Yub Nub!

Ok, I'm going to start this by saying the prequels do not exist. They never happened. The mystery of what happens before A New Hope will stay that way. You hear me, Lucas? Alright, now that's out of the way I can get to the point of my post. I would much rather have seen sequels to the original trilogy, and very recently, I have. I just picked up the entire Thrawn Trilogy from Dark Horse Comics and I feel like that little kid from the 80's again. Slowly, the stains of the prequels have washed away as I immerse myself in these new tales of Star Wars lore. And they weren't tainted by CGI sets and aliens just for the sake of CGI sets and aliens(Give me a matte painting and a giant puppet any day). This feels real to me. This is where Luke, Leia, and Han have been all these years. I know I'm late to the party, but damn, I'm glad to finally be there.

Ok, what else am I reading? I picked up World War Z. This is a very fun read. I love the fact that it's interviews. Personal accounts of this zombie plague from around the globe that feel real. I'm not big into zombies but I figured I'd finally buy it since I caught myself staring at it and flipping through it every time I walked into the book store.

I also picked up Superman: For All Seasons, based purely on the fact that I can stare at Tim Sale's art until my eyeballs dry out. That man makes some mighty pretty pictures, don't he?

While we are on the subject of art, I came across some really cool prints. I've been on an Art Deco kick for the last few months. I've bought a mess load of prints, but these I have to get....

The guy's name is Justin Van Genderen. Give his name a click and you can see all of his awesome work. Great stuff.

Finally, April 9th and 10th is the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art's huge comic festival. It's over at the old Lexington Avenue Armory. If you live in the New York area, check it out. You'll find some great independent creators. I'll be there supporting them and this awesome museum.

Alright, that's all I've got. I'm off to see Source Code. Looks pretty good. Take it easy.

Cool Things

Ok, so this post is all about cool things that I can't get enough of right now. The biggest one being Superman Classic. This has been out for a week or so now and I might account for 1,000 of its views. Let me begin by saying I'm not the biggest Superman fan. I respect the character and the age that he was created for. But, to me, Superman just wasn't that cool today. That is, until a Disney animator named Robb Pratt made a one minute short about the Man of Steel. In that one minute, Superman has never been more interesting, iconic, or flat out cool. To me, this IS Superman. Exactly as he was intended to be. He's from another era, a much different America. Superman is every bit the 1930's and 40's. He is the hero of that time and Pratt understands this completely. He captures the essence of Superman in sixty seconds. Give this guy the choice to make any project he wants. He's earned it. If you haven't seen it, take a look. Not only is it cool, it has some of the best traditional animation I've seen in a long time.



Another cool thing out there right now is a comic called Icarus by Ryan Cody. Cody is known for some great art, including his run on Villains for Viper Comics. But, his writing is top-notch as well. He's a creator that can do it all right now and he's hitting his stride with Icarus. I'm not sure what he's got up his sleeve just yet, but you will find an original story that has more twists in one issue than you'll find anywhere else. Issue one is available for purchase over at Cody's site, Super75 Comics. He's a great talent and an even better guy. If you're looking for some great comics work, get behind this one.

And, finally, my favorite humor publication has hit television over at IFC. The Onion News Network. I'll leave you with this. Just funny as hell.

Holy Crap

I meant to post this the other day. This just might be the funniest thing I've seen in a long time. Love Rex's gut floppin' through the Han shirt.

Wow...

I really neglected the blog for a bit. Things have been very busy and I have a few things to announce, but that has to wait. So, basically, I'm announcing that I can't announce anything yet.

Anyway, just a few things I felt like talking about. First, its snowing like crazy right now, and that always puts me in a good mood. Another thing that puts me in a good mood is Neil Gaiman. I just finished a bunch of his short stories. My favorite was a tale set in an alternate 19th century London featuring Sherlock Holmes. I was so mad that it was just a short because I could have read this story right on through some ridiculous page count.

And while we're talking about Neil Gaiman, I saw this very fun, very haunting, alternate take on Jolly Old St.Nick that he wrote and was turned into a little animation piece. Check it out:

Creepy, right?

How about movies? True Grit was a great time. Damn that was good. And Jeff Bridges will knock you on your ass. I love Jeff Bridges, mainly because he was in King Kong 1976, and I'm a fan of anyone in that film...just because...I love King Kong. Anyway, True Grit is a good one. Well, that's all I've got for right now. Take it easy out there.

Script!

It was a busy week of writing and I finally got to the one script I was really wanting to write; a short story featuring everyone's favorite ninja. I had this idea of Raphael patrolling this harbor and coming across a bunch of mob thugs holding a father and daughter hostage. Raph's a loner and I'd love to see a solo series of him running around dispensing gritty, vigilante justice across the 5 boroughs. This was a lot of fun to write and it felt great to finish it, like it was something I had been wanting to do for quite some time. By the way, this awesome piece of art is from artist Jeremy Roberts. I found the piece off of deviant Art and I couldn't resist posting it here. You can find the rest of his gallery right here: http://jprart.deviantart.com/

Anyway, here's the script:
Docks


I had a great time seeing Inception last week. What a fantastic movie. I guess everything Nolan touches is gold because right now the man is on a serious hot streak. Like The Dark Knight, this movie is just a freight train that keeps moving full steam ahead to the climax. Just so well done. The soundtrack ain't half bad either. I've had the track Time running non-stop when I write.

So, this movie got me thinking. There are a lot of great heist flicks out there. So many to name. But, to me, my favorite of all time is Sneakers.

There is so much to love with this movie. The cast, the story, the soundtrack. But, above all else, it's cool to see this plan come together. And that's what you have here. If you've never seen it, check it out. What are some of your favorite heist films? I'd love to hear.

T-U-R-T-L-E POWER!

So where does a passion for comic books begin? For some it's a regular dose of Marvel or DC. Spider-Man slinging webs, Superman bending steel. And, while I have fond memories of digging through long boxes for Incredible Hulk back issues or a copy of Batman that had cool cover art, my obsession for comics came when I read the first issue of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Ridiculous one might think, but, let me explain.

I was eight at the time and I picked up the first issue at my local comic shop. I knew the cartoon, of course, but the comic was something special. I was used to brightly colored superheroes dashing across the page and punching their way to victory. But, there was very little blood shed. That all changed when I opened my first black and white comic.

It was packed with gritty, bloody carnage. Everything a growing boy needs. I remember falling in love with the artwork, especially the inks. Every time there was an arterial spray, the inky blood added a level of coolness I never knew existed. But above all, there were ninjas. Lots of ninjas.

The rooftop battle in that first issue, where what seems like hundreds of ninjas are pouring out of the wood work, made me understand at a young age what it meant to geek out. I mean, who doesn't love ninjas. Especially ninjas receiving bloody, jagged wounds. And lets not forget, our heroes actually kill the villain. They stab him in the friggin heart with a katana and then tell him to kill himself! How many comic book heroes do that?! Easy to see why I loved it so much. After that first issue I got the collected volume and kept on going. When I look back on what had an influence on my love of comics I will always mention Batman, Hulk, and the like. But it was that first issue of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles that defined it.

Recently a bit of nostalgia hit me square in the face and I made an impulse purchase. A few years ago NECA released some limited edition action figures based on the original comic art. Well, after a lot of hemming and hawing, I finally picked up a set. Thankfully, my lovely wife doesn't mind having some bad ass action figures on the book shelf. I'm one lucky guy.

Now, just for the hell of it, I thought I'd give you a bit of early 90's nostalgia. Go ahead, give the guys a click...

OK, so enough about the turtles. What have I been reading lately? I finally got to two books I've been wanting to read for a while now. The first is CHEW.
I really enjoyed this. A cannibalistic detective who gets clairvoyant visions from his...er...victims? Pretty damn original. This is a very humorous book that doesn't take itself seriously in a good way. These guys are having fun. I particularly enjoy Rob Guillory's art. Very stylized. A solid ground work is set for some great cop drama. I sneaked a peek at the next volume and, much to my excitement, vampires are coming! Looks like fun.

The other book was RED.
The concept was cool. I'm a fan of old assassins kicking ass once again. This was a quick read with not much meat to it. It explores some interesting themes but I wished it went a little deeper. I got to the end and I wanted to see this guy keep going. I'll tell you what is cool, the way Ellis paces out the intricate kills. I found myself going back and admiring the way he set them up and how Hammer knocked it out. Some very cool action paced and executed very well.

As for my writing, a lot is going on. Hopefully I'll be able to share some things in the near future. What I am going to do is a TMNT short script to satisfy this itch I've got. I'll post it up here for fun. Until then, take it easy.

Ah, Summer.

It's in full swing. The days are long. The skies are blue. The burgers are grilling. And I'm inside writing a blog post. So, it has been a while since I posted and there are a few things I want to get to. First, comics. I finally started reading Kirkman's The Walking Dead. Jesus, talk about being late to the party. But better late than never, I always say. I'm loving them so far. I got my hands on the first couple of trades and it's nice to be able to plow on through them. Who want's to wait? I'm wondering if I should just pick up the big omnibus that's out there.


Next, movies. I've been on a movie buying kick lately. I read The Road a few years ago and I wanted to check out the movie. It was well done and Viggo Mortensen was great. So was the kid. But as with any movie adaptation, it will never live up to the book. When I read that story, I felt like I was living it. It wasn't the same watching it play out. For the badass in me I picked up one of my all time favorite action movies, The Road Warrior. Man, I've seen it so many times and it just gets crazier every time. The truck chase is one of the best action sequences out there, that's because real trucks, real cars, and real stuntmen are flying all over the screen. And, I mean, who doesn't love this guy:

















Vernon Wells. That's the same dude Arnold fights in Commando. Two Oscar-worthy performances. I mean "NOOOOO!!! WE GO INNN!!!!" is right up there with "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn".

Next is a movie I had been teetering back and forth on and finally bought it. Let the Right One In. This was one of the best movies I've seen in a long time. It is just messed up beyond belief but powerful at the same time. And for anyone that's seen it, how awesome was that ending? They are remaking it and releasing it this fall. I don't know why. This movie is an instant classic. Seriously. If you have not seen this, you need to.

Finally, (500) Days of Summer. This is probably the most guy accessible romantic comedy I've seen. The two stars, that kid from 3rd Rock and that chick from Elf, are great together. I thoroughly enjoyed the hell out of this film and I'm interested to see how the director takes on Spider-Man. Ah, who the hell cares.

One more thing. I caught wind of this fan film and it blew me away. It's called City of Scars and features everyone's favorite Caped Crusader. You can find it right here. Just click on the poster.




















So, that's about it. Have fun out there.