the Samuels family feast. But as the ten-hour banquet unfolds, it becomes clear this is no ordinary holiday gathering. With everyone bound by a chilling rule—eat and drink exactly as served, and enjoy it, or face dire consequences—the traditional celebration quickly takes a dark and macabre turn.”

Amanda joins us to talk about how this book came to be and some inspiration received from greats like “Hannibal” and “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.” This began as a short story and we go into how it grew into the 150-page book it is now, as well as how Amanda likes to pace the more intense scenes.

 

As they say, ‘don’t judge a book by its cover,’ but the art for “Question Not My Salt” gets a lot of talk as we dive into this macabre design. Amanda talks about how the characters of Zoe, Sierra and Mother all fit in and how Sierra handles this rather unexpected family dinner.

Mystery boxes and twist endings with “Jill and the Killers”

Who doesn’t love a good mystery? Oh, what’s that? It’s a real crime? And we need to solve it? And we could be killed? Yeah, that’ll be fine.

In the Oni Press four-part series, “Jill and the Killers,” teenager Jill Estrada is dealing with the unsolved disappearance of her mother, a police detective, and trying to get back to a normal life. . . . even as her friends become obsessed with Box Killers, a true-crime subscription game where each month’s “unsolved case” is custom-tailored to the life of its player. There’s only one catch: Jill’s game seems to be all too real—and when her clues begin to connect the dots to a very real series of disappearances in her hometown, Jill and her friends must conquer their fears and own personal struggles to solve the case.

Series writer Olivia Cuartero-Briggs joins us to talk about its origins, as well as why she chose to use a subscription box as the vehicle for the story. Olivia worked with artist Roberta Ingranata on “Jill and the Killers” and we talk about how the two met and the collaboration process. Olivia’s worked on murder mysteries before and goes into how the past experience informed this new project. 

We’ve gotten the chance to read the final issue (out on April 17), and while we won’t be giving out any spoilers, Olivia does share how she devised the end of the series and hints at a possible continuation.

Citywide Bytes-Joseph Macolino takes us on a tour of the world of Evorath

In the latest live episode of Citywide Bytes, Max talked with author Joseph Macolino for his recently-finished (or is it?) “Evorath Trilogy.” He released the third book, “The Battle for Erathal,” and we go into how this wraps up the story, as well as what he has planned next.

This series is years in the making, and Joseph talks about the lengthy world-building he did, which included a lot of education to expand his knowledge and create a more varied Evorath. He also shares the character creation process, how he’s seen them grow, and the challenge of deciding when certain ones need to meet a grisly end.

Tim Facciola talks amnesiac gladiators and extensive worldbuilding for his epic trilogy

Our next guest is a familiar name, having been featured as part of our artist Q&A series. We had such a great time, we knew we had to have him back to talk about his third book. Author Tim Facciola joins us to talk about his soon-to-be-released “The Age of the End,” out on April 16. Here’s a quick synopsis of the overall story.

In a world where blood is a short resolution for rebellion, Zephryus only knows two things: he is prophesied to bring peace and balance to the world, and he doesn’t remember anything before his life as an enslaved gladiator. With the fragmented shards of his memory, he is bought by the prince to fight in the gladiator ring, and spy on the queen’s bloody rebellion against the king. Fighting as a gladiator means fighting for his life, and as he faces the prince’s foes and thwarts the queen’s plans, he also discovers that there is more injustice in this world than he imagined. Will Zephyrus be able to stay alive long enough to enact his revenge? Or will the vengeful plot within this royal family keep him from fulfilling his destiny?  

Tim shares the inspiration for this book as well as the 10 years he spent developing the world and its characters. He explains how Zephyrus’ amnesia shapes the story, as well as the extensive psychological research he did during the writing process.

Tim talks about the story’s conclusion (with no spoilers!) and the possibility for spinoff or prequel down the road. We go into the many reviews he’s gotten, if he reads them, and how such feedback affects him as a writer.

Escape The Paradigm shares 11 years of music

Over the years, brothers Brandon Brodzinski and Johnathan Rockwood with Donny Hoover III have made a lot of memories while playing in Escape The Paradigm, and they hop on the show to give us all the details.

 

From touring with All That Remains to playing some kickass full houses, there’s a lot to go over, along with how this three-member band came together and what’s kept Escape The Paradigm going for more than a decade.

Escape The Paradigm came to our attention through Curtain Call Records and we go into how the band came to work with them and how that’s gone. We also talk live shows, recording their two albums, “Mistaken” and “All Fall Down,” and what is planned for later this year.

Opening the episode is a brief excerpt from the Escape The Paradigm’s “Villain,” and closing things out is the complete “Fixated.”