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.

Uncle Mike

Something incredible happened on April 30, 2010. My nephew was born and my world has been changed forever. It's been incredible watching my sister-in-law go through this experience, knowing that one day her son would be here. That there was this little man that would be right along side all of us for the rest of our lives. But, it's one thing to talk about it, to wonder what he will be like, look like, act like. All that dreaming is nice, but, I was not prepared for what that day would bring.

At the hospital, my wife and I joined the rest of the family in a small, warm waiting room where the only thing to read were pregnancy magazines with exposes on strange "devices" for feeding your baby. But besides the lack of reading material for guys, this hospital was something else. Truly awesome. The greatest part, besides the care, was that when ever a baby is born, a gentle, twinkling lullaby is played softly over the speakers through the entire hospital. Talk about a morale booster. Hospitals generally have this frightening aura around them. But being there for the opposite end of the spectrum, you see life full circle. It's nice.

So, there we were, waiting. The next time we heard that lovely music we knew the little guy would be with us. And that's what blew my mind in all of this. The lullaby played and this feeling of the world changing was undeniable. A new human had joined us all. He was here, right here with us. Man, life is so inspiring.

From Script to Page: Part 2

Welcome back to another installment of From Script to Page. Today we have a look at the making of page five for Astronautica. Enjoy!

Page 5: 4 panels

Panel 1: Wide angle shot of the same military compound.

No Copy.

Panel 2: Medium shot inside the same bright lab as Bernard helps Danny step out of a large gym bag.

DANNY: Geez! Why did I have to sit in that bag?

BERNARD: Shh. Low voice. No one can ever know you were here.

Panel 3: Angle on Bernard as he slides an access card into a security keypad.

DANNY (Off-Panel): So, where’s the secret?

BERNARD: Behind this door.

SFX: Ka-Chunk

Panel 4: Wide, low angle shot behind Bernard and Danny as the giant doors slide open to reveal a brilliant, gleaming aluminum flying saucer inside a massive hangar.

ELECTRONIC VOICE: Welcome, Dr. Wong.

DANNY: Holy cow…

BERNARD: Neat, huh?

DANNY: Who’s Dr. Wong?

BERNARD: My, uh, codename.

You can find the finished page five right here: http://apecmx.com/ufo/

So, there you have it, folks. Another edition of From Script to Page.

Astronautica has ten pages left with a lot of adventure still to come. Don't forget, updates are every Sunday and Thursday. Be sure to check back here for more behind the scene looks.