On Comicing

Yes, I have decided to go full force into turning my novel into a comic. It's going to be a rough road for a good couple of months, but I'm sitting on rough pencils for the third page out of a set 5 page intro of the first 'issue' and am juggling around the script to the issue as I type this.

I have a general idea how this issue, and the next few will flow. It's just a matter of breaking down the novel's chapters into a nicely presented retake of the adventures.

Again, as I mentioned before, BLET is coming up soon and that will destroy any concept of freetime I may have. I would like to have the first issue in the can and have copies available to buy by May, but that may simply not be possible.

In the meantime - I need to fix my website.

Wish me luck as slowly work my way through this monster...

Benazir Bhutto Assassinated

This saddens me after briefly encountering her back in my college days when she came to speak.

I met a lot of big names back then, and have a lot of memories.
Pakistan is going to become very messy. I have no doubt of that.

Updates on Life and Novel

With BLET coming up fast, I've been slowly pulling away from things I do in my free time. First to go was gaming. I'm no longer attached to any local games held on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, or Saturdays (though I rarely came to the Sat games).

I've been trying to lay other ideas I've had in my head to text for "safe keeping" and such. Among these are smaller art projects and story ideas.

The kicker to all of this is the fact that over the last few days I have been giving new thought to my novel (series) and the format of its publication. As some may know, I am an artist first and a writer second, so writing a novel has been troublesome when I have such a visual take on the story.

My novel (series) began as a series of sketched jokes taken from my friends and I over tabletop gaming - and took the form of a comic strip. I continued to redraw the same scenes over and over as the story built and more background was developed until I basically said "screw it" and stopped drawing it. In that way, the novel was born. Text is a lot easier to change than inked art.

Several years later and over 300 pages of single spaced text, I came to the startling realization that the story really would probably work better as a comic. A lot better, actually, the more I think about it. The concepts are a lot better developed now, and I'm talking with other people for help on this if it comes together.

Then again, BLET is coming up and I won't have much, if any, free time to do anything I want. In the next few weeks I'll probably update again on this topic and my progress. I won't know what I can do until BLET actually starts.

Hang in there. This isn't dead. It's been alive for I think almost 10 years with life interfering.

Sweeny Todd

Well, last night was interesting. Didn't realize Sweeny Todd was out, and then suddenly a friend of mine and I shot out to grab tickets ahead of the showing just in case. I've been eagerly awaiting this movie for a good while - since I heard it was coming together I think. The collected talent for the movie just felt right - and it was.

Sweeny Todd is just one of those movies that feels like it justifies its production. I know a lot of people were a bit worried about the end product. Afer all, the musical is one of those pieces that is almost sacred in the musical community and Tim Burton is well known for insisting his vision before all others.

Visually the movie is very Burton. Dark and drab colors draped around character's who bone structure is enhanced by their make-up. Surreal bright colors that make normal scenes feel abnormal, as if to make the abnormally dreary more natural. All this accented by splashes of red. Yes, that wonderfully unsettling crimson shade of red.

Musically the overture is very strong, and the performances are right there where they need to be. Depp can really sing, as well as the rest fo the cast. Nothing else to say except that it works and is quite good.

I'm not going to spoil the story, but the movie ends right where it needs to end. It doesn't drag on with what else happens like many other movies. The audience was upset that it ended where it did, but I think it would have ruined the story if they kept going. There's a great thematic meltdown at the end with the plot twists, and then the credits roll.

I really can't say much about this movie that is negative. It doesn't have the chorus, but in the movie I didn't miss it. The movie flows smoothly along its core plotline.

I think this is one of the best movies out this year that I can remember, and I hope it grabs a few Oscar nods. Highly recomended.

Batman musings

You know what I think would be hilarious?

Retelling All Star Batman and Robin with action figures or dolls.

Been a while...now with comics!

Been a while since I last posted anything. So here's a few random thoughts.

Marvel kills Captain America after throwing good guy against good guy in an attempt to shake of a share of fans, and DC brings back Mr. America. Marvel responds by turning the Hulk red and more zombies covers.

Northlanders was okay. I've been waiting for a Norse/Viking comic for a long time. Thor doesn't count, because my god of thunder and rain doesn't sew dinner plates to his chest. I was excited when I first heard about this comic, but something didn't quite sit well with me after I read the issue. The art is fine, but I think it's the fact that it reads like a modern story (modern cursing included) that just pulls you out of the atmosphere.

Countdown is actually becoming decent now that it isn't mired in all the crossovers it once was. About time DC realized it wasn't working, and it only took them....6 monthes? I really do want Jimmy Olsen to die, and I'm still confused about the rest of the cast.

Arena was interesting, but plese tell me that wasn't our Nightshade from Shadowpact that was disarmed. I liked her as a character in the book, so maybe that's why the book has felt a little off for a while. Interesting abilities and an old school looking costume. It's like they changed outfits to update the characters, but she was one of only 2 or 3 that kept their old outfit (hate Enchantress' current outfit - older one was much better, and Detective Chimp does not need spandex). Figured Red Rain Batman would win since he is, after all, undead. I still don't get Monarch - is he supposed to be written like a mary sue character?

I think Supergirl is finally on the right track. I think that is also a scary thought.