perhapanauts casting call: 2

okay...

as i expected, the only people to get involved so far have been my loyal boyz--brian, kojee, jason, and scott--thanks, guys! but we're still taking nominations, so don't hold back! post a comment or 'e' me with your picks! this is really a lot of fun!
and craig promised that he'll log in with his thoughts as soon as i unlock the chain to his drawing table...

i tried to do some web design and place some pics i nicked from IMDb--and they just went all over. sorry.
but here's what we got so far...


Kojee said...
My perhapa-cast:

Choopie: I guess he'd have to be CGI..

Molly: Angelina Jolie!!!!(hehe)

Arisa: I don't know her name, but she was the young dark-skinned lady in SWAT. Michele Rodriquez maybe?

Big: Ron Pearlman or Tyler Mane.

MG: Todd Dezago

Peter Hammerskold: Bruce Willis

"Guy"(from #1): John Goodman!!








22 August, 2006 11:43


Scott Weinstein said...

Molly = Rachel McAdams

Big = The Rock (but, done by CG through motion capture, like Gollum)

MG = Edward Norton

Arisa = Rosario Dawson ( although, I heard Todd suggest this a while ago, and I think it's perfect)

Choopie = CG character, but motion-captured and voiced by Todd.








22 August, 2006 15:05


Brian said...
Todd,

You're already aware of my choices for the $200 million dollar budget, so here is my slightly more realistic cast.

Arisa - Rosario Dawson

Molly - Ann Hathaway

Big - Voice of Kelsey Grammer

Choopie - Voice of Billy West

MG - Tom Welling

Nix - Angus T. Jones (Two and a Half Men)

Joann DeFile - Rosemary Harris

Hammerskold - Ray Stevenson (HBO's Rome)







22 August, 2006 20:38


Kojee said...
Billy West as Choopie! haha!

24 August, 2006 07:22


todd said...
okay, here's my thoughts on this;

arisa: rosario dawson

molly: not sure. but i saw 'accepted' last night with my dad and justin's girlfriend was played by a girl named blake lively who had a 'molly' moment or two...
oh, wait--i remember rachel mcadams! yeah! yeah! nice one, scott!

big: cgi and i'm thinking voiced by david morse

mg: i hadn't thought of tom welling and i really like that. prior to that i was thinking maybe shane west from 'er' and 'league of extraordinary gentlemen'. (which sucked.)

choopie: cgi and i've always just thought that i could do the voice. but billy west...!

hammerskold: i was thinkin' neal mcdonough or damian lewis from 'band of brothers'. i think they're both great actors so i can't decide which.

the chief: bruce willis

joann defile: though she's really too young for the character, i keep thinking that rachel harris--on 'vh1: i love the 70's' and, like, a kabillion commercials--would do her up right.

guy: love john goodman for that! good call kojee!

dr. das: m. night shaymalan

dr. o'neil: john mahoney

jiggs and tuggle:...

oops!









24 August, 2006 11:42

so, whaddaya think?
post your nominees in the comments section or 'e' 'em to me at todd@perhapanauts.com.
let us know whatcha think!

later--
todd

kojee's challenge

okay...

so, i'm talkin' with jared--our pal kojee--this morning via myspace; the pop culture phenom that we've all agreed we'll have forgotten about in 6 or 7 months--and the subject of casting the perhapanauts live action movie (big, choopie, karl, and whatever monsters show up to be done in s.o.a. cgi...), a game we used to have fun with back on the old tellos message boards. (not casting the perhapanauts. they weren't around yet...) this discussion was prompted by an outrageous letter we got from our own (add hilarious to that resume) brian mulcahy, which will appear in 'haps:second chances #2.
among others.

so here's the deal. send in your nominations and we'll see what we can do about putting together a kick-ass cast 2 full years before they even announce that they're making a movie!!



now i can hear a lot of you saying, "but we can't write in 'cause we don't wanna go through all the hassle of signing up just to comment." and i feel ya. i totally sympathize. but as always, i'm gonna say this; please feel free to send in your choices to me via e-mail to todd@perhapanauts.com . include your name if you want or they can be anonymous and confidential.



let's do this!
get involved--you know you want to!
(and i KNOW there are a lot of you reading this who--for one reason or another--don't write in. c'mon! help us out! now's your chance!)
can't wait to hear what you think!

do it now!

that's it.
smell ya later!

todd

funny?

okay...

i said two blogs back (in an entry that was quickly overshadowed by the announcement of that dog/hyena/tiger thing...) that i had a file of photos that, when i'd first seen them, had made me smile, laugh, cry, etc. and though i realize i'd used some of 'em here in the past, i would trot out a couple of the funny--and maybe slightly provacative--ones and maybe you'd get a kick out of 'em too.

at least a maybe a smile outta one of them.

this is from the sub-set, "you shoulda seen the look on his/her face...".



















more later!
todd

mystery creature!

okay...

i usually like to keep at least a day between entries so that everybody has a chance to digest my drivel at a slow and even pace...

BUT NOT TODAY!!!

couldn't help it--it has to be posted.

my (our) pal, jason copland hit me with this story first last night.
this morning, my friends, brian from plan b and (inker extraordinaire) rich faber also linked me up.

i'm gonna give it to you as i read it and see whatcha think.






RESIDENTS WONDER IF DEAD ANIMAL IS LEGENDARY MYSTERY BEAST

August 16, 2006
TURNER, Maine --Residents are wondering if an animal found dead over the weekend may be the mysterious creature that has mauled dogs, frightened residents and been the subject of local legend for half a generation.
_.
The animal was found near power lines along Route 4 on Saturday, apparently struck by a car while chasing a cat. The carcass was photographed and inspected by several people who live in the area, but nobody is sure exactly what it is.
Michelle O'Donnell of Turner spotted the animal near her yard about a week before it was killed. She called it a "hybrid mutant of something."
"It was evil, evil looking. And it had a horrible stench I will never forget," she told the Sun Journal of Lewiston. "We locked eyes for a few seconds and then it took off. I've lived in Maine my whole life and I've never seen anything like it."
For the past 15 years, residents across Androscoggin County have reported seeing and hearing a mysterious animal with chilling monstrous cries and eyes that glow in the night. The animal has been blamed for attacking and killing a Doberman pinscher and a Rottweiler the past couple of years.
People from Litchfield, Sabattus, Greene, Turner, Lewiston and Auburn have come forward to speak of a mystery monster that roams the woods. Nobody knows for sure what it is, and theories have ranged from a hyena or dingo to a fisher or coydog, an offspring of a coyote and a wild dog.
Now, people are asking if the mystery beast and the animal killed over the weekend are one and the same.
Wildlife officials and animal control officers declined to go to Turner to examine the remains. By Tuesday, the carcass had been picked clean by vultures and there was not much left of the dead animal.
Loren Coleman, a Portland author and cryptozoologist, said it's unlikely that the animal was anybody's pet.
After reviewing photos of the carcass, Coleman said he was bothered by the animal's ears and snout. It reminded him of a case years ago in northern Maine in which an animal shot by a hunter could not be identified. In the end, wildlife officials got a DNA analysis that showed the animal was a rare wolf-dog hybrid, he said.
Mike O'Donnell, who is married to Michelle O'Donnell, said the animal looked "half-rodent, half-dog" to him.
It was charcoal gray, weighed between 40 and 50 pounds and had a bushy tail, a short snout, short ears and curled fangs hanging over its lips, he said. It looked like "something out of a Stephen King story."
"This is something I've never seen before. It's an evil-looking thing," he said.



© Copyright 2006 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.


thoughts?

later~
todd

moons and stuff

north pole moon

okay...

every once in a while someone will send me a photo that makes me smile. or sad. or laugh out loud. or drop my jaw in amazement. these last are usually spectacular shots of the earth or the elements or nature.

a post or two back was one of those that i picked up offa yahoo of a nacreous cloud--some rare super-stratospherical anomaly high over australia (my friend eddie lives in australia). views like this just leave me in awe at the truly beautiful world we live in and so i thought i'd go through my files and throw up a few more just to share some of that for those of you inclined.

moon over athens



see, last winter was really long for me--it seemed longer and colder and darker and just...endless. and as winter turned to spring i realized that that was prob'ly my fault, 'cause i really hadn't done anything last SUMMER to keep me warm throughout the winter. you know--SUMMER things!

jake in the grass


so this year i promised myself that i'd get outside more. two long walks for jake everyday instead of just one! i'd go swimming (i realized that i hadn't been in 2 years--and i LOVE to swim!) i'd go hiking up in the catskills, again something i used to do a lot of but hadn't for a while. camping! theme parks! water parks! the county fair! drive-in movies! i'd go to the ocean! lay in the grass! play in the stream with my niece and nephew (actually MOST of these things i've been doing with my niece and nephew)!

wedged


and i've been doing them. haven't been camping yet, but summer isn't over. the fair starts next week so i'll hit that then. but i can cross off just about everything else on the list.

and so can you.
summer isn't over.

so that's my reason for putting up these pictures. i didn't take all of 'em but they make me wanna enjoy the outdoors, and the world, and summer.


mom's garden

this winter i'll have lotsa good memories to keep me goin'.

hope you will too!

scared slide

smell ya later!
todd

PERHAPANAUTS!

okay...

i keep looking back at prior posts and am feeling very self-centered and egotistical--this is s'posed to be a perhapanauts blog, dammit! but how many times have i droned on and on about nothing or got on my soapbox about things you prob'ly don't care about or gone off on some crazy tangent that has absolutely nothing to do with the blog's title or the perhapanauts or even comes close?!

so, i'm dedicating myself to be more perhapanauts-oriented here--enough about me and what i think or how i see things...WHO CARES?!! i don't anymore. and if you're like most people (and who ISN'T?) you shouldn't either.

so, okay--the perhapanauts...

...

...

umm...

we got a new book coming out in november.

you knew that?

oh.

and a trade in septem–

you knew that too?

yeah, there's nothing much to get excited about really. not until the new book comes out anyway. i mean, craig and rico and i are excited about it because, really, we think this new story, art, and colors are lookin'...well, great! (does THAT sound arrogant? selfish?) but it does! i mean, i won't say anything about the story--that might sound like bragging--but i WILL tell ya about the art! i know i've said it before, but craig has really outdone himself on second chances and it shows in every single panel! rico too--his colors make this series jump so much more than the first!
still can't get excited about it, right...?
sorry. man, if you could just see...

oh, wait a minute.
you can.

(don't tell those guys...)










enjoy!
todd

fast!

okay...

there are times when i come here with absolutely nothing to say. and then, when i get to the bottom, i look back and am amazed at how much nothing i actually said.

like, today; i really don't have a topic to discuss, a story to tell, an agenda to further.

about a week and a half ago i got hooked up with hi-speed cable. i had been on dial-up since the cavemen invented hand-held calculators. i have since been going in a million different directions checking out new music--i've easily spent $100 at itunes, which i couldn't do before 'cause the connection was so bad--new videos and funny clips on youtube, and upgrading all my files so that i can plugged in to the art side of the perhapanauts, doing the lettering with craig and seeing in faster and higher resolution the beautiful colors rico lays down on each page. things have moved faster in the past two weeks around here than in years--prob'ly since i got my computer in the first place!

and i'm learning a lot.

and having a lot of fun!

so i was watching the pop culture championship on vh1--and doing quite well, i might add!--and easily got drawn into 'i love the 70's' and saw a commercial for this OTHER show they've got called 'the best week ever'. i didn't watch that show. but i did see a clip of a cool new video by OK Go and i'm thinkin', "wow! that looked cool, i'll hafta catch that if they show it again." and then i realize, 'ha ha, idiot! you got hi-speed!' and i hi-speed it over to the computer, google OK Go video and i see that i can see the video on their myspace space. so i go there and dig, not only that video, the one for 'here it goes again' where they're on the treadmills, but the 'a million ways' vid with them in the backyard that it seems everybody is doing a version of! then i run over to itunes and buy the album not only 'cause the videos are good (i've done that. stupid.) but 'cause i really dig the tunes as well.
so when i tell ringo about this, he tells me that he's putting a myspace page of his own together and that i should too, not just to keep him company or 'cause we usually do a lot of the same stuff, but to have another place to show our stuff and maybe get a few more people interested in tellos. and the perhapanauts.

so i've got a myspace space now.
you can go see it if you want.
it's at www.myspace.com/99228910
mostly, it's just gonna re-route people back here to read this, so...

so, now i'm being inundated by people i don't know (mostly) who want to be my friend. virtual friend, i guess. okay...but this one girl invites me to be her friend and i check out her myspace page and SHE'S GOT MUSIC! cool! i wish i could do that! oh, wait...i CAN! so i put the song 'here it goes again' by OK Go on my page! (Mike pointed out that, after the novelty of it, it gets a little irritating...and i've found it can kinda scare ya if you don't know it's coming. you click on this page and suddenly the music kicks in, BAM!) i'm not sick of it yet. it's fun! and by the way, the tune on that girl's page was this fun song called 'requiem for o.m.m.' by of montreal and i went to itunes and bought that right away too!

so, i'm in. i'm hooked up. i'm part of it.

hopefully, i'll be much faster and consistent with these posts.

now, i really hafta get to work. i've allowed myself a little playtime the past two weeks as i get used to it, but now i've gotta make it make my life easier. and my work faster.

smell ya later!
todd





stay cool!

stalling...

okay...

i've been stalling the past few days, trying to get some info that i can break for you. y'know... i learned in journalism class that you don't report on something unless you can answer all the questions. i've got the who, what, where, why, and how...i just don't have the whens...

i've got some close to whens. i can tell you when-ish...

so here's what all's goin' on!

at wizard's chicagocon--which is going on as we speak. or rather, as i type. and probably as you read... anyway, dark horse will be making the big announcement that you, faithful (3) readers of this blog already know, that the perhapanauts are gonna be back for a second outing starting in november with issue 1 of PERHAPANAUTS:SECOND CHANCES!
unfortunately, craig and i are't able to make the convention this weekend, but if anybody is there at the 'dark horse special announcements of upcoming projects'panel, please yell 'woo hoo!' really loud for me when they say that.

another other cool thing is that jason, dark horse's new marketing guy, set up an interview for us with matt brady at newsarama!
that's one of the things that i don't know when...later today? tomorrow? anyway, i'll list it here when it finally comes up but check out www.newsarama.com anyway, and let us know whatcha think? i think that interview made me look fat...

so, after doing THAT interview, i was talking with our good pal, augie de blieck (jr) over at comic book resources (cbr) and he hooked us up with jonah weiland who also interviewed us and asked us TOTALLY DIFFERENT QUESTIONS! his interview will be posted at www.comicbookresources.com and again...i think it's today...i'll get back to ya...

i also did an interview about the new series a few weeks back with roger ash from westfield comics which will premiere in their catalogue and on their website simultaneously. like live aid. again, i have no idea when...

exciting, no...?

sheesh.

okay, okay, this i DO know.

craig has posted on the front page of the perhapanauts website (ummm... www.perhapanauts.com) the ENTIRE FIRST ISSUE of the first series for those of you who have been enjoying the sound of my blog but have yet to dive into the crazy world of BEDLAM! it's up there! NOW! you can read it! Free! go right away! have fun!
lemme know whatcha think...


so to recap;
cool article on newsarama. don't know when. IT'S UP! www.newsarama.com!
great interview on cbr. don't know when. IT'S UP! www.comicbookresources.com
revealing story on perhapanauts:second chances in both westfield catalogue and on line. dunno when. IT'S UP! www.westfieldcomics.com
announcement by dark horse at wizard chicago. sometime this weekend...? THEY DID IT! first thing today! woo hoo!
free perhapanauts #1 online. now! NOW! NOW! NOW! NOW!

as i said, i'll be updating later.
sorry for the vagueness.

and because i don't really have any cool pictures to post (that one above is a weird cloud formation [called a nacreous cloud]they spotted over australia...) i thought i'd post this email i got from my cousin. you may have seen it before and if you have, i apologize, but i definitely think it's worth seeing. and don't be a wus. make sure to look at the photo.


*WILD DOG PACK KILLS GATOR*
It's always awesome and a little disturbing to see nature at work.
Now, thanks to a photo from Nature Magazine, Inc., we're able to see it in full force.
One reason alligators can become so overwhelming in population in certain areas is because they have no natural predators. They are eating machines, and with a tough outer coating and great swimming ability, they generally get to fight on their own turf where they nearly always win. In this case a wild dog pack caught the gator on land, unable to make it back to his soggy home field. The dogs, working together as a team, managed to take the gator down. Note how the alpha dog, the leader, is holding onto the gator's snout to keep him from biting, while the others hold him down to keep him from rolling and thrashing. I won't lie to you, the picture is disturbing, and this page is set up in such a way that you'll have to scroll down to see it, in case there are any squeamish among you who don't want a peek.
Please, check this photo out before you clear your children or any minor to look at it:



































i liked it.

have a great weekend!
smell ya later!
todd

shameless self-promotion

okay...

i am not the super-huckster that stan lee was.

i am not good at pushing my own product.

i am not entirely comfortable with that whole end of the business.

the business end.

i like telling stories. i like to make you happy, make you laugh, make you cry, make you think.

i don't know how to make you buy.

stan was awesome at it! stan was the ultimate carnival barker, the guy you trusted immediately, the guy who could actually tell you what you wanted! let me say that again; stan could TELL YOU WHAT YOU WANTED! he was amazing! and it was so simple--he put it right there on the cover!
"BECAUSE YOU DEMANDED IT!!"
"WORLD'S GREATEST COMIC MAGAZINE!!"
"COLLECTOR'S ITEM!!"
"FACE IT, TRUE BELIEVER--YOU CAN'T MISS THIS ONE!"
along with the unique and colorful characters and the dynamic and stunning artwork, one of the most endearing things about ALL those early marvel covers is that they absolutely DRIPPED with hype!
and that was stan! all stan!






and he was right! you COULDN'T miss it! (of course, looking back it would seem that those very words were the hypnotic triggers that created generations of marvel zombies...but that's a different story...it wasn't until recently, some 40 years later, that some of us are finally waking up, saying, "hey, wait a minute...I don't remember demanding THIS?!?!?")

anyway, stan was the man! and we loved him for it! why, i even watched the first ten minutes of that painful, insufferable, superhero reality train wreck the other night JUST TO SEE STAN!! (then i hadda turn it off--it was makin' my eyes burn...)

but i'm not stan. i don't know how to make you think that your life will be an empty, vaccuous void if you don't order the next issue of the perhapanauts. actually, i don't WANT you to feel bad if you don't get it.

but i do want you to pick it up if you want to.
and i want you to be sure to tell your local comic shop owner that they should order a bunch for their store 'cause it's gonna be a good seller. and i do want the word to get out that this series is gonna blow the last series away! and tell your friends! and tell them to tell their friends! and tell them all to call, not just their comic shops, but LOTS of comic shops and just ask if they're going to have it! and i do wantcha to do that NOW 'cause this is the month that perhapanauts:second coming #1 is solicited in PREVIEWS and so this is the time for EVERYBODY to put their orders in!











































>> here's how to do that: pick a zip code at random. anywhere in the country will do. call that handy toll-free comic shop locator number listed in every comic book (it's 1-888-266-4226). enter the zip code. and then call the shop or shops they give you and ask them the magic question, "will you be carrying the perhapanauts:second coming in your shop?" (if they ask you if you'd like to reserve one, say yes and tell them your name is 'hugh jass'. then hang up.) <<

also ask 'em if they ordered the perhapanauts trade, first blood.
not only will you have mine and craig's eternal thanks, but you'll get a nice warm feeling inside.

bottom line, perhapa-pals, is that we need the word out and we need it out NOW!!

thank you thank you thank you!
excelsior!
todd

ps. anybody who would like one or both of the previously featured perhapanauts postcards sent to them need only 'e' me with their name and address at todd@perhapanauts.com. i'll put 'em in the mail pronto and you too--along with your postal carrier--will finally be able to read all the goofy stuff on the back! if you want the infamous choopie card that's making mother's nervous nationwide, let us know. we'll find a way to get that out to ya too!

> NOTICE! NOTICE! <

okay...
quick note here...

my friend, jason (armstrong, not copland) brought it to my attention that in order to log in and post a comment in the comment section at the bottom of these posts, blogspot (our kind and generous host) requires that YOU yourself sign up for a blog to play.
while you DO have to register and they do offer you a blog as part of the whole thing, that blog is only there for you if you choose to activate it. so you really don't have to have that responsibility/pressure hanging over your head. or maybe you DO want a blog and don't know it.
either way, if you don't want to sign up for ONE MORE THING (i can empathize...), then please feel free to send me any comments you might have at todd@perhapanauts.com and i'll post 'em for you! (or not, if that's what you'd prefer. just write 'not for post' at the top or bottom of your message.)

anyway, as i said, we'd love to hear from ya.
i just want to make it as easy as possible to log in and share your stories, comments, recipes. lucky numbers...

later
todd

anatomy of a comic book page

okay...

recently, several friends/acquaintances/exes/relatives/former gambling buddies/and the like have revealed to me that they actually read this blog.
this is both surprising and intimidating to me. for so long now i've been fairly convinced that it's just been me, brian, jason, kojee, and sometimes scott, and that was that. now suddenly i discover that there are those of you out there that read it but who then will never ever comment. or join in. or send me something to post!

hey, send me something to post!

since this is the perhapanauts blog, i do try to keep stories and such to the weird, the unexplained, and the just-plain-scary, but, hey! feel free--make your voice heard! start thinking about the scariest stories you ever heard and send 'em in--it would be great to have some fun/creepy horror stories to post around halloween time.

anyway, that said, i'd thought i'd start bringing things back around toward the perhapanauts again since the trade will be out in september and the new series, perhapanauts:second chances will be hitting the stands in november. (order yours today!)

















craig, rico, and i are hard at work on the second issue already and so i thought now might be a good time to give you a sneak peek at issue #1, as well as show you how we do it, break it down so's you can see the steps that go into it.

SPOILER ALERT!! i'm going to show you a page of plot from perhapanauts:second chances, as well as both the rough and finished art for the page, that, while fun, will not reveal any vital plot points of the story as a whole. if ya don't wanna see it and just wanna be surprised, good for you!, but get out now while you can...!

first, of course, we start with a story, and that's my job. i really like to work "marvel style', which means giving craig a plot detailing the story we're gonna tell and a panel-to-panel description of what I'M seeing in my head so that he can bring it to life, turning it into an actual story. i also give some indications of what the dialogue will be and usually the mood/attitude/emotions of the characterss so that he can put the proper expression on their faces, in their body language. (i do see a LOT in my head and i give big credit to craig for being able to sift out the important stuff from the extra stuff...!)
here's the plot for page 13...

PAGE THIRTEEN
Cut to; the CHIEF’S Office, where the CHIEF, JOANN, and DR. TRISH SHEEHAN are holed up along with our two new Drs, DR. BALDEV DAS (an older Indian man responsible for many of BEDLAMs bio-related breakthroughs) and DR. O’NEILL (BEDLAM’S medical doctor and CHOOPIE’S vet-- white hair--looks like a somewhat stocky version of John Mahoney/Frasier’s Dad). They are not scared, more slightly anxious--they’ve all been in situations such as this before. They are intently watching the monitors (where, as with BIG’S realization in the COMSEC office, nothing is happening) as DR. O’NEILL regards the door. The CHIEF is commenting that there seems to be no sign of them anywhere, they’ve disappeared, as O’NEILL points out that he can’t hear them outside the door anymore either.
On JOANN and maybe DAS behind her as she looks up, listening, her telepathy maybe kicking in, as she ominously whispers, “something’s coming…”
On the room, draped in shadows of course for TRISH and The CHIEF, as the 5 of them look around, now nervousness setting in. DAS: "Do you…do you hear that…?"
On O’NEILL as he looks up, listening, as he adds, : "Like something… screaming… " (we can hear a small sound effect of “aaaeeiiii”)
On TRISH, as she says, “No. It’s…singing.”
From over their heads as they look up toward the air vent which they now know is where the noise is coming from and now we can distinctly hear the “dum da dum da dum dum dum”
And, different angle as CHOOPIE kicks through the vent making his dramatic entrance, finishing up his song as he bursts through. The others don’t move, all having grown used to this kinda behavior from their combined years at BEDLAM.


cool, huh?

okay, here's craig's rough layouts/breakdowns for the page, setting both the pace and the mood with cinematic angles and shadows. because craig is going to be inking this himself, he does this in very broad strokes, going back to tighten things up when he inks. (were he doing this for someone else to ink, his pencils would be much tighter/clearer.)























and, as promised, here is the final inked page ready to go to rico to get some masterful colors applied.






















even though i'm involved in this process--bringing the characters to life from word to drawing--i still find it amazing each and every time! craig puts so much energy and drama into his every line--it's just great!

i'll post the colors when i got 'em so you can see what rico does with it.

that's it for now!

smell ya later!
todd

support your local comic book!

okay...

two posts back, my pal scott suggested that, while standing on my soapbox suggesting that everybody check out the let's-call-them-"smaller" (indicating their print run and/or exposure in the marketplace rather than, of course, their stature as prime examples of the comic book art...whew!) comics being published these days, we make a list of books that you all are reading and recommending. i guess the only pre-rec is that they not be published by marvel or dc--again, nothing against them, just that they have it so easy.


truth, justin, and the american way



so here's the list and i'll update/compile as we go so post your picks in the 'comments' section located at the bottom of this entry.





boneyard
b.p.r.d.
death jr.
digital webbing presents
doomed mag
fear agent
ferro city
flaming carrot
godland
the goon
grimoire
hero squared
liberty meadows
lions, and tigers, and bears
local
midnight sun
mouse guard
pvp
rocketo
shaolin cowboy
strange girl
truth, justin, and the american way
walking dead








hope you're havin' a nice summer!

todd

diane's ghosts

okay...

i have this dear friend, diane. she lives just outside of philadelphia and is a licensed hypnotherapist and life coach. and a really wonderful person! her intuition, insight, and remarkable compassion make her, not only good at her job, but a great friend as well. she's a lot like our joann in the perhapanauts too; part den mother, part calming force, seeing the inner beauty in everybody.

and she's got ghosts.


now i've had this argument (or, let's call it a discussion) many times with people, that if there are ghosts and ufos and bigfoots and stuff all around, how come more people don't see them. and why, especially, aren't these spirits, entities, whatever, being seen by skeptics, more reliable witnesses, ie; pragmatists. my argument is that we--those of us who WANT to believe--are wired differently. we are open to the possibilities of there being more there than what we see. we don't dismiss things as fantasy simply 'cause we cannot touch or feel or verify them. a bump in the night is just the house settling to a scully. but it's a world of possibility to the mulder.

so diane has lived in this house for years. she says that she has always felt the presence of others. a man and a woman.
and a cat. she's seen the cat. many times. at the end of a hallway, out of the corner of her eye, shooting across the room.

"My dog and I always hear someone walking up my stone driveway, only to look and find no one there. My daughter has seen the man in my driveway. My cousin asked to sit in another chair in my kitchen, because she could see someone walking out on my deck."

"Someone tells my dog to sit and stay. She won't move and sometimes I have to say, release her, and walk up to her and tell her it's ok and to come."

diane told me that, when she first moved in, she would often smell smoke and drive herself crazy walking all around the house trying to find it. at one point, her friend, linda, announced to the house to stop with the smoke because it was frightening diane. she hasn't smelled it since then.

we've chatted a lot about this--as well as a ton of other things--but the subject came around to the ghosts again and she told me this.

"My most frightening experience was when I was on vacation, my husband and I were staying in an old cabin and I was reading one night in bed. As I read, I felt someone get into bed with me. At first I thought it was my husband, but was confused because I was facing the door and he hadn't come in, and the other side of the bed was by the window. I jumped out of bed because I thought someone had gotten in from the window. There was no one in the room. and the window was locked."

spooky. and it made my other friend, liz's, hair stand up on the back of her neck.


so here's the thing. some people would say that diane is seeing things due to an overactive imagination. they would scoff and bluster and write it all off as nonsense. they would say that she makes herself see these things because she WANTS to believe.
i think that's part true.

i think she sees them 'cause she's open to it. part of it is her natural sensitivity, she is gifted with better eyes for this. she can sense their energy. pragmatists can't do this. they either don't have the tools or they do but just won't take the time to develop them.
the other part is that diane is open to this. she makes herself open to it. yes, she wants--she wants to be open to every possibility.
we can all do that.

thanks for sharing your stories, diane!
talk to ya later!
todd

empty chamber

okay...

in the past, i've gone on about how hard it is in the current comics market, for any book NOT published by the big 2 to have any kinda presence on the shelves. with cross-overs galore and all the ad space being monopolized by marvel and dc, its tough for ANYBODY to get noticed! right, todd--we've heard it before, blah, blah, blah...but this time i'm not talkin' about the perhapanauts.
there are tons of other books; small press, independent, call it what you will, clever, unique, innovative stuff, that are drowning out there in a sea of same old, same old. i go through previews each month and skirt the dc section (well, i do go back and look--i still LOVE these characters after all and i still read some of their books) but my first priority is to see all the new stuff, the personal stuff, the passionate stories/comics that are just DYING to be looked at in the independent section of the catalogue. this is where most of my actual ordering comes from--trying out something new, something that's caught my eye, something fresh...marvel and dc are gonna be fine if i decide to spend my wampum on true story, swear to god instead of civil war: part 29. or electric girl! or e-man:recharged! or death jr! or empty chamber!

which brings me to empty chamber...
perfect example. despite the cool art, despite the thrilling story, despite the added good fortune of having matt brady write it up in a plug on newsarama (with six compelling preview pages! check it out!)

http://www.newsarama.com/forums/showthread.php?t=76411

this book is gonna get eaten up.
sorry, jason. sorry, a..
in the current climate, sadly, a gem like this will be overlooked by far too many people.
the industry these days is all about hype. (well, really, these days, what ISN'T?) and if you don't have the money or the corporate support team to build that hype, you're gonna get lost in the sauce.



but enough about the biz--that just makes me frustrated.
i've read this book. well, the first issue. jason was kind enough to send me a preview copy a month or so ago and i really dug it. it's a great little thriller and from page to page i wasn't really sure what was unfolding in front of me. empty chamber is the kinda tale that invites you in...and then slams the door behind you once you're over the threshold. played out like a movie, it begins 'in medius res', and i don't know who are the good guys, who are the bad guys, who's that girl, where'd THAT guy come from.
it's really well done.
and you'd like it.
how do i know? 'cause two months later i still find myself thinking about it, wondering, from time to time, what's gonna happen? how are they gonna get outta THAT?!

check it out.
check 'em all out.
i'm not saying stop being a marvel zombie.
or a dc...whatever.
but there's gold out there...

smell ya later!
todd

urban legends

okay...

i love, love, LOVE a good urban legend!
after "the big book of the unexplained", "the big book of urban legends" is my favorite!
and with the advent of the internet, they get around SO much faster!

now i always say that i WANT to believe. in myths, legends, cryptid creatures, ufos, and ghosts. i WANT to believe that this is true too.
but i don't know...
that's what makes it so scary.

this is what i got from someone i KNOW believes it's true!

have fun!


MAKE SURE YOUR DAUGHTERS AND SONS KNOW!

This was written by a guy from KVLY-TV in Fargo; see bottom of msg.

This is true. Scary!


This is something that happened to us on the way back from vacation last week.
At first I didn't think much of it until now. The reason we were a little suspicious is we had been riding in a jeep all day with 100 degree temps and we stopped at a truck stop for something to drink. When I was leaving, a young girl followed me out and asked what kind of cologne I was wearing. Well, after 7 hours in the car sweating, I don't think you could tell if I was or was not wearing any cologne. We just got in the jeep and said no thanks.

Then it was about 3 weeks ago, I was at a service station in Birmingham getting gas. It was about 9:30 pm. I was approached by 2 men and 2 women in a car. The man that was driving asked me 'What kind of perfume do you wear?' I was a bit confused and I asked him 'Why?' He said, 'We are selling some name brand perfumes, at cheap prices.' I said I had no money. He then reached out of the car and handed me paper that was laminated; it had many perfumes on it. I looked quickly at it and gave it back. I said, have no money. He said it is OK, we take check, cash, or credit cards. Then the people in the car began to laugh. I just got in my car and said no thanks.

Then I received this e-mail yesterday and it sent chills up my spine.
Please read this. It is no joke. Here is the e-mail I was sent:

Dear Friends:
I know not all of you are women that I am sending this to, but am hoping you will share this with your wives, daughters, m others, sisters, etc. Our world seems to be getting crazier by the day. Pipe bombs in mail boxes and sickos in parking lots with perfume. Be careful. I was approached yesterday afternoon around 5:30 PM in the Wal-Mart parking lot by two males asking what kind of perfume I was wearing. Then they asked if I'd like to sample some fabulous scent
they were willing to sell me at very reasonable rate. I probably would have agreed had I not received an e-mail warning of a "Wanna smell this neat perfume?" scam. The men continued to stand between parked cars, I guess to wait for someone else to hit on. I stopped a lady going towards them, pointing at them and told her about how I was sent an e-mail at work about someone walking up to you at the malls or in parking lots and asking you to SNIFF PERFUME that they are selling at a cheap price or at least compare to which one you like best.

THIS IS NOT PERFUME...IT IS ETHER!

When you sniff it, you'll pass out. They'll take your wallet, your
valuables and heaven knows what else. If it were not for this e-mail, I probably would have sniffed the 'perfume' but thanks to the generosity of an e-mailing friend, I was spared whatever might have happened to me. I wanted to do the same for you.

PLEASE PASS THIS ALONG TO ALL YOUR WOMEN FRIENDS AND PLEASE BE ALERT AND BE AWARE. IF YOU ARE A MAN AND RECEIVE THIS, PASS IT ON TO YOUR WOMEN FRIENDS.

Ladies, this happened to me yesterday and I didn't smell the perfume
either, thanks to this email. This is true. Believe me, I know. I was over by Big Lots in the parking lot at lunch time when I was approached. So either day or night, it does not matter. There were 3 guys together when I was approached. I called the police when I got back to my desk.

Like the email says above, LET EVERYONE KNOW ABOUT THIS - YOUR
FRIENDS,FAMILY, CO-WORKERS, whomever. It helped me. The first thing that popped into my head was this e-mail warning.

Rhonda Tennyson
Girl Scouts of Northeast Mississippi
P. O. Box 1145


okay, so sharon just walked in and told me that she heard about this on the news a few weeks ago.
diabolical!

more later!
todd