Monday, January 31, 2005
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Posted by
Dara
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1/31/2005 10:08:00 PM
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Old Computer Museum
Here's one for all you computer geeks out there. Old-Computers.com is a site devoted to all those early personal computers, from the TRS-90 to the Commodore 64 to the Apple IIe. Complete with pictures and tech specifications."It had 64 or 128 KB RAM, the 64 upper KB being used as a ram disk. It had one or two 5.25" floppy disk (184 KB each) and ran under TRSDOS 6.0 or 1.3, LDOS or CP/M." 
--Dara (permalink)
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Posted by
Dara
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1/31/2005 08:32:00 PM
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Daily Musings: Day 91
I was just flipping through Tom's No Dead Time graphic novel again and it reminded me of something I had meant to post earlier. You never really think much about lettering in a comic book, unless it's really bad. As is the case with Brian's lettering in this book. Granted, I'm a bit biased towards Tom's art, especially after seeing how much blood, sweat, and tears went into it. So yes, the very fact that Brian covers up so much of the art with his hideous word balloons makes me mad.
But it's not just that. It's the poor (one might say haphazard) balloon placement, with no regard for what part of the artwork he's covering up. It's the fact that they overlap panels, extend into the margins, and criss-cross across each other. It's the font size which could have been a half point to a full point smaller, thus saving precious space. And above all, it's the leading (the vertical white space between lines) that's way off. What, did he do the lettering as if he were typing a double-spaced report? Ugh.
The best letterers always say that if you don't notice the lettering, they've done their job well. I certainly can't say that about this book.
And don't even get me started on the typos and grammar errors. Though in fairness, most of that blame rests on the shoulder of the editor.
--Dara (permalink)
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Posted by
Dara
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1/31/2005 02:58:00 PM
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Art Trucks
Forget about those puny little art cars. These guys work on a much bigger canvas. Trucks! Check out more pictures on this site.
--Dara (permalink)
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Sunday, January 30, 2005
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Posted by
Dara
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1/30/2005 10:53:00 PM
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Daily Musings: Day 90
Quick thought for the day...it's no surprise that daily newspaper comic strips are on a dying path. More and more, editors seem to dismiss them as pointless and not worth the hassle, not to mention the economic factors playing in to their demise.
But if you think about it, newspaper strips are the most visible way that the "mainstream" audience gets exposed to sequential art. So with comic books virtually all but gone from the general public arena, and newspaper strips on the decline, do you foresee a day when most people will lose the skill (albeit small) necessary to read and understand comics? (I'm talking about the simple stuff we comic fans take for granted, i.e. how do you follow panels on a page, what do certain types of caption boxes or word balloons represent, etc.)
--Dara (permalink)
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Saturday, January 29, 2005
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Posted by
Dara
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1/29/2005 11:24:00 PM
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Daily Musings: Day 89
Question for all you creators out there: ever get the urge to create the type of sugar-coated, eye-candy fluff piece you're usually ranting against? For instance, a good ol' fashioned superhero slugfest. Without the postmodern twist. Without the clever psychological insight. Just bright, over-the-top four color fun.
Or say you're a musician. Ever want to just write a really catchy, pure pop song? No introspective lyrics. No clever musical arrangement. Just bubblegum, through and through.
Sometimes I get that urge. I want to write a gratuitous sex and violence adventure with big boobs, big guns, and bigger explosions. Balls to the wall action, unabashedly low brow and lowest common denominator. But then I feel bad about it, as though it's a sign of weakness. As if I'm betraying my self-imposed "higher standards".
Is it? I mean, yeah, there's a lot of crap out there and I really don't want to contribute to that particular pile. But on the other hand, what's wrong with doing a project just for the sheer fun of it? And just because something is big and loud and meant as nothing more than just simple entertainment, does that make it bad?
I'd like to hear your thoughts on this. Meanwhile, I'll be working on my masterpiece, Jungle Commando Babes.
--Dara (permalink)
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Posted by
Dara
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1/29/2005 04:25:00 PM
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Appleseed and Kung Fu Hustle
The new Appleseed anime movie was supposed to have hit US theaters on January 14th. Still no sign of it here in Columbus. I'm hoping the Drexel will eventually screen it. Check out the trailer here.
Like your martial arts with a side of jazzy gangster action? Then Kung Fu Hustle is for you.
--Dara (permalink)
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Posted by
Dara
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1/29/2005 10:17:00 AM
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Real life superheroes
Ok, so I saw this link on my Yahoo home page with the title "Who's the most powerful superhero?", wherein some dork asks the geekiest of all geek questions. Yeah, that one. "Say there's a brawl with all the superheroes. Who wins?" I guess it was morbid curiosity that had me actually click on the link and read the asinine question and answer.
However...
Embedded in the "article" was this link to a page devoted to real life superheroes. And I don't mean like firemen or police officers or paramedics. No, I mean those crazy people you read about every once in a while on "news of the weird" or "oddly enough". Folks like Angle Grinder Man (who goes around London sawing off wheel clamps from impounded cars,) or Terrifica (who patrols New York's bars, saving drunk women from being taken advantage of by men).
Good thing our hobby doesn't have a poor image, eh?
 
--Dara (permalink)
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Friday, January 28, 2005
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Posted by
Dara
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1/28/2005 11:02:00 PM
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Daily Musings: Day 88
So I just watched the 2nd episode of the new CBS drama, Numb3rs. (For the uninitiated, that's leet speak for numbers. See, they use the 3 instead of the letter E and...oh, never mind. Just know that it's what the "kids" are into these days.) Anyway, the promos for the show made a lot of fuss about it being created by two big name Hollywood movie directors, the brothers Ridley and Tony Scott. Yes, the guys responsible for Blade Runner, Thelma & Louise, Top Gun, Crimson Tide, etc., etc., etc.
The verdict? It's an ok show. Actually, I take that back. It's more on the lame side
Think CSI, but the chemistry is replaced with mathematics. Entirely unbelievable mathematics, at that. In other words, Hollywood's take on math. Super math genius Charlie can come up with equations pinpointing where criminals live, or what bank will be hit next. But oh that Charlie, he understands math but not human behavior. Good thing his FBI brother understands the criminal mind. Together, they solve all sorts of crimes.
If this show had come out in the 80s, it would have been a formula show like the The A-Team or Knight Rider. But today's audiences are more sophisticated, hence a more sophisticated formula.
But in the end, it's still a formula and not a particularly good one at that. It's a shame, too, because it has a pretty solid cast.
Oh well, one less show to waste time on.
--Dara (permalink)
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Posted by
Dara
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1/28/2005 10:31:00 AM
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The Howard Eugene Day Memorial Prize Short List
Over at the S.P.A.C.E. website, Bob has announced the short list for the 2004 Day Prize, to be picked by Dave Sim. I'm sorry to report that none of the 3 books we submitted (BigCityBlues, Panel: Architecture, Panel: Space) were selected. But the short list looks to contain some really nice entries, so congrats to all the nominees.
--Dara (permalink)
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Posted by
Dara
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1/28/2005 10:09:00 AM
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US Submarine runs into undersea mountain
If you've ever wondered what would happen to a submarine if it were to run into an uncharted undersea land mass at nearly full speed, check out these pictures released by the US Navy.
 "The Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine USS San Francisco (SSN 711) in dry dock to assess damage sustained after running aground approximately 350 miles south of Guam Jan. 8, 2005." (via boingboing)
--Dara (permalink)
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Thursday, January 27, 2005
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Posted by
Dara
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1/27/2005 10:26:00 PM
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Daily Musings: Day 87
I have a 19" computer monitor that's about 5 years old. I don't particularly like it, because the brightness/contrast controls don't work too well and sometimes it makes an annoying high-pitched whistling noise. And flat panel LCD monitors keep dropping in price to the point where the 19" ones are now quite affordable.
So by all accounts, I should just break down a buy a nice LCD monitor.
But then, where would Jinx take naps while I work my latest script?
--Dara (permalink)
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Posted by
Dara
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1/27/2005 11:47:00 AM
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Preview the new Bizarro World graphic novel
Indie and alt comix goodness abounds. It's a huge PDF file, but if you've got the bandwidth, head on over to DC's website."This time the contibutors weaving strange and wonderful tales about the quirky Bizarro include Tony Millionaire, Kyle Baker, Evan Dorkin, Dylan Horrocks, Harvey Pekar, James Kochalka, Peter Bagge, Scott Morse, Ben Dunn and a host of others, along with some double-secret surprise guests! All this, topped off with a cover by Jaime Hernandez! It's big! It's indisputably rectangular! It stays crunchy even after you pour on the milk!" 
--Dara (permalink)
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Posted by
Dara
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1/27/2005 11:04:00 AM
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So how important is publishing good comics to Marvel?
Not much, really, in the big picture. Publishing is really just an "R&D" function to see what's the best way to make money off their characters via movies and other licensing venues. From a Motley Fool five-part interview with Marvel vice chairman (and former CEO) Peter Cuneo: "Peter Cuneo: From a profitability point of view, about 20%, 15-20% of our earnings come from the comic book business. The comic book business of course is very important to us. Not only is it highly profitable. We have about a 35% profit margin on our comic book business and growing very nicely if you look at our track record. But also this is our R&D function. This is where we try out new characters, where we ... rework, re-cosmetize, if you will, other older characters, and try to see what kind of story lines work and so on. The nice thing about the comic book business is, and we publish over 60 titles every month, is we can experiment here and really actually lose very little or no money." (via The Beat)
--Dara (permalink)
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Posted by
Dara
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1/27/2005 10:37:00 AM
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Words to live by
"Talent will take you only so far; luck and knowing the right people are a big part of the game." -- comic writer Dan Mishkin, on the difficulty of finding your next gig, even if you have a huge body of work behind you.
"It's this simple: sometimes quality sells, sometimes crap sells. No way to figure it. More often, nothing sells." -- comics writer and columnist Steven Grant, on why it's getting harder to launch successful new comics titles, before going on to detail what the companies can do to lower the risk
--Dara (permalink)
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Wednesday, January 26, 2005
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Posted by
Dara
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1/26/2005 11:40:00 PM
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Daily Musings: Day 86
Wendy and I watched Sexy Beast last night, featuring an amazing performance by Ben Kingsley as a brutal British gangster. Despite a couple small plot holes, the movie was quite solid and made up in style, cinematography, and performances what it lacked in other places. If you like crime drama and stylish gangster flicks, this one is highly recommended.
However, I'm glad we watched it on DVD instead of catching it at the theater when it was first released. You see, the mostly British cast had such heavy, pronounced accents that we actually had to watch the film with English subtitles on.
Now, I'm quite proud of the fact that I'm good with understanding accents, be they Middle-eastern, deep South, or what have you. But I honestly had a hard time with this movie. It's amazing that a country that prides itself on speaking "proper" English can produce so many people who absolutely butcher the language.
But man, that Ben Kingsley is awesome in this flick! And speaking of accents, he does a spot-on cockney.
--Dara (permalink)
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Posted by
Dara
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1/26/2005 11:36:00 AM
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Tuesday, January 25, 2005
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Posted by
Dara
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1/25/2005 11:55:00 PM
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Daily Musings: Day 85
Rough day, not much to say tonight. Later.
--Dara (permalink)
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Posted by
Dara
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1/25/2005 04:46:00 PM
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Fraction and Casey on blogs
Over in their Basement Tapes column, Matt Fraction and Joe Casey discuss the comics "blogosphere" and its impact on our current culture, both within and outside of the comics community. And Fraction coins my favorite new alternative to the term blogosphere: "Blogachusetts". Sweet."FRACTION: There's probably a paradox at work - the less a blogger cares about audience reception, the more audience it deserves. The same foibles and fuckups that turn forum-based communities into trips to the cult of personality Kool Aid bowl can wreck a blog, or blog culture, all the same."
--Dara (permalink)
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Monday, January 24, 2005
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Posted by
Dara
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1/24/2005 10:43:00 PM
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Daily Musings: Day 84
Signs that you're getting old(er):
- Instead of thrilling you, rollercoaster rides just give you a headache and hurt your spine.
- While going down an otherwise "sweet" sledding hill, all you can think about is "oh god, I hope I don't wipe out".
- You find yourself jealous of the 6 year olds on skis who seem to have no fear, while you're contemplating trying a jump vs. what your HMO co-pay is.
Signs that you're still not "old":
- Despite the bruises, you still hop on another rollercoaster.
- You go sledding with all your other grown-up friends, and there's no beer involved.
- You try the ski jump and even though you wipe out, it's all good.
--Dara (permalink)
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Posted by
Tom
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1/24/2005 07:44:00 PM
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Surveys on promotion...
Over on the Pulse they have an interesting thread asking fans 'what it takes to try a new comic'. Some good suggestions to be had here (inbetween all the suggestions for the big three) The five page preview is a great promotion. I've thrown them up on my releases page before. Though I haven't tried leaving a downloadable preview for retailers. Oni just redid their previews pages recently that now have a small preview for each novel and series.
--Tom (permalink)
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Posted by
Dara
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1/24/2005 02:01:00 PM
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Your political moment of the day, part 2
By Ed Stein, The Rocky Mountain News.
--Dara (permalink)
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Posted by
Dara
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1/24/2005 01:59:00 PM
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Your political moment of the day
By R.J. Matson, The New York Observer
--Dara (permalink)
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Posted by
Tony
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1/24/2005 11:56:00 AM
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Posted by
Dara
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1/24/2005 09:46:00 AM
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Dollar bill art
Artist Kamiel Proost draws miniature portraits using dollar bills as the canvas. I'm pretty sure defacing currency over here in the states is illegal, so it's probably a good thing he lives in Amsterdam.
 
(via boingboing)
--Dara (permalink)
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Sunday, January 23, 2005
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Posted by
Dara
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1/23/2005 09:36:00 PM
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Daily Musings: Day 83
Do you have one of those friends who's so good at sports that it makes you jealous? I went skiing today with a few friends and one of them was trying out the sport for the first time. Now, I remember my first day of skiing. I spent more time face down in the snow than upright, and by the end of the day the entire left side of my body was huge black-and-blue bruise. I don't think I got the hang of the whole thing until my third time out.
Meanwhile, my friend spent an hour on the bunny hill and the next thing I know he's hitting the green runs. Which brings up the other difficult skill to master: the ski lift. I think I fell off the first two or three times I rode it. He had no problems. In fact, after about 4 hours of total skiing time, he only took one spill.
I guess some people just have an aptitude for sports. I know the same can be said about artists. There are some kids that just outshine others when it comes to drawing, even before any formal training. Makes me wonder if the same can be said about writing?
If so, I'm the kind of writer that still takes a nasty spill down a slope every once in a while.
--Dara (permalink)
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Posted by
Tom
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1/23/2005 11:13:00 AM
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Check out the new article on Jeff Soto- one of my favorite artists working right now. Matt would definitely get a kick outta this. A few paintings are posted in the article as well. He does some illustration work but primarily is a painter. Jeff mixes graphitti, robotech, and comic book iconography in his work. Some really fun wacky shit.
--Tom (permalink)
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Saturday, January 22, 2005
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Posted by
Dara
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1/22/2005 11:57:00 PM
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Daily Musings: Day 82
(this is being post dated on Sunday)
So the new Blade movie Blade: Trinity is already at the el cheapo dollar theater. My friend Nam was in town this weekend and we were in the mood for a mindless action flick. So guess what we ended up seeing?
Things I learned watching this movie:
- Apparently vampires need lanterns and glowsticks to see in the dark.
- Making an R-rated movie means you can have one of your characters utter "clever" strings of multiple curse words that no human would ever think of saying.
- FBI field agents use Alienware computers. Huh, didn't know they had won some government contracts.
- If wrestler Triple H thinks he has a shot at a movie career, he's sadly mistaken. At least The Rock is a good looking guy (he says, completely secure in his sexuality).
- When all has been done in vampire movies, invent a new conflict: vampire hunter vs. media PR campaign!
- You know you're unabashedly whoring out to product placements when your script has to make it a point to talk about "MP3s" and "playlists" while prominently displaying Apple's iTunes and iPod. (See also: Alienware)
- Some movie franchises just don't need to be made into a trilogy. (See also: The Matrix and Highlander...although in both of those cases they should have stopped after the first one)
- The fact that this movie was written by David S. Goyer, the same comic book writer and self-professed "fan" who has written the script for the new Batman movie suddenly lowers my expectations about that project.
Oh well, it still wasn't as bad as, oh, say Resident Evil. Heck, it was entertaining and occasionally a nice bit of eye candy. The bit where they show one of the old Tomb of Dracula comics was a cute touch. But really, the only reason Blade II was any good was the amped up fight scenes and the inclusion of Ron Perlman. This one was just an unnecessary movie from start to finish, and no amount of special effects could wash the stench of "servicing the franchise" off of it.
--Dara (permalink)
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Posted by
Dara
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1/22/2005 08:05:00 PM
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Day of the Dude
Jeff Parker writes about the day Steve "The Dude" Rude dropped by their Mercury Studios, and the young aspiring artist that happened to be at the right place, at the right time."When Rude sees that a new kid is in town to learn, he plops down on the couch to go over his pages the same way he did with me over ten years ago in Pasadena. For the full effect, Matthew Clark donates some of his vellum so Steve can do one of his famous tracing paper critiques. There's nothing like having someone who knows the human form from every possible angle show you how to get ten more miles out of the figure you drew by working over it."
--Dara (permalink)
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Friday, January 21, 2005
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Posted by
Dara
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1/21/2005 11:23:00 PM
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Daily Musings: Day 81
(this is being post dated on Sunday)
So Wendy likes to tease me about my, shall we say "excessive zeal" for recycling. I recycle pretty much anything that can be recycled at home. Which isn't too difficult, when you think about it. There's a pick-up station just down the street from me and you don't need to sort all your recyclables by category. They all end up in the same bin.
But where the teasing comes in is at work. We do minimal recycling there, basically just pop cans and white office paper. So if I ever comes across other items, I'll bring them home with me so they'll end up in my recycle box as opposed to the trash bin at work. Stuff like those big plastic containers from 100-pack CR-ROM spindles, cardboard cereal boxes, plastic pop bottle, etc. And it's not that I go digging through our trash for these things, it's only if I'm the one disposing of them or see them laying around.
So I suppose you could look at that and say I'm a) weird, b) a treehugger, or c) an eco-nazi.
I'd like to think d) responsible.
Although I'll settle for weird too.
--Dara (permalink)
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Posted by
Tony
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1/21/2005 03:54:00 PM
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You gotta have friends
Is anyone else set up on friendster.com or myspace.com? If so, come and find me.
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Posted by
Dara
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1/21/2005 11:21:00 AM
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Warren Ellis on covers
Over at The Pulse, Warren continues his thoughts on what makes a good comic book cover, as well as general design esthetics. Good reading. Of course we here at PANEL central know all this stuff. I mean, have you seen the cover designs and unique packaging of each PANEL anthology? And wait till you see what we have in store for PANEL: Myth..."There's a lot of stuff on the shelves every week. Covers need to jump out at you and demand your attention. Covers can't just be dismissed as the things that go on the front of the book. It's all part of the same job, to me."
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