jalopy

New Comics Day wins Eagle Award!

2012-01-21T14:58:00.003-05:00

Not really.

But I do have some more articles there. Such as this piece on the Ed Wood of comic books, Rob Liefeld.
And this brand spanking new piece concerning a once and future overlooked gem, Wolfpack.

New Comics Day: comic book journalism totally had this coming.

how to rock stars

2012-01-21T11:05:00.003-05:00

In the middle of last year, NASA (due to apparent budget issues) retired its entire shuttle program. At first, I wondered jokingly if the closure may have actually somehow concerned that big wave of gamma radiation hitting the earth. But then a satellite fell from the sky.
And then, another.
And yet another.
Are these events in any way connected? What is the likelihood of back to back satellite defunctions plummeting plummeting plummeting on down? Are we getting intimidating messages from deep space?
How 2012 will 2012 really prove to be?

the cooling bleed

2012-01-06T12:11:00.005-05:00

In case you missed it, Rich Johnston was kind enough to run an article of mine at BleedingCool. Just something to observe the many passings last year of comic book professionals. And there were many.

And on not too dissimilar a point, I recently came across this quote by Ayn Rand. When asked what the purpose of love was, she responded:
"Love is a command to rise to one's highest potential, the best and noblest vision of ourselves. Love is a reward, the greatest we can earn, granted to us for the moral qualities we have achieved in our lives."

But on a completely unrelated subject, this is not me...but it so easily could be. Though we Richard Caldwells all do seem to be cut of the same cloth. So unnerving commonalities are status quo, 'round these parts. Verily.

I don't want to buy anything.

2011-12-19T16:46:00.004-05:00

I've had long-distance and long-winded talks recently with a small number of friends and relatives. We discourse about the Occupy Wall Street movement, as some have been active in keeping Occupy going in their towns. Some see my logic in declaring the entire Occupy movement as the newest incarnation of Abolitionism, though I hear questions regarding why I do not take a more active role myself. I admit, I have made some Occupy Henpeck shirts for more local family members, but I won't be hitching cross country anytime soon. Why? Because I have been doing this my whole life.

Maybe, the greatest unseen symptom of the plague that our society has become (as evidenced by the long list of complaints from Occupy) is in allowing ourselves to be convinced that, not only is money apparently synonymous with opportunity, but that money itself is the one and only doorway to opportunity.

The deeper into pure and coldly unbridled Capitalism we go as a collective body, the more unchecked we find our individual greed to be and the less willing we are to accept the ramifications of our own actions. As we allow the pursuit of money to become the primary focus of our lives, we end up slaving away too much of our lives for someone else to do our thinking for us, all for something shiny enough to maybe make the whole mess worthwhile after all. We lose our initiative, our independence, and so we passive-aggressively allow our governments to be run as business. If the government is indeed representative of its people, and the people concern themselves entirely with financial survival, financial gains, then how else should such a body of power conduct itself? And more importantly, as incredibly unhealthy as such a system inherently is for every single participant therein, how does such a construct be combated?
After all, businesses can layoff their employees. Are we not now seeing (and living) the Federal government run with business in mind's equivalently detrimental side effects among said government's citizenry? And not just for the mass of the population, but a diseased reality tunnel that affects every single class, every single station, each in its own very worst and inhumane way conceivable? What degree of fire to fight that fire which forges us all into unnatural things?
For starters, you could stop enabling it, the whole damn system.

One great idea to come from the Occupy groups is the notion of taking your money away from banks and instead giving it to credit unions. While credit unions are far from perfect, this is perceived as the lesser of two evils, and you would still be taking money from the hands of bankers who do not even pretend to hold your best interests at heart. For myself, I nixed my bank account a few years ago, seeing the big bailout as the final straw. And I have survived since just fine, without either bank or credit union, or that bizarre compulsion such institutions instill in the populace of paying others for the privilege of holding your money away from you. At its core, the concept of credit cards is also inexcusable. You give your money to those who have not earned it and do not need it, just with the service charges. You do not need a bank account to live. You do not need a credit card to live. The notion of credit is not a concrete, rational thing. Any contented life should be filled overflowing with the concrete and rational, not the ultimately meaningless. A person's credit rating unto itself can neither create or destroy life, so stop treating it with similar importance.
Equally, I have never in my life had insurance, of any variety. Nor do I ever pay protection monies to the mob- which in my mind is no different. You give your money away to insurance companies, and if nothing upsetting should happen then you will never see a return. This is betting against life. It is ethically wrong and just plain retarded. Gambling is considered a sin for a reason. In the same vein, investing in the stock market is nothing less than legalized gambling. Burn your money instead- at least you might receive a moment of warmth in the doing.

Instead of supporting the dastardly habits of big corporations, big conglomerates- from banking systems to insurance industries to the stock exchange- support small business. We all have heard our greener friends spout off about the benefits of buying local, and there is truth to this. Giving your money to small businesses helps to fight monopolization, while helping the little guy is good for the soul (yours and his). Chains do not need your cash. Period. Even in broader terms- let your money do your talking for you (presuming you absolutely must buy anything, anything at all). Boycott freely. Require more than a familiar song on an advert to entice you to shop somewhere specific. I have not stepped foot inside a Wal-Mart in over ten years. Why? Because they openly practice censorship, practice inequal rights, and spit on graves. More mom and pop, less Uncle Tom, anyone?

If anything, I guarantee you that it is far funner to fret over such silliness as the one that got away, rather than fret over how to go about living beyond your means. Minimal paper trail equates to lesser the blemishes on your conscience. Simplify the obstructions to what your life really is, what your life really could be. Cut out the countless unnecessary middlemen and expensive red tape from what constitutes your actual happiness and the happiness of those around you. Unchained, reach for the fucking stars, not for the latest overpriced gadget from some corporation that gives more to lobbyists than pays in taxes.
As I have stated elsewhere- be brave enough to create heaven on Earth for those you love, and be brave enough to create hell on Earth for those you do not love. But always remember- real love is priceless. Because values cannot feed you. They can though, give meaning. They give direction, they give shelter in the storm.
Boycott freely means hunger strike. And that's my whole damn life. By all means and inexhaustibly:

non serviam.

Joe Simon

2011-12-15T14:39:00.002-05:00

Rest In Peace.

10.11.13 - 12.14.11

from the underground

2011-12-06T20:08:00.004-05:00

Just some quick links I wanted to share, as I maintain my usual holding pattern.

New Comics Day, the crazy new mock-comic book news site is gathering some momentum. My latest contributions include a review of Disney's latest Kingdom Hearts game (guest starring some of the Marvel Universe's finest), and also a look at Diamond Steve Geppi's most recent financial struggles. Only the truth could be more shocking, believe you me.

On a far more serious note- I have started a blog dedicated to the ongoing memories of my elder sister Rebecca. A victim of domestic violence, Becc was a writer in her own right who never had the chance to rightly shine. Eventually I will include private musings of days long gone by, photos, news bites concerning Domestic Violence Awareness, as well as many more samplings of her own work. She was truly a one in a trillion interesting human being, and my own needs in battling domestic violence aside, I hope to share some of who she was (and who she could have been) here.

And while I am on the subject of crusades, I endorse this effort 23 zillion percent, Clifford Meth's Sidekick Foundation. If only something less politically biased than the Hero Initiative had existed for Steve Perry.

imogen and isolde

2011-11-21T13:07:00.002-05:00

So that factory job did not last long, and the one after that led to my breaking my right arm. I am still at the motel and still looking for work (mostly legal or better), though as a chain-smoker I am not much for holding my breath.
More importantly, my ma has been in and out of the hospital, having a bypass heart surgery last week and a number of strokes since.

I love my goddaughter immeasurably but I am growing very tired of this life.

god almighty hates book lerners?

2011-10-30T18:35:00.002-04:00

Strangest search keywords I have yet seen on my jalopy.

"god almighty hates book lerners"

Especially the second time.

oh yea.

2011-10-30T10:08:00.007-04:00

I encountered Torkild Hackler via the BleedingCool forums earlier this year. I thought his NewComicsDay blog was laugh out loud funny. He informed me that he was actually soon to relaunch, bigger and better. I said I'd love to contribute sometime, comedy and news both being insanely dear to me. He said he had problems finding like-minded folks to play along and that I was more than welcome.
So, I will be writing for his new NewComicsDay, the media webzine of fake comic book news. Irregularly, as I am still not in a position to do much of anything online, at least not as much as the world demands. But for my first article I wanted something truly special.
And Steve Ditko had been hounding me for an interview for a long while...
So if you are tired of the homogeneous media sites desperately racing each other to copy and paste the exact same damn press releases, I highly recommend NCD. Scroll through his previous articles and laugh your ass off. You have my solemn permission.

Hellbent For Fun And Profit

2011-10-24T21:47:00.016-04:00

or,
Naught A Bold-Faced Liar To Be Heard

I have a suggestion for the Occupy Wall Street protesters, from NYC to the sister groups that have spread nationally and kindred spirits abroad. This may well be my very best idea of the year.

I moved into this Bardstown, Kentucky motel on the 16th of September- the day before the protests began- and have eagerly followed the news of the effort primarily via all of the major cable television news outlets (particularly the overtly schizophrenic spin spewing out as status quo from FOX news). While searching for work in small town America is a kick in the pants, what I have seen is that denial and confusion seem to continuously plague all coverage of the protests. Confusion at how a grassroots group could have not only survived this long in the public spotlight but still grows from one week to the next. Denial in accepting that so many complaints demonstrated equates somehow to a lacking of singular organization or purpose. As though real validity might magically pop up should the thousands of protesters focus on an individual qualm. While many of Occupy Wall Street's aims can clearly be summed up by the innuendo of its name, I have even seen reports inferring agendas far more militaristic based on nothing but the first word of said name. And though resisting the need to establish a self-governing body will eventually lead to outsiders disrupting and further defaming Occupy Wall Street, the anarchy inherent to the group is the only way of ensuring the many voices be heard equally. Taking their grievances to Congress will not accomplish much, as there has never truly been a case of someone actually resolving anything from the inside out. Nobody changes the system from the inside, despite campaign trail promises, and especially when the whole playing field direly needs restructuring. Congress itself lacks the diversity of voices held by Occupy Wall Street. Filibustering, as an example, any jobs plan at a time like this is a cockblocking bully-move and certainly not very Democratic. Or rational. Or mature.

So what should the Occupy Wall Streeters do? How to gain more clarifying unification in the eyes of the public (or at least the public's media complex), without sacrificing its agendas or its spirit?
Abolitionism.
The protesters should acknowledge just exactly how much they have in common with the first largest social cause this country has ever known, and they should rebrand themselves thusly, immediately. While at one time Abolitionists even became a political party unto itself, in its heyday even most politicians were frightened of aligning too closely too publicly with the cause for fear of distancing themselves from prospective voters. Abolitionists were not pro-greed or for the redistribution of wealth- they were concerned with the exact opposite of those charges, of capping the greed of the individuals who kept all others in chains depriving persons of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Doesn't this all sound a might familiar?
For longevity (as well as continuity), Occupy Wall Street should associate themselves with this historic order which despite the system it challenged was able to evoke dramatic changes to politics and culture and all points inbetween. The protesters want their own chains cut, and from essentially the same masters.
No more slavewage days sacrificing the future away as this kind of indentured servitude replaces more distinctly what used to be the lower social classes (yet still the bulk of the population). Servitude to tuition debts, medical bills, insurance bills, the ridiculous implications of lousy credit, and the ever-escalating costs of basic living. I myself cannot even begin to afford to drink my troubles away. I am talking about servitude to the banks who own our homes, the full dance cards of our elected officials, and all tools with which to challenge the very system depleting the many of any and all livelihood. Yes, the entire system needs to be changed, rethought, and reborn. Capitalism is inhumane and vulgar. It is obviously not working if so much trouble is caused for so many poor souls. "Sacrifice the few to save the many" is a sentiment seemingly only explored in ethics courses, but we are living the complete and total opposite of that, and without any choice in the matter. The few sacrifice the many. Slavery.
This would not downplay the anti-slavery movement whatsoever. This is still the anti-slavery movement. Harsh words, but then the only detractors are the moneymen with something to lose, or their mouthpieces.
And the only ones who refer to this as class warfare are the ones who own everything. Think about what that means.
If anything, there lies far more of a factual correlation to this association than there is between the modern Tea Party movement and the actual historic Boston Tea Party event- which is none at all.

Time For The Purple Ribbons

2011-10-12T19:58:00.007-04:00

As our economy worsens, so too do stress levels run concurrently higher than the norm, as we all fret over the miserable state of our finances and the limits increasingly forced on our day to day lives. And, incidents of Domestic Violence spike up noticeably everywhere. As this is National Domestic Violence Awareness month, I'd like to share a bit here.
My family has a long history with this topic, as my big sister Rebecca was strangled to death in her own bed on the morning of September 18, 2000, by her then boyfriend, Benjamin Mills. In the years since, we have, operating under the name Rebecca's Voice, done more than our fair share in circulating petitions (which I personally believe are completely useless) and organizing demonstrations and rallies, all for the sake of fixing inept flaws in the system that allow for no real support for victims.
We are still waiting for an adequate warrant tracking system for Louisville, Kentucky (the setting of Rebecca's murder), as well as any prioritizing of warrants whatsoever. The city has made countless promises in the past decade, particularly after we uncovered a then backlog of over 70,000 unserved warrants (dating back roughly 30 years). The city's then response was to simply purge the system- deleting all of those pesky embarrassments and proudly and publicly seeing nothing offensive with the decision to do so. Meanwhile, my complaint was in wondering how many of those unserved warrants could be traced back to someone else's Rebecca.
However, I am glad to report that Louisville has at least initiated a new electronic EPO system. In theory this will allow for the system to inch along that much quicker, provided that Metro Louisville officers honor the warrants and actually serve them. Perhaps longtime police chief Robert White's son could even be the first recipient of the new electronic Emergency Protective Order. That's right, the chief of police's son was just busted for an exceptionally brutal case of Domestic Violence. Obviously, the department needs no extra watchdogging to see justice rightfully served, I'm sure.
I've been obsessively studying national statistics for some time now, and Louisville (pronounced louEVIL)'s police department and city hall both are particularly grossly negligent and incompetent in their understanding of Domestic Violence-related issues. Eight or nine years ago, the city and county governments were in the process of merging. This was near the start of the royal mess of unserved warrants story, and so city and county were each trying desperately to throw the blame back to each other. I was recently reminded of the predilection for red tape in a news report from Topeka, Kansas. Apparently the city board saw fit to repeal their own Domestic Violence legislation, as both city and county governments are pointing to each other to pick up the cost of prosecution on such cases. To save money, they have rendered Domestic Violence technically legal. Absolutely abysmal, how these elected officials can live with themselves.

Things do not have to be this dark though, ya know. These are not just our sisters, our mothers, our daughters. Domestic Violence can affect anyone, any race, creed, sex or social class. If our government powers disappoint us so, then we do still have networks that we can rely on.
Such as Women of Wonder Day. Andy Mangels, after five great years of overseeing the annual Wonder Woman Day charity auctions, has rebranded his efforts (no doubt to avoid litigation from DC Entertainment), and I invite all to check out his website. Volunteer if you're in the area. If you are an artist who would like to contibute original work to WWD, then know that your art will go to a great cause, with every single cent going to charity. Specifically- crisis prevention hotlines, shelters, etc.

The true test of one's mettle is when the chips are down, regardless of what circumstances demand you be. We build our world ourselves.

New World Order rescheduled

2011-10-08T13:23:00.005-04:00

A popular subject for conspiracy theorists concerns the Latin declaration on the backside of the American dollar bill (and originally, also the backside of the national seal)- the Novus Ordo Seclorum. This translates as New Order of the Ages, or more popularly- New World Order. The speculation is that this NWO means to be the perpetually soon to pass ending of governments and religion as we know it (or as they knew it in 1776). A dastardly plot is American history, with aims for nothing less than world domination. Conservative conspiracy loons blame Democratic leaders every bit as often as Liberal conspiracy loons blame Republican leaders, all of trying their darnedest to bring the whole thing about.
Well. What if the world domination inferred is not something akin to any presumed manner of world domination?
And- what if this proposed New World Order is not a thing waiting in the wings? What if we are already living in it, and have for years?
What about that curious In God We Trust to be found on all American currencies? What if the currency itself IS the god envisioned? What if Capitalism IS the intended New World Order?
Because of course, the almighty dollar does- in modern decades- hold far more weight than either Church or State. Not all citizens of the Western world regularly attend any church, and not all citizens of the Western world even vote (by choice or otherwise). Yet each and every one of us is bred to obsess over money. Indeed, survival itself rests entirely on our finances, and upon the economy maintained in faith by our chosen leaders. More than ever before, we find ourselves living in a time where everything has a price- especially life and death, and the pursuit of happiness. What else is there for us?
And why are things like this? How could we allow our lives to be backed into a corner to such an insane degree? More importantly- who is benefiting from the arrangement? Those who control the cash control the Order of our New World. We have been doing the dance for so long we have ground our tracks well beneath the sod. We were waiting for alien conspiracies, not the bitterness of reality, but that's what we got.

The saddest Tragedy is that most folks will never see the Comedy of any of this.

Homesteading Wall Street

2011-10-05T19:57:00.006-04:00

I am eagerly following news of the current Occupy Wall Street protests in NYC. What attracts me to the energy are the mix of protests and the general lacking of any central organized body. I wish more news outlets would readily acknowledge how patriotic those participants are. But of course, numbers are downplayed, and the movement is freely mocked. But why?
I believe that as fast as the ordeal is growing and spreading, that any attempt to organize it should be fought. Because, there is a laundry list of things to protest against, yes. But more importantly, that this is a grassroots movement, and any attempt to provide a central body may well allow some other party to take more than their fair share of credit. Now that unions are involving themselves, I would not be surprised to see certain news agencies describe Occupy Wall Street as a union initiative. The same goes for any political party, from Green to Libertarian to Tea. This is clearly the People's voice in full effect, and the multitudes should not be narrowed down whatsoever, lest any single issue thusly voiced be neglected and lost in the shuffle along the way. It all reminds me of those classic lines from The Wild One-

"What are you rebelling against?"

"What have you got?"

Of course, I have realistically low expectations here. Just as how 700 protesters were arrested (despite numerous reports that they were herded onto the bridge by authorities), and now with reports that Mayor Bloomberg is looking for ways to cut law enforcement costs by pulling the curtain on the entire show prematurely- we should absolutely be forewarned. What confounds the media and powers that be the most is that in truth, Occupy Wall Street has generally been a peaceful protest. As such, the Brooklyn Bridge arrests might serve as omen of further upcoming violations of our constitutional Freedom Of Assembly.

A few years prior to his essay Civil Disobedience, Henry David Thoreau denounced the then brutal (and completely unprovoked) war with Mexico, refusing to pay his Massachusetts poll tax and was so arrested. There is a great story that Ralph Waldo Emerson (himself also opposed to the war but seeing protest as futile) visited his jailbird pal Thoreau. Emerson asked- "What are you doing in there?" Thoreau replied- "What are you doing out there?"

Obviously, the thousands of persons who are actively participating in NYC's Occupy Wall Street have reasons for unrest. Our society is falling apart. What should a taxpayer do if he or she no longer has a leader? No longer has a government focused on dealing with their grievances, but rather instead proudly serving plutocratic big business at the full expense of the working class citizenry? Of course class war is indeed a part of this, and the persons most offended by this, as usual, are the ones with something to lose. Clearly though, economic distress is our biggest societal bane right now, and the singular cause for this is the greed of a handful of persons. This goes for the whole world too, from cause to effect.
The US Treasury Department even has a "donate now" button. But we are not in the middle of an economic depression. Right.
And I am not homeless and unemployed right now. Right.

cold nights

2011-10-02T06:23:00.000-04:00

for walking in circles.

thoughts from a cheap motel

2011-09-19T15:26:00.003-04:00

Entropy is obviously real, as all things do meet their end. Life on this world is nothing but impermanence. Yet the personal need and want for survival contradicts this. But how to go about such a thing?
Might cannot make right, as the law of the jungle is never not self-destruction, eventually. War is unequivocally wrong. In singular terms, a physical mentality can generally hope for little more than the life of a laborer, discounting military or criminal pursuits. If might does not make right, then what does? Reason? That is demonized too readily, and beginning quite early on, in our programing. Faith? That is more of a coping mechanism than anything else, and it certainly does not pertain to literal survival, as survival is very much a physical thing. Which would also again rule out Reason.
If whatever compels us to endure our lives are in fact relatable to Reason and/or Faith, then these are introverted agents of the psyche. Faith in its purest and most useful form is a very personal thing, useless in affecting those around us. Reason can be utilized as a tool for managing one's own sanity, or for better understanding the world around us in the broadest sense imaginable, but Reason cannot unto itself ensure daily survival in any typical extroverted existence.
If nothing lasts, and if nothing is truly important in the physical world (regardless of beliefs, you cannot take it with you), and if physical survival is ultimately impossible for fragile and finite beings such as we, then the only survival that matters is the construction and development of one's own psyche. Only in explorations of pure consciousness do we come closest to a sense of timelessness. Ambition and pride are distractions then, nothing less than vain attempts at masquerading one's physical survival for something more meaningful.
Aside from sex, no meaning exists to be found in the physical. Real meaning can come only from the internal then, not external. Individuality, as a virtue, by my definition is not the assertion of the individual upon others, it is the separation of the individual from others.

(and of course, I am still not working.)

nine eleven truth

2011-09-11T18:56:00.017-04:00

Currently reading the late, great Howard Zinn's A People's History Of The United States, and compared to the "reality" teevee of this day, I am astonished at how easily we forget that this nation has always had a sinfully successful PR department. Even in the time of the American Revolution, over a fifth of the population were slaves, and over 90% of the nation's wealth was in the possession of less than 10% of the total population (today's numbers are even worse).
Even fifty years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, with that "all men are created equal" jazz, the only persons who could legally vote in any election were specifically property-owning white men. No slaves (blacks or indians), no indentured servants, no laborers, and certainly no women. That equates to less than one-sixth of the total population. Democracy has never worked. As Orwell said, some are more equal than others.

I am not a "truther" per se (such a nihilist I cannot even believe in labels, especially labels that overstate the obvious), but Tower 7?

C'mon, kids...

nine eleven

2011-09-10T16:20:00.002-04:00

the lyrics, by Robert Plant:

Then, as it was, then again it will be
And though the course may change sometimes
Rivers always reach the sea
Behind skies of fortune, each has gentle rain
On the wings of maybe, downy birds of prey
Kind of makes me feel sometimes, didnt have to go
But as the eagle leaves the nest, it's got so far to go

Changes fill my time, baby, thats alright with me
In the midst I think of you, and how it used to be

Did you ever really need somebody, and really need em bad
Did you ever really want somebody, the best something you ever had
Do you ever remember me, baby, did it feel so good
Cause it was just the first time, and you knew you would

Dewy eyes now sparkle, senses grown keen
Taste your love along the way, see your feathers preen
Kind of makes me feel sometimes, didnt have to go
We are eagles of a nest, the nest is in our soul

Vixen in my dreams, with great surprise to me
Never thought I'd see your face the way it used to be
Oh darlin, oh darlin

I'm never gonna leave you. I never gonna leave
Holdin on, ten years gone
Ten years gone, holdin on, ten years gone...

Stargazer 2

2011-09-09T23:23:00.010-04:00

Created, Written & Illustrated by Von Allan

In the first book of Stargazer, young Marnie suffers the loss of her dear grandmother, only to be taken away from the heartache by a strange device willed to the girl. Marnie, along with pals Sophie and Elora, discover a curious land of fantasy inhabited by strange occurrences, and even a friendly robot. Lost in this magical setting, the girls soon wonder whether they are being prompted further by a ghostly stranger who may or may not be a shade of Marnie's grandmother, as a longboat brings them to a mysterious tower.

In this concluding chapter to Von's fantastical coming of age tale, the girls finally reach the towering structure, as well as meeting a group of new friends, but the mysteries only deepen. Elora is plagued by a very intense dream, and soon all the girls begin questioning the reality around them as they experience unearthly abilities along with a monster attacking repeatedly. Trapped inside the tower the girls find only skeletons and weird machines and more questions.
What I like most is the way Von's characters sound exactly like children, in a greatly realistic way. This is not dumbed down characterization, but rather stripped of popular culture the pure innocence is allowed to present itself more fully. These are not action heroes or super-powered adventurers, and they are not delved hipdeep in politics and theology. These are kids caught in a bizarre world, learning the definitions of their own still-forming identities through the crucible of experience. If only more authors of funny books could apply such thought to their creations.

Von's art is wonderful, black and white but full of powerful imagination. His storytelling and his expressive visual creations are boldly mature and self-confidant. His linework has somehow grown since his first graphic novel effort, with the nuances of his designs proclaiming even more overtly the personalities involved in his fiction. I just cannot imagine the man writing for another artist, or illustrating the story of another. His circle is already complete. The final atmosphere is so distinct you can almost sense the organic gesticulations of his characters, as though watching them on film.

Much fiction today can be readily dismissed as escapist fare, regardless of medium or content. This is at times, I feel, an incomplete description- especially when education is a factor. Equally, much family-friendly reading material can receive as labeling the derogatory relegation to a kind of shallowness. With Stargazer, Von Allan has skillfully shown that not only can all-ages material be sharp and thoughtful enough to appeal to wide ranges of age, but that such can even be accomplished through the utilization of archetypes almost Jungian in effect. Here the reader can find virginal examples of youthful friendship and awakening consciousness faced with fantasy elements as hard to cope with as the stark grimness of literal death. We see the monster, the larger on the inside tower, the alien sky, all suggestive as physical insinuations of the confounding nature of adolescence and puberty itself; and the addictive dizziness of "make-believe" that all persons experience before maturity but continue to experience as nocturnal dream throughout adulthood. This is a tale of children merely playing, on one hand, but also a tale of children finding in fantasy a thing as terrifying as anything the real world could ever manage to offer. In the metaphorical convergence of reality with childhood fantasy, the reader is shown in finite form a story where the threshold into the adult world is fully breached, with no turning back, even if the cost is the exchanging of realities for the promise of love. What an insightful message to see exampled in an all-ages, family-friendly comic book. But don't let that lofty attempt at a description bog down the potential reader. This is absolutely fun and original stuff, to be sure, and I promise you will be zealously frustrated at reaching the story's end. I am not keen on still doing reviews, but when something is this good, I cannot help myself.

This closing chapter of the Stargazer graphic novel series will be available on October 12, 2011. It has a Diamond Item Code of AUG111259 and an ISBN of 978-09-781237-4-1. More information about Stargazer can be found here.

Stiletto 9

2011-09-09T21:03:00.003-04:00

Created, Written & Illustrated by John B. Lai
Published by Ultimate Comics Group

I happen to like this series, and Lai was kind enough to share his latest iss with me, so a review is in order. Last issue, our now raven-haired but still lithe heroine and her pet puppy-monster Rigby found a new friend in Ren, an Asian answer to Flash Gordon. Although a pleasant reprieve was had by all, especially in light of all the intergalactic warfare of the last arc, the search for home continues.
Well, Stiletto finally crosses a line with this iss, and I have to say the progression was both natural and highly warranted. For a two-dimensional lady Stiletto has more depth than any of our current presidential candidates. After an extended goodbye session with their new ally, company parts as the heroic Ren must return to planet Kadra to do assorted heroic things. Continuing her quest for home (and her by now very lonely other pup Holly), Stil and Rigs land on a planet populated by the large-brained Cerebrals creatures. Learning that big brains get as hot and horny as do little brains, she meets elements both good and nefarious. Wackiness insues and our topless adventuress runs right into a Three Way intersection of bounty-hunting trouble.
Lai's art is still bright and fun. While his panels seem to be getting at once both larger in size and fewer in number, his blend of photo-realism with crayon-esque etchings balanced over elaborately gorgeous digitally painted backdrops is wonderfully easy on the eyes. There is just so much imagination in these pages, it is borderline intoxicating in effect. I do have a qualm though, as the lettering style used by the Cerebrals was at times small and hard to make out. However, the iss all in all continues a great science fiction adventure, with plenty of crude humor and innuendo all over the place, from dialogue to buildings and ships. This comic book is not for children, and not for the easily offended. It is though, for people not too ashamed and preprogrammed to admit that yes, sex is in fact the most fun in the omniverse. And wisely keeping tongue firmly planted in proverbial cheek, Lai still pulls off his interstellar romp without resorting too far into gross pornography. This is way more evolved and colorful than that.
"Giving you all three of my inputs while staring into deep space was the most romantic thing I've ever experienced." Silly, yes. But still maybe the best line I've read in a comic all year. For something quite a bit different, please consider checking out this series.

Agnew says

2011-09-09T10:52:00.008-04:00

My friend John Chihak is on a mission. Last year he did a limited run of his Agnew Chainsaw Massacre book through his own Anti-Hero Brand label. I have known John for awhile, interviewed him and reviewed a number of his stories, and I still believe that the book in question is his best effort to date. So, he is trying to attain funding through kickstarter for a proper run so that more folks can see the crazy lil tale that John and friend Venus of Necro put together, homaging Mary Shelley and Jim Henson in equal parts. I know several persons who have tried this through kickstarter, with extremely mixed results. Essentially, anyone and everyone is invited to donate whatever they can towards the cause, with a nice list of happy returns based on the amount given. If the target amount is not reached, then none of the donations will be accepted.
The Agnew Chainsaw Massacre rightly deserves wider exposure. When you hear the phrase "support small press" this is exactly what is meant.

To learn more:
My review of the book (originally commissioned for zedura magazine).
My interview with John and Venus for BleedingCool.
His kickstarter page.
And for extra love:
John's old interview for comicnews.info.
My review of his flagship title Youth In Asia #1 (originally posted at cni).
My review for Youth In Asia #2 and 3 (originally posted at cni).

ante up the coffers

2011-09-08T11:17:00.003-04:00

Here's something I have not heard anyone propose, as far as debt solutions and the ongoing national economic crisis goes. Let's remove all churches from tax-exempt status.
Think about it. We could reserve tax-exempt status strictly for the non profit charity organizations. While many churches (and of course here in the states the largest religious body is Christian, though what I suggest would pertain to all denominations of all faiths) do engage in non profit charity work, this is far from the majority of their activities. So, we should tax churches just as we tax any other business, because, churches are by nature wealth-building organizations. While corporations can still engage in occasional charity work, so too could the church. Equally, as corporations are allowed to lobby for and endorse their select political candidates through PACs and Super-PACs, churches already have free reign to dance the dance, but with no checks and balances.
Since the separation of church and state is a never-ending debate, even less likely are the chances of a separation of state and business interests. Money dominates in Western Capitalism, money talks. And if religious agendas are given so much weight in modern politics, from abortion litigation to teaching Creationism in public schools to challenging climate change, then religious institutions should be made to pay for their seat at the table.
I do not see this as any violation of our freedom of religion. Persons are allowed to go into business for themselves while still expected to pay the mandatory federal taxes where appropriate. Obviously, persons could also pursue their faith of choice. However, since many activities and agendas of the churches behind said faiths have little or nothing to do with non-profit charity work then they should at last be contributing and paying their share.
Again using Christianity as my prime example, keep in mind that the Vatican is one of the wealthiest, debt-free nations in the history of our world. How many millions have been paid out in the USA alone, in the past decade, over settling child molestation cases out of court? If anything, this would be a great excuse for all churches to keep cleaner accounting records, thereby improving their own money management.
Also, consider how religious-based lobby groups comprise some of the most powerful lobbying networks in the country. What right has any church to affect politics so deeply, without having to pay their share of tax monies? Legitimate, federally-recognized non profit charity groups should by nature be apolitical. Any exception should then pay the piper.
This wouldn't pay the national debt outright, but it would certainly help. And as this government is incapable of existing without a tax program, here we could find a new source for tax revenue by taxing those institutions who have dodged the bullets for years and years, instead of hitting the lower or middle or upper classes any more.
All's fair, right?

black and white, easy on the grays

2011-09-04T15:11:00.002-04:00

I have some thoughts where concerns the current state of affairs with both DC and Marvel that I would like to share here and now while I am in the momentarily same dimension as a computer.
DC's in effect drastic overhaul of an effort at revamping its entire line of comics seems to be off to a fair start in terms of pre-sales, but of course this can only be short-lived. If larger numbers of issue runs alone can supposedly frighten away new readers, then how can said same new readers still be expected to hang around, even in spite of numerical resets? Really, what mentality is being sought, being favored? And what happens when the short attention spans of most regular modern readers continues on? What really bothers me, beyond the severity of an executive order brought to life, is that the decision is left to flavor of the month creators to pick and choose from the many decades of story history exactly which elements shall remain in this DCU2.0. Think about those implications.
With Marvel, specifically the recent and abysmal litigation over the work of Jack the King Kirby and his heirs, we see concreted that the legal system of our nation is fine with the fact that rights of individuals are indeed less equal than those of corporate entities. Common decency simply has no further place, not in the business world, and not in the courtroom. It wasn't that long ago that current Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney was quoted as saying that corporations are people too.
Now, I just completed a rereading of George Orwell's 1984, and I believe Orwell was rather quick in ruling out the chances of Capitalism living on within his nightmare vision of the future. The greed inherent in consumerism and commercialism is just too ingrained in our Western culture. Where regards both Marvel and DC: I do like many of their characters and properties, and I love the work of oh so many of their past creators- the writers and artists who gave these suit and ties something to cockfight over. But to see both the talent and the stories created so easily manipulated for no reason other than obvious attempts at monetary gain, and at the ultimate expense of the fanbase, confirms in my mind that...not only is "creative industry" an oxymoron, it is a true example of Orwell's doublethink. As such, we shouldn't be at all shocked by the continuing disintegration of the comic book medium, we should instead be shocked that it has survived as long as it has, as sado-masochistic as our society is.
But as ever, the world is what we make it to be, nothing more and nothing less. Please, always remember those implications, too.

forgiveness is never not a trojan horse

2011-09-03T00:22:00.004-04:00

Ah, perfectly imperfect September, how I doth loathe thee something fierce.
I am giving myself perhaps too much time to think, if such a thing is even possible these days. In avoiding proper lodging and sleep in general and employment of any kind I find myself entertaining streams of thought not breeched often enough in my world. Is the snake shedding its skin then, or is the skin shedding its snake? Is self-abasement not the grandest form of Initiative? And how might a one be lonelier than a zero?
Everything exists only to distract us from the fact that nothing exists. Nothing really matters, in the end or otherwise.
Nothing.

Iscariot Rex and the listless dead

2011-08-17T13:10:00.006-04:00

I seem to be dropping out of society. Country days full of reading, camping and hiking, catching crawdads and gigging frogs, hunting down ginseng root, and deep meditation. I go days at a time, out in the woods, without seeing a soul. And I like it.

I finished reading Zelazny's Lord of Light awhile back and I loved it immensely. A fantastic science fiction spin on modern religion, and full of genius wordplay. I do believe anyone who reads this book would never again be able to sit through a superhero story again, no matter the medium.
I then read 3X Carlin: An Orgy Of George, by George Carlin. It contained, in their entirety, all three of his books- Brain Droppings, Napalm and Silly Putty, and When Will Jesus Bring The Pork Chops, along with an extra thirty or so pages of bonus material. I like his approach, and noticed something about his style in that it is not so much reliant on what he is literally saying, but rather on what he doesn't say, forcing the audience to fill in the gaps and piece together how exactly one might reach such conclusions as his.
I spent time absorbing 2012: The Return of Quetzalcoatl, by Daniel Pinchbeck. I knew Pinchbeck's name from his years of journalism work, but his recent studies into shamanism seemed interesting enough, although I believe he is too forgiving of much of the New Age movement. Like most modern folks Pinchbeck, despite his flair and intelligence, is all too willing to pick and choose the details of his belief system, thereby missing the point of sacrifice completely. You cannot have religion or spirituality without some manner of sacrifice, whether metaphorical or blood incarnate; otherwise singular arrogance robs the spiritual of all validation. Equally, if you accept some of the words from whatever mystic spokesperson (such as Christ), then you must accept all of their words. Like how christians casually ignore how the Old Testament god was just fine with incest, for example. I will say that I enjoyed his connection of quantum mechanics to metaphysics though. As far as the general 2012 hooplah, I feel like something will happen, because so many want something to happen, though maybe not necessarily something "bad". I also wonder how many folks who focus on the specific date have even acknowledged that next year will in fact be a leap year.
I read Michael Moore's Dude, Where's My Country?, and it was curious to see affirmed that what bothered this country's more honest citizens the most ten years ago is still very much in full effect. Presidents are all patsies. Or more specifically, as the great Alan Moore once put it:
"Yes, there is a conspiracy, indeed there are a great number of conspiracies, all tripping each other up… the main thing that I learned about conspiracy theories is that conspiracy theorists actually believe in the conspiracy because that is more comforting. The truth of the world is that it is chaotic. The truth is, that it is not the Jewish banking conspiracy, or the grey aliens, or the twelve-foot reptiloids from another dimension that are in control, the truth is far more frightening; no-one is in control, the world is rudderless."

I am currently rereading Orwell's Animal Farm.

I am not writing anything. I am not pursuing any relationships. I resist the reality tunnels of everyone around me. I am smiling though, in my own way. The journey is good.

economic woe

2011-07-21T16:39:00.002-04:00

As the last shuttle mission is grounded today, I feel a rant.

The economy is fucked, royally fucked, and the media is downplaying the full disaster looming up on us all.

Cutting back on government spending should happen regardless, but it will not fix anything. Saving money does not pay bills, generating money pays bills, and the two are not the same thing. Equally, raising the debt ceiling will not contribute anything positive. It did not work the past dozen or so times raised in as many years. Where was the Republican outcry the eight times Bush raised the debt ceiling? Trimming away the unfair tax breaks from the top 2 or 3 percent of the population is not socialistic redistribution of wealth, it is acting morally. They would still be the richest 2 or 3 percent of the population. But still, it will not be anywhere near enough to settle the trillions we owe. And we do owe trillions and trillions, making us far far from being the richest nation. American ego is one hundred percent misplaced. And anybody who is not offended at the downplayed national unemployment numbers is sickly sheltered. Get out and feel the massive sigh of exhausted discontent.

The Republicans and Democrats are equally mistaken, criminally mistaken, as they try to use same old flawed techniques to fix problems that are only growing and growing. Nuts to both parties for not considering any third alternative.

Withdrawing troops is not the same as cutting military expenditures, either, as this is another option tossed around. Make no mistake- we are slowly pulling the troops back for two reasons. Firstly, because we cannot afford to maintain their global presence anymore. And lastly, because waiting any longer to settle our debts (which is what raising the debt ceiling is) will eventually lead to some very upset bill collectors. I'm not paranoid enough to think the troops will be needed on the homefront when rioting breaks out though. I think this country's citizens would never riot, as there have already been more than enough just cause thus far in recent years. But we may well be on the military defensive in the next year, and by god will you and your elected officials deserve the bitchslap. Laziness and ignorance brought us here, but laziness and ignorance will not free us from these circumstances. It was you who insisted on living beyond your means, too ignorant to balance your damned checkbooks like real adults.

Rand

2011-07-20T17:15:00.004-04:00

What I walked away with from Ayn Rand's fiction (specifically, Anthem, the Fountainhead, and Atlas Shrugged) was the importance of striving to be one's very best, which has nothing to do with money. I do not see it as an excuse for Capitalism whatsoever. If anything, it is very much the opposite, as those obsessed with amassing wealth are still Looters, leaching money from (and so dependent upon) consumers.

Early in her career, she did say repeatedly that she was a novelist first, not a philosopher. However, her ideas were thorough enough that it is easy to see her characters as puppets for promoting said ideals. Later in life she did, in her non-fiction writings, embrace degrees of Western Capitalism, though I wonder how much of that really was little more than others trying to misconstrue her own words. Obviously, the persons who continued her legacy in the form of the Ayn Rand Institute are clearly Conservative Republicans, and so her efforts have been reappropriated for their aims. But how many of the current publicly-devout Rand enthusiasts actually read her fiction? How closely do NeoCons mimic the looters devastated in Atlas Shrugged, the persons pursuing only personal greed were the villains of the story! What on earth does any politician have in common with John Galt? These people would never inspire strikes, they would be the ones hiring mobsters to break up said strikes. They depend on others doing their work for them. Of course, even if she did fully accept Capitalism in her later years, such a change of opinion goes against the core of her own Objectivism belief structure.

As such, no matter her later changes of heart, the ROOT of her beliefs was Individualism. Any one of us, singularly trying to conquer our own individual life. Not getting rich. If you strive to make a great product, no matter your trade, then do it, BE the grand Producer. But success rests on the job well done, on the work itself, on the work of art created. Success is not measured on monetary wealth. Then the money takes on more meaning than the product itself.

The greatest happiness comes from self-assurance and self-reliability and self-dependence, from the SELF, and that's something that cannot be bought.

so mote it be again!

2011-07-17T21:22:00.006-04:00

As before, these are dream projects that have been with me for awhile. They are at various stages of development, but it is safe to presume they will all see the light of day as finished works whenever pigs fly, for a merry assortment of reasons.

I would like to someday write and package a comic book adaptation of The Challenge From Beyond. Originally conceived and edited by a very young Julius Schwartz, the prose science-fantasy tale was a collaboration between Abraham Merritt, HP Lovecraft, Robert E. Howard, Frank Belknap Long, and Catherine Moore! Though certainly not the finest hour from any of those writers, it is still a fun story from a legendary line-up of pulp fiction's greatest minds. And by god could it work as a comic book script!

I have a completed rough draft for a horror novel which brings the story of the Pied Piper to the American bible belt's dustbowl bin of the Great Depression years. Working title: Decan Lude.

Zombies. They have been done to death and still stories are released ad nauseum. But I want to accent something I have not seen pointed out much anywhere else. DMT is a chemical that can be found in the human brain, specifically in the pineal gland (aka the third eye). The pineal is believed to play headquarters for dreams, psychic powers, and even the sexual urges ever so prevalent to our species (as well as represented symbolically as the eye inside the pyramid, from the lotus position). So...zombies eat brains, right? What if they are specifically hungering for the DMT source, therein to taste a reminder of what it was like to be alive, like some manner of addiction? And equally, to kill a zombie one must generally destroy the head, right? What if, again, you must actually destroy the pineal gland, the source of DMT production in the body? Hmm?

There is a comic strip I do for fun, that I may be willing to share at some point, as a webcomic or mini-comix. Colonel Mullet, Kentucky's one true superhero, racing around in his modified el Camino and protecting the Bluegrass from the frightful centaurs of the future (as considering the state's obsessive predilection for equestrian racing, its status as bourbon capital of the known world, as well as its notoriety for inbreeding practices...Kentucky will clearly one day be inhabited by centaurs...).

To be continued?

Burying Lulu

2011-07-17T20:04:00.004-04:00

Alright, so roughly six months after the fact, Johanna Draper-Carlson felt the need to do a follow up article on the demise of the Friends of Lulu charity organization, whose Board of Directors I served on for a bit last year. She chose to speak with Kynn Bartlett, who had also served on the interim Board for FoL. Except, they were clearly up to something negative. I did try to keep at least the comments section informed of the truth of what went on. Valerie (D'Orazio) Gallaher, the last and final president of FoL tried a tongue in cheek response to Johanna's puzzling query.
I was then approached to answer questions for Johanna, though I instead explained why I would not contribute to whatever it was she was trying to prove. She posted on my behalf, or the behalf of an alternate reality incarnation of me. As I was keeping Val informed of this, she expertly covered the situation in her own blog.
I invite all those curious to read the Comics Worth Reading post, especially its comments, and Val's two posts. See everything written and decide for yourself what is going on exactly.
All of my remarks and comments concerning this do stand, and they stand strong. Lulu is gone, and the false concern of persons only pursuing sickly private agendas does not help anyone or anything.

dreamhouse

2011-07-11T23:15:00.002-04:00

reimagining the worthwhile

2011-07-09T13:51:00.002-04:00

Hollywood is lethargic. Writers employed therein, whether entrapped by the comforts of formulaic dogma or just too ignorant to create something daringly new, do nothing but retread paths already traveled. Ad nauseum. Of course, all culture repeats itself, and this is happening exponentially more and more. Relaunches, revamps, reworkings, remixes, and reimaginings.
However, if this is how things seem to be done, I have my own thoughts on some easy targets which have yet to be raped. This time, I will focus on television programs, on shows that could well stand the test of time.

Whirlybirds!

This was one of my dad's favorite programs growing up. I'd love to see it brought back...maybe as a post apocalyptic adventure series? Excuse me, post zombie apocalypse adventure series.

My Mother The Car

One of the greatest set-ups for a series, ever. Without changing a thing this could be a vehicle (pun somewhat intended) for almost any Saturday Night Live alumni. Reincarnation is so stupid it is laugh out loud funny. Throw in anti-nuclear family sentiments and you have the makings of a subversively sharp comedy.

The Flying Nun

Another great premise. Maybe cast a Jena Malone, and this could be Bewitched by way of Christianity. But far far more over the top, ala the Brit series Father Ted.

Thank you and good night.

a bad, bad retro crossover

2011-07-02T01:21:00.006-04:00

What if Marvel's Crystar the Crystal Warrior:

crossed elseworlds with DC's Amethyst the Gemworld Princess?

The 1980's were almost as frightening as the 1970's, but if DC and Marvel were to publish this I'd wager it would bleed many a nerd/geek/Apatheist of their hard-earned video game tokens.
And I may or may not be stoned for this particular post.
But does it matter, really?

Happy 36th, Rebecca

2011-06-29T23:08:00.002-04:00

for more info:
Rebecca's Voice

Gene Colan

2011-06-26T02:28:00.006-04:00

Rest In Peace, Gene Colan.

From Tomb Of Dracula and Iron Man and Howard The Duck to Ragamuffins and Detectives Inc. and the Harrowers, one of the finest artists the medium will ever know. Nobody could work a pencil like him.

Relativity, Inc.

2011-06-20T15:29:00.006-04:00

I love comic books.
When I was younger I dreamed of being an artist and a writer, and especially an editor. My meager journalism background eventually lead me to comic book journalism, which allowed me to come to know many a creator and publisher of the industry. While I no longer mess with reporting or reviews or interviews or the like, I still communicate with tons of writers and artists. They are my friends. I remain an active comic book reader, and remain extremely passionate about the medium.
I have taken sick pride in the number of creative gigs that I have turned down in the past few years, as there are numerous writers and artists who got their start in the media game. I am particular about my creative efforts, and always have been. And while the bulk of my writing projects lined up are outside the realms of sequential art, there will be certain exceptions, all of which involve working with friends. The creative act itself means more to me than money or press or anything silly like that. And there are always a thousand or more starving artists for every open position at the half dozen or so publishers that can still afford to pay creators. Obviously, I will never be one to seek out active employment as a creator myself in the industry.
But my passion is strong, and I have been wrestling with ways in which I can still be relative to the medium I love so much.
A few months ago, it hit me.
I want, in the coming year, to gather the means with which to form a new non-profit organization. Last year, I served on the interim Board of Directors for the Friends Of Lulu charity organization, as we (under the guidance of President Valerie D'Orazio) guided the group into retirement. The experience left me hungry.
Before my time with FoL, I had played a small roll in the Wonder Woman Day charity event, from handling much of the PR for WWDIV to hunting down artists willing to contribute to the charity auctions for both WWDIV and WWDV. Before that, I have years of grassroots social work experience, from years of seasonal involvement bellringing with the Salvation Army to cooking at soup kitchens and detox centers, and especially my family's decade-long work in the form of Rebecca's Voice, wherein we organized rallies and demonstrations, etc, all to promote Domestic Violence Awareness.
What I would like to make happen, is the formation of a comic book-focused charity group. Because the FoL left a certain void to fill, as will the impending demise of Wonder Woman Day. CBLDF can only do so much, and the Hero Initiative is very much biased in their decisions. There are plenty of smaller efforts, so my group might serve as a manner of middleman, connecting those in need with the agency best suited to assist.
Moreso, I would like for the group to be in a position to serve as an educational front, by sponsoring lecture series and hosting gallery showings. We could grant scholarships. Promoting diversity would be a key issue, as would creator rights and combating censorship. We could provide free legal counsel in censorship issues. We could help with medical bills, and other cases of creators in need. Shite happens, and the folks who bring these books to life should receive any and all support so that they might continue to do their work.
Because, media is a clusterfuck of biased sensationalism, and there are more than enough creators trying to squeeze into the business. The largest publishers are basically idea machines for other mediums. The industry has been shrinking exponentially since it all began over 70 years ago, and the end most assuredly is nigh.
I think to cure the ills, we need to dig deeper than worrying about anything as subjective as plot points or Hollywood.

I do not know how I will make this happen, but I have a world of ideas, and I am very open to suggestions.

JUN

2011-06-18T13:13:00.004-04:00

Been strolling through back to back illnesses, while hunting down odd jobs. Quite a bit of landscaping and assorted farm work, lots of working with my hands. Turning down more writing gigs however. Unless it's helping a friend I'm just not interested. I am living without money, without generating bills, and am just able to give what I am bringing in to my surviving immediate family members. I am setting and living by my own standards. I am spending much time meditating in the woods as well, specifically on the land once owned by my grandparents. It feels like too many persons are waiting for me to make a move, but I am falling into hermitage mode, falling into sponge mode. I try to spend as much time in the future as in the past, though the draw to be a participating member of society diminishes from one moment to the next. I do not want to save the world. I do not want to destroy the world. I believe either aim is missing the point entirely.

so mote it be!

2011-06-04T23:06:00.008-04:00

Creatively, I am not pursuing any additional outlets until early next year at the soonest, but I wanted here to share some dream projects that have been with me for awhile, and may go on like that for too many more years before I ever find the means with which to bring them to life. If anybody wants to steal one- by all means do. All of these should exist.

I would like to write and illustrate a Harlequinade as a Tijuana Bible. The epitome of genius, cultural satire to end all cultural satire.

I would like to write a 33 issue finite series featuring the Fighting American, with each issue corresponding directly to its concurrent degree in Freemasonry. It would be bigger than the Watchmen. I suppose The Knife And Fork degree would be the zero iss.

I would like to design a coloring book titled Necronomasutra. It would incorporate an epic poem I have been working on for over a decade called the Lion and the Goddess, in which a lion and an Egyptian goddess engage simultaneously in pornographic sex and philosophical discourse.

I want to write a comic book adaptation of Charles Kingsley's Water-Babies, ideally for Classics Illustrated. The Classics Illustrated line, which may have presented dozens upon dozens of adaptations in the past 7 decades or so, has never adapted Water-Babies. A few years back I had the chance to electronically mention this to (current Classics Illustrated publisher) Papercutz's Editor In Chief. Neither of us could find any record of the book ever being brought to comic book form before, under any label. Considering the wealth of social and political commentary therein (much of which could easily find relevancy in today's world), and the really fun visual potential, this is a sin.

...to be continued?

eyes peeled

2011-05-27T15:44:00.002-04:00

Excellent. After a year and a half (roughly) Peter Palmiotti and I are finally ready to launch into our webcomic, NEON EDEN.
So bookmark this page for future reference.

What is NEON EDEN about? It came from our mutual love of the older serial adventure strips in newspapers, like Alex Raymond's Flash Gordon and Hal Foster's Prince Valiant. And, Peter has a new style he wants to unleash, so we are tailormaking this project to fit. So, PeterPop is creating and swinging full line art, and we will be writing it out together, through the magic of intrawebz and long distance phone charges. While we both have other projects in the air separately, we do hope to have some manner of regular schedule for NE as soon as inhumanly possible. It is a really special story that means worlds for the both of us.
And we sincerely hope any and all readers are supremely enlightened by our efforts.

I Have No Money And I Must Scream

2011-05-24T21:18:00.002-04:00

The recession is not going away anytime soon. Those who believe otherwise, and those who deny the current Great Depression 2.0 are miserably deluded. Your elected officials will not fix anything. Everybody with any power is only really serving private interests. The media (with its own liberal and conservative wings) is biased in all things. But look around you. See the businesses going under. See the buildings for sale. See the desperation, the rising crime rates all over the country. If we honestly knew the true statistics for unemployment and homelessness, there would be panic in the streets, and we can't have that. Better a slow death than a quick one.

So we raise the national debt ceiling, because the ten previous times we raised the national debt ceiling in the past decade clearly worked so well.

Let's allow the media to continue misrepresenting and downplaying how dire the circumstances truly are. We can already forget that our economic woes are the lone gunman in the ongoing global economic crises. Doing it again could not possibly make things worse.

So the southern states need billions in aid from the floods and tornado damages of recent weeks. Where can the money come from? Who cares, we can just ignore it ignore it ignore it. We would all much rather hear about Arnold's sexchild and Pippa's excellent British boobies.

The recession is not going away anytime soon. Play connect the dots with the many symptoms that surround us. Gross inflation of gas prices? Cutting federal funding to educational programming, like PBS and NPR? Cutting the NASA space program back into the realms of purely theoretical science? Shit, do you realize how many seriously long-running daytime soap operas are getting canned this year? Can we ignore that every industry is on the ropes, really?

There is no solution to this mess, as it took the entire history of our nation to build to this point. The recession is not going away anytime soon. The ONLY option left to us, is to learn to live without money. If you do what you love you cannot expect to get rich from the efforts, not anymore. If you think 40 hours of blue collar nonsense a week will continue to pay off your credit card debts, your mortgage loans, maybe even a down payment on whatever Bill Gates or Jerry Bruckheimer or Rupert Murdoch tells you to buy next, you are an idiot and you will be among the first to die off in the darker days soon to come. Reprogram yourself entirely. What are you living for? What and who matters to you? What will the future bring your way, and how can your actions and your actions alone effect that? Reap what YOU sow, damnit.

Because, the recession is not going away anytime soon. Which means, if you cannot resolve your own individual problems in this world, if you are waiting for your elected officials to magically grow a heart and a brain and a spine and suddenly cure your ills for you, then you may as well finish digging your own grave. It's what you've been doing slowly, every taxable season of your damned life.

Jeffrey Catherine Jones

2011-05-19T14:50:00.003-04:00

January 10, 1944 – May 19, 2011

Jeff Jones was one of the first artists whose work compelled me to learn about the artist as a person. She will be missed, dearly.

Building The Temple

2011-05-02T12:52:00.012-04:00

As my Canucklehead friends cast their votes today for a brighter tomorrow, I feel like spouting off with a wee rant concerning politics hereabouts in the colonies.

How To Make A Democracy Work

For starters, I believe that each and every elected and appointed position at the Federal level of government should all work for minimum wage. Then, politicos truly would be representing the people, and nobody would even bother to campaign unless they honestly wanted to do something with whatever desired position. I am realistic enough to see that just knowing there would be years of slumming it on ramen noodles and store brand coffee would be more than enough to frighten away many a technocrat from offices of power. This would also, scale back government expenditures somewhat.

Moreso, I believe our society should wholeheartedly embrace eugenics. Specifically, we should devise a biological chastity belt, to be applied sometime prior to puberty, wherein every single new citizen (without exception) would be temporarily rendered sterile and infertile- until said citizens reach a point where they might endure certain tests designed to prove themselves worthy of resolution of the belt. Such would include psychological evaluations, IQ testing, credit checks, criminal background reports, etc. In the meantime, sexuality could be more freely explored, as neither abortions or adoptions would have a place any longer in our society. No accidental pregnancies, no unwanted children. If however, a time comes when a young couple would like to procreate, they must pass the series of tests. If persons do not wish to procreate, so beit. But to bring forth life the prospective parents must prove themselves capable as mentally, emotionally, physically, and in particular financially, able to raise and provide for a healthy and intelligent child. If unable to pass, then their genes are clearly not good enough to continue detracting from the overall pool. Rather, the ones most affected would be the ones with chronic ills in terms of either physical or psychological, criminal records, the diseased, the unemployable, the unintelligent, the non-productive.
Within three generations, or a hundred years, population numbers would decrease dramatically. This would lead to less shortages in food and housing, while slowing general use of the more limited natural resources needed by all. Less waiting in lines, too.
In addition, all welfare programs should be cut entirely, including unemployment benefits, food stamps, WIC, etc. These tax dollars otherwise wasted on enabling the lazy and ignorant could then be reapplied towards total education reform, total healthcare reform. Solve such dramatic problems at their source. Give those who need it the tools to better themselves, not mere band-aids. All medical expenses should and could then be covered by the Federal government, and all interested parties should be willing to attain at least an Associates degree on Uncle Sam's tab. No more could parties abuse the system for power; and at the other end of the spectrum- no longer could parties abuse the system for a free ride.

Through this structured downsizing of society, and the many obvious sacrifices which would need to be endured by all, we as a collective would reach an era where none are brought incidentally into this world. None would go homeless or hungry or uneducated. As a society, we would then lose our lowest caste of citizenry. This would help to make all men, created equal.

Because my final suggestion, the final step would be to discontinue all elections and appointments for Federal government offices altogether. If all men are indeed created equal, then elections should be replaced with lotteries, so that each and every adult citizen, regardless of sex or caste or religion, might equally have a chance in any department, from Congress and Senate to Supreme Court Justices to the Cabinet and the Presidency itself. No more eternal ping pong match of a two party system, each side as revoltingly obtuse as the other. If all men are actually created equal, then this notion of lottery replacing elections should not be taken offensively. And through my suggestions, we would come even closer to being one and the same as a people than even natural genetics might ever allow. Embrace it.

Welcome to the Lottery Party. I do not believe in Democracy or any established form of government, but by my own reason and experience these conclusions seem wonderfully relevant, if only in terms of going "all the way" with a Western free market Capitalistic Democracy. It is not a matter of getting things back on track.
America was never on track.

transmogrification

2011-04-19T15:35:00.006-04:00

I am now in a place called Henpeck, looking for means to relocate to Bardstown, Kentucky. I walk miles and miles of railroad tracks almost daily. My circle is quite small, but it feels like a productive and energizing time.
I have also been researching Magick, particularly Thelemic mysticism and Shamanism, for a 10,000 word prose story due in roughly six weeks. I have partaken in DMT on several occasions for this purpose.
(On a sidenote, a curiosum I have come to wonder about concerns the common experience to be found among either particularly strong encounters with hallucinogenic psychedelics, lucid dreaming, or in near death experiences. Namely, a sense of awakening in a science fictional hospital-like room, with benevolent but strange faces looking down on them, examining them, inspiring and comforting them. My proposition, is that such vivid visions could be a resurfacing memory that most of us in the modern world can identify with. When we first leave the womb, we awaken to the light of a science fictional hospital-like room, with benevolent but strange faces looking down on us, examining us, inspiring and comforting us. What is it about transcendental meditation, psychedelic hallucinogens, and near death experiences all calling to mind again the very first waking memory lived by almost every person birthed in the civilized world?)

In other news, I received my copy of the Harijan graphic novel from Nicholas Myers and A.N.A Comics, which has an introduction written by moi. This is a great collection of a great story. Stick up your local package store so you can purchase multiple copies.

satan kiss'd

2011-04-08T04:56:00.005-04:00

One thousand black feathers falling falling beyond her grasp failing in overtures of pain and exponential death she sits here sometimes, two towering behemoths in tow she dies here sometimes just to sink it all good and low with open eyes she looks up and sees the naught abound with open eyes she looks up and feels my arms around tasting shadows all over the view of a world many worlds away and turns about like smoke spirals blown from her face her skin pulled tight, her faith burned in sacrificial whim as nothing works out nothing again wax on the eyelids from the night before she whispers for ennui casting me as bore her skin pulled tight her hand on the door but I don't care for it, not anymore.

Carlin Biography

2011-04-06T00:30:00.011-04:00

COMICS: George Carlin

Written, Lettered & Packaged by Jaymes Reed

Illustrated by Apriyadi Kusbiantoro

cover A by Apriyadi Kusbiantoro

cover B by Soussherpa

cover C by Patricio Carbajal

cover D by Soussherpa

cover E by Soussherpa

Published by BlueWater Productions

COMICS is a new, irregular series of biographical one-shots from BlueWater focusing exclusively on funny men and women, and starting the procession with the late George Carlin is a fine first act. While sizing up anyone's life in 24 pages may seem obviously daunting, and as eventful and tragic as Carlin's life was especially, a strong and surprisingly unbiased effort is made here to recount the more noteworthy themes of the comedian's days and nights.

Written and extremely well researched by self-proclaimed Carlin fan Reed, the reader learns much about the man whose comedic victories and defeats have already inspired countless aesthetic artisans and cultural commentarians. Beginning with his parents' early days in NYC and boldly marching through the decades-long career of comedy albums, books, films, censorship battles, and generally entertaining uncouthness, few grounds are left uncovered. Ably expressed is the fact that, despite the insightful heart of his many observations and the mountains climbed throughout his many years of showbusiness, the man did have more than his share of demons along the way. I have been a big Carlin fan for years, no surprise, but there were a pair of facts in these pages which were new to me. Such should be the aim of a well-intentioned and executed biographer, and Reed here proves himself a natural.

While I am completely unfamiliar with Kusbiantoro's previous work, his work on this book speaks volumes. Handling full art chores, he provides structured layouts populated with images somewhat more dreamlike-than the stark photorealism so drastically overemployed by many comics artists today. Of course, references abound in his portayals, and his likenesses are dead-on, but his color-rendering is what really sold me. An elaborate visual style would be absolutely out of place in a non-fictional biographical work, and Kusbiantoro smartly walks the line between blandness and ego. Very professional, and maybe the prettiest book BlueWater has ever released.

George Carlin was a one of a kind genius, brilliant and energetic. He was also as far from being a perfect human as any of us could be. Jaymes Reed and company have put together an excellent statement on the man's life and work, and should do well to tempt old fans and new into delving further into the incredible body of work left behind by the legend. Look for it now in Diamond's Previews catalogue, as well as among the Amazons. Please do.

radio be damn'd

2011-04-04T13:40:00.004-04:00

but this song is 1000% in my gourd.

infra dignitatem

2011-04-03T12:01:00.012-04:00

I am not spending much time online anymore.
As of January 17th I am late of the hellmouth that is Louisville, and currently reside in Laconia, Indiana. It is the house of my younger sister, and we have accomplished thousands of dollars worth of work to prepare the property for sale. Well, the bank is trying to foreclose, though they are also pushing for a short-sell. Either way, she is losing the place, but we hope to have a few more weeks, maybe even months, before any of the redtape can ravel itself. It has been nice though, in a town with a population of 30 or so. We have no internet, no cable, resulting in plenitudes of peace and quiet, allowing us to make up for lost time. She is recovering from both Meningitis and Lyme Disease, which might well take some years. She is without insurance now, but her doctors will not allow her to work. She deserves none of this, so, I am doing the big brother thing.
While I could probably find means to work online more, I actually prefer not to. More opportunities for print work present themselves every week, but this quieter time means more to me now than reviewing mediocrity or interviewing vanity or even proofreading anyone else's godawful script. I do enjoy the irony of every other hapless hack's willingness to lie, cheat and steal in order to get their pitches read, while I have never submitted anything anywhere. And strangely, in this silence are increasing requests for my words. But non serviam.
So, as days are spent reading and writing for myself, exercising my culinary muscles and watching movies with my sister, the two of us roadtripping through great lengths of Kentucky and Indiana, I am knowing degrees of calmness that have resisted my attention for too many years.
And regarding my reading list, I finished L. Sprague DeCamp's merciless Lovecraft: A Biography. I read Bram Stoker's Dracula and thumbed through the Complete Idiot's Guide To Freemasons. I was inspired by Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451, and then read Aldous Huxley's Brave New World and Brave New World Revisited back to back. And now am rereading Roger Zelazny's Lord Of Light.
Wherefore now? I will have one final review set to go up here on the sixth, for a great book from a great friend of mine. I have three interviews finished or nigh finished, which will need to remain in limbo for the time being, but I have canceled other pending interviews, and am no longer accepting requests for any of it. I do not mean to imply that I think myself god's gift, but perhaps if more folks knew how to compose a review, knew how to conduct an interview, then perhaps I would not garner these insane levels of feedback. And comic book journalism in general is now really just such a predictable game, like watching slow-motion footage of a car wreck. On repeat. I have said before that I equate contributing to society with what Alcoholics Anonymous refers to as enabling, and this view only grows with time. As much as I love creative industries, the shocking number of poisonous personalities I have crossed paths with have taken their toll. I can and shall oppose your drama by completely negating your very existence. In stead of being made to feel like a big fish in a small pool, I would rather slither up on shore. I will not make money for you. I will not support your mediocrity.
Persons capable of communicating by letters or business calls know what my print output will be over the many many months to come. Some projects are collaborations with old friends, but I do things my way. I have never asked others for assistance in anyway, creatively or professionally, and I am no longer offering my assistance to others.
A has always been and always will remain, A.

Virtus junxit, mors non separabit.

thirty three

2011-03-15T12:00:00.000-04:00

I am as old as the christ today.

Pythagorean Theorem

2011-03-01T16:36:00.000-05:00

Recently, I digested the Complete Idiot's Guide To Freemasonry, by S. Brent Morris, in an attempt to fact-check my stacks and stacks of notes regarding a dream project that will never likely see the light of day. While I encountered nothing new therein, I did come to a realization of something which I can find no evidence anywhere else of ever having been noted down by anyone.

A long-standing rumor concerning the Masons deals with the extent of their involvement in the design of the Washington, DC street plan. Conspiracy loons love to believe that the plan incorporates an inverted pentagram inside of a pentagon. This is absolute hogwash of course, for two reasons. One is that no such completed designs exist in the District of Columbia roadways. If the craftsmen were so particular- then why would they have their symbols interrupted by parks and paths that simply do not meet? And two- there is simply no evidence whatsoever that either the pentagram or pentagon have ever held any special connection to Freemasonry, by any stretch of the imagination. Case closed.

However...

One bit of symbology that does hold dear meaning to Masons the world over is the Forty-Seventh Problem of Euclid. Euclid was the Greek mathematician whose 23 axioms comprise the basic dynamics for modern geometry. And we all know that the G in the compass is interchangeable as standing either for God or Geometry. Masons believe that Euclid even assisted Solomon in the design of his temple, so there you go. But why oh why would I bring up this centuries-dead math geek?

Because, the stated Forty-Seventh Problem of Euclid DOES exist within the street plans for Washington DC. And I have never seen mention of this obvious and undeniable fact anywhere. Not that I pay attention or anything.

wizardry vanquished

2011-02-20T13:29:00.001-05:00

We met when you were but months old. I was young and somewhat impressionable. You were like the tv guide- thumbing your pages meant not having to actually buy so many shite books. But as you grew you lost your focus, your composure. As I grew I became less impressionable.

Many great writers and editors contributed to your better days, all of whom have long since moved on to higher grounds, mostly by way of Robot Chicken and DC. I remember the controversy over Liefeld's Cable/Shaft cover. I remember Andy Mangels' excellent Hollywood articles, before you obsessed on the possibility of that one medium saving the other. Tom Palmer's excellent indie articles, before indie creators found their own respective voices via the wonders of the intrawebz. Bart Sears' excellent articles that taught more artists than any of the early Image tracers. And on and on.

But your stomach was always bigger than your eyes. Your comedy lost its timing long ago. You started wearing ties. You laid off so many other persons, trying to keep such actions secretive, and failing. You strangely persist in monopolizing the entire convention circuit. But your greatest fault- your increasing efforts at perpetuating the stereotypes of the comic book industry, pushing drivel down the starving throats of each and every new batch of impressionable young readers. That was the dividing line for me. You are to comic books, as mtv is to music. Hype and nonsense.

Print media is not dying, only bad print media.

You could have been so much stronger and more productive than what you ever were, but you sell Industry more than Creativity. You have no virtue. You never did, but like so many others I just wanted to believe. I now feel vindicated for not having read a complete issue in years. I hope you find whatever you're looking for. God knows I never did- not through your pages.

So I bid thee, sadly, adieu; and raise my goblet to what could have been, what should have been.

ahem all o'er the place

2011-02-12T14:48:00.002-05:00

"The only reason for a gentleman to do anything except what his fancy dictates, is that he can best sustain his illusions of beauty and purpose in life by falling harmoniously into the pattern of his ancestral feelings. The individual- feudal, proud, aloof, unfetter'd and dominant- that is all that matters, and society is of use to him only so far as it enlarges the pleasures he might enjoy without it."

-HP Lovecraft

ise

2011-01-31T13:32:00.001-05:00

On the occasion of First Night, 2001, I was a sometime member of an experimental rock band/theatrical troupe known as Industrial Sonic Echo. First Night is what New Englanders refer to New Years as. ISE was like a real-life Buckaroo Bonzai, a band of artist-scientists whose performance was one third audio, one third organized movement, and one third structure and sculpture, and two-thirds mindfuck. The setting was Worcester, Massachusetts. Specifically, on that New Years Eve evening of the year 2000AD, the Worcester Art Museum, where we orchestrated two sets for a supposed grand total of roughly 2000 helpless viewers.
This was the playbill I wrote for the night, long thought lost.

The Neo Mythography...the Nuclear Eyeballs!

See the technological static of pure science fiction and all that is gothic and the yin-yang of the Greek poet Hesiod while Friedrich Nietzsche and the Mad Monk Grigori Rasputin and Albert Einstein and Gene Roddenberry and the astroGOD Stephen Hawking and Carl Sagan gone too far again with whiskey and artificial crystals and Osiris Was A Black God and the sounds of Pink Floyd and Sun Ra and maybe George Clinton and a random tribal dance of Australian aborigines in honor of their wacky Rainbow Serpent Dagon and see Christian guilt and televisions galore and contraband and DNA strands and the helix is beautiful this time of year and see the grassy Dallas knoll and charcoal figures on the cave walls and the Bhagavad ala Gita-Baby (don't you know that I love you?) and the Divine Comedy of Groucho and Doktor Faustus and Illuminatus to the Nth and geometric symbolism mixed with Aegyptian mythology mixed with Tibetan mysticism mixed with Stanley Kubrick films in reverse and ALIEN LIFE and see falling airplanes and rusty computers and anti-matter and apocalyptic nightmares of trashed cityscape streets and darkened urban jungles and painted faces hiding therein and political jokes and religious truths and see Jack Kirby parademons driving fast old cars through Timothy Leary timelessness and mental warnings of Danger Danger Danger and cyberpunx radiation energy while consciousness engineering weblines to bring you the Lost Gods in full process techni-colour and electrical emotions and codex arcana...

...FUSION!

These digital souls, locked within their own timestream continuum...

- What sweet music they make!

Nancy Hernandez and the Black Widows

2011-01-22T01:24:00.008-05:00

Written by Scott "el Diablo" Marcano & Jaime Zevallos
Illustrated by Juan Romera
Self Published

Nancy Hernandez is a good girl, a student at Felipe H Middle School, where she is a straight A student, hall monitor, and general teacher's pet. She earnestly tries hard, wanting to find a better future for herself. The Black Widows, a Latina gang consisting of her fellow students, are not good girls. Led by the hard and delinquent Shorty, Ratita, Pollita, Tattletale, Roach, Face, and new recruit Dulce care less about the future and more about mindlessly showing the world how little they care for anything at all. With such a volatile mix of personalities, it is safe to presume that wackiness does not ensue.
This original graphic novel may be more than a little too energetic to qualify as a slice of life piece, although much of the language is certainly adult. A fastly-moving plot and realistically sharp dialogue together present a tale with more horror than typically found in coming of age narratives. I am very familiar with Marcano's previous endeavors as a comics scribe. Actually, Nancy's story here seems to contain aspects from Marcano's debut book The Unwanted, wherein troubled youths and their colorfully-personified elders are all caught up in a supernatural struggle. But Nancy's story here is presented in a voice more reminiscent of Marcano's later book HUM, which was an evolutionary (and horribly overlooked) leap in his storytelling ability wherein spirituality and revolution go hand in bloody hand. Here teamed with actor Jaime Zevallos he offers a solid story of arrogantly ignorant youth self-destructing amidst an appropriate Halloween backdrop.
Juan Romera's art is so much more concise this time at bat, compared with his prior contributions in The Unwanted. What caught my eye immediately was his experimental explorations of shape and form, to levels that would impress even the great Mark Badger. He is not just a visual storyteller, he is quite stylish and thoughtful in how he pulls the reader along. The black and white interiors are so different, yet as equally evolved, as his painted cover- I love love love artists who put such consideration into what they do, and I am eager to see what the man has next on his creative agenda.

Nancy Hernandez and the Black Widows, without revealing too much here, is a new work (available in this month's Previews catalogue from Diamond!) that is something much more daring than one might expect from a plot full of inner city youthful angst. There is real violence and death, yes, but there is also the pleasantly surreal aspects of The Things That Go Bump In The Night Immortal. Marcano is called Diablo for a reason. And this work, aided and abetted by such a fine roster of talent, is one of his more mature efforts in comix to date. If you like a fun read without capes and with something meaningful to say, then do NOT let this book go unnoticed.
Or I will throw rats at you.

Stiletto 8

2011-01-22T00:18:00.007-05:00

Everything and the kitchen sink by John B. Lai
Published by Ultimate Comics Group

While our vivacious heroine Stiletto and her pet puppy monster Rigby are hitching a ride back to Earth with the Pak-Wan rebels (following the big victory last month), their ship is attacked hard by a warbird from the Godra empire. That was last issue. This iss we see the girl and her dog taken prisoner aboard the Godra ship and forced into a battle arena against seemingly dozens of the brutish warriors. Freeing a new friend, the trio fight and fight and fight. And make a few sexual innuendos along the way. Do they survive? Does anyone, really?

Lai wraps up his second big story arc of everybody's favorite intergalactic stripper. This plot unfolds deftly amidst the violence. And yes, there is nonstop violence in this book, with gnarly fight sequencing and alien spaceships being blasted back to Creation. But despite the hoopla, we do meet a major new character in Stiletto's crazy sci-fi world, the Kadra fighter Ren. So readers may well at long long last be seeing Stiletto encountering someone who may well be her equal enough so as to do something more than mere sexual innuendoing. Not that sexual innuendoing is not fun, but then neither is the third. or fourth dimension, honestly. The IMPORTANT thing to be remembered and so acknowledged, of course, is that this issue does still, despite such copious quantities of character development, have nipples, nipples, and nipples.

The art continues to shine and evolve. The pages are as pretty to look at, the storytelling becomes even more clearer, and Rigby is still adorable while she licks alien blood off the floor. As expected, a plenitude of nifty alien designs on show, from the creatures to their tech and environs. Imagination is a wonderful thing, and Stiletto is loaded up the arse with it in spades.

And yes, the second Stiletto storyline from the nilskidoo-approved ongoing series does indeed wrap here, but it is my understanding that likeminded Stiletto fanatics should expect a trade collection of issues 5-8 coming soon...and with this snazzy cover:

So make like a stone and paint it, black!

despair gets hers

2011-01-21T21:12:00.003-05:00

Been gone from LouEVIL for two days now and I have no desire, no cause, to ever return. Though I am not online as much for the time being, I do yet have a few interviews in progress, along with a growing stack of reviews. And a secret project!
Reading list...finished the Lenny Bruce book, then Ayn Rand's Anthem. Currently halfway through L. Sprague DeCamp's excellent (though vicious) biography of Howard Phillips Lovecraft.

More to follow, as ever.

reflection

2010-12-28T21:20:00.007-05:00

A final of steps in the musical faring thee well of ought-ten. Songs are no longer written as tough as this. Likeso, I think there are worlds of strength in the past to learn from. When my paternal grandfather was my age he was a POW in Korea, surviving torture. When my maternal grandfather was my age he was a trailblazing forest ranger surviving shoot-outs with poachers right here in Kentucky. I know guys my age now who gripe about everything as though they were the most royal of princesses. And not about swallowing hot shrapnel, but about what's on their hamburgers. That's really the only use the past serves, anyhow. To bleed it for knowledge, and to shed the rest as a snake shedding itself blind. Not to downplay that role. We come from the past, so of course we find ourselves in there, always. Just as this song alludes indirectly to where my gourd is in this, the last days of a curious year of years: we can choose to reflect the past. We can choose to remember.

d'odgem l'ogic

2010-12-25T16:32:00.000-05:00

Under that purdy Kevin O'Neill cover comes issue SEVEN of Dodgem Logic, the Northampton mag produced and published by Alan Moore and associates. Contributors this time around include Stewart Lee, Dick Foreman, Kurt Amacker, Robin Ince, Steve Aylett, Josie Long, Orlando Harrison, Steve Holland, and Melinda Gebbie, among others.
Also in this issue: Miss Enid Truckleton answers reader letters for the very first time!
It's art, it's social commentary, it's funner than psychiatry and safer than prostitution. Order your copy now, ladies and gentlemen and ladies.

here and there

2010-12-19T12:46:00.006-05:00

Alright, with but one week to go in the kettle season for my local wing of the Sal Army, the race is on to find more work, and a new apartment. I need a place to bring chiquitas home to.

Reading list...After Atlas Shrugged, I read Neil Gaiman's Anansi Boys, so as to get back in touch with my inner Coyote God. I liked (not loved) his American Gods. Certain bits of 'Gods were better than classic, while a certain sizable bit near the end was just ripped off from Clive Barker. He does have a greatly whimsical voice in Anansi Boys though, and I would love seeing a full return on his part to this style.
After that, I read an Ayn Rand sampler, which included biographical info, along with selections from a number of her works. Anyone who signs on with the Ayn Rand Institute's mailing list may receive a free copy if they so choose. I was sent three, as somebody there seems to appreciate this here magickal blog of blogs.
This was followed with Kurdt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse Five, which I had never actually read before. I have read, and owned, over a dozen of his other books however. My previous favorite was the Welcome To The Monkeyhouse collection of his early prose, but I adored the political defiance of Slaughterhouse Five. And written in such a breezy style at that. Boy did Vonnegut leave a mother of a void for us to fill.
Currently, I am knee deep in The Trials Of Lenny Bruce, co-authored by Ronald Collins and David Skover. Stunningly indepth and well-researched. I knew already that much litigation was written BECAUSE of Bruce's comedy, but I hope to better understand the enemy that is censorship by a study such as this. Because the only folks who censor as much as Americans do were Nazis.

But for something completely different, please scope my brand new interview with the indomitable Norm Breyfogle. I have dug his work forever and a day, and am still trying to talk him into finding a publisher willing, able, and sensible enough to collect all of his Metaphysique material. Because.

King 2

2010-12-14T23:38:00.008-05:00

Written by Thomas Hall
Art and Letters by Daniel Bradford
Published by Blacklist Studios

Creators Hall and Bradford continue to pop out cult-hit phenomenons as though neither honestly has a better thing to do. Last issue, we met King (who may or may not be that certain other king) and his valiant defense of a fast food dive in the middle of nowheresville from a dastardly onslaught of the undead. There was also the bit with the legendary Spear Of Longinus. Here, we fastforward somewhat to meet up with King as he comes royally close to scoring with a barmaid. And once again he gets to exhibit just how butch the good King is after all.
Hall may not be a crackhead, but his mind seems to enjoy piecing together these bizarre settings and scenarios as though he really were cracked out enough to believe that zombies are not yet overplayed. Which obviously, they ain't. His King as presented here is a total macho-badass, with some more subversive suggestions thrown in for the reader to wonder just who the hell this guy really is anyways. So much attitude, and so much delirious fun. And Mexican wrestlers, too!

Bradford's art continues to evolve. Though not illustrating armored skulls pounding mythological monstrosities here, he is instead challenged with a comedic horror set-up, with an increasingly sublime and sinister aim. He is illustrating, simply put, what Bubba Ho-tep could've/should've been. His forms are elongated and sharp, perhaps owing moreso to the Vampire Hunter D anime than to assorted works from Mike Mignola or Guy Davis (both artists who have obviously influenced Bradford's earlier work). It's dark stuff, quite stylish. And the humor of it all never crosses over into falling anvils territory.

Robot13 is a dynamite book. The same persons responsible are pushing their creative mettle in a very different direction with King, and it is a fun story in progress. Though the plot may not have much in common with a plate of spaghetti, there is just so much irresistible potential here- what's not to love?

Stiletto 7

2010-12-12T17:34:00.005-05:00

Everything and the kitchen sink by John B. Lai
Published by Ultimate Comics Group

After somehow surviving an alien civil war in the past story, "Detour" has the classy Stiletto and faithful pet puppy-monster Rigby hitching a ride home, at last. Until, the nasty nasty Godra launch a full-scale assault on their ship. Who are the Godra? Imagine a potty-mouthed cross between a Klingon and a Skrull. Yes, it's that serious.
And Lai continues his more serious direction for the femme fatale heroine, as close to such as possible for an intergalactic stripper. This iss does bring the reader a totally unexpected dream sequence though, a bit that answers a helluva lot of questions while setting up several possible future plot threads. Crafty crafty work.
All that can be said for the art of Stiletto, for those who've taken me up on my sage wisdom and checked out this series, is that Lai's actual layouts and storytelling are evolving faster than an other-dimensional, multi-pronged erection. His imagination is all over the place, as exampled by the range of stories he has popped out throughout the history of UCG, sure, by he seems to be operating under the delusion that Imagination is not a dead virtue. Thankfully, for those not easily offended anyhow, he is turning out some incredibly imaginative stuff with this, his pet-project comic book.
Stiletto is raven-haired in this arc. Stiletto is at once the name of the main character and of the comic series said main character stars in. And Stiletto is the rare type of story that has a royal plethora of colorfully weird, horny aliens. This will not teach you about String Theory, unless we are talking string bikinis. This kind of humor is not for everybody, certainly not for minors or nuns. Well, maybe some nuns, but you get the idea. Lots and lots of guilty fun, and it seems to only get better and better with each new issue.
Buy this book.

Metapatriot 9

2010-12-12T16:57:00.006-05:00

Written, Lettered, Flatted & Edited by John B. Lai
Art & Coloring by Rick Lozano
Published by Ultimate Comics Group

In "Bad Medicine", psychopathic Roughcut is given a new set of targets with which to unleash his grievances- the unfortunate staff of the hospital failing to cure his mother. What follows is an all-out war as the murderer slashes away at hospital personnel and Met-Con agents alike, all the while Tommy Starr- the one and only Metapatriot- tries...and fails to stop him?
Lai continues his ongoing tale of the patriotic hero here with a page-turning action bonanza. The plot moves fast as the title character is forced to make on the spot decisions, doing anything and everything to bottle the fury of Roughcut before things get any worse. But what drama could there really be if things did not actually get worse? A quick and easy to follow read, with no real introductions needed for new readers.
Lozano has done work for UCG elsewhere, among other places, although this is in fact his debut full issue effort. He has a very crisp style, easy on the eyes while telling the story well enough visually. Influenced by many of the big 1990's gamut of artists, his own style really shines through in his use of extra-darkened borders and forms. He wants every image to have a full-blown iconic effect, and pulls that off, strangely enough, in the more static and violence-free sequences. It works. And to his credit, his color style especially fits in smoothly with the UCG house look, presenting a nice overall tone that would do well to stick around for as many issues as needed to truly make this book his own. Artwise, the best yet for this title, I think.
Though arguably gory at times, this iss shows how for the most part Metapatriot is still a solid action-adventure book: standard superhero fare, and thankfully more inspired by mainstream comics of the 70's and 80's than the generically bland look and smarmy feel of more modern comics. A pocket dimension of fun for the kind of reader who remembers still when comics were escapist melodrama without misplaced messages being forced fed left and right.
Better than you might believe.

The Opposite Of Charity Is Justice

2010-11-25T15:18:00.011-05:00

I am nearing finality with my indepth reevaluations into the fundamentals of Objectivism, and felt like recording some thoughts here.
I first read Atlas Shrugged in the summer of 2000, while living in Mystic, Connecticut. I was sharing a place for the season with an old lesbian drinking buddy of mine, working at a hotel and with all the world of time seemingly before me. I had known that the work meant a great deal to my father, and as I was in those days digesting philosophical texts like flowing water it only seemed right to dive into Ayn Rand's seminal book. I recall at the time seeing many commonalities in the ideas expressed and the decisions I had myself made in the years previous. I never allowed myself to go beyond the point of questioning, though, as to whether the similarities were somehow instilled in me by my old man, or whether they were the natural results of my own ongoing psychogenesis. I never pursued that line of thought, as those were in fact the months leading up to the murder of my sister Rebecca.
In the months that followed that tribulation, I threw myself steadfastly into Objectivism, to militant levels. The tenets, the ideology, were the flint that made me sharper than what I was, providing a focal point. In that direction, the combination of the increasing degrees of grief with the blossoming personal belief system left me entirely unwilling and unable to work many of the occupations then open to me. That Fall and Winter I had worked for the Salvation Army of Worcester, Massachusetts, disagreeing with the theology of the organization but appreciating its politics. On the side I modeled for a variety of life-drawing groups and art courses, as it was during this period when I also began marrying Tai Chi with isometrics. I was in the greatest shape of my life, physically and mentally. Emotionally, even spiritually, was another matter altogether, obviously.
At the start of 2001 I was living and working in Boston, Massachusetts, heavily involved with the community union known as the Acorn program. A select group of my coworkers there and I would gather, after work, at assorted bars around the neighborhoods of Dorchester and Chelsea, where we would engage in long-winded debates concerning economics, sociology, and philosophy. None of us agreed with the program of our employment, but each of us saw it as a stepping stone in our prospective individual paths of social and political development. My own views at this time were an increasingly clusterfuck of a mix of Discordianism and Objectivism. There were no shades of gray in my outlook, for good or ill. The bloodthirst for a changed world was something we all shared, which ended as a rather volatile mix itself.
Long story short, members of that particular circle were being plagued by a serial rapist, and other members chose to take matters into their own hands, in the most illegal of ways conceivable. I was not directly involved in any of the ordeal, though I was directly involved in the cleanup. Events that to this day weigh in on my thoughts from time to time, to the point of harrowingly vivid nightmares. Make of this what you will.
Shortly thereafter, the overburdening weight of life and death proved too much for my own shoulders to carry, and I experienced a severe psychological collapse, physically destroying many of my personal belongings and then relocating back to Kentucky to be nearer to what family remained.
Ten years of a prolonged paradigm shift ensued, and along the way I have since incorporated the philosophy of Absurdism into my own belief system.
Wondering how specifically Objectivism still fits into my inner dialogue, as well as realizing just how entrenched was and is the great Steve Ditko (one of my artistic heroes) into the teachings of Ayn Rand, I decided to study the works once more. The Fountainhead mesmerized me, keeping me up late every night as I absorbed it completely. And now, as the end pages of Atlas Shrugged draw near, I encounter this passage:

"He felt a peculiar cleanliness. It was made of pride and of love for this earth, this earth which was his, not theirs. It was the feeling which had moved him through his life, the feeling which some among men know in their youth, then betray, but which he had never betrayed and had carried within him as a battered, attacked, unidentified, but living motor- the feeling which he could now experience in its full, uncontested purity: the sense of his own superlative value and the superlative value of his life. It was the final certainty that his life was his, to be lived with no bondage to evil, and that that bondage had never been necessary. It was the radiant serenity of knowing that he was free of fear, of pain, of guilt."

And for the first time in years, I really teared up. This is my life. Imagination, Intelligence, Individuality, Initiative, and Ingenuity, all employed for the excellence of self and of the world around me, no matter the sacrifices along the way. No matter what destruction comes of it. This is my life, I live it for myself and by my standards alone, and I always have. Especially whenever I am so unfortunate as to reap what I sow.

there and here

2010-11-21T15:38:00.002-05:00

In a middle-grounding of a spot, though thankfully not between a hard place and a rock.
Waiting on certain things from before to be released, while working on projects that may or may not be released anytime soon. Nothing current in creative ends, although my interviews for A.N.A are lining up nicely.
Frankly, at the moment I am concerning myself more with day work so as to have a new apartment by x-mas. It is a race with no real finish line, but I will make it happen.

"Do or do not, there is no try."
(Apparently, Yoda read some Ayn Rand as well!)

words

2010-11-02T19:52:00.001-04:00

I am, apparently, a finalist in a contest.

Read my story here. Follow the directions at the bottom, which will then involve going onto facebook to cast a vote for (or against) me. However, if you are one of the sensible ones who lives life just dandy without online social networking, then please feel free to leave a comment below the story itself.

fire away, boys.

ars amandi

2010-11-01T16:30:00.000-04:00

"In the spectacle of death, in the endurance of intolerable pain, and in the irrevocableness of a vanished past, there is a sacredness, an overpowering awe, a feeling of the vastness, the depth, the inexhaustible mystery of existence, in which, as by some strange marriage of pain, the sufferer is bound to the world by bonds of sorrow. In these moments of insight, we lose all eagerness of temporary desire, all struggling and striving for petty ends, all care for the little trivial things that, to a superficial view, make up the common life of day by day; we see, surrounding the narrow raft illumined by the flickering light of human comradeship, the dark ocean on whose rolling waves we toss for a brief hour; from the great night without, a chill blast breaks in upon our refuge; all the loneliness of humanity amid hostile forces is concentrated upon the individual soul, with what of courage it can command, against the whole weight of a universe that cares nothing for its hopes and fears. Victory, in this struggle with the powers of darkness, is the true baptism into the glorious company of heroes, the true initiation into the overmastering beauty of human existence. From that awful encounter of the soul with the outer world, renunciation, wisdom, and charity are born; and with their birth a new life begins. To take into the inmost shrine of the soul the irresistible forces whose puppets we seem to be- death and change, the irrevocableness of the past, and the powerlessness of man before the blind hurry of the universe from vanity to vanity- to feel these things and know them is to conquer them."

by Bertand Russell
from A Free Man's Worship, 1903

by my halidom...

2010-11-01T11:03:00.004-04:00

If I were to write zombies, which I don't, something that always bugged me would be acknowledged. You kill a zombie with a headshot, right? You have to destroy the brain. Why?

I think the reason lies inside of the pineal gland.

Hallowe'en was fun this year. Literally ran into some old ghosts. In a good way.

Reading list...
I finished The Fountainhead, and saw that it could only be followed by Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, which I reviewed here:
http://poplitiko.blogspot.com/2010/10/modern-prometheus.html
The ultimate man and then the anti-man. Then I tackled Alan Moore's novel, Voice Of The Fire, which was quite nice. Too historically accurate to warrant the dark fantasy label, and too much of a headtrip to qualify as horror in the traditional sense. Great for the season though. I am currently almost finished with a collection of essays and lectures from Bertrand Russell, titled Why I Am Not A Christian. There are phenomenal ideas expressed here, from the godfather of Western Atheism. Actually, I wonder now how much his work might have influenced Ayn Rand in her founding of Objectivism.
Speaking of which, the long-ago ordered copy of her Atlas Shrugged is ready for pickup at the public library, so I will be hipdeep in this stuff awhile more.
I am returning to doing interviews. Jaymes Reed let me practice on him, to see how rusty I am. See the results for yourself here:
http://poplitiko.blogspot.com/2010/11/jaymes-reed-word-balloon-blower-upper.html
Beyond that, I am back with A.N.A Comics, to continue my series of artist interviews conducted for their company blog group. I am already lining up some great talents, and I hope to have a couple per month.

As for that other news...yea...

warm beer and cold women

2010-10-28T21:16:00.003-04:00

Walking all over the damn city, not really looking for anything at all.

I know I am not doing anything for Hallowe'en. Equally, I did nothing to commemorate this being Domestic Violence Awareness month.

I could use more paying work. I could use new boots and a new home. What I am being offered for the new year though...will be monstrously huge. Creatively. I neither initiated or instigated a thing, but without a pitch or proposal of any kind, I have been approached in recent weeks for work by three separate comic book publishers. They came to me. Because I sell nothing and I buy nothing. But god knows what any of them were thinking.

I just walk all over this damn city, not looking for a damn thing at all.

Lady Lazarus

2010-10-25T12:50:00.001-04:00

This is by my friend Gallows. Known the kid for 5 years now, through high times and low, and I am ecstatic at his musical progress.

logic dodgem!

2010-10-23T16:28:00.000-04:00

The latest issue of the Northampton-centric magazine, Dodgem Logic, is now available! The sixth issue of Alan Moore's bizarre side project also features works from Iain Sinclair, Stewart Lee, Steve Aylett, Dick Foreman, Melinda Gebbie, Robin Ince, and many more!

Why do we care? Because I will write for this mag. Someday.

Bob Guccione

2010-10-21T16:26:00.000-04:00

Bob Guccione, notorious and infamous founder of Penthouse magazine, passed away Wednesday morning at the age of 79.
Viewed by many as a smuttier version of Hugh Hefner, the controversial Guccione was a pioneer of the American porn industry. Starting the magazine in 1965 to subsidize his own art career, he served as its original photographer and editor. Over the course of his reign as publisher, it is estimated the magazine garnered in excess of 4 billion dollars total. He was also a prime investor in the cult-hit film, 1979's Caligula, starring Malcolm McDowell, Peter O'Toole, and Helen Mirren.
It is believed that he died from lung cancer.

Alan Moore once said that the only difference between pornography and erotica is the bank account of the audience. Think what you will of Guccione's publishing career, but the man was an original, fiery spirit through and through.

faint recognition confessional

2010-10-16T22:52:00.002-04:00

"The only way you can really look up is when you're down on your back."
-Alcoholics Anonymous

"All of us are lying in the gutters, but only some of us are looking to the stars."
-Oscar Wilde

"To sell your soul is the easiest thing in the world. That's what everybody does every hour of his life. If I asked you to keep your soul- would you understand why that's much harder?"
-Howard Roark

"In war, truth is the first casualty."
-Aeschylus (Fifth century B.C.)

"I just want to fuck up everything."
-Johnny Rotten

why Objectivism?

2010-10-07T16:58:00.005-04:00

"Do not attempt to rise on the looters' terms or to climb the ladder while they're holding the ropes. Do not allow their hands to touch the only power that keeps them in power: your living ambition. Go on strike- In the manner I did. Use your mind and skill in private, extend your knowledge, develop your ability, but do not share your achievements with others. Do not try to produce a fortune, with a looter riding on your back. Stay on the lowest rung of the ladder, earn no more than your barest survival, do not make an extra penny to support the looters' state. Since you're captive, act as a captive, do not help them to pretend that you're free."

-Ayn Rand
from Atlas Shrugged

I am rereading the Fountainhead now, however. I still have no desire to make money for others, so employment is problematic. But I see conviction as an endangered species. Moreso than ethics, values, or morals even.
There was more I had wanted to say as epilogue to last month's many anniversaries, though I feel this says far more than enough.

Enchanted Legends

2010-10-02T12:19:00.004-04:00

Legends: The Enchanted
Written & Illustrated by Nick Percival
Lettered by Richard Starkings & Comicraft's Jimmy Betancourt
Edited by Renae Geerlings
Designed by Moyo Studios
Published by Radical

Legends is the tale of the Enchanted, in a world where all fairy tales are real and co-exist, albeit filtered through loud death metal and violent acts of savagery. The Enchanted themselves are the heroes and heroines of the storybook fables we all grew up with, here shown as mercenaries, drunkards, survivors. This is a harsh realm, with the forces of the evil Squires conspiring with the Hag and her mirror sister to kill the Enchanted as wickedly, and as finally, as possible.

Percival has an obvious love for these stories, these characters. His reimaginings of familiar faces such as Jack 'O the Green, Red Riding Hood, Hansel & Gretel, etc, are inspired and intricate. These heroes have aged in their land of darkness, aged and grown to be as brutal as necessary in order to prevail against the wicked. The cast is well-stocked enough, as he even includes characters and elements from nursery rhymes and folklore the world over. While I enjoyed the inclusion of the more obscure characters like Father Frost, I would personally have liked to see more of the Piper in action. Despite the guns and knives, Percival's characters are still heroes, the violence and the nightmarish settings of the Woodlands casting everything in a brand new light. And this is very much adult content, such as the scene where a giant's head is drained directly into the gastank of a motorcycle by somebody hopped up on "magic beans".
His art is darkly detailed, with insinuations of Giger and of Bisley. While the politics of this world factor as largely as anything else, his visuals infuse these otherwise familiar places and faces with an industrial gothic sensibility; cybernetic and necromantic all in one gruesome package. This is steampunk on bad acid. This is the X-Men as directed by Rob Zombie.

Lacking the overrated smarminess of other recent attempts at reinvisioning such fabled stories, Percival has turned these ageless stories into something twisted and ugly, as ugly as the original incarnations of these tales, where children of old were killers and thieves and quite un-Disney, actually. A brilliantly unique graphic novel, I applaud the efforts immensely.

auk the fourth

2010-10-01T23:00:00.007-04:00

AmericansUK #4
Written by Jef UK
Illustrated by Paul Ciaravino
Lettered by Ben
Pin-up art by Pat Loika
Self-published

I have been following this series since it was launched to our little corner of the milky way as an infant from a faraway dying planet. As such, I have watched this story grow more exponentially than a hidden basement room full of illegal plants. This iss, picking up directly from where the events in the AUK Mixtape anthology left off, has the band's frontman Jef UK and android bandmate JTR3 still stuck in a future torn from the bloody pages of the old Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventures comic. Remember that book, back when Evan Dorkin was first starting to sellout his craft for the big fat check? Of course, Dorkin's gone back to his artistic roots since, but by god how scary was the 90s? Anyhow, as the AUK gents (and friends) begin a concert to celebrate a recent win for their futuristic rebellion-enthusiasts, trouble bursts forth anew. The robots and humans refuse to shutup and play nice, as the despotic SOB leader of this future world, Stang, ups the ante while unleashing another plot thread.

Jef's writing is clearly getting tighter and tighter. While this issue's story is not played for the laughs as were some of the earlier chapters, through the course of this giant bit of fight sequencing he displays an ear for dialogue that would appeal to any reader of Asimov or Bradbury who has ever been plastered on cheap tequila before. Every comic of the AUK seems to evolve, almost redefining itself by switching up styles here and there as it commences forward. This is still a mad adventure book, with some chuckles and pop cultural references aplenty, but the personality delivered by Jef and Paul is really pushing the whole property into something big.
And Paul should be called out for his work here. After experimenting with a variety of penciling and inking styles previously, here he seems to have settled on something that calls to mind the nerdiest best of comic books from the mainstream early 1980s. His work is excellent here for the fantastical and absurd science fictional settings, although I'm sure his work will just continue to evolve and grow into something somehow even more interesting by the time the next chapter is out.
Ben, as ever, spelt everything correctly.

The Americans UK is a real-life group of wacky, punky musicians based out of New York City. They seem to enjoy performing what the kids today are calling "rock and roll". And yes, this very comic book series is produced by members of the band and members of said band's circle of friends and drinking buddies. By all accounts, the real-life version of the Americans UK is every bit as imaginative and spirited as what readers can encounter in the comic series. Interested parties can purchase actual hardcopies of the series, with spines, via indyplanet. Or, free digital copies, albeit spineless, can be found via the underutilized LiterateMachine. Either way, if one is looking for a fun little escape, something that will not insult your intelligence or otherwise lead one down the road to ruin, Americans UK continues to put out some fine, fine reading materials, for no other reason than the obvious fun of it. Cod Bless the AUK.

motion through the goings

2010-09-28T19:35:00.006-04:00

Alright, so I will not be attending next month's NYC comic con. I just could not raise the busfare to and fro quickly enough, although all else was covered. A shame, as there were several persons I was truly looking forward to meeting in person, though undoubtedly there will be other occasions to do so.
On a good note, I am using some of the cash to order copies of certain books with my name on them, before they find themselves out of circulation. I am eager for those books to sit on my shelf.

The voting for this year's Friends of Lulu Awards is officially over, and it may well be the last. I would love to see the organization continue beyond year's end, with or without me, but the situation looks completely hopeless. As it were, it has been a source of pride to be at all connected to the group these past few months, even if my ultimate roll was rather small.

Reading lists...I have wanted for awhile to at least mention the volume of volumes I've been speeding through, short of doing full book reviews (beit here or at poplitiko). I mentioned Jon Krakauer's Under The Banner Of Heaven not too long ago. Just prior to that I read Krakauer's excellent Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey Of Pat Tillman. Since then I have read Scott McCloud's Making Comics (inspirational, as ever), followed by Dark Horse's Eisner/Miller (two industry vets piping on for more than 350 pages about the history and politics of the medium...each placating the other, I think). I am currently a third of the way into Michael Chabon's The Amazing Adventures Of Kavalier & Clay (presumptuously well-written). Afterwords I'd like another crack at Milton's Paradise Lost. It's been a few years. All of these are research, incidentally.

Nothing new worth sharing on the creative front, except I am dangerously close to finishing an obscenely wordy essay on the history (primarily behind the scenes) of one of Steve Ditko's creations. I am tempted to see if Rob Imes would be up for publishing it in his fantastic fanzine, Ditkomania!, although I feel guilty at not having been in the position to renew my own subscription for a spell. What's the etiquette on that kinda thing? And what means etiquette to an Objectivist?

...and Stiletto 6!

2010-09-26T22:35:00.004-04:00

Stiletto #6
Created, Written, & Illustrated by John B. Lai
Published by Ultimate Comics Group

In this second chapter to Industrial Revolution, our lady on the scene Stiletto is caught between the Nazi-esque "Gak-Sho", led by the excessively violent Lord Gakler, and the rebel forces of the "Pak-Wan", led by King Popo. Forced by what she sees to aid what is clearly the lesser of two evils, this looks to be the stickiest mess yet for the energetic, intergalactic stripper/lawyer/heroine.

As the aliens get nastier and naughtier, the subject matters continue to spiral downward for Stiletto and Rigby, when all they want is to just find there way home. With a war raging through most of this issue, Lai leaves us with a great new twist, thereby surreptitiously pulling this entire saga into the UCG universe. While these characters are indeed a far cry from the much more clean superheroes this publisher is otherwise known for, the innuendo at just how indepth this megaverse is, is interesting. While Lai has worn multiple creative hats before, his writing skills do seem to include more than a little sneakiness.
The feel of the art continues to attract. It dawned on me that the style he has been reaching for serves as a bridge between the better days of Heavy Metal magazine onto something specifically aimed for the video game generation of today. The imagination and the delivery are just so much fun, I really cannot think of any other current or recent comics that this might possibly be compared to. The style of the illustrations calls to mind Scott McCloud's theory regarding the separation of character and environment. A generally animated look is presented here, with a surprising mix between the pseudo-realism of Stiletto and her occasional ladyfriends and allies, and the brushy, even scribbly look of many of the settings and assorted lesser characters; except here we also have an astounding display of coloring and digital effects that blanket every single frame with a unique and vibrant look all its own.

This comic series is adults-only, as it does contain quite a bit of nudity, crazy levels of exploding spaceships and lazers blasting folks into droplets of alien goo, as well as many an impolite word. Is Stiletto for everyone? No. But for those mature and open-minded enough for such graphic content and looking for something striving (and succeeding) at originality, this ongoing comic book is one hellaciously enjoyable read.

Stiletto 5!

2010-09-26T19:06:00.004-04:00

Stiletto #5
Created, Written, & Illustrated by John B. Lai
Published by Ultimate Comics Group

Beginning her second big story arc, and having narrowly avoided total calamity when the previous owner of Stiletto's Bi-Curian Custom Blaster tried miserably to declare herself drama queen incarnate, we find Stiletto and her puppy pet monster Rigby arriving on yet another world, one more bothersome than this here run-on sentence.

Instantly caught between two warring factions, our nubile intergalactic adventureress soon finds that one of these groups is a brutal, cannibalistic vulgarity of a species, and Stiletto herself may not be able to make it out of this one on her feet.
Lai continues his bizarrely comedic spin on the trials and tribulations of an intergalactic stripper, and with this issue infuses a severe thread of drama into the overall tapestry. Still a fun, no holds barred ride, with enough science fiction and tongue in cheek cheesecake to attract many a red-blooded male. And female. Great fun, and though not at all pornographic in content, this is once more, by no means whatsoever a comic book for minors.
His computer-generated art continues its own madcap path, mixing realistically-rendered people amidst cartoony aliens and imaginative worlds in an almost hallucinatory, psychedelic fashion. The color scale is gorgeously verbose and vivid, and his designwork is just as creative as a Ritalin-deprived, precocious child hopped up on candybars and endless supplies of every crayola ever manufactured. Lai isn't trying to win any awards, he's clearly just hellbent on telling an original, adventurous (but graciously funny) tale. And he absolutely succeeds.

A fast-paced rollercoaster presented and fully-packaged for grown-ups of particular tastes, Stiletto's new story deserves a closer look. And maybe an unfiltered cigarette after the fact.

spinning rooms, spinning yarns

2010-09-21T10:56:00.006-04:00

I've been reading Jon Krakauer's Under The Banner Of Heaven, which is astonishingly well-researched- something I've come to expect and to admire from all of Krakauer's books. Here, he respectfully quotes another author's work, Will Bagley's Blood Of The Prophets, as both books deal with the exceptionally murderous history of the Church Of Latter Day Saints: Mormons. One quote in particular caught my eye.

"In New York in 1902, William Hooper Young, the prophet's grandson, slit the abdomen of an alleged prostitute and wrote the words "Blood Atonement" in his father's apartment."

This references a grandson of Brigham Young, the second Prophet/President of the Mormon church. Why does this matter to me? Well, as faithful followers of this blog are aware, I and some writer friends have an upcoming book of our own, Autumn Painted Red, which deals exclusively with the Jack The Ripper slayings. In my own 2 years of research, one of the more interesting facts I came across concerned a murderer in New York City, in the years following Jack's reign, who killed a number of prostitutes in such a way as to lead many authorities to believe that Jack was not only still active, but had relocated to megalithic NYC. In fact, one of this Jack's victims was a prostitute nicknamed Shakespeare, so we have this bizarre moment of real-world metafiction. These killings began just ten years prior to the incident involving William Hooper Young.
Considering the insanity of Mormon Fundamentalism's Blood Atonement rites, might Hooper have been the NYC Ripper?
Ritualistic murders are not at all a rare thing among stated LDS Fundamentalists, as we've seen examples as recently as the past couple of decades in regards to members of both the LeBaron and Lafferty families. Brigham Young himself had given a number of impassioned speeches spouting how murdering in the name of God was actually a righteous thing. And to take this line of thought even further, the traditional Mormon church was indeed attracting English converts as early as the 1840s. Might the original Ripper murders then, in actuality have been the handiwork of a sect of Mormon Fundamentalists hellbent on purifying the sins of man?
I have not before found any mention of such an avenue having been explored anywhere else. And while this notion would not really alter my own contribution to Autumn Painted Red, the idea would be interesting to explore.

sweet jane says she talks to angels

2010-09-17T16:38:00.004-04:00

Today is the tenth anniversary of the murder of my elder sister, Rebecca Cay Caldwell. Born June 29th of 1975, she left us on September 18th of 2000. I can still hear her voice.

http://www.myspace.com/rebeccasvoice

Lulu 2010 Awards Voting In Full Effect!

2010-09-17T16:36:00.000-04:00

The good folks at the Friends Of Lulu organization are happy to at last announce the nominees for the 2010 Lulu Awards. The Lulu Awards recognizes the people and projects that helped to open eyes and minds to the amazing comic and cartooning work by and/or about women.

Voting is open to the public: simply click on this link!
One vote per person, per email address. VOTES ARE DUE SEPT 27th!
The Lulu Awards will be held October 29th at Long Beach Comic Con.

For the list of last year's winners, please click here.
For further information on past Lulu Awards winners, please click here.

For your convenience, here is a list of the nominees:
Leah Adezio Award for Best Kid-Friendly Work:

Leah, who passed away in 2007, was very active in Friends of Lulu and was also a comics creator in her own right. She had a passion for children’s comics and this award is in memory of her. This award is for a kid-friendly work that best exemplifies the Friends of Lulu motto “Comics Are For Everyone.”

* Jennifer L. Holm & Matthew Holm: Babymouse: The Musical and Babymouse: Dragonslayer
* Tory Woollcott: Mirror Mind
* Diana Nock: The Intrepid Girlbot
* Teddy Riawen, Phuong Hong Au Nguyen, & Malcolm Harris: Witch Girls Tales Issue 1 Volume 2
* David Petersen: Mouse Guard: Winter 1152
* Roger Langridge: The Muppet Show Comic Book: The Treasure of Peg-Leg Wilson
* Art Balthazar & Franco Aureliani: Tiny Titans

Best Female Character:

For a lead female character from an ongoing or limited comic book series or comic strip, original graphic novel or novella. Whether in print or online.

* Marie Levesque: The Road To God Knows, Von Allan
* Ramona Flowers: Scott Pilgrim, Bryan Lee O’Malley
* Creepy Carly: Creepy Carly, Carly Mizzou
* Girlbot: The Intrepid Girlbot, Diana Nock
* Ivy: Ivy, Sarah Oleksyk
* Mot Fleishman: Eros Inc., Michael Jonathan
* Hannelore Ellicott-Chatham: Questionable Content, Jeph Jacques
* Gemma: Nurse Nurse, Katie Skelly
* Mindy Markus: The Night Owls, Peter & Bobby Timony
* Fusella Mierter: Galaxion, Tara Tallan

Kim Yale Award for Most Talented Newcomer:

Nominees must have published work, whether self-published, company-published, or net-published. Nominees must be nominated for this category within two years of their first professionally published work or three years of their first self published work. An individual may not be nominated more than twice and cannot win more than once.

* Von Allan: The Road To God Knows
* Tory Woollcott: Mirror Mind
* Diana Nock: The Intrepid Girlbot
* Athena Currier: Action Athena
* Kathryn Immonen: The Runaways
* Lisa Hanawalt: I Want You
* Carolyn Belefski: Curls

Lulu of the Year:

For the creator, book or other entity whose work best exemplifies Friends of Lulu’s mission statement. Nominees must have published work, whether self-published, company-published, or net-published.

* Hope Larson
* The Road To God Knows by Von Allan
* Tara Tallan
* Kate Beaton
* Mirror Mind by Tory Woollcott
* Channel M Publishing
* Raina Telgemeier
* Jill Thompson
* Miss Lasko-Gross
* Katie Skelly
* Françoise Mouly
* Carol Tyler

Woman of Distinction:

For outstanding achievement within the comic book industry in non-creator roles, such as editing, publishing, reporting, or retail.

* Amy Adams: co-proprietor of Bergen Street Comics
* Sam (Samantha) Boswell: assisted on Von Allan's The Road To God Knows
* Laura Hudson: Comics Alliance
* Katie Merrit: retailer, Green Brain Comics
* Lauren Sankovitch: editor, Marvel Comics
* Elizabeth Dingmann: Lerner Publishing publicist
* Jenette Kahn: Former Publisher, DC Comics
* Peggy Burns: Associate Publisher, Marketing & Sales, Drawn & Quarterly
* Françoise Mouly: Publisher/Editorial Director TOON Books

The Female Cartoonists Hall Of Fame:

Nominees must have published work, whether self-published, company-published, or net-published. An individual cannot win more than once.

* Carla Speed McNeil
* Louise Simonson
* Devin Grayson
* Zelda Mavin Jackson aka Jackie Ormes
* Diana Nock
* Athena Currier
* Roz Chast
* Dori Seda
* Alison Bechdel

So get voting- it's free, and FoL is a non-profit charity! Everybody wins!

comicnews.info

2010-09-13T18:18:00.003-04:00

Just walked through another anniversary here at jalopy HQ. On 09.09.09 I parted with comicnews.info, a site I had been with since around 1742 (b.c.) or so. Though in all actuality the parting waters had resulted from the damnably mutual blame consisting of one part my own blasted arrogance mixed with equal measures of general disinterest from the entire 13-strong staff at the time, I am humbled to have since made some degree of amends with Gary Rodrigue, Founder and Editor In Chief of the site. We have known each other entirely too long to carry grudges forever. Equally, I am pleased to report for any readers not following his webzine that they do seem to be entering another growth spurt of late, with a growing list of new reviewers. Good for them.
I actually owe a lot to Gary, as there was a rather long ravel of time when it was just me and him, learning by doing, fighting back to back against the hordes of mediocrity. "More Mom & Pop, Less Uncle Tom". And although I cannot see myself returning anytime soon to the savage realms of comic book journalism, with a year of hindsight I can gratefully say that my time with comicnews.info was a world of slithering geekery gone Gonzo (we chase our bourbon with India Ink and Dr Martins 'round here, ladies), and I remain fortunate for both the education and the fun. A nexus of GOOD memories unto itself.

Why I hate September

2010-09-10T15:15:00.003-04:00

I truly despise this month. Why?

September 6th of 1998 was the day of my father's autopsy. Based on the report, his body had been found on the 5th, and was believed to have died sometime within a three-day window prior. As much of his body had been destroyed by Texan fire ants and the brutal summer sun of the Tejas skies, the exact time of death is not known.

September 11th of 2001, for obvious reasons. I was working as a supervisor with food services at the Louisville Zoo at that time, and spent a sizable portion of the midday attempting to give the two bald eagles in their collection a contact buzz from some low-grade marijuana. They surely needed it.

September 18th of 2000 was the day my elder sister was strangled to death in her own bed by her then ex-boyfriend right here in Louisville. The tenth anniversary is looming near. I will likely be falling down drunk all weekend.

September 28th is the wedding anniversary for a young lady who at one time I was beyond smitten with. Indeed, the kiss we shared three days before the ceremony so many years ago remains the best of my life, by far.

So there it is then, the month of painful reminders. What a royal joke is this life.

concerning a new development...

2010-09-01T16:09:00.001-04:00

My body may be discovered several weeks from now.

sidetracked

2010-08-31T16:47:00.004-04:00

Been hyper busy the past several days, cooking for a local orphanage. Saint Joseph's Children's Home. I have been offline completely, and return today to hear word of certain individuals doing a motherload of trash-talking behind my back. You'd think I skullfucked their grandparents, each and every one, alive or dead.
I am a bastard. And I cook for kids without families. I am on the books still with the Kentucky Justice Association, sitting in on mock trials from time to time, so that prosecution and defense teams can map out the course of pending trials, all in the name of justice for all. I am on the interim board of directors for the non-profit Friends Of Lulu organization, which (among many other things) fights to promote the works of female creators in the comic book industry, as well as building readership numbers among females. I also do online research for the EFF, which aims to fight censorship online altogether, as well as safeguarding privacy and security for everyone the world over.
I do more to help fix the world than persons who supposedly actually give a damn.

"If you are not an active part of the solution, then you are just another part of the problem."

Cast stones my way then, you fucking inbreds.

tu fui ego eris

2010-08-24T04:25:00.005-04:00

Earlier today, while searching through what remains of my worldly belongings for anything yet worth selling, I thought to try my giant old relic of a microwave. As it occurred to me that it had not seen use in some three years now, I was curious. It was, however, quite dead. Which means I had possibly been lugging the beastly device, larger than some televisions, about for three years with it deader than a proverbial doornail.
Not to be confused with living doornails.
Such a great example for why life rates not a second or third glance. So I let off steam and destroyed the fucker by tossing it around the driveway for a bit. I ended up throwing out a number of other things as well, filling up the garbage bin just in time for trash pickup tomorrow morn. I threw out the alarm clock and coffeemaker, neither of which has attracted any money in recent weeks so both were torn to shreds by my bare hands as well, along with most of my old VHS tapes, a collection of action figures, and a large bag of clothing I had previously pulled together for goodwill. Ridding myself of so many possessions all at once, and at once so randomly, was very cathartic, I think. It was all just taking up space, going unused, and all of it too worn by the past to be worth anything more substantial than memory.
In the carnage I was reminded of a conclusion long ago reached.
That there is no afterlife. Make a heaven on earth for those whom you love, and make a hell on earth for those whom you loathe. The many persons left over do not matter. This life and this world is all there is, and if it does not leave you violently angry then you are ignorant and sheltered and you do not matter.

If you provoke neither love or hate in others then you do. not. matter.

a shot of Aponoia

2010-08-18T19:26:00.003-04:00

Haven't been online much the past several days, obviously. Selling off more of my worldly goods, walking about town, trying to find an employer who is not a complete waste. Reading almost round the clock as well. Scary dreams have nixed any and all remnants of a sleep schedule. I am broke and starving and I know I am better off than just about anybody.
I do have some reviews coming, but they will need to wait til I have more of an interest in lingering about these mechanized color-boxes for more than a breached birth baby's breath.
The world in my head, the future behind my eyelids, is just a lot more interesting right now. And the conversation is exhilarating. In truth, getting some emails from some long-silent "friends" has been reassuring. Some offers, but nothing I care to bite on anytime soon. Dropping the rest of the way out of society is actually making more and more sense, but time will tell.

However, certain other efforts have been nice with giving me some new windows to gaze out of. Like the Friends of Lulu. Of which, nominations for the 2010 Awards are still in the works, so I invite all readers to hop to it.

So, what's new with you, pussycats?

TIME BOMB 1

2010-08-11T23:17:00.011-04:00

TIME BOMB 1 of 3
Created & Written by Jimmy Palmiotti & Justin Grey
Illustrated by Paul Gulacy & Charles Yoakum
Colored by Rain Beredo
Lettered by John J. Hill
Edited by Rob Levin
Published by Radical
http://www.radicalpublishing.com

the three cents:
Holy hell what a fun read. An old Nazi fortress is found underground in Berlin, and as a research team is sent in, they unwittingly release something called the Omega bomb- a splurge of bio-chemical warfare that consists of the fastest moving and most lethal virus the world has ever seen. With only days left before the end of all life on the planet, a team of specialists are brought together to make use of the Time Bomb experiment, an abandoned project of our own dealing with time travel. Hoping to send the four aces back only a few days so as to warn the world's powers that be of this Nazi threat, humanity's last chance instead lands in something they were not all all expecting.
Palmiotti and Grey have a winner here, with a politically topical framework diving head over heels into an adventure story hipdeep in science fiction and the ugliest sides of war. Their premise is unbelievably grim, but maintained in presentation with a realistic, albeit glib, style. The characters are all with well-formed personalities, but the atmosphere compels the reader to acknowledge the feeling that this is the kind of action-packed no holds barred plot that may not be at all kind to its stars. Great banter, intelligent exposition, and a sweet cliffhanger ending for this first issue.
Gulacy is a master at what he does. He's been steadily working for more than thirty years and his style is so good it hasn't seen much reason for change. Although in the past few years, some genius editors have realized how much more solid even his work can be when paired with craftsmen inkers and colorists, and that is exactly what he has here with Yoakum (whose work has grown immensely since his early days long ago at Defiant) and Beredo (who worked over Gulacy on the Penance mini-series not too long back). This is as cool a team as art teams can possibly be, and the total package here has already proven that this will be one drunken rollercoaster of a series.
Lots of shooting and some naughty words, this is by no means for the kids, but for longtime fans of Gulacy's work, and for those who enjoy seeing Palmiotti and Grey cut loose from the Big Two, this is the way to fly. A rock-solid setup to what will undoubtedly be an eventful thriller, Time Bomb is worth the money. (It's actually double the page count of a standard monthly, for almost the same price. So yea- very worthwhile). I cannot wait to see where this goes.

Dusk One Shot

2010-08-11T21:34:00.004-04:00

Dusk: One-Shot Special
Written by David Doub
Illustrated by Jolene Houser & Jerry Gonzales
Lettered by Jaymes Reed
Self-Published
http://www.duskcomics.com

the three cents:
This brief follow-up to the Dusk graphic novel introduces several new characters while casting a different light on Eve. There is a secretive cell of magic-users determined to halt the practices of magic-abusers, one miscreant at a time, and they are on Eve's trail. And does the emotionally unstable heroine even have the right to defend herself, with her own actions clearly being in the wrong? A definite new wrinkle in the ongoing story of the vampire thrall.
While the plot does quite a bit in expanding the world of Dusk that much more, with plenty of droplets of healthy character development, there were some annoying errors- misspellings and improper grammar and out of place words. Really, almost every single page had an obvious mistake, which was highly distracting. However, the addition of the mystic vigilantes was a great device, opening doors for a variety of plot points later on. It just could have used some serious proofreading. I like this crew, so it is awkward having to point out such a thing, but then I take pride in some measures of honesty. I see what they're trying for, but mistakes are mistakes are mistakes.
The art was attractive, with Houser drawing some solid layouts that may have faltered somewhat as the story progressed- the first few scenes were certainly the best- but her skill at storytelling is the best I've yet seen from this publisher's bullpen. And Dusk mainstay Gonzales rounding out the team allowed for this chapter to remain well inside the confines of the company's house style. Houser and Gonzales make a good tagteam, and I'd like to see them have the chance to grow together, like a one-two punch.
I think Doub is putting more and more thought into defining the world of Dusk, and this special would serve as a good starting point for new readers. The stage is being set with many players now, and things are building to a fairly cumbersome boiling point for both Eve and her Ash, undoubtedly. For some vampy action without the sparkle or anorexia, Dusk: One-Shot Special is now available for free download at their website. Free download, he wrote!

Shrapnel and Hubris

2010-08-10T23:10:00.005-04:00

Shrapnel: Hubris #2 of 3
Created by Mark Long & Nick Sagan
Written by Nick Sagan & Clinnette Minnis
Illustrated by "Concept Art House"
Cover by Stephan Martiniere
Published by Radical
http://www.radicalpublishing.com

the three cents:
Captain Vijaya "Sam" Narayan, the star and hero of last year's Shrapnel: Aristeia Rising, is back with this new mini-series that pushes the interplanetary fight for freedom right to the door of the oppressive government's own shining Tranquility City. While the assault against the Venusian colonists begins anew, Narayan and company lead a covert attack aiming to cripple both the energy reserves as well as the respectability of the government itself, at whatever costs.
While Hubris is being written by Shrapnel creators Long and Sagan, the first series writer, M. Zachary Sherman's absence is felt. While not filled with the intensive battlefield insanity that he detailed so well in the previous arc, this issue is very thoroughly steeped in the geopolitical landscape of this war-torn future. And this is in fact a war comic, under the guise of science fiction. With this issue we cross the midway point in the overall projected Shrapnel series of series, but with the outcome of this story the odds now seemed stacked out of either side's particular favor. But the expansiveness of Shrapnel: Hubris is just incredible. Every avenue is explored fully, with a story that is thankfully not being written down to anybody. Very enveloping stuff, and with some surprisingly personal touches.
Now while the art is of course of the same house style as the first story arc, it is frustrating, the anonymity of such full bleed work being summed up by nothing more than a studio's name. How many guys and gals does it take to render these ghostly images of lunar cities waiting to implode in socio-political strife? Who is responsible for this stellar outpouring of insightful design and imaginative execution? My only actual qualm with the visuals, aside from the inability to give credit where credit is wholly due, is with the faces of the many characters. Not the most expressive, and indeed the least realistic and lifelike aspect of these soldiers and politicians and spaceships and the like. The full page spreads are especially wonderful, virtually any one of which would make for a nice poster or digital wallpaper.
War is Hell, even in futuristic space. This journey of Sam's, her seeing the dark implications of her own potential, countered by the government's realization of increasing powerlessness at its own arrogant and empirical underestimations, is rich. Allegorical? Icing on the cake. This is an epic story, nothing as crazy as a new mythology, but it has so many attractive draws to its depth and foresight. I hope more readers take the time to ingest this magnum opus in the here and now of its comic book form, before it eventually sees further life as a video game or sci-fi cable series. Because a story this massive could spill out just about anywhere. And deserves to. But comics rock, and this is a fine enough example why.

Dusk v.1

2010-08-10T21:56:00.014-04:00

Dusk: Volume 1
Created & Written by David Doub
Illustrated by Maki Naro, Jerry Gonzales, Franc Czuba, & Chris Scott
Lettered by Jaymes Reed
Self-Published
http://www.duskcomics.com

the three cents:
Dusk is the story of a woman named Eve, who plays the faithful agent provocateur for a centuries-old vampire called Ash. Yes, this is a vampire tale, and Ash is one of the rare good ones- so good, that he wishes Eve would find strength enough to return to a life more normal. Unfortunately, Eve has no life to return to, being a survivor of Domestic Abuse, among other things.
Despite the glimpses of her past given in the first two of four chapters in this original graphic novel, Eve is a strong and capable woman. In the time since she began her new life she has gone from playing servant to a more vile vamp leader to learning how to fight, how to kill, with incantations and gunshots and generally smooth moves. Aiding Ash in his quest to end the more bloodthirsty of his kind, Eve has at last found purpose. However, writer Doub slyly reveals that Eve has more addictive reasons for remaining on her chosen path, reasons not so easily presumed by the reader. Later in the book we see very different scopes to the strange life shared by Ash and Eve, as they align with human agents (possibly even working for some manner of governmental body) and on to an example of the drastic decisions which must be made along the way in their ongoing mission. But still, her past keeps reaching for her, in her days and in her dreams. Although some of the lines of dialogue felt somewhat shaky, with missing and/or misplaced words, and although there were overreaching stabs at melodrama throughout, the later chapters truly helped expand the scale of the overall narrative, suggesting a plot much more expansive than initially intimated.
The art is black and white, with Naro and Scott handling most of the work. Though the art is indeed shared by multiple persons, the style stays consistent enough so as to never really be very distracting. Though obviously amateurish, there are some nice moments of design and layout, and the growth in skill does noticeably exert itself by the book's end. The work of the horribly underestimated Reed and DigitalCAPS on typography and production did, as expected from this reviewer, provide enough spitshine as to allow Dusk to stand out that much more from the majority of first tries into the realms of self-publishing.
Dusk has a lot of violence to it, and yet skirts about a story larger than one might first guess. Eve is developed enough for the reader to see how conflicted she really is. Ash is developed enough for the reader to see how little he ultimately has in common with the stereotypes perpetuated by Anne Rice, Stephenie Meyer, and Charlaine Harris. While Dusk: Volume 1 may not offer much in the way of newness for the vampiric lore so popular in current modern fiction, it does tell a roundabout and action-packed story. It is enough, for what it is. Because sometimes you don't really need to aim so high in life.
Just high enough to stab out the heart.

burning question

2010-08-09T16:24:00.000-04:00

Might Gödel's incompleteness theorems pretty much kill the Evolution vs Creationism debate altogether?

generica blogger/blogspot title

2010-08-08T16:22:00.000-04:00

generica blogger/blogspot post:

witty comments in an attempt to sound intellectual.

left field reference obscure enough to additionally limit readership.

slight innuendo of topical concerns.

further commentary striving obscurely for recognition of esoteric and/or geo-political social consciousness.

ill-conceived sexual metaphor.

witty comments in an attempt to sound intellectual.

closing statement explaining tersely how global economic crises can in fact be blamed upon the price of tea in China.

random picture of a farm animal found online, photoshop optional depending on amount of hard liquor consumed.

nervous laughtrack.

move along

2010-08-08T16:21:00.000-04:00

Nothing to see here.

Announcing the 2010 Lulu Awards!

2010-08-08T11:25:00.004-04:00

(as I am currently on the interim Board of Directors...)

FRIENDS OF LULU and LONG BEACH COMIC CON To Team up for The 2010 Lulu Awards!

The awards that recognize amazing comic and cartooning work by and/or about women will be held at THE MOST EXCITING NEW COMIC CONVENTION ON THE WEST COAST on OCTOBER 29, 2010 at the Long Beach Convention Center!
http://www.longbeachcomiccon.com
Plus: The Lulu Awards Nominations Are Now OPEN To The Public! Please visit http://comicsareforeveryone.blogspot.com/p/2010-lulu-awards-nominations-open-to.html

Long Beach Comic Con has generously granted women in comics organization Friends of Lulu a venue for their 2010 Lulu Awards, as well as a booth at the show and a panel. The Lulu Awards will be held on October 29th, 2010 at the Long Beach Convention Center, and will recognize the fantastic comic and cartooning work by and about women from the year 2009.
The partnership with Friends of Lulu demonstrates LBCC’s commitment to expanding the boundaries of the comic book reading audience, and their support of women in comics.

Martha Donato, Executive Director of Long Beach Comic Con, commented on the exciting collaboration:
“Long Beach Comic Con and Friends of Lulu have a lot in common – we’re both proud supporters of women in comics, and the comics business overall. I’m particularly pleased that we can give them a home for their Awards ceremony that publicly recognizes the contributions women have made in the business. We look forward to expanding our Women in Comics programming opportunities with the help of Valerie and her talented staff.”

Valerie D’Orazio, President of Friends of Lulu, expressed her excitement at the prospect of teaming with LBCC in October:
“Long Beach Comic Con has provided Friends of Lulu with an opportunity that has literally energized the organization. We are very much looking forward to representing women in comics at LBCC and presenting the Lulu Awards to another year’s worth of talented individuals.”

Also, please note that nominations for the Lulu Awards are now open to the public. The categories include:

Kim Yale Award for Best New Talent
Lulu Of The Year
Woman of Distinction
Leah Adezio Award For Best Kid-Friendly Work
Female Comic Creator’s Hall of Fame
Best Female Character

Eligible comics for nomination in this year’s awards must have been published (via print or the Web) in 2009. Visit the official 2010 Lulu Awards page for more details and to enter your nominations. NOMINATIONS CLOSE AUGUST 23rd.

ABOUT LONG BEACH COMIC CON: Long Beach Comic Con began 2009, in a grand inaugural convention that featured Stan Lee in a ribbon-cutting ceremony. LBCC -- placing comics first -- has a commitment to provide fans the most diverse and exciting convention in the West Coast. Please visit their official website for more information.

ABOUT FRIENDS OF LULU: Friends of Lulu was established in 1994 as an organization to promote and celebrate women in both the comics industry and fandom. They have also taken up the cause of expanding the all-ages comic reading audience. Please visit their website for more information and to find out how to volunteer.

Deadbeat

2010-08-07T18:28:00.003-04:00

The Deadbeat
Written & Illustrated by Jeremy Massie
Edited by Peter Simeti
Published by Alterna
http://alternacomics.com

the three cents:
The Deadbeat was originally born as a mini-series of mini-comics, finding more of an audience once later being collected into this nicely packaged volume. The story of an over the hill Superman-like hero who on one otherwise nondescript night at his local drinking hole finds the doorway to his past thrown wide open, with the poor guy forced to then deal with the repercussions of mistakes long, long past.
While this collection was indeed released a few years back, the fact that it was not so much as nominated for either an Eisner or a Harvey serves as fine a testament as any to the two big beefy industry awards having somehow grown into complete abominations of what they started as. And while I have never shared words with Massie in any way, shape, or form, I hope he pardons my saying that although he seems to sell himself as being a curmudgeonly example of self-depreciation, the truth of the matter is that the Deadbeat freely and earnestly exhibits so much genuine heart as to blow that façade right out of the water. Now, I absolutely cringe whenever the terms "superhero" and "poignant" are used in the same sentence, as such does sound like the definition of oxymoron...but damnit, the Deadbeat is simply that good.
Drawn in a brushy style, the illustrations are almost childlike, yet tell the story well. I was reminded in my reading of homemade comics I had drawn as an elementary schooler. This is obviously the work of somebody who grew up on old Marvel and DC comic books, and the passing nods to both Steve Ditko and Gardner Fox were at once both pleasant and wholly appropriate.
Yes, we all should support small press. But don't stop there. Support well-conceived small press, like the Deadbeat. It may not have been the intention of the book to so bluntly wear its heart on its sleeve, but it is what it is. If you want an excellent graphic novel in your collection that apparently, criminally went below the radar of entirely too many folks- find this book. Hunt it down on Amazon or wherever, and read it and enjoy it and display it well. Turn others onto the Deadbeat. Because, it is simply that good.

Ryder On The Storm

2010-08-07T16:05:00.009-04:00

Ryder On The Storm #0
Written by David Hine
Illustrated by Wayne Nichols
Lettered by Richard Starkings & Comicraft's Jimmy Betancourt
Coloured by Feigian Chong & Sansan Saw Of Six Creation
Edited by Rob Levin
Cover by Francesco "Matt" Mattina
Published by Radical
http://www.radicalpublishing.com

the three cents:
Ryder is a private dick. In this Radical Premiere issue, he's hired by a beautiful songbird caught in the apartment of her lover- a wealthy man who saw fit to take an electric drill to his head ten times more than necessary. Reuniting the awesome writer-artist team who transformed FVZA from a geekish website into one of the finer horror comics of recent years, Ryder On The Storm is the start of what looks to be a hardcore detective thriller. And this one's NOT for the kids, no matter how precocious they may be.
I love how this "preview comic" is the size of what most publishers would qualify as standard, whereas traditional Radical books contain easily 50% more material for the buck than this. Why is this factoid not acknowledged more often? It's penis envy, isn't it? Anyways, as such, I imagine this issue contains most of what will be in number one, just enough plot to get curious at what Hine has in store. How a man with what I see as a disturbingly generic drawing style can write things as intense as this...it takes some getting used to, this notion that it's one and the same man. Elements suggest the setting is in the near future, and a bombshell at the end suggests something far more devious than any traditional bout of murder and/or suicide. Works for me.
The art is stoic, very well laid out. While Nichols actually shared pencil duties on FVZA with Roy Allan Martinez, he has not received nearly enough big time solo credits for me to ascertain much of his individual style before. This is work to be proud of. The shot of Ryder's office from an early page is what I and likely many others would imagine Warren Ellis working late in. Little details really stick out here, like the car-boats and the looks of the period but non-period buildings. This is retro 1940's architecture and general stylings, filtered quite realistically for the here and now. Extremely solid design work. What he lacks in portraying emotion realistically, he makes up for in the technicalities of the pulp-heavy backdrops. Again, works for me.
Likely to end on a note that's suggestive of something deeper than merely the evil that men do, Ryder On The Storm offers a new character, a new world, and what will hopefully shape out to be a sweet new mystery for those of us who hate being able to so easily guess what next month's story will bring. Despite the stylized look and feel of this comic book's subject matter, it still seems closer to being something from the real world than any other Radical comic I can think of off the top of my head. I personally like the concept of realism as a starting point. Should be a nice little joyride.

KING!

2010-08-07T01:48:00.011-04:00

KING! #1
Written by Thomas Hall
Illustrated by Daniel Bradford
Published by Blacklist
http://www.blackliststudios.com

The creators of the popular Robot 13 unleash their new thing next week, the adventures of KING. Any relation to that other King? Maybe, but we never see his drawing skills. Ha! This antihero is an ex-wrestler turned bounty hunter and shooter of...things. He's living on the border when he gets recruited by a flying organ to fend off an interdimensional raid from the grounds of a fast food place. Then the situation turns weird.
Hall's appreciation for mythology and the supernatural is evident enough with the Robot 13 series (which currently is one of the most downloaded digital comics of all time). Here, he shows off a surprising talent for one-liners. And I mean this is one funny book. Not funny like fart jokes funny, but funny in terms of improper usage of the Spear Of Longinus in the removal of giant demon nipples. Great imagination. Though some might consider this premise as a rip from Bubba-Hotep, Hall's story has more plot, more testosterone, and far far more tentacle. But is there any relation to the other King? Maybe, though we are just not given the chance to really hear his thoughts regarding race relations. Ha!
Bradford's art is going to start raising some serious eyebrows, if this tale is any indication. He swings full line art, along with letters and colors. His style here is noticeably more detailed than in Robot 13, and while this is certainly a more comedic work, he manages to keep the mood from visually sliding into parody/spoof territory. His skill at telling a story is increasing as well. Structurally, his images and moods are still of the Mike Mignola/Guy Davis school of inspiration, though here we also see suggestions of Keith Giffen, Kyle Hotz, and maybe even some Kevin Nowlan. For now, he and Hall make for a tremendously adept team, so I hope neither goes anywhere else anytime soon.

I imagine this will be released similarly to R13, as an irregularly-published ongoing. But Hall and Bradford are so good at coming up with these fun ideas for comics, longtime readers should not mind the wait. KING! is a silly, silly comic of a book, violent and gory and with no love given to lengthy soliloquoys. While this King's identity and past may well remain a mystery, his unfolding story should greatly appeal to fans of Marvel Zombies (although this is more respectable), Atomic-Robo (although this is several levels more serious in tone) and of course Hellboy (although KING! is by far less "Muppet" than those movies). Crazy stuff, and like with Robot 13 I sure hope it sticks around for a spell.

Priceless as Self-Flagellation

2010-08-06T16:05:00.000-04:00

Your tax dollars at work, citizens. Courtesy of the NY Times.

I wonder what the Bureau's response would be if I were to have their insignia tattooed on the head of my cock.

Formera v.2

2010-08-06T10:55:00.001-04:00

Formera: Volume 2
Written & Illustrated by Andrew Dobson
Edited by Peter Simeti
Published by Alterna
http://alternacomics.com

the three cents:
Continuing the strange adventures of poor young Darian, stuck on the alien world of Formera, this next sizable volume advances the plot tremendously while the action never relents. Following the abduction of Keisha by the evil Mezteck, and the near death of Darian himself at the hands of that same evil Mezteck, we are given glimpses into past scenes of Darian's life back home that provide much explanation for how the hot-headed kid hero's mind really works. Additionally, the character of Hippie Young Man is given a chance at redemption, and we learn that the girl behind the mask is actually one of the good guys.
Dobson furthers his colorful yarn, having shown much of the Formera world in the last volume, he now wisely focuses on exhibition of the origins and motives behind his growing cast of players. He keeps his forward momentum though, with Darian desperately trying to beat the bad guy and rescue the girl. Even as we learn some of the magical mechanics of how Formera operates, the comedic dialogue runs its course just fine. Lots of positive energy, both in the basic framework of the narrative and in the development of his core characters. While there are scary things such as awakening corpses on spears in this volume, the overall tone remains generally lighthearted and adventurous. Some drama, but no melodrama. This is an all-ages/family-friendly tale, and the good guys will surely win in the end. Which hopefully won't be anytime soon.
Dobson's art continues to exhibit his manga/anime influences, with an effective style that is as animated as it is easy to digest. This is the manner of good, action-packed fun that Saturday morning cartoon enthusiasts have been deprived of for years.
For a solo creator, Dobson has done well to create a world for his fantasy constructs, as well as inhabiting it with a mix of imaginative characters, and progressing the story towards a grander and grander scale. I still believe that this series would be great for starting new young readers on the path of comic book zombification, as there is nothing at all offensive here. For us older readers, it's not rewriting any rules, but it does make for some nice escapism moments.

Stiletto: RED

2010-08-06T09:59:00.005-04:00

Good news this morning from John B. Lai and the gang at Ultimate Comics Group. Their first trade collection is officially on sale now, gathering the complete run of the Stiletto mini-series. This rates my attention because (A) the stories were very very fun, and (B) I wrote the introduction for this book.

What is Stiletto? The humorous story of an intergalactic stripper. So obviously this is an adults-only comic, and clearly not for everyone. This is not pornography. This actually challenges some of the many absurdities of prudence and caution and censorship. This is harmless fun, and while RED is the just-completed debut series, many more arcs are planned for down the road. If you feel like some tongue in cheeky cheek reading material, check out something a wee bit off the beaten path. Order a copy hereabouts. The fate of the universes may be at stake. Or not.

radicalizations

2010-08-06T09:43:00.004-04:00

Heidi MacDonald's The Beat is a more worthwhile comics media site than newsarama and comicbookresources combined. Usually. A new post challenges the pipe dream of comic books as a launching point for screenplays. I do agree with much of the article's sentiment, I still felt obligated to speak my mind in the comments section, which I'm reposting here for posterity:

Is this “pick on Radical day”?

They put out many a great book. I’ve reviewed their stuff since the start. Now, of course it is bothersome using Hollywood names to sell books, and it is self-destructive for the medium allowing Hollywood folks to cut in front of the long, long line of more earnest writers and artists who have been slaving for years for a chance at the limelight, or even to see work actually go to print.
Though Radical is guilty to a degree of this, they are far from being the only publisher responsible, not the first and certainly not the last. While many of their properties are self-contained, I really feel that it is the minority of books created with the sole aim of oneday seeing life on film. I say this as a fan who has followed their output all along, and I say this as someone who has shared words with many of their creative staff as well as persons behind the scenes. Gianluca Glazer in particular is more modest and honest and inoffensively efficient than any of the Marketing persons from fellow mid-range publishers on up to the big boys.
It was frustrating seeing the stoically talented Dave Elliott part ways, though David Wohl, Renae Geerlings, and the editorial powerhouse that is Marie Javins have done much to keep things moving forward. This despite the awkwardness of the Nick Simmons debacle, etc.
Just look at the roster doing work for the company. The end product that Radical releases is absolutely high quality stuff, and I wish more publishers had such a broad range in taste. Are there a mess of movie deals past and present, in the works? Yes. But the majority did not start out with those intentions, and considering the books that might indeed become film- they are far from any public stereotype of what constitutes a comic book…which must be a good thing ultimately. I am offended by the notion that comics in general can so easily be transferred cross-medium. Every medium has its distinctions, its own strengths. Thankfully, Radical is not at all opposed to putting out original, intelligent, and imaginative comics material, movies or no movies.

Formera v.1

2010-08-05T18:48:00.008-04:00

Formera: Volume 1
Written & Illustrated by Andrew Dobson
Edited by Peter Simeti
Published by Alterna
http://alternacomics.com

the three cents:
Originally beginning life as a webcomic, Formera is the lengthy story of Darian, a young boy who mysteriously falls from the sky into a prehistoric land very different from the home he knew back on Terra Firma. Alternately saving and being saved by the village girl Keisha, the two earning the enmity of the villainous Mezteck, and the whole adventure taking the budding hero through strange lands and stranger characters.
Dobson's epic debut effort actually premiered just a few years ago, his tale of the unearthly lands of Formera and young Darian's struggle with the powerful Mezteck. Keeping things all-ages and family-friendly, he has created a story that to my mind serves as a sort of male counterpart to the likes of Alice In Wonderland and the Wizard Of Oz- namely, an adventuresome coming of age fantasy for little boys, ala Nemo In Slumberland. A fast-moving plot carries an at times painfully amusing dialogue, and with black and white art that does nothing to hold back the colorful personalities of some of the supporting players therein. Plenty of quirks to keep things moving, keep things interesting. Lots of lighthearted originality, Formera could easily serve well as narrative and designs for a heckuva fun computer or video game, something I suspect Dobson would not oppose at all.
The art is cartoonishly effective, though not quite brushy and certainly not amateurish. His scenes are light and airy and noticeably influenced by anime and manga. Everything is as exquisitely consistent as it is expressive. Every character on every page is very animated, with a vivid imagination having a field day with the episodic action and locations. Very inoffensive material, on all accounts.
Andrew Dobson's Formera series is told in such a way that is rather easy to digest. The underlining plot thread of how exactly Darian landed thereabouts is a nice unfolding mystery, the core story moving forward swiftly but creative enough not to leave gaps along the way. If you have a preteen sibling or cousin and you're looking for something to help pull them in to the questionable habit of comic book fandom, the hefty-sized trade collection that is Formera: Volume 1 is a cool place to start. Look for my review of Volume 2 in coming days.