The Lefty Films Blog

DCU Online: Boobgate

2010-12-25T22:13:00.001-08:00

There is an article over on Jezebel concerning the inability for gamers to modify their breast size in DCU Online. Of course this has become the latest Drama Llama among the internet. In fact, I don't understand why I'm even making a blog post on the subject. I guess I'm writing in order to collect my thoughts. I understand that it would cause a fuss if the female superheroes were not busty, just as much as it would if they were. And, let's not be coy about the subject, superheroines have been "traditionally" drawn with giant breasts. Hell, a vast majority of people (well, let's hope it is the minority) read comics simply to get their rocks off because they actually want the comic world to be theirs.

But I mean, come on. There are super-boobs, and then there are these things, beings whose very existence kind of skews the conversation towards "or maybe you have a good point there".

I have to steel my resolve as not to comment on any of the 50 million "but that's what comics ARE" posts in that article's comments section.

Merry Christmas!

VGA 2010 predictions

2010-12-11T15:03:00.000-08:00

Now, I understand the the Video Game Awards are completely inane and stupid, but here are my picks anyhow:

Character of the Year
Ezio
John Marsten
Kratos
Sgt. Woods

Game of the Year
Call of Duty: Black Ops
God of War III
Halo: Reach
Mass Effect 2
Red Dead Redemption

While ME2 is going to give many slight pause, RDR is and has been the belle of the ball this year.

Studio of the Year
BioWare
Blizzard
Bungie
Rockstar San Diego

BioWare has had a hit come out every two to three months, and has supported both their lead franchises with monthly DLC. It's a no-brainer. I only wish that UbiSoft was in the place of Bungie.

Best XBox 360 Game
Alan Wake
Fable 3
Halo: Reach
Mass Effect 2

It's the only exclusive. It's a shoe-in.

Best PS3 Game
God of War III
Heavy Rain
Modnation Racers
Red Dead Redemption

Best Wii Game
Donkey Kong Country Returns
Kirby's Epic Yarm
Metroid: Other M
Super Mario Galaxy 2

Best PC Game
Fallout: New Vegas
Mass Effect 2
Civilization V
Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty

Best Handheld
God of War: Ghost of Sparta
Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker
Professor Layton and the Unwound Future
Super Scribblenauts

Best Shooter
Battlefield: Bad Company 2
BioShock 2
Call of Duty: Black Ops
Halo: Reach

None of these options are that great. So it's best to go with the one people continue to play.

Best Action-Adventure Game
Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
God of War III
Red Dead Redemption
Super Mario Galaxy 2

Best RPG
Fable III
Fallout: New Vegas
Final Fantasy XIII
Mass Effect 2

.... and even though there are twenty more categories, this is how much I care.

Desert Bus 4: Desert Bus or Die Hard

2010-11-18T18:11:00.000-08:00

This year's annual Desert Bus for Hope begins at 6pm PST tomorrow.

That is all.

Gawker "Journalist" goes psycho

2010-11-13T12:43:00.000-08:00

So, I don't think a lot of Kotaku or any of the Gawker network. But something happened on Gizmodo the other day that took things to 11.

On November 11th, Gizmodo reporter wrote an article. This article was aimed at telling the readers of Gizmodo to "f*** off". He even went as far as to put this little swear-bomb in the description.

He opens by calling his audience stupid. He then follows up by implying that the only justification for their IQ is if they are autistic. Which, to me, a guy with Asperger's, is incredibly rude. Hell, it would be incredibly rude without the Asperger's. But I'm sure that I'm not the only autistic or Aspergery guy reading Gizmodo. It's a tech site after all. He finishes by calling us "s***-eaters".

Good going, Joel. Way to represent your company.

I'm a blogger. It's perfectly fine for me to throw a tantrum. Joel Johnson works for a journalism site, no matter what lengths he goes to in order to justify "his opinion". What he wrote was not an editorial. It was an immature attack on the very people that keep the Gawker network running through hits. What's even more disturbing is the amount of people that think this behavior is okay, but that's a story for another blog entry.

The internet is full of trolls and ignorance. It is full of people with differing ideas about how stuff works. But that is no excuse for verbally slandering your user base. This is exactly why comment sections exist. For debate. So your readers can communicate with you, and with one another.

There is literally no excuse for what he wrote.

SDCC Crashed

2010-11-01T19:31:00.000-07:00

I should have expected this.

REVIEW: God the Dyslexic Dog

2010-10-14T19:24:00.001-07:00

A while back - let's say July - I promised my friend Brian Phillipson that I would do up a review of his now-completed trilogy of graphic novels entitled "God the Dyslexic Dog". Now, I wanted to post it around the time of another convention, and since APE is around the corner (and he might be at APE and smite me if the review ain't up), there is no time like the present.

Dog is one of those comics that comes around in a great while that actually is written intelligently enough to make the subject matter... matter. Yes, it's an epic yarn of warring Gods, of new Gods, and of trapped Gods. Yes, the title is a cliched pun. And yes, it tackles issues such as transubstantiation. But it does it all so well. You don't think twice about how, if handled by a different team (helping Brian along is legendary artist, Alex Nino), the plot would most likely unravel. These guys obviously have the magic touch.

I met Phillipson, oddly enough, at APE a few years back. I met his equally charming father, helming the booth, at WonderCon the following year. The first thing you realize is that these two are very smart. While Brian does the dialogue, Philip Phillipson is second-in-command concerning the overall plot. The general ease they both have about life is what will increase your interest in the book ten-fold.

Dog starts out with an explanation as to why dog is man's best friend: because an alpha dog had been infused with God's Will and his powers in order to be a "failsafe" to man's foils. From there, the plot threads only begin to seep out, much like the evils and dangers of Pandora's Box (also a huge plot point). It seems that the god of liquor, Bacchus, has inadvertently started a war between the Old Gods and the animals of Earth that long for gods of their own. Thus, they go to Darwin (the literal embodiment of evolution), who in turn transforms the ancient Mayan calendar into a Wheel of Fortune-type device to randomly change the Old Gods into Animal Gods. Zeus gets turned into the God of Turkeys.

As pages turn, it is literally mindboggling how Phillipson and Phillipson cram in so much without it feeling like too much. By all accounts and purposes, the amount of characters, events, and plot threads should all implode when slammed up against each other, but they don't. Within three volumes, we get the above mentioned war and Darwin and all the good stuff... as well as the dead race of missing link Chimps, skateboarding soldiers, religion's place in society, Pavlov, multiple heavens and hells, you get the picture. They all are so well connected to each other that neither seems to negate the other.

A word of caution: this book will not sit well with those that take everything personally. It is an incredibly open book with many different ideas, none grandstanding over the other. If you don't like the idea of Darwin trying to become God, or that God can't just "do everything", then you should probably skip this one. But it would be a disservice.

The book is good. Dog-damned good.

Writing Star Trek

2010-10-11T13:34:00.001-07:00

My friend Will has a very interesting article up on his blog about the making of Star Trek: Insurrection, and a lost book on the subject by producer Michael Piller. It details just what it takes to write the ninth Star Trek screenplay. Seems that I have a new studio book to hunt down.

SDCC to remain SDCC

2010-09-30T20:46:00.000-07:00

SD is keeping CC until 2015. I have mixed feelings about this. I was really hoping for Disney to snatch it up for 2013 and beyond. But, existing hotel contracts are existing hotel contracts. This just mean another five years of ridiculous tension between both camps: the SD Loyalists and the Progressives.

Like I said, mixed feelings.

More Tips for Writers

2010-08-16T18:15:00.000-07:00

Yuri Baranovsky once wrote an article about writing that I responded to in humor.

I'd like to add to it.

1. Figure out why you're writing what you are
Of course, everyone comes to an idea because they like it. It sticks. But every writer has to ask themselves if it is an idea worth doing. You need to know if it is going to write itself, because any good story WILL write itself. You just have to be the guide.

2. Figure out why you are writing NOW
This one is important. You may have an idea in you, but it just won't come out. Then one day, it does. A key to good writing is figuring out who you are, and this is very much intertwined with that. Whatever is currently going on in your life, no matter what the genre of story you are writing, will more than likely heavily affect the style of your work. This goes for psychological as well as emotional. If you don't know why you need to write your play about rats, you probably should figure it out, or you will never feel comfortable with your rat play.

3. Don't be afraid to ask for help
I think this has more to do with pride and a messed up version of dignity than ego. Being able to say that you wrote something yourself. Being able to say that you didn't need help. This can severely hurt a writer, especially a young one. When, in reality, a writing partner can be a great tool for pitching and refining ideas. You also shouldn't be offended if they come up with a better idea.

Okay, I'll be here all week. Tip your waitresses.

REVIEW: Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

2010-08-15T00:12:00.001-07:00

If I give a proper review of Scott Pilgrim, the internet would be upon me faster than if I had made a reference to Felicia Day.

So I guess that's my review.

SyFy Has Their Claws in Felicia Day

2010-08-08T18:03:00.000-07:00

Yeah, okay, so it is no big secret that I give Felicia Day a lot of shit. I come under fire every time I write a blog post about her that isn't vomiting rainbows. Hell, all I need to do is say anything about Joss Whedon, and people automatically bash me for "ragging on Day". While, yes, I do admit that her comet-like rise to stardom (she is soon to be doing a multi-arc on Eureka) for being little more than Whedon's current fancy is extremely disturbing, I have never said anything malevolent or negative about her as a person (at least not in a non-joking fashion).

I just think she needs to practice her craft, as she seems to be taking roles that she is completely unready for.

But as much as I dislike Day as an actor, her upcoming stint as Red Riding Hood, Werewolf Slayer, on the SyFy channel is completely baffling. I'm even a bit upset, as she's not one of SyFy's usual burnt-out has-beens. She's new. She's fresh. So I at least thought that they would write the movie around her. Towards her strengths.

Apparently, SyFy is imagining greater.

Watching the trailer, you get the impression that it could be anyone playing Day's role of Hood #4556677. So why cast her in the first place, other than to get people watching?

Yeah, that was a rhetorical question, wasn't it?

SDCC 2010: The Write-Up

2010-07-27T14:53:00.000-07:00

Driving down Tuesday night was surreal, like something out of a David Lynch movie. Nobody was on the highway. It was just me, my friends, the dark, and headlights. Nick had written a book for our friends at Fat Rabbit Farms, and had chained himself to signings starting at 10am every day. It was a SDCC Exclusive. Fancy. We got to the hotel pretty late, and promptly crashed.

Wednesday was interesting. It took the entire week to figure out why Kroze had not received his pro badge, and our journey started here. Altogether, it took about five different people to find out what exactly had happened, and only a few of them were nice. Oh well. In addition to Elite staff this year, there were these new white-shirted security guards, and they all did not look happy. Met up with the usuals: my friend, Liz, from The Looking Glass Wars; the Blank Label Comics people; RoosterTeeth - and I noticed how little foot traffic there was. I'd go as far as to say that it was at 2006 levels. Now, I don't want to attribute it to the fact that 152 panels were held at the Marriott and Hilton, but that could be the case. I just hope it does not affect CCI moving the con to a different location. Because it needs a bigger space. Every year since the population boom, it has been slowly crushing itself under its own weight. ent to Ralph's to buy provisions because the hotel did not get us a mini-fridge; everyone else was also at Ralph's. We discussed who was the most insignificant Flash in the lines.

Thursday, I began my coverage for ScriptPHD.
Panels: Tripwire Magazine and J.J. Abrams/Joss Whedon.
Thursday honestly felt like an entire week. It was really good. Did a lot of good stuff, talked to a lot of great people. Picked up the rest of the things on my list to pick up. Went to the BOOM! Studios party. Met up with the Timony's and some of the other Zudaites. Left to find Adam Atherton and go see the new Lost Boys film. Walked all the way to the center and then realized that it was back in the Hilton Bayfront, no more than ten feet away from the party. I talked with some people camping out for Ballroom 20 - and that should of been my clue to get in line early the next morning in order to cover Friday's panels.

Friday was a mess. Ballroom 20 closed during its second panel, but still people held their place in a line that stretched the entire upper portion of the center. Still felt like an extremely long day.
Panels: Graphic Novels: The Personal Touch
The moderator for the Graphic Novels panel was my good friend, Shaenon Garrity. A completely awesome person, it was really great seeing her again. Then met Karen Knighton, who I had not seen since APE of 2008, selling Owl Pillows. Went back to the Webcomics Pavilion, told the Penny Arcade fellows of my woeful getting-alongs with their nemesis, Jesse Thorn, in college. Probably the only thing we have in common. Met up with my friend, Matt the Super Actor, on the upper floor. Had a nice chat about acting, growing older, writing, and other stuff like that. We went to Joe's Crab Shack, a delightful place that I never knew existed before this year, but were too late to meet and eat with the rest of the Geeks. Followed them to another eatery on the Gaslamp, but could only stay about ten minutes. Went back to the center, where a panel with my friends, Chris Leone and Laura Harkom, just got out. They had just announced that they were writing the comic version of The Lost Room as a second season. That made me giddy. Went to a late night showing of SyFy's latest original picture, something about giant pirahnas. It was completely horrible, and yet, the most hilarious thing that I had ever seen. It seriously gave new meaning to SyFy's current slogan: 'Imagine Greater'. Ran into a Chip and Dale's Rescue Rangers group meet-up. We discussed the suggestive nature of Gadget Hackwrench's name.

Saturday: I got sick, which took me out of one of the panels that I was to cover that day.
Panels: The Event screening and Teching Out on TV.
Chatted up Chris and Laura before they left. Extremely nice people. Talked to the Red 5 Comics guys about their submission policy. Tried in vain to find Frank Beddor at the Looking Glass Wars booth. Said hi to my friends, Phil and Brian Peterson, of God the Dyslexic Dog; they had just completed their trilogy. Promised Brian a review later. Met up with Nikki Harper, a friend from the Roosterteeth forums, and quickly got separated from her. Things happen.

Had dinner with LK, Kroze, Bam (a fascinating artist), and a few others from ComicsOnline, another geek blog. Learned that the CCI staff had been talking bad about me and Kroze and our quest to figure out what went wrong with the badges. That made me really annoyed, since they were extremely unhelpful, unwilling to actually let us tell our tale, and just cranky. Plus, it could hurt ComicsOnline.

Then went to the GeeksOn meet-up. Stayed about ten minutes. Said hi to Matt Mercer, and made plans. Got back, wrote my articles. Computer died. Wrote my articles again. Some other press dude came in and very rudely tried to get me and another press guy off the computers. Then left, and ten minutes later, security came. Finished up my articles never-the-less.

Sunday was the day that I finally showed up at the Fat Rabbit Farms booth. Patty, the artist of Nick's book, did not want to be photographed. Too bad. Stepped outside after a fascinating panel on the Ethnography of SDCC, and it was amazingly sunny. I welcomed it, for it had been amazingly windy and rainy in San Diego this year. It felt good on my skin. Said my farewell's.

Left.
All in all, it was a great one. I had more fun than I had in 2009, and the most fun I've had since my first SDCC. Everything was packed. Everyone brought their A-Game.

Gwen asked us all, while the car was still in the gaslamp district, if we should start thinking about hotels for 2011.

I can't even do that at this point. Then this happened.

THE ROAD TO COMIC-CON 2010: Scheduling

2010-07-08T15:10:00.000-07:00

SDCC has a spiffy new Scheduler now. And it is actually very useful. You can see how many people are attending each panel, how many of your friends are (through Facebook/Twitter), and you can even schedule meet ups.

I am impressed.

There goes my iPhone app idea.

Zuda: Zero Hour

2010-07-03T18:52:00.000-07:00

My thoughts on the recent destruction/retcon/reconstruction of Zuda Comics?

Meh.

I mean, we all saw it coming, from Zuda's Final Crisis up to today's confusion over why a lot of artists never got a chance to even showcase their winning comics on the site.

Meh.

DC only seemed passingly interested in this Zuda experiment anyway. As months became years, it was made abundantly clear that Zuda had no real plan, marketing or otherwise. Which is sad, because if given the proper attention, it could of been a nice little money-catcher for DC.

But one thing is clear: people are rather... annoyed.

My one opinion on the matter besides a shrug? DC could not have handled this entire thing worse than they already did.

Meh.

HOLLYWOOD FRINGE FESTIVAL: L.A. Responds (Kind Of)

2010-06-29T15:07:00.000-07:00

So, Fringe 2010 is over. Some called it a raging success, some called it an exercise in redundancy.

And then, some people didn't even bother.

Okay. Win some, lose some. It' a little more important than that, though, since it is the first year of the Hollywood Fringe, but then I go on Twitter and I see people writing things like this:

"Does Fringe need Don Shirley?"

The only thing that is going to kill an inaugural festival like this is when we turn on anyone with a differing opinion. Especially if it brings up some food for thought, as Don Shirley's article DOES. I get why nobody likes the L.A. Times. The lack of response to any of the festival spoke volumes. Reporting that "there will be a festival" and then shutting up about it is lame. But it does not hurt to bring up the fact that every other Fringe Festival is curated. That's why it's called a Fringe Festival in the first place. It does not hurt to ask what a non-curated festival brings to the table. If anything, Ben Hill, the owner of the Hollywood Fringe, has a lot to think about in that aspect. If he wants to leave it non-curated, it is going to become incredibly important as to define WHY that is.

Los Angeles is very solitary. I know that and I've only been here a short while. Community at the level that the Fringe brings is a new idea. It was great. But nobody knew about it, for as much as it wanted to be Anti-L.A., it very much was L.A. in it's marketing. There was none. Whether this was a money issue or not, I don't know. Hopefully, Fringe 2011 expands its scope to plastering as far away as Newbury Park with banners and posters.

I've seen a lot of blame being thrown around at critics of the festival, but only a fraction of that energy being put towards improving the Fringe. My point is that we can't be a community if we eat the unbeliever.

I want to do Fringe 2011. I welcome it. I plan on doing my own show as well as something else with the rest of Polymanus. I made a lot of friends. I made a lot of contacts. I hope to see it live long and prosper, and make L.A. a theater community as well as a film community.

But let's not destroy each other in the process.

HOLLYWOOD FRINGE FESTIVAL: Valentino review

2010-06-22T17:26:00.000-07:00

Valentino is a very good play, let us get that out of the way first-off. It has a few problems that keep it from being a great play, however; one might say that these flaws betray the Old Elizabethian style of the play itself (or something more pretentiously phrased). Based loosely upon the actual life of Cesare Borgia - or rather, what facts are known - it balances between making a mockery of history and giving it life in modern times. It wobbles on to both sides at various points.

The Good
Act One: the first act is well paced and it does not rush us with information.

The Language: David Wisehart writes lines that both sound natural and are in verse-form that I can't even fathom trying to dabble in. The wordage is far from Shakespearian Iambic Pentameter, but they still exist within a certain set of rules that separate them from normal, free form dialogue. What's really fantastic is that you don't need to sift through the words in order to catch the meaning behind them, while they are still, in effect, alien and ancient.

Swordfights: I have said all I need to say about this topic. Boys will be boys.

Renato Biribin Jr., Sam & Neil Fleischer: Valentino, Niccoli Machiavelli, and the Pope. Renato looks the part. He just does. He also never hobbles too far into the realm of good guy or bad guy, so everything that he does, you believe. Sam F. does a great job as Mach, as both narrator (honestly, Wisehart writes the best explanation for theatrical narration ever) and a guy held between loyalties. His subtle facial expressions, especially in the final scene, are very interesting as they showcase his character's inner feelings about what he is saying and doing. But Neil F. steals the show in two brief scenes as The Pope. Even though he is not a funny character, it becomes a dark comedy when he and Biribin share the stage.

The Bad
Act Two: For a revenge story, the first act does a wonderful job of setting everything up, while the second act breaks it all down and makes it as simple as "hey, the Lakers won. Let's go celebrate by wrecking public property!". It is also extremely short. If it is indeed another hour of playtime, then that's good. But it felt like the play was off-balance with the placement of the acts.

Lack of Summer Dare Litwin: After a promising monologue in act two's first scene, she vanishes, having only two scenes.

Give Da Vinci and Machiavelli Something To Do: They are both interesting characters, but they are also the two most known people taken from real life, so that in turn says that they are important. Yet they do absolutely nothing, save Machiavelli, who serves as the aforementioned narrator. Wisehart (who also plays Da Vinci) dives early on into the concept that all artists are influenced by one another, but never goes anywhere with it. In fact, Da Vinci has the most ridiculous monologue of the play, seemingly coming out of nowhere in order to cement his urgency as a character.

I liked this play a lot. Despite its flaws, it stands on its own.

I'd love to see what Wisehart does with it in Fringe 2011.

Valentino runs thusly:
Thursday June 24, 2010 8:00 PM
Friday June 25, 2010 9:00 PM
Saturday June 26, 2010 9:00 PM
Sunday June 27, 2010 8:00 PM
The Complex, Flight Theater
6476 Santa Monica Boulevard
Hollywood, CA 90038

E3 Madness: 3DS

2010-06-17T13:10:00.000-07:00

And I thought lines for SDCC were bad. Almost makes me feel okay that I got turned away at Media Registration. Now I feel sad for the other journalists.

DEFENDING AGAINST EROS

2010-06-12T13:30:00.001-07:00

Lost: The Promised End.

2010-05-24T12:37:00.000-07:00

SPOILER ALERT (this post is also most definitely NOT for those that do not watch Lost)

Lost ended last night, leaving tons of people with mixed feelings. You either loved or hated the ending. I don't think I'm in either camp. I thought it was decent. Simply decent. There was stuff that I both loved AND hated. In many ways, it was a cop-out that contradicted the entire series, the entire season, and itself. In many other ways, it gave us an emotional journey with these characters that brought closure to their troubles. So much of what I liked is also tied into so much of what I didn't like.

It's odd, because when I like the flash-sideways story, I dislike the on-island story. It works vice versa, as well. This was definitely a flash-sideways episode for me, up until the lopsided final fifteen minutes. It was obviously also written as a flash-sideways episode, where we found out that the flash-sideways was actually a flash-forward to a sort of purgatory. But this meant that the Island, which was always the A Plot, was now flipped to a B Plot.

This is to say nothing of my anger at ABC purposely cutting out answers only to stick them in the DVD later. If they had left them in, then I would of felt a bit better about what I had just watched. There are some secrets that I didn't care to have an answer to, such as the story of the civilization that was obviously on the Island before Jacob. But others, such as the kids, the pregnancies, Charles Widmore and Ben Linus... these are too big not to bring up. Hell, they didn't even bring back Walt (a confirmed DVD "special feature").

But you guys have already seen the finale. I'll post a list of my pros and cons, and maybe you'll agree, and maybe you won't.

Pros

* The Island ending. Especially Vincent lying down next to Jack.

* The ending music.

* Charlie's reaction to remembering Claire. Sure, everyone broke down when they remembered their loved one, but Charlie's face was the only one to actually convey the pain of dying and the joy of finding the love of your life after years and years.

* Sayid remembering Shannon was the love of his life, not Nadia.

* How the characters interacted with one another once they remembered each other, especially at the church. Especially Ben and Locke.

* Eloise and Desmond talking about the purgatory timeline.

* Christian's reveals in both the Island and flash-purgatory.

* The reveals of the meanings behind season one's "Bring him back" and season two's "See you in another life". Even if they were written in last minute, they worked incredibly well in context.

* Smokey becoming human. That was a great twist on "getting off the island".

* Hurley and Ben becoming the new Jacob and Richard.

* Hurley changing The Rules.

* Rose and Bernard.

Cons

* The purgatory ending. While it did not ruin/invalidate the series completely, it was very obviously written in last minute.

* Massive contradiction involving the Island's power. There should have been no possible way for Hurley to have become the new Jacob before it was turned back on.

* Lack of answers to any of the huge questions of the mythology.

* Smokey and Jack's vacation at the Cave of Wonders. Which literally was half of the second hour.

* Seriously, a cork?

* No explanation as to why The Rules applied to Ben and Widmore, and why Ben could suddenly kill him.

* Seriously, a final fight in the rain?

* Walt. Honestly, guys.

There. I've said my piece. While it was not completely horrible, it was not great.

Rockstar Games Calls Parents Out.

2010-05-22T00:08:00.000-07:00

This is great, and extremely responsible. I wish more companies would do this. You know, like Big Tobacco.

Hollywood Fringe Festival

2010-05-21T17:13:00.000-07:00

A few months ago, Polymanus was formed and we joined up with the Hollywood Fringe Festival to put on our first professionally produced play.

It's called Defending Against Eros, and it is actually three short plays structured to act as three acts. Nick wrote one, I wrote one, and Cynthia wrote one. Gwen is producing.

Well.
Today, the Fringe Festival Guide came out, and we're on page 50. We're at the top of the page, actually.

It made my day.

More info (mainly tickets and such) shortly.

Like anyone who reads this is going to buy a ticket, right?

BRIGHT FALLS: Prequel to Alan Wake

2010-05-17T13:18:00.000-07:00

When I first heard about Bright Falls, the live action, six episode series leading into the psychological horror game, Alan Wake, I was skeptical. The first thing that comes to mind when you think of the fusion between film and gaming is Halo: Reach, but that was only a two minute commercial. This is a multi-episode promotional mini-series.

So I watched it, and instantly was hooked. Everything about the miniseries, from the acting to the writing, is top notch. The production value is up there with any current motion picture. It looks amazing, and not like a promotional tool for a video game at all. It could become a full fledged webseries and I'd be happy.

Obviously, this is going to only spark a revolution of live action prequels, but will any of them be any good?

The Trades

2010-05-13T22:40:00.000-07:00

A while back, I organized my comic books so that the trade paperbacks were situated on a different shelf than my single issues. The "floppies". I did this for a number of reasons, the main one being that my floppies were becoming distorted.

I've decided that, for both monetary and attention-span reasons, I can't buy single issues. Not like I have since WonderCon, but I just can't do it anymore. I know that singles are how the industry gets most of its revenue, but it just pains me to never read the floppies ever again. Or, if I ever want to, I have to wade through piles of issues in hopes of putting everything back where I found it in the endgame. I also get a better sense of satisfaction after reading a storyline without interruption. The writing doesn't seem as shitty. This is not to say that there are no shitty trades. I've bought more than a few in my time.

Maybe soon I'll organize my webcomic trades from my print comic trades.

Arizona hates everybody.

2010-05-12T16:38:00.000-07:00

You know, I understand Arizona's recent law abolishing Ethnic Studies in any form in school. I do. I get that they want to end reverse discrimination.

But that's the problem: Arizona's politicians are trying to change something that they clearly don't understand. Instead of promoting equality, their way of stopping reverse discrimination is to... censor everything about oppression?

That's kind of history, though.
It's official: Arizona is one huge strawman argument.

Letters to Juliet Capulet

2010-05-10T23:47:00.000-07:00

Well, I was hoping to God that Letters to Juliet was not a retcon of Romeo and Juliet. I was happy to find out that I was right, but it is still about Juliet Capulet. What I find kind of cool (if not a bit corny) is that it is based off some real life volunteers that answer "Dear God" letters are are written to Juliet.

Will I see the film?
No, because it sounds like a rip-off of The Notebook. Ever since that bloody film, every romantic drama just has to follow its format.

But it's kinda cool.

Zuda: Identity Cris, or Final Crisis?

2010-04-30T14:18:00.000-07:00

Today, the editors over at Zuda completely changed its four year format of user-voted webcomics.

This raises many, many questions, as it is no secret that Zuda is thought of as the step-brother-locked-in-the-attic of the DC family, from both within DC itself and a large part of the webcomic community. With the new change in management earlier this year, one is left with little room to doubt that this is a reaction to Zuda's budget and publishing structure.

The very first idea that comes to mind for Zuda's new format would be a much more focused Instant Winner every few months or so. Now, I have absolutely no problems whatsoever with Zuda ditching the current format of a competition. This would mean that Zuda most likely would stop having to give out gigantic monetary prizes to utter crap, and work on a few new titles a year that are actually quality. But what of the current on-goings? What about them? High Moon and Bayou are definitely safe, they're Zuda's David Willis and Steve Troop. But what about the new generation? How will they be affected, and how will they stay or go? Will it still be based on views? Or will Zuda pump out books at a much faster and more efficient pace?

Of course, DC won't really recover from their monetary fever with Zuda until the current winner for this month ends his or her (or his) contract. It may even leave Zuda behind. Hey, it would not be the first time something like this has happened. Despite all the talk of the change being for the benefit of the user base's sanity, Zuda may be very well fighting for its life.

No news on when to expect any sort of announcement yet concerning Zuda's future. I'm expecting something on Monday.

Erosion of the Plot Device's Meaning

2010-04-30T00:20:00.000-07:00

I've been worried for the future of writing in film and television for a while now. Well, television mostly. In film, you can easily spot a mislodged cog due to its nature of being a singular piece. Television shows can span years, and as such, can mix in inconsistencies more frequently and with the nasty habit of making you think these things were always there.

Supernatural, while a mediocre show on the WB, has been doing a wonderful job of retconning seasons one through three-and-a-half with the new arc of seasons three-and-a-half through five. They make it seem like it was always the plan. They are respectful to carefully weave the new in with the old. They try so hard to make it all fit. So, I take issue with the fact that the Gawker Network's i09 called this weeks episode a retcon, when it very clearly isn't.

To set the stage: in episode one, Sam's girlfriend is killed. Four seasons later, he meets the demon that killed her (in long form, he introduced them specifically so he could kill her specifically so Sam would be so pissed off that he would, years later, kill him and thus prevent the Apocalypse from being stopped).

This is not a retcon, as we have never met this character before. This is not a retcon, because it simply was not important to know how Sam and Jess met. This is not a retcon, because it is an element of the story. Sure, Eric Kripke probably didn't know at the time who killed Jess, or if he did, he never told us. But it is not a retcon BECAUSE he never told us.

Having Krypton never blow up is a retcon. Introducing a character that set up the events that got us where we currently are? Not so much.

Yes, Gawker is mostly full of incompetent journalists. But dozens of people, myself and Kroze included, go to their sites every day because they get the industry news. But this can't stand.

This is why I'm worried about the future writers of TV.
Because Ron Moore blabs on in public about how he could care less about the plot of his own show.
Because i09 gave a retcon a meaning that it does not have.
Because people that want to write will grow up with this stuff. If the basic elements of writing get this mixed up, then why call it writing?

Burn Notice and White Collar, two story-driven shows, are given praise as the best shows on TV. I don't know what is worse, if that's true, or if people just don't care about craft.

Two hour Lost clip show

2010-04-28T16:14:00.001-07:00

Why?

I mean, honestly.

I love the show and all, but... why? Nobody new is gonna be watching the final Lost.

Also:
I love how Activision's way of drawing attention away from the loss of the Call of Duty designers is to come out with a new Call of Duty.

Hit-Girl, Buffy Syndrome, and Feminism

2010-04-21T13:28:00.000-07:00

There are a number of people going 'round calling Hit-Girl a role model. This, I would think, is the ultimate example of Buffy Syndrome, the idea that a female character can be a role model simply because she beats up boys.

Regardless of the fact that she is eleven and kills people because her mentally screwed up dad basically trains her from birth to be a superhero.

That's a classic case of both mental and physical child abuse.

But the icing to the cake of wonder is this: the comic and movie are a parody of the superhero genre as a whole, as well as a disclaimer against the unhealthy lifestyle of Reals. So calling Hit-Girl a role model, when she's not even supposed to represent female empowerment (at least not in the context of the feminist movement), is ridiculous and extremely stupid.

Yes, people can and should find what they want in literature, art, and film. But not at the expense of intelligence.

ROAD TO COMIC-CON 2010: Honestly, gamers?

2010-04-20T16:56:00.001-07:00

Gemma Atherton is considering no longer attending SDCC because some dorks would rather interact with a video game character than a real woman.

Have we honestly come this far as a society?

Weird Geometry Archives

2010-04-13T00:59:00.000-07:00

I made something pretty. I think.

Why I Don't Like Lost's Final Season

2010-04-07T19:30:00.000-07:00

Well, to be fair, I did like a few episodes this season. I enjoyed Locke's episode, Ben's episode, Richard's episode (of course), and the recent Desmond episode (because it actually streamlined the season arc).

But, come on, we've got six episodes left, and I've only liked four out of twenty-one. It's the final season. Things should not be getting weirder, they should be coming together. The stuff that is ambiguous and will always be a mystery should be less of one.

There's literally no point in stretching out the alternate universe flash-sideways subplot. It was something that should have been chopped off halfway into the season (and we were told it would be). The reason is simple: in the endgame, everything but the present tense does not matter. In the beginning, I was willing to go with it, but so far, we've had a total of three answers as to what the flash-sideways are: a result of last season's nuclear blast in proximity to the mystical energy of the island (which has yet to even be touched upon save for a throw-away line in the opener), the Big Bad showing everyone what their lives would be like if they turned away from the Big Good, and a radiation experiment (which doesn't even work, since the flashes were supposedly happening before the tests even began).

Another thing: everyone is being so vague and mysterious, in a way that has not been seen since the car-wreck called season two. This shouldn't be happening, especially now that so much has been discovered and uncovered concerning the main plot.

Third and last, the characters of Sayid and Claire have been gutted. I would have gone along with their sudden personality shifts had this not been the very last season. Sayid is now nothing more than an empty shell, a glorified extra, when his storyline towards the dark side could of easily started two seasons ago. The foreshadowing of season four made Claire's journey seem really cool. Instead, she is simply a raving loon with no real purpose other than to remind us of past plot points. I'm fine with Locke being dead and Unlocke in his place only because Terry O'Quinn SELLS the character like it's a used car. That and Flash-Sideways Locke is cool as a cucumber.

At this point in the season, I feel entirely disappointed and as if the series finale will be just simply adequate. I mean, people are already watching by now. So why is it still ramped up to eleven?

Zuda: APRIL 2010

2010-04-06T16:07:00.001-07:00

The Meadowlands by Tadd Galusha

The art in this is great, as are the images. The Mutant Salamander design is awesome, and the story is solid, if not a bit too similar to We Kill Monsters. I have to say, though, that I would of liked a bit more dialogue at the very end, something to push us forward. Instead, with the small bit of ancillary wit that we do get, it simply stops. The concept seems like it could span multiple seasons, though, if it goes off into the Buffy/Supernatural/Jonah Hex direction.

GRADE: A-

The Zombie's Hand by 13th Street Studios & Kevin Boink!

Hey look, it's our old frenemy, The Pretentious Name! In fact, we get two this time!

Okay, enough of that. On to the actual meat. This webcomic almost outran the Synopsis Curse, but it only got 50% of the way. The art, the panel placement, the writing (okay, so maybe not so much the writing as the concepts)... they are all there. Yet, it feels hollow. We don't get to know Eddie or his murderers at all. The entire pitch is exposition (hence the "maybe not the writing" part above), and then, at the end of eight pages, where it THIS COMIC REALLY SHOULD feel like a complete story, it doesn't. It leaves you feeling like the next step is going to be the ride down the adrenaline hill.

GRADE: B

Terminus by Miljenko Horvatic, Mario Vrandecic & Olivija Horvatic

I'll admit, it was hard for me to read this guy. Not only was the Synopsis Curse extremely evident by the end (I kept waiting for it to jump forward in time to when the synopsis was), it reads like the Church's version of The Da Vinci Code. Now, I have no problem reading or watching something that takes the ballsy step of incorporating the literal interpretations of the Bible into their story... as long as it doesn't feel like it's trying to convert me. The biggest example of this is when the council that has been put together to review a fallen devil is told not to be judges - but they instantly and unanimously call it "the truth". Another thing is the translations. "Tree Kings" instead of Three Kings and "menkind" instead of Mankind. No idea how these both got past the editors. Although, I do enjoy the build-up and the reveal of the fallen Satan. It was a wam-pow, but not able to wash away the bad taste this comic gave me.

GRADE: D-

Stereophonic Ninja Boy by Rashad Doucet & Chris Mullins

Where was this comic in July? WHERE WAS IT? It's like a liquid lollipop that I can CONSUME. Ninjas using the power of music to fight? Where do I sign up? All except for an incredibly lame exposition-light last page (when there really should of been everything), it's practically golden. It has all its parts making up the sum of awesome. Just less anime, please. This shouldn't be Scott Pilgrim 2.

It's got an amazing disadvantage due to Rockstar being (inexplicably) in Zuda already.

GRADE: A

Queer Romance! by Adam Moore

Horrible title. Just horrible. But wonderful comic. It's chances of winning are reliant on it not being a gag strip, since it is simply a Tales strip. If it keeps the love stories interesting, it could span many seasons. It just needs to lay off the word-overload: sometimes - a lot of times - big words in fast succession do not equal retro.

GRADE: B+

Junito by Alberto Rios

Grammar and punctuation errors abound. "Happen" in one sentence should be "happens", and a lack of periods after captions castrate words that should be powerful. The concept is nice, and we do "get it", but we feel nothing for Emilia's creator, the one who sent her into his mind to find his mind. We don't know him. We knew Geppetto. We don't know this guy. Text could also be smaller, as it is very discombobulating right now at it's current size, and it only makes the typos that much more prominent.

GRADE: D+

HydeBound by Welsh & LeBlanc

What if Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde was a real story?The idea behind this webcomic is fascinating, primarily because it's grounded in reality but just so random. Why Jekyl and Hyde? The art is breathtaking, and while the writing flounders big in some areas (the beginning, mostly), it picks up in others. The final few pages, for example, do a wonderful job of showing you one thing, while the underlying subtext is something much deeper and cooler and foreshadowy. This could very well turn into a sort of Fables-meets-Indiana Jones deal if it were to continue. It could go way past Hyde.

GRADE: A

ELDRITCH by Drew Rausch & Aaron Alexovitch

You know, I'll never figure out why there is no "decent" setting for Lovecraft tales. It is is either Good Lovecraft or Bad Lovecraft. This is, unfortunately, Bad Lovecraft. Mixed with Very Confusing Artwork. Mixed with the Synopsis Curse. The lettering and the semi-transparent word balloons don't help, they only make it much more difficult to read. I felt like I was dropped into the middle of a bunch of action with no real purpose or reason. Nothing to anchor my experience as an audience member. It ultimately felt like an imitation of Everything Else.

GRADE: F

Mr. Trildok Sings the Blues by Brian Joines, Julia Bax & Michael David Thomas

Brilliant, if not cliched, concept: an immortal death-god gets depression. It gets better: the only hope for humanity is that he gets back together with his girlfriend. So it's a love story. I love it. It is painstakingly drawn and written, you can practically feel the energy pouncing off the computer screen. Its universe is fully fleshed out so it never takes itself too seriously, either.

GRADE: A+

Dan + Clue by Sebastian Jaster

"Sox"? Sox? Seriously?

Part gag strip, part episodic. I can dig that, it works for this comic. What does not work is the panel where we see Dan doing push-ups FROM BELOW, and the random cut-aways to lame one-off jokes. This is not a television show, and it is treated as one.

GRADE: D-

Video games teach soldiers how to kill.

2010-04-05T18:00:00.000-07:00

I can see this getting blow out of proprtion (in the violent video game sense) so fast. Other than that, it's completely disgusting how some soldiers act. It's completely disgusting that these people get to be soldiers in the first place.

WonderCon 2010

2010-04-05T15:34:00.001-07:00

New cut of STD

2010-04-02T23:46:00.000-07:00

So, seeing our editor's new cut of STD last night made me realize for the 50th time that I need to learn how to edit. Well, properly edit. Edit better. Not because they did a particularly bad cut, but because the film has been in limbo forever.

I had a chat with my friend Peter Robinson during WonderCon today. I asked him how he handles projects, and when to know to walk away. I cherish having friends I can talk to about this, but a part of my gut just doesn't like talking that way in relation to STD. We're just too close.

Closer than we've ever been to the truth which is out there.

Batman: Criminal Intent

2010-04-01T11:09:00.000-07:00

Batman and Detective Eames team up to take down crime.

Conan O'Brien Tour Dates

2010-03-31T17:15:00.001-07:00

Now, I heard the rumor Conan was touring with a live show, but I did not know that it was finalized. Why did I not know about this before?

Now I really have to be careful about spending money at WonderCon.

Blog name change

2010-03-24T20:24:00.000-07:00

The Lefty Films Blog will be changing its name soon - to what, I don't yet know. The reason for this is as such: about a week ago, Gwen, Nick, our friend Cynthia Glucksman, and I started up a theater company, Polymanus. Our first play was and is to be produced as part of the Hollywood Fringe Festival, details TBD.

Gwen and I went to Complex Theaters yesterday to look at space, and were wonderfully pleased. A much more official announcement will be made soon.

Anyhow.
The name change will reflect that this blog not only belongs to Lefty, but to Polymanus as well. Further down the line, Kroze and I may start up an iPhone game (fantasy is soon to mesh with reality on that front, we'll see), and that unnamed company will be added to the family.

Gwen, Nick, Kroze, and hopefully others will also join in as contributors to the blog.

On the Lefty front, big news: I am hearing that our new official motion picture movie editor, Raymond Doan, has a cut of STD almost complete. It will be nice to see it, even if it can't be in this year's SDCC festival.

It is a very exciting time to be alive.

New Aspies on TV

2010-03-16T01:30:00.000-07:00

We have two new challengers to the table.

Abed from Community has been confirmed to have Asperger's, as well as Peter Krause's kid on Parenthood.

How do they rate?

Abed does an amazing job, from his inane movie knowledge that he is unafraid of, to his inability to look at people when they are talking to them. On the Parenthood front, it just makes me a little uncomfortable because it is too real. I know so many parents that simply don't understand AS. They think it is horrible and disgusting, like their kids head is too big. It's good writing. It's realistic. It's just extremely uncomfortable because these are the well-liked main characters saying these paranoid and delusional things.

But "we've" come a long way.

Missed opportunities

2010-03-08T23:41:00.000-08:00

Well, that's Bad Company 2 and Final Fantasy that I've missed.

Here's to hoping Pokemon has a bigger turnout.

God of War III should be, though.

ZUDA: MARCH 2010

2010-03-07T12:38:00.001-08:00

Oh, Con Season.

At last years SDCC, one of the current Zuda competitors actually went to the Making Webcomics panel (which was not the Zuda panel, as some people would have you believe) and handed out pamphlets. It was a great and brilliant move on his part. He didn't win, but still. What, if anything, will people do at WonderCon?

On to the reviews:

Hourglass Falls by Lee Horton

Right off the bat this month comes a whopper of a tale and a whopper of a comic! Mixing about a gazillion different writing devices and styles into eight pages, Horton devises a world for us both accessible and complex. I was initially skeptical because of the length of the synopsis, but Horton effortlessly gets it all in there within the span of a paragraph. We just KNOW what is going on. Horton makes us just our brains to piece together the backstory (giving us ample clues, as stated), and that is exactly what comics seem to lack nowadays. The art and colors are fairy tale quality, while still being rough enough to tell us what each new location is supposed to be. Bobby Pegasus is a wonderful character, and his initial response to magical midget, Twain, is great. Bobby is not Young Fred Savage, nor is he even Sebastian. He is a boy so detached from reality (I see you did there, Horton) that his sense of fantasy has been gobbled up by his boring and monotonous Rock God lifestyle. He is numb. Which is what makes the best heroes.

GRADE: A+

The Rise and the Fall of the Three Kingdoms by Joshua Tam

It's one thing for the synopsis to be too expository, it's another thing for it to be including stuff like "this character is from a video game, isn't that cool?". Nobody really cares. Stating it is based on a book is fine, it is harmless and it is a nifty little tale that doesn't detract from the stuff that needs to be said in the synopsis. We need more adaptations in comics. Well, mainstream comics. The art supports the tale, making it seem like a painting or a tapestry; it is set in the Han Dynasty - my personal favorite - after all. The writing is smart enough for what it is, but the plot just dangles. It doesn't move. It's far too robotic in its execution. It feels like a sequence of unfortunate events rather than anything cohesive.

GRADE: C

Night at the Western by Ray Nayler & Cesar Sebastian Diaz & Fonografiks

On word: synopsis. Okay, that is out of the way. The writing is swell, it's really good, very noir. There are hardly any $10 words. I felt like I knew the characters, knew what they were up to. The art is good for the genre, too, with sweeping shadows and changing colors for the words, making everything a bit more disjointed. The pacing is just off, though. It's noir pacing, but that just does not work in a comic, or even a webcomic. I'm not sure it left me wanting to continue.

GRADE: B-

Snipe Hunting by Ian Williams & JM Ringuet

So, um, this comic I really like. Not only is it written amazingly well, the synopsis doesn't tell you anything. What it does tell you, however, is explained right on page one. It's like a weird X-Files episode full of awesome talking frogs that grant wishes. The idea of mob mentality and conspiracy theories in comics is not new, but what makes Snipe Hunting so unique is the way in which Williams executes the towns hallucinations, and ties them into their everyday lives. Ringuet's colors are vivid and alive, and he populates Williams' world with all manner of fascinating and compellingly drawn creatures. Lily of the Valley may just have a contender for a crossover.

GRADE: A+

Iron Bard Ballisto by Benjamin Phillip Hutchings

Best. Synopsis. Ever. One of the funniest strips in recent months, it slides by with its execution of simpleness. It doesn't need to be complex, because that's not what the story calls for. It's Jack Bauer with a guitar-bow-and-arrow, mixed with College Humor(.com). Everything, from the art to the dialogue, helps the reader gently wade in this comic's silly intensity. That, however, comes back to bite it, as around page 6, it gets far TOO simple. There is no anchor.

GRADE: B+

The Fall of Inkazimulo by Aaron Watts

For a hand-drawn piece, this is pretty beautiful. Lettering is way off, could of used an actual letterer. The captions have got to go, they serve no purpose after about page one. But it creates its own kind of LIFE in its lines and colors. The character design is unique and solid. Just need to get rid of the captions, the insanely stupid 'to be continued', and the page eight cover art that just doesn't work.

GRADE: C+

Aleksander Christov: Assassin by Janine Frederick & Ken Frederick

You know, I liked it, but I would of liked it more if it had actually shown some spy stuff. What the comic is actually about. Yes, yes, the comic is about Aleks, but the schizm between the synopsis and the eight pages cannot be ignored. The artwork is absolutely top-notch, and the backstory is engaging, but it just didn't give me any sense of purpose by the end. Show him on a hit. Show flashbacks. Do something. There's room for a few more panels on those pages. Especially when the final line (... it makes you a KILLER) is so foreboding of the plot. It could of used a bit more gas.

GRADE: C+

Bernie's BOT by Michael Farah & Zane DeGaine

A childish comic that starts off with a much more violent flashforward. Initially confusing, by the end of page eight, you pretty much know what is going on. There is a brilliant silent page that informs you of a lot of the story, which I thought was fantastic. The robot designs are retro and great. My two main complaints are the fact that there is a "Preview" panel, and a film grain effect has been needlessly filtered on to the webcomic. The Preview Panel offers nothing to the existing comic, and the grain just makes it seem less genuine and more like a gimmick. If it wins, it should get rid of both.

GRADE: B

Leon and the Savage Fountain by Wesley Bernick

A wonderful bit of history getting comic treatment - and what a treatment it is! The art and shading pull no punches. The character design is flawless. The writing is decent, but the real stars here are the the colorist and artist. They infuse every panel with wonderful imagery, and the title page tells you everything you need to know about the ride that you are on. If it wins, Ponce de Leon will need to be fleshed out, because right now, the pirate crew has more life and personality than this drained-of-all-life Indiana Jones. Here's to hoping it does not fizzle out if it wins.

GRADE: C

The Adventures of Doc & Shok by Dustin Evans

I didn't get it. The synopsis, the art, the dialogue, it all did not jive with me. For one, everything seemed to meld together creating utter chaos. The "first bad guys" were interesting enough, but I didn't know anything about the good guys. I thought it was utter dreck, with a few interesting ideas and great shading.

GRADE: D

Avatar and the Harry Potter Effect

2010-03-07T11:50:00.000-08:00

It was no big secret that James Cameron’s mind-child, Avatar, was going to rake up some big Oscar nominations. So nobody blinked when it fell under Best Picture, Art Direction, Cinematography, Directing, Film Editing, Original Score, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing, and Visual Effects. Nine nominations versus Cameron’s previous fourteen for Titanic. Personally, the writer thinks it will most definitely take home Art, Score, both Sounds, and Effects. Best Picture and Best Director will go to Kathryn Bigelow’s The Hurt Locker (no, just trust me here), but Cameron could have brought home a Best Picture if he had submitted his film for one other category: Animated Feature.

It was the year 2000, the month of July. A little known book series called Harry Potter took the world by storm. Kids were reading again. Adults liked them, too. Publishers, however, did not. They disliked the Potter books because they threatened to topple the status quo over on the New York Times Bestseller List. The Potter books, then on the third of seven in the series, had all three top slots on the List. Thus, like the first immigrants stepping foot on to Ellis Island, the Harry books were sent to live in this new, miniscule kids section. Now, Avatar has a slightly reversed story. Imagine if Harry Potter had originally been given the chance to join the ranks of the kids table, but instead chose to fight for the adults section. Only, in this case, the kids table is far less superfluous. Would we have accepted this kids book that is supposed to be on the children’s list as fiction residing with the adults? Would we have accepted Avatar as an animated film?

Hardly anyone understands how television and movies are made. Hell, some things are even difficult to grasp once you do. People think TV shows are made in the span of a week, that movies don’t look and sound like garbage before they are cleaned up. So trying to explain not only CGI and 3D, but how Cameron shot and had his blue cat movie animated, would be a monumental task. Often, people just don’t want to know the details of how entertainment is made. That’s fine, but it has the nasty side-effect of creating a canyon when it comes to thinks like, say, separating an animated film from a live-action one in relation to award ceremonies.

Live action inside of animated films are not unheard of, nor is it vice versa. Mary Poppins, Rock-a-Doodle, The Incredible Mr. Limpet, SpongeBob SquarePants, and The Pagemaster are all guilty parties. But society needs order and cultural streamlining, so here is the official Oscar definition of what constitutes an animated film:

“An animated feature film is defined as a motion picture with a running time of at least 70 minutes, in which movement and characters' performances are created using a frame-by-frame technique. In addition, a significant number of the major characters must be animated, and animation must figure in no less than 75 percent of the picture's running time.”

According to James Cameron, the live action segments of Avatar take up 40% of the film, leaving 60% up to the animators. I’ll take the genius director who works with NASA’s word on that. So, according to the rules for Aniamated, it’s out. But what the rulemakers, much like the men and women in charge of what gets in the New York List, forget to take into account is the way in which the animation is executed. Sure, most of the interior of Hell’s Gate, the main human set, is live action and parts were filmed both in Hawaii and New Zealand. But almost every live action scene is 90% CGI. All of the military bridge/Selfridge’s area, all of the cryo-cruiser, everything “real” outside of the base… that’s all uncanny valley-stuff, where the real and the animated are indistinguishable.

Harry Potter was in the children’s category because it was a kids book. Up, Pixar’s blockbuster of the prior year, is in the Animated Feature category because it is a kids film. Avatar has swearing and a sex scene. So it’s a non-no, right?

Right?

American Games R Stupid

2010-03-02T17:32:00.000-08:00

Aliens vs. Predator:

"...We’ve had three totally shit reviews by some Americans..."

Final Fantasy 13:

"We think many reviewers are looking at Final Fantasy XIII from a western point of view."

Weird Geometry moved

2010-02-26T00:17:00.000-08:00

Weird Geometry has finally moved to its own site. By finally, I mean a few months after its birth.

ComicPress, the template that I use, is incredible - but it has so many bugs. After two days, I've finally figured out what to stay away from. I know what not to touch, lest the entire site die a horribly ridiculous death.

Break A Leg now on TV

2010-02-24T22:13:00.000-08:00

Break a Leg just got on FOX Italy. On television. This is an astounding leap, a webseries going to TV. Hopefully this unique precedent is indeed a precedent.

THE ROAD TO COMIC-CON 2010: Anaheim

2010-02-22T13:08:00.000-08:00

While I love San Diego, the thought of Comic-Con moving to the Anaheim Convention Center in 2013 wets my palette. There's so much more to do in Anaheim at night and during the day that is outside of a con. Hell, Disney alone has California, Disneyland, and Downtown Disney. This is to say nothing of the rumored third park - a Marvel park.

Marvel park + Comic-Con = you do the math.

Stephanie Meyer: On the Creation of the Werewolf

2010-02-22T10:52:00.000-08:00

This has got to be a hoax, but it reads like it could be true.

Lost: This. Is. It.

2010-02-16T17:31:00.000-08:00

Really, ABC?
How long did it take marketing to come up with the one?

Machinima.com and me

2010-02-15T11:08:00.000-08:00

A few years ago, the new management of the new Machinima.com contacted Kroze, our friend Alex, and myself, about a Crysis machinima we were doing called Eden: The Zhang Chronicles. It had gotten pretty popular among the Crysis community, and even among the CryTrk staff. So of course there was blood in the water.

We were all pretty hyped that Machinima.com wanted us. Well, except Kroze. So we set up a conference call. It was between Kroze, Alex, myself, someone from legal and someone from technical, and tech surprisingly did most of the talking.

Whereas I do not remember everything that was said due to this being so many years ago (I really meant to write this sooner), I remember specific instances, and I will bullet point them:

1) The rule of the day was, apparently, to make us feel like shit. We were to be thought of as worthless without them. Once we all began talking, the tones in their voices went to surprise. They honestly were surprised we were over the ages of ten (which is scary once you realize they try to scoop up people often). I hate to think that Felicia Day went through this, but then again, they probably kissed her rump like nothing else. After all, she has a hit webseries on XBL. That and the thought of roping in Nathan Fillion or Joss Whedon probably makes them explode.

2) In addition to making us feel like shit, they were very careful to make it sound like they were not giving this offer to anyone else. In reality, they give it to anyone and everyone. Quality does not matter.

3) "There are some guys that make more than we do"... bah. The pay system was this: they would only pay you after your video reached an obscenely-high number of hits. Unique hits. Even then, they would only pay you something like a few dollars for every hundred hits or so. When we asked if they were going to contact CryTek and EA Legal, they honest to God hesitated before saying "sure, if you want us to". In other words, full legal blame would most likely be shifted to the creator.

4) When asked about our rights as creators, they said we would have 100% creative control. Ten minutes later, they asked if we could split our twenty-odd minute episodes up into two ten minute segments. While we could compromise to that, they then asked us if we could change that to five minute episodes. Twenty minutes later, they started mumbling about how they would need to re-read the contract in order to verify the entire creative control deal.

5) When Alex talked about making sure that Eden was NOT set in the universe of its game (as, lets face it, 99% of every machinima is), they got really defensive. In fact, they got really defensive as soon as we revealed that we were not idiots. I even got the sense that they resented the fact that we were filmmakers.

6) Around this time, they started comparing themselves to Disney. I'm serious. An internet company based on stealing other people's hard work was comparing themselves to one of the top six motion picture studios in the United States of America. The name of John Lassiter was thrown around like it was a noun. Even I can't namedrop as fast as they did, or with such intensity. I'm embarrassed for these people if they truly believe this.

I forget how the phone call ended - in all honesty, I think it just ended - but they tried their damndest to get us to say 'yes' right then and there, without seeing a physical contract. We even told them to send them to us.

We never got anything.

Here's some further reading from this blog on Machinima.com's antics.

LAUNCH NIGHT: Bioshock 2/Dante's Inferno

2010-02-10T17:18:00.001-08:00

I was amazed at the lack of a line for games like Mass Effect, MAG, and Dante's Inferno (the only non-PC game in the lineup so far). Well, I guess there's a story here after all. It's been rumored that the internet would replace retail for video games as early as 2011. It seems to be coming true.

Zuda: Feb' 2010

2010-02-08T15:14:00.001-08:00

The above comic will will appearing on both Bill Blankenship's site as well as Chuck Harrison's. It's a very nice gesture.

Due to popular demand, the grading system is back! But of course, if you don't feel like reading some dude's ramblings about this month's batch of contestants, please do read Sam Little/Gabe Ostley's recently rejected pitch, Iguananauts! If you enjoy random happenstance, you will love the hell out of it!

We have a real crowd-pleasing lineup this month: Jorge "Bloody Pulp" Vega, Scott "Turtle" Boyce, fan favorite Alexander "The Anonymous Panda" Diochon, Marco "One Eye" Palombelli, returning after a long hiatus from his last defeat, Shawn "Mad Dog" Aldrige, and rounding it out, Livejournal's very own Ryan "La Muerte" Estrada.

Will one of the newcomers cause an upset? Will they topple this house of pain? Only time (or the first two weeks) will tell.

On another note, these next few months may be my last. It's getting harder and harder for me to focus on reviewing with grad apps, Weird Geometry, my iPhone venture (which I'm sure I'll talk about if I have not already and just forgot), and disability, and part of me doe not feel this is fun anymore.

I'll be sure to show this post to Kroze, tomorrow, though; he hates the shit out of Zuda and does not understand why I keep up with it.
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New Morning by Louie Chin

There are two huge problems with this comic: one, the Synopsis Curse. Don't tell the entire story, especially if it is not included in the pitch. Two: humor does not equal dialogue. Just being clever and even outlandish are not enough factors to make a script. The plot has potential, but it is marred with a gimmick. At least, the plot WE see. It's entirely enough that the pirates have a nosy boy sidekick, we don't need a backstory for him, and we don't need a backstory that takes place in the SYNOPSIS. So many comics have come before and done this that it is not even funny. It's almost as if people don't READ Zuda before submitting - and by that I mean they don't understand it. I don't get the feeling that the writer/artist knew what he was getting into. As for the art, it is way too confusing. Everything bleeds into everything else. The imagery is not solid, it's all over the place color-wise and placement-wise. This is especially apparent when the pirates transform into fish. It's definitely got shades of the epic scope of tales like The Count of Monte Cristo and Treasure Island (which ultimately saves it from an F), but none of the appeal.

GRADE: D-

Hawkrider by Marco Palombelli

All except for a typo and a very odd experimental "panel" on the first page, this webcomic is pretty much good to go. While I was initially scared off by the scope of the synopsis, Palombelli plays his hand very well and squeezes it all in. The only thing that really stands out is the pacing. While it is clear what happened in between the pages, what would of really hit it home would of been a few transition panels. Maybe even only one. Also: color. There's no reason for this comic NOT to have it. The plot is clearly defined and extremely Neverending Story-ish, with its own style of adventure and legend. With polish, it could go far.

GRADE: B+

Island, Alone by Rich Fuscia & Shawn Aldridge

Mad Dog Aldridge has done super-comedy with Vic Boone, and it seems like he can write Lost really well, too.; judging from his latest venture, all we need is a smoke monster. It's a fairly cliched premise: man gets shipwrecked, ends up on weird island. What makes it work is Fuscia's uncanny knack for making it look like something we have never seen before. The first page is simple enough, and then without warning, BIG GIANT MONSTERS START TEARING THE PLACE UP. Big, giant, and lovingly detailed and designed. The dialogue does what it needs to do, and the secondary character of the prerequisite Native Girl says all she needs to say: friend or not friend. Instead of being curious and cautious, she tells our hero exactly who not to goof around with. We know who has the power in this relationship. While the script would still stand on its own without the art, the art is what propels it forward.

GRADE: A+

Gelgun by Lazarus Ray Berry

I liked this. Completely. Conan the Barbarian meets Lewis Carrol. The writing is probably the best that's ever been on Zuda since Street Code. It's clever, and it finds what it needs to say in record time. Nothing feels superfluous. The writer simply was not afraid to take risks, or to limit themselves. It is hilarious while at the same time not disregarding the original concept. Each character is so very different in art style. It draws you in. The story structure twist and turns, what with revealing the girl to be the driving force in the story instead of the main character. This newcomer is bringing something to the table, something that the veterans should be very wary of.

GRADE: A+

Monsterplex by Brock Heasley, David Schlotterback & Michael DeVito

Of course a webcomic like this has to be in the month that The Wolfman remake comes out. The concept is great, both bringing up images of Universal Monsters and such zany workplace comedies as The Office and Party Down. I enjoyed how he got around the synopsis curse by choosing a more stream-of-thought approach, the only problem I saw was the ominous "Corporate is evil lol" language that in no way is reflected in the script. As for said script, it introduces each character with the gusto of a Saturday morning superhero show. You get a sense of not only who they are through their actions, but how they see the world. There's enough padding in the dialogue to lead the reader to understand that the world of Monsterplex is a whole lot bigger than just a cinema that employs real monsters, and all of it feels natural. None of the words feel forced. I hope that the three creators split their prize money and future checks wisely. If they SURVIVE.

GRADE: A+

Fulcrum by Alexander Diochon

Prison Break meets every single ghost-free Stephen King story about small towns. The concept is solid. Diochon seems to be experimenting with panel placement here, and it really does not work that well. I just couldn't read in columns and then suddenly in rows and back and forth and so on. The art is good for black and white - I just couldn't get into the main character, Markes. He just looked wrong. His dialogue was extremely fleshy, but mixed with his design, it just was very odd.

GRADE: C

Sci-Fi Drive By by Ryan Estrada

Ryan Estrada es muy macho. Es muy fertile. Es muy peligroso en la coche. Ryan Estrada, lest you forget his name, is a wild card. A shark. He can go toe to toe with the best of them. The inclusion of La Muerte Estrada in this month's competition makes things very interesting, especially when you consider the skill of the rest of the competitors and upset of his last venture into Zuda. Sadly, his latest pitch doesn't carry the same weight as his former. The jokes are there, and the jokes are GOOD, but the story structure doesn't really seem like it has a very good plot. These kinds of stories NEED plots, and just going back and forth doesn't cut it. His artwork and dialogue, however, is always impeccable. The simplistic design of the aliens mixed with th hilariously dumb but intelligent things they say make me want them want to invade my world so I can repel them.

GRADE: B-

Divide by Seven by Scott Boyce

Bad art, bad script, lovely story told through the SYNOPSIS. I get the feeling that Boyce likes to draw monsters so much that he forces them into the story. We are told absolutely nothing in the pitch, much like Boyce's previous entry. All of the dialogue makes no sense because we are not given any context. Sure, we can figure out a little bit of what is going on by page seven, but only in the slightest. We get that there are other "recipients" of powers, and that there is a huge and mean villain. But nothing else makes sense. No idea of who these guys or girls are, or what the bad guy has to do with anything. Or what the monsters do, which is not so bad, except that it - as stated before - feels amazingly forced. For a title that alludes to the seven recipients, the horribly long synopsis sure makes it sound a lot like one person's journey. Which is not great.

GRADE: F

Techno Insecto by Samir Barrett

This one reminds me of every single action movie made in the 1980s mixed with every single comic book made in the Golden Age. If not for the SYNOPSIS CURSE, it would be passable except for some amazingly bad dialogue. Not corny, just bad. "It's you, the Techno-Organic Insectoid Mechnism" is the worst. We clearly see it is an insect. We clearly see it is techno. There's some nice show-and-tell exposition, but not enough of it to actually have any lasting impact. The coloring is the standout of this piece. It is clear, vivid, and wonderfully atmospheric. The humor worked for what it was ("Holy crap" and "I know I talk a lot, but...").

GRADE: C+

Aliens vs. Ninja vs. Samurai by Darrin Stephens & Jorge Vega

This one almost got away with the synopsis (which was quite short), but instead, only goes for the reveal of the titular aliens on the last page. The dialogue was good (well, up until the final page) and quite frankly so epic in its humor ("We brought gifts. Enjoy." - cue arrows). It felt as if both the Samurai and Ninja sides had both been realized, which is hard, because the only thing to happen in eight pages is a big battle. But the artwork and the coloring were top-notch. The character design was very lively in its cartoon-style. It just should of got to the meat sooner. The battle could of been much shorter, the use of panels was wasted. Too few.

GRADE: C+

LAUNCH NIGHT: Mass Effect 2/MAG

2010-01-26T00:46:00.000-08:00

Tonight, I hit up the local GameStop on Moorpark Road for the dual release of Mass Effect 2 and MAG. It was an amazingly small line.

The Launch Project launches

2010-01-25T18:03:00.000-08:00

I've decided to start a new project called The Launch Project. TLP for short, even though TLP is a horrible squishy name.

Starting with tonight's midnight launch of Mass Effect, I will be taking photographic documentation of a year's worth of game launches.

Why video game launches? Why not something important? Because I believe that the video game community is like any other type of community: in that it exists. It has a structure. For a few hours at the end of night, these people come together to meet face to face in order to witness a birth. It's really rather neat.

... and that is important. It's our culture.

The Ballad of Microsoft and BioWare

2010-01-25T12:25:00.000-08:00

A few years ago, the RPG giant, BioWare, made a deal with Microsoft to create an outer space trilogy, Mass Effect, that would span the life of the Xbox 360.

A month ago, Microsoft delayed the expansion of one of BioWare's game (it is still not out), Dragon Age, because it needed to certify the thing. BioWare waited because they wanted a cross-platform launch.

A few weeks ago, Microsoft - without telling BioWare - released the expansion, Return to Ostagar. In its unfinished state, the expansion actually REVERTED many of the players stats. Microsoft then pulls it.

Today, Microsoft released and then pulled a bunch of free Mass Effect 2 content. I'm not entirely sure they were mistakes anymore.

I think you need a new daddy to pay the bills, Bio.

ScriptPHD's Caprica Review

2010-01-19T23:24:00.001-08:00

My review of the first three episodes of SyFy's Caprica are up on ScriptPHD.

Zuda Drama + Failed(?) Werewolves Project

2010-01-19T11:05:00.000-08:00

Well, over on Zuda, I seem to have caused quite the commotion when the artist of Thunderchickens found fault in my latest Weird Geometry crossover. The chicken's laser beams were mistook for a phallus of massive, blue proportions.

I do formally apologize for the confusion. It's not a wing-wang.

I do not, however, apologize for being "sloppy", "unpolished", "unprofessional", or even "a cancer to society", as I have been called in the past. Because for every nasty comment that I accept on my blog and on Weird Geometry, there are ten more that I reject.

I will never give an apologize on that level for what I draw or what I write. Nobody should ever have to apologize for their current skill, or for their thoughts. People that waste their time getting mad at you for simply being you and nothing else are not worth dirt and should not be listened to.

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I just received some concept art from one of the many artists who tried to bring my werewolf comic to life a year ago as a Zuda pitch. I went through at least five, and had Dani Serra, interested. I stated on the forums over there that I don't think I would ever submit again, let alone the werewolf project.If I ever DID submit again, I feel this is the most solid idea that I can safely part with. Part with 50%, at least. If not Zuda, I'd love to pitch it to another publisher, or even do the eight pages as a sort of short. Small Press Idol is holding pre-reg for their 2010 competition...

This is from Peter Ludeking:

The project was originally envisioned as a short film. My friend and frequent actor, Shyam Sengupta, was on the hunt for something to shoot on the quick. I wrote up a script involving five werewolves, and in a Pulp Fiction twist, each would have their own segment of the film. I added my own bit where each segment would be a different day, with Friday culminating in a huge Halloween bash where all of the plotlines collided in a fireworks display of awesome.

It never happened.

The idea to turn it into a comic was far too painful than it needed to be. I really thought my script could work. I'd do it myself if needed. Hell, I'm a filmmaker,right? In all possibility, I still could. Eventually, I rewrote the script into a comic format (thank God for Final Draft's new comic template). Surprisingly enough, the conversion process was quite fun. I had to shorten it to simply the first scene, and I needed to drop the time twisting for the future, but it turned out solid. It could work.

This is Nathan Ooten:

I had a team, and was pretty sure it was a go this time. Nate, me, my colorist, Joenis Norac. Joenis managed to be the only one to stay on through all iterations.

My next idea was a book, but I just can't write them. I don't know why. I have such a hard time writing in that fashion. I ended up doodling a good first chapter, but then got stuck. It felt wrong. I was trying to do the comic script in a narrative format. While that worked for some parts, it did not for others. I was trying to detail my main character's history with her group and not directly say they were werewolves (although it was pretty obvious) and try to foreshadow the part of the book where the comic begins.... ugh. It didn't work.

It was going to be based in my old college stomping grounds of UC Santa Cruz:

Santa Cruz for many reasons: The Lost Boys was filmed there, it was a vast wilderness, and the obvious metaphor. Each werewolf would be a different year. Kate was a junior (but a freshman werewolf... hah hah), Paul was a sophomore, Leslie (who is not in the concept art) was a freshman, Biscuit was a drop-out, and Michael Shaw was the senior. I wanted to focus on them as a makeshift family. I wanted to play with what family meant, both in context of being a lycanthrope, and being a human. How do you deal with having a double life, one where you can kill people if not properly supervised? Yes, my wolves would not be the kind that retain their people skills when turned. Well, one would, but that's a plot device. But it wouldn't fall into the traps of, say, Underworld, the most horrible film of all-time.

With High Moon dominating the charts, I don't think Zuda would of considered it even if it had been submitted. Then again, how many zombie comics are there? So who is to say, really? I'd just need an artist. Even without Zuda as the endgame, I'd still need an artist.

Aye, there's the rub.

(Of course, now I can see nothing but a wing-wang)

James Cameron invented Halo

2010-01-12T23:27:00.000-08:00

In a move both classy and entirely deconstructively patronizing (not to mention ironic), James Cameron responds to the people saying Avatar copied Halo by replying that Halo copied Aliens.

The Kind You Don't Bring Home To Mother's fundraising campaign

2010-01-12T14:29:00.000-08:00

Well, Ryan Estrada, creator of Frank and Zuda-loser, The Kind You Don't Bring Home To Mother, is stealing my idea.

He's trying to fund an animated TKYDBHTM movie through donations. Which just may work. He has enough of a fanbase, and people love helping out with anything community-related.

It's an interesting idea and I wish him luck.

(Yes, I do know how indie films get made)

ZUDA:JANUARY2010

2010-01-08T13:48:00.001-08:00

I thought about doing video reviews, but I'm sick, and that would be good for nobody.

War of the Woods by Matthew Petz

So, yeah. This comic is kind of amazing. It takes the best parts of Secret of Nihm and somehow manages to avoid making it feel like some pretentious douchebag is trying to imitate his childhood. I love how the animals talk differently, and you get a sense of who is who in this odd little community right off the bat. The art, while Super Serious, works; and while the aliens looks rather silly, one gets the impression that this is not the point. Also, how could you NOT love an Owl called Mr. Wisefeather? I can see this extending far beyond 60 pages.

NewBot by Chuck Harrison

I like the idea, and for the most part, a comic done completely in binary - this comic done completely in binary - works. The Edward Scissorhands-esque death scene could of been polished up a bit more, though. But the narrative comes off crystal clear. You know what is going on. It's hard to do that with something as odd as digital language. It works, though, because we are interested in robots. We like technology. If NewBot's adventures keep coming at us this streamlined (and not too complex), then this might fare quite well.

War of the Fallen by Quinton J. Bedwell

The presentation is excellent, from the artwork to the story structure. Ideally, I would of liked our heroes to have had their second meeting in less than a Deus ex Machina, and the reveal could of been done on the final page, rather than right after the lecture on the titular Fallen, but these are details that only are weakened by a small amount in their finalized state. The lack of commas and acronymal periods on page one were both disturbing and distracting, although the dialogue never felt less than real. My only real complaint is with the Fallen themselves: they are much too ordinary. I was expecting some sort of bodily reveal by page seven or eight, but instead we get teeth and claws. Oh well, hopefully we'll see more if this gets picked up. I cannot believe I just did that without one Hasbro/Michael Bay reference.

The Thunderchickens by William Dean Blankenship Jr. & Chad Boudreau

Every competition, or at least every other competition, or ever OTHER competition, there is a strip that I just WANT to like, but DON'T. Thunderchickens is.... a great experiment. It mixes in many, many different ideas and makes them feel wanted within eight pages of introduction. The art and color is superb. The Conspiracy Carp. The names of the villains. The frickin' senile superhero grandpa (who deserves an Oscar for being the definition of awesome). Oh, how we love crazy old folk. The crazier the better. But the writing is ungodly horrible. It was such a huge let-down for me. Spaceray has no character, and Scratch is simply a brat. The synopsis says it is a coming of age tale about family, but the dialogue between our two main characters is straight out of Star Wars II. Which is sad, because everything else is near perfection for the style they are going for.

Phantom Sword by Nick Edwards

Nintendo called. They want The Legend of Zelda back.

Honestly, I had a tough time getting through this. It was a video game in comic form. That did not interest me at all. It was not only a huge cop-out, but it showcased a complete lack of effort. It did not help that each "boss" had their own panel. Hopefully, those guys won't come back and they actually are not "bosses". The main character was annoying, and Gump felt like he had a lot of potential, but the only real thing he ever did was cast magic. Gregory was probably the only saving grace in this entire thing. He was an awesome concept and wonderfully designed. But then we go straight into "the quest" - complete with QUEST ACCEPTED text. Go back and make something original. Submit it to Zuda. That I would like to see.

Iron Sam by David Dumeer

So, it starts out with our hero rescuing a damsel... which is fine and all, except for the fact that, by the end of it all, we have no idea who either of our characters are. Some dialogue between them or even from the girl would of been nice. Anyways. Back to the beginning. Once we meet our hero, Iron Sam, a robotic samurai, people start dying. They start dying in ways that just seem gory to b gory. Grit for grit is not classy. Besides the fact that the entire eight pages is one big fight, it's not even a good fight. We have a guy who is connected to the rest of his body by what looks like a rope. For what reason? Our hero is a badass? Dangerous? If you are going to make your hero recognizable and understandable as a badass, give him some character design (not just a C3PO model) and some dialogue other than "compute" and "attack". Because dialogue is what makes a character %50 badass. I just didn't feel anything for this webcomic at all.

Pavlov's Dream by Shari Chankhamma

Other than the pace being off and the dreaded synopsis curse (it's far too long and expository), I can't really see anything really outstandingly wrong with this comic. It's like the C.S. Lewis version of an H.P. Lovecraft story. The use of pictograms as well as actual text is great. The character of the Shadow is a nice and slow introduction to the Land of the Dead, and you can tell he will be a great guide, good or evil. I got a sense of who the characters are. This might stand a chance now that Imaginary Boys is in its off-season, but if picked, I can see it really having to put up a fight in order to prove itself.

Road Monster by Nicolás Raúl Sánchez Brondo & Diego Cortés

I liked this comic better when it was on the CW and called Supernatural, and I have not liked Supernatural in four years. Father is a hunter of demons? Check. Son is a hunter of demons? Check. Father and son drive around in a car fighting demons? Check. The main characters are cursed? Check. I mean, it IS Erik Kripke's show. There is absolutely nothing different that sets this comic apart from Supernatural's premise and plot. Secondly, "directed by"? Seriously? See, that foul-smelling tomfoolery right there tells me up front how serious the creators want me to take this comic, as if it is undeniable in it's credibility. I don't even know what "directed by" means. Art? Just say "art by".

Next.

Candy from Strangers by Jim Rodgers & Byron Jackson

Okay, so I liked this comic. I really did. It reads like a spiritual prequel to Pray 4 Death, and we all know how incredibly biased I am in that area. I also love the hell out of Badlands, and this gave me that vibe ("do you want to hear what it sounds like?"). But then you get to the synopsis. The synopsis that has literally nothing to do with the pitch. Like Marlon Brando, this webcomic could of been a contender (did I already do that joke?), but because of the bloody synopsis having nothing to do with what I had just read... yeah. No. There is literally nothing to connect the synopsis to the actual eight pages, which is something it desperately needed if it was going to do a story overview (which still would of been bad, just not AS bad). It's a huge turn-off. It makes me, as a reader, feel patronized.

Beyond the Borderlands by Brian McLachlan

Speaking of Lovecraft, this comic gives off a very Mythos-ian vibe. You could even mistake Jellyfish Cove for Innsmouth. Heck, the main character, Norm the Tree-Man, is basically a Deep One hybrid already. With most of the comics this month, the problem here lies in the pace of the thing. Art is great, text is so-so but it works well enough, and the character designs are wonderful. Color is bright and vibrant. It really helps make things feel alive. Just the pacing. It felt as if more panels could of been crammed in to pages, or at least simplified with telling action. I understood WHY everything needed to be told, and in that sense, the writers did an amazing job with their eight pages already; but it just felt like they could of at least arrived at Jellyfish Cove a page or two sooner. Anyhow, it has potential to go past 60. Great title.

Avatar is not Pocahontas

2009-12-30T02:17:00.000-08:00

More and more, starting out steady and then flooding in like a bursting dam, I hear people comparing Avatar to Pocahontas. I hear this almost on a daily basis now.

This concerns me. Tons.

I know that they mean the Disney version of Pocahontas when they make the comparison. Both are animated. Both are love stories - or rather, one has a love story in it. Both are about a white guy that saves some natives from other white guys. But that's just it: they mean the Disney version.

The Disney version is, at best, one of the most ridiculous tales about colonial relations with Native Americans since Columbus Day. If anyone were to do some actual research into the matter, they would find a spotty history told exclusively from Smith's point of view and a ten-year old Pocahontas that barely knew the man. Now, depending on what literature you read on the matter - and especially for the Disney film - this would make John Smith a pedophile. What makes things worse is that some idiot at Disney thought that nobody would pick up on the fact that they are basically selling pedophilia to children, right in front of their parents; statistically, some of which who actually knew the convoluted "true" story of Pocahontas.

The fact that Disney has this much authority over what we think bothers me. It is essentially retconning both culture and history.

I'm not even going to get into the fact that Avatar doesn't even resemble the plot of Disney's version. That's besides the point.

I think Avatar is just a rip-off of Schindler's List, to be honest.

War on Christmas

2009-12-23T01:04:00.000-08:00

I come from a Catholic family, so of course we celebrate Christmas. For me, especially this year, it's been harder and harder to actually "feel" the season. It's most likely because I'm older, but this happens all over. Why is Christmas celebrated the most out of all of the religious holidays? Of course, since it is celebrated the most by non-religious folk, that's why there's a War on it. It also doesn't help that Christ is in there, but it's not really pronounced in the word as a whole. I have always thought of Christmas and New Years as intertwined, just a bash to celebrate the end of the entire prior mini-era.

My plan to spend under $20 this season (at the Dollar Store) didn't work.

I think I'm going to edit the STD site for the New Year. Nick's brother, Ray, is going to take a crack at editing the remaining stuff.

Fran Kranz

2009-12-21T00:48:00.000-08:00

So, I was flipping through Hulu the other day, and I decided to watch Dollhouse just to see if it had improved in it's final five episodes. So, I was flipping through Hulu the other day, and I decided to watch Dollhouse just to see if it had improved in it's final five episodes.

Fran Kranz is a good actor. I've liked him ever since The TV Set. But his character... has the worst lines ever written. I get that he is supposed to be arrogant in his humor, but his complex, witty lines just are not witty. They are just complex. He's like the entire first season of Buffy, a season of one of Joss' shows that relied way too much on being clever (and, I believe, was partially the inspiration for Juno). But enough about that. I'm just cranky.

Pray 4 Death nominated for Best Webcomic!

2009-12-17T01:48:00.000-08:00

Pray 4 Death has been nominated for Comicmonsters.com's first ever horror comic contest! But Brian, you may ask, don't you have a thing against random, web-based awards that you have never mentioned before on this blog?

Yes.

But you are going to vote for this comic anyways.

Voting begins December 24th and ends on New Years Eve. Register, vote, and then celebrate by playing some Left 4 Dead!

Go! Go! Go!

Carpet

2009-12-16T08:44:00.000-08:00

Do convention centers all buy their carpeting from the same place?

Just wondering.

The Greaterest Screenwriting Tips You Will Ever Read

2009-12-13T00:59:00.000-08:00

Over on his blog, evil non-Christmas worshipping Yuri Baranovsky has taken it upon himself to craft an entry proclaiming The Greatest Screenwriting Tips You Will Ever Read. Doesn't he know that hefty task should be left to Felicia Day, or J.J. Abrams, creator of Lost?

Or, you know, me?

Here is my response to Mr. Baranovsky. Nine tips that are five times better than his nine tips. These are The Greaterest Screenwriting Tips You Will Ever Read:

1) Writing is the #1 priority

You already have a lot of things in your head, so why should you have to worry about the things that happen around you, or in direct effect of what you do or do not do? Someone else will feed your pets, because quite simply, you come from a long and noble line of artists, and Robert Burns didn't take crap from anyone when he was locked in his study for six hours straight. He was perfecting his craft. It helps if you live with your parents. You need to be constantly perfecting your craft. Your stomach will let you know when it cannot function any longer without food. By this time, you may not be able to make the trek to the kitchen, but be strong and you will prevail.

2) Get Acclimated to Criticism

By this, I mean get used to criticism, and learn how to filter the good (praise) from the bad (anyone who says otherwise). The best place to do this is the internet. There are literally HUNDREDS of fanfiction sites out there for you to dangle your creative feet. I wouldn't suggest trying out slash fiction until you are more mature in your tastes. It's like Donkey Kong 2. You can't get to it without beating Donkey Kong. Remember: one of they key features in bad criticism is if the critic is older than you (watch out for college-age writers) or they use language that you deem inappropriate for proper criticism. True critics will always find something good about your work. It is their "job" to do so. Oh, one last thing: watch out for anyone in the industry. They are out to steal your ideas. Even the ones you don't have yet. To respond to this, go it alone at everything you do. Never accept advice from anyone who you think could help you get ahead in life (so you might want to stay away from Film School). The worst way to sell out is to achieve your dreams.

3) Torture your characters

Nothing moves a script along like violence, or some other form of unexpected drama. If it is happening to a character we like, the stakes raise considerably and you'll burn through those pages like a hot knife through butter. Find ways to utterly f*** up your characters lives. Maybe Timmy finds out that his 16-year old girlfriend is pregnant (you should definitely make Timmy at least five years older), or Lane gets kidnapped by Russian Terrorists - but it's really their long-long father, Osama Bin Laden, who has to beat them in order to find out where the diamonds he hid years ago are (you should definitely make Lane a female)! Hollywood was built on drama - no, really, Wikipedia the name Jack Warner. It's something that has never changed. When writing a script, who are you to change the status quo? I realize this may conflict with #2, but it really doesn't.

4) Cut all unnecessary chatter

Don't try to find what others have called "a writing space". Some may mask the fact that they subscribe to this by calling it "background movement" or "brain stimulation". The fact of the matter is that silence is golden. You don't need outside sources influencing your epic nature. You are a human being, and as such, have experienced every emotion known to mankind. You can call it up just like a computer opens a program. Even if you have to stare at the screen for an entire night while your parents sleep, it will be worth it. Van Gough cut off his own ear, do you really think he did that because he heard voices?

5) Don't Be Afraid To Erase Everything You've Written Thus Far

Writer's Block is your friend. It may sound stupid. But it is true. Writer's Block tells you a very important thing: that what you have just written is garbage. It's like when you die in a video game. You have to go back to the beginning of the level until you get it right. Trust me, if you have Writer's Block, then the story you have written is not the one you should of written, and your brain is finally playing catch up. Writing is very simple, and nobody wants to spend hours trying to make an unworkable scene work. If it is broken, don't even try to fix it. Just start over.

6) When Creativity Fails, Don't look for stimulation

When you go beyond Writer's Block and just can't possibly work on your script that day, chances are it will be the same tomorrow, or maybe even the entire week. In this case, you should probably play video games.

7) Don't write anything that is unrelated to your current project

This one should be a no-brainer. Why bother with fleeting ideas if they have nothing to do with your Werewolf Love Story? Focus is key. Without focus, how can you complete the great work of the 21st century? So put away all side ideas or concepts since they will only get in the way of what you set out to do on Tuesday. If someone comes to you with another project, turn them down even if it has a chance of going somewhere. You are in no position to be taking risks. Don't even think about writing down quick little quips here and there, as those are like Heroin. We all know where Heroin leads.

8) Do drugs

Lewis Carroll and David Mamet both did narcotics at least once in their respective lifetimes, and we know what literature came out of those adventures down the rabbit hole. As a writer, you owe it to yourself and your reader to write at least one work while stoned, high, or intoxicated. But remember that you'll need to make rewrites, so make sure to buy enough for multiple incidents of altered states.

9) Edit forever

A script is never done, especially when it's been worked on for ten years or when it has been produced on television. It is said that humans change their personalities every seven years. Consider those your "seven year drafts".

Fin.

Blackout.

Fade Out.

Whatever.

If I only had a brain...

2009-12-09T18:14:00.000-08:00

I got 520 on my GRE's verbal.

WEEEEEEEE!

Zuda: December 2009

2009-12-07T12:24:00.001-08:00

This month, I'm finally doing away with the grading system. With the Star Chamber gone, there's no reason to remind myself what I'm going to grade for that system.

Villain by Gregory Smallwood

One of the best Page Eight Enders in a while. Not really a cliffhanger, but it definitely is a harbinger of things to come, plus it eases us in to the reveal of the final situation our "hero" is in. I was initially afraid that this would be a rehash of last month's Children of the Sewers, and that we would be stuck with a psycho that we cannot possibly feel for; but the writer does such a good job of explaining Shockwave's morality that it never gets that far. e don't exactly root for him, but we understand him. We don't exactly agree with his conclusions about right and wrong (because, come on, anyone that has gone through college-level psychology walks away with the idea that half of the founders of the science were overanalyzing jerks), but we get it. The art style also helps situate us into the world, slick and modern, yet not to over-the-top. I like how the superheroes are never fleshed out, only bantered with, fought, and referred to. It may risk losing votes due to the Salvation Run similarities, but I think it could retain even more.

Unseen Tribe by Luciano Vecchio

Honestly, I do not understand why people think it is okay to give the entire exposition in the synopsis. I really don't. What if you had to buy the cliff notes of Harry Potter in order to figure out who Voldemort was, or the Dursley family? I'm on Team Dursley, by the way. I love them. Out of every single character in the Potter franchise, the Dursley's are the most real in their ignorant and monotonous lives. But enough about Harry Potter. On to the Power Rangers webcomic. Because that's all this is: yet another Zuda entry that feels like a card game/RPG/popular pop culture thing. It's a giant insult to the intelligence of the reader. It's not even kid's comic material, it's just stupid, because we want to read amazing stories. We want to go places. To subject the reader to packaged and bottled marketing/idiot box rehash is... ugh. Yes, the art is bloody fantastic, but everything else is rather bland. The bad guy even grows into a larger, badder guy at the end. The characters are color-coded, and one hopes the reason is for something other than forgetting who is who. The dialogue is uber-lame. There's just nothing original about this guy, save for one of the powers being able to see the aura of nature.

Sub Suelo by Alfredo Rodríguez & Gabriel Rodríguez

There' a story here. A very good story. It's just marred by the pace of a cheetah when it feels like it should be paced like an ox. The dialogue is good, the script is good, it's just that the pace is horrible. The main character, Roman, also seems a bit too eager to fight what he can only imagine is a very scary gang member. This month so far is really great in the art department, with Sub Suelo being no exception. The entire concept of every character being able to use portals at will is fun, and it leads to one of the most awesome parts of the weird fight scene. Ultimately, though, this webcomic is hindered by its own want to tell a story.

Daemon's Sphere by Andrew Hartman

The silence makes it feel like Indiana Jones, the dialogue makes it feel like The X-Files. And Indiana Jones. There's the classic betrayal (mixed with an awesomely written dialogue twist), the post-reveal capture, the historical timeline, and even the "how is this connected?" weirdness on the other side of the world. The banter between our two heroes is fast paced and gives you a feel of who they are in relation to one another. Too bad the balloons themselves are semi-transparent. It rather threw me out of the webcomic a bit. It didn't look hip or cool, or even new. The idea of decoy booby traps was great. Like Indiana Jones (and The X-Files), I could see this going in all kinds of directions.

Mark Wolfchild by Li Shi Peng

This may be the first time that I feel the need to comment on a synopsis, but I do. Not only is it way too long, but some of the phrasing completely fried my brain. Reading the webcomic, I got why that was: they were treating the synopsis as it was an extension of the script. Which is possibly more a negative than ever. Anyhow. The script, in itself, up to the last few pages, is great. It's dry, it's informative, and we totally get who the main character is even before the real story begins. He's like Turner in the opening credits of Turner & Hooch. But then it ruins it by becoming some sort of J.J. Abrams spy thriller where shit just happens - and then more confusing shit just happens. As long as we've dived into the downsides, the art is static and bleeds in to itself. But the design of the world is very, very nice. To be honest, I want to see more, but I don't want to see any more. They should of just stuck with their streamlined, original plot instead of going down the rabbit hole of strangeness. Would of got my vote.

Jason and the Argonauts Redux by Barry Keegan

The title is horrible. If it wins, it needs a new one. Maybe something like Devil's Wake (bada ching). But seriously - I liked nothing about this comic. It's... Jason and the Argonauts... with robots. Okay. So? Why robots? Reading the synopsis, it doesn't explain this as I was thinking it might. It just repeats my question "why robots?"; which is a horrible cop-out. That's not a story. It does not make a tale - no matter how classic - worthy of being retold. If Keegan were trying to sell it as a Sci-Fi Original Series, it would sell instantly. Because holy crap, it's Jason and the Argonauts BUT WITH ROBOTS. When Kirkland was trying to sell The Walking Dead to Image, they initially would not buy it. Then he told them 'it's zombies - WITH ALIENS'. So that's why The Walking Dead is on stands today. Because of a lie to unimaginative people. Hopefully, Keegan does not think that the Zuda editors nor the readers of Zuda are idiots. I would gladly read a Jason story if it were well written and kept my imagination. But this does neither. It simply has robots.

The House Always Wins by Josh Hechinger & John Bivens

The synopsis sounds brilliant. Ty Pennington versus a haunted house. But we don't actually get any of it in the eight pages given. Sure, the eight pages set up the paranormal investigators real well, but is there some reason why this couldn't of been done parallel to the actual plot? Flashbacks as we meet the crew? Although, the concept of defeating a TV Ghost by destroying the TV is a thing of pure beauty. The art is magnificent, as is the characterization and the dialogue. The age of parody is upon us, what with 30 Rock both redefining and deconstructing the very concept of how television works, and Ghost Hunters being Ghost Hunters. Everyone wants in. The House Aways Wins (a truly great title) feels like the perfect parody: taking itself seriously while at the same time not caring about appearances at all. It is very rare to get a hold of both worlds, and House may have it. They just need to show more of what they want to do, and hopefully not in the way Dollhouse Season 2 is.

One Hit Knock Out by Maximo V. Lorenzo

Art is bland. The design of the "Power Glove" - being an actual Power Glove - is cute. Everything else, not so much. I really did not like how the dialogue and the panels were laid out in the middle of the webcomic. It makes an already disjointed fight scene feel all the more screwed up. William seems like just another stock villain given a black overcoat in order to make us feel like we already know him. Besides the Power Glove, the only other side I liked was the comment about "I'm not listening to you, you read so-and-so comic". That felt very real. But the rest was nothing special.

Goop Jr. by Mike Robinson

Michigan is a great and overlooked setting for any story, fantasy or otherwise. It is amazingly diverse in its seasons and landscape. Its historical significance dates back to the American Revolution. Oh, and it apparently has bigfoot. This webcomic is filled with ideas. Bigfoot is not the enemy, he just is the carrier. Two of his boogers gain life, pushed out by this disease, and have to stop their very father. Teaming up with humans is always fun, and it is of course a father and son team. So it really bothered me that the dialogue and script were so very lame. It quite simply did not know what it wanted to be. A gag strip, a comedy-adventure, or a comedy-epic. The best page was the one where Goop Jr. reacts to Goop Sr. getting hit by a car. We all know he is going to survive due to his viscous nature, but the simple and yet horrified question from Goop Jr. of "... dad?" is wonderful. Too bad the rest of it is all fluff.

Ayanna by Wai Kwong Chan

The... eyes... in this thing.... are going to give me nightmares. They just roll around in the sockets. Typo on the first page. Bad grammar. My mind hurts. I just didn't understand any of what was going on. It just started happening. And now she gets a spear! And now the lizard-men look into her mind! This strip says 'Sunday Comic' to me, which is not really a good thing. If there was any kind of exposition, this would of been a little better. All of it. But sadly, there is nothing to push the reader into the story.

Desert Bus: 127k

2009-11-26T08:02:00.000-08:00

Desert Bus just went over 127k, and they have an hour and thirty three minutes left to go. If you have not yet, donate.

Desert Bus III is a go!

2009-11-21T00:09:00.001-08:00

Go and donate for the kids.

SGU Follow-Up: Apology Accepted

2009-11-14T00:30:00.000-08:00

As if feeling bad about themselves due to my prior review, SGU churns out one of the best things that I've ever seen.

It's smart, it distinguishes itself away from the Voyager and BSG feeling, and what's more, it's actual science fiction.

Apology accepted, Brad Wright.

Now, I can't take back the stuff I said about your earlier episodes, but if you keep this level of writing up, I will pull you off my Awful TV List.

Stargate: Universe, or How We Learned To Settle For Awful TV

2009-11-05T01:44:00.000-08:00

There's been an epidemic going around that I've come to call the "Stupid-Smart Show", wherein a show gets on television that holds sums that are just smart enough to make people think that the whole is genius. This idea came into power right after we as an audience witnessed the collapse of the Reality TV genre and following the rebirth of the scripted show. Things such as "Lost" and "Surface" submerged from the depths. But so did trite offerings such as "Invasion" and "The Nine". The ever-growing societal gap between what people consider intelligence and what they consider elitism has not helped at all.

On the frontier of the new wave of dumb shows that hide in the masquerade of brain power is Stargate: Universe, the second spin-off in the Stargate franchise. It is shot better, has better lighting, and sports way better acting than either SG1 or Atlantis. How then, can it be the worst of the three?

Oh, it can. It is.

For a little backstory, the Sci-Fi channel ran a little known show called Battlestar Galactica, about a group of surviving humans on a ship in space. It ended. Kind of, there is a spin-off coming out. There also, on UPN, used to be a Star Trek show called Voyager, about a group of people in a ship. In space. Two very similar concepts but two entirely different plots. Voyager was very much a regular Star Trek series with the added window dressing of trying to find a way home. BSG was a drama that just so happened to be set on a space ship. Sci-Fi didn't even want BSG until the BCC showed interest in it. So it kind of makes perfect sense that Sci-Fi would cannibalize their recently deceased show so badly.

SGU is about a bunch of humans, survived from an attack by a mysterious alien race (which is null and void now that the creators have said there is no main villain), and living on a space ship trying to make its way home. It's such a rip-off, it's not even funny. But people will watch it because they like Stargate and they liked BSG. No matter that SGU has absolutely none of the guts, writing, or depth of BSG. If you stripped away the before-mentioned lighting, cinematography, and acting, it's a regular dumb-as-paste episode of Stargate that we've all seen before.

Hey, I liked SG1's opener. I liked Atlantis' opener. They were acted well. Which makes me wonder why, right after the first episode of each, the level of commitment sank like a witch in a pond. Is it simply a case of the Voyagers (where the cast of Voyager was told not to emote more than the aliens)? So I was wary of Universe. Now, as I've said, the acting is top-notch, so maybe they solved their problem. But it still bugs me, because a lot of the jokes are the same style (and Stargate only has one style of joke: dry wit, and it gets old after a half episode) but are executed with passion.

Don't get me started on the "malfunction of the week" format of episodes. It's bad enough that the ship they are on is the show's MacGuffin. It takes them wherever they need to go in order to find what they need that week.

Talk about lazy writing. Talk about lazy effing writing.
Let me give you an example of SGU's writing:
1) In one episode, they try to get power back online by slingshotting around a planet's gravity.
2) The episode ends with them, still having no power, on a collision course with a sun. The episode ends. No resolution for the current problem of no power.
3) Next episode. They hold a lottery for 17 people to escape on the lone shuttle. This could of been interesting, except for the fact that the don't actually do anything with the lottery plot. All moral conflicts are brushed aside (although, there was one ray of shining light: someone who tries to bribe their way onboard gets picked randomly), and there is only the briefest of riots over the situation.
4) The ship flies through the sun, because that is how it gets its power. Thereby negating the point of not only this episode, but the last one, as well.

Spaceships do not equal science fiction. Ideas equal science fiction. Storytelling equals science fiction. If you have a ship that powers itself by flying through suns, I am bloody sure there is a way to introduce that into your story without making it a Deus ex Machina.

Action without substance does not equal storytelling. Conflict without cause does not equal drama.

SDCC Founder Dies

2009-11-04T03:04:00.001-08:00

Shel Dorf, founder of the SDCC, passed away yesterday.

Zuda: November 2009

2009-11-03T02:45:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago, right after LBCC, I came to a conclusion regarding Zuda: that while I had the ability to condense a first chapter into eight pages, I simply did not want to. I subscribe fully to the concept of being able to write a short well. This isn't that. I think I came to this conclusion when I discovered that I don't even think of Zuda's pitch policy as a challenge. It's just frustrating. I thought it would be fun. It's not. I had written at least nine pitches (not counting Napoleon versus the Intellisaurs) and all of them felt completely stupid as eight pages that have a 50% chance of never seeing either the light of day or past a month.

I still enjoy doing the reviews and I still enjoy doing the cross-over posters for Weird Geometry. I just don't enjoy writing eight pages anymore.

Which is sad because, without funding, I have no idea how I'm going to do what I am calling Space Shakespeare.

Here are this month's reviews (I was going to do video reviews, but then I remembered that I just sold my camcorder and my prosumer camcorder is currently broken):

Witch Phase by Bryan Golden

Besides the fact that the synopsis told us everything (plus felt extremely pretentious by taking "the original image of a witch" and turning "it on it's head") and the actual comic told us nothing... it's Pokemon. It's Digimon. It's a video game dressed up as a comic. If you are boasting that you are turning a convention on its head, do something new with the convention. The artwork is reminiscent of Goldilock, but the writing is a bore.

GRADE: F

Model Student by Joe Bowen

I liked the ending, not really a twist, but it took far too long to get there. It would of worked if the pace had been a little quicker, because all of the Real Life stuff is fine. Troubled kid. Opportunity to change. Conflict. It's all there. The art and the lettering just felt a little too full of static. The tongue-in-cheek "lol he's a Model Student" on the last page could of been removed. Not a real bad entry and not a real good one, either.

GRADE: C

Big Ups: A Space Adventure by Christina Boyce

The first thing you notice is the unique lettering. The second thing you notice is the complete lack of exposition. This is both good and bad, as we are thrust into the story, and thrust into the story not knowing what the hell is going on. The fight scene with the big sand alien, while set-up well, is confusing and possibly vaguely drawn on purpose. Once finding our "boy Friday", we are given the excellent chance for our hero to give backstory. But that does not happen. Rogue Royal this comic is not.

GRADE: C-

Slam McCracken by Greg Woronchak

A noir comic with a lot in common with The Hammer, and we all know how much I loved The Hammer. The characters are something other than human simply for the sake of being something other than human. I could stand the script here, though, except for the complete lack of dialogue balloons, which threw me out of the comic. The typed letters made perfect sense for this world and this kind of comic, as did the black and white. A lot of people overdo the black and white, but this one mixed its inks and lack of color well. The character design, while stiff at times, was fun.

GRADE: B

Children of the Sewer by Bento Gallego

I read the synopsis, hoping the comic actually fit it all in. It didn't. It got to one reveal - the titular Children of the Sewers, and then stopped. Whereas Slam had a lot in common with The Hammer, this seems to have a lot in common with Pray for Death. Wait, no. Scratch that. It has a lot in common with the Halloween remake. Rob Zombie had no idea what made a serial killer, and it looks like Gallego has the same problem when it comes to research. It looks like his only research was Showtime's "Dexter". As for the Sewer Children, it comes far too late, and what we see is way too cliched. The artwork even takes a dive after we reach the sewers. The rare bit of dialogue was corny and dull.

GRADE: F

Peabody & D'Gorath by Mark D. Penman

There is a complete and utter lack of character design in this comic (that obviously wants to be Hellboy). I dig the concept but I don't feel like I know any of the characters. I don't know who they are personality-wise. Thus I simply have no idea who they are at all. The art is getting there, but it is unfinished. Maybe this comic would of had good art in a few months. The whole things feels rushed. The end was great, however.

GRADE: D-

Molly and the Amazing Door Tree by Mark Murphy

Great coloring, great art all around. The story is really good, and the dialogue feels natural. The only problem with the story is that the synopsis gives everything to us, while the comic itself only gets halfway. Layout is fantastic. A modern day Alice.

GRADE: A-

In Maps and Legends by Niki Smith & Michael Jasper

Incredibly well written and drawn. Synopsis is a bit too long. Really interesting how Smith made parallels to the drawing tool becoming a threatening device in order to convey emotion. Not too pretentious. Final panel is a killer, and I love the dual storytelling layout.

GRADE: A

Little Earth People by Christopher Lewis & Joe Pekar

Chris and Joe paint us a world out of Roald Dahl and David Mamet on drugs. By all accounts, it SHOULD feel like Hitchiker's Guide, but it doesn't. It is fully realized and full of ideas. Everything feels real. Nothing feels out of place. Everything is explained and summed up no more than it needs to be, and the logic everything follows seems crystal clear. It's more science fiction than fantasy. The artwork is off the wall, and just when you think it is too much, it comes back down to an acceptable level of stimulus.

GRADE: A+

Brother of Bronze Hammer by Andrew Alexander

Art is really good, regardless of there being no color. Would of liked color, though, as the cardboard-type tones don't actually add anything to the table. Even though the designs are really good, as stated... it needed background. Ground. It needed to feel more like a comic than a sketchbook. Also, did the assassins have to be The Three Bears? I mean, really? Unless that is part of your world, and we get so little to go on that we don't actually know, leave it. But once the artist finds a colorist (and maybe a writer), they will be a force.

GRADE: C-

Lefty Films goes green... a bit

2009-10-24T00:22:00.000-07:00

I just signed up for a writer's account over on Greenwriter.org; a script database is always a risky business model, but we'll see. I don't think that I will submit Saving the Day because I already filmed that. Who knows.

INTERVIEW: Marcus Perry

2009-10-18T20:39:00.000-07:00

A LBCC interview with Marcus Perry, writer/creator of "Razor Sharp", starring Cassidy Freeman, the now-lead human villain on Smallville. Spoilers?

Uniting the Web Series

2009-10-15T00:25:00.000-07:00

Over on his blog, Yuri Baranovsky has once again written a very nagging piece of ranting that I think... you know what, I just think that everyone in the independent film business needs to read his blog.

The funny thing is that, whenever he opens his yapper, the web community comes down upon him like a ton of bricks. If he were, say Joss Whedon and he was saying the same exact thing - he would be revered.

Walter Miller

2009-10-13T13:55:00.000-07:00

My grandpa, Walter "Bing" Miller, passed away last Tuesday. He was a warrant office in World War II, and the father of my nine aunts and uncles.

By the end, he was in a great deal of pain. I've always found it strange how, no matter what, we always seem to hold the same amount of sorrow for the passing of a person. I remember calling my mom at work, hysterical because a shooting at a school miles away had affected me so.

He was a good man, and will be missed.

Zuda at the Harvey Awards

2009-10-12T18:18:00.000-07:00

Scott Kurtz recently wrote up a blog entry over on his site for PvP where he basically apologized to Ron Perazza for saying bad things about Zuda and DID NOT apologize to Ron Perazza. Apparently, Kurtz thinks he can have his cake and eat it, too. While I do very much appreciate that Kurtz had the grace to acknowledge that Zuda might not be the bringer of the apocalypse (especially not bringing David, Scott, or Steve into it), it would feel a lot more real to me if it didn't have the aftertaste of a patronizing PR move brought on by High Moon's Harvey win.

Even with all my issues with Zuda, even if they did all of the sudden start screwing people over in the decimative fashion that Kurtz seems to WANT, I would still not like Kurtz. Because he's painted a picture of himself as an incredibly rude, obnoxious, dismissive, cavil, two-faced, and self-centered man.

While I think that Bobby Timony should of won for what he was up for, he was against some well-established talent, and I think at least one Harvey for Zuda - let alone webcomics - is a good win. That's one Eisner (even if it is for Kurtz), the Glyph Awards for Story of the Year, Best Writer, Best Artist, Best Female Character, Best Comic Strip, and now a Harvey in the last year and a half alone.

It's just good for business.

Long Beach ComicCon: Tanks for the memories

2009-10-10T14:51:00.000-07:00

As promised, here is my Long Beach Comic-Con write up. You can read my movie reviews and panel transcripts at ScriptPHD. I've always liked the Long Beach Convention Center, ever since I went to my first Wizard World there. I remember going down to Shoreline Village and snooping around my friends hat shop without even realizing that she worked there. Shoreline Village is a great seaside place to eat and browse - plus an Aquarium. It is much like my want for WonderCon to move back into Moscone West, my liking of the Long Beach Center.

Writing this up as I both do the dishes and watch my new DVD of Trick 'r Treat, I feel nothing but joy.

(I look like a HUGE tourist, don't I?)

Anyways, here's the story...

I walked in and met Drew Selden, the wonderful dude that handles press badges. I didn't get to say bye or tell him what a great time it was, which bugged me. Oh well, next year.

There was wonderful opening ceremony, in which Jeph Loeb and members of the city council dedicated the first day of LBCC as Stan Lee Day. Some people groaned as this went on too long, I tried to use my press badge to push to somewhere decent in the crowd, and then Stan Lee himself cut the ribbon allowing people into the christened ship.

It was much, much smaller than SDCC, and only a little bigger than this year's WonderCon and last year's abysmal Wizard World LA. The inaugural day of LBCC, I did not have to be anywhere until 7pm, so that gave me enough time to browse. Even though the con opened at 3pm, the room was not as congested as SDCC and even WonderCon have become. It was mixture of APE and a full-blown con. It was really cool. My first stop was to pick up Irredeemable, Mark Waid's latest (and best) comic book. Funny story: there was a mix up at California Pizza Kitchen that night where I received a Diet Root Beer and the man behind me got a regular. It turned out that it was Mark Waid, our drink orders had been switched. I ended up telling everyone that.

Yeah, I was surprised as you are.

Yes, that is someone kicking another person in the head. I guess some people really think Batman could beat Superman and that's final.

Met Corrina Sara Bechko and Gabriel Hardman, a husband-wife team and former Zuda competitors, near the wrestling extravaganza. It turns out they lost to Nick, so I introduced them to Nick as to bury the hatchet. Very nice people. Their book, Heathentown, was and is fantastic. Zuda missed out. Oh well, that's what you get for a user-led democracy. I mean, I love the scat out of Pray for Death, but they would of done well, as well.

This guy was feisty. And remote controlled.

My buddies, Jason Ponggasam and Patty Variboa of Fat Rabbit Farms.

Marcus Perry, president of M-Pact Films and creator of Razor Sharp. I managed to score an impromptu interview with him, which will be up later.

On Saturday, I went to the Comics to Screen panel (ah=gain, up on ScriptPHD), and I got to hear two of my idols, Laura Harkom and Chris Leone, talk about writing the smash hit, The Lost Room, as well as their new comic, We Kill Monsters.

I managed to talk their ears off for around an hour near the finale of the convention. It was fun. Very nice people, extremely talented and with great minds. It could of been the fact that I'm in the middle of a show deal myself, but I felt extremely comfortable talking to them as oppose to even talking to some of my friends at BOOM! Studios, although I have talked Mike Alan Nelson's ear off many times. Boy, do we both love Lovecraft!

Alas, the show had to end.

It was good show, and a very good first one. What, with SDCC's recent tomfoolery, people will flock to this smaller outlet.

Then, CCI will just buy them.
Hopefully not.

Man Paints Painting, News at 11

2009-10-10T01:05:00.001-07:00

Some dude decided to do a painting of Jesus Christ holding up the Constitution (wrap your heads around THAT), and it is apparently causing a bunch of hub-bub.

... why, exactly?

Does it really matter if some right-wing nutjob (or even just some biased guy) took out his frustration in a work of creation? What's next? We cancel Reading Rainbow?

Long Beach Comic-Con post at ScriptPHD!

2009-10-09T11:16:00.000-07:00

Here is my ScriptPHD LBCC write up for some of the movie launches (Dark Country, Trick 'r Treat) and two of the panels (Berkeley Breathed, Comics to Screen).

Full disclosure of LBCC shenanigans coming soon.

Comic-Con 2010 is already selling out

2009-10-06T22:47:00.000-07:00

SDCC 2010 has already sold out Preview Night, but has plenty of Non-Preview Night four day passes left (whatever that means). This, combined with the fact that WonderCon is not even HERE, and the rumors that only "reputable pro and press" will get in, stinks of complete BS.

I fear the same thing happening to WonderCon, as this is where the excess will spill. WonderCon has been blatantly neglected by CCI for years. Now its purpose may become painfully clear: to act as SDCC's understudy.

LBCC was exceptionally fun - and YGO:TAS missed out, as I was telling Kroze - and would offer a great alternative to CCI's dastardly machinations.

The only way I could see getting into SDCC next year is if STD got into the film festival. Which I want. It has been too long.

I was searching for that article on SDCC09 they inteviewed me for. Probably never got around to publishing it.

Wow, do I even care about SDCC any more?

ZUDA: OCTOBER/HALLOWEEN 2009

2009-10-05T12:31:00.000-07:00

I have a LBCC post coming up, and eventually coverage over at ScriptPHD (boy, do I not want to transcribe...), but for now, Zuda.

Last month left a lot of people feeling very bitter about Zuda in general. Lots of people left feeling the competition was either rigged or sloppy.

Myself? I'm just reviewing the comics. I don't want to get into it and I won't.

(By the way, I tried very hard not to do the grading system this time, but could not bring myself to leave it out)

So without further ado:

Old Cthulhu's on the Rise by Daniel Tollin
I'm going to try not to let my love for Lovecraft come between me and this review. I love the idea of there being a "first Innsmouth", the ancestral home of the modern day New England town stuffed to the gills with immortal frog people hybrids. But the entire eight pages seem lifted straight out of An American Werewolf in London. While I did like Howard's quick-as-shit exposition about The Old Ones, it still felt tacked on, simply for the benefit of the competition. I right away enjoyed the lettering, and making the word balloons see-through for whispers was great. Howard's design is perfect, the main characters... not so much. Cookie cutter. The title, if this wins, should change. It's just not appealing as is. It's sad that the first Cthulhu Tale in Zuda has to be rife with error, not excluding the Synopsis Curse.

GRADE: C+

ShockPop Terror! by Jean-Michel Ringuet
I love the art and the lettering. I hated everything else. It was a bunch of mumbo-jumbo. There was a paper thin plot. I dunno, it seemed simply to be a vehicle for blood and fightin'. The dialogue is what you would expect from such an outing, and it starts with your typical family of monsters prophecizing that bad things are coming for them. It really does not help that the fights are given subtitles, making it even more Grindhouse and even less coherent. Oddly enough, while I disliked the fighting very much, I found the blood to be extremely comical and fun. Weird.

GRADE: D-

A Polar Nightmare by Amancay Nicolas Nahuelpan Bustamante
Typos and random are the two words of the day for this comic. I honestly don't know what the creator was going for here. The art is good and the lettering is great, and even the character designs are cool (yes, even the naked and Mojo-esque Santa). The premise is very amazingly solid - until you realize that it is not the premise at all. You really want to see these kids trek through the dangerous cold to the North Pole. But it all gets ruined once they actually reach their destination.

GRADE: F

Pluck by Gabe White & John Amor
Crushing the idea that a creator (or creators) can't get on to Zuda - or at least accepted - twice, Pluck comes to us from the writers of Gulch. So I'm already a bit worried. But hey, not every story is in the same style as the last one, right? It is different. Very different. It's not an original story by any means, but the way it is told is. It's got some really great concepts that harken back to older traditions, such as the king not allowing handsome dudes into his throne room (in this story, they are killed in a comic montage). It ends with a great cliffhanger: our hero is looking up at the king, only we do not see him. The lack of color helps the mood as well as the period-ness. The only thing that bugs me is that it is a bit TOO unoriginal in story.

GRADE: A-

Impure Blood by Nathan Lueth & Nadja Baer
Color me impressed. They had the longest synopsis EVER, and still managed to cram it all in. Add to the fact that the story came in steady trickles of action, wordplay and sentence structure, and I'm hooked. The lettering and art were fantastic. Great colors. Great inks. Only thing is this: it's a sight gag, the 'lawyers' engraving in the dungeon, but it pulled me out of the comic for the briefest second. Blood has already established a world that I want to wade in, it does not need to rely on gags that have nothing to do with the tone of the comic itself.

GRADE: A

Fly Me From The Moon by Gabriel Bautista
I was not sure if this was noir, suspense, a thriller, or just plain abstract. I liked the art, and the dialogue, while confusing, was steady and you could tell that the writer was in full control. But it was just way too confusing. The character design for the lead was way too inconsistent for this type of story or strip.

GRADE: D-

Where Evils Dare by Tony Lee & Stefano Martino
This comic hits all the right notes. It's a black ops group of monster hunters versus a black ops group of monsters set in World War II. It's serious without being pretentious or over-dramatic, and at the same time, it knows exactly what it is. I mean, the commanding officer of the group is Van Helsing, for crying out loud. It feels like the webcomic adaptation of the G.I. Joe film. To add plus upon plus, the art is ridiculously good, with great inks and wonderfully drawn monsters.

GRADE: A+

Evil Ain't Easy by Seth Wolfshorndl
Very funny gag strip about a supervillain dealing with the quality of life. Almost everything is where it should be: lettering, art, writing (which is brilliant). Will not win on Zuda, but it will do very well as a stand-alone webcomic.

GRADE: A+

Doc Monster by David Flora
Another great entry that is not as pretentious as it seems like it is. Part noir, part buddy cop movie. I wouldn't go as far as to call it sci-fi, because those aspects of the comic (the UFO, the steady reveal that Doc Monster is not human) are completely overshadowed by the amazing characters that Flora has fully realized in eight simple pages. Doc Monster is as interesting and complex as Sherlock Holmes or - gasp - even House the Medical Doctor. Clay, as Watson, is cynical and always thinking. The banter between the two is hysterical, mostly because it often only occurs in Clay's own head. It doesn't hurt that the artwork is genius, either.

GRADE: A+

Blitz by Ted Dawson
The art and lettering - and dialogue - is reminiscent of Bone. Which, you know, works. It's a plus. I love how this comic doesn't not take itself seriously at all. That is, until the last two pages, in which it takes itself way too seriously. Magically, we find out the entire New Plot as the cliffhanger. Which is stupid and hurtful to the story as a whole. The webcomic is called Blitz, but there does not seem to be any real reason behind that name. We don't get to know Blitz at all. If anything, he is a "buddy" to the alien searching for his mom. I really wanted to like this one, and began liking the ever-loving crud out of it. Which is why the ending was such a letdown. All of that potential was wasted in order to make the plot more "simple".

GRADE: C+

Last post before LBCC!

2009-10-01T15:05:00.000-07:00

Zuda's Thirty Golden Rules

2009-10-01T11:17:00.000-07:00

Michael Perridge is done reviewing every month of Zuda so far, and has created a pretty darn good bullet point list of rules to follow (or at least take into heavy consideration) when entering or choosing to enter Zuda. It also applies very much to all the other forming webcomic models.

Competition?

2009-09-30T15:38:00.000-07:00

It looks like Zuda, but has no visible contract. It will be interesting to see who else follows suit.

Tyrese Gibson creates Life - er, comic

2009-09-30T10:07:00.000-07:00

You know, I am aware that not every rapper is either a moron or blatantly and mindbogglingly out of touch with his or her so-called "generation", but Tyrese Gibson ain't helping the image.

TYRESE: I totally created digital comics. Yup. That was all me. Ignore Steve Troop, David Willis, and Scott Kurtz.

(Actual quote: "I set up this technology with my team and this is the first-ever digital comic book in the history of comic books.")

CNN.com is also at fault for failing miserably to actually write anything to the contrary of the quote - plus the fact that they further added [on iTunes] when that itself is not even true, but still... do celebrities think before they talk anymore? Does anyone bother to tell them anything relating to their current advenures?

CNN: So, why did you create Mayhem?
TYRESE: Oh, I went to Comic-Con, and saw there was a market for it.

ZUDA SEPTEMBER 2009: TWO DAYS LEFT

2009-09-28T15:59:00.000-07:00

Just a reminder, but there are currently two days left for this month's Zuda contest, and Goldilock could use all the help it could get in winning!

So could Revenge of the Homicidal Pumpkins!

So go and vote! Help tip the tides of war!

In unrelated Zuda/Webcomic news... do I hear The Kind You Don't Bring Home To Mother is gearing up to be a feature film?

Progress

2009-09-24T19:33:00.000-07:00

Good progress: Finding water on the moon.

Bad prog- yeah: Lynching a dude.

Xbox Live Says No To Webserials

2009-09-21T16:58:00.001-07:00

This makes me laugh. Microsoft is now claiming that the only reason The Guild worked was because it was sponsored by Sprint? How much money does Microsoft have again? Surely, running Xbox Live can't cost THAT much.

Call me crazy, but where are these Xbox Originals for the Xbox Channel/Video Store going to come from if not alternative media and unestablished ideas?

I mean, I get it. I understand the need to put out a press release saying "no". But it's also saying "no" to people that actually have a product.

Dr. Horrible's Emmy Video

2009-09-20T20:24:00.000-07:00

I really don't know what Joss Whedon is doing with this. I wasn't going to watch it, but then Kroze told me it was okay so I decided to.

I don't get it.

Is he mocking the fact that the internet didn't catch on right away, in which case he failed miserably? Is he honestly trying to have a conversation with the audience about the death of television, in which case he comes off as an arrogant ponce? Is he trying to pull a Network, in which case he failed due to trying to be too diplomatic? Or was he, and not even I would think this, pulling a complete Benedict Arnold and apologizing for making Horrible as a response to the strike?

There is such a thing as being 'too smart' when writing. It's when you write something so layered with ideas that it becomes either an in-joke or decypherable to nobody but yourself and collaborators. The Dr. Horrible short felt too smart.

I don't know. It left a bad taste in my mouth.

Joe Wilson was RIGHT!

2009-09-20T01:10:00.000-07:00

You know, in all this hub-bub about Joe Wilson apologizing to Obama - or refusing to, I don't know or care - and all these people making shirts saying "Joe Wilson was right".... I need to ask...

Right about what?
All he did was call Obama a liar.

Yes, he was commenting on a very specific part of Obama's Obamacare bill, but did he go on the air afterwards and offer his idea of what should happen?

What exactly are these people agreeing with?

WEIRD GEOMETRY LIVES!

2009-09-19T02:45:00.001-07:00

Weird Geometry lives! In a crisis somewhat significantly smaller than the time the whole of Lefty Films got hacked by 14-year old White Supremacists, Daily Beatings has undergone a name and URL change in order to circumvent one of my loyal viewers going to a porn site instead of my awesome laugh-o-matic comic strip.

Even though the new title makes me seem like a Lovecraft-based webcomic, I'm cool with it. Because, you know, I have a hard on the size of Jupiter for Lovecraft anyway.

Daily Beatings Name Change?

2009-09-18T21:18:00.000-07:00

So, Adam Lucas of Goldilock fame - he tells me that Daily Beatings is the name of a pretty hardore S&M site. He showed me the link, and now it is forever in my cache. Until I cleanse it.

Name change?

Ron Moore Created A Monster!

2009-09-17T18:15:00.000-07:00

There's a story that Ron Moore told once (and come to think of it - may not of even been his idea) about how he was trying to write the BSG finale, and at the end of the day, he wrote something on the whiteboard of the writer's room that served as an epiphany.

It read "It's the characters, stupid!".

Now, I am not alone in thinking that, while Ron Moore knows how to tap dance with the best of them, his style of writing is lacking and quite immature. But this is not what I want to talk about.

Well, on second thought, it kind of is.

Now, I've defended Moore in the past when people who think audio commentaries are done as the writing occurs have lambasted him. I've never thought he was a genius, but I never thought he was a mental midget, either.

For a show such as Six Feet Under, this philosophy works. But for a labrynthian space epic? Would this work for Lost?

Anyhow, it bugs me because I heard this phrase uttered the other day, and the person who did the uttering was trying to pass it off as their own idea. Now I'm hearing Joss Whedon going "so that's how you do it".

I fear that the stuff the new writers are being taught, the people they look up to, are going to destroy them. J.J. Abrams, Whedon, Moore... all these names are currently going off the deep end in some way or another. Or they already have.

But Brian, you say, are you not a writer yourself? Well, yes, but I'm not yet in the industry.

"It's the characters, stupid" may sound smart, but at the end of the day, you don't need to tell an entire room of writers that like some jackass. They know. It may sound smart, but it is no more poignant nor wiser than someone telling you to stay off their lawn. It's a fun little ditty that you tell at parties.

I fear that the Deus ex Machina is going to become the new "smart" way to write, and that is bad news bears.

MORE SELF-PR: The Terrible Zodin, issue 4

2009-09-16T23:23:00.000-07:00

I recently did an article for The Terrible Zodin, a Dr. Who fanzine, along with my good friend Steven Sautter. Well, we didn't write it TOGETHER.

Also....

The bus begins driving in a few months.

Shameless Zuda Plug on Daily Beatings

2009-09-15T23:43:00.000-07:00

Basically, yeah.

I can't believe I left out anything from Goldilock, one of the greater ones that has been on the site in a while.

Giant Bunnies, Bad Boys, and Protests

2009-09-15T14:36:00.000-07:00

Out of all the movies to make two sequels out of, why Bad Boys? I mean, was there really enough meat around the characters and story to warrant even a second one?

I do, however, find it delectible that Speilberg wants to remake Harvey.

P.S. - this is the most awesome way of protesting that I have seen in a while. I love the kid that says "gets out of here, you unamericans!" with such hate and passion.

WC2010 Dates Announced!

2009-09-14T22:54:00.001-07:00

WonderCon is once again in April! I just couldn't... take... WonderCon being in February.

But it's still in Moscone South? Don't they know that Moscone West is a much better asthetic, and is much roomier with multiple floors instead of just a lobby? Not to mention, I like it best? HULK SMASH.

Maybe it will fill up next year. It was weird seeing a half-full Moscone South this year.

Hopefully I have money to go. I've got Long Beach Comic-Con, which I'm press for (covering it for ScriptPHD), APE, and now MAGFEST again.