Happy Holidays from RBA!

Best Wishes on the New Year!

2009 was the best year yet for RBA.

- We released 7 comics this year, including our bestseller Gunbreed: Ghost Town Resurrected. - Our website (designed by our awesome Art Director AC_Osorio) launched big time, allowing for a dynamic look and introducing the online store service with Ka-Blam.

- We acquired Rikky Carrion as Marketing Director of our studio, and as I said before, you'll be seeing his big plans for RBA come to frutition in 2010.

- We went to four Florida conventions, one in San Francisco and four in Puerto Rico. (BTW, scroll down for a few pics fro Kaisen, our las convention of the year).

- We're starting to get noticed by some sites including Comicmonsters.com and From the Tomb Magazine.

- And to close the year with more good news, scroll down to check out the ChikiMange/Hot Topics free comic.

It may sound cliche, but we couldn't have done any of this without your support and enthusiasm for our products. We're working hard to make next year even better, so stay tuned.

Have a happy 2010!

ChikiMange at Hot Topics

Those of you who couldn't come to Kaisen and wanted to get a copy of Rangely Garcia's ChikiMange, run to Plaza las America Hot Topics and get your free copy today! Don't ever say that RBA and Tripleta never give you anything. It's our gift to you in appreciation for your support. But quantities are limited, so get going before they run out!

RBA @ Kaisen

To round up this blog entry, here's a few pics from Kaisen. Next stop: Orlando MegaCon. See you guys next year.

RBA Goes Manga!

Folks! Sorry for not having an entry lately. Been busy with my thesis and all that Thanksgiving turkey eating. But let's get things rolling. I have a couple of awesome news for you. First off:

Konichiwa, Rangy San!

Manga lovers! RBA lovers! Tripleta lovers! Rejoice! If you live in Puerto Rico and are planning on going to Kaisen Anime Fair on December 13 in Bayamon, we have a special offer for you! With the purchase of any of Tripleta's t-shirts plus any comic from RBA, you will get a special limited edition kick ass ChikiMange mini-comic by Rangely Garcia for FREE. This comic will only be available at the convention so get them while they last!

Also at Kaisen, Leviathans: Belly of the Beast!

At last! RBA will debut the Belly of the Beast one-shot special written by myself with art by AC_Osorio, Daniel Irizarri, and Guillermo Martinez! Check out previous entries to this blog for preview pages from all artists and here's the cover, just in case:

Peanut Butter Jelly Time with Ozzy!

You see that page? That's part of the second Hybrid Genesis story that will come out in RBA Presents #4. That's early 2010 for all you Ozzy Fernandez stalkers out there.

Behold! The Ozman cometh! Soon...

- El Angel

RBA Tour: New Date Scheduled

Kaisen Entertainment Fair will be on Sunday, December 13, at Ruben Rodriguez Coliseum in Bayamon, and RBA will be there. Look for us at section D. We'll bring a bunch of comics to sell as well as the debut of the one-shot special Leviathans: Belly of the Beast.

For more info on Kaisen, click here.

Remember that RBA will be accepting pencils, inks, and coloring submissions. Check out the Submission Guidelines here. Writers: we are currently not looking for writing submissions, but if you want to submit your original work, please try to partner up with an artist willing to illustrate your script.

Stay tuned for ore tour dates as they become official.

I Was a Teenage Zombie Cowboy Media Whore

Decapitated Gunbreed Review

From the Tomb, the online magazine has a Gunbreed review by Decapitated Dan. Judging by the review, RBA comics are off for a pretty good start. Read it here.

RBA in Primera Hora

RBA appeared in one of Puerto Rico Major News Papers, Primera Hora as part of the promotion campaign for Manga Criolla convention in Caguas, Puerto Rico. They even put the cover to Leviathans #2 by Ana Bruno. If you know Spanish, check out the column here.

RBA in El Nuevo Dia

Another major newspaper, El Nuevo Dia, also featured an article on comics. It has art from Ivonne Falcon, AC_Osorio and Ana Bruno. It's also in Spanish. Click here.

Radio Interviews Galore

Dreamgrafix artist Juan Lapaix and I were interviewed by two local PR radio shows: Agenda de Hoy and Piedra Papel y Tijera. We talked a little about the history of comics in Puerto Rico, and gave an overview on the current puertorrican comics scene. Of course, I promoted RBA's titles as well as the website. Both radio air through 89.7 FM for San Juan and 88.3 FM for Mayaguez.

Leviathans Never Ends

Here's a page from an upcoming Leviathans story by Josue Oquendo. Can't wait to see it colored? Me neither.

"They love me! They really love me!".

- El Angel

This Just In!

Preview Art of the Week

Let's do something different this week. First off, here's a Powder Cain character pin up from Daniel Irizarri.
How about a pin up from RBA's Marketing Director himself, Rikky Carrion?

Our boys are currently at work for the upcoming Gunbreed: Haunted Guns Special. This was supposed to be our Halloween special, but it got a little delayed. However, I promise you will get to see the special soon enough.

RBA on Paquines Son Comics Podcast!

Hey, if you speak Spanish and would like to know about the history of Gunbreed and RBA Studios, check out a podcast interview that Emilio Torres from Paquines.com did with us. On episode 83 of the Paquines Son Comics show, Emilio and I took a walk on memory lane and revealed some interesting unknown facts about your favorite cowboy zombie. Listen to the podcast right here. We had a lot of fun doing that podcast. Thanks a bunch, Emilio!

Heroes Haven Harbors RBA Comics
RBA Fans living in the Tampa area, rejoice! Local comics shop Heroes Haven carries RBA comics. Available for purchase are RBA Presents 1 thru 3, and Leviathans #1. So run to Heroes Haven and subscribe to our comics today!

The Attic Door Wins Awards!
Congratulations to our very own Leviathans artist Ana Bruno! The Attic Door, the independent movie that she worked on as concept and story board artist has won several awards at the 2009 BendFilm Festival, including “Best Cinematography,” “Best Score,” and “Best Feature”. The Attic Door is being shown at several film festivals including Red Rock Film Festival in Utah, next November.
For an exclusive sneak peek of The Attic Door click here. Once again, congratulations to Ana and the whole film crew of the Attic Door!

See ya next week!

- El Angel

APE Complete with Guillermo Martinez!

Guillermo Martinez takes San Francisco!
One of the things that never stops to amaze me is that every time I work on a project with Guillermo Martinez I never know how the project will actually look until it's done. With all other artists I can generally imagine what they'll do with my scripts, but not with him. Case in point: When Guillermo told me he would draw himself and me in the cover to You Complete Me, I thought we'd scare people away. But he made us look so adorable! My point is that because of Guillermo's different view of the world, he lets me cut loose and experiment with the stories I give him. Guillermo's mind is something else. Sometimes I wonder if he hit his head with a rock when he was a kid.

Guillermo's first convention is Alternative Press Expo (APE) in San Francisco and we couldn't be more proud of him. Enjoy the pics.
Guillermo Martinez would like you to know that You Complete Me is not for young readers. Even though many girls may like the cute cover and pretty pictures, the topics explored are adult themes. The comic IS mostly written by Angel Fuentes after all. However, the artist promises he will attend WonderCon next year with a product for all ages (not written by Angel Fuentes).

The secret is in the sock. No, really.

Look at that pretty banner printed by Efrain Morales!

Is that Monster Child artist Yamil Medina? Why Yes it is!

"You want some of this, bitch?"

Ponce ComiCon Report!

We like Ponce and Ponce likes RBA!

Greetings, minions!

Sorry I skipped a week of the blog, but things just got a little crazy around here. I'm back now, with a special report on this year's Ponce ComiCon. We had a lot of fun and by we, I mean Rikky, Daniel, and Wilfredo. We debuted our new comic You Complete Me and it sold out! We also had a lot of buyers for Gunbreed and our other titles. It's good to meet new folks as we try to expand our empire- I mean readership, to the south part of Puerto Rico.

We also met with other fellow comic makers. Big shout out to the guys at Xpin Off, Artifice, and Crazy Comics (that last one was a true blast from the past!). We're definitely coming back next year for more.

From left to right: Artists Wilfredo Lopez, Daniel Irizarri, Me, and Marketing Director Rikky Carrion. Did you notice we used our banner as table cloth? I think it looks pretty nice.

This lovely young lady right here is cover artist Ericka Lugo. We've been talking by e-mail for more than a year but this is the first time we actually met in person. Here's a sample of her work for Violet Descends:

Stay tuned for a report and pics on San Francisco's APE convention, with Guillermo Martinez.

- El Angel

Been a Busy Week

RBA Goes to Press

This has been a truly busy week . We're going to press on four comics at the same time. As promised, you should get more info on on the official release date on all the new comics by the end of next week.

Running around doing quality control and making sure the artists come through with the final touches is stressful. But in the end, it's all worth it when you get those comics in your hands.

Case in point:

This is the Cover to You Complete Me

That's me with an eye patch and artist Guillermo Martinez with the umbrella. Look for it at the Alternative Press Expo (APE) on October 17-18 in San Francisco.

Here's the cover to MERC: Decapaton Origin

The art on this piece was done by Ozzy Fernandez with colors by Cari Corene. Not much to say on this baby, except that you should see the comic next year.

I'm cutting it short this week. I got a lot of work ahead of me.

See you guys next week.

- El Angel

Even More Leviathans! ... And a Little Secret... Shhh!

Ivonne Falcon and Christian Alvarado: Leviathans WIP!

This is the alternate cover to upcoming Leviathans issue #2 by Ivonne Falcon and Christian Alvarado. It's almost finished, but I couldn't help myself. I had to show you guys. Don't say I don't spoil you. We are very, very close to announcing release date on this baby, and the Belly of the Beast oneshot special. I promise you it'll all be out before the end of the year.

Angel's 2009 TV Fall Line-up

I love my TV shows, people. And this year seems to be very promising and entertaining. So without further ado, and because you didn't really ask for it, here's my must watch TV shows list for this season.

Mondays: Heroes (NBC) at 8pm, Lie to Me (FOX) at 9pm

Tuesday: Nothing! There's nothing interesting for e on Tuesdays! Really...

Wednesday: Law and Order SVU (NBC) at 9pm, South Park (Comedy Central) at 10pm

Thursday: Flash Forward (ABC) 8pm, Fringe (FOX) 9pm, The Office (9pm). That last one is through the magic of Hulu.com

Fridays: Law and Order (NBC) 9pm

Saturdays: Saturday Night Live (NBC) 11:30pm (Not really "must see". Just when I'm bored.)

Sundays: The Simpsons (FOX) 8pm, The Cleveland Show (FOX) 8:30pm (still iffy on that one), Family Guy (FOX) 9pm, and American Dad (FOX) 9:30pm

As always, I like to watch the Daily Show, and Colbert Report at Comedy Central, and sometimes I'll check Conan, and Jimmy Fallon.

OK, that's it. My life is boring. And before you ask, I can't watch any of the HBO or Showtime shows 'cause it's too expensive. Guess I'll rent those or check them out on Youtube.

Shhhh! Top Secret!

Can you hear it? That's the sound of his Harley! He's coming!

Hide your daughters! Break out the beers!

Timothy Santo's Biker Dwarf is coming... in 2010!

Biker Dwarf concept art by Wilfredo Lopez and Timothy Santos.

C-Ya next week!
-El Angel

Hey, Youuuuuu. You Com-pleeeeete Meeeeeeee

Guillermo Martinez Completes Me

After last week's wedding annoucements, love is still in the air here at RBA. So let's talk about a project very close to my heart: You Complete Me. Artist Guillermo Martinez and myself have created this little gem of a comic with four short stories written by myself and drawn by him. You Complete Me is an uncensured experimental trip with a little social satire and sarcasm best served if you're high. Although, I want to make abundantly clear that RBA does NOT condone the use of drugs in any way. Just say "no", kids.

Anyway, if you live in the San Francisco area and would like to meet Guillermo, he'll be sitting at artist alley in the Alternative Press Expo (APE) on October 17-18, signing copies of You Complete Me for all you indy comic lovers out there. Aaaaaaand of course, stay tuned to http://www.razorbladeapple.com/ where you'll be able to purchase the comic online!

A Night with Joey Rodriguez


Last Sunday I hung out with artist Joey Rodriguez and had a hell of a good time. Ok, the first picture is a photo of Goat Boy from Survival Guide to a Slasher Movie. Joey just had to draw him on the windshield of my car... by that time he was already a little drunk (kids, don't drink and drive).

We hung out at Joey's workplace, Rebel Tattoo Shop, where we met a bunch of hot Brittish models who wanted to get tattoos for themselves. Love that Brittish accent! Joey is that happy camper second from left to right.

Next week I'm crashing Josue Oquendo's place. I don't think he knows about it yet. I'll keep you posted on how it goes.

Last But Not Least

A bunch of people have been asking for me to put up this pic of this year's Angel Fuentes is Awesome Awards. Well, here it is. From left to right: artists AC_Osorio, Josue Oquendo, Ivonne Falcon, and Efrain Morales. The awards were given during RBA's summit last August. As I said, before, Ana Bruno also won the award, but because she lives in Tampa, I have to send hers by mail.

Until then I remain,

- El Angel

Wedding Bells are Ringing!

It's Official!

RBA Studios co-founder Ozzy Fernandez and Editor Supreme Denise Soto have tied the knot! It all happened last Saturday, September 12, somewhere in Key West, Florida. These two have been together for a few years now and we couldn't be happier for them to make it official. From all of us here at RBA: CONGRATULATIONS!

Ah, love... it's a wonderful thing...

Leviathans: Genesis

It seems the Leviathans previews keep coming non-stop! Here's a piece for an upcoming short story by Josue Oquendo. It's weird that it's taken so lo long for Josue and I to work together on something, but I'm glad we're finally letting loose on this story. And believe me, this is not the last you'll see from Josue. He's got some awesome creator owned work down the line through RBA, so keep your peepers ready.

Yet Another Leviathans Preview?

You guys are insatiable! Alright, alright, how 'bout a page from the great Ana Bruno for issue 2 of Leviathans? Now go home! Come back next week, and maybe I'll show you something not related to Leviathans.

...Maybe.

- El Angel

The Horror Movie Feel

Survival Guide to a Slasher Movie

Like what you see? That's a page from Joey Rodriguez' adult one-shot comic: Survival Guide to a Slasher Movie. This guy is a huge fan of horror movies, specially the classic 70's stuff. Let me tell you, I read this comic and it's a treat. You'll get some of the best art Joey's done while his character, Goat Boy, gives you the 411 on horror movies rules. Uncensored and relentless, this comic is a must have for all you horror fans. Stay tuned for the official release date to be announced right here!

Staying on the Horror Topic for a Bit More...

It's horror movie season already and this year's slashers are already here. Here's a list of some of the stuff already out or soon to be released:

Orphan
Halloween 2
Pandorum
The Final Destination
Sorority Row
Jennifer's Body
and of course... Saw VI

Looking forward to watching Saw VI in October with my girlfriend (she's a huge Saw fan). Hell, even the bad ones are going to be horrific for someone out there.

I remember as a kid sneaking in the theater to watch the Exorcist 3. That freaky Christ statue bleeding through the eyes and walking in the hospital corridor freaked me out in my dreams for a long time. It's a little embarrasing now that I've seen it as an adult, but back then, that was just too traumatic for me.

Yeah, I know, I'm a wimp.

Submissions are Open!

Before I go, quick reminder: If you go to to our website http://www.razorbladeapple.com/ and click on The Studio tab, you'll find our brief submission guidelines. If you're an artist and you think you got the chops, just follow the instructions and we'll check your stuff out. For writers, it's kinda hard to find the time to sit down and read a script, so I recommend to find an artist and submit original finished work.

Who knows? You may actually be the talent we're looking for, so give us a holler.

- El Angel

2009 Angel Fuentes is Awesome Awards!

Leviathans: Belly of the Beast part 3

Here is one of AC_Osorio’s pages for his story in Belly of the Beast. As you can see, he knocked it out of the park! Like I said before, the one-shot special should be out in September. We should be announcing an official release date very soon.

2009 RBA Meeting

Last Friday, August 28, was a special night for members of RBA as our third big annual meeting occurred. There we discussed our achievements for 2009 (I know, the year is not over yet, but we’ve done more this year than the last two years combined! We also revealed our plans for 2010 and discussed the future of some of our titles.

But the highlight of the evening, I have to say, was the debut of what should become our annual tradition: the Angel Fuentes is Awesome Award. This award is given to studio members who have gone beyond the call of duty to help out and ensure that our comic projects come out with the high quality you guys expect from us. This year’s recipients were: Efrain Morales, Ivonne Falcón, Josué Oquendo, Ana Bruno, and AC_Osorio.


Anyhoo…

My computer died on me. I feel like I’m in the stone ages. What was the world like without computers? How did people manage? I’ll never know.

Whatever...

Next week, I’ll be back with some art from Joey Rodriguez. If you haven’t heard, he’s got a very nasty adult comic coming called Survival Guide to Slasher Movies. Wicked stuff!

See you then!

- El Angel

Batman Arkham Asylum is coming this Tuesday!!!

Batman Arkham Asylum is coming this Tuesday!!!

That's it. That's all I wanted to say... (joygasm!)

Leviathans Belly of the Beast Part 2

As promised last week: here's a page from artist Daniel Irizarri for Belly of the Beast. His story is called God Save the Queen and it's about dragons in Jamaica! I'm looking forward to working with Daniel again. Next week: AC_Osorio!

By the way, Ana Bruno, artist on Leviathans, has been having trouble with her computer causing delays in coloring of the art for issue two. I know we were supposed to come out in July, but we're working on it.

Angel's Movie Pics!

I've talked to some of my friends on how disappointed I've been with this summer's movies. Harry Potter Transfrormers 2 sucked ass, Terminator 4, Up, and GI Joe were just ok. I can say that the only movie that really blew me away was Star Trek. So here we are at the close of the summer season and I'm glad to be able to recommend a few must see surprises:

1. Inglorious Basterds - Not really a surprise (Pitt,Tarantino, nazis. Can't go wrong with that!)

2. Moon - This is an amazing psychological piece

3. District 9 (a true masterpiece, and go check out the original short film on You Tube)

4. (500) Days of Summer -Go with your girlfriend. Thank me later.

5. The Hurt Locker - It took me a while to realize this was a comedy and not an actual war movie... What? It's drama? Really? Well, whatever it is, go watch it any way.

See ya next week!

- El Angel

I was a Teenage Zombie Cowboy and other Tales

Hello to everyone out there in Blog land! This is the first of my hopefully weekly little rump. As all good blogs it'll be me just ranting about stuff. It may be RBA related or not. Let's get started, shall we?


How awesome is that Leviathans: Belly of the Beast Special?!

Very awesome indeed. For those Leviathans readers we are treating you with an awesome side dish called Belly of the Beast. It's a b&w one-shot anthology special with tales about some of the most wicked dragons in the Leviathans Universe. We have art by Guillermo Martinez, Daniel Irizarri, and AC_Osorio (who also did the cover that you can see on www.razorbladeapple.com). All stories written by myself.

Here is a page by Guillermo Martinez. I promise that next week you'll see a page from Daniel Irizarri, and one from AC the week after that.

Leviathans: Belly of the Beast will be out by September (I hope).



Marvel's 70th Birthday Bash

So I went to my favorite comics shop, Metro Comics, last night, to celebrate Marvel's 70th birthday and I had a freaking blast! Cristina, the shop owner, ordered this great looking cake with the Marvel logo and some of its characters. True Stories' Tom Beland cut the cake and gave me the first slice. I even made the first improvised speech, which is weird considering I'm really a DC fan and I was wearing a Dark Knight shirt.

My girlfriend and I had a great time hanging with Demonio's Juan Lapaix and his wife Oasis Russo, Mr. Whatever's Franchy Morales, Novugenesis' Rigs Jimenez and of course: The Ghostbusters! Yes, the Ghostbusters were there to celebrate Marvel's b-day. BTW, These Ghostbusters do birthdays and activities, but apparently, they're not strippers (sorry ladies).

Blackest Night (ooh, spooky) and Wednesday Comics!

Today is comics day and I'm getting my comics! Here's the list of what I'm getting:

Blackest Night 2
Wednesday Comics 6
Batman 689
Blackest Night: Batman 1
Green Lantern Corps 39
Red Robin 3
Unwritten 4
Ultimate Comics Avengers 1
Ultimate Comics Spiderman 1

Those last two I'm going to try just to see what all the fuzz is about.

See you next week!

- El Angel