trivia 2

okay...

so i realize that i'm a little other than a few of you--and a LOT older that a lot of you.
i will try to adjust accordingly in the future.

most everything got answered correctly by at least one person, but there are a few that slipped by. possibly these items fall into the category of TOO trivial? when i was participating in trivia championships, we'd call those "minutia". perhaps.

so here's the run-down.

1. the brady's dog was tiger
2. jaws 2
3. twin peaks (as cross-dressing agent dennis/denise)
4. dwindle, dwell, and dwarf
5. simone
6. 0
7. scruffy
8. gordon shumway
9. sean connery, george lazenby, roger moore, timothy dalton, pierce brosnan, and daniel craig
10. brewster, ny

i've always loved the second question 'cause everyone always immediately yells, "JAWS".
and six is a trick question.
question 9: as for the case of david niven and woody allen; every true bond fan knows that none of us ever includes THAT casino royale.

here's some more to frustrate you over the weekend.
these are harder.
remember, no google, no imdb, no cheating at solitaire...

1. in what town did rob and laura petrie live on "the dick van dyke show"?
2. everyone knows that before ER george clooney guest-starred on "the facts of life" and "roseanne". what was the name of the short-lived sitcom he starred in?
3. who played the 2 darrins and why did the first one leave the show?
4. who did the voices for tennessee tuxedo and inspector gadget?
5. what two recognizable characters are chiseled into the heiroglyphics above the ark of the covenant in "raiders of the lost ark"?
6. "who is zed?"
7. in her 70's hit song "lovin' you", what name does minnie ripperton sing over and over again at the end of the song? (scott--you're out on this one... : )







8. on the cartoon "the ant and the aardvark" (the pink panther show) their voices--done beautifully by john byner--were imitations of what two actor/comics?

9. what are the three rules that you must follow to own a mogwai?
10. what were uma thurman's names in "kill bill"?

yeah, some of 'em are older, but let's see how much tvland you've been watching.
have a great weekend!
todd

and thanks to brian who sent me the silly, absurd pic below for our "random picture of the week" spot.
since this is the second one in one week, i'll call this "random picture of the week--extra! #1"




oh, also...not that craig and i are fighting or anything, but which cover copy do you like best...?

trivia

okay...

my head is filled with junk.

total junk.

i have recently been bemoaning to craig and mike (and anyone else who'll listen) my inability of late to put a sotry together the way i used to. oh, sure, i'm fairly happy with the one that's currently running in the perhapanauts, and there are a few other things i'm working on right now that give me that same jolt that writing something you enjoy can bring. but it comes a lot harder than it used to. there was a time when i felt i was on fire and all the elements of a good story would just fall into place in my head. now those elements take a little more rearranging, a little more coaxing into place.

my friend dave will say it's 'cause we're getting older and our memories are going, but i don't buy that. first, because i don't think that storytelling part of my brain has anything to do with my memory. totally different muscles. second, because i KNOW right when this slowing down started, know that there was a pretty powerful emotional...event, i guess, (a break-up) a few years back that left me with a writer's block that shut down almost all production in that area of the plant.
but mostly the reason that i don't feel that it's my memory is 'cause there is just SO MUCH USELESS INFORMATION IN THERE THAT BOGGLES EVEN MY MIND!! I"M BOGGLING MY OWN MIND!!!

here's how my brain works...
i'm watching tv the other day and a commercial comes on for this hair restoration process by bosley.
in an instant, my mind does this.
bosley was the name of charlie's intermediary on "charlie's angels".
bosley was played by david doyle.
they originally wanted tom bosley for the role.
he was busy being howard cunningham on "happy days".
coincidentally, the two played in-laws at odds on the short-lived, 1972 mixed-marriage sitcom, "bridget loves bernie", starring david birney and merdith baxter birney.
an instant!
that's what my mind went to first.
(maybe it's a defense mechanism because i'm in denial over my slowly thinning hair. i dunno.)

either way, that's where my mind goes; to all sorts of bizarre, needless, worthless information that could only help me if i lucked out with those categories on "jeopardy".
the book, america the book, by jon stewart and the daily show gang, asks the question "how many supreme court justices can you name? now how many of the brady bunch can you name? what does that say about you?" 4 supreme court justices (but that's mostly 'cause they had just named them in the previous chapter in the book!) but i can easily conjure up ALL OF THE BRADY BUNCH!! AND THEIR REAL NAMES!!
and what was the dog's name on "the brady bunch"?
what was the dog's name on "the partridge family"?
what was the dog's name on "the ghost and mrs. muir"?
where did anne marie's parents live on "that girl"?
sure, imdb and google and the rest of the internet can put any of that stuff at your fingertips in a hearbeat--but it's rattling around in my head constantly!
and i can't help thinking that if there were a real pensive somewhere that i could off-load some of that garbage maybe i could write something good for once.

so, of course, this leads me to throwing out a trivia challenge.
unfortunately, 'cause i don't have a tv show like" jeopardy" or "who wants to be a millionaire?", we'll hafta do it old school. like a take-home test using the honor system. so NOT using imdb or google or the internet or turning on your tv or referencing your 2006 leonard maltin movie guide, jot down your answers to these and write 'em in to the comments section (or, of course, put 'em in an e-mail and send 'em to me at todd@perhapanauts.com) and we'll see how everybody does.
after this, maybe you guys should send in questions to me and we'll see if my head really is filled with fluff...?
anyway, here's the quiz...

1. what was the dog's name on "the brady bunch"?
2. what movie's poster touted "just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water"?
3. prior to "the x-files", david duchovny played an fbi agent on another tv series. what was the show?
4. there are only 3 words in the english language that begin with the letters "dw". what are they? (proper names and derogatory terms don't count ie; dwight or dweeb)
5. what was the dog's name on "the partridge family"?
6. how many of each animal did moses take on the ark?
7. what was the dog's name on "the ghost and mrs. muir"?
8. what was "alf"s real name?
9. name the 6 james bonds?
10. where did anne marie's parents live on "that girl"?

smell ya later!
todd

now we're gettin' somewhere...

okay...

first off, much thanks to brian for his wonderful perhapanauts script last week, which was not only entertaining, but gave me some time to stock up on items and bits for upcoming blog entries! thanks, bri!

for example--in the spirit of perhapa-fans sharing some of their own artwork and such--here are two more submissions from our pal, don kelly ( http://wheniwokeup.blogspot.com/ ) ; choopie and big!



if you're cutting these out and mounting them on pasteboard to trade with your friends, these are #s 2 and 3 in the series, with don's beautiful sketch of molly being #1! collect all 12!!



thanks, don! they're wicked cool!

after that...okay, i see LOTS of really cool images on the internet everyday. some come in the form of email, some on sites i've searched, others i've found posted on myspace. some are funny, some are touching, some are old toys or comic books that i saw on ebay...i grab 'em, and leave them on my 'desktop', and clutter the whole screen up and then ask myself, "what the hell am i gonna do with these?!" well, i'm gonna share them. they are some cool pictures and i thought some of you might get the same kick out of them that i did.
so i'm gonna start a new segment called "random picture of the week". you might dig it, you might hate it, you might pass it right by. if you wanna comment on it, go to it. if you have any pictures of your own that you may have come across in your travels and think they might fit the bill, send 'em in.

here's the first

random picture of the week #1



that's it for today. wednesday i'm gonna talk some trivia and about all the useless crap i have in my brain.
smell ya later!
todd

brian's story--"down in the dump" part 3

okay...

we received a bunch of mail praising brian's story and more than likely you're skipping all of my babble here and jumping right down to the conclusion. that's okay. go to it. it's GOOOOOD!

it really is. brian, you did a great job and, again, i'm just amazed at how quickly you turned this around! one night!!

hopefully, this'll inspire more of you to write, draw, paint, compose, sculpt, photograph, model, etch-a-sketch, carve out of ham, or lego your own perhapanauts piece and send it in to share with the rest of us. come on...you know you want to!

okay, i'll shut up now. enjoy!
and have a great weekend!

todd


PAGE FIFTEEN

Big and MG conduct a through search of all the dwellings in the cliff, but find no trace of Choopie nor any clues as to what may have happened to the Anasazi who once lived here or any indication that the even did live here. Moving on to the exterior, Big notices massive jagged grooves running up and down the outer sides of the cliff dwellings. Big closely examines the grooves, his expression changing from inquisitive to stoic.

MG: Ready to head back?

Big: Yes, but first there’s something I have to tell you before we get back to Molly.

MG: Okay, what is it.

Big: These cliff dwellings weren’t built under ground; they were forcefully dragged down here.

MG: You mean like by an earthquake?

Big: No, this was done intentionally.

MG: Holy . . . . the kind of power that would take, what on earth are we dealing with here?

Big: Oh, I wouldn’t limit our sphere of inquiry to earth on this one.


PAGE SIXTEEN

MG and Big head back to Molly and Arisa to determine their next course of
action.

MG: This will be a little easier than the last time as there are only two passageways out of this cavern so we’ve got a fifty-fifty chance of picking the right one. So, will it be column A or column . . .

MG stops in mid-sentence because he sees the same little bright blue-eyed creature that Choopie had encountered earlier peaking out from the second passageway. MG immediately breaks into a run while calling over his shoulder to Big and Molly.

MG: You two stay with Arisa, I’m going to try and catch this thing.

No sooner does MG disappear down the passageway then a deathly silence falls over the cavern. After waiting for what seems like an eternity for MG to come back, Big looks over at Molly and says:

PAGE SEVENTEEN

Big: I think we better go see if we can find MG.

As Big is speaking the little blue eyed creature peaks out from the other passageway. Big, like MG, breaks into a run as the creature disappears back down the passageway and yells over his shoulder to Molly

Big: If I’m not back in ten minutes, go for help.

Molly, now left alone with Arisa, becomes nervous and starts talking to herself.

Molly: Not good . . . not good . . . Come on Mol, hold it together; your friends are counting on you. You can’t let them down, not after everything they’ve done for you, not after . . .

Just then, Arisa's eyes snap open and she sits bolt upright taking a big gasp of air as if awakening from one of those dreams where you’re falling and about to hit the ground.



PAGE EIGHTEEN

Arisa: I saw it Mol, I saw what grabbed Choopie . . . (shuddering and holding herself)

Molly: What is it ‘Ris

Arisa: I don’t know. It’s ancient, almost as old as the earth itself, but it doesn’t have a name because no one who has ever seen it has lived to tell the tale. And I know (hesitating) something even worse,"

Molly: And what's that? (said with fearful trepidation)

Arisa: I know where it is.

Molly: Where? (looking to her left and then her right)

Arisa: Directly below us.

No sooner are the words out of her mouth than the dirt under Arisa explodes into the air and she disappears into the ground.

Molly is momentarily dumbstruck by what she has just witnessed and just floats above in the air unsure of what to do. Finally, a look of resolve spreads across her face as she realizes what she must do. Molly looks down at the ground where her friend just disappeared and dives in after her.

PAGE NINETEEN

Splash

Molly passes through the ground and emerges into a very large cavern the bottom of which is entirely taken up by a gigantic gapping mouth with hundreds of tentacles emanating from its sides waving in the air. (Kind of like the creature in the sand from Return of the Jedi, but on steroids) At the end of each tentacle can be seen a pair of crystal blue eyes that caused everyone up to now to mistake the tentacles for a smaller separate creature. Over to one side, suspended on the wall of the cavern are Choopie, MG, Big, and Arisa, their bodies wrapped up with some type of viscous fluid (looks a little like the stuff in the Alien movies) but their heads and mouths free.

PAGE TWENTY

Molly, unnoticed by the creature, floats down to her friends and hovers in front of them.

Molly: How do I get you out of here.

Arisa: I don’t think you can sweetie.

Big: This thing took us with ease and I haven’t been able to even bend this stuff it’s got us trussed up with.

Molly: I can’t just leave you here, I won’t . . .

Team: (in unison) Uh, Molly . . .

Behind Molly can now be seen three of the creature’s tentacles, its crystal blue eyes appearing to be focused menacingly on Molly.

Molly: What . . . (turning her head her eyes widening as she sees the tentacles)

Team: (in unison) Run!

Molly immediately shots up passing through the earth followed closely by the three tentacles that smash up through the earth behind her with relative ease. Molly knows the team is depending on her and is really exerting herself to stay ahead of the tentacles.



PAGE TWENTY-ONE

Molly emerges from the ground back in the same dump where this all started mere feet ahead of the three pursuing tentacles. Molly’s momentum carries her straight up into the air. So intent is her focus on the tentacles behind her that she doesn’t realize until too late that she is headed straight for the high-tension power wires the span across the dump. To wait to change her course, Molly instinctively shuts her eyes and throws her arms up in front of her to brace for the impact. Fortunately for Molly, she is intangible and simply passes through the cables unharmed. The creature's tentacles, however, are all too real and when the hit those cables the result is a million volts of electricity is sent coursing back down through the creature frying it to a crisp.


PAGE TWENTY-TWO

Cut to the team back at Headquarters in the break room decompressing from their encounter with the creature under the dump. The Chief enters carrying a white envelope.

Chief: Great job guys, especially you Molly, quick thinking out there.

Molly: (blushing) Thanks Chief

Chief: Now tell me, just how did this whole thing get started.

Arisa: Well Chief, I guess it really started when Choopie’s curiosity got the better of him.

Chief: Stop right there Arisa, that’s all I need to know.

The Chief walks over to Choopie and hands him the white envelope.

Chief: In that case, THIS is for you.

The Chief then smiles, turns and walks out of the room. Choopie opens the envelope while the other’s watch with interest to see what it is. As Choopie reads the letter his jaw drops and then the letter slips from his hand falling to the floor. Arisa, Big, MG and Molly all crane their necks to see what the letter was.

Cut to tight shot of the letter lying on the ground. It is a $300,000.00 dollar bill from the electric company for the million volts used to fry the creature.


Fin.

brian's story--"down in the dump" part 2

okay...

i really have nothing to say.
here's part 2.
enjoy!

todd


PAGE SEVEN

Half splash of a large cavern with too many passageways leading off in too many different directions. Molly floats and Arisa, MG and Big stand looking around the cavern trying to decide which way to head.

Molly: There are so many passageways, how do we choose?

MG: We could check them all to see if there are any signs of recent passage.

Big: I’m not sure we have that kind of time.

Arisa: Let me see what I can do.

Arisa moves to the center of the cavern and begins to psychically probe for any signs of life.

Arisa: I’m getting something.

Arisa begins to move toward one of the passageways followed by Molly, MG and Big

PAGE EIGHT

Arisa arrives at the mouth of the passageway to which she was headed her face tense with concentration.

Arisa: Yes, this is it, I’m definitely getting something from here, I’m . . . . wait . . . what . . . huhhhh, ahhhhhhhh!

Arisa’s eye’s roll up into her head, her body goes rigid and she begins to fall backwards. Molly instinctively reaches out to catch her, but Arisa passes right through her arms. Luckily MG is right behind Molly and is able to grab Arisa before her head smashes into the hard cavern floor.

Molly: ‘Ris . . . (obvious concern and some trepidation in her voice)

MG: Arisa . . . Arisa . . . Arisa . . . (a passion and concern in his voice surprising to all present including himself)

Big: (to MG) Quick give her to me and hold this light so I can see what I’m doing.

Big checks Arisa out as best as he can under the circumstances.

Molly: Big . . .

MG: How is she?

Big: Well, physically, her vital signs are good, but mentally she’s unresponsive. As best as I can determine she’s in some type of catatonic state. It’s as if her mind encountered something that so over whelmed her that she just shut down.



PAGE NINE

Molly: What do we do now? Should we keep looking for Choopie or should we get ‘Ris back to base.

MG: At this point my gut tells me we’re not just Choopie best chance, we’re his only chance. So I say we keep going.

Big: I agree with MG, plus it will be next to impossible to get Arisa out the way we came in given her current condition.

Molly: Then it’s unanimous. Onward and downward.

Molly floats ahead into the passageway, her role as team scout now almost second nature to her followed by MG holding the blaster and the Big who scoops up Arisa effortless and starts into the passageway.

Cut to shot of Big disappearing down the passageway. The next panel is entirely black signifying the darkness and silence of the cavern now that they have departed. Go to a second black panel, but this time superimposed with sound effects – SKRATCH, SKRATCH, SKRATCH – to indicate that someone or something is behind our heroes lurking in the dark.


PAGE TEN

MG and Big are walking through the dark passage way. The area immediately around them illuminated by their flashlights, but only a few yard ahead and behind them its pitch black. MG is in front carrying Choopie’s blaster while Big is behind him carrying Arisa.

MG: How you holding up back there? Want me to spell you for a bit and carry her for a while?

Big: No thanks, I’m good.

MG: Ok, but let me know if you change your mind. I’d be glad to do it.

Big: (speaking under his breath to himself) I’m starting to get that impression.

MG: What was that?

Big: (a little embarrassed that MG may have heard him) errr. . . I didn’t say anything.

MG: No, no. I thought I heard something behind us. (holding up his hand for silence) Listen.

At first the passage way is deathly quiet, but just as MG is about to turn and start
walking again they hear it. SKRATCH, SKRATCH, SKRATCH.

MG: There’s definitely something behind us and I don’t think its Molly. Let me get behind you. (MG and Big switch places).

The noise repeats – SKRATCH, SKRATCH, SKRATCH – only louder and closer

PAGE ELEVEN

Big: Fire a warning shot down the passageway.

MG levels Choopie’s Blaster, aims it high in the passageway and squeezes the trigger, but nothing happens. MG checks that the safety is off, and tries again with similar results. As MG stares down at the blaster in disbelief, again they hear the ominous SKRATCH, SKRATCH, SKRATCH coming down the passage way towards them.

MG: You have got to be kidding me. Choopie, if we find you alive, I swear I’m gonna’ kill you.

Big: What’s that noise.

MG: Oh that, that scratching. That’s nothing, just our impending doom.

Big: No not the scratching, that humming noise.

MG: Humming, what humm . . . (MG and Big simultaneously look down at the blaster and realize that the humming is coming from it.)

MG & Big: (looking at each other) IT’S OVERLOADING . . . . RUN!

MG drops the blaster in the middle of the passage way and he and Big, with
Arisa cradled close to his body for maximum protection, take off down the passageway at a dead run head long into the pitch black. Behind them the humming reaches an ear splitting level and then the blaster explodes collapsing that area of the passageway while sending rock and smoke billowing down the passageway in both directions.



PAGE TWELVE

Cut to tight shot of Molly, her eyes wide with wonder and awe. Next panel, still a tight shot of Molly but now her expression changes to one of shock and horror as she hears the echo of the blaster exploding off panel. Molly then turns to the opening of the passage way behind her, the same passage way she knows Arisa, Big and MG are in, and watches with tears forming in her eyes as smoke comes billowing out the passage way exit.

Molly: Guys . . . (with a visible quiver in her voice)

Mere Moments later bursting forth out of the smoke still at a dead run comes first Big, Arisa still cradled in his arms, and then MG right behind him.

Molly: Guys! (now a joyous shout)

Big gently places Arisa on the ground then collapses in a heap gasping for breath with MG collapsing right along side him. Molly then floats down on top of the group hugging them all as best she can.

Molly: I’m so happy to see you guys.

MG: Not as happy (gasp) as we are to see you, Mol, not as happy as we are to see you.

Molly: And you won’t believe what I’ve found.

Big: What did you, (gasp) find?

Molly: Oh not much, just this. (tight shot of Molly gesturing to something behind her which the reader cannot yet see through the dissipating smoke)

PAGE THIRTEEN

Splash Page

The smoke has cleared and there is a wide shot with the team still on the ground in the foreground with Molly’s arm pointing to he background which is filled by an entire intact Anasazi cliff village built into the far wall of the cavern.

MG: It’s amazing.

Big: But, what is it doing here.


PAGE FOURTEEN

Big, still carrying Arisa, with MG walking behind and Molly floating ahead approaches the village. Once there he places Arisa down in one of the dwellings and then steps outside again to get a better look at the cliff dwellings.

Big: (to MG) I think we need to take a closer look at this place. Choopie might be here or there may be a clue to his whereabouts.

(to Molly) Molly, will you stay and keep an eye on Arisa.

Molly: Sure . . . Say guys . . .

MG and Big: Yeah . . .

Molly: Do you think THIS is what really happened to the Anasazi Indians? That something forced them to relocate underground?

Big: I’ve heard stranger theories, mass alien abduction being my favorite, but I’ll see what I can find out. (to MG) Shall we ?

MG: (glancing over to check on Arisa) The sooner we start . . .

brian's story--"down in the dump" part 1

okay...

here, as promised, is part one of the full script written by our own brian mulcahy a month or so ago. it was inspired by a blog in which i posted a strange story about a weird creature a woman in oregon viewed in a backwoods dump. after saying that i wasn't certain how i could weave this crytpo-phenomenon into an upcoming perhapanauts story, brian ran with it and turned this script in OVERNIGHT (still can't believe that!)!
i'll be posting the rest of the story on wednesday and friday.
enjoy!
todd

Perhapanauts #TBA

Twenty-Two Page Story

PAGE ONE

Splash

The setting is a large run of the mill town dump. Arisa, MG, Big, Molly and Choopie are there to discard everything that got broken in the climatic fight scene from their latest adventure. Choopie is in the foreground. In one hand he holds one of his Red Cross juice boxes with protruding straw while with the other hand he is dragging a broken chair. Choopie looks less than thrilled. In the background Arisa, MG and Big are unloading various pieces of debris from the back of a Bedlam SUV. Behind them can be seen high-tension power wires spanning over the dump.

Title: Todd and Craig’s The Perhapanauts in “Down In the Dump”

Credits: brian –– words TBA –– pictures TBA –– colors

Choopie: Oh sure, they make it look soooo glamorous in the movies. James Bond saves the world and he ends up on a tropical beach with the beautiful leading lady. Me, I end up with a broken chair and an all expenses paid trip to the town dump to dispose of the half ton of ruble which is all that’s left of the latest sure fire can’t miss crackpot scheme for world domination. Man, I need a vacation . . . and some pie.


PAGE TWO

Choopie is taking a sip out of his Red Cross juice box while looking around for a good place to dump his broken chair when he catches something out of the corner of his eye.

Choopie: Huh?

As Choopie looks around he spots several small holes in the ground and then a small area of dirt starting to push upward. As Choopie stares, the dirt begins to fall away revealing a tan object about 12 inches in diameter shaped like the tip of a finger and perfectly smooth.

Choopie: What on earth . . .

As Choopie continues to watch, the creature begins to sway to the left, then to the right, as if looking for something, and then it stops. Suddenly, two beautiful crystal blue eyes surrounded by brilliant white snap open. Choopie’s expression changes from perplexed to delighted. He puts down the broken chair and starts to approach the creature.

Choopie: Don’t worry little fella, I’m not gonna hurt you.

Choopie walks out of the panel so that all we see is the broken chair lying on the ground. Then from off panel we hear

Choopie: Hey, hey . . . . Ahhhhhhhh . . . .

Choopie’s Red Cross juice box flies in from off panel and lands beside the broken chair.




PAGE THREE

Arisa, Big, MG and Molly are finishing taking the last pieces of debris off of the Bedlam SUV.

Arisa: I think that’s the last of it team, good job.

Molly: I’m afraid I wasn’t much help what with my condition and all.

MG: Don’t worry about it Molly. Plus you were a bigger help than Choopie.

Big: Speaking of whom, has anyone seen . . . .

Choopie’s scream is heard coming from off panel. Arisa, visibly chilled by the tone of the scream is the first to react.

Arisa: Blue Team, I want a four-grid point to perimeter hard target search of this dump for Choopie and I want it fast. Keep your com lines open and stay frosty, no telling who or what we’re dealing with here.

Big and MG take off simultaneously in separate directions. Molly delays, a look of trepidation on her face. She looks over at Arisa who, sensing Molly’s need for reassurance, gives her a slight smile and nod.

Arisa: Don’t worry Mol, I’m sure Choopie just ran into a rat and got startled.

A slight smile spreads across Molly’s face.

Molly: Yeah, I’m sure that’s it ‘Ris.

Somewhat reassured, Molly floats off in search of Choopie.

Arisa waits for Molly to leave, then reaches into the Bedlam SUV and pulls out Choopie’s blaster.

Arisa: Of course, if that were the case, it would have been the rat we heard screaming.

PAGE FOUR

Separate panels of MG, Big and Arisa searching the dump. Cut to a panel of Molly floating with her eyes and mouth wide open excitedly yelling.

Molly: Quick, over here, over here! I’ve found something.

MG, Big and Arisa converge on the area over which Molly is floating. As they arrive, Molly lowers herself to the ground. The four now are standing around looking at the broken chair and the Red Cross juice box, straw still in place, lying on the ground.

MG picks up the juice box.

Big: This thing is still half full. I KNOW he didn’t give this up voluntarily.

MG then gives the box a squeeze causing a stream of blood to shoot out of the box. Arisa, MG, Molly and Big all turn their heads watching the arc of blood as it flies through the air and then falls onto a slight depression in the ground about six feet away from them and almost instantly drains into the earth.

Big: Hello? What do we have here?

Big picks up the broken chair and places it on top of the depression. The ground underneath the chair quickly gives way causing the chair to fall through revealing a surprising large hole in the ground.

Big: Well I’ll be a monkey’s uncle (quickly turning to MG) don’t even think it.

PAGE FIVE

Cut to shot of Arisa, MG, Molly and Big looking down into the hole from the point of view of the hole.

Molly: Boy, it’s awfully dark down there. How deep do you think it is?

MG: I’m not sure, but I definitely think we’re going to need a bigger boat.

Arisa: Very funny. Ok, what we are going to need is lights and lots of them.

Big: I’m on it.

Big heads back to the SUV to grab their flashlights.

MG: (speaking in a joking manner) Why Miss. Arisa, I didn’t know you were afraid of the dark.

Arisa: I’m not, wise guy, like any sane person, I’m afraid of what’s in the dark.

Cut to shot of the team, Arisa, MG and Big all holding flashlight, standing around the hole getting ready to start their descent.

Arisa: Molly, you can travel the quickest so you’re on point. Scout ahead and let us know of any trouble spots.

Molly: (a touch of anxiety showing on her face) Will do ‘Ris.

Molly heads down first. Arisa then turns to MG handing him Choopie’s
blaster.

Arisa: You go next MG and take this. It’s our only weapon and you’re by far our best shot.

MG pauses, looking at her as if he wants to say something, something personal,
but the moment passes. He then nods to Arisa and slips into the hole.




PAGE SIX

Arisa: (whispering so MG’s back so cannot hear her) be safe (then turning to Big) I’ll go next and you take the rear. Do you think you can make it?

Big: No worse than flying coach. But if it gets any narrower on the way down, I might have to back out, literally.

Arisa: Ok then, let’s do this. (said with a little more courage then she’s actually feeling)

Arisa enters the hole followed by Big who passes with only inches to spare.

Cut to shot of MG, Arisa and Big crawling through a pitch-black tunnel.

Arisa: (to MG) Can you see anything?

MG: Other than the hand in front of my face?

Arisa: Yes.

MG: Then, no.

Arisa: (turning her head back to Big) How you doing back there Big?

Big: Kind of wishing I’d watched something other than the Original Alien movie last night, but other than that . . .

Arisa: (to MG) Any sign of Molly?

MG: Nothing Ye . . . (Molly materializes right in front of MG) . . . ahhh, don’t do that.

Molly: Sorry, but I bring good news, just twenty yards further down this tunnel opens up into a cavern.

Tight shot of MG, Arisa and then Big emerging from the tunnel.

random and procrastinating

okay...

it is a writer's job be creative. to test, and hopefully stretch, the boundaries of his or her imagination. to continually look for new twists and turns, new distractions and deviations, new ways...to put off actually sitting down and getting to work!

i'll admit it--it's true.
oh, there are days when you're on fire, when you can't wait to sit down and things just take off. times when you sit down to write and only look up at the clock, thinking you've been going at it for maybe an hour to find that 5 hours have passed! times when it's just magic...
but on those days when you need a really big jump-start, well, those are the days when you can be most creative. in finding ways NOT to work. there are lots of tricks we learn, we play on ourselves. rituals and routines we develop to convince ourselves that we're "warming up". other things that NEED doing--this blog is one of them--that we allow to take precedence over the real work, the paying gig.

i've got work to do and really nothing to say here. this is gonna be a random, just-before-the-weekend blog to show you a few pictures that i've been dying to show you (and one or two that i was told not to...)!
hope you dig 'em!

first up, is philippe scherding's latest submission--most of you will recall his underwater molly from a few months back, now posted in our all new fan art section!--choopie is nosferatu!



this, of course, will be posted in the fan art section shortly too!
thanks, philippe! love it! it's really great!

okay, so this i've had on my desktop for a couple of months now and don't know why i'm posting it here. to me it represents everything i loved about comics when i was a kid. it prob'ly won't mean the same to you, but i just wanted to put it up here.



and here's a sleestack.



i don't have any tattoos.
a few months ago i met a girl who had several. one, on her right wrist, said "no regrets". i asked her if she wished she hadn't gotten it. she didn't get it. if i ever got a tattoo, that's what i'd get. "no regrets". and then tell everyone that i'd always had second thoughts about it.
or i'd get this one (--which, just to let you know, i have been forbidden to get.)



next week, i will be running brian mulcahy's dump creature inspired perhapanauts script "down in the dumps" in it's (serialized) entirety, because it's just too big to post in the fan art section...and just too good! : )
if you have a story, poem, sketch, pin-up, comic strip, photo, or haiku about one or all of the perhapanauts, please share it!
we're dying to see it and would love to add it to the fan art gallery!

that's it. i got nothing else. and no regrets.
smell ya later!
todd

from figaro, with love...

okay...

so WAAAAAY back when mike wieringo and i were doing tellos and collecting a good number of fans and friends on our website (we had a rockin' message board!), there were probably about 8 or 9 very frequent posters that soon became known to us as our tellos family. kojee, sus, xavier, maukingbird, figaro...they were a wonderfully positive, vocal bunch who, not only dug the comic, they dug each other and really supported one another in thier messages back and forth. with most of them, their names were all we knew of them, and what we knew of them from their letters to us and their messages to each other, and, over the years mike and i have only had a chance to meet a few of them "in real life" at conventions and such.

of course, regular readers of this blog will recognize kojee's name--he's stuck with me on the journey here to the perhapanauts (thanks, kojee!) and has helped out in ways i can't thank him enough for!



also lurking about--but not posting as much--maybe it's that stupid sign up to comment--i hate that thing...is figaro. our pal, john norris, is a composer by day, doing a lot of work with his church (and even put together a beautiful opening piece for our much dreamed on tellos movie...), but at night he takes on the guise of avid comics reader and reviewer. his column for comics in the classroom dot net is geared to guide teachers and parents toward comics that would be appropriate for their kids and hopefully fun for the whole family. he has been kind enough cover the perhapanauts in his travels and below is a link (or at least the web address) so that you can check it out yourselves!
thanks for the great coverage, fig--and for your never-ending enthusiasm!

http://www.comicsintheclassroom.net/oocats_meow2006_nov28.htm



also, news on the perhapanauts front is that issue 4 of second chances will be bumped a week due to shuffling going on at the printers for the holidays. so rather than a just-before-christmas gift, consider it a pre-new years treat!



well, i gotta go and write some funny books!
smell ya later!
todd

oh, so ya have some questions about the perhapanauts:second chances #2...?

okay...

apparently issue 2 of our current endeavor has prompted a whole mess a' questions and, while i absolutely LOVE getting your emails, myspace messages, and, in a few cases, phone calls, i, sadly, must also plead the fifith as far as the answers go. you don't REALLY want me to tell you who those two guys in the suv are...? or what it is that choopie told choopie? or why the cricket squad features a second-in-command who bears a strinking resemblance to a certain member of our perhapa-blog family here...? (well, actually, that one's easy--we really wanted to thank brian for all he's done in promoting the perhapanauts. and, also, we want to kill him in an upcoming issue.)



so, yes, there is lots going on. a lot more than in the first series. and yes, there are a lot of questions to be asked, but, please...be patient. it will all make sense soon enough. (if you really MUST know, okay...'e' me and i'll letcha know what i can...i'm such a pushover...)

as far as news goes, craig just got done updating the perhapanauts website (if you didn't get here by going through that, check it out. it looks wonderful!)
the big news really though is that he's added a fan art/fan fic section where you are now welcomed and encouraged to share your perhapanaut-related drawings, comics, and/or stories with alla your perhapa-pals!! don't be shy--the more the merrier! we're dying to see your versions of our little gang and can't wait to read your short (or long) stories and see what kinda wackiness YOU can get them into! feel free! have fun!
we've already posted some pin-ups by don kelly, mek, and philippe and a great six-page 'haps comics story by my friend, jj muste!
send any submissions YOU might have to
craig@perhapanauts.com
and he'll get 'em up there as soon as possible!



also, i think my interview with MIKE WIERINGO in his volume of MODERN MASTERS is out this week! (at least, i THINK it is...i got a whole box of 'em yesterday...) so go get one and enjoy retrospect on the career and artwork of one of the best artists in comics today! (and yes, i can't wait 'til they let me do one on craig! woo hoo!)



i hope everybody had a great thanksgiving and that you made the most of relaxing over the long weekend. i did.

smell ya later!
todd

kojee's letter

okay...

hope everybody had a great and grateful thanksgiving!
i also hope that you're making the most of the long weekend and spending some time resting and relaxing with family and friends.

for todays blog i wanted to give some credit where credit is due and give an extra special shout out to our pal, kojee.
here's why.

most of you have prob'ly tipped to the fact that i write alla the letters on the perhapanotes pages of the perhapanauts. those letters usually refer to an issue that never was. or never will be. (or WILL they...? : ) anyway, i try to use those letters to tell--or maybe a better term would be 'elude to'--stories that either wouldn't work well as a comic book story or reveal a little something extra about one or another of our players. i have a lotta fun doing them and wonder if anyone reads them.



back in january, inspired by the idea, brian mulcahy wrote to craig and i explaining how much he loved our 100th issue. the letter was a kick--you can see it in second chances 2--and craig and i got several good laughs out of it! i thought, we HAVE to share this, and then asked a few of our other regular perhapablog-pals if they would like to take a swing at it, building on the fun that brian had laid down. i asked jason copland, scott weinstein (who signed as b.clinton : ) and kojee/jared, our tellos friend from long ago. they all laid down some sweet sweet letter parodies and i loved them all. sent 'em in...

...only to find that, because of space, dark horse needed to cut one of the letters.
it was kojee's.
i felt terrible.
and so, here, for your edification and amusement, please enjoy kojee's letter on our glorious 100th issue!



Dear Perhapa-dudes,

Congrats on reaching 100 issues! I've been with the book since day one, and the story just keeps getting better and better! I was heartbroken over Choopie, but he died to save his friends, and the way he died only added to his character.

Sadly, I read online that Craig will be giving up pencilling duties after issue 110. I know he's busy with the Harry Johnson movie adaptation(loved Craig's cameo in the film!), but I'm still gonna miss his style. Is it true that Joe Mad is interested in taking over as artist?

As a big fan of the first Perhapanauts movie, I have to say, please, do not let Universal allow Angelina Jolie to walk out before film number two. Pay her whatever she wants. She fit Molly perfectly, despite what Todd wrote on his blog. Man, Todd starts dating Jessica Alba, and suddenly he's a film critic? Whatever....

Rock on!

-Kojee



thanks, kojee--for the awesome letter and for being so understanding!
have a great weekend!
smell ya later!
todd



ps.
i will point out that, while it's nice that everyone sees me attached to some very talented actresses in the future--and that scott remembered my...interest...in jennifer connelly...and her picture on my fridge...i am currently dating a very nice girl named sharon and am very happy where i am.
so jennifer, please stop calling.

ON SALE NOW!!!

okay...

perhapanauts:second chances #2 is on sale NOW!!

why don't you have one yet?

don't give me THAT lame excuse...! you get out there and GET ONE!

it's not gonna read itself, y'know.



perhapanauts:second chances #2 on sale now!


have a great thanksgiving!
see ya friday!
todd

a weeks worth of thanks and don kelly

okay...

well, as the title of this little blog suggests, i've realized in recent years that the holiday season seems to go too fast. always griping about how the stores get their decorations and advertisings and sales out WAY too early--to my mind it should be illegal until just after thanksgiving--this year i'm not letting it get me. as a matter of fact, i think i'm embracing it a bit. we NEED to get into the spirit of the holidays, of giving and sharing and smiling and putting away petty differences. personally, i have SO much to be thankful for and i don't wanna let this thanksgiving go by without acknowledging that and hopefully telling the people i care about how i feel.
okay, blah, blah, blah--you know what i mean. you've heard it before. prob'ly even said it before.
but, anyway, here's what i'm gonna do. and if anyone else feels like they wanna do it too, then i'm glad i wrote about it.
tonight--that's sunday for me, but it could be monday or tuesday, whenver you read this--i'm gonna sit in the dark in my living room, with my dog in my lap, and i'm just gonna list all the friends and family i have, the people who, whether i ever call on them or not, i know would be there for me in a heartbeat. i'm gonna list all the great things i have in my life--just watching one of those (guilt-inducing) christian children's fund commercials will help you remember just how good you got it. and finally, i'm gonna list a buncha things that i'm going to do to better myself. or my friends. or someone i don't even know.
i'm gonna be thankful.
i've got a whole week to work on it.

that said, one of the things that i am ALWAYS thankful for is being able to tell stories, especially with craig, and especially for you. there are many other places where we would never have the opportunity to do the perhapanauts and i feel very fortunate that we've been able to do what we have. i'm also thankful for YOU--whether you're a fan of our crazy crytozoological team or you just happened to stumble on this blog and have nothing better to do with your time--thanks for reading!

someone who DOES have better things to do with his time, but reads our book anyway, is don a. kelly. don is an artist/cartoonist based in new england and just the other day posted a sketch he did of our molly over on his blog! craig forwarded it over to me and, as i've said many times before, it's an absolutely wonderful feeling to see other people's versions of your characters, to know that they liked them enough to take the time and draw them. i had every intention of posting his molly here, but thought that that would take away the incentive for you to go over to don's blog and check out all of his other wonderful stuff! he has a style that's a lot of fun and you can see his love of comics in his work!

so check it out--here's his e-ddress--

http://wheniwokeup.blogspot.com/

and that's it for today!
perhapanauts:second chances #2 is s'posed to be out this week--are the books coming in on tuesday or wednesday? i dunno.

since i didn't want to post don's picture here--go check it out already, will ya!--
here's a picture of jake sleeping in his bed...



smell ya later!
todd

solicits: perhapanauts:second chances #4

okay...

here's the last one!
if you liked these, well i hope this one leaves you on a good note.
if you hated this, i'll be back to regular blog next week!

have a great weekend!

i think, for reasons i really can't put my finger on, that this is my favorite cover so far!
love the design, the figures, the coloring...
great job, craig!





PERHAPANAUTS:SECOND CHANCES #4

(writer) todd dezago
(pencils&inks) craig rousseau
(color) rico renzi

This issue; Everything Happens!

Seriously.

“From the slightly deranged and feverishly creative minds of Todd Dezago and Craig Rousseau…”
--Augie de Blieck, Jr., Comic Book Resources

“…good clean comics fun.”
--Augie de Blieck, Jr., Comic Book Resources

“…it would be a shame to see it get lost in the flood of new titles arriving on shelves these days.”
--Augie de Blieck, Jr., Comic Book Resources

“…even the letters column continues the mirth and mayhem of the comic.”
--Augie de Blieck, Jr., Comic Book Resources

“#@&%!! Can’t you guys find anybody else to pimp your crappy book?!?”
--Augie de Blieck, Jr., Comic Book Resources


FC 32 pp $2.99

okay, i'm off to watch my name is earl, the office, 30 rock (all super-sized!!) and er.
smell ya later!
todd

solicits: perhapanauts:second chances #3

okay...

as the rumble continues to reverberate around, well, my inbox and mike's website, about the tellos hardcover news i spilled the other night on augie's podcast, i'm gonna go ahead and continue posting the solicits for second chances 'cause i really don't know how to respond to all of the e-mails of congratulations and thank yous and it's-about-flippin'-times.




thank you to all of you who've let us know that this is a good thing.

now, onto the solicits for 3...







as you can see, i hadda do this one twice too. dave just felt that this first one was a little too out there. i can see that--could see it even before i sent it in--but thought it was worth a try, right? i originally wrote it with a font that duplicated, what i considered, a teenage girl's loopy, angsty scrawl. it just LOOKS funny. unfortunately, dave couldn't guarantee that they could duplicate it in previews just as i can't duplicate it here. sorry. take my word for it. it's funny.

PERHAPANAUTS:SECOND CHANCES #3

(writer) todd dezago
(pencils&inks) craig rousseau
(color) rico renzi

Dear Diary,
I don ‘t know what I’m gonna do. I try and I try but I just can’t seem to get anyone to notice me. I don’t There are SO many comic books on the racks and they all look so pretty...prettier then me, anyway. All the popular books are so bright and colorful. And I can tell they laugh at me behind my back cover. Those books SUCK! Oh, I wish I could be like them, Diary. I wish I was popular. I wish someone would see me and want to pick me up and read me. What can I do?! How can I get them to NOTICE ME?!

Ps.OmiGOD! I think Truth, Justin, and the American Way is leaning toward me. What should I do? >he’s so cuuute!<

P:SC
+
TJAW

FC 32 pp $2.99


i then drew kind of a blank on what to do next, but soon found myself explaining the sitch to my good pal/hero/mentor/adoptive father, nick cardy



who gave me the following.

PERHAPANAUTS:SECOND CHANCES #3

(writer) todd dezago
(pencils&inks) craig rousseau
(color) rico renzi


Have you ever written a story featuring a blood-thirsty Chupacabra, a Sasquatch, a Ghost, a Telepath, and a mysterious Outsider who work as agents for a vast secret organization dedicated to policing the borders of the unknown and protecting an unknowing populace from the strange and bizarre creatures that sporadically break through?
Well, we have and we think you should buy it.

Note: From optimum enjoyment, The Perhapanauts:Second Chances #3 is best read with a flashlight in a tent in your backyard on a dark summers night with a friend, a can of warm root beer and a bag of pretzel rods.
(Also, there is one mosquito in the tent.)
(And it is the size of a small dog.)

FC 32 pp $2.99


i added the note at the end.
to me, THAT'S the way to read a comic book!

(except for the mosquito.)

so that's it.
number 4 tomorrow.
smell ya later!
todd

solicits: perhapanauts:second chances #2

okay...

postponing our regularly scheduled solicit parade for a paragraph or two here, i thought it would only be right to let you know that i was honored to be asked by our pal, augie de blieck, to do a podcast interview on his celebrated "pipeline podcast" last week...and it's up!
right now!



augie's been doing his column, the pipeline, at CBR (www.comicbookresources.com) for YEARS and these podcasts for quite a while now too (i've only been listening since i got hi-speed a few months ago), but if you want to spend a little time with someone who loves comics and can still get excited about them, you should check out augie's "show" (posted every tuesday night!) also, augie's got a great radio voice!

you can check out augie's column and show notes here:

http://www.comicbookresources.com/columns/?column=24

and because of something i SAID during the interview, you can check out this little story here:

http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=8903



thanks, augie! you're the best!
(subscribe to augie's weekly podcast through CBR or through itunes!)

now back to the promised solicits for issue #2 of perhapanauts:second chances...

here's the first solicit i submitted for issue 2.
craig and rico had done such a great job on the choopie butt card that i though we should share it with all the previews readers as well. dave asked for something different because a change in format of the solicits meant that we wouldn't have the room to reproduce the card image. oh, well...

PERHAPANAUTS:SECOND CHANCES #2

(writer) todd dezago
(pencils&inks) craig rousseau
(color) rico renzi

In keeping with our tradition of not spilling even the slightest detail of what happens in upcoming issues of the perhapanauts, we thought it might be fun to give YOU, our loyal, intelligent--and, might I add, attractive--Readers, this fun and funny gag to share with friends and family! Introducing the “CHOOPIE BUTT CARD”…!
Here’s how it works:

Step 1: Cut out the Choopie Butt Card.
Step b: Cut out Choopie’s butt.
Step 3: Place over curled forefinger.
Step 5: Ta da! You’re Welcome!
(now go show yer Mom.)



(card goes here)



Also, don’t forget to order lots of
PERHAPANAUTS: SECOND CHANCES #2!

(“choopie butt card” copyright © 2K6 todd dezago&craig rousseau)



FC 32 pp $2.99


so here is my second pass that, i'm pretty sure, ran as written.

PERHAPANAUTS:SECOND CHANCES #2

(writer) todd dezago
(pencils&inks) craig rousseau
(color) rico renzi

In keeping with our tradition of not spilling even the slightest detail of what happens in upcoming issues of the perhapanauts, we humbly submit the following totally fake listing. Enjoy!

Tonight on The PERHAPANAUTS: Second Chances--
Big wakes up in the shower only to find out that the past three issues were all a dream! While on vacation in Las Vegas, Molly and MG accidentally get married by an ordained Elvis. And Choopie becomes attached to a stray dog only to be heartbroken when the owner arrives to claim him. Choopie and the little boy argue over who loves the pooch more, but eventually Choopie does (almost) the right thing and returns the little dog to the boy–
–sans blood.




FC 32 pp $2.99
that's it!
more tomorrow!
todd

solicits: perhapanauts:second chances #1

okay...

as promised, i'm gonna post the complete and uncut solicits for each of the four second chances books over the next four days. also as promised, these are the edited and/or unused (rejected) versions that, obviously, either ran long or just were too out there and dave (land, our awesome editor at dark horse) was astute enough to reel me in. in any case, they should be funny or at least fun and i hope you enjoy them.
unfortunately, today's--this first one--really isn't that funny. not at all actually. so you'll just have to take my word that the rest are a lot funnier and check them out tomorrow. and thursday. and friday.
anyway, here's the solicit for #1.



perhapanauts:second chances #1
(writer) todd dezago
(pencils&inks) craig rousseau
(color) rico renzi

They’re BACK! Still glowing from the heat of their first mind-numbing miniseries, those prowlers of the paranormal--The PERHAPANAUTS--are back to confront more creepy cryptozoological creatures and extradimensional entities! (No, the fact that the team is mostly made up of same mythic monsters isn’t lost on us…)
A Bigfoot, a chupacabra, a ghost, and a psychic, all agents for the enigmatic BEDLAM (Bureau of ExtraDimensional Liabilities and Management), tear it up as they continue the fight to keep us safe from the unseen horrors in our closets and the things that go bump in the night!
Don’t miss out! Join The Perhapanauts as they delve into the mysteries of the unknown and the unexplained and answer questions like why there’re more lines on your left palm than on your right!
Order yours today!
Also, stop looking at your hand.


FC 32 pp $2.99




really, there are two for issue 2 and they're better...
see ya tomorrow.
todd

solicitations and the bearwolf

okay...

well, as brian and i know--and maybe some of you have heard about it over the weekend--apparently there is SOME kind of mysterious creature lurking about in washington county out in wisconsin.
reports on friday claimed that a man working for the state and responsible for keeping the highways clear of roadkill carcasses (at night, no less!) reported seeing (a) bigfoot coming out of the woods and claiming a recently killed deer before the man could haul it away. later, it would turn out that the man NEVER used the term "bigfoot"--that was the news people making it viewer friendly--but that it was more of a "bearwolf" sort of thing, walking on two legs and standing close to seven feet tall.


illustration by linda godfrey

to follow the whole story here's the link to linda's blog that brian (mulcahy) hooked me up with.

http://www.cnb-scene.com/braybearwolf.html

i had read, thanks to jason copland, an account a while ago about the recurrent sightings of a wolf-like creature which locals have called "the bray road beast". and though i thought i'd posted that story and link at some point, i'm having some trouble tracking it down. is there a werewolf of some sorts stalking the forests of wisconsin? check it out...

http://www.prairieghosts.com/brayrd.html

that should give ya some creepy reading for a bit...

on then, to the next topic for discussion; for a long time now people have been telling me that i should collect the rather silly and/or sarcastic solicits that i write for each issue of the perhapanauts and put 'em in a sketchbook or something. 'cause they're--apparently--funny.
maybe i'll do that.
someday.
for now though, i thought i'd post them here this week, one or two each day. this is knida the director's cut as some of them had to be edited down for space and some were rejected completely by dark horse as being a little just too out there. that's okay...they were all fun to write.
here, then, for anyone who's interested, are the original solicits for issues 2, 3, and 4 of the first perhapanauts series.
smell ya later.
todd




todd and craig’s
The PERHAPANAUTS #2
(w) todd dezago
(a) craig rousseau
(b) rico renzi

Hey, perhapa-pals!--Todd Dezago here.
I really don’t want to date myself
but, y’know, I can remember a time
when there wasn’t any PREVIEWS. No solicitations,
no cover image, no three sentence encapsulation that
sorta dilutes the thrills of an upcoming story. Back then
the only way you knew what your hero was in store
for next month was on the last panel of this month’s
issue! Like; Next Issue: The Rhino!
It was enticing! It was exciting!
Don’t get me wrong--I love PREVIEWS--it’s a wonderful
publication. However, in honor of those bygone days, we here
at the perhapanauts will be using this space to introduce ourselves,
preview some awesome artwork, and maybe tell a few jokes.
Check back here next month for some of that kind of fun.

Oh, and please check out the perhapanauts #2 for a comic
that’s packed with adventure, chills, and excitement!
After all, we do it for you.


FC 32 pp $2.99



todd and craig’s
The PERHAPANAUTS # 3
(w) todd dezago
(a) craig rousseau
(b) rico renzi

In our continuing effort to NOT tell you what happens
in upcoming issues, today we field a letter from
one of our avid Readers.

Dear Perhapa-dudes,
Since the chupacabra originally
comes out of Latin-American folklore, shouldn’t
Choopie speak with an outrageous Mexican accent
like Speedy Gonzales?
“He like my seester, I theenk.”
It would be so much funnier like that.
Your numero uno amigo--
Davy Glasmer
Dengen’s Creek, Iowa

Dear Davy~
Good question.
And, no, it's not stupid at all...
But no.
While the legend of the goatsucker
does have it’s origins in Central American culture,
Choopie was just a blood-sucking beast when he was first
captured. It wasn’t until he was exposed to the Evolvo-Ray
that Choopie began to develop basic language skills.
He was then exposed to countless hours of American television.
That’s where he learned to talk.

Thanks for writing and don’t forget to order the perhapanauts #3.
It will be much better than this solicit.
And it’ll have pictures.
Sincerely,
todd and craig

FC 32pp $2.99



todd and craig’s
The PERHAPANAUTS # 4
(w) todd dezago
(a) craig rousseau
(b) rico renzi

On sale February 15, FC 32pg. $2.99

A chupacabra, a sasquatch, and a ghost walk into a bar…

Okay, maybe not…

Hey, Perhapa-Pals! Todd and Craig here.
As we strive valiantly to continue NOT telling
you what’s coming up in upcoming issues, we
will say this about the perhapanauts #4.

It’s very good.

Really.

Trust us.

We’ve seen it and we think it’s one of the
most thrilling, pulse-pounding, senses-shattering,
low-in-calories, action-packed, sci-fi-slash-
paranormal-slash-horror-slash-humor-slash-
adventure comics being offered this month,
from Dark Horse, on this page, by us.

Check it out and see if you don’t agree!

Order a perhapanauts #4 today--you’ll be glad you did!


more tomorrow!

jason's 24 hour comic and empty chamber

okay...

tried desperately to post this this morning but there was just so much going on today--different things all around--and i just didn't get to do it.

but it's still friday so i feel like i'm still on schedule. call this post something to carry you through the weekend...

and really all i wanna do today is point you toward jason's blog and comics and stuff.

our good pal, jason copland, i mean.
a few weeks back i made mention of jason's comic book 'empty chamber' that he does with writer a. david lewis, a 2-issue black and white suspense noir that i just loved! well, i loved the first part of it...i'm dying to see the second half. jason had sent me a preview copy months ago and i dug it, orderd it through diamond, and now patiently await the conclusion. (apparently the publisher thought that putting a couple months between issues 1 and 2 would help sales...?) anyway, it's good stuff and i urge(d) everybody to check it out.



so i knew jason could draw.

what i DIDN'T know was that jason was a damn fine storyteller too! and ambitious!
so when jason e'd me to tell me that he'd done one of those 24 hour comic book challenges, i was certainly impressed by his enthusiasm. when i saw the RESULT...i was completely floored!

okay, so the idea is that you, the artist, set aside a 24 hour period--that's 24 consecutive hours, kids--and, going in cold, with no pre-written script or sketches, write and draw a complete 24 page story.
wow.
ambitious.
i don't think i could do it.

but jason did and when he sent me a link, i immediately asked if i could post it here.

here are the first three pages and the link to where you can see the rest. do yourself a favor and check it out. i'm just in awe of what he was able to do in such a short time under such intense circumstances.







http://www.jasoncopland.com/24_hour_comic.htm

here's what he had to say when i asked him how he did it...

"Yeah, I managed to finish the 24 pages in just over 23 hours. It was quite a feat to make sure that I could get it to end on the 24th page. The hardest part of it though was the writing of it. I started the 24 hours with absolutely no preconceived ideas about story or characters. So all of it was made up on the fly. I used a few of the album titles of the cd's I was listening to to help spark some ideas as to where the story should go. As a matter of fact, the very first word of the comic is the title of the first album I listened to. :)

"It was about an hour per page but a few of the pages took less than that... page 22 took about 20 minutes... but the first 3-4 pages are scary because you don't really know what kind of pace you should be working at. Especially if you are making it up as you go and you don't have an ending all worked out. I spent a whack of time near the end just sitting there trying to come up with an ending. I almost thought I wasn't going to come up with an ending! Luckily, I figured it out in time to draw it. :)"

i'm amazed, jason...and you should be proud.
really great!

if you wanna tell jason what you think, or check out his blog and some of his other stuff, head on over to:

http://jasoncopland.blogspot.com/

have a great weekend, all!
smell ya later!
todd

men in black

okay...

as our own bedlam-based men in black make a return in the upcoming second chances #2, i thought now would be a good time to post yet another hair-raising tale garnered from (my favorite) paranormal@about.com regarding these ultra-creepy mystery men.
the first time i remember hearing (or rather reading) about the men in black was probably 10 years ago when my pal terry austin loaned me his copy of "the mothman prophecies". (if you saw the movie and think you know it, check out the book. the movie did a nice job--i think--of making a story out of all of john keel's brilliant investigative reporting, but there is certainly much more to the case--and the men in black--than what you saw on the screen.) the men in black hounded not only keel, but many of the town residents who reported sightings of the enigmatic mothman and have been attached to ufo sightings and bizarre occurances since the early '50's.

but check this out...

Your True Tales July 2006

Men-in-Black Encounter
by Anonymous

I had an extremely frightening experience five years ago that I had no idea what was going on, but when I happened to run across a description of the Men-in-Black (MIB) (which I had never even heard about except for passing references to the Will Smith movie), I suddenly realized this is extremely similar to what I experienced. My mouth dropped open at the similarity.
I used to be a postal delivery person in Washington, D.C. One of the buildings I always delivered mail to on my route was this huge building. One day I had paused to eat an apple outside the building, and not seeing a trash can anywhere, I just threw the core onto the ground. When I walked into the building to deliver the mail, I was angrily confronted by the head security guy who asked me why I was littering. I was a little taken aback and asked him how he knew I had thrown the apple core on the ground. He told me that this whole premises was under video surveillance, including not only all sides of the building, but even the grassy areas around it.
It was then that I suddenly realized this building had really unusually tight security. Even when I went inside to deposit the mail, the mailroom was open to me, but the rest of the building was inaccessible. I could only go into the mailroom, deposit the mail, and leave. I had to ring a buzzer to be let into the building each time I delivered.
A few weeks later, I was on my way to deliver the mail as usual to the building, and as I was nearing the building, I saw three figures crossing the street on their way toward the building. At first glance I thought they were normal. But as I looked closer, I was shocked at how strange they were: they were extremely thin, and they didn't walk by putting one leg in front of the other, but sort of waddled by moving their whole bodies from side to side, lifting one foot off the ground, then the other foot in a sort of whole-body side-to-side waddle. It's hard to explain what I mean, but it was not the way any normal person would walk unless they were unable to move any joint in their legs. But as strange as this was, this was not what frightened me. What frightened me was that they were absolutely thin. It was like they were as flat as a set of clothes that had been ironed. Their faces and bodies were entirely flat - no contours. The nose did not jut out, nothing. And they were also extremely thin. The best I could describe is if you saw a suit hanging from a clothes hanger, that would be about the same thickness. It was like no thickness at all, just clothes hanging from a hanger.
All three were dressed in black suits. They all had black sunglasses. I saw them walk up, ring the buzzer, and be let into the building. I was absolutely scared s***less as I had just been about to enter that very same building. I really wasn't sure what to do, but I kind of steeled myself, and slowly forced myself to ring the buzzer and enter the building, figuring, hey, I might have imagined this, in any case I should force myself to go through my routine until I can think this thing out.
When I entered the mailroom, there were 10 (normal) men standing there, just looking at me. It was really intimidating. They asked me if I had seen anything. I was kind of speechless for a second, not knowing how to respond. And then one of THEM walked right up to me from the side and from slightly behind me. I could tell it was one of the same types of things that I had seen crossing the street. It walked right up to me and I was too afraid to turn my head to the side and look at it. I am being very scared just typing this right now, remembering it. It didn't say anything, it just got right up close to me, and I had a feeling of fear so intense, I felt as if my heart had just frozen and was going to fall out of my body onto the ground.
Again, they asked me, "Did you see anything? What did you see?" I just shook my head and stammered, "No, I didn't see anything." Unless they were all mentally challenged there is no way they couldn't have noticed my extreme fright. I thought they might hold me there and not let me go. But finally they said, "Okay, leave now." And the MIB that was to my side and a little behind me, kind of took a step back to make way, and I had to steel myself, it is the bravest thing I've ever done in my life, to actually walk past it on my way to the door. And I was out of the building.
At the time I had never heard of the MIB. I had no idea what this thing was or what the government was doing. All I knew was that I was dealing with something far more powerful than me. I thought maybe it was some new type of robot and the government was doing test-runs on them, but why that would be done in broad daylight I could not and still do not understand.
To give you an understanding of how frightening it was, the first thought that came to my mind was that I needed to leave the country - to find some way to get the hell out of the country and go somewhere else - but then it occurred to me that if I started to act strangely, they might get suspicious and kill me or something. I realized the best thing I could do was act as normally as possible and pretend nothing had happened.
Later the next week, my supervisor at the post office told me I had been suddenly reassigned from my old route to a new one, something that was unexpected. He asked me if I had encountered any problems on the route. I think even he may have been a little confused at why I was being reassigned. But I said I had no problems and I was very quiet about it. So eventually I got reassigned. After what I thought was an appropriate amount of time continuing to work at the post office, I quit my job and now I work at an airport. I am telling this story now because five years later I need to get this off my chest.
I doubt they will come after me now but if they do, I can't avoid my fate. I've never seen any sort of alien or had any sort of unusual life event of any other kind, nor do I believe that there is such a thing as a devil or demons or anything. So I really don't know what to believe now. There is no doubt whatsoever the building was under the control of the government, with normal human beings. I still think it was some sort of cyborg experiment, and on occasion I still am tempted to just leave the country to get away from all this.

as i type this, i think there's someone at the door.
or maybe at your door.

see ya friday!
todd

starting the week out right...

okay...

i have, obviously, been a bit spotty with my posts in the past few weeks, trying desperately to adhere to a monday, wednesday, friday schedule. sure i had a few busy weeks there where i was working days with my friend, jeff, but otherwise, i've done a fairly good job of keeping up.
i think.

a couple of weeks ago, i made a mention as to how i'd really like this blog--which is called the PERHAPA-blog--to be mainly about the perhapanauts and all things related; comics, weird and bizarre creatures and phenomenae, scary stuff, movies, tv, etc., and not really so much about me. sure i'll throw my 2¢ in here and there--it's tough to be completely objective--but not like the "cult of me" that i see so many writers--and some artists--cultivating on their sites. should i ever even begin to sound like that, i would hope that someone, mike or craig--or more than likely it would be brian--would reel me in and smack me up.

that said, the reason that most of last week went by without a post was because, basically, i just couldn't think of anything to post! everything i was doing last week was something off-topic, something that I was enjoying, but didn't feel that EVERYBODY would enjoy hearing about. so i stalled...and stalled...and stalled...and here it is sunday night and i want nothing more than to start this week off right.

so i have some things lined up and i hope you like 'em!

first off, as you all know, second chances #1 is out and is getting some really nice press! many people i know, both personally and internetally, have told me that they thought that second chances #1 was head and shoulders above the first series. that's okay--we like that! that's what we were shootin' for!

others have told me that they've read it several times and have found some new things with each reading! we were shootin' for that too! (although craig and i are a bit surprised that no one has picked up on some of the really hidden stuff yet...although i guess that's okay, 'cause we DID hide them...) maybe you need to take another look...


also, people have pointed out the newly expanded cast. in this issue we've introduced some new faces at bedlam; dr. trish sheehan--head of psychiatric, dr. baldeev das--head of biologics and botash, dr. michael o'neil--crypto. (these are all based--and in most cases named--after actual people, as is bedlam's psychic "den mother", joann). next issue, we'll be introducing a few more new faces--a couple of very familiar ones--as well as the return of the men in black.

hope you'll join us.



and speaking of men in black, be here wednesday for a creepy story about these incredibly sinister beings--much more sinister than what will smith and tommy lee jones have made them out to be...
like i said, creepy...
gotta go!
smell ya later!
todd