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A few years ago, when I was a writer for Next-Wave and a community pastor at Axxess, I had the pleasure of knowing Kyle Lake. Even though it sounds cliche, it was a pleasure to know him. We were friendly acquaintances who occasionally exchanged e-mails, sharing our gripes and hopes for the Church. More specifically, I tended to gripe (no big surprise). He was the one with hope. Whenever I drove through Waco, I'd stop by his church to say "hello". He was a good person -- a selfless, caring pastor. He passed away yesterday (read report here), leaving behind a wife and three children.
Please keep Kyle's family, friends, and community in your prayers.
I can already tell this is going to be a buzy week.
(1) Kennedy is sick, and Melissa is taking her to the doctor today. She's been running a fever all weekend. I'm taking the day off at noon to look after K, while Melissa goes back to work. (2) We might get a puppy in the next day or two. Melissa's mom told us there's a puppy that was abandoned and needs a good home. So right now, we're getting the house ready for the new arrival. (3) NaNoWriMo starts at midnight tonight. My goal is to get 2,000 words tonight before I go to bed. We'll see if that's realistic at midnight. Yesterday, I went to the kick-off gathering at Joe's Crab Shack. Hung out with Leah and some other folks, which was cool. (4) Tom is flying in on Thursday. Really looking forward to seeing him again. We've converted the office in a deluxe suite with a super comfy air mattress. (5) Wizard World Texas starts on Friday. We've got the cook-out that night. Because of events on Saturday, I'm trying to keep it a little more "low key" than last year's. Just a gathering of friends. (Yes, if you are reading this, you fall into "friend" category.) Cook some burgers, etc. (6) On Saturday night, Fanboy Radio is hosting a Mahfood - Crosland Art Show at J. Gilligan's in Arlington. This is not something you want to miss! click here for more info
I went to see The Weather Man (view trailer). I really enjoyed it. But of course, if you know me, I'm a sucker for any quirky film about suburbanized families and small life-changing discoveries for one particular lost soul. Uh... no seriously, I call it American Beauty syndrome. This movie isn't as dark. Although, much of the humor was very dark.
David Spritz's continual failures (not always his fault) with his children, his father, and his ex-wife are amusing and painfully awkward. He simply can't look good in front of them. When he finally has his moment to be the hero, I wanted to stand up and start clapping. A very satisfying movie with an honest resolution, which I appreciate.
Melissa, Kennedy, and I went to the Fort Worth Zoo with our friends Mel, Jorge, and their daughter Sophia. Kennedy dressed up as an alligator, and she had a great time. We're definately going again next year.
Here are some pictures I took with my cell phone.    
I'm working on the basic plot and outline of my NaNoWriMo story. It's going to be a continuation of The Insight -- that comic book script I was working on about three years ago. You wouldn't have to read that story in order to understand what I'm writing now. In fact, you might enjoy it more.
I learned a lot from writing The Insight, but I have no intention of attempting to publish it. Might as well use the scraps to create something new -- I love the story enough to bother writing a continuation, but not enough to care if the end product is crappy. Nano is an experiment and a challenge. Hopefully, I learn even more from this experience -- like should I even bother with writing novels? The premise of The Insight came as I was thinking about psychic phenomena -- and what it might mean on a more interpersonal level, and not just "handy to solve crimes with". After I watched Solaris (1972 version), I realized how closely related these two stories could be. So I re-wrote The Insight as a more intentional homage to Andrei Tarkovsky's film. My Daniel Phelps is his Kris Kevlin. My Jenny Alvin is his Hari. The paranormal has replaced the sci-fi. Geez, I've done so much with this story. The Insight must be my scribble pad. Characters: Daniel Phelps, Jenny Alvin, Leland Grieves, Patricia Myer, Karen Myer, Edie Devereaux, Robert Kim, Jon Barowski, James Devereaux I need a name for a small town sheriff who's 68 years old -- same age as Merle Haggard. Any ideas? He's one of the main characters. Opening quotes: "The mind has a thousand eyes, and the heart but one." - Francis William Bourdillon "I have a feeling someone's deceiving us." - Hari from Tarkovsky's Solaris
Brock sent me the covers for Emily Edison issue one, two, and three. And they look beautiful! Something truly original for the shelves. But of course, I can't show you the covers yet. Soon though, very soon.
Trying to finish all my other responsibilities before I get started on NaNoWriMo in November. I should have issue four of Emily Edison scripted this week.
I must apologize. This commentary on Karma Incorporated #2-3 is almost two hours of absolute rambling. I'm serious. I go page for page, panel for panel, through these two books spouting off whatever comes to mind. It's unorganized, occasionally insightful, but mostly a mess. However, if you want to know my thoughts... have at 'em. The commentary isn't pretty, but it's mine.
part 1 of 3: mp3 file (48 min 5 sec) part 2 of 3: mp3 file (17 min 16 sec) part 3 of 3: mp3 file (45 min 55 sec)
Everytime I've hit 2000 posts, the FbR forums die. Until further notice, you can click here to keep in touch with the rest of the Fanboy Radio community.
Sorry Scott. We've got to find a way to break the curse!
I signed up to participate in National Novel Writing Month (aka NaNoWriMo). You think I would've learned my lesson from the past two 24 hour comic books I did, but no. 175 freakin' pages (50,000-word) in one month. Ugh. If I don't post much in November, this is why. I apologize in advance.
Blame Leah. She had the guts to sign up. I figured, why not? This isn't going to go well. I'll tell you right now-- I won't be able to do this. But then again, it'll be fun to try.
A press release from our friend Devon Devereaux--
Tales of Hot Rod Horror: Volume 1 is the new book from Cackling Imp Press. It is a graphic novel anthology featuring work By Rick Geary (Victorian Murder Mystery Volumes), David Quinn (Faust), Attaboy (I Hate Cartoons), Devon Devereaux (Graphic Classics), Christopher (The Ghoulie Boys), Andy Ristaino (Life of a Fetus), Adam Gallardo (100 Girls), and many other talented artists and writers. Volume 1 features 14 original stories that have their own unique take on a supernatural Hot Rod theme. The book features a variety of funny, scary and fantastic art. If you dig Twilight Zone, Tales from the Crypt, Ed "Daddy" Roth or just cool things in general, then you will dig this book. Tales of Hot Rod Horror: Volume 1 features a full color painted cover by Devon Devereaux and retails for $10.00.
Wes Molebash has a new URL for his webcomic You'll Have That (www.yhtcomic.com). It's easier to remember and pass along to people.
Make sure to vote for YHT everyday at the webcomic list.
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.
The October Fanboy Radio newsletter is now available online (click here, pdf file). If you've never read any of them, there are really good. Check out the archives. Good content and a great design.
In this issue, I contributed my Indie "It List" for 2005 -- the top 20 names in independent, small press, and alternative comics. Other segments include: Editor's pick by Greg Bowers, Holiday Ho-ho-horror by Matt Leong, How to put together a "recommendation list" by Phillip Ginn, top 10 best/10 worst superhero costumes, Top 10 comic book nightmares by Jordan Michael, comics and video game reviews by Scott Hinze, Spooky comics and the thrill of being scared by Cheryl Rose, the distinction between a geek, a nerd, and a dork by Oliver Tull, Fanboy friendly TV by Alan Waltrip and Luke Hawkins. The newsletter is fully illustrated by Jim Lujan, Matt Leong, Jeff Elden, Jess Hall, Randy G, and Oliver Tull. Design and layout by Justin Stewart.
From our friend Aaron Nelson, a preview of his upcoming story for DWP #27.
(Bob Zombie Cover | page 3 | page 4) The world's most famous zombie hunter is out to "kill pertuferatin' flesh puppets" and keep the public safe from zombiedom. Dario Carrasco's and Aaron Thomas Nelson's satirical horror comic "Bob Zombie" debuts in the comic book anthology Digital Webbing Presents #27. In the short story "Dance iZombies! Dance!" Bob Zombie squares off with some fancy-footworkin' iZombies who try to snack on a helpless toddler.Make sure to pre-order your copy, available in the October Previews (OCT05 2941) for a December release.
And as promised, photos...
Brock and me, evil geniuses Working on a sketch A Captain America sketch Brock did for some guy Melissa taking orders for Jayne hats... she'll be knitting non-stop for the next two months. Our booth babe My best friend and convention buddy Wim! Two fine folks dressed as Kaylee and Wash Melissa met Adam Baldwin (aka Jayne) This pic deserves a good caption... post your suggestions in the comments!
Unfortunately, I don't have any pics of the first day, because I left my camera at Zeus on Friday night. I promise, tomorrow, I'll take some pictures.
Woke up early this morning to participate in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. I think I was one of a handful of people who wore blue jeans to a 5K. Thank you Bethany for inviting me. And thank you to the random lady who handed me a banana. It was good. The Dallas Comic Con was great. I had my own table next to Ben Dunn. Sold a few copies of Karma Incorporated. Meet some people who had read the series, and enjoyed it. The Plano Centre is a great place for a convention. Kudos to Mark Walters for putting everything together. Had a chance to talk with Pamela Miltenberger from Penny-Farthing Press. I need to add their company to my links page. I really dig their Captain Gravity series. Other than that, lots of friends stopped by. I enjoyed talking with them. Melissa, Kennedy, and I will be there tomorrow.
The Art Conspiracy. The Texas Theater, December 3rd - All proceeds to benefit the children affected by hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
Karma Incorporated #3 in stores today. (preview) This Friday, signing at Zeus, 5-8 (event info)
An exclusive six page preview of the final issue, courtesy of Buzzscope--
http://www.buzzscope.com/reviews.php?id=5038
As seen on the Kid Robot website--
http://www.kidrobot.com/reports/gorny-Pages/Image0.html http://www.kidrobot.com/reports/gorny-Pages/Image1.html
Cold Case Comics (click here) is about reinventing the classic pulp heroes and themes of the golden years. Currently, they have three strips that will be updated on a regular basis. Astronaut Dad co-conspirator Brent Schoonover is the artist for The Phantom Shadow.
Also from Brent-- Horrorwood (click here) published by Ape Entertainment, the book takes place in the 1950's and deals with four out-of-luck Hollywood types that somehow get involved in a murder mystery. My friend Rachel Domm, who did the concept art and preview pages for Omisoka Bridge, has a website. She's an amazing artist. (click here)
I'm finally getting over some nasty illness that hit me this weekend. Ugh. Not fun.
All sorts of updates: The Lone Star Comics signing on Saturday went well. We sold more copies at the south Arlington location than at the Dallas and central Arlington stores combined. My faithful friend Steven hung out with me. Thanks! According to the Diamond shipping list, Karma Incorporated #3 should be in stores this Wednesday. This is it! The conclusion to our debut series. Make sure to get your copy. If your store doesn't carry Karma Incorporated, ask them if they can re-order. Retailers are good people (a heroic profession in my opinion). But with small press and indie comics, you've got to let them know what you want. You will also be able to purchase Karma Incorporated #3 online. There are quite a few sites, including midtowncomics.com and vipercomics.com. Mycomicshop.com has actually sold out of issue two, and they are selling the San Diego exclusive for $5.20. On Friday from 5 to 8, Zeus Comics is having a store signing with Mark Brooks, Jaime Mendoza, and me. For those in the Dallas area, if you're able to stop by, I'd love to see you. Early Saturday morning, Melissa, Kennedy, and I are joining the SuperStars team for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. Immediately afterwards, we're heading to the Plano Centre for the Dallas Comic Con.
Melissa and I have joined the campaign to get Kinky Friedman elected as governor. No seriously. We want Kinky. It's time Texas had a Jewish cowboy in office.
(Watch the first 'toon here)
This Saturday, October 8th, I'll be at Lone Star Comics in South Arlington from 3 to 5 signing copies of Karma Incorporated, issues one and two.
I'll also be giving away copies of my mini-comic Some Other Day.
Oh, how I love movie trailers. These look particularly good.
Capote ~ Fascinating look into the mind of a writer and a killer. The Ringer ~ Okay, yes, it's a comedy about the Special Olympics. But lots of people fall down in the trailer, and falling is funny. The Family Stone ~ Meet the family during the holidays. This genre has been beaten to death, hasn't it? But this looks cute, and Luke Wilson is always good. Oh yeah, Claire Danes. Pride & Prejudice ~ Jane Austen deserved a better film version of this novel. Here it is. Funny that they used the "Love Actually" score for this trailer. A History of Violence ~ Based off the graphic novel, quite possibly the best movie of the year. It feels so good to type that. Sin City. Ghost World. Road to Perdition. We've got the better stories. So there. The Chumscrubber ~ God bless suburban hell. Kinda confusing though... the kid from Thumbsucker is in Chumscrubber. I'm going to mix these two up.
I'm trying my best to maintain the strictest vow of silence in regards to the novel I'm writing. Odd as it may sound, the less I mention it the more apt I am to complete it. Nothing is more cliche than creative-types talking about "working on a novel". Consequently, nothing is more rare than someone actually finishing a novel.
One painfully obvious statement must be made. Writing a novel is much more challenging than anything I've ever done. When I compose a script, if a bolt of inspiration hits me, I can spit out 20 pages in one sitting. I spend a week revising and I'm done. Heck, I scripted all 144 pages of Astronaut Dad in one glorious month. With a novel, it's painfully slow, inspired or not. One sentence at a time. One page at a time. There's nothing I can do to speed the process along. It's the epitome of the "marathon" metaphor. Fortunately, my creative writing class has been helpful. I promised my students if I reached a certain page number by December, I'd throw a pizza party. Understandably, they are now personally invested in my success. We've also been watching a five part video series in which writers give advice on the writing process. I downloaded it from United Streaming and it's incredible.
You scored as Simon Tam, the Doctor. You have a gift for healing that goes beyond education. You took an oath to do no harm, even when your patients have tried to kill you. You are out of place where you are, being used to refined society. However, if you take that stick out of your arse you should be fine.
Simon Tam 69% Shepherd Derrial Book 63% Capt. Mal Reynolds 56% The Operative 56% Kaylee Frye 50% Inara Serra 50% Zoe Alleyne Washburne 44% Hoban 'Wash' Washburne 44% River Tam 25% Jayne Cobb 13% Which Serenity character are you? created with QuizFarm.com
Coming in December, Scott Pilgrim & the Infinite Sadness the third volume in an ongoing series by Bryan Lee O'Malley. Love it.
Today is Melissa's first day in her new position at Fast Forward. And today is also Kennedy's first day at the Children's Courtyard.
Let me start off by saying, I'm glad Kennedy is in daycare. She loves kids her own size, and rarely gets the opportunity to play with them. I will not be surprised if today is an incredibly fun day for her. She's not one to have separation anxiety either. Kennedy is very happpy to leave the protection of mom and dad. However. I'm dying here. I want to leave work right now and go pick her up. I can't stop thinking about her. What if she misses us and starts to panic? What if she hurts herself? Or they don't feed her food she likes and she simply doesn't eat? Will they give her plenty of juice? (She likes juice.) Will they give her the right kind of milk? (She prefers room temperature 2% milk.) Will she be able to take her nap? Will they get mad at her if she starts crying and refuses to lay on the mat? At home, she has a very particular sleep ritual: Two stuffed animals -- her bear and her hippo, one at her feet, and the other near her head. Two blankets -- the pink one is along her left side, the yellow one on top of her. She likes to have her pacifier while she sleeps. And when she finishes with her nap, she shakes her hippo to let us know. Ugh. I'm going to be sick. I miss her so much!!! What if the older kids run her over on the playground? What if the kids ignore her? She's wearing shorts today. What if they take her outside, she crawls around, and bruises her knees? As for Melissa, I'm also worried about her, but not as much. How will her day go? Will she be overwhelmed or underwhelmed by the work? Will she be adequately prepared? Will she like everyone at the office she has to work with? Four more hours and I'm out of here.
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