Wednesday, October 19, 2005
Don't Blame Me
I've been trying to finish a script for the past two days that's just been kicking my ass. I must've rewritten it three times already. It's only 11 pages, but it's the short ones that can be the biggest bitch sometimes. All my attention has been focused there so I forgot to blog. Sorry. I'm gonna just drop you a few quick pics now and hopefully I can finish this script before morning or my editor is gonna kill me. More soon...
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
New Mangaverse: Rings of Fate
My first Marvel project was officially announced today, New Mangaverse: The Rings of Fate, a five issue mini-series with Tommy Ohtsuka starting in January 2006!
You can read a brief article about it here: http://www.marvel.com/company/showarticle.htm?id=141
Marvel's full January solcitiations can be found here: http://www.newsarama.com/marvelnew/Jan06/Jan05solicits.html
You can read a brief article about it here: http://www.marvel.com/company/showarticle.htm?id=141
Marvel's full January solcitiations can be found here: http://www.newsarama.com/marvelnew/Jan06/Jan05solicits.html
Chicago Bound
I'll be heading to Chicago later this week for The Reactor convention, which is a great show that tries to blend Japanese and Western pop culture into a wonderful weekend event. You can check out their site at www.thereactor.org. It's being held at this place called "the purple hotel", and whenever they mentioned it to me I thought was a nickname for it... but it actually is The Purple Hotel! Me, Takeshi Miyazawa, Rivkah, Felipe Smith, Skottie Young, Mark Robinson and a lot lot of other cool folk will be hanging out, so for anyone in the Chicago area, please feel free to stop by. I don't have a confirmed schedule yet, but it looks like I'll be doing at least two panels:
SATURDAY: 3 PM -> Future of Manga in America
A guest round-table panel with C.B Cebulski, Takeshi Miyazawa, Melly Curphy, Rivkah and Felipe Smith discussing the future of Manga in America. Q & A with opinions and comments exchanged between guests and con-goers.
SUNDAY: 10 AM -> Comics World With Takeshi and C.B.
A colloboration panel with long-time friends and colleagues C.B. and Takeshi, discussing anything anyone would like to talk about.
Also, on Thursday night, I hear we'll be at a place called Hogs and Honeys downtown where they'll be buying me shots trying to get me to ride the mechanical bull. I held out last year, but will I be able to do it again this year?!
SATURDAY: 3 PM -> Future of Manga in America
A guest round-table panel with C.B Cebulski, Takeshi Miyazawa, Melly Curphy, Rivkah and Felipe Smith discussing the future of Manga in America. Q & A with opinions and comments exchanged between guests and con-goers.
SUNDAY: 10 AM -> Comics World With Takeshi and C.B.
A colloboration panel with long-time friends and colleagues C.B. and Takeshi, discussing anything anyone would like to talk about.
Also, on Thursday night, I hear we'll be at a place called Hogs and Honeys downtown where they'll be buying me shots trying to get me to ride the mechanical bull. I held out last year, but will I be able to do it again this year?!
Monday, October 17, 2005
TV Thoughts
I read this this morning and it kinda shocked me: "NBC giving a full-season pickup to its fantasy-mystery drama series Surface."
I was sure this show was getting the axe. I stopped watching 10 minutes in to episode 2 and never looked back. I had high hopes for it but was utterly disappointed. So while I'm at it, here's some other musing on the current TV slate...
New Shows
Invasion - I went to a panel and saw the first episode in San Diego. It was some of the worst writing and acting I'd ever seen. I do not know how this show get by. I continue to laugh at the ads.
Threshold - Gave up after two episodes.
My Name Is Earl - A new favorite. Hillbilly humor with heart.
Prison Break - I'm a loyal viewer. You have to suspend reality a bit while you watch it but it keeps you on the edge of your seat.
How I Met Your Mother - Fun stuff. Doogie rocks!
Rome - Really enjoying this. It just keeps getting better ever week.
Extras - Wasn't too into it but kept watching as Ricky Gervais cracks me up. This last ep with Sam Jackson was hilarious though. I'll keep watching.
Returning Shows
Medium - This is Mutsumi's show and Patricia Arquette should not have won the Emmy, but season two has actually been a vast improvement over season one.
Law and Order - I miss Jerry Orbach, but Dennis Farina's doing a good job. My least favorite of the three L&O series, but it's the original and still solid so it continues to be a must watch for me.
L&O: Criminal Intent - Detective Goran is one of my favorite TV characters ever, so when D'Onoforio went on break I didn't think I'd keep watching, but Chris Noth and Annabelle Sciorra are doing a great job.
L&O: SVU - Moving a bit away from the actual crimes and focusing more of the characters these last few eps, but the acting is just so damn good!
Desperate Housewives - Still enjoying the twists and turns on this one. I continue to hate Edie and Bree is better than ever.
Grey's Anatomy - Fell in love with this the first season and it just gets better IMO.
Curb Your Enthusiasm - This season's episodes have been some of the funniest yet. Larry David kills.
CSI - Haven't watched CSI since season one (except for the QT ep) but I've enjoyed what I've seen so far.
Boston Legal - I miss some of the old cast members but David E, Kelley still keeps this fun.
And then there are my MTV/VH1 addictions, Breaking Bonaduce, Laguna Beach, Sweet Sixteen and Best Week Ever. You can laugh but you know you're watching too!
I was sure this show was getting the axe. I stopped watching 10 minutes in to episode 2 and never looked back. I had high hopes for it but was utterly disappointed. So while I'm at it, here's some other musing on the current TV slate...
New Shows
Invasion - I went to a panel and saw the first episode in San Diego. It was some of the worst writing and acting I'd ever seen. I do not know how this show get by. I continue to laugh at the ads.
Threshold - Gave up after two episodes.
My Name Is Earl - A new favorite. Hillbilly humor with heart.
Prison Break - I'm a loyal viewer. You have to suspend reality a bit while you watch it but it keeps you on the edge of your seat.
How I Met Your Mother - Fun stuff. Doogie rocks!
Rome - Really enjoying this. It just keeps getting better ever week.
Extras - Wasn't too into it but kept watching as Ricky Gervais cracks me up. This last ep with Sam Jackson was hilarious though. I'll keep watching.
Returning Shows
Medium - This is Mutsumi's show and Patricia Arquette should not have won the Emmy, but season two has actually been a vast improvement over season one.
Law and Order - I miss Jerry Orbach, but Dennis Farina's doing a good job. My least favorite of the three L&O series, but it's the original and still solid so it continues to be a must watch for me.
L&O: Criminal Intent - Detective Goran is one of my favorite TV characters ever, so when D'Onoforio went on break I didn't think I'd keep watching, but Chris Noth and Annabelle Sciorra are doing a great job.
L&O: SVU - Moving a bit away from the actual crimes and focusing more of the characters these last few eps, but the acting is just so damn good!
Desperate Housewives - Still enjoying the twists and turns on this one. I continue to hate Edie and Bree is better than ever.
Grey's Anatomy - Fell in love with this the first season and it just gets better IMO.
Curb Your Enthusiasm - This season's episodes have been some of the funniest yet. Larry David kills.
CSI - Haven't watched CSI since season one (except for the QT ep) but I've enjoyed what I've seen so far.
Boston Legal - I miss some of the old cast members but David E, Kelley still keeps this fun.
And then there are my MTV/VH1 addictions, Breaking Bonaduce, Laguna Beach, Sweet Sixteen and Best Week Ever. You can laugh but you know you're watching too!
Sunday, October 16, 2005
Sunday Night Lotto
As Mutsumi says I'm neglecting Lotto on the blog again, here's a new pic of the eternal sleeper...
I Can't Believe I'm Admiting This
We watched A Lot Like Love last night... and I actually enjoyed it.
I can't stand Ashton Kutcher. And my brother has a huge thing for Amanda Peet that I just don't get. So you think I'd hate this one, right? But they actually had some decent chemistry between them! Trust me, I'm as surprised as anyone. Now I wouldn't recommend it as a 'Must See DVD', but given some of the other cheesy, romantic crap we've seen flooding theaters recently (Reese Witherspoon as a ghost?!), this was definitely a cut above the rest. I have to say, even the writing wasn't that bad.
Predictable, yes, but more witty and original than it had any right to be. ALLL becomes another of my guilty pleasures.
Now stop laughing at me!
I can't stand Ashton Kutcher. And my brother has a huge thing for Amanda Peet that I just don't get. So you think I'd hate this one, right? But they actually had some decent chemistry between them! Trust me, I'm as surprised as anyone. Now I wouldn't recommend it as a 'Must See DVD', but given some of the other cheesy, romantic crap we've seen flooding theaters recently (Reese Witherspoon as a ghost?!), this was definitely a cut above the rest. I have to say, even the writing wasn't that bad.
Predictable, yes, but more witty and original than it had any right to be. ALLL becomes another of my guilty pleasures.
Now stop laughing at me!
Under The Influence
Over on The Engine, Warren Ellis recently asked who readers felt were the five biggest influences on them as creators. I took this to mean the people who influenced me to want to BECOME a creator; the talents whose work actually set me on the path to wanting to pursue a career as a writer. So after spending too much time thinking about it, below are the five people I posted as my response to the question.
George Lucas - who set my imagination alight
Jim Morrison - who taught me the power of words
Chris Claremont - who started my comic book addiction
John Hughes - who brought "my reality" into ficiton
Haruki Murakami - who made me love reading again
George Lucas - who set my imagination alight
Jim Morrison - who taught me the power of words
Chris Claremont - who started my comic book addiction
John Hughes - who brought "my reality" into ficiton
Haruki Murakami - who made me love reading again
Wednesday, October 12, 2005
Ah, Albuquerque
I just downloaded a blast from the past, the classic New Order album Substance. Yes, a lot of these songs have become much more popular over time thanks to Adam Sandler movie soundtracks and bad punk remakes, but this is a truly amazing collection of music. Takes me back to my teens when I spent a little time in New Mexico and had the time of my life. Ah, the good old days... but for anyone who hasn't listened to this album in a while, I highly recommend you pop it into your player of choice and enjoy the electonica of old!
Tuesday, October 11, 2005
20 Years in the Making?!
I'd heard somewhere that Final Fantasy: Advent Children had finally come out here on DVD here, so I went to Amazon to check it out and hopefully order a copy. Here's what it said:
Final Fantasy VII - Advent Children (2005)
Availability: This item will be released on December 31, 2025. You may order it now and we will ship it to you when it arrives.
Will I still want to see this when I'm 54?
Final Fantasy VII - Advent Children (2005)
Availability: This item will be released on December 31, 2025. You may order it now and we will ship it to you when it arrives.
Will I still want to see this when I'm 54?
Marvel Tease Two
As traffic here seems to be way up thanks to the Newsarama article, I think it's time for a second tease of my upcoming Marvel project...
"Just When I Think I'm Out..."
An interview about my "return to comics" is now up over at Newarama...
http://www.newsarama.com/cebulski/Return/CebulskiReturn.htm
http://www.newsarama.com/cebulski/Return/CebulskiReturn.htm
Sunday, October 09, 2005
Friday, October 07, 2005
Thursday, October 06, 2005
Empty Theaters
One thing I love about working freelance and setting my own hours is that I can go to the movies whenever I want. I usually go to the first showings of the day during the week, around noon here in NYC, when most normal people are in work and all the kids are in school. The theaters are usually empty with only a handful of people at these shows. It's quiet, no one talks, no cell phones go off, no laser pointers, no screaming babies. I love the fact that I can get a row all to myself anywhere I want and sit there and take in the cinemeatic experience with no distractions. It's the only way to fly!
I saw SERENITY yesterday and I loved it. It had some very surprising moments, but I won't spoil anything. There were a few things I didn't like, but when 95% of the movie was excellent, why bitch about little, nitpicky things, right? Please go see this film, support Joss, and spend your $10 in support of this amazing but underrated sci-fi gem.
I saw SERENITY yesterday and I loved it. It had some very surprising moments, but I won't spoil anything. There were a few things I didn't like, but when 95% of the movie was excellent, why bitch about little, nitpicky things, right? Please go see this film, support Joss, and spend your $10 in support of this amazing but underrated sci-fi gem.
Wednesday, October 05, 2005
Back in Blogging Action!
It starts today. Daily updates are back! I promise. I'll try and keep this blog as interesting and informative as I can (which I guess all depends on how interesting and informative you find the crap I post here) but it may just be a dumb link or picture from time to time. But there'll be something here for you to see and read on a regular basis.
Wizard World Boston was fun. The show itself was kind of slow which was just fine with me as it meant I had more time to hang out and chat with friends and do some long overdue back issue shopping. I picked up a bunch of old Marvel Fanfare issues for a buck a piece which are just awesome. Issues 34-37, featuring a Charles Vess Warriors Three story, are just amazing. Issue 34 also has a Mignola Marvel villains pin-up section in the back that kicks ass. I'm still not having any luck finding Power pack 46 though.
The con was held at the Bayside Expo Center which is outside of Boston and where there's really not much to do. So one night, instead of going into Boston, we went over to an all-night bowling alley and bowled our asses off. The evening got off to kind of a funny start though as I ripped my jeans wide open on my first toss. Took a little convincing when I got home to make Mutsumi believe it really happened at a bowling alley.
I was also able to get a lot of thinking done on the bus rides up and back and jotted down a lot of good ideas, all of which I hope will bear fruit someday. So all in all, the weekend trip, while uneventful compared to other cons, was a friendly, low-key, creative excursion that was well worth taking.
Oh, and I got to meet Elisa Dushku, the new love of my life, but I'll be posting more about that later!
Wizard World Boston was fun. The show itself was kind of slow which was just fine with me as it meant I had more time to hang out and chat with friends and do some long overdue back issue shopping. I picked up a bunch of old Marvel Fanfare issues for a buck a piece which are just awesome. Issues 34-37, featuring a Charles Vess Warriors Three story, are just amazing. Issue 34 also has a Mignola Marvel villains pin-up section in the back that kicks ass. I'm still not having any luck finding Power pack 46 though.
The con was held at the Bayside Expo Center which is outside of Boston and where there's really not much to do. So one night, instead of going into Boston, we went over to an all-night bowling alley and bowled our asses off. The evening got off to kind of a funny start though as I ripped my jeans wide open on my first toss. Took a little convincing when I got home to make Mutsumi believe it really happened at a bowling alley.
I was also able to get a lot of thinking done on the bus rides up and back and jotted down a lot of good ideas, all of which I hope will bear fruit someday. So all in all, the weekend trip, while uneventful compared to other cons, was a friendly, low-key, creative excursion that was well worth taking.
Oh, and I got to meet Elisa Dushku, the new love of my life, but I'll be posting more about that later!
Thursday, September 29, 2005
Star Wars Always Makes Me Smile
How great would it be if this was an actual picture taken during the filming/promotion of Empire Strikes Back?
Yes, I Live
Yeah, I suck. It's been like what, two weeks since I posted here? Sorry.
Things these past ten days have been crazy. I was asked to attend Marvel'e editorial retreat, which was a lot of fun but takes up a lot of time. A number of other creators flew in for it as well, so the evenings were full of dinners and drinking. Mark Millar himself has like three parties. I think I must have eaten with Mutsumi only once or twice the whole time. (Sorry, honey.) Then, with any free time I had, I was trying my best to keep up with e-mail, polish two proposals, and finish a few scripts. Yeeeessh! I feel like I need to sleep for a week.
I'm off to Wizard World Boston tomorrow, but promise regular posting and plenty of pictures starting next week. Oh, and a Limonciello update, as that's moving along...
Things these past ten days have been crazy. I was asked to attend Marvel'e editorial retreat, which was a lot of fun but takes up a lot of time. A number of other creators flew in for it as well, so the evenings were full of dinners and drinking. Mark Millar himself has like three parties. I think I must have eaten with Mutsumi only once or twice the whole time. (Sorry, honey.) Then, with any free time I had, I was trying my best to keep up with e-mail, polish two proposals, and finish a few scripts. Yeeeessh! I feel like I need to sleep for a week.
I'm off to Wizard World Boston tomorrow, but promise regular posting and plenty of pictures starting next week. Oh, and a Limonciello update, as that's moving along...
Monday, September 19, 2005
Introspective
Everything I've been writing recently has been straight-up fiction. So tonight, when I sat down to write an autobiographical short story, it felt a little weird to be writing about myself again. It was a comic script too, so I had to describe what was going on with me in each scene, bascially explaining in detail what I was doing panel-to-panel. I was looking at myself in my minds-eye as a comic book character. So while writing things like "I take a step toward Jesse, who sits on the steps, a concerned look on my face." made me feel a little odd, describing my clothes and emotions and actions took a lot out of me as I was basically reliving this moment from my past for someone else to illustrate and eventually share with other people in comic book format.
Emmy Recap - A Guest Post
I was going to post a few thoughts on my Emmy viewing experince last night, but my friend Sara "Miss Diva" Erickson sent around her annual review before I could get my thoughts down. As hers, as usual, made me laugh outloud and captured some my sentiments to a tee, I thought I'd share her summary with you instead. Reprinted with her permission, here we go:
Earth, Wind & Black Eyed Peas opening abomination - I don't think that I can watch the rest . . . .
please Ellen make it better - mmmmm - not so much
VALIDATED - public appearance - Jen & Ben - aglow in the front row
and the evening gets Desperate - a TOUGH category - my fingers are crossed for Jeremy P and effin BRAD - nobody loves raymond - GARRETT - thank god that show is off the air!
wait a second - am I watching a rerun of last years show - Bill Shatner - AGAIN??!
Gwennie's mommy wins her first Emmy for a show that no one has ever seen
seriously - this show is so bad so far that I am just going to watch last week's Laguna Beach
Awkward moment #37: Ellen does a ventriloquist act. 'Nuff said.
Jennifer Love Hewitt, Neil Patrick Harris & Chris O'Donnel - ladies and gentlemen we have officially scrapped the bottom of the barrel
did Katherine Joosten, winner of Best Guest Actress, raid Hefner's closet - what is with that smoking jacket
for some reason I am longing to be in the Bronx taking prescription drugs and playing Scrabble
DORIS ROBERTS - I haven't had enough to drink yet - her 4th Emmy for this role - she is joined on stage with her harem of underage boy servants
Johnny Carson tribute . . . . and over on the Surreal Life we find out that Janice Dickinson's father was a pedophile . . . . hmmmm what to watch
and the cast of Everyone Loves Raymond is funny for the first time ever - the Daily Show wins again (Emmy number 3 for Jen's cuz Steve Bodow) - once again I have to check and see if I am not watching last years show
ok - I know it has been happening all evening - this "Emmy Idol" and until now I have just used this time to refill my wine glass, but I am compelled to watch Macy Gray try and resuscitate her career - Chris calls her the gentle giant
Jewel's snaggletooth cousin, Patricia Arquette arrives on stage with rollers still in her hair
FINALLY someone new wins - JJ Abrams for "Lost"
you know when they show ads for new prescription drugs - and there is a disclaimer at the bottom saying that this product may cause drowsiness and oily discharge - well this telecast should have the same disclaimer
John Stewart is a funny man and Desperate takes an Emmy
start watching Arrested Development - funny comments from the writers who keep winning for a show that no one watches!
YAWN - all evening I have avoided calls from my mother (caller ID) and finally I am so bored by this telecast that I am compelled to answer her 3rd attempt - I am surprised to hear that she is drinking a beer - (her 4th this decade) - the Emmys are on in the background - go figure
a lovely tribute - to an unsung hero - the Anchorman
I am considering opening a second bottle of wine
a very funny Conan O'Brien gives an Emmy to Felicity Huffman - a Desperate upset - I actually sit up for the first time in over an hour!! YiPPiE!!
wow - an Arquette upset - note to self - only tune in for the last half hour of these things
and Tony Shaloub (whom went to high school with my Aunt - go Green Bay) wins an Emmy - more importantly Ray Romano didn't!
Nik Katopodis - opps I mean Jimmy Spader wins - thanking his mom for sitting thru the sex and weirdness - huh??
Another upset - LOST wins for dramatic series - a personal fav - I am thrilled - watch this show!!
Apparently somebody STILL loves Raymond - they take home an Emmy for Comedy for the LAST time - AMEN!!
and it is over as awkwardly as it began - we have made it thru another year!
a personal prediction for next year - "Breaking Bonaduce" will sweep it!
like I have always said - "I watch it - so you don't have too" and you are VERY welcome, 'cause this one was painful
much love,
Mrs E reporting from NYC
List of Winners at 57th Annual Emmy Awards
http://apnews1.iwon.com/article/20050919/D8CN6BQGB.html
Quotes From the 57th Annual Emmy Awards
http://apnews1.iwon.com/article/20050919/D8CN6BDO2.html
Earth, Wind & Black Eyed Peas opening abomination - I don't think that I can watch the rest . . . .
please Ellen make it better - mmmmm - not so much
VALIDATED - public appearance - Jen & Ben - aglow in the front row
and the evening gets Desperate - a TOUGH category - my fingers are crossed for Jeremy P and effin BRAD - nobody loves raymond - GARRETT - thank god that show is off the air!
wait a second - am I watching a rerun of last years show - Bill Shatner - AGAIN??!
Gwennie's mommy wins her first Emmy for a show that no one has ever seen
seriously - this show is so bad so far that I am just going to watch last week's Laguna Beach
Awkward moment #37: Ellen does a ventriloquist act. 'Nuff said.
Jennifer Love Hewitt, Neil Patrick Harris & Chris O'Donnel - ladies and gentlemen we have officially scrapped the bottom of the barrel
did Katherine Joosten, winner of Best Guest Actress, raid Hefner's closet - what is with that smoking jacket
for some reason I am longing to be in the Bronx taking prescription drugs and playing Scrabble
DORIS ROBERTS - I haven't had enough to drink yet - her 4th Emmy for this role - she is joined on stage with her harem of underage boy servants
Johnny Carson tribute . . . . and over on the Surreal Life we find out that Janice Dickinson's father was a pedophile . . . . hmmmm what to watch
and the cast of Everyone Loves Raymond is funny for the first time ever - the Daily Show wins again (Emmy number 3 for Jen's cuz Steve Bodow) - once again I have to check and see if I am not watching last years show
ok - I know it has been happening all evening - this "Emmy Idol" and until now I have just used this time to refill my wine glass, but I am compelled to watch Macy Gray try and resuscitate her career - Chris calls her the gentle giant
Jewel's snaggletooth cousin, Patricia Arquette arrives on stage with rollers still in her hair
FINALLY someone new wins - JJ Abrams for "Lost"
you know when they show ads for new prescription drugs - and there is a disclaimer at the bottom saying that this product may cause drowsiness and oily discharge - well this telecast should have the same disclaimer
John Stewart is a funny man and Desperate takes an Emmy
start watching Arrested Development - funny comments from the writers who keep winning for a show that no one watches!
YAWN - all evening I have avoided calls from my mother (caller ID) and finally I am so bored by this telecast that I am compelled to answer her 3rd attempt - I am surprised to hear that she is drinking a beer - (her 4th this decade) - the Emmys are on in the background - go figure
a lovely tribute - to an unsung hero - the Anchorman
I am considering opening a second bottle of wine
a very funny Conan O'Brien gives an Emmy to Felicity Huffman - a Desperate upset - I actually sit up for the first time in over an hour!! YiPPiE!!
wow - an Arquette upset - note to self - only tune in for the last half hour of these things
and Tony Shaloub (whom went to high school with my Aunt - go Green Bay) wins an Emmy - more importantly Ray Romano didn't!
Nik Katopodis - opps I mean Jimmy Spader wins - thanking his mom for sitting thru the sex and weirdness - huh??
Another upset - LOST wins for dramatic series - a personal fav - I am thrilled - watch this show!!
Apparently somebody STILL loves Raymond - they take home an Emmy for Comedy for the LAST time - AMEN!!
and it is over as awkwardly as it began - we have made it thru another year!
a personal prediction for next year - "Breaking Bonaduce" will sweep it!
like I have always said - "I watch it - so you don't have too" and you are VERY welcome, 'cause this one was painful
much love,
Mrs E reporting from NYC
List of Winners at 57th Annual Emmy Awards
http://apnews1.iwon.com/article/20050919/D8CN6BQGB.html
Quotes From the 57th Annual Emmy Awards
http://apnews1.iwon.com/article/20050919/D8CN6BDO2.html
Saturday, September 17, 2005
Big in Japan?
I've been posting over at Warren Ellis' THE ENGINE recently, where I can usually be found talking about manga. I've let a few things "slip" over the last few days and never have I gotten more e-mail from creators, fans and news sites looking for info and updates, all regarding certain manga and anime endeavors I'm involved in. Well, I can't give too much away just yet, but here's a quick tease as traffic on this blog now seems to be booming...
Long Overdue SHIKI Update
Congrats to João, who has now set up a small studio outside of Lisbon with his friends Venâncio, Nuno and Tércio. Four amazing artists working together and driving each other to new creative heights can only lead to wonderful things for the art world! I just hope there's a couch so I have somewhere to crash when I visit.
Our work continues on SHIKI, which we're now thinking of launching in late spring/early summer 2006. It's a seasonal based story that we want to coincide with the weather outside the reader's window, so when it's Autumn and there are leaves falling off the trees outside, the same seasonal changes are affecting Saya and Piko in the pages of the comic. João has some amazing logo designs done with "the four seasons" symbolism in mind and we've started talking about having T-shirts made because I think they'll easily sell once people see them. I'll keep you posted...
Lastly, here's a new SHIKI image for you, a little different this time around. As you've been treated to only images of Saya and Piko so far, it's now time to start showing you more of the world of SHIKI. Enjoy!
Our work continues on SHIKI, which we're now thinking of launching in late spring/early summer 2006. It's a seasonal based story that we want to coincide with the weather outside the reader's window, so when it's Autumn and there are leaves falling off the trees outside, the same seasonal changes are affecting Saya and Piko in the pages of the comic. João has some amazing logo designs done with "the four seasons" symbolism in mind and we've started talking about having T-shirts made because I think they'll easily sell once people see them. I'll keep you posted...
Lastly, here's a new SHIKI image for you, a little different this time around. As you've been treated to only images of Saya and Piko so far, it's now time to start showing you more of the world of SHIKI. Enjoy!
Thursday, September 15, 2005
I Hate Time Warner Cable!
I lost cable and internet access for two days! Not internet, no e-mail and no blogging! And whenever I called TWC for updates, no one could help or tell me what was wrong, just that "my neighborhood has been affected". One of the customer service people even actually tried to sell me a business plan instead as he promised I would not experience any blackouts and would be guaranteed better service. Man, did I get pissed! I asked him how this was possible if there was an "area wide outage" and if he was implying that if I paid more they could've had my service back hours ago. When he stubmbled over his answers, I asked to speak with his manager, who was polite and apologized for her junior associate. She was finally able to give me the details of the problem, but I still had to wait 13 more hours for them to fix it and get my service back up and running.
My apologies to anyone waiting for an e-mail or response from me.
All kinds of posts on there way here soon, with updates on Limonchiello, a few new upcoming comic projects, some writing thoughts, and some new art.
My apologies to anyone waiting for an e-mail or response from me.
All kinds of posts on there way here soon, with updates on Limonchiello, a few new upcoming comic projects, some writing thoughts, and some new art.
Friday, September 09, 2005
Let Them Do Their Thing
Let your characters write themselves.
That's one of the first pieces of advice a writer will always give you. We've all heard it. Some people think it's cliche, but for me, it's true. To really write a character, you have to understand that character and the character does start living a life of it's own in your stories that you simply start documenting. One of my favorite stories about this is the one Bendis tells about that issue of Ultimate Spider-Man where Aunt May goes to see the psychiatrist. Bendis totally wrote that for himself as an exercise to get into the character's mind to better understand her and her feelings for Peter in order to help drive future Spider-Man stories. It eventually got drawn and printed and became one of the most well-received issues of that series ever. By getting inside her mind, he let her tell her story.
When I write, I usually write in my head. I plot out a story and break it down mentally first. Then I write it all down, refine it, and send it in for approval. Once approval comes, I take into account any changes and then start writing the issue page by page, with dialogue, in my head. I know it's a strange way to work, and sometimes this may take a little longer to get a script out of me, but I'm a terrible typist and don't like sitting down to start before I know what I'm going to put on every page. It's at this mental stage that the characters write themselves into my stories. I flesh out their dialogue and walk them through the issue in my mind's eye first. So writing a script for me is basically transcribing their words and actions from my head.
Earlier this week I was working on a short story with a character I knew pretty well and I had her story all worked out in my head. Or at least I thought I did. But as I was sitting there typing it out, her story changed! I got to page four of the script and the character took me in a completely different direction than I had originally mapped out in my head. It was really odd as that is usually not the way I work. She was being a rebellious teen and even though I tried to push the story back in the direction I originally intended, a direction both the editor and artist had approved when I pitched it, she wouldn't go. So consequences be damned, I went with it. As I sat there at the keyboard, I let this young lady change the path of her story for me. Some of the things she did surprised me. I questioned myself at times, but went with it. And you know what? It came out better for it. I'm much happier with the this new version of the story than I am with the version I had originally planned. So are the artist and editor.
Sometimes you just have to let them go, I guess.
That's one of the first pieces of advice a writer will always give you. We've all heard it. Some people think it's cliche, but for me, it's true. To really write a character, you have to understand that character and the character does start living a life of it's own in your stories that you simply start documenting. One of my favorite stories about this is the one Bendis tells about that issue of Ultimate Spider-Man where Aunt May goes to see the psychiatrist. Bendis totally wrote that for himself as an exercise to get into the character's mind to better understand her and her feelings for Peter in order to help drive future Spider-Man stories. It eventually got drawn and printed and became one of the most well-received issues of that series ever. By getting inside her mind, he let her tell her story.
When I write, I usually write in my head. I plot out a story and break it down mentally first. Then I write it all down, refine it, and send it in for approval. Once approval comes, I take into account any changes and then start writing the issue page by page, with dialogue, in my head. I know it's a strange way to work, and sometimes this may take a little longer to get a script out of me, but I'm a terrible typist and don't like sitting down to start before I know what I'm going to put on every page. It's at this mental stage that the characters write themselves into my stories. I flesh out their dialogue and walk them through the issue in my mind's eye first. So writing a script for me is basically transcribing their words and actions from my head.
Earlier this week I was working on a short story with a character I knew pretty well and I had her story all worked out in my head. Or at least I thought I did. But as I was sitting there typing it out, her story changed! I got to page four of the script and the character took me in a completely different direction than I had originally mapped out in my head. It was really odd as that is usually not the way I work. She was being a rebellious teen and even though I tried to push the story back in the direction I originally intended, a direction both the editor and artist had approved when I pitched it, she wouldn't go. So consequences be damned, I went with it. As I sat there at the keyboard, I let this young lady change the path of her story for me. Some of the things she did surprised me. I questioned myself at times, but went with it. And you know what? It came out better for it. I'm much happier with the this new version of the story than I am with the version I had originally planned. So are the artist and editor.
Sometimes you just have to let them go, I guess.
Time's Crushing Down On Me
I'm having that problem with time again. Too many things to do, too little time to do them. I thought I had it under control for a while there, but pressure has built again. It's all a matter of prioritizing, I know, but I'm finding it more difficult as time goes on. I'm being asked to pitch more and more and offers are coming in from places I didn't expect. I've had to focus and figure out what I really want to do, what I really want to write, and that's lead me to turn down a few offers I would have really liked to pursue. I hope I didn't burn any bridges doing by turning the work away, and I don't think I did as the people seemed cool about it, but even though I hate doing it, sometimes I just have to say"no". It's a hard thing to do, but I'm learning to deal with it.
I'm late on a script for one of my editors (Sorry, John! It's coming.) and shouldn't even be writing this, but I needed a break.
I've been trying to keep better track of where my time goes over the course of a day and I realized that e-mail eats up a lot of it. I love to keep in touch with people, but it really does take up an inordinate amount of my time. I hate shooting off quick one or two line answers and try to personalize every note, but I'm going to have to start rethinking that. I'd say I sent over a hundred e-mails a day, and even then I don't get back to everyone.
People keep teling me I should start IMing instead. Are they crazy?! Do you know how much time I would waste on that?!
I'm late on a script for one of my editors (Sorry, John! It's coming.) and shouldn't even be writing this, but I needed a break.
I've been trying to keep better track of where my time goes over the course of a day and I realized that e-mail eats up a lot of it. I love to keep in touch with people, but it really does take up an inordinate amount of my time. I hate shooting off quick one or two line answers and try to personalize every note, but I'm going to have to start rethinking that. I'd say I sent over a hundred e-mails a day, and even then I don't get back to everyone.
People keep teling me I should start IMing instead. Are they crazy?! Do you know how much time I would waste on that?!
Superman Returns Teaser
Although this is a fake, fan-made trailer, splicing together all the Superman Returns footage we've already seen on the net, it's really well done and got me a bit more excited for the film. This takes you right to the Quicktime file:
http://www.supermanimagery.com/SRmovies/Superman_Returns_Teaser_Trailer.mov
http://www.supermanimagery.com/SRmovies/Superman_Returns_Teaser_Trailer.mov
Tuesday, September 06, 2005
Thanks, Pat!
I promised regular Chesterfest reader Patrick McGrath I'd throw him a public shout-out for having me over to his place for a party this past Friday night. I made the trek out across the river to Queens without incident this time and was able to spend the evening with some cold drinks and cool people. Thanks again, guys!
Friday, September 02, 2005
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
Limonciello - Here we go...
Step One - Peel The Lemons
You can use a peeler or knife to slice the peels away into any sizes pieces you want, but I find it easier to cut the lemons into quarters first and then scoop out the fruit leaving just the peels.
Step Two - Fill The Jar
Once you've peeled all ten lemons, place the peels in the mason jar and open your bottle of grain alcohol.
Step Three - Adding the Hooch
Now pour the contents of the bottle of grain into the jar and over the peels so that they now soak in the alcohol.
You can use a peeler or knife to slice the peels away into any sizes pieces you want, but I find it easier to cut the lemons into quarters first and then scoop out the fruit leaving just the peels.
Step Two - Fill The Jar
Once you've peeled all ten lemons, place the peels in the mason jar and open your bottle of grain alcohol.
Step Three - Adding the Hooch
Now pour the contents of the bottle of grain into the jar and over the peels so that they now soak in the alcohol.
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
Chesterfest Limonciello - The Ingredients
For anyone who wants to join in the fun, here's what you'll need to make your own Limonciello...
10 Fresh Lemons
One Bottle of Grain Alcohol
One Mason Jar
700 Grams of Sugar
One Liter of Water
Graves Grain Alcohol! The name says it all. 190 proof?! I honestly don't think I've bought grain alcohol since high school when we used to dare each other to do straight shots as it was supposed to make you go blind. What the hell were we thinking?! You know that clip that's been going around the internet of the kid who sets his face on fire doing a flaming shot and dunks his head in the toilet? Well I saw that live before my eyes a few times about 17 years ago courtesy of this stuff! Ah, the good old days...
10 Fresh Lemons
One Bottle of Grain Alcohol
One Mason Jar
700 Grams of Sugar
One Liter of Water
Graves Grain Alcohol! The name says it all. 190 proof?! I honestly don't think I've bought grain alcohol since high school when we used to dare each other to do straight shots as it was supposed to make you go blind. What the hell were we thinking?! You know that clip that's been going around the internet of the kid who sets his face on fire doing a flaming shot and dunks his head in the toilet? Well I saw that live before my eyes a few times about 17 years ago courtesy of this stuff! Ah, the good old days...
Going, Going, Gone...
On our trip to the Amalfi Coast in Italy, Mutsumi and I were treated nightly to Limonciello, a strong local liquor made from the large lemons that grew in the area. It was served after every meal, and was quite tasty but stong as hell. We couldn't leave Italy without it and brought two bottles of Il Limoncello Di Masaniello back with us.
I usually don't keep liquor in the house, but for this stuff we made an exception. And now, slowly but surely, meal after meal, our Limonciello reserves have dwindled. We now find ourselves with only about half a bottle left, less than what you see in this picture.
So two weekends ago when I was back at my parents' home in CT, their neighbor Vinny Bassani drops by for a visit. (Long time readers will remember how fondly I speak of Mrs. Bassani's lasagna.) We get to talking about Italy and Limonciello comes up. I tell him our tale of woe about our supply soon running dry, and he asks very matter-of-factly in his smooth Italian accent, "Why don't you just make it yourself?" I must have let out an audible "Wha.. huh?" because he quickly followed that up with, "It's easy, let me tell you the recipe." And he did.
Now I've thrown my fair share of parties, consumed copious amounts of beer and liquor, and mixed plenty of drinks over the years, but I'm getting into new territory here now. So over the course of the next two weeks, I'll be documenting my first attempt at making an actual alcoholic beverage here on Chesterfest.
I usually don't keep liquor in the house, but for this stuff we made an exception. And now, slowly but surely, meal after meal, our Limonciello reserves have dwindled. We now find ourselves with only about half a bottle left, less than what you see in this picture.
So two weekends ago when I was back at my parents' home in CT, their neighbor Vinny Bassani drops by for a visit. (Long time readers will remember how fondly I speak of Mrs. Bassani's lasagna.) We get to talking about Italy and Limonciello comes up. I tell him our tale of woe about our supply soon running dry, and he asks very matter-of-factly in his smooth Italian accent, "Why don't you just make it yourself?" I must have let out an audible "Wha.. huh?" because he quickly followed that up with, "It's easy, let me tell you the recipe." And he did.
Now I've thrown my fair share of parties, consumed copious amounts of beer and liquor, and mixed plenty of drinks over the years, but I'm getting into new territory here now. So over the course of the next two weeks, I'll be documenting my first attempt at making an actual alcoholic beverage here on Chesterfest.
Everybody Loves Runaways!
EW baby!!
Congrats to Brian, Adrian, Craig, Takeshi, Christina, Randy, Jo and Mac!
Congrats to Brian, Adrian, Craig, Takeshi, Christina, Randy, Jo and Mac!
Monday, August 29, 2005
One Man Army Club?
We went to this club called The Next Level at The Docks in Toronto and the hand stamp you got at the door looked like this:
If I didn't know any better, I'd say DC sponsored the event. We kept looking down at our hands all night thinking "OMAC is watching!"
If I didn't know any better, I'd say DC sponsored the event. We kept looking down at our hands all night thinking "OMAC is watching!"
Like Peanut Butter and Chocolate
Star Wars and Naruto... two great sets of characters that look so good together!
The Sith vs. ninja?! I see a dojinishi in the making here! The story would just write itself.
Sunday, August 28, 2005
Frodo in Chesterfest
In Toronto on Saturday, I finished a nice lunch and was heading back to the con as I had a panel to do. I wanted to stop by and see Skottie and Josh and get my bag before going to the panel as I wanted to take a few pictures at it to post here. But I got waylayed on the con floor and decided to go right to the panel instead as I figured there wouldn't really be anything exciting to take pictures of anyway. My mistake...
When the panel wrapped up, I went back to the VIP room to use the washroom (as they say in Canada) and grab some water. And no sooner do I walk in than the show's organizer Aman grabs me and tells me there's someone he'd like me to meet. He leads me over to this kid playing a guitar and says, "Elijah, I'd like you to meet my friend C.B."
And Frodo Baggins himself looked up from the guitar. It was Elijah Wood!
He put down the guitar, shook my hand and introduced himself. Then he asked what I do and we got into a nice conversation about comics and movies. I haven't met many celebrities in my life, but Elijah was such and honest and cool guy. No ego whatsoever, just a normal dude hanging out at a show, complaining about how much money he spent buying stuff and worried about how he was going to get it all home with him. He even asked if I could get him a job wiritng comics if his movie career ended up not going anywhere. I told him I didn't think he had to worry about that happening.
I then geeked out a little and told him I would love to get a picture with him, but that I just had to run up and grab my camera. (Arrgghh!! If only I went to get it before going to the panel!) He said he had to run but could hang out and wait a few minutes. I fought my way through the fans, got my backpack and rushed back downstairs, but to no avail. He'd just jumped in a limo and jetted. Oh, well... I'm going to see if Nick Lowe can't work his Photoshop magic and get a pic done up of me and Frodo for you all.
Oh, and as I met Sean Astin about a year ago (that's a story I'll save for a rainy day for you), I've decided one of my new goals in life is to try and meet all the hobbits from Lord of The Rings. With Frodo and Samwise now down, I have Merry, Pippin and Bilbo to go. Anyone got any phone numbers or addresses?
When the panel wrapped up, I went back to the VIP room to use the washroom (as they say in Canada) and grab some water. And no sooner do I walk in than the show's organizer Aman grabs me and tells me there's someone he'd like me to meet. He leads me over to this kid playing a guitar and says, "Elijah, I'd like you to meet my friend C.B."
And Frodo Baggins himself looked up from the guitar. It was Elijah Wood!
He put down the guitar, shook my hand and introduced himself. Then he asked what I do and we got into a nice conversation about comics and movies. I haven't met many celebrities in my life, but Elijah was such and honest and cool guy. No ego whatsoever, just a normal dude hanging out at a show, complaining about how much money he spent buying stuff and worried about how he was going to get it all home with him. He even asked if I could get him a job wiritng comics if his movie career ended up not going anywhere. I told him I didn't think he had to worry about that happening.
I then geeked out a little and told him I would love to get a picture with him, but that I just had to run up and grab my camera. (Arrgghh!! If only I went to get it before going to the panel!) He said he had to run but could hang out and wait a few minutes. I fought my way through the fans, got my backpack and rushed back downstairs, but to no avail. He'd just jumped in a limo and jetted. Oh, well... I'm going to see if Nick Lowe can't work his Photoshop magic and get a pic done up of me and Frodo for you all.
Oh, and as I met Sean Astin about a year ago (that's a story I'll save for a rainy day for you), I've decided one of my new goals in life is to try and meet all the hobbits from Lord of The Rings. With Frodo and Samwise now down, I have Merry, Pippin and Bilbo to go. Anyone got any phone numbers or addresses?
Con FYI
Now most people who read this blog have been to a comic con and understand the world I work and play in. But I'm slowly finding out that some of the readers here don't know what goes on at these kinds of events. It's not all comics and artists as one might suspect. These days, more and more media stars from genre TV shows are showing up and selling pictures and signing autographs, just like Johnny Drama and his Viking Quest signing on Entourage. ("Victory!!") So I snapped a few pics of some of the "stars" who showed up at the Toronto con for you to check out.
Margot Kidder, Lois Lane from the Superman movies
Back to the Future's George McFly, Crispin Glover
Marina Sirtis, Star Trek's Counselor Deanna Troy
Erica Durance, Lois Lane from the Smallville TV series
(Having met her, I don't know how she passes for a teenager. She's a beautiful woman, don't get me wrong, but she looks a lot older in person.)
And Grace Park, from that last Star Trek series no one watched
Margot Kidder, Lois Lane from the Superman movies
Back to the Future's George McFly, Crispin Glover
Marina Sirtis, Star Trek's Counselor Deanna Troy
Erica Durance, Lois Lane from the Smallville TV series
(Having met her, I don't know how she passes for a teenager. She's a beautiful woman, don't get me wrong, but she looks a lot older in person.)
And Grace Park, from that last Star Trek series no one watched
No Smoking... Or Else!
I wish we had warning labels like these on our cigarettes in the States...
Now this one is pretty direct:
But I think this one sends a better message:
Now this one is pretty direct:
But I think this one sends a better message:
Saturday, August 27, 2005
Friday, August 26, 2005
Sit-In Protests
Neither Clyde or Lotto wanted me to leave for Toronto today so they staged a sit-in (sleep-in?) protest in my suitcase.
Yes, I lied. I did indeed mention that Chicago was the end of my con season, but here I am at the Canadian National Comic Book Expo in Toronto. However, this con is always more fun than work as Aman is always kind enough to invite me up as a guest to speak on panels and do portfolio reviews every year. It's much more relaxed, and often a lot more fun, than a lot of the other cons I attend every year. This show also draws cool media guests, and in the past I've found myself drinking beers and doing shots with people like Mini-Me, Billy Dee Williams, Brent Spiner, Michael Dorn, some of the Buffy hotties, and even Lieutenant Uhura from teh original Star Trek. Elijah Wood is here this year so maybe me and Frodo can share some hobbit ale. Who knows?
Whatever happens, Finch, McNiven, Bagley, Takeshi, Skottie, Middelton and a whole bunch of other friends are all here, so we're guaranteed a good time! (But not too good a time, Mutsumi. I promise!)
Thursday, August 25, 2005
Bobby Flay Who?
It's obvious from looking at me that I enjoy a good meal. What many people don't know is that I also like to cook. However, as most of my specialties are of the meat variety and my recipes call for lots of butter, oil, garlic and hot sauce, Mutsumi prefers I stay out of the kitchen and leave the cooking to her. But to help wrap up my "food finds" weekend, I jumped in on the ol' BBQ and roasted up a meal for the family. The main course... lamb!!
We found lamb was actually cheaper in CT than it is here in NYC, so we bought quite a bit, as you can see. (That's for six people!) I marinated it the night before in extra virgin olive oil, ground black pepper, canned diced garlic and fresh chopped garlic. It sat for about 18 hours, letting the oil and spices sink in. Then all I did was grab the tongs and drop the meat on the grill. One thing to keep in mind though is that it's a shame to let the extra marinade go waste. There's a lot of flavor in it and you don't want to just throw it out. So what I recommend doing, as seen here, is slicing a few peppers in half and filling them with the leftover marinade as you grill. They end up quite tasty!
And just so you have the full menu, the lamb was accompanied by fresh corn on the cob, salad with a lemon-mustard dressing Mutsumi made, and a side of Tabasco-infused mac and chesse that Erika whipped up.
Those Crazy Swedes!
Regular readers of my ramblings here have probably figured out that I'm part Swedish. For those that didn't know, well, I am. My mother's "right off the boat" as they like to say, having moved here from Sweden over 40 years ago. So I grew up with a lot of Swedish in my life. (Not many bikini teams dropped in though, unfortunately.)
When we were younger, we used to get together with a tight knit group of Swedish friends and have parties and celebrate holidays and things. As we kids got older and moved away, these gatherings became less and less frequent. However, one tradition remained, the annual crayfish party! Every summer all the families and as many of the kids as possible would all get back together in Fairfield, CT at the same home to catch up, drink and eat... lobster. (See, it used to be crayfish, as per Swedish tradition, but there's not enough meat on those suckers, so it was changed to lobsters years back.) This year was no different, and last Saturday the party was held and my gourmet weekend continued. It was a Swedish feast with herring and meatballs and Johnson's Temptation and breads and cheeses, and even more of my mom's special cookies! And of course there were lobsters...
And what kind of party would it be without drinking?
That's me, my sister, Erika, and my brother, Roman.
And more drinking, with even my dad joining in...
When we were younger, we used to get together with a tight knit group of Swedish friends and have parties and celebrate holidays and things. As we kids got older and moved away, these gatherings became less and less frequent. However, one tradition remained, the annual crayfish party! Every summer all the families and as many of the kids as possible would all get back together in Fairfield, CT at the same home to catch up, drink and eat... lobster. (See, it used to be crayfish, as per Swedish tradition, but there's not enough meat on those suckers, so it was changed to lobsters years back.) This year was no different, and last Saturday the party was held and my gourmet weekend continued. It was a Swedish feast with herring and meatballs and Johnson's Temptation and breads and cheeses, and even more of my mom's special cookies! And of course there were lobsters...
And what kind of party would it be without drinking?
That's me, my sister, Erika, and my brother, Roman.
And more drinking, with even my dad joining in...
Wednesday, August 24, 2005
Chesterfest meets Oysterfest
After AQUAVIT, we headed back to CT to hang with my parents and just chill in the country. That evening's dinner was had at the Connecticut-only, king of fast food chains: DUCHESS. If you've never had Duchess before, I suggest you get in your car and head to Connecticut now. You don't know what you're missing! The chicken sandwiches, chili cheese dogs and double cheeseburgers with fried onions cannot be passed up! Their food is backed by the Cebulski family money-back guarantee!
We got up bright and early the next morning and skipped breakfast before running a few errands because we knew we needed our appetites later that afternoon as we would be eating our fill at the Milford Oyster Festival!
We began with a few cold brews as we got the lay of land then started with some friend clams stips and a dozen clams on the half-shell. This was all a warm-up to keep us heldover as we waited for the fresh oysters. It was a long line but well worth the wait. 10 different kinds of oysters to choose from, opened right in front of you. One dollar per oyster, take as many as you like. Mutsumi and I went to town and filled up with a two of each variety.
And those twenty slowly but surely disappeared!
We got up bright and early the next morning and skipped breakfast before running a few errands because we knew we needed our appetites later that afternoon as we would be eating our fill at the Milford Oyster Festival!
We began with a few cold brews as we got the lay of land then started with some friend clams stips and a dozen clams on the half-shell. This was all a warm-up to keep us heldover as we waited for the fresh oysters. It was a long line but well worth the wait. 10 different kinds of oysters to choose from, opened right in front of you. One dollar per oyster, take as many as you like. Mutsumi and I went to town and filled up with a two of each variety.
And those twenty slowly but surely disappeared!
Feed A Cold
Ever since I got back from Wizard World Chicago a few eeks back, I've had this summer cold that just won't go away. It sucks. So this past weekend, I decided to live by the old adage "Feed a cold, starve a fever" and with the help of my family, I went on a bit of a food binge and splurged on some good eating. Given my size, it's not like I needed to stuff my face with gourmet treats, but I love to eat and thoroughly enjoyed myself!
The weekend started with a wonderful meal at AQUAVIT in NYC. It's a Scandanavian restaurant run by Marcus Samuelson and I highly recommend it. One of my brother's best buds is a PR guy for celebrity chefs and he reps Marcus, so he booked us a great table and hooked us up.
We started with an assortment of herring...
Moved on to some gravlax...
And then went on to a main course of crayfish.
In between the dishes (but not pictured) we had an amazing trout roast in a garlic/apple soup, swedish meatballs, a fantastic baked salmon, and plenty of beer and aquavit to wash it all down!
The weekend started with a wonderful meal at AQUAVIT in NYC. It's a Scandanavian restaurant run by Marcus Samuelson and I highly recommend it. One of my brother's best buds is a PR guy for celebrity chefs and he reps Marcus, so he booked us a great table and hooked us up.
We started with an assortment of herring...
Moved on to some gravlax...
And then went on to a main course of crayfish.
In between the dishes (but not pictured) we had an amazing trout roast in a garlic/apple soup, swedish meatballs, a fantastic baked salmon, and plenty of beer and aquavit to wash it all down!
Tuesday, August 23, 2005
Recommended Comic!
Sometimes you read a comic that, once you've finished it, you put down and just go, "Wow! That was a great read!" I just had one of those moments. I read the Ultimate Spider-Man Annual and truly believe it's one of the best comics I've read this year. Granted I have a natural affinity for these characters as I worked in the Ulitmate office for three years, but this is one of the first Ult, spidey comics I had not read the scripts for that I was reading cold for the first time in its published format. This comic is so worth it. Bendis nails the characters and the tender teen moments and makes us remember what it's like to have a crush again. Thanks, Brian!
Monday, August 22, 2005
Crazy Japanese Item of the Week
Taking ergonomics to the next level...
Thanks to UDON's Erik Ko for pointing this one out to me.
Thanks to UDON's Erik Ko for pointing this one out to me.
Friday, August 19, 2005
An Eyeopener - Part Three
I've always written for myself, kept journals and notebooks and diaries and such. I always got As in English and Creative Writing in school. It came naturally. I never took it seriously as a profession until two things happened to me within a year of each other.
The Ties That Bind
Cliché as it sounds, I had a summer that changed my life. Really. It was literally one of those special times you never forget, where you stop and look around and realize how fun and special and exciting your life is and how much you want to continue enjoying each and every day. When you see your friends and the girls and the cars and the booze and the sex and the laughter (and the comics!), and you just know that all these experiences are all combining to form the whole of the real person that you’re slowly becoming. That it’s all becoming a part of who you are. The circumstances that surrounded me that summer were just too unreal to be believed and too amazing not to be shared. The cast of characters that came in and out of my life during that three month period was the most unique and interesting collection of people ever gathered in close proximity to each other. I knew it had to be written down and remembered, and I vowed that someday my summer of 1990 would be immortalized in print.
The Man From Medford
I worked at a comic book store to help support myself through college. Five dollars cash/ five dollars credit an hour. It was a great job for someone like me whose only expenses were mainly comics and beer anyway. Twenty hours a week and I had $100 for funny books and $100 for brew. Life was good.
It was also though the shop, the Magic Dragon, that I started hanging out with “townies”. Most of the kids at my school hung out with the other “who’s dad’s got more money, wish they had gotten into an Ivy League school” pricks that infested the campus. They didn’t like to associate with the actual people who lived and worked in the town. Didn’t bother me though. Way I looked it, I was a kind of a townie back home in Fairfield where I hung out anyway, so we got a long just fine.
Two of my best friends at the time were a pair of local brothers whose dad was a hard-living, hard-drinking Irishman from Southie in Boston. Think Good Will Hunting. He was older, retired and settled down at this point, but he was still a no bullshit kind of guy. To this day I still have nothing but respect for the man. Anyway, we used to hang at their house, drink beer and play cards and whatnot, and the dad, Mr. M, would always join us. He’d sit around and tell stories and we’d all laugh and enjoy hearing the tales of his youth. We’d then always try to one up him by regaling him with wild tales of our “misspent youths”, trying to prove things were just as “hardcore” now as they were back in the day. Naturally, most of my stories were about the past summer I’d just lived through. Mr. M would laugh and swig his beer and deal another hand and I always assumed my stories went in one ear and out the other. Until one memorable afternoon, that is…
We were all in their living room, just talking and drinking and bullshitting one weekend . There was a brief pause in conversation and that’s when Mr. M just stood up, pointed his cane at me and said, “I want to talk to you.” After a few confused looks between me and my friends, he went and grabbed two fresh Buds from the fridge and I followed him out to the back porch. We sat there in silence for a bit as he opened the beers, handed me one, and took a long drag off his. He put the beer down, pointed his cane at me again and said, “Do you know what you’re gonna do with yer life?”. And before it even hit me he was asking a rhetorical question, he followed up with, “Well, I’m gonna tell you what you should do.” Then he told me the following, which I still remember clear as day:
“You should write a book. That’s what you gotta do. You’ve gotta write down all those stories you tell. You remind me of me, you’re still young but you’ve seen and done more than most in your life already. Don’t waste it. It’d be a shame if everything you’ve told us is never told to anyone else. Do something with it. And I want the first copy.”
So that’s what I did. That was the kick in the ass I needed. I wrote it all down. And now all 648 pages sit somewhere in my parents basement, untouched for over ten years, just waiting to be dusted off. The story remains unfinished, you see, as the final piece needed to complete it, a eulogy I wrote for a friend's funeral that ended that summer, remains missing to this day. That search continues...
Hopefully Mr. M will have his copy soon.
The Ties That Bind
Cliché as it sounds, I had a summer that changed my life. Really. It was literally one of those special times you never forget, where you stop and look around and realize how fun and special and exciting your life is and how much you want to continue enjoying each and every day. When you see your friends and the girls and the cars and the booze and the sex and the laughter (and the comics!), and you just know that all these experiences are all combining to form the whole of the real person that you’re slowly becoming. That it’s all becoming a part of who you are. The circumstances that surrounded me that summer were just too unreal to be believed and too amazing not to be shared. The cast of characters that came in and out of my life during that three month period was the most unique and interesting collection of people ever gathered in close proximity to each other. I knew it had to be written down and remembered, and I vowed that someday my summer of 1990 would be immortalized in print.
The Man From Medford
I worked at a comic book store to help support myself through college. Five dollars cash/ five dollars credit an hour. It was a great job for someone like me whose only expenses were mainly comics and beer anyway. Twenty hours a week and I had $100 for funny books and $100 for brew. Life was good.
It was also though the shop, the Magic Dragon, that I started hanging out with “townies”. Most of the kids at my school hung out with the other “who’s dad’s got more money, wish they had gotten into an Ivy League school” pricks that infested the campus. They didn’t like to associate with the actual people who lived and worked in the town. Didn’t bother me though. Way I looked it, I was a kind of a townie back home in Fairfield where I hung out anyway, so we got a long just fine.
Two of my best friends at the time were a pair of local brothers whose dad was a hard-living, hard-drinking Irishman from Southie in Boston. Think Good Will Hunting. He was older, retired and settled down at this point, but he was still a no bullshit kind of guy. To this day I still have nothing but respect for the man. Anyway, we used to hang at their house, drink beer and play cards and whatnot, and the dad, Mr. M, would always join us. He’d sit around and tell stories and we’d all laugh and enjoy hearing the tales of his youth. We’d then always try to one up him by regaling him with wild tales of our “misspent youths”, trying to prove things were just as “hardcore” now as they were back in the day. Naturally, most of my stories were about the past summer I’d just lived through. Mr. M would laugh and swig his beer and deal another hand and I always assumed my stories went in one ear and out the other. Until one memorable afternoon, that is…
We were all in their living room, just talking and drinking and bullshitting one weekend . There was a brief pause in conversation and that’s when Mr. M just stood up, pointed his cane at me and said, “I want to talk to you.” After a few confused looks between me and my friends, he went and grabbed two fresh Buds from the fridge and I followed him out to the back porch. We sat there in silence for a bit as he opened the beers, handed me one, and took a long drag off his. He put the beer down, pointed his cane at me again and said, “Do you know what you’re gonna do with yer life?”. And before it even hit me he was asking a rhetorical question, he followed up with, “Well, I’m gonna tell you what you should do.” Then he told me the following, which I still remember clear as day:
“You should write a book. That’s what you gotta do. You’ve gotta write down all those stories you tell. You remind me of me, you’re still young but you’ve seen and done more than most in your life already. Don’t waste it. It’d be a shame if everything you’ve told us is never told to anyone else. Do something with it. And I want the first copy.”
So that’s what I did. That was the kick in the ass I needed. I wrote it all down. And now all 648 pages sit somewhere in my parents basement, untouched for over ten years, just waiting to be dusted off. The story remains unfinished, you see, as the final piece needed to complete it, a eulogy I wrote for a friend's funeral that ended that summer, remains missing to this day. That search continues...
Hopefully Mr. M will have his copy soon.
Thursday, August 18, 2005
Aeon Flux
Apple.com has the AEON FLUX trailer up, and I gotta say, it looks pretty cool.
http://www.apple.com/trailers/paramount/aeon_flux/large.html
http://www.apple.com/trailers/paramount/aeon_flux/large.html
Tuesday, August 16, 2005
An Eyeopener - Part Two
"A Question of Time"
(Phew, I panicked for second there because I couldn't find any Depeche Mode on my iTunes. Got it now!)
I have ideas falling out of my head. I can't get them down on paper or type them out on this keyboard fast enough. I have to carry a pad with me everywhere I go. I sleep with a pen and notebook by the bed. Ever since I put the burden of a full-time job behind me, it's like my mind has opened up and stories, characters, plots, dialogue, jokes, situations... it's all come pouring out.
Forget writer's block, my worry now is "How the hell am I supposed to write all this stuff?"
Comics. Screenplays. Books. I just have to start getting it all down in one format or another. I used to think I'd never have the outlets to get my writing read or seen. Now I just have to figure out what medium to put it down in and what I should work on first. It's an amazing feeling on one hand, but incredibly frustrating on the other.
(Phew, I panicked for second there because I couldn't find any Depeche Mode on my iTunes. Got it now!)
I have ideas falling out of my head. I can't get them down on paper or type them out on this keyboard fast enough. I have to carry a pad with me everywhere I go. I sleep with a pen and notebook by the bed. Ever since I put the burden of a full-time job behind me, it's like my mind has opened up and stories, characters, plots, dialogue, jokes, situations... it's all come pouring out.
Forget writer's block, my worry now is "How the hell am I supposed to write all this stuff?"
Comics. Screenplays. Books. I just have to start getting it all down in one format or another. I used to think I'd never have the outlets to get my writing read or seen. Now I just have to figure out what medium to put it down in and what I should work on first. It's an amazing feeling on one hand, but incredibly frustrating on the other.
Fall Movies
Taking a break from a script, I just read EW's Fall Movie Preview and then checked out a few trailers online. The summer movie season may have sucked balls, but it looks like we have an amazing autumn ahead of us. My picks:
Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang - Shane Black is back and it looks like he has not skipped a beat!
Domino - Word has it the Richard Kelly script is amazing and the trailer really kicks ass. Classic Walken!
Thumbsucker - A great ensemble cast in one of those quirky coming-of-age movies I love so much.
An Unfinished Life - Robert Redford and Morgan Freeman, you can't go wrong. I'll cry.
Shopgirl - One I would have skipped if I didn't see the trailer. Love Steve Martin and the dialogue is pretty witty.
Revolver - Another Guy Ritchie British mob movie, which always entertain.
And then there are of course the bigger movies (aka "fanboy films") that go without saying: Corpse Bride, Elizabethtown, Serenity, Aeon Flux, V for Vendetta, Narnia and King Kong. Should be a fun time at the theaters!
Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang - Shane Black is back and it looks like he has not skipped a beat!
Domino - Word has it the Richard Kelly script is amazing and the trailer really kicks ass. Classic Walken!
Thumbsucker - A great ensemble cast in one of those quirky coming-of-age movies I love so much.
An Unfinished Life - Robert Redford and Morgan Freeman, you can't go wrong. I'll cry.
Shopgirl - One I would have skipped if I didn't see the trailer. Love Steve Martin and the dialogue is pretty witty.
Revolver - Another Guy Ritchie British mob movie, which always entertain.
And then there are of course the bigger movies (aka "fanboy films") that go without saying: Corpse Bride, Elizabethtown, Serenity, Aeon Flux, V for Vendetta, Narnia and King Kong. Should be a fun time at the theaters!
An Eyeopener - Part One
So I find myself with my writer's cap on again. And I'm not just talking about this blog. After three months of self-imposed unemployment and vacationing, I've come to the conclusion that I've been away from comics for too long. I've decided to get back in by returning to my first love... writing. And I could not be happier.
Before I joined Marvel full-time as a editor back in 2001, I was making my living putting pen to paper, so to speak. I was adapting and rewriting manga and anime scripts and stretching my wings into more creative areas. After writing a few independent titles, a couple Star Wars stories for Dark Horse, and selling some ideas to Marvel, I had my foot in a door that was only opening wider. But when Marvel came knocking for my editorial services, I put that part of my comic career on hold for a steady paycheck and the opportunity to work across the entire Marvel line.
I think the best piece of advice I heard when I went from being a writer to an editor was from Diana Schutz. She was commenting on how writers sometimes make the worst editors because they're too creative, that they always want to add their own opinions and ideas and infuse the stories they're editing with their own personal flairs. She concluded that editors had to be able to remove themselves from the stories on a creative/personal level and force themselves to be objective and not try to leave their mark on someone else's work. It made perfect sense to me and was something I always remembered and made myself to do over the years.
Now I'm trying to come up with some advice for myself in this new situation, from the positon of an ex-editor going back to being a writer again. As I sit down to write scripts, I'm finding myself a little too... emotionally detached, for lack of a better word. I find myself being too overly critical of my words and storytelling choices. I'm second guessing myself about creative decisions I'm making in MY OWN BOOKS. Crazy, isn't it?
So there's a balance that has to be achieved that I'm desperately searching for. I need to force myself to get personally involved in my own stories again. Am I making any sense?
I know what I want to do with my work. I have the ideas. I have the beats and visuals all worked out in my head. I just have to let myself go and start writing from the heart again.
Before I joined Marvel full-time as a editor back in 2001, I was making my living putting pen to paper, so to speak. I was adapting and rewriting manga and anime scripts and stretching my wings into more creative areas. After writing a few independent titles, a couple Star Wars stories for Dark Horse, and selling some ideas to Marvel, I had my foot in a door that was only opening wider. But when Marvel came knocking for my editorial services, I put that part of my comic career on hold for a steady paycheck and the opportunity to work across the entire Marvel line.
I think the best piece of advice I heard when I went from being a writer to an editor was from Diana Schutz. She was commenting on how writers sometimes make the worst editors because they're too creative, that they always want to add their own opinions and ideas and infuse the stories they're editing with their own personal flairs. She concluded that editors had to be able to remove themselves from the stories on a creative/personal level and force themselves to be objective and not try to leave their mark on someone else's work. It made perfect sense to me and was something I always remembered and made myself to do over the years.
Now I'm trying to come up with some advice for myself in this new situation, from the positon of an ex-editor going back to being a writer again. As I sit down to write scripts, I'm finding myself a little too... emotionally detached, for lack of a better word. I find myself being too overly critical of my words and storytelling choices. I'm second guessing myself about creative decisions I'm making in MY OWN BOOKS. Crazy, isn't it?
So there's a balance that has to be achieved that I'm desperately searching for. I need to force myself to get personally involved in my own stories again. Am I making any sense?
I know what I want to do with my work. I have the ideas. I have the beats and visuals all worked out in my head. I just have to let myself go and start writing from the heart again.
Monday, August 15, 2005
LITG Traffic
Ha! The day that Rich Johnston finally decides to link to my blog is the day I decide to do some family heavy posting. So now all kinds of comic fans are being directed here only to be thrilled by the adventures of my cat's puking, my mom's cookies and me barbequing in the rain. Guess I can say good-bye to repeat visitiors. :)
Random Comic Thoughts
A sampling of my weekend reading...
Punisher 19-24 - This is the best Punisher has been in years! A simply amazing arc that started with an idea I'm surprised no on had ever thought of and just took off from there. Read this book!
Fables - This series continues to get better month after month. Consisently one of the best books on the stands. I put every issue down and go "Wow!"
Batman; War Crimes - DC has actually stepped it up a bit on this arc, I have to say. I have not been a big fan of what's been going on in the Bat Universe over the past six months, but this story is pretty tight, even if it is based on an older storyline. Better writing, much better art, and amazing Jock covers! But why did they have to go an add that idiotic word balloon on his awesome Joker piece?!
Winter Men - I've been waiting for ths one for a while and it does not disappoint. A pretty complex story that takes some getting into to, but the J.P. Leon art kicks ass.
New Warriors - Zeb and Skottie are really firing on all cylinders here and are winning over even the most diehard old skool New Warriors fans. Funny as hell and visually dynamic. They nailed this one!
Ultimates Annual - The curse of the shitty annuals is broken! Millar and Dillon team up for an inside elook into the Ulitmates that's just as compelling as any of the regular issues of the series.
Iron Man 4 - Worth the wait! To be honest, I thought the start of this arc was a little slow, but this issue was a kick in the ass it needed. Wow, it all comes together now! Click. I totally see what Warren is doing in his examination of Tony Stark and Iron Man now. And the Adi art is breathtaking as always!
Punisher 19-24 - This is the best Punisher has been in years! A simply amazing arc that started with an idea I'm surprised no on had ever thought of and just took off from there. Read this book!
Fables - This series continues to get better month after month. Consisently one of the best books on the stands. I put every issue down and go "Wow!"
Batman; War Crimes - DC has actually stepped it up a bit on this arc, I have to say. I have not been a big fan of what's been going on in the Bat Universe over the past six months, but this story is pretty tight, even if it is based on an older storyline. Better writing, much better art, and amazing Jock covers! But why did they have to go an add that idiotic word balloon on his awesome Joker piece?!
Winter Men - I've been waiting for ths one for a while and it does not disappoint. A pretty complex story that takes some getting into to, but the J.P. Leon art kicks ass.
New Warriors - Zeb and Skottie are really firing on all cylinders here and are winning over even the most diehard old skool New Warriors fans. Funny as hell and visually dynamic. They nailed this one!
Ultimates Annual - The curse of the shitty annuals is broken! Millar and Dillon team up for an inside elook into the Ulitmates that's just as compelling as any of the regular issues of the series.
Iron Man 4 - Worth the wait! To be honest, I thought the start of this arc was a little slow, but this issue was a kick in the ass it needed. Wow, it all comes together now! Click. I totally see what Warren is doing in his examination of Tony Stark and Iron Man now. And the Adi art is breathtaking as always!
You might think I'm crazy...
...but I actually liked Spanglish.
Mutsumi popped in the DVD last night and I figured "What the hell? It can't be that bad, right?" And it wasn't. Now I'm not saying it was a great movie. it had it's share of problems and I thought the ending left a lot to be desired. But it was one of those films that had some great character moments and wonderful dialogue that really made you stop and think and reflect on your own life. Not many movies this summer have had that effect on me. This movie actually had something to say and I really appreciated the ways it spoke to me.
Mutsumi popped in the DVD last night and I figured "What the hell? It can't be that bad, right?" And it wasn't. Now I'm not saying it was a great movie. it had it's share of problems and I thought the ending left a lot to be desired. But it was one of those films that had some great character moments and wonderful dialogue that really made you stop and think and reflect on your own life. Not many movies this summer have had that effect on me. This movie actually had something to say and I really appreciated the ways it spoke to me.
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