Support The Variants Season 3 Kickstarter Project!

The Variants, a web series about life in a comic book shop, is a must watch for comic book fans everywhere. The Blot’s been a huge fan of the series from the beginning, and when I heard the show’s executive producers were starting a Kickstarter project to help a third season I knew I needed to get involved! After two seasons of being an all-volunteer production, the cast and crew of The Variants need your help to move forward with filming of a third season.

The goal for this Kickstarter project is to raise $8,000 to make season three a reality. As Richard Neal, the owner of Zeus Comics, explained on Twitter, by raising these funds they can film all of Season 3 at one time, which will allow them to release the series weekly and add Chris Haley and Curt Franklin of the webcomic Let's Be Friends Again to the cast. Haley and Franklin guest starred in the season finale of Season 2 as potential investors in taking Zeus (the comic book store where The Variants takes place) national.

The Variants Season 3 Kickstarter project is already halfway funded with almost 40 days still to go! By raising the $8,000 through Kickstarter, The Variants can produce six all new episodes. If they are able to raise $10,000, they will produce 8 episodes, and if they make it all the way to $12,000, they’ll produce 10 episodes and additional content for the series. The Blot is a huge proponent of supporting web series and webcomics whose creators give out free content on a daily, weekly or monthly basis, which is why I have already pledged to this exciting project. Hopefully after watching The Variants and finding out more about the great incentives involved with this Kickstarter project, you’ll want to support this fantastic show as well.

The Variants Web Series Season 2

The Variants web series, one of The Blot’s guilty pleasures and a must watch for any true comic book fan, returned last week with the first all new episode of Season 2! For those of you unfamiliar with The Variants, it’s a web comedy series that takes you behind the counter of your favorite comic book store.

The Variants is the brain child of Richard Neal, Joe Cucinotti and Ken Lowery. In early 2009, Richard, owner of the award-winning Zeus Comics, thought all the crazy stuff he saw in his store would make excellent fodder for a comedy series. Seeing the success of web comedies like The Guild, Richard approached Joe and Ken – longtime friends, writers and regulars at the store – to help him develop the series.

While I was originally drawn to the web series because of its locale (Dallas’ Zeus is one of my favorite comic book stores), I stayed with the series because of its outlandish stories and zany cast of characters. Plus, there are some really great cameos by some big name comic creators! But don’t take my word for it, start watching The Variants from the pilot episode, or order you can order The Variants Season 1 on DVD here for just $15.

Adam WarRock in Concert presented by Zeus Comics & The Variants

Zeus Comics and the hit web series The Variants bring nerdcore rap artist Adam WarRock for his Dallas debut this Sunday, February 27th, at Alexandre’s Bar. Come see Adam’s deft lyricism and hip hop beats for this one-night-only performance. The Blot can’t even begin to tell you how bummed I am to be missing this show! I’ve been looking forward to Adam WarRock’s show in Dallas ever since Zeus Comics owner Richard Neal first teased the show almost 6 months ago. Sadly, due to some prior commitments here in Houston I won’t be able to travel to Dallas for the show (and The Variants Season 2 taping). But just because I can’t attend the show doesn’t mean you shouldn’t!

Adam WarRock is widely known as the Internet’s foremost comic book nerdcore rapper. He has gained a following through his tireless song production, biting sense of humor, and sharp eye for geek and pop cultural topics to skewer in hip hop form. First gaining widespread attention after filmmaker Edgar Wright discovered his “Scott Pilgrim” recap rap, WarRock went on to gain further notoriety with the single “Ira Glass,” which turned the name of This American Life’s host into a verb for living life boldly. Mr. Glass personally gave the song his blessing.

WarRock went on to release his debut album, The War For Infinity, in the Fall of 2010. This album, along with WarRock’s West Coast Avengers Mixtape, has been playing on The Blot’s iPod constantly since its release. I highly recommend downloading both albums ASAP! WarRock’s upcoming Dallas concert marks one more stop on his nationwide tour of theaters and comic book shops.

For those of you unfamiliar with Zeus Comics, it’s a nationally recognized comic book store known for its innovation in the field of comic book retail. The WarRock concert is also partly sponsored by the web series The Variants, which will be on hand for the performance to film footage for a future episode.

Alexandre’s Bar is located at 4026 Cedar Springs Road in Dallas, Texas. Admission is free, but you must be 21 and up to attend. If any readers of TheBlotSays.com from the DFW attend this show please hit me up and let me know what you think! All is not lost though, rumor has Adam WarRock will be making his Houston debut in May for Comicpalooza! More details to come…