The other day here at Girls of Geek we brought you the story of the Kickstarter campaign for Kaiju Rising:  Age of Monsters, an awesome anthology featuring some incredible artists and writers.  We promised you more coverage and today is that day as we have had the distinct honor to sit down and speak with Nick Sharps, one of the partners from Kaiju Rising's publication company; Ragnarok Publications. 

But before we get to the interview we wanted to update all of you and congratulate all of those involved over the fact that Kaiju Rising has achieved every single Kickstarter goal thanks to all of you all out there.  This is an incredible achievement and that makes this interview almost celebratory in nature now.  So without further ado, here is our interview with Nick Sharps.  

Girls of Geek:  What was the first Kaiju monster that truly captivated you?
Nick Sharps:  You know, that title belongs to my all time favorite kaiju - Destoroyah. I watched a lot of Godzilla movies as a kid but the one that remains the most vivid in my memory is Godzilla vs. Destoroyah. I love that it has multiple forms. I love that it looks like a kaiju that would ransack Hell, sending demons fleeing in terror.


Girls of Geek:  What led to the creation of Kaiju Rising?  
Nick Sharps:  After having watched Pacific Rim in theaters for the third time (in 3D of course) I was at work, bussing tables and day dreaming as I was wont to do, when I thought - how cool would it be to write a kaiju story! So I worked out the basic plot as I was scraping pizza crust into the garbage. But then I ran into another problem - I don't yet have the patience or persistence to write a full length novel. A short story is about as much as I can handle. So I figured that I'd need an outlet, some sort of giant monster anthology I could submit to. But where was I going to find a giant monster anthology with open subs? So that's when it hit me - I'll make my own! I suggested the idea to Joe Martin in a half-joking manner and the rest, as they say, is history.


Girls of Geek:   What does it to mean to you to see this Kickstarter campaign be this successful?
Nick Sharps:  It is incredibly fulfilling to get the type of response we've gotten for this project. I had faith that a kaiju anthology would sell but I've been wrong before. It has been so totally freaking awesome to watch the money pour in and witness the support of the genre community. Hell, I thought it was wicked sweet discussing the project in private, but to be able to do it through all these blogs and in return receive all this love - it's heart warming. It has given me hope for humanity...hope I intend to squash beneath the foot of some colossal beasts from space (or Hell, or where ever).


Girls of Geek:  Did you have any idea that fans would respond to this campaign with such passion and dedication?  After all, Kaiju Rising has not only been funded but hit every single stretch goal.
Nick Sharps:  As I mentioned before, I had faith that we could fund this project. I believed that with the talent we had on hand and the theme we had worked up, it would fill a necessary niche in the market. I wasn't entirely sure how far past 100% funded we would go. We set up all these cool stretch goals as incentives - stretch goals that I wanted to meet, not only as Project Creator but as a backer myself - but I wasn't sure if we'd be able to hit them all. When you think about it, $15,500 is a lot of money. Yet with 60+ hours to go in the campaign we managed to reach our final stretch goal - an original piece of art by Bob Eggelton, inspired by KAIJU RISING. Our backers should be proud of the tremendous accomplishment they have achieved!


Girls of Geek:  What was it like for you when you heard back from so many great authors and artists when they agreed to take part in this anthology? 
Nick Sharps:  You know how it is when you KNOW you're right but having someone confirm it makes it that much sweeter? That's what it was like when we started to hear back from our authors and artists. I can't even begin to explain the level of excitement we saw in those responses. We have some hardcore kaiju groupies on our lineup - a lot of our authors helped to shape what this anthology would eventually become. And the authors we invited but couldn't make time for the project? They were largely bummed out they couldn't hit the deadline. And our artists? Gosh. They have been great support, especially Robert Elrod with his promotional kaiju sketches. Backers have seen some of the cool art Robert and Chuck Lukacs are capable of - but until they crack open KAIJU RISING: Age of Monsters, they haven't seen nothin' yet!


Girls of Geek:  What are you looking forward to the most about seeing this anthology come to life? 
Nick Sharps:   I'm excited to see the full package. We have been dealing with this anthology in bits and pieces for the last three months. I have read some of the stories. I have seen the work of our artists. I'm ready to see it all put together. I know it's going to make one stunning anthology. But even more than that I'm excited to see the reaction from our backers. I'm eager for their feedback. I believe we've assembled a quality product but my opinion doesn't matter - there's does. I want to see pictures of our backers with their books, pictures of them with their plushies, and I want to see reviews for all these wonderful stories. I'm stoked for launch.


Girls of Geek:  What does it mean to you to have so much passion surrounding this project from both fans and the writers and artists? 
Nick Sharps: The passion is really what drives KAIJU RISING: Age of Monsters. Without it, what do we have? Some pages with some words and a couple sketches. Passion is what it's all about. You can read it in every line of every story, you can see it depicted in the pen strokes of the art, and you can count it in the funding of our backers. Say one thing for the KR:AoM community, say it's passionate. And yes, that was totally a Bloody Nine reference (hey, if any of you know Joe Abercrombie we'd love to get him in on a sequel...)


Girls of Geek:  What's next for Ragnarok Publications after this? 
Nick Sharps:  What's next for Ragnarok Publications? The short answer: work. The long answer: lots and lots of work. Joe, Tim, and I have our work cut out for us preparing this product to ship. We've got editing to do, ordering, shipping...loads of stuff. But you know what? It's a labor of love. We wouldn't be doing this if it wasn't so damn fun, if we didn't believe in it. With the success of KAIJU RISING: Age of Monsters there has been talk of a sequel sometime down the line, we'll just have to see how successful it is when it is delivered into our reader's hands. There are some other cool projects brewing in the back rooms of Ragnarok Publications. I would encourage readers to check out Apocalyptic Montessa and Nuclear Lulu by Mercedes M. Yardley. It's the first novella published by Ragnark Publications and I've heard great things about it. I'd also suggest following us on Twitter and Facebook for updates and news!


For more information please check in with Ragnarok Publications here: 

Website: http://www.ragnarokpub.com/

This go round on Fangasm, the interns were tasked with making promo video's for Stan Lee's ComiKazeCon. Which, inadvertently lead to the group splitting into teams! Also, Andrew broke the break room coffee machine….then got sent out to get coffee for Regina and her assistant!

Andrew and Sal worked to get as many short films pumped out as possible, while Paul, Dani, Kristin, Mike and Molly got super creative with theirs. Paul was turning into Cthulhu (all hail his mighty awesomeness) and Sal even participated in one; having a chest monster with Stan Lee's face on it bursting out of his chest. Both of which, were Regina's favorites.

This episode had more than just funny video making, and coffee shenanigans. It also had arguments over cosplay: the objectification of woman, which would make a great book, if Molly ever decided to write it, clubbing: the nerd version, and Dating 101: Adrianne Curry's guide to getting geek guys to flirt!

First, we have the geek clubbing experience. One that was even painful to watch. Mostly because there was glowstick/lightsaber fighting and I wasn't invited! Which led to Mike to confess that he liked Molly. Which she rebuffed. Later the two got into a full blown argument over cosplay and how it can objectify women and lead to consent issues. Mike brought up the fact that men who cosplay have just as much trouble with this issue as women. Molly disagreed and angrily stormed off. Sorry Molly, I kinda agree with Mike, it's bad on all gender fronts! Con's just have grope happy people sometimes!

Next, we had Sal drawing Dani a picture…and then denying that he drew her a picture. The awkward flirty tension was felt throughout the house, which escalated once America's Next Top Model winner Adrianne Curry showed up to join in on a podcast, thank's to Regina being best friends with her! Then, things got worse. Or better. Depending on how you look at it. Adrianne decided that Sal and Paul really needed to learn how to flirt and pick up chicks. So it was off to the bar for them!

We learned that friend-zoning is a serious affliction nerd guys suffer with…so to combat this, Adrianne sent Paul to flirt with two attractive blondes at the bar. Which, he did well…until Sal showed up. Oh Sal. It ended okay. Paul learned to have confidence and Sal got the nerve to ask Dani out! That's right! The first nerd-hookup took place tonight! As predicted by Andrew! Are Mike and Molly next? Or will Kristin and Paul go for it?

With so much in one episode, what's left for next week!? Why, drawing superhero's for Stan Lee, of course! Or so the teaser leads us to believe…

And as always, @RealPaulPerkins is a blast to tweet with on these nights. He even promised to invite me to his next editing party! I'll bring the m&m's Paul!, it's settled. Tuesdays are my favorite night. 

Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. was filled with the awesome destruction of innocent planes! And some really awesome bad-guy-beat-upery. Which is totally a word.

We started off this week with Agent Ward, May, and Coulson debating the addition of Skye. Ward and May are against the idea, Coulson assures she's a consultant (like Stark!) and they move on to the task at hand. An 0-8-4, which means, well, they don't know what it means. Off to Peru to find out!

A mysterious weapon older than the temple it's found in seems to mimic the Tesseract, which if you recall is the main scary weapon in The Avengers and Captain America, as the cosmic cube, and it is giving off large energy signatures. While Fitz and Simmons examine the device, local police show up, followed by rebel forces because rebels are always attacking at the most inconvenient of times! Turns out Coulson knows the woman in charge (they have a history ^_~) and everyone runs off to the super awesome S.H.I.E.L.D. plane!

But of course, you can never trust people from your past. Especially when they show up out of nowhere, completely willing to help you. Backstabbing is always going to occur. And does it. This, though, gets Fitz, Simmons, Ward, Skye and May to work together in order to save Coulson, the plane, and the 0-8-4. Which they do….the fact that they blow a hole in the nice, state-of-the-art-plane (of awesome), has nothing to do with it. After all such explosions are covered under S.H.I.E.L.D.'s deductible.

Of course that means everything ends happy, right? Sort of. Skye get's a mysterious text, asking if she's 'in' and she say's she is. Meanwhile, Coulson is busy with a meeting with none other than Nick Fury. The Nick Fury. That's right; Samuel L. Jackson made a guest appearance on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. all so he can yell at Coulson. I seriously hope they continue with these cameo's! (Black Widow and Hawkeye would fit in perfectly with this show!)

Team bonding? Skye's sketchy text? Coulson's love of Tahiti? The tension is building more and more, leaving hints and making me wonder: just what happened to Phil!? Hopefully we find out more in next weeks episode.
Until then, we can only speculate. 

We are all human.  I know it is hard to admit it, but it is true.  Things that we believe can be done that cannot be may be beyond our comprehension, but we are always willing to try.  That is the human drive that we are taught growing up, if you put your mind to it, you can do it.  In so many ways this is true, but there are just some things that our mind and body will not allow us to accomplish.  

This is one of the things Tony Stark has to confront in the third installment of Iron Man.  Our story starts off with Stark attending a conference in Switzerland (noted in the cave from the first movie) in 1999.  Stark is researching researcher Maya Hansen on New Year’s Eve, who is working on a project called EXTREMIS.  EXTREMIS is a growth hormone that gives the body the ability to regenerate, along with re-growing human limbs.  During the trip up to the hotel room, Stark and Hansen are confronted by a less than ordinary man named Aldrich Killian who seems very interested in Hansen’s research, but is blown off by Stark who had only one thing on his mind.

A famous man once said, 'We create our own demons.' Who said that? What does that even mean? Doesn't matter. I said it ‘cause he said it.

The first line of the movie speaks volumes about how it persists.  Iron Man III takes place after The Avengers.  Tony Stark is back at work in his shop, not being able to sleep at all, Stark does what he does best, creating a newer and better suit, up to Mark 42.  Trying to battle his own demons, at least the ones he knows about, Stark is doing his best to hide his current problem, anxiety. Being brought back down to the problems of normal people, Stark is confronted by another villain, The Mandarin.   The Mandarin is challenging the President of the United States to be taught a lesson.  What lesson the President will learn will have to wait, as the Mandarin continues to break into the public television feed with visions of terror.

Iron Man III is a great look into the strengths that we encompass, along with our weaknesses.  Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) delivers as always, Tony at his finest.  Colonel Rhodes (Don Cheadle) continues to clean up any scenes when the two are not in the same room, also War Machine is a name of the past as Iron Patriot is announced to the public.  Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) continues to play the normal girlfriend, but is willing to put up a fight for what she believes is right.  Aldrich Killian is played by Guy Pearce is able to deliver in his role the way a brilliant, almost madman should.  Then a fantastic job by Ben Kingsley, who plays the Mandarin with a mountain of hair all while filling the American public with all kinds of fear.

With all that has happened in the Iron Man series and with the addition of The Avengers movie, this is the only way to follow it up.  Making sure to keep Tony Stark in check as a real person may not be everyone’s favorite way to finish up this first trilogy, however this adds a sense of reality to the character.  Everyone can find a way to be the best at what they do, but some people are able to find a way to do it faster.  Faster may be the path that most of us what to take, you must always remember that the stress that it entails may cause you more problems than it is really worth.  

It's a golden era for horror and science fiction.  It's everywhere and while the living dead rule the land, there are forgotten creatures in these genres that have waited in the shadows long enough and are beginning to step into the sunlight and have their day as well.  

Specifically, the great far east monsters are making their comeback.  Pacific Rim was merely the beginning as we wait for the King of Monsters himself, Godzilla, to return to the big screen next year.  But in between that time frame what does one do to get their fix of beings that tower over our biggest cities? That's easy, we head over to Kickstarter.com and jump in on a project that features some of the best and brightest in the literary and art world...Kaiju Rising:  Age of Monsters.

This incredible anthology will feature 19 unique stories that feature incredible Kaiju monsters.  Ragnarok Publications, the brains behind this anthology, have done an outstanding job of finding some incredible up and coming writers to work alongside some New York Times bestselling authors.  But in addition to reading work by Peter Clines or James Lovegrove you'll be able to enjoy incredible artwork as well.  A great artist we have spoken to on this site before, Robert Elrod will be featured.  

But what's already incredible about the Kickstarter campaign for this amazing anthology is that it is already funded.  So why would I bother writing about a project that has what it needs?  Well because there are built in stretch goals depending on how much money is raised.  These goals are great for both the publisher and the fans, since the publisher gets to see their vision fully realized and the fans get fresh tie-ins to the story allowing for a richer tapestry of monsters and unique artwork that they can receive as an additional prize for helping contribute to the book.  

So take a little time, check out the links we are about to provide, and join in on the upcoming Age of Monsters.  https://www.facebook.com/RagnarokPublications