In this episode of Comics of Doom, Willie Gillis talks to Princeless writer Jeremy Whitley. Whitley talks about his comic book origins, his writing process, and even what he’s currently reading. Princeless, an all-ages four-issue comic book from Action Lab Entertainment, is about a princess named Adrienne who is tired of waiting to be rescued by a prince. Instead, she decides to be the rescuer versus the rescued. Adrienne takes an adventure with her dragon, Sparky, to rescue her sisters from various towers throughout the kingdom.

The Princeless: Save Yourself trade paperback is now available for pre-order through your local comic book shop. The trade will be released in April 2012 [...]

After leaving the rock band Girl in the early 1980s guitarist Phil Collen got the break of his life when he was asked to join Def Leppard. For the past 30 years Collen has been one of the most talented, successful, and underrated axeslingers on the planet.

Recovering from a British tour and festive period, Collen is back in warmer climes chatting to me on the phone from his garden in an “unseasonably hot” California. The Def Leppard and Manraze guitarist had much to talk about including milestone anniversaries for ‘Lep, fantastic second Manraze album Punkfunkrootsrock and, erm, Tom Cruise. No Foolin’.

Geeks of Doom: First of all I want to say Happy New Year!

Phil Collen: Thank you, you too. Cheers!

Geeks of Doom: How was your Christmas and New Year? [...]

Nick Sterling is one of the most exciting guitarists on the planet right now. Sebastian Bach’s latest axeslinger has revitalised the ex-Skid Row frontman. This year, Sterling co-wrote the excellent new album, Kicking and Screaming, Bach’s finest solo effort to date.

Only 21 years old, Sterling already has three solo albums to his name and over thirteen years’ experience playing live concerts. I called Sterling and in his thick Southwestern accent he talked about performing with Sebastian Bach and being the “Teller to Sebastian’s Penn.”

Geeks of Doom: How are the live shows going so far?

Nick Sterling: They’re going really good. I’ve been playing with Sebastian for a little while now, I started with him in December 2009. When I first started we didn’t really have any of the new songs really worked out or anything but that’s kind of what we’re starting to do with these shows now in support of the new record…but yeah the shows have been great and it’s been wonderful to be a part of the band. It’s great to get to play with everybody, the musicians are wonderful. I get to play with Bobby Jarzombeck [Sebastian Bach drummer] on stage every day. It’s pretty cool [...]

The promotional machine for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is up and preparing to crush the competition in the run-up to its theatrical bow next week and Entertainment Tonight, the show that once gave Cosmo Kramer seizures, has a preview of the forthcoming film. You can watch it here below.

There’s a bit of footage from the David Fincher-directed film along with interviews with stars Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara in the two-minute preview. If you’ve seen the various regular and extended trailers you won’t find anything new here. Mara discusses how she approached the character of Lisbeth Salander and Craig talks about shooting in the frigid climate of Sweden [...]

In this, the second part from my interview with author R.A. Salvatore, I explore his writings and other projects in which he is involved. I wanted to split the interview in order to create some continuity regarding the subjects our conversation covered. Being a New York Times bestselling author with more than 15 million books printed in the United States, having him take the time to answer so of my questions was both an honor and a privilege. As we talked, we kind of bounced from subject to subject as most people do when talking. Bob was very relaxed and very down to earth which enabled me to relax a bit. He is, after all, one of my favorite authors of all time. Hopefully I didn’t gush too much while we talked. If you have ever wondered how he got started in the business or what inspired him, he was kind enough to reveal that to me. He also explained his connection to the Forgotten Realms, who his favorite character is, and whether or not we will be seeing a Drizzt movie in the near future. Be sure to check out Part 1 of the interview, where he gives his take on electronic books and media, his preference between digital and physical books, and explains why he hates talk radio.

And with that, here we go [...]

This is the first of two articles based upon an interview I did with R.A. Salvatore, New York Times bestselling author.

In this one, we explore his take on ebooks, publishing, and the world at large. I can only say that I was so excited to be offered the interview and just about wet myself during it. This man is cool. And not just in a nerdy, book-loving kind of way. I mean, he is passionate about everything he does. Needless to say, this is officially a highlight in my life. Not just a quick hello and scoring his signature…this was an hour of just the two of us chatting about a wide variety of things. I’ve been reading his work for twenty years and getting a chance to speak candidly with him was awesome. We discussed his take on electronic books and media, his preference between digital and physical books, and even why he hates talk radio!

So without further ado, I present to you answers to questions you didn’t even know you wanted to ask [...]

R.A. Salvatore‘s first published novel, The Crystal Shard, exploded onto the book scene in 1988 and cemented his name as one of today’s greatest fantasy authors. His first trilogy, set in the Dungeons & Dragons‘s Forgotten Realms, was such a huge hit that he was signed to write both prequels and sequels in the years following. Now, after more than twenty years and over twenty New York Times bestsellers, he continues to excite and amaze his readers with his heroic tales in his latest book, Neverwinter: Neverwinter Saga, Book II.

His most popular character, Drizzt Do’Urden, has been featured in more than two dozen books with no real ending in sight. A Drow Elf ranger is probably not the first choice most people would have picked to write about, but Salvatore did just that. I recently had the chance to sit down the author to talk about various topics, but one subject we touched upon was Drizzt and his weapon of choice, the scimitar. See here below an excerpt for our interview where Salvatore reveals why Drizzt carries scimitars [...]

Geeks of Doom was lucky enough to grab some screen time with Batman: Arkham City director Sefton Hill for a one-on-one video interview during last weekend’s New York Comic-Con.

Hill talked about the newest game, what member of Batman’s rogue gallery fans can expect this time around, and what his favorite Batman costume is.

Watch the video interview here below [...]

During last weekend’s New York Comic-Con, Geeks of Doom got a chance to chat with Ashley Eckstein, star of the Star Wars: The Clone Wars television series and founder of Her-universe, a line of merchandise geared towards female sci-fan fans.

Eckstein took some time out of her busy schedule to give us some one-on-one screen time to discuss the creation of Her-Universe and the future of the company, which includes a deal with Disney Parks, as well as how she fared on a certain old school game show. She also dished on what’s happening in Season 4 of Clone Wars and what’s going on with her character.

Watch the 6-minute video interview here below [...]

Christos Gage and Rebekah Isaacs took some time out during last weekend’s New York Comic-Con to talk to us about their latest comic book series, Angel and Faith.

Gage was happy to dish about what’s next for the slayer and the vampire with a soul, the early praise for the Dark Horse comic book series, and what is next for the talented duo.

Check out the 6-minute video interview here below [...]

Geeks of Doom proudly presents a new video interview with Brian Wood and Becky Cloonan, the newest team on Dark Horse’s Conan comic book series.

We met up with Wood and Cloonan during last weekend’s New York Comic-Con, where they took some time out to chat with us one-on-one, revealing their plans for the character, Conan’s new look, and some other interesting tidbits.

Watch the 3-minute video interview here below [...]

Halloween is just around the corner and screenwriter Carl Dupre has plans to make it as scary as he can. His latest movie, the Robert Englund-starring Inkubus, hits theaters across the Unites States this month and its writer promises to gross you out, but in a good way.

As well as writing a handful of horror sequels (including Prophecy 3: The Ascent, Hellraiser: Hellseeker, Hellraiser: Hellworld) and being a prolific short story writer, Dupre is also a dab hand at comedy. I have been a fan of Dupre’s writing since he wrote one of my favorite movies, the hilarious KISS-centric Detroit Rock City. In a recent interview with Dupre, the screenwriter gave me some insight as to how he wrote Detroit Rock City, what is was like on set, and getting to meet KISS.

But first things first: horror.

Geeks of Doom: So, Inkubus – how did that come about? [...]

For over 40 years bass player Tony Levin has been one of the very best in the business. He has played with King Crimson, released a number of solo albums, and has recorded and played with countless artists including Peter Gabriel, David Bowie, Brian “Head” Welch, and Alice Cooper to name a few. Recently he teemed up with guitarist David Torn and Yes drummer Alan White on the fantastic new album, Levin Torn White.

The original blogger (he was doing it before it even had a name) gave me some great answers to my email questions, and explains just what in the name of prog ‘funk fingers’ is.

Geeks of Doom: Hello Tony, how are you?

Tony Levin: Quite well. Writing from the tour van, on a 7-hour drive from Atlanta, GA to Carrboro, NC – doing what I love to do (well, not driving in the van…) bringing my music to people.

Geeks of Doom: How did your latest band Levin Torn White come together? [...]

Most everyone in the geek world knows that New York Comic-Con is going on this weekend and it just so happens that one of my favorite comic book companies, Evil Ink!, is here to sell merch and sling comics!

Luckily, I got a chance to catch up with Claudio Sanchez (of Coheed and Cambria) and Chondra Echert on their upcoming book Key of Z on the convention floor at Booth 1345 about the new comic, what they’re looking forward to seeing at the convention, and what they’ve got coming up. You can watch my video interview here below. Now, the audio quality on the video is a little off, so before you take to the comments section to tell me that I should have been looking at the camera or using a mic, I totally agree with you. My bad, it will never happen again.

So, to save you the ear strain, I wanted to tell you about some of the high points from the interview, and they are listed here below [...]

Legendary Mountain frontman Leslie West has been in the news a lot over the last few months. Due to some serious health issues he had his lower right leg removed to save his life. Thankfully back in relatively good shape now, West has been busy promoting his new album, the truly excellent Unusual Suspects featuring guest musicians Zakk Wylde, Slash, Billy Gibbons, Steve Lukather, and Joe Bonamassa.

I spoke to the man whose enormous stature (both physically and musically) in the world of rock has never been in question just as he is about to embark on his latest tour, albeit with some adjustments.

Geeks of Doom: You’ve had some well publicized health issues recently. How are you?

Leslie West: I’m pretty good. I’m doing quite better. Got fitted for my prosthetic the other day and…it’s not as easy as one would think, [you don’t] just snap it on and, ‘Hey, yeah, there we go!’ But I’ll get it eventually. I’ll get it quickly I hope! [laughs] [...]

Hello everybody and welcome to this very special episode of Comics of Doom!

In this episode, Hunter (MK2Fac3) sits down with the two writers of the upcoming Key of Z, Coheed and Cambria frontman Claudio Sanchez and Chondra Echert to discuss the growth of the new series, upcoming projects including Kill Audio 2, as well as Coheed and Cambria’s appearance on the Batman: Arkham City soundtrack. They also talk about some of their favorite comics, movies, and their plans for the upcoming New York Comic-Con.

Make sure to give this a listen, because we’re going to have a contest based on what is said in this interview. So stay tuned to the site, and keep listening to Comics of Doom! [...]

While at the New York Film Festival for the premiere of his latest film, A Dangerous Method, filmmaker David Cronenberg took the time to debunk some rumors in an interview, including the long-standing one that he was looking to direct an English language remake of the 2007 Spanish sci-fi thriller Timecrimes. But while discussing the rumor that he was possibly writing and directing a reboot of The Fly, the 1958 sci-fi horror film he successfully remade in 1986 with Jeff Goldblum and Geena Davis in the leads, Cronenberg dropped an interesting little nugget about his involvement with that project [...]

When it comes to influential rock bands, not many can claim to have been a part of three of them. For Vanilla Fudge, Cactus, and Beck, Bogert & Appice, bass player Tim Bogert has been an integral part.

I gave him a call at his Californian hill-top house to talk about his cocaine snorting, women chasing days in Cactus, quitting the music business to work at the Musicians Institute, and dealing with a “moody” Jeff Beck [...]

Joe Satriani has earned huge success as one of the finest guitarists of his generation. He has recorded 13 solo albums (including the hugely popular and cosmically amazing Surfing With The Alien) and appeared on countless others by various different artists.

In 2008, Satriani teamed up with ex-Montrose and Van Halen lead singer Sammy Hagar, Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith, and ex-Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony and a Chickenfoot was hatched. His wealth of experience and talent prevented them from being just another ‘supergroup’ and helped them become a hard-rockin’ hard rock party band.

Their self-titled debut album was a huge success as were the live performances captured on the DVD Chickenfoot: Get Your Buzz On LIVE. These legends of the genre return with their second album, the confusingly named Chickenfoot III on September 27th. Early reviews suggest it’s better than the first [...]

In the early 1970s, deep in the “Thames Delta” in England, a young rhythm and blues band was making a sweaty, chaotic mark on the English music scene. Canvey Island based Dr Feelgood became known for energetic, punk-style sets and guitarist Wilko Johnson was the main attraction. His wild-eyed Angus-Young-in-a-suit (before Angus was in short trousers) performances captivated audiences.

Recently, Dr Feelgood was the subject of a documentary. Directed by Julian Temple, Oil City Confidential is a brilliantly, beautifully constructed film, and Wilko was the star of the show. Not shy on camera, Wilko also has a feature role in the TV show Game of Thrones — that of the King’s mute executioner Ilyn Payne.

I caught up with Wilko on the eve of his latest UK tour. Ever hilarious, he provided the most extraordinary end to any interview I have ever done [...]