Author: matthewephotography@yahoo.com
AI is a hot topic in almost every creative profession nowadays. Unsurprisingly, there are several companies in Japan and the US taking on the challenge of using AI-assisted technologies for manga translation and localization. Several of these startups have received hefty investments from major Japanese publishers, including Shogakukan, Shueisha, and Kadokawa. Orange Inc. (not to be confused with anime studio Orange that produced Trigun Stampede and Beastars) is a manga publishing startup that bounced onto the N. American comics publishing scene in Spring 2024 with an announcement that they received $2.92 billion yen (roughly $20 million USD) in pre-Series A…
Courtesy of Aspen Comics, AIPT is happy to share the hardcover and dust jacket cover for Ekos Vol. 1. Fans can sign up to be notified when the Kickstarter campaign launches. Ekos is an all-new comics and entertainment universe inspired by the art and work of the legendary Michael Turner and Geoff Johns, and produced by Marvel Studios founder David Maisel.So, what’s in Ekos Vol. 1?Echos introduces a new Superstar named Grell who goes on a journey to discover the world of Echos. Along the way, Grell meets many of the beloved characters from Michael Turner’s legend, including Superstars Aspen…
Welcome, X-Fans, to another uncanny edition of X-Men Monday at AIPT!As a character, Storm enjoyed a full-blown renaissance during the First Krakoan Age thanks to gifted creators like Al Ewing and Luciano Vecchio. That creative momentum shows no signs of slowing down with the “From the Ashes” era in full swing. Ororo Munroe has already joined the Avengers, and now she’s set to star in her own ongoing Storm series, courtesy of writer Murewa Ayodele and artist Lucas Werneck.X-Fans… the Storm storm is intensifying. Ororo’s fans are hyped — and so is Murewa! Fortunately, Murewa was ready to make his…
The next iPhones are expected to be unveiled today at 1PM ET. Yes, iPhones. There will be four new devices: the base iPhone 16, the larger iPhone 16 Plus, the iPhone 16 Pro, and another powerful iPhone 15 Pro Max. The Pro models will likely have slightly larger screens, going from 6.1 inches to 6.3 inches for the regular Pro and 6.7 inches to 6.9 inches for the Pro Max. The iPhone 16’s camera module is also likely to be redesigned.While these will likely take center stage, Apple likely won’t miss the opportunity to show off even more hardware, especially…
If the compact Wonderboom is too bulky for you, Ultimate Ears’ newest speaker replaces that model as the smallest product in the company’s current lineup. The Miniroll, as the name suggests, is a smaller version of the company’s flat, circular Roll design. This new Bluetooth option weighs less than a pound and can fit in tight pockets. And, as UE has been eager touting in its marketing materials, you can attach the speaker to just about anything thanks to a built-in flexible strap.Once again, Ultimate Ears has kept the prominent volume buttons as a key design element. The power and…
I hate losing stuff, but it’s something I’m very good at. Bluetooth trackers help me find my keys and wallet when I have no idea where they are and I should have left five minutes ago. These tiny fobs attach to keys, slide into wallets and hang out in bags where they silently communicate with your phone, ready to sing out their location with a couple of taps in the companion app.Vast networks of other phones can also anonymously track down a tracker if it ever goes missing in the wild. Not all trackers are compatible with all phones, and…
Indie developer Gardenfiend Games has released a beautiful plant-horror game that the team describes as “Hollow Knight meets Titan Souls.” Releasing on September 6th for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S, Perennial Order is a 2D boss rush game inspired by the art styles of Dark Souls, Princess Mononoke, and Magic: The Gathering. You play as an undead knight with a pitcher plant head (or maybe a helmet), a needle grafted onto one arm, and a hostile world teeming with plant-infested monsters. Needless to say, I downloaded it immediately.Perennial Order can be played solo or with friends. Both local and…
Image credit: Ray & Jay Comics Set in an alternate time period in the mid-2000s where supernatural beings have been emerging from portals to other dimensions for the past few decades, “Raise Hell” tells the story of three teenage friends who summon a little demon friend. The problem they have is that the demon ants are so bound to them that they cannot leave their side. In a way, the ants are physically bound to them. Demonic beings are allowed to attend school, but ants are more like familiars. Familiars have been shown to be a distraction to students, so…
Marvel recently released the “Agatha Harkness: Tales of the Witches of Salem” trade paperback, which reprints Agatha Harkness’ appearances in classic issues of “The Fantastic Four” and “The Avengers,” as well as the complete five-issue “Midnight Sun” miniseries coming in 2022.Most of it is entertainment material. I especially love the first story, “The Return of the Frightful Four,” from Fantastic Four #94 (1969). This issue came towards the end of the Stan Lee/Jack Kirby run, with Kirby leaving the book a few issues later (Fantastic Four #102 was his final issue, though some of his work was used in Fantastic…
Many of Apple Intelligence’s most anticipated features will arrive gradually after the release of iOS 18. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman said it could be December before the iPhone offers features like AI-generated images and custom emojis. Apple Intelligence is expected to debut in iOS 18.1, which Gurman previously reported will likely be released sometime in October. Genmoji and the upcoming image generation tool Image Playground will reportedly not be among the first features. Gurman predicts they will be released in iOS 18.2, due for release in December.Apple unveiled Genmoji and Image Playground at its June event. Genmoji lets users create custom…