Brill Building

That voice!

noreply@blogger.com (Ian) — Sun, 17 May 2009 23:53:00 +0000

Hoo boy, you would have thunk I forgot about this? Between Facebook, Twitter and, oh yeah, my job I seem to have left this behind. Well, my job is allowing me to have a greater presence on the Internet by bringing me into the wonderful world of podcasting.

Every week (or so) BOOM! EIC Mark Waid and Editorial Assistant Dafna Pleban brings us "15 Minutes with Waid." I've been lucky enough to sit in for a few sessions. The first, strangely enough, centers around creating the first issue of a new series. The second looks at the different techniques of comic book scripting. Waid has the smarts, Dafna has the penetrating questions, I supply the silly comments. Perfect, right? Enjoy, there's more on the way.

The greatest horror film in quite a while

noreply@blogger.com (Ian) — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 00:35:00 +0000

"Fantaisie in Bubblewrap" by Arthur Metcalf

I'm warning you!

noreply@blogger.com (Ian) — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 04:24:00 +0000

Hollywood is a-buzz over the possibility of a new Three Stooges film starring Benicio Del Toro as Moe (obviously), Jim Carrey as Curly (of course) and, most importantly, Sean Penn as Larry. An idea like that can't fail at all. But just in case he needs a little help, Mr. Penn can study this great moment in Larry Fine's history, his trip to Woodstock.

Be warned: the following clip, starring Billy West when he was on The Howard Stern Show in the 80's, contains sentiments that can certainly be deemed sexist, racist and all around misanthropic. Also, it's hilarious.

Zombie Tales interview

noreply@blogger.com (Ian) — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 16:55:00 +0000

4thletter interviews me about Zombie Tales

You should be able to find Zombie Tales #12 and Zombie Tales Vol. 3: Good Eatin', which collects my first two stories along with many others, in good comic book stores tomorrow.

If you can't find them in stores you can purchase them online here and here respectively.

Also, check out Toby Cypress's Rodd Racer work on his blog. He did my last two stories and is an amazing artist.

Brain-breaking

noreply@blogger.com (Ian) — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 05:13:00 +0000

Scary facts about the Vietnam Ware contrasted against the most 80's thing in the world!

Paul Hardcastle's song was weird already. This takes it to a new level.

Lex Luthor wants bail out

noreply@blogger.com (Ian) — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 15:09:00 +0000

"Lex Luthor Bailout" with Jon Hamm - watch more funny videos

Jon Hamm = Class Act.

Watched Men

noreply@blogger.com (Ian) — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 04:48:00 +0000

By ibrill at 2009-03-06

The BOOM! crew took an excursion to see Watchmen. Some of us were dreading it, some excited. Really, none of us knew what to expect. I had seen thirty minutes of the film at a special screening I was able to get into and I still had no idea what to expect. What could a film of the unfilmable graphic novel possibly be?

It was okay. Had its high points and low points.

Glibness aside, I found myself enjoying a great deal of it. But the more I think about it, pretty much everything I enjoyed was in the book. Dr. Manhattan's origin. The two Nite Owl's reminiscing about the old days. The life of The Comedian, a cruel man who may say more about us than we like to admit. Dr. Manhattan and Silk Spectre debating human life on Mars. I give director Zach Snyder and screenwriters David Hayter and Alex Tse credit for conveying those sequences effectively. But I went into this not wanting to be comparing the book to the movie. I wanted to let the film be its own thing. Instead the first thing I thought leaving the theater was "spending $20 on the Watchmen trade ten years ago was a pretty good idea."

More than what Snyder, Hayter and Tse contributed I believe the performances really made me appreciate what I was seeing. Jackie Earle Haley as Rorschach is the stand out. Even as Snyder tries to make these characters look bigger and more heroic than Dave Gibbons originally drew them, Haley's body language and overall commitment to his role made it clear that this was a deranged man from the streets and there's nothing glorious or cool about him. Billy Crudup faced a huge challenge playing someone who is beyond most emotional responses. He does it by hitting this perfect tone of voice that is monotone but not lifeless. He's able to keep it up without it ever being grating or dull. Jeffery Dean Morgan actually makes The Comedian a much larger presence in the film than he is in the book, thanks to this twisted charisma he brings to the character. It reminded me a bit of what Robert Downey Jr. brought to Tony Stark, only in a much darker storyline.

Like I said, I didn't want to just compare the film to the book. I wanted to be in the moment, taking what was on the screen as is. I didn't want to perform an academic exercise. But the film is so faithful to the book that when things are left out due to running time it made for a wonky experience. It's never said why Dr. Manhattan walks around with his schvantz out for all to see. Rorschach's mask is left unexplained. Same for Adrian Veidt's mutant cat. I was lucky enough to see this film with a "civilian" and I asked her what she thought of Bubastis. She just shrugged her shoulders, saying she didn't understand it but it didn't take her out of the movie.

In addition to that there are moments that make the world of the film far more outsized and, dare I say it, superhuman than the world of the book. Ozymandias can throw people across rooms. The Comedian can break walls with a punch when he's in his 60's. Anytime someone is shown moving in the slow-motion style Snyder is fond of they look like they have superpowers. I would not be surprised if people saw that movie thinking that more characters than just Dr. Manhattan had powers. The gore and sex are played up far more than they are in the book. Inside a meditative story those moments just seemed out of place.

More out of place were the music cues. This after Snyder had some of the best music cues in recent memory in Dawn of the Dead. Think of how brilliant using Johnny Cash's "The Man Comes Around" is to illustrate a zombie apocalypse, invert that brilliance and you have "The Times They Are A-Changing" to illustrate that, well, times are changing. I can stomach that in watching a rerun of The Wonder Years but for a film that sets off to be incredibly inventive should not be so on the nose, especially from the very start. From there you get a taste of "99 Luftballoons" that's too cute and unnecessary. Snyder elbowing you in the ribs by using a muzak version of "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" in a scene starring Ozymandias was far too much as well.

Changing the ending has been controversial in some circles. If people want to argue let them, but I think it's a moot point. It takes the story to pretty much the same place it got to in the book. I actually prefer the film's ending in some ways because it far more involves the characters we've been spending all this time with.

Watchmen's faithfulness to its source material is its greatest strength and weakness. It makes for a big weird movie, although one that is enjoyable at times. If it gets more people reading the book, and it already has, God bless it.

Saturday Morning Watchmen

noreply@blogger.com (Ian) — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 21:02:00 +0000

Pure brilliance.

Louis C.K. tells it

noreply@blogger.com (Ian) — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 00:34:00 +0000

This sums up the early part of the 21st Century.

If a movie like this came out every year I would be happy

noreply@blogger.com (Ian) — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 05:39:00 +0000

Waid mentioned this and other David Lynch movies have been an influence on The Unknown, his new book coming out in May. That had me go and look for this clip.

Most of Lynch's movies have these scenes that stick out in my mind. I just can't shake them. Here's a great one from Inland Empire (warning: nudity and random pop music).

Great quotes of our time

noreply@blogger.com (Ian) — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 20:16:00 +0000

From humorist Dan Kennedy:

"U.F.O.s never land and ghosts just move shit around slightly. Clearly neither care about us, but we're supposed to "believe"? Fuck 'em."

-From the man's Twitter

Seriously folks, I could do this everyday.

noreply@blogger.com (Ian) — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 04:53:00 +0000

The Simpsons really shaped me as a person. Vital parts of my life like the way I talk and the way I view the world come from this show. Perhaps that can be seen as tragic, that I was molded by the colors moving on this electronic box from a young age, but I like to think the influence was mostly positive. I know what potassium benzoate is, for one.

I figured out how to come back to blogging full time!

noreply@blogger.com (Ian) — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 06:44:00 +0000

I can post Simpsons clips day in and day out! That's basically what I'd do if I had a blog when I was 15. Why not now? If they're posting them legally (by "they" I mean Hulu) then who am I not to take advantage?

Is this film real yet?

noreply@blogger.com (Ian) — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 07:48:00 +0000

Look closely, you can see that it's Jay Leno in the mother/son boxing match. Not that you have to look closely to find weird stuff in that trailer.

You gotta live until you're dead/you gotta rock 'till you see red

noreply@blogger.com (Ian) — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 05:35:00 +0000

RIP Lux Interior. The frontman of The Cramps has left this mortal coil for Rock 'n' Roll Heaven. Lux and Poison Ivy crafted a monster of a band. Everything great and trashy about Americana rolled into one. Like The Ramones they were inspired by B-Movies, comics and bad television. But The Cramps also had this immense memory for obscure and strange rock 'n' roll. They covered wierd-o's like Hasil Adkins. If they covered well known artists like Roy Orbinson it would be in this revved-up way. Every strange piece of Americana was put into a blender by Lux and Ivy, and out came The Cramps.

It's something so crazy and Lux sold it. Look at the video for "Garbage Man." Lux's mouth is like this weird triangle that spews out surreal boasts. The Cramps did collect garbage, spun into gold. Man, they had a great run.

This is what we call The Muppet Show

noreply@blogger.com (Ian) — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 07:59:00 +0000

Every iteration of The Muppet Show, annotated for your obsessive pleasure. I find this terribly interesting. Bless the person who went through the trouble.

Of course, it wouldn't be anything at work that inspired this finding.

Why I don't watch broadcast TV

noreply@blogger.com (Ian) — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 18:38:00 +0000

When I move to L.A. I didn't bring a TV with me. DVDs and the Internet could handle everything I needed. Plus, I get to avoid stuff like this (spoilers for a recent episode of Battlestar Galactica).

At times of stress I make jokes!

noreply@blogger.com (Ian) — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 04:03:00 +0000

I tempt the BBC's protecting of their copyrighted material to bring to those outside of Great Britain the first of episode of The Thick of It. Abhay was talking it up and I felt it was worth checking out.

Let me assure you folks, if you thought the U.K .version of The Office did not have enough cringe-worthy, squirm inducing moments than get ready for this show.

The premise: The Department of Social Affairs and its minister Hugh Abbott tries to stay out of trouble while hounded by the Prime Minister's Director of Communications, Malcolm Tucker. Abbott is quite bad at his job and a liar, Tucker is quite good at his job and incredibly mean. It's that Laurel and Hardy dynamic taken to the highest stakes possible, with emotions always running high.

The comedy arrives from awkward moments so incredibly real they will hit too close to home for anyone who's been in a high-stress work environment. I personally find it all quite cathartic. Creator Armando Iannucci has the ability to zero in on unsavory yet completely identifiable human behavior. I watch the show and find myself nodding my head, going "yes, yes, I've seen that." It's rare to see a show that so truthfully depicts the curious way we put ourselves in stressful circumstances, yet are unable to dig ourselves out and thus find ourselves flaying in the wind. I know that's the premise of many comedies but The Thick of It doesn't shy away from the human selfishness and idiocy that factors into so many of these scenarios. It relishes in it, in fact.

If you go YouTube or torrent hunting you'll find the whole series. I doubt it will show up on BBC America. The Thick of It features superb swearing so I fear what the BBCA censor would do to it. People would probably think the speakers on their televisions have broken.

An example, from the second episode, from Abbott's sidekick Glenn Cullen: "This is a bucket of shit. If someone throws shit at us, we throw shit back at them. We start a shit fight. We throw so much shit back at them so they can't pick up shit, they can't throw shit, they can't DO shit."

As Abbott replies, that's top swearing.

Do your best to track down this show. There is something of a film version arriving. In the Loop will reprise a few characters, including Tucker, but will focus on U.S. and U.K. relations. Hopefully this will yield a stateside DVD release of the series.

Don't think a show about inept government officials will fly in the Obama Era? Watch Peter Capaldi's performance as Tucker and try not to think of Rahm Emanuel. They even look similar!

The past eight years, what was that?

noreply@blogger.com (Ian) — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 22:54:00 +0000

It's kind of odd, yet fitting, that Martin Luther King Day is the day right before America inaugurates its first Black president. But this post is actually about America's 43rd White one.

I'm trying to wrap my head around what life under the Bush II administration was like. Not its legacy, I'll leave that up to the historians. I'm trying to put the day-to-day lives we lead in perspective. What comes to mind first is the notion that we just didn't have a government for eight years.

I figure the defining moment that represents President Bush's relationship to the people is February 15th, 2003. Actually, it would be the days after February 15th. That day saw worldwide protests of the upcoming invasion of Iraq. Tens of millions of people raised their voice in defiance. There was this global zeitgeist against an administration's drastic decision. It was an immense collection of citizens saying "no!"

Bush, Cheney, they didn't give a shit. Operation: Iraqi Freedom started March 20th and it's still going.

After that it seemed the people and the president just parted ways. Those in charge represented their own interests and anyone who wasn't a part of it had to fend for themselves. Even if you voted for Bush in 2000, if you were below a certain tax bracket you just had to make it on your own. Bush and Cheney had their war which they fought their own way (Geneva Conventions be damned!) and spent our tax money anyway they wanted to. Most of indulged yourselves. TV became really good, everyone brushed up on their celebrity gossip and we could argue about anything on the Internet. Hey comics people, remember Identity Crisis? That was a big deal, right?

You could say an entire nation became an ostrich burying its head in the sand. But what else could we do? Living in San Francisco I'd see people put on more protests and I'd just feel sad for them. It's not that they're voices weren't being heard, it's just that the people who heard them didn't care (it wasn't just eight years of Bush rule, it was mostly eight years of the weakest Democrats you could find). Everyone else was dealing with the fact that while we may not have had a say in how our government was being run, we could still entertain ourselves. Our freedoms in the political sector might have been reduced but as for our capitalistic freedom of choice? That just kept getting better and better. More innovative video games, DVR-technology advanced, everyone got iPods. The freedom to be pleasured wasn't effected and for most us, that got us through the years. We could watch The Daily Show and convince ourselves that we were smart, engaged citizens. Sometimes that feeling was good enough.

Hurricane Katrina is seen by many as the turning point in Bush's perception nationwide. In retrospect that just seems like the truth of living without a government coming to the ugly, tragic surface. When you live lives separate from the government there's no safety net for you. Some segments of American society knew this longer than others but now everyone knew. I spent the last eight years in either Los Angeles or San Francisco. Those cities, like New Orleans, were not a part of the United States that Bush cared about. In turn, those cities didn't care about Bush. I knew that if a major earthquake happened in either of the cities I lived in we were fucked. I remember in San Francisco there were PSA signs on buses telling us that in an emergency we shouldn't expect help before 72 hours and should plan accordingly. The underlying message was: "you're on your own, fend for yourselves." In the meantime we could talk about how Battlestar Galactica and zombie movies processed the feelings in the air. Those were nice conversations to have knowing that at anytime your life might be thrown into irreversible chaos.

Now we have government, or at least change, we can believe in. Barack Obama wasn't seen as an angry candidate (because let's be honest folks, do you think a Black man seen by many as "angry" is getting elected president?) but for those of us that were angry or just sick and tired of what happened over the past eight years we could latch onto him. He was as an answer to what went wrong with the country. I personally think that now the expectations for Obama are too high but in some ways this country will turn around. Obama's choice for CIA Director, Leon Pannetta, has gone on record that the United States shouldn't torture. On one hand it's a relief to hear that but on the other hand, the fact that such a statement is even a relief at all tells us how far this country has to climb to even be a real place anymore. I'd like for the United States to be real again, not just a notion stashed away while businesses-minded men attended to their business and the rest of us tried to find another national conversation to have.

Happy New Year Robot Masters!

noreply@blogger.com (Ian) — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 23:49:00 +0000

Tokyo Police Club tells us how it's going to be:

See the ruins of the old world below
That's what our ancestors left us.
Our robot masters will know
How to clean this mess up
And build a better world
For man and machine alike
For the boys and the girls
Who are slaves building spaceships at night
In the fluorescent light.
That's 2009.

It's all a myth

noreply@blogger.com (Ian) — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 00:24:00 +0000

Nathan Rabin, reviewing Delgo for his year of flops, explains what bothers me about a lot of fiction:

"Movies like Dragon Wars, Wing Commander and Delgo err in thinking that sci-fi audiences embrace movies like Lord Of The Rings, Star Wars and The Matrix because they have elaborate, involved mythologies, not despite then.

The Lord Of The Rings of the world suck audiences into their fantastical worlds with engaging characters, non-stop spectacle and compelling storylines, then get them to care about their mythologies. Delgo, on the other hand, assumes that the battle is won before it's even begun and that audiences will give a mad-ass fuck about the complicated interrelationship between the Lokni and the Nohrin races because the film’s mythology was cobbled together from bits and pieces of The Dark Crystal, Lord Of The Rings and Star Wars."

Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU! So many comics I read as a critic did not understand this. So many authors thought that the key to success was to hand the reader a steaming pile of exposition in the beginning. They then proceed to tell a story that only has to reach the bar they set for it. And let's face it, those wide-ranging mythologies that are meant to spark wonder in the audience are, for the most part, just rehashes of the same ol' Joseph Campbell Hero's Journey.

If you walk the halls of Comic-Con you'd think a detailed mythology is the key to millions of fans (and dollars). You'll be surrounded by people who know the name of every obscure Star Wars Jedi Knight or know the backstory of every person who was on Laurence Fishburne's ship in The Matrix. But those fans are the dedicated consumers who only arise after your story has garnered success by telling an interesting, accessible story in the first place. People spend so much time coming up with names of alien races or dark spells of magic in crafting their masterpiece but I'm astounded that they never come up with the most important part of a story: an entry point for the audience.

Merry Christmas!

noreply@blogger.com (Ian) — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 02:01:00 +0000

Merry Christmas. Next year I'll post more, it'll be my resolution. I'll find some way.

But for now, enjoy:

Sometimes a photographer just gets lucky

noreply@blogger.com (Ian) — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 18:36:00 +0000

Australia follow-up

noreply@blogger.com (Ian) — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 04:47:00 +0000

A follow-up to last night's article, what the fuck Australia? First that shitty movie made about you and now this?

How can the country that gave us AC/DC, the Mad Max series and Sheldon Vella suddenly start acting funny? Of course, any Australian (or anybody from any other country) can throw back all the shit America's done, regardless of the fact that we've given the world pizza, hockey and The Beatles.

Get it? Hilarious, I'm sure. See, my new plan is to not blog for forever and then come back only to confuse you. I'm like a dadaist ninja.

This is what gets me to blog again

noreply@blogger.com (Ian) — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 07:55:00 +0000

According to some Australian courts, possessing images of Bart Simpson fucking is possessing child pornography.

But Justice Adams agreed with the magistrate. He found that, while The Simpsons characters had hands with four fingers and their faces were “markedly and deliberately different to those of any possible human being”, the mere fact that they were not realistic representations of human beings did not mean that they could not be considered people.

So does this mean every time I read a Punisher comic I'm accessory to murder? According to this logic, just because the person Frank Castle kills is borne of pencil and ink doesn't automatically mean they're not a person. Why, I've stood by and watched thousands die. I'm a monster!

Fucking Christ people, support the CBLDF. Like it even needs to be said.