Freelance illustrator and “big geek,” Keith Decesare, is an incredible concept artist who specializes in the fantasy and steampunk genres by “shaping imagination into visual reality.” He most often works in the digital medium and has created art for role-playing games, trading cards, book covers, video games, historical depictions and movie concept art.
Keith performs extensive research on his subjects and creates narratives for each piece of work, believing each picture has its own story. Many of his stand alone pin-ups depict beautiful and adventurous women in fantasy settings, but he …

I wasn’t expecting much from the new Battleship movie, a film based on the almost 70 year-old game that involves two players in a hit & miss strategy to “sink” each other’s mock naval fleets, and the film is as cheesy and implausible as they come, but somehow this movie won me over and I loved every corny minute of it. It’s a spectacular Saturday-morning summer popcorn movie and 45,000 tons of fun!
If you can imagine a mishmash of the films An Officer and a Gentleman, Top Gun, the Transformers …

Local creator April Reyna has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in computer animation, but since graduating from Arizona State University, she has focused her creativity and artistic skills on comic book illustration, saying, “I love to draw and feel that that is my goal in life.”
April began her comic art career with Heroic Age Studios where she worked on color separations for DC comics including Justice League of America, Teen Titans and Wonder Woman. She has since worked as a freelance artist on projects including Devi-licious Recipe Adventures, Alien …

If you are a fan of the Sacha Baron Cohen characters Borat, Brüno and Ali G, then you are certainly going to want to see Cohen’s new movie, The Dictator. It is every bit as offensive, crude, sarcastic and funny as his previous satirical work and maybe even more so. The Dictator proves that Cohen is probably, in equal parts, the most courageous, outrageous and intelligently stupid comedic actor/writer there has ever been.
Cohen is known for completely becoming his offensive characters and placing them into real-life situations where people unwittingly …

Chris Burkheart is one of the founding members and creative geniuses behind the local art collective known as Oddity Commodity. In 2008, Chris and his super-team of eccentric artists took Phoenix by storm and became cult favorites at pop-culture events throughout the valley as they produced their unique brand of original art on-the-fly for long lines of rabid fans who would enthusiastically cheer, “Woo OddCo,” with every completed sketch.
The OddCo collective has recently disbanded as its members pursue individual projects under their own names, but the group of friends still …

This is a story about a man cursed to stay in the darkness for 200 years until he escapes to find himself alone and confused in a new world he never knew. No, I’m not talking about Barnabas Collins in the new Tim Burton/Johnny Depp vehicle and television show redo, Dark Shadows; I’m talking about myself sitting through this frighteningly unfrightening film that is an insult to its source material. OK, so it wasn’t 200 years long – but it certainly felt like it.
The new Dark Shadows movie is very …

Scott Shehi is the founder, owner and head artist of the local independent creative group known as T.R.I.B.E. Studio Comics. Known as “Bub” to his friends and fans, Scott is hard-working and passionate about his art and dedicated to the success of his books, as well as the comics by other creators in his stable.
Since 2004, Scott’s T.R.I.B.E. Comics has worked with several valley creators, including Joe Flores, Frank O’Rourke, Hatch Tarr, Mandela Addah and Vincent Morris. He has published a myriad of titles including Tribal Stories, Hot Dog Man, …

Wow, what an incredible event! Last Friday’s Ignite Phoenix #12 was my first Ignite show, but it will certainly not be my last. This was the most amazing mix of comedy, drama, creativity, community, social commentary and social media technology that I have ever seen, and as someone who has dabbled in community event coordination I was inspired, impressed and even envious at the expertise in which this entertaining event was executed. Bravo Ignite! Bravo Phoenix!
Ignite Phoenix showcases 18 local individuals (out of dozens of submissions) who are passionate about …

Anabel Martinez is a digital artist and graphic designer who specializes in creating sci-fi and fantasy art inspired by video games and other genre related material. She has been a featured artist in the Scottsdale Public Art Boardroom and has over eight years of professional marketing, graphics and web design experience.
Anabel is a multi-faceted artist who also loves creating (and wearing) detailed and functional costumes. She recently wrapped up a working trip to New Zealand and she shared some of her adventures in the “land down under” with Nerdvana …

And there came a movie, a movie unlike any other, where Earth’s mightiest heroes and heroines found themselves united against a common threat. On that day, “The Avengers” became the greatest comic book film ever created, and for pure unbridled and exciting entertainment value, this may be Earth’s greatest movie ever.