Nemo Publishing and Jay Piscopo Create Nemo Toys

Nemo Publishing is proud to announce the creation of Nemo Toys!

Nemo Toys expands the company's offerings beyond its popular retro-style Commander X action figures to include new, original characters as well as public domain heroes from the Golden Age.

Phase 1 will include new original characters Jack Danger and Rogue Agent Zero and a reworking of the Golden Age hero The Red Panther.  Each of these figures are designed by Capt'n Eli and Commander X creator Jay Piscopo and assembled with the help of Paul Clarke, DrMego.

"When I was a kid, I loved imagining my backyard to be an Amazon or African jungle full of treasure and dinosaurs.  A cool action figure and some twine for them to swing on was all I needed for endless adventures," said Piscopo.  "These new characters are an homage to those days."

These limited edition collectible Mego-style action figures are now available exclusively on the Capt'n Eli web store.  

Keep an eye out this December for the all new free Commander X-Mas online comic book to see these characters in comic action!

View more artwork at this link. 

Be sure to join us on Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/NemoToys and get ready for Phase 2....  There's much more to come!

Dig Boston interviews Jay Piscopo about new Captain Midnight comic book

EARTH PRIME TIME: CAPTAIN MIDNIGHT & COMMANDER X PREVIEW WITH JAY PISCOPO
March 28, 2012
by CLAY FERNALD

Listen to the audio of this interview at this link.

Moonstone Books will co-publish a cross-over one shot with local publisher Nemo Publishing to rebirth the legendary golden age hero Captain Midnight in December 2012. We’re huge fans of the collaborators, Jay Piscopo (Nemo, Capt’n Eli) and Brian Augustyn (DC Comics, Gotham by Gaslight). Jay was kind enough to take us to the skies and give us a birds-eye view of what to expect!

I am here with Jay Piscopo, from Maine! Why don’t you tell us about your Captain Midnight book?
My character, Commander X is going to meet the Golden Age version of Captain Midnight. We are also including cameo appearances of the Airboy and the Airfighters.

It’s all that Brian and I have wanted to see from an aviator World War II comic. One way we describe it is Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid in WWII facing Nazi Super-Science. It’s a dream come true.

I’m not familiar with Captain Midnight but you were kind enough to send me some history. He first appeared nearly 75 years ago!
He’s always been a favorite character of mine, and the reason I zeroed in on him was exactly what you just said, you hadn’t heard of it. A lot of fans and lovers of comics and superheroes don’t realize that these pulp heroes are where they all came from.

Recently with John Carter, we have a situation where since the story and characters are so original, and that everything was derived from these pulp stories, the audience says “I’ve already seen this before.” What I found relevant about Captain Midnight is that we are still in a world of war.

There are issues brought out by World War II about what democracy is, and what war is all about. We can talk about these issues today, using something from the past.

Captain Midnight is visually interesting to me as well. Like a lot of people I watch YouTube more than I watch TV now. I love watching BASE jumping. Looking at the wing suits they wear I said, “Wait a minute…that’s Captain Midnight!” I like the fun of having a dogfight between a Nazi jet and a guy with cloth wings between his arms as wings. I thought those scenes would be fun for a modern comics reader without being too pastiche-y. Click HERE to continue reading the interview on Dig Boston.

Captain Midnight Returns to the Skies in December

The new Captain Midnight comic book is in the works. Click HERE to read all about it on Forces of Geek -- Commander X Meets Captain Midnight in a Pulp Comic Spectacular!

This 28 page, full-color book will be written by longtime DC Comics writer and editor Brian Augustyn. Artwork and co-plotting will be by Jay Piscopo.





View more artwork at these links:
Captain Midnight Gallery
Airboy and the Airfighters Gallery

Coming in December. Published by Nemo Publishing and Moonstone Books.

Read the full press release HERE.

Captain Midnight Returns in New Comic Book Coming in 2012

Take to the Skies with Captain Midnight and Commander X: New Comic Book on the Horizon from Moonstone Books and Nemo Publishing

At the end of this year, Nemo Publishing and Moonstone Books will publish a cross-over one shot comic book featuring the legendary Captain Midnight and Commander X from Nemo Publishing’s “The Undersea Adventures of Capt’n Eli” graphic novel series. This 28 page, full-color book will be written by longtime DC Comics writer and editor Brian Augustyn. Artwork and co-plotting will be by Jay Piscopo, author and illustrator of “Capt’n Eli.”

"When real life casts long shadows over us and time seems to be running out, that's the time to look to the skies for the antidote to modern worries,” said Augustyn. “I couldn't be happier to be working with Moonstone, Nemo, and my great friend Jay Piscopo on this thrilling and timely project.”

This new book will feature guest stars from other Moonstone books, including Airboy and the Air Fighters, and will pay homage to the great heroes of yesteryear, particularly aviation heroes.

“I’m a huge fan of Captain Midnight and what Moonstone has done with the character. I see this as an opportunity to introduce new fans to this once very popular hero from American pop culture,” said Piscopo. “Working with a friend and a creator I admire so much and to team up with Moonstone is a dream come true.”

Captain Midnight is relevant today because he existed in a time similar to our own when the United States was in the midst of economic upheaval and the world was at war.

Augustyn noted “Captain Midnight has been a multimedia legend for 70 years and remains as vital today as when he first took wing. As ever, Cap delivers sky-high adventure and heroism in the classic style. Commander X is completely in sync with those ideals and will be the perfect partner in crime-fighting. Featuring the Air Fighters only makes it all that much more thrilling.”

Piscopo think it’s perfect timing to reawaken these WWII era characters and see what made them strong and interesting. “These characters stood for ideals; particularly the ideals of freedom, equality and fighting against fascism. The superhero genre blossomed during WWII because this is what they stood for.”

More about Moonstone Books: Moonstone publishes fine and distinct comic books, graphic novels, and prose featuring classic and new heroes in thrilling tales of adventure, mystery, and horror including wayward thriller-adventure heroes like Kolchak the Night Stalker, Buckaroo Banzai, Captain Action, The Green Hornet, The Avenger, The Spider, The Saint, The Justice Machine, Domino Lady, Zorro, The Phantom, Operator 5, G-8, The Green Lama, Honey West, Sherlock Holmes, Airboy, Zeroids, Secret Agent X, The Phantom Detective, and more. www.moonstonebooks.com

More about Brian Augustyn: Augustyn is an award-winning comic book editor and writer. He got his start in the industry in 1984 as an editor for Tru Studios’ “Trollords.” He then edited “Syphons” and “Speed Racer” for NOW Comics. In 1987, he joined DC Comics, starting out as a co-editor on “Action Comics” during its period as a weekly title. He then went on to edit “The Flash,” “Justice League” and the “Impact Comics” line of titles. Augustyn was recognized for his work in the industry with the Wizard Fan Award for Favorite Editor in 1994.

More about Jay Piscopo and Nemo Publishing: Piscopo is the author and illustrator of Nemo Publishing’s “The Undersea Adventures of Capt’n Eli” graphic novel series and “The Sea Ghost #1: The Sea Ghost in the Machine” comic book. Captain Midnight and Commander X are similar and unique in that they both were created as a vehicle for advertising a product. In the case of Captain Midnight, it was Ovaltine in the 1940s. Commander X is part of the Capt'n Eli universe of characters tied to the Capt’n Eli’s line of hand-crafted sodas from Portland Maine. Capt’n Eli is the namesake of real-life World War II veteran Eli Forsley who was also the inspiration for Capt’n Eli’s soda. Read the story behind the story at this link. On the web at www.captneli.com and www.theseaghost.com.

NEW Commander X Adventures and Knight Avenger Action Figure

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

4th Annual free “Commander X Adventures” comic book released by Nemo Publishing: New limited edition Commander X Knight Avenger collectible action figure ties into story



PORTLAND, MAINE (December 23, 2011) – Nemo Publishing, publisher of Jay Piscopo’s “The Undersea Adventures of Capt’n Eli” all-ages graphic novel series and “The Sea Ghost” comic book, has released its 4th annual Commander X-Mas “Commander X Adventures,” a collection of pulp adventure stories and artwork featuring the renowned time traveler, Commander X, who is an integral character in the “Capt’n Eli” series.

This free comic book is available at – http://www.captneli.com/dailycomic.php.

“Depression-era comics were promoted as ‘all in color for a dime,’ which meant you were getting more than you paid for,” noted Piscopo. “That same spirit and enthusiasm is what the creators behind ‘Commander X Adventures’ bring. In the Golden and Silver ages, the stories were very plot driven and action oriented and, in their own way, reflected the times. There was a lot of crudeness in the art and storytelling and a certain exuberance and imagination really carried the day. This free comic is a wonderful opportunity to re-experience the fun and excitement that came from Golden Age comics and the pulps. And we always add in a lot of Christmas-themed material just for fun.”

Piscopo edited this free on-line comic book with a team of creators, including legendary writer Brian Augustyn with the debut of his new pulp character, Mr. Gabriel in “All Through the Night…A Mr. Gabriel, Angel of Broadway Adventure.”

“I’m honored to have Brian’s contribution,” said Piscopo. “He’s one of my heroes in the comics business and it’s great to see him join the ranks of the new pulp writers. Pulps preceded Golden Age comics and were all about hard-boiled action and mystery and Brian captures that perfectly.”

Regular contributor, Frank Schildiner, also wrote a story illustrated by Delfin Barral and there is a special Sunday strip by Robert J. Kelly and Dan O’Connor, the creators of the daily web comic “Ace Kilroy.”

Pinups were created by comics greats Michael Netzer and Mort Todd, Marvel cover artist Mike Fyles, Joe Zierman and Randy “Sarge” Sargent, Pierre Villeneuve, Harold Cupec, Jim Mohan, and Jay Piscopo.

Piscopo also wrote and illustrated a story called “SHIVA 99” in which fans meet Commander X as the Knight Avenger. In conjunction with this, Nemo Publishing has released the Knight Avenger as a limited edition Mego-style collectible action figure.

“This year, I also had a lot of fun featuring public domain superheroes in cameos and guest shots with Commander X,” continued Piscopo. “This whole story is an homage to the Golden Age of superheroes, a large number of which are now in the public domain (http://pdsh.wikia.com/wiki/Public_Domain_Super_Heroes).”

The Knight Avenger is the seventh figure in the Commander X collectible action figure line. The other figures include: Golden Age Commander X, 1950s Commander X, Western Knight, Barbary Knight, Archer Knight, and the Undersea Knight. These eight-inch figures are created in a retro-style reminiscent of those made by the Mego Corporation in the 1970s and are designed by Piscopo and produced by Paul “Dr. Mego” Clarke. A short video about the variant collection can be viewed at this link: http://www.youtube.com/user/CaptnEli#p/a/u/1/ZyIxl_SBaS8

All seven figures are available exclusively at www.captneli.com at a special price of $15 (regularly $19.95) through February 15, 2011.

On the World Wide Web:
www.captneli.com
www.TheSeaGhost.com

CONTACT:
Tami Kennedy
Nemo Publishing
207-838-0816
tami@maine.rr.com

###

Blast Off with Comic Book Artist Jay Piscopo on July 20

On Saturday, June 25, Space fans gravitated towards the Wenham Museum's new summer exhibit, Blast Off! Sky-High and Sci-Fi Space Toys. Jay Piscopo was there doing free sketches to celebrate the lift off. View photos at this link. He'll return in July to do a comics drawing workshop for kids.















Draw on Your Creativity with Comic Book Artist Jay Piscopo
Wednesday, July 20, 2011 10am-12pm
Fee: $20.00 members, $25.00 recommended ages 7+
Pre-registration required
Comic book artist Jay Piscopo invites students to try their hand at cartoon art and demonstrates how anyone, at any age, can learn to draw and create comics. Using simple geometric shapes, Jay teaches kids how to build anatomy and perspective to create art that tells a story. Stand by for adventure with this interactive workshop! Watch a short video clip at this link.

Wenham Museum
132 Main St.
Wenham, MA 01984
(978) 468-2377
www.wenhammuseum.org

This Sunday: Maine Comics Arts Festival

WHAT:
3RD Annual Maine Comics Arts Festival
Hosted by Casablanca Comics

WHEN:
Sunday, May 22
10:00am - 5:00pm

WHERE:
Ocean Gateway
On the waterfront in Portland, Maine
Directions



COST:
Admission is $5.00 | kids 12 and under are FREE

FMI:
www.mainecomicsfestival.com

This is a family-friendly festival that celebrates the wonderful world of comic books, comic strips, graphic novels, web comics and more. This year's festival will feature over 100 comic creators, writers, artists and publishers. Special guest is Andy Runton, creator of the award-winning Owly, which features a kind-hearted little owl who's always searching for new friends and adventure.

Portland, Maine comic book artist Jay Piscopo is the creator of The Undersea Adventures of Capt’n Eli graphic novel series. He will be doing free super hero sketches for fans and highlighting his new Sea Ghost comic book which was just noted as one of the top aquatic super heroes of all time by Comic Book Resources.