Popscars Vol. 1, created by Pat O’Malley is a gritty Hollywood horror story about fame and revenge.
The graphic novel will be available Wednesday, August 7th, 2024. A cover, line art and issue #1 colors by Santi Guillen and interior color art issues #2-#6 by NL Ashworth, back cover by Arinela Kociko. All edits, design and letters are by Phil Smith.
The thought I had in my head as I stared at an inbox full of indie video game requests that I know aren’t going to make me happy. Plus, this is a graphic novel and I love a good graphic novel.
Promptly the press copy comes through and the cover of Popscars takes over my screen.
I’ll be honest the cover is cool, but the character on the cover made me roll my eyes.
It reeked of try hard. A mix up thug and prostitute. Hard, but keep it sexy. Remember, no matter what that sex always sells!
Deeply sighing and praying that I didn’t just say yes to something that will waste my time and make me mad, I get comfortable on the couch and do ten deep breaths to clear my mind before digesting Popscars.
Pinky is vulnerable, angry, and doesn’t get win from the start. At the beginning I was worried that she wouldn’t make it to the end!
Strength, Determination, Perseverance
Popscars tells the story of a daughter done wrong who decides that she isn’t giving this up to God and lacks the patience to let Karma do its work. Instead we find out that her father was running for the lifetime achievement of worst person and father, Harry Kinkade. His accusations are that he left Pinky, our story’s hero and her mother. He’s also not a great friend which leads those that he considered friends to betray him.
Harry Kinkade is tossed out of Hollywood, but he isn’t just going to roll over and take it. He has his own henchmen and ends of enlisting his own daughter, who he isn’t even aware is his own.
The story is wild and filled with moments that will have you silently say “what the fuck” when taking it all in. There’s violence, sex, dildos with nails, sharks, and more.
You have to read it!
This is definitely not a superhero story or is it?
I guess it depends on what you consider a superhero. Batman fans would say that our main character, Pinky is a superhero. Others like me who believe that all superheroes need powers would disagree.
However, I would be wrong by saying that Pinky doesn’t have a superpower because when reading Popscars it obvious that she does. It’s not flying or knives that eject out of your hands, but it is significant.
Vulnerability.
I’m smitten with Popscars
The story was perfectly stirred with horror, revenge, and grit. The storytelling was immersive, engaging, and paced perfectly. Never once did I think…
“Wait, did I miss a panel?” The artwork really made it all pop!
A simple phone call at 2:00 PM mountain daylight savings time gave me more than I expected and it proved my point.
Pat O’Malley is a different type of writer. A writer that may be overlooked when everyone is a creator, everything is content, and great job comments are considered peak engagement.
The awful people continue to be awful and no one does anything and those that want to do something simply can’t even when they try.
“It shouldn’t be that way!”
Pat states and you can feel the settle outrage in his voice. Was our character Pinky him? I forgot to ask, but an answer is definitely not needed. However, some of the characters in Popscars are based on some very unpleasant bosses that Mr. O’Malley had to work with.
A little over the hour mark and I get it. The reason why Popscars stuck with me is because of Pat’s experiences and skills. Now, I know why the story was immersive, engaging, and didn’t skip a beat. It’s from years of producing his own projects, being on Hollywood sets, screenwriting, and the love of cinematography that birthed Popscars.
He spent five years with a few basic notebooks writing, sketching, jotting notes, and revising the tales of Pinky until he got it just right! Here he takes a moment to thank Phil for pushing him.
Pat was very kind and shared these images. As you can see the original title wasn’t Popscars, but instead Popfreaks at one point. He has an attachment to the word “Pop”.
I’m honored that he shared these sketches with me. I enjoy seeing the creative process and it gives projects a bit more depth. Pat points out that sketch #2 wasn’t shared with the artist so it’s quite cool that the artist envisioned the same imagery as him.
They publish comics/graphic novels that are outside of our typical comic book collection as they want to create stories and characters that appeal to different audiences. I highly suggest that you check out their website if you have the craving for something different.
Make sure to Pre-Order!
Since this is an indie production there is no guarantee that it will be available at every single local comic book store so make sure that you take the time to pre-order it and add it to your pull list before it is too late.
In the neon lights of La La Land, vengeance wears a pink ski mask.Dive into the twisted world of Popscars, where fame, betrayal, and bloodshed expose the dark side of stardom. Meet Pinky, fueled by a burning desire for revenge against her own flesh and blood – a Hollywood director who’s made a career out of crushing dreams. Popscars delivers a pulse-pounding cocktail of crime, glitz and gore while leaving you clawing for more of the entertainment industry’s most lethal soap opera.
Fun! Engaging! The characters are wild and Pinky and definitely not going to be kind no matter how many times she has to change her mask. If you are a fan of "The Boys", I would highly recommend that you check out Popscars.
4.4 rating
4.4/5
Total Score
Cover
4.0 rating
4/5
Good
Art
4.0 rating
4/5
Good
Color
5.0 rating
5/5
Amazing
Story
5.0 rating
5/5
Amazing
Characters
4.0 rating
4/5
Good
The Highlights
Not your basic superhero story
Creative kills
Shark fans would enjoy this!
The Lowlights
Pinky needs some alternative costumes
Mary, we needed more of her, but I know more is coming.
RawBeautyKristi Likes To Run Her Mouth In Safe Spaces Only
RawBeautyKristi has always painted herself as a person who is better than those problematic influencers. She rose to the top because she used her platform to put Jaclyn Hill's hairy lipsticks under the microscope to get to the bottom of the problem.
She doesn't associate with Jeffree Star due to his problematic past. She made sure to throw herself into the Mikayla Noguiera lash-gate/mascara-gate about how YouTube Beauty Influencers had to be truthful and how this makes things worse for everyone.
And she for damn sure made sure that people knew she believed that the beauty community fell apart because of James Charles and Tati Westbrook. Of course, she didn't name any name, but we all got the drift.
But wait there's more she has condemned Ruby from 8 passengers who is in custody for child abuse. RawBeautyKristi has gone in on Colleen Ballenger for her behavior with minors.
Kingdom Hearts 4 is releasing in late 2027. The new D23 Trailer reveals a vibrant world inspired by Disney & Pixar's Coco Movie. Additionally, it looks like we will be able to play Kingdom Hearts IV on Steam.
Twitch and gaming go hand and hand, but it seems that the platform is making it quite obvious they no longer care about what their cash cows want anymore. In fact, starting June 1, 2023 those on the 70/30 split will receive a pay cut. This is a wonderful way to show appreciation for those that have given so much to their platform.
Official Game Description: The Halloween spirit is missing! Play as Scary and help him save HallowTown. "Death or Treat" is a 2D action-rogue-lite and hack & slash, with hand-painted environments and traditional animation. Explore all the worlds and defeat hordes of enemies using different weapons and skills.
Capcom introduced us to A.K.I. at the 2023 EVO Championship, We didn't learn much from the teaser, but we did learn that A.K.I. was deadly.
Speaking of deadly, check out some of their deadly moves...if you dare:
Serpent Lash: From a distance, A.K.I. sends her nails flying forward like a chain, poisoning enemies she hits. When she strikes an opponent who is already poisoned, a Toxic Blossom will trigger an explosion and open enemies up to follow-up attacks.
Nightshade Pulse: A.K.I. sends a bubble forward that also poisons enemies it hits. She can strike the bubble with Nightshade Chaser to pop it in advance, increasing its area of effect.
Orchid Spring: A.K.I. places a puddle of poison in front of her which will affect opponents who step inside it.
Sinister Slide: Slither across the screen to avoid threats while stalking forward and perform follow-up moves like Venomous Fang, Heel Strike, or Entrapment.
Claws of Ya Zi: A.K.I.’s Level 3 Super Art pierces various pressure points on an opponent’s body and injects a poison that dangerously detonates from within.
We have also learned that A.K.I. hates ni
