INDY PICK OF THE MONTH

The most recent Comics Buyer's Guide (#1631) has a nice review of Antigone on page 74. Ray Sidman gives it four stars out of four stars, making it the "Indy Pick of the Month".

The comic does in 32 pages (all story) what most adaptations of such plays don't manage in far lengthier productions: tell the story adeptly. Not only does it cover the main points and convey the themes, it also maintains a pleasant and page-turning pace -- and it does all of this while keeping the entertainment goodness. As someone who has studied and taught Sophocles (including Antigone), I give serious kudos to the creative team here, especially writer David Hopkins.

I've been kudo'd. Thanks Ray.

MOORES AND A BRUBAKER

Best wishes to Alan Moore and Melinda Gebbie on their wedding this past weekend. (Photos taken by some guy.) I can only hope I look so crazy when my beard gets that long... the blue bowler hat helps.

Speaking of Moores, my favorite comic book creator and personal hero Terry Moore just finished his Strangers in Paradise series. Congratulations! I read SiP in Pocket Book format, so I can't begin to tell you how anxious I am for the 6th and final volume.

Other things worth mentioning: I read Ed Brubaker's Coward this weekend. No other way around it, you must get this book.

Got a call from Brent Schoonover today. He and his wife Nicole have been searching antique shops throughout Minnesota as part of our master plan for Astronaut Dad. We're doing a photo cover for both volumes. A press release to showcase the covers should be coming by the end of May.

KENNEDY'S BIRTHDAY

It's Kennedy's birthday today. She's three years old, and absolutely wonderful. Tomorrow, we're going to some crazy chicken place (it's a restaurant... can't remember the name) for her birthday party. Photo by Castle Photography.


A more recent Emily Edison review by the respectable Sean Kleefeldt:
The writing was good. Solid characterization throughout, smooth and natural dialogue. Most importantly, I think, writer David Hopkins let Brock Rizy's art stand on it's own when it came to telling the story. He didn't bother with an overly expository narrative when the art conveyed what was happening. He also didn't fall into the standard superhero trap where the hero spouts witicisms and one-liners while battling whatever foe he's up against. Emily largely kept quiet during the fight scenes, and only spoke up once she had a chance to breath. (click here to read the whole review)

Photos from CAPE
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8149901@N07/
http://www.flickr.com/groups/zeuscomics/pool/
http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/blog/photos/

THIS WEEK IN CONSUMPTION

Stuff I've read this week:
The Walking Dead Vol. 6 by Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard, Houdini: The Handcuff King by Jason Lutes and Nick Bertozzi, Shenanigans by Ian Shaughnessy and Mike Holmes

Stuff I've listened to this week:
The Mouse and the Mask by Danger Doom, Songs of Murder Pain and Woe by 100 Damned Guns

Stuff I've watched this week:
The Wire Season One, Smoking Aces, Brick (again)

Still drinking Diet Coke.

Bought Kennedy's birthday present yesterday. She turns 3 tomorrow.

Scripting the second chapter of Bolivar.

Working on a new pulse article for D Magazine.

BRADLEY BOYS ADVENTURE MAGAZINE

Free Comic Book Day is next Friday. For those fortunate souls living in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, Stumblebum Studios will be selling THE BRADLEY BOYS ADVENTURE MAGAZINE at various local stores. The anthology hosts a great selection of talent -- Katie Cook, A.C. Hall, Aaron Wilson, Chris Medellin, Dave DeGrand, Dave Sherrill, Dana Place, Sam Milligan, Paul Milligan, and me. All new stories for the growing world of pulp hero Dash Bradley!


Click here to purchase Mars 1938 and Round Two, which feature earlier Dash adventures. Remember Tank Girl, Rocketeer, and the Crow? These indie comic book characters seemingly came out of nowhere and became huge hits. You need to pick up Dash Bradley before the major motion picture.

Speaking of pulp action heroes, I love this new web comic RIP HAYWIRE from Viper Comics.

UPDATES

UPDATES: La Reunion Workshop. Next weekend. Press release posted on Newsarama. (click here)

Stumblebum Studios has redesigned their website. Check it out. Bookmark it.

Free Creme Egg from Rich Johnston

100 Damned Guns album "Songs of Murder, Pain & Woe" is now available. I highly recommend it.

 

Something to pre-order: You need to get this anthology. Postcards is a collection of 16 stories inspired by used, antique postcards I've collected over the years. It features work by some of the top talents in comics today, including stories from Harvey Pekar and Matt Kindt, Phil Hester, Tom Beland, Stuart Moore and Michael Gaydos, and Rick Spears and Rob G. You can get a complete list of stories, creators, and bios at the official website: www.postcardsanthology.com. Just click on "Stories & Creators."

 

FIRST TIME FOR D MAGAZINE

The April issue of D Magazine hit newsstands. Turn to page 18, and you'll see my first published D article. Available online, but it looks prettier in print. And if you ever wanted to know the 25 best chicken-fried steaks in Dallas, that's available as well.

Also...
Fanboy TV has arrived. The show is a lot of fun, live interviews with Ed Brubaker and Brian Denham. Plus, Meg does a great feature called "The Fix" and the girl-reads-Luke-Cage piece was lovely.

BEST OF 2006

The Dallas Observer has featured me in their "Best Of 2006" edition. It's out now. I'm on page 28. And you can read the write-up HERE.


This is cool. I got a congratulatory voice mail from Daniel Miller earlier tonight. Thanks! (Sorry I couldn't call you back. I was in the middle of putting Kennedy to bed.)

Updates galor: (1) Copies of Antigone are being shipped right now for the Zeus signing next Wednesday. Hope to see some of you there. (2) The Dark Horrors anthology (with my short story) should be coming out around Halloween. (3) Jamar and I are writing a freaky non-historical historical Western together. (Frederick Douglass is the President.) We just got confirmation from the artist. Not going to say anything else this early in the project, but he's hella talented. (4) Diana Nock and I are working a graphic novel that is still in the very beginning stages. It might be a while. Shanna Caughey has graciously volunteered as my story editor. Much appreciated. (5) Sent the Jack Ruby proposal to a few publishers. I'm waiting for a response. (6) And I sent a different proposal off to a different publisher, but can't talk about that one just yet. (7) Cal is working on the Last Babysitter. This is going to be good! (8) Greg is working on Omisoka Bridge. Can't wait to see the art. (9) Possibly more Karma Incorporated? (10) My goal is to have all this stuff more or less wrapped up (on my end) by May. At that time, I'm starting on the opus I was daydreaming about. Maybe not the wisest thing to try and publish, but I don't care.

ANTIGONE IS DONE

Yesterday, Tom uploaded all 32 pages (and the cover) for Antigone to the Silent Devil FTP server. It's done, and off to the printer. I talked with Christian Beranek, our editor, and this one-shot comic should be in stores by the first or second week of October.

If you haven't seen it yet, here's a preview of the first eight pages. CLICK HERE

Due to deadlines, a feisty scanner, and other uncontrollable circumstances, I didn't see any of pages 9-32 until it was all finished. I've never had the opportunity of seeing one of our comics, for the first time all at once, as if picked off the shelf. This was a great experience. I am a huge fan of Tom's art. He's such a versatile artist -- able to create these clear panel images while still including great details (aspects of the story and environment which were entirely his own creation, and so perfect). Tom's art has range, creating levels of human emotion for each scene -- touch of humor and sometimes unbearable sadness. He's able to slow down the pace of the reader, which for this condensed version is essential. And also, when the script asks for violent and gruesome, the art gets incredibly graphic. For any who thought Karma Incorporated #3 was too violent, Antigone far surpasses that mark. Yeah, this is not an all-ages book. After all, we're talking Greek tragedy. While I love Karma Incorporated, Antigone showcases Tom's best work so far. People are going to take notice.

For my part, I wrote the script so long ago. Once we started working out the specifics with Silent Devil, I went back and made some changes here and there -- added a few pages and spread out a few scenes. I was pleased to see some of my ideas worked better than I had planned, once again courtesy of Tom. No doubt, I'll have some people who will wish we did a longer version, spreading it out to 48 pages or more. But honestly, if you've read the original play, as I have... many, many, many times (35 times in seven years), it's all there. The story is fairly straightforward. And I'm of the opinion that if you can tell a good story in 32 pages, you shouldn't make it any longer. I'm thankful Silent Devil was so excited about publishing Antigone and really championed what we were doing. I like the idea that a person can pay $2.95 and get the complete story.

Plans are underway for a few store signings and some conventions. Most likely, Dallas Comic Con in October. Tom and I will be at Wizard World Texas in November. I need to confirm some details with Richard at Zeus Comics, but Silent Devil has kindly offered 200 copies of the book that I want to sell and donate the proceeds to charity. What charity? I'm still working on that.

HULK WRITER FACES FANS THIS SUNDAY

FANBOY RADIO PRESS RELEASE

What's more intimidating that being responsible for the words that come out of Marvel Comics' most stoic and challenging character? Facing the world's most critical fanbase! Writer Greg Pak has tossed the 'Big Green Machine' into space with his massive, multi-arc Incredible Hulk series, Planet Hulk and now joins the crew at Fanboy Radio to answer questions and talk comics.

Greg's excited for the live hour saying, "The timing for the show's great, since I have three books on shelves this month: 'Battlestar Galactica' #1, 'X-Men: Phoenix Warsong' #1, and 'Incredible Hulk' #98. We're doing some pretty crazy things with all of these books -- looking forward to talking!"

Hosts Scott Hinze and David Hopkins welcome all of your calls and even provide extra incentive this week -- a bigger caller prize pack! Everyone who makes it on the air, gets a FUNimation DVD like always -- but this week, show sponsor ComicHole.com is also tacking on a $20 gift certificate for the first 5 fans on the air!

"And you better have a good question for Greg if you want the goods!" adds Hinze.

Tune in for Fanboy Radio #331 Sunday, September 10th, for Fanboy Radio with Greg Pak at 6pm Central (7pm Eastern, 4pm Pacific)

Fanboy Radio broadcasts from http://www.fanboyradio.com, streams the latest episodes from http://www.myspace.com/fanboyradio and offers exclusive podcasts from http://www.fbrpc.com

-- Listen next Wednesday for a special Comic Book Educators episode! --

Fanboy Radio is a live comedy radio show about the world of comic books and pop culture hosted by Scott Hinze and Oliver Tull. The hour of interviews, humor and information airs from the KTCU studios in Fort Worth, Texas on KTCU 88.7 FM -- The Choice, online via internet -- KTCU streaming audio and is syndicated across the United States and Canada. Fanboy Radio is made possible by Dallas/Fort Worth area comic book retailer, Y2Komics, the online comic book retailer, ComicHole.com, and the animation distributor, FUNimation Entertainment.

I'm looking forward to the show, especially to talk with Greg Pak.

HELPING OUT LEA

This week's column for Pop Syndicate (posted every Thursday) is now online:
Do It For The Diva

As some of you may have heard, Lea Hernandez's home burned down yesterday morning and her family needs your help. You can dontate via paypal to divalea@gmail.com.

Immediate giving is important, but when considering later expenses -- Zeus Comics, Fanboy Radio, and Pop Syndicate are hosting Cape 2.5 on Saturday, September 30th. It will be live art show at the Metro Grill in Dallas at 9 PM. All proceeds from the event will go to Lea and her family. More info coming soon.

"I LOVED EMILY EDISON."

A good Emily Edison review from Sequential Tart
http://www.sequentialtart.com/article.php?id=244

The characters are great. Emily is your typical teenager from a broken home, with typical homework problems and boy problems and hateful half-sister problems -- complicated by that whole Grandpa-keeps-trying-to-destroy-the-world thing. Emily is totally nonchalant about her super powers and odd parentage; it's the homework and the boys that cause her to totally spaz out.

And the art ...! The facial expressions are amazing. The fight sequences are insane. And Emily is a nicely rounded, muscular young woman, not a bean pole. Rizy uses two completely different art styles for the two different settings. Earth in a wild, thick-inked cartoony style. The parallel dimension, on the other hand, looks like paper cut-outs, giving it an unusual three-dimensional look. Interestingly, Emily's half-sister Koo looks other-worldly even on Earth.

Emily Edison is a wild ride. I hope Hopkins and Rizy return to these characters soon.

UPDATE ON THE COUPLAND FILM

Douglas Coupland's movie now has an official website -- Everything's Gone Green. The Canadian release date is September 29th. I haven't found a trailer yet, but here's a movie poster that looks pretty cool. Paulo Costanzo plays the lead role, and I like him as an actor.


I'll admit a little apprehension. I would've liked to have seen the adaptation for one of his optioned books first -- Generation X or All Families Are Psychotic. This film seems a little too Coupland-esque; Coupland parodying his own style for the screen. Granted, I'm criticizing the movie before I've even seen it. However, coming off a mixed response to JPod, I need a little more. Who knows? I might love it, but my expectations are unrealistically high. He is, after all, still my favorite writer.

A.C.T.O.R. CHANGES NAME TO HERO INITIATIVE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

After five years of serving many deserving men and women within the comics industry, A Commitment To Our Roots (A.C.T.O.R.) Comic Fund is changing its name. The new name, The Hero Initiative – complete with new logo – will open its doors to operate in all markets, both comics fans and general consumers alike, in its mission to raise funds to deliver assistance to comic book creators in need.


"I think we did a very good job of establishing 'brand identity' for A.C.T.O.R. within the comic market. But as soon as we took the mission outside the village of comics, you'd see confusion in people's eyes," said Jim Mclauchlin, president of The Hero Initiative. "The 'Hero' concept is one that ties very, very closely to comics, and resonates well. It lets everyone know what we're about."

The name change will enable the organization to dissolve the barriers that were getting in its way to help build its momentum while boosting its ongoing evolution and outreach to broader audiences.

"In order to start moving into the mainstream consciousness, we needed to a name that would resonate with everyone whether or not they read comics," McLauchlin added. "And we're not stopping with a new name and logo – we will be announcing a new board of directors this week."

A.C.T.O.R. is extremely grateful for the support it has received in the past from companies, individuals, retailers, websites and conventions and looks forward to working together in the future under its new name.

"When I was first approached about being involved in this charity, I jumped at the chance," said Joe Quesada, board member of The Hero Initiative, and of course, Editor-in-Chief of Marvel Comics. "Without slighting anyone else, I believe that there is no better cause in our industry today. None of what we enjoy today would exist without the incredible talents of the people who created the stories that have
entertained all these years. There is no better way to give back and honor the legacy of every talented man and woman who has graced the pages of a comic book than by giving what you can to Hero. In our continued mission and with a new name, you'll be helping those that have given you so much."

The new website, www.HeroInitiative.org, and email address, HeroInitiative@aol.com, will be up and running this week. The phone and fax numbers and mailing address remains the same.

ABOUT THE HERO INITIATIVE
The Hero Initiative is the first-ever federally chartered not-for-profit corporation dedicated strictly to helping comic book creators in need. Hero creates a financial safety net for yesterdays' creators who may need emergency medical aid, financial support for essentials of life, and an avenue back into paying work. It's a chance for all of us to give back something to the people who have given us so much
enjoyment. For more information, visit www.heroinitiative.org or call 310-909-7809.

DFW SKETCH GROUP HAS RELOCATED

E-mail from Paul Milligan:

While the Sketch Group is still meeting on Sunday from 2 - 5 it will no longer take place at the Barnes & Noble. There were issues with space at that location which we were not made aware of until yesterday. In a mad scramble we have found a new location for the group:

Bronco's Sports Grill
900 Airport Fwy #166
Hurst, TX 76054
(817) 498-0600

It's only about a mile from where we were originally meeting and still right off 183. Just look for the Black Eyed Pea sign, which is clearly visible from the highway. Bronco's is in the same shopping center as the Black Eyed Pea.

Just giving the update for anyone planning to attend. I'll be there.

SO TIRED

Came home from Oklahoma last night at around 3:30 in the morning. I stayed up another 45 minutes to check e-mail. (Why? Why? Why?) And then I woke up two and a half hours later to get ready for our garage sale.

We would've been home sooner, but Oklahoma has casinos. And well, we had to go. Melissa played the penny slot machines. I played blackjack. (Won $20 at my first table, lost $19 at my second table.) Brock watched. He likes his money safe and sound. Whereas, Melissa and I kept quoting Empire Records to each other:

Lucas!
Joe!
Where's the money?
Joe, the money is gone.
Yeah, I know it's gone... but where's it gone to?
Atlantic City.
Atlantic City?... Is it coming back from Atlantic City?
Oh, I don't think so, Joe.
What's it doing in Atlantic City, Lucas?
...Recirculating.
Recirculating?
Yeah.
Lucas, listen to me. I told Mitchell Beck that you forgot to deposit the money. I told Mitchell that the money was still here.
Joe, that's not true. It's in Atlantic City... I swear.
Shut up, sit down, and don't you move.
It could be in other cities by now...

Of course, the reason why we were there in the first place was the signing at Speeding Bullet Comics. The book tour continues. I love this store. Matt Price and everyone who works there is incredibly cool. Just a great experience all the way around. And we sold a ton of books. As in, we've got to get more books from the Viper office because we sold them all in Oklahoma. The event was mentioned in the Norman Transcript newspaper -- CLICK.

The comic book store has a cafe! I had a "Wonder Woman" sandwich. I'm convinced this is the greatest sandwich in the world: ham, swiss (I think), pineapple, lettuce, and cream cheese. Good.

After the signing, Matt took us to eat at Othello's. We had a great time, hanging out, talking comics, and eating more food.

We were treated so well. We're definitely going back to Speeding Bullet again... soon. How's Monday?

-------------------------------------------------
UPDATE: If you haven't been to Pop Syndicate, my weekly column is now online -- READ IT HERE. I haven't received any comments yet. I'd love to hear from you. I got some nice e-mails from a few people. Scott McCloud mentioned it on his blog. He's accepted my challenge. (You'd have to read my column to understand.)
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AGAINST PROP 2

I hate getting too political on this blog, but I feel a moral obligation to say I am very much against Proposition 2 on the upcoming November 8th Texas ballot. (read more about it here) It's not right to further limit people's basic rights-- to not grant people equal protection under the law. As you all know, Texas already outlaws same-sex marriages, but the language of this amendment could easily be interpreted by judges to ban health-care and other workplace benefits that are currently provided to unmarried partners.

If you disagree with me, I'm sure we can debate how you think homosexuality is unnatural and how God prefers boys who like girls and vice versa. Regardless, when the government creates another law that restricts individual rights and privacy rights-- we all suffer.