Archive for April, 2005
They Fight Crime!
Funny random plot generator for buddy action movies (or comic books.) Perfect for Hollywood and lame-o indie comics.
“He’s an ungodly pirate househusband with a robot buddy named Sparky. She’s a plucky antique-collecting hooker with someone else’s memories. They fight crime!”
“He’s a witless pirate cat burglar fleeing from a secret government programme. She’s an orphaned insomniac single mother with an incredible destiny. They fight crime!”
Dear Diary: I just saw Rummy with a couple guys in tights…
File under “pictures I never thought I’d see”. Full story here.
Why, dear god, why ?!?
Rob Liefeld is doing a 2-issue stint on Teen Titans. For the love of god, why is this talentless hack slacker plagiarist guy still offered work?
Ok, ok, I know why. It’s because the controversy surrounding his name will, in and of itself, guarantee tons of free press and massive sales. And yes, I realize the irony of this post vis a vis that statement. But it just burns me up every time I see this so-called “creator,” who – setting aside his deficiency in the anatomy and art departments – has proven time and time again that he’s unable to finish projects or even keep to a schedule, get paying work. Especially when there are tons of talented, energetic, hungry young artists just waiting for an opportunity to prove themselves.
From the man himself:
“I drew Cyborg too small then I drew him too big, now I think I have a feel for him. Ditto for Robin. I’m still finding my way with Wonder Girl and the others. I’ve already heard from fans I need to tone down her chest and I will, no problem. I’ll probably just get used to them when the arc is over.”
Gee, you think? Friggin’ asshat.
Here’s something fun to ponder…
I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid Aoccdrnig to rscheearch taem at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn’t mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Such a cdonition is arppoiately cllaed Typoglycemia 
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Amzanig huh? Yaeh and yuo awlyas thought slpeling was ipmorantt
Coming soon …
Our friend Peter John Ross, organizer of the “Look At My Shorts” indie film festivals, may be coming soon to a theater near you.
Screenvision, a New York-based cinema advertising company, plans to air some of Ross’ short films as part of the pre-show entertainment for major Hollywood movies in around 5,000 theaters around the country. Screenvision partners with chains such as Loews Cineplex and Cinemark.
The first short film, “License Exam,” shows some surreal moments at the Bureau of Motor Vehicles. It stars George Caleodis, weekend disc jockey at CD101, and local actors Harley Kaplan, Holly Magnani and Jon Osbeck.
Screenvision found Ross’ films through Undergroundfilm.com, according to a press release from Ross.
“This is the real reason you make movies,” Ross said in a press release. “I’m a big fan of the Internet, but nothing compares to sitting in a dark room with a bunch of strangers and watch a story unfold in flickering images.”
Serenity movie trailer
Joss Whedon’s short-lived Firefly TV show is now a movie, called Serenity. You can catch the trailer for it here.
I watched a couple episodes when the show first started, but it didn’t do much for me. Then after it was cancelled, I saw a few more episodes on the DVD release, in the original order that Whedon intended them to be aired, and I was impressed. The movie looks pretty cool, and it seems to have kept the entire cast of the original TV show.
Superman dissed
So today is “Bring your son or daughter to work day,” and one of my coworkers brought her 11 year old son to visit. I found out that he enjoys drawing, and likes comic books. Well, I always keep a stack of “mainstream” and kid-friendly comics at my desk, for just such an occasion. So I gave him a copy of a Superman comic (the “10 cent adventure” book from last year) to read if he got bored.
He flipped through a couple pages, and then handed it back to me. “I don’t like Superman,” he said.
Damn.
Attention zine creators!
Tokion magazine is sponsoring a contest called King of Zines. All zines must be produced using a standard photocopy machine, deadline is July 1, 2005. Prizes:
1st place: 1 year of health insurance, plus your zine published through Tokion.
2nd place: $500
(via boingboing)
Comics Code Authority…wow!
You know, I had heard some general information regarding the rules of the Comics Code Authority, but I had never actually read the full text of it. Until now. And all I can say is…wow. I can’t believe that for decades, Marvel and DC actually published comics under these strict rules. For that matter, I’m willing to bet if you went back and read some of the supposedly CCA “approved” books, they really wouldn’t stand up to a strict application of said rules. Some choice ones:
“General Standards Part A:6) In every instance good shall triumph over evil and the criminal punished for his misdeeds.
No unique or unusual methods of concealing weapons shall be shown.
11) The letters of the word “crime” on a comics magazine shall never be appreciably greater than the other words contained in the title. The word “crime” shall never appear alone on a cover.General Standards Part B:
5) Scenes dealing with, or instruments associated with walking dead, torture, vampires and vampirism, ghouls, cannibalism, and werewolfism are prohibited.
General Standards Part C:
Religion:
Ridicule or attack on any religious or racial group is never permissible.Costume:
4) Females shall be drawn realistically without exaggeration of any physical qualities.Marriage and Sex:
2) Illicit sex relations are neither to be hinted at nor portrayed. Violent love scenes as well as sexual abnormalities are unacceptable.
4) The treatment of love-romance stories shall emphasize the value of the home and the sanctity of marriage.”
So, in other words, the Bush/Chaney/Rove doctrine of how America should be.
Hollywood, you magnificent bastard!
Fascinating article on Slate about how major Hollywood studios use tax loopholes in Germany and the UK to finance their big-budget movies.
“As paradoxical and absurd as it sounds, it’s cheaper for a Hollywood studio to make a big-budget action movie than to make a shoestring art film like Sideways.“
So how does it work?
“Germany allows investors in German-owned film ventures to take an immediate tax deduction on their film investments, even if the film they’re investing in has not yet gone into production…The Hollywood studio starts by arranging on paper to sell the film’s copyright to a German company. Then, they immediately lease the movie back—with an option to repurchase it later. At this point, a German company appears to own the movie. The Germans then sign a “production service agreement” and a “distribution service agreement” with the studio that limits their responsibility to token—and temporary—ownership.For the privilege of fake ownership, the Germans pay the studio about 10 percent more than they’ll eventually get back in lease and option payments. For the studio, that extra 10 percent is instant profit.
“
And then there’s the whole “Section 48 tax relief in Britain” that comes into play. The article uses the example of Lara Croft: Tomb Raider to illustrate this scheme.
“On paper, Tomb Raider’s budget was $94 million. In fact, the entire movie cost Paramount less than $7 million.”
Yep, the other $87 million came from the German and UK tax loopholes and schemes.
S.P.A.C.E. Transmission}
Per Tony’s request here’s a reprint of my s.p.a.c.e. report from a week ago…
Good times at the show yesterday. It’s been a real whirlwind these past two weeks putting the Panel book together. My girlfriend’s patience tested. We all escaped unharmed and full of Olive Garden. I didn’t get alot this year from last. I’d say I picked up maybe 8 books and a handfull of trades. I was really impressed by Jim Rugg’s con sketchbook. Crazy, I skimmed it and wow! Sketches by Spiegelman, Hernandez, Crane, and many others. Unfortunately Jeff Mason from Alternative couldn’t make it. Chris Staros was at a book fair or something (Andy Runton was at the booth) Runton won the Day Prize this year which I think was a given. There’s just not enough comics for kids to go around these days and that’s really sad. Horrible for an industry that seriously needs to not just produce books for college kids and adults. It’s detrimental to growth and self-destructive. Kid’s love comics. Love them and yet the big guys keep churning out the Ultimates and so on. If Owly were to get wider distribution in drug stores, Wallmarts and such- it’d go thru the roof. I really believe that.
The haul} The latest installment of Owly (from Top Shelf), Happy Town (1-3 collected) and Sorrel by Justin Madson, Hideous by Pat Lewis, Icecreamlandia and a few trades n’ handouts I have yet to go thru.
Pizza cutters as art
Check out these cool pizza cutters created by artist Frankie Flood. There are a few more at the link. I love the designs! From the artist’s statement:
“My work investigates one of a kind objects and their role in a world based on mechanical reproduction. Industry has removed the aura from objects and stripped them of their individuality. My pizza cutters seek to demolish the sterile conformity of mass produced objects and represent the stylistic and flamboyant embellishment of groups who live on the fringe of popular culture.”
(via boingboing)
Sin City movie-to-comic comparison
Finally saw the flick this past weekend. Not much to add to what’s already been said. I liked it a lot. The dialogue, especially the voice overs, sounded stilted and cheesy, but in the context of the film, it worked. Some of the CGI I didn’t care for (mostly the car sequences,) but overall, I loved the look of the film.
Anyway, for those of you interested in this sort of stuff, FilmRot has a detailed comparison of some of the movie shots to their corresponding graphic novel panels. Talk about remaining faithful to the source material.