Popmatic

Mesmo Delivery Packs a Whalop!

2008-08-13T19:05:00.003-04:00

I've just been punched upside the head by a comic book. Mesmo Delivery, the debut full length comic by up-and-comer Rafael Grampa arrived today after what seems like months of waiting. And MAN was it worth it!

I don't recall exactly how I first noticed Grampa...maybe through Drawn. Probably through Becky Cloonan's blog. Whatever. The point is, I found his blog, and I was floored by what I was seeing there. I scanned the Portuguese, trying to figure out where I could buy his stuff, searched the Internet, looking for ANYTHING he had done. For months, there was nothing. Finally, one of those posts gave me a title...Mesmo Delivery. One quick Google search and PayPal purchase later, the deed had been done...Mesmo Delivery would be arriving at my house in 3 to 5 business days.

Wow, was it worth the wait. Mesmo is one part Grindhouse and one part Hard Boiled. It's one part Twilight Zone, one part Fight Club. It's a greasy, filthy, beautiful mess of a book that starts off going one direction and then totally flips you on your rear as it takes you out of your comfort zone and rubs your nose in all it's gory, freaky goodness. It's unlike anything else out there, and the artwork is so beautiful you can get lost in it. I can't wait to see what Grampa will do as a follow up to what was obviously a labor of love. Do yourself a favor, check it out as soon as you can. Then spread the word...we have to encourage this man to keep doing what he's doing!

Watchmen Trailer

2008-07-18T09:33:00.004-04:00

Holy crap. One of the guys from work just told me this was out there...

http://www.apple.com/trailers/wb/watchmen/

For those of you who don't know, The Watchmen is considered the greatest comic book ever created. Literally. Ask your friendly neighborhood comic geek, and I doubt you will find many that will argue that this graphic novel is considered the best. Now, I've been really doubtful that they would be able to pull this story off. It's just too big and too complicated. But seeing this trailer?

I don't want to get my hopes up, but wow...Zack Snyder just may be able to pull this off.

Dr Horrible's Sing-Along Blog

2008-07-17T22:49:00.004-04:00

Just so there is no confusion...Dr Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, created by the amazing Joss Whedon, is the greatest thing since sliced bread. Hell, it's better than sliced bread.

Make sure to get there before July 20, because then they are taking them down and doing something with them. Like, put them on a DVD or something.

I'm gonna go watch it again...

New Coen Brothers Film!

2008-06-24T13:20:00.001-04:00

Holy dear god, does this look like it's going to ROCK!

Coen Brothers dramas are great. Coen Brothers comedies are the BEST, though!

The Candidates and How They Will Affect Your Taxes

2008-06-22T15:06:00.001-04:00

An article popped up on my iGoogle page a few days ago, titled "How McCain and Obama Will Change Your Tax Bill" I'm instantly interested, because the main argument of conservatives is that they don't want another "tax and spend Democrat" stealing all the money from their pockets. Yet, from what I understood of the candidates tax policies, it sounds to me like Obama will benefit 98% or the population, while McCains will only really benefit the top 2%. It turns out that isn't far from the truth.

The most intriguing aspects of the plans are clearly laid out in the table to the right. I don't understand how the American public has fallen for the claims of the conservatives. Everyone below $112,000 per year will do better under the Obama plan than under McCain plan. That's around 90% of the US. Those who would benefit the most are those below $66,000 dollars...those who need that money the most.

The Republicans can't even use the argument that the Democratic plan will increase the deficit...true, Barack's plan will increase the national debt by $3.3 trillion over ten years. But McCain's will increase the debt by $4.5 trillion. All so that the members of our society who need the money the least won't have to pay as much each year.

I don't understand the logic. Is this simply pandering to those in our society who hold the most power? Do the Republicans get something in return for what appears to be such selfish and elitist tax policies?

I understand that this study is fairly simple, in terms of overall economic policy in each campaign. McCain's camp claims that his fight against earmarks and rampant government spending will reign in the deficit numbers. Yet, that still doesn't explain how giving money back to the people who need it least will improve the economy. I'm sorry, I just don't see the gains claimed by trickle-down economics. (Maybe someone can show me a site that refutes that?)

The Incredible Hulk Movie Review

2008-06-15T01:17:00.004-04:00

So...THAT is how you make a HULK movie!

Wow. Marvel is on fire. This is the movie that the Hulk deserves...huge, loud, violent and totally fun.

I find it interesting that instead of continuing with the story set up in Ang Lee's flaccid 2003 movie, they instead seem to have embraced the old Bill Bixby TV show. We've got a Bruce Banner on the run, trying to find a cure, and keep from hurting those around him.

The acting is all stellar. Ed Norton does his usually fantastic job as Bruce Banner. Liv Tyler is good as well. I like that she wasn't just a damsel in distress in this film, though she did play that part as well, but her Betty Ross helped move the story along. (Though, I wish we could have had someone who had a bit more of a bookish quality about them...she IS supposed to be a scientist in this, after all!) Still, she and Norton seemed to have some real chemistry between them, and you bought that they were in love. Then, there was Tim Roth. God, he was just creepy in this. Genius casting as the big villain of the film, and he was a great foil to Ed Norton.

As for the Hulk himself, there were a few problems. Outside of Gollum, I've never bought a CGI character in a live action film. It almost always pulls me from the story, and this Hulk was no different. He didn't seem quite real, though the decision to make him look not just solid but hard was a good one...much better than the squishy Hulk of the Ang Lee film. However, he did suffer from not looking quite real enough in many shots, not to mention the fact that his size relative to everyone else changed throughout the film (sometimes he looked 10 feet tall, others, around 7 feet tall)

Still, overall, the movie was great. It's a good time to be a superhero fan.

Best. Post. Ever.

2008-05-28T23:54:00.001-04:00

Many props to Giantmonster for this post. God, I'm dying over here.

My Music Video Holy Grail...

2008-05-23T00:05:00.008-04:00

I love YouTube. I fell in love with it early, with the classics (All Your Base Are Belong To Us, Star Wars Kid, Numa Numa) But there has been one place where it has always let me down...that Holy Grail that just didn't seem to exist online. It was a barely remembered song with a kick-ass video that I remembered from my Sophomore year in college (my Mtv Year) Michael Penn's "Look What the Cat Drug In (Long Way Down)" I always thought the song was pretty good, but that VIDEO...

It's taken over 10 years, but tonight, for the first time, I found it on a random Google Video search. My holy grail. (Be warned, you will probably have to sit through a dumb commercial)

...crap. Not as cool as I remembered it. (Still pretty damn sweet, though!)

Any other holy grail videos out there? What can't you find?

MUTO - Graffiti Animation

2008-05-14T16:42:00.003-04:00

Holy crap!

Muto is a project started by "Blu", who is apparently a graffiti artist from Italy, and who is one part Salvador Dali and one part tripping acid. Creepy, gorgeous stuff. The amount of work and imagination that went into this just stagger me.

MUTO a wall-painted animation by BLU from blu on Vimeo.

Via GiantMonster

Iron Man Review! (spoiler free)

2008-05-04T01:02:00.004-04:00

I watched Iron Man tonight thinking, "Jon Freaking FAVREAU made this?!" Seriously, who knew that all along, all we had to do was ask Mikey, and he would make the ultimate superhero movie (you're money, baby!)

So, you read right...ultimate superhero movie. I guess it makes sense. Iron Man is MADE to be put on screen. Nothing looks better CGI'd than a robot. And Tony Stark has always been written to be a super charismatic bastard...who would be more fun to bring to the screen?

But forget all that. It's pretty easy to see why this film worked. Robert Downey Jr NAILED it. You can say what you want about how he could draw on his experience with addiction and blah, blah, blah...but no. Downey was a movie star in the very best sense of the word. He was up on screen, bigger than life, yet believable, and obviously having the time of his life.

Then, there was the story. It was simple. They didn't try and over-explain. It only contained what was needed to tell the tale they set out to tell. Too many times, superhero movies fall in love with what they can do and forget that there has to be a decent story to back it up. Not this time.

I realize I'm babbling a bit, but this is the babble of love. I love this movie, and while I'm a little sad to see X-Men 2 knocked out of the top spot for best superhero movie ever, I'm totally jazzed that Iron Man was such a success. I only hope that people aren't upset when they hit the comic shops next week, hoping to check out the Tony Stark they saw in the movie, and instead they find...whatever the hell they're doing to Iron Man in the comics recently. I mean, he's had a mental breakdown in his own book, he's started a superhero civil war, he's the new director of SHIELD...not a good time for him to get popular in the cinema. (God, if only a good Daredevil movie was out right now...THERE'S a book people would love after picking up a few issues!)

PS - stick around to the end of the credits! Great moment, especially for fans of the comics!!!!

She Branded me with Science!

2008-04-30T22:19:00.003-04:00

Ok, this was just too cool, and I had to post about it. It's a website, ok? Filled with tattoos....but not just ANY tattoos!? Oh nO! They are tattoo's that are all science themed.

For example, here you got yer basic tattoo of glycolipid A:

Which is followed by this caption:

A biochemist writes, "Here is a picture of my science tattoo, which is a stylized structure of glycolipid A, the preformed glycolipid membrane anchor precursor I discovered as a graduate student some 20 years ago. At that time, membrane proteins that were anchored via glycolipids, rather than transmembrane protein domains, had just been found and this was the first precursor to be reported. The structure is simplified but basically correct, although considerable artistic license has been taken with bond lengths and angles."

...I KNOW, right?! How freaking sweet is that?! Check this one out:

You know what that one is? It's a glottal stop. The symbol for the sound you make when "stop the airflow by pressing your vocal cords together, build up pressure from the lungs, and then release the vocal cords with an audible burst."

I mean, the site if FILLED with them!

To be honest, I've always wanted a tattoo, but never really felt strongly enough about anything that I wanted it to remain burnt into my skin for the duration of my life. But these people are freaking awesome. They've found their thing, they love it, and they have stained their skin with the weirdest crap ever. I wish I was one billionth as cool as this guy:

Do you know what that is? It's the atomic symbol for testosterone.

Rock on science freaks!

Baracky

2008-04-17T17:09:00.001-04:00

This is silly, silly stuff...but I can't help but still get pumped up watching it.

YES!

WE!

CAN!

Secret War Trailer

2008-04-10T11:18:00.002-04:00

OK, this is pretty sweet...

SECRET INVASION Animated Webisode!

So far, Secret Invasion has been stellar. It looks like it's going to be just huge. I'm normally not a "comic book event" king of guy, but apparently there have been so many hints about this, and so much groundwork laid for this story that I can't help but think that there will be no cheating here. Big story. Big consequences? Loads of fun.

...Long Time Coming...

2008-04-09T20:42:00.002-04:00

What up!? Ok, so it's been...well...a really long time.

(Isn't it amazing how many blog posts start like this? Not just on my blog. On all blogs...)

...but I digress. I'm on here tonight for a few reasons.

1) I actually drew something! Look at me! I drew:

Pinky and the Brain! But my own messed up version of them!

You see, I was in a meeting the other day at work, and someone in the meeting mentioned something about how they saw an episode of Pinky and the Brain the other day, and how they forgot how much they liked that show, which made me think, "Ha! Pinky and the Brain RULED!" So, of course, in my own, "Yes I'm listening to what you are saying, bosses, but I'm also drawing during a meeting" way, I doodled head shots of Pinky and the Brain. Unfortunately, it had been so long since I last saw a Pinky and the Brain cartoon, they looked a little messed up. Kinda twisted-like. And I thought, "I should push that a bit further...that would be fun!" Thus, wah-lah...Pinky and the Brain, a la Troy.

So, that's #1...

2) #2 is kind of bittersweet. You see, I've FINALLY installed wordpress over at my "real" website...http://www.popmatic.com. I'm thinking it's maybe time to move back to where I should be. However, I'll kind of miss Blogger...it's nice around here.

Of course, this probably won't happen until Barack is in the White House (and he WILL be in the White House!) but I'm working towards it. Now I just have to set up a pretty template to make it look nice. Which we all know will take well over a zillion years, so I should probably just stay comfortable where I am.

...and that's really it. Just thought I should pop on and say 'hey, stuff is going on'. I may even get my $h!+ together enough to throw up the fun pictures I took in Chicago this weekend.

Papercut...the Art of Peter Callesen

2008-03-03T20:37:00.005-05:00

A good friend of mine (Dave G) sent me a link today that cost me a solid hour of work time at the office. The MIND BLOWING art of Peter Callesen is some of the most playful and beautiful stuff that I've come across in ages. The sheer simplicity of all that clean, white paper and the wonderful shapes and figures created by Callesen is just a wonder to take in. I only wish there was more to see.

Of course, then I wouldn't have gotten ANYTHING done today...

Inside the Mind of a Political Cartoonist

2008-02-21T15:29:00.005-05:00

Caricaturist John Kascht has posted an amazing series of videos on the Washington Post website, detailing his thought process behind his amazing caricatures of the 2008 Presidential candidates. Not only do you get a glimpse of his methods of drawing, but he explains why he makes the choices that he does for each candidate. Fascinating, entertaining stuff.

Bruce Campbell IS...BRUCE CAMPBELL!!!

2008-02-18T10:22:00.002-05:00

No way. This is gonna rock!

Y'know...I DO feel better now!

2008-02-11T22:21:00.000-05:00

I've spent tonight catching up on my Google Reader feeds, and the always entertaining GiantMonster has steered me right yet again. Point your browser of choice at The Fail Blog and feel better about your life.

Oh! And on a completely random note, I downloaded the album "The Great Unwanted" by Lucky Soul from eMusic this weekend, and it's my current can't-stop-listening-to-it album of the week! You can listen to the whole album on their website...check it out!

Orgy of Covers from YANP and Of Montreal!!!

2008-02-07T17:00:00.000-05:00

I know that I've discussed the godsend that is the "You Ain't No Picasso" music blog before, but MAN, that site has just outdone itself!

Not one...not TWO...(or three or four or...) but FIFTY SEVEN covers, all performed by one of my new favorite bands, Of Montreal.

It's because of YANP that I discovered Of Montreal in the first place. They posted a link to their cover of Bowie's "Moonage Daydream" (don't worry, it's in the collection above) that just blew me away. I couldn't stop listening to it. So now, I've got about four albums worth of other songs to explore.

Do yourself a favor and get over there before they're taken down.

Post-It Note Project: Accomplished!

2008-02-01T22:51:00.000-05:00

Hooray! February 1st is here! I can't explain it, but I've really been looking forward to doing this project. I've just needed an excuse to do something frivolous and fun.

Unfortunately, this has been an insanely busy week. My poor wife had some minor surgery (don't worry, she's fine...though I think she's starting to go a bit stir crazy!) and I've had to take care of the poor girl. Luckily, I was able to get three post-its doodled upon before the end of the day. So, after dinner, I head down to the local Wal-Mart to pick up some brownies, and to leave what I hope are seen as happy little surprises throughout the store. (Don't ask me why I was fixated on leaving these things at a Wal-Mart...it just seeemed like the perfect place to do this)

There was no question where my monkey was going to go, of course. I wish the photo was clearer, but I like to think that he's happy, surrounded by his favorite fruit.

My spaceman has confused "The Rock" terribly. Poor Dwayne just can't understand why this spaceman would want to cover his tu-tu'd dog's face. Sorry Rock, spacemen can sometimes just be like that.

Talk about Rock! He was my favorite, and I figured all the hippy ice cream would enjoy some kick-ass rockin' for a while. Stand back, Willie!

Man, that was fun. I may just have to make this an annual event. Or monthly. Or when I get bored. We'll have to see....

Thanks again to Fiona for proposing this really fun project!

Post-It Notes Project, Feb 1st

2008-01-28T22:33:00.000-05:00

This Friday, February 1, there is a really cool project going on, started by blogger Fiona Harding, called the "Post-It Notes Project". The idea is really simple, and it sounds like a ton of fun. The object is to simply doodle on a stack of Post-It Notes, and then leave your drawings in random locations around the globe, documenting it all in pictures. Then, send the pictures to Fiona, and she'll post them all on her blog!

I'll probably be posting my post-its here too. I'm thinking a trip to Wal-Mart is in order. I'm not sure why, but the thought of leaving a little post-it of a martian in the bread aisle over there makes me smile. =)

Cloverfield - So Good It'll Make You Sick!

2008-01-18T22:47:00.001-05:00

OK, so I'm just back from Cloverfield. *Whoo!* My head is spinning.

****** SPOILERS AHEAD...I'LL TRY TO KEEP THEM MINOR ******

First the good:

1. The movie was totally intense. The decision to watch the whole thing through the lens of a video camera (a la Blair Witch) really put you in the middle of everything. I was genuinely frightened a few times. (I'll tell you one thing, I'm never going in a subway again!)

2. There were a few good moments of humor These were totally necessary to break the tension, but they never took you completely out of the moment.

3. The acting was good. No one will be getting any awards for their performance, but you totally bought that these people knew each other, were friends, and were scared out of their minds.

Now the bad:

1. HOLD THE FREAKING CAMERA STEADY! My eyes were going cross-eyed during the running, jumping, action parts. I understand the theory of why that should work. You never get a good look at what's going on (adds to the tension). The sense of things coming at you really puts you in the moment. But I have two problems with this cinematic device. First, if all that movement doesn't give you motion sickness, it will at least give you a headache. Also, I can't help but think throughout the entire movie "PUT THE F*CKING CAMERA DOWN! THERE'S A HUGE FREAKING MONSTER CHASING YOU!" I mean, seriously, does history really need a record of the giant monster wrecking New York that badly? Surely someone would notice something like that...it's not going to slip under everyone's radar.

2. The characters are totally forgettable. I honestly think this was done on purpose, though. From the few snippets I've read on Cloverfield before we went tonight, it seems like it was really important to the filmmakers to put "everymen" (and "everywomen") into the story so that it would be easier to empathize. Which, I think worked quite well. Still, you would think they would make the characters a LITTLE more appealing? As I said, the acting was good, I believed in these characters...I just didn't fall in love with them.

3. "I totally saw that coming!" While much of this movie feels incredibly fresh and innovative, who didn't know what was going to happen when Rob said, "The camera has night vision. Here, let me turn it on!"

I suppose I could go on, but it's not really necessary. The movie is worth the hype. It's a wonderfully fun, scary, roller coaster ride of a movie. The viral marketing was genius, and totally adds to the fun of the whole thing. Fried Geek does a great job of rounding up the links and easter eggs hidden across the Internet.

So GO! Enjoy! Be scared! You will have a great time getting wrapped up in Cloverfield. Just remember to take your motion sickness pills.

Hancock

2007-12-18T22:56:00.001-05:00

Ha! This looks pretty damn cool!

What's really cool is that Will Smith isn't really doing Will Smith in this trailer...he's actually acting! Don't get me wrong, I really love Will Smith. He's fun to watch. But if you took his pilot from ID4, his detective from iRobot, or his character from Fresh Prince of Bel Air....it's all pretty much the same person in different clothes. Here, he seems to be channeling a real misanthropic bastard.

Could be fun!?

The Dark Knight Trailer is Out!...

2007-12-16T23:34:00.000-05:00

Holy crap, here we go...the new trailer for the Dark Knight is out...and it looks good. Real good. Heath Ledger looks like he's going to ROCK as the Joker.

I'm still not going to get my hopes too high...I was totally pumped and ready for Superman Returns last summer, and while it was good, it didn't live up to expectations. (Yet, in the back of my mind, I'm still mentally jumping up and down after that trailer...)

Here's to hoping...

The Watchercast Now Has Forums!

2007-12-16T20:49:00.000-05:00

Now, not only do I have a blog, a website, a podcast...we even have FORUMS for the podcast!

Come on by the Watchercast site and submit to the Watchercast forums! I've been really pleased so far with the quality of the posts so far, and I have to admit that I love having a place to post again...it's been a long time since I religiously watched a forum. So much fun.

So come on by and discuss all things Whedon and otherwise!

Pixar In-Jokes

2007-12-16T12:55:00.000-05:00

There is a great article on all the hidden insider jokes that Pixar plants in their films, found here.

Wonderful stuff, and there is so much that I never caught before! I can't wait to be scanning frantically for the Pizza Bomb truck when I'm watching the next Pixar feature, WALL-E.

I'm in deep, deep trouble...

2007-12-16T00:15:00.000-05:00

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Office Samurai

2007-09-29T00:06:00.001-04:00

On the one hand, I'm really digging what's going on in my depiction of an office worker going all samurai. However, there are definitely some weird things going on around his feet and hands, and his right arm looks broken. Yet, I dig him. How strange. A picture only a mother could love.

(And I just realized, he looks a hell of a lot like my demon kicker)

Draw Stephanie Brown! - Completed!

2007-09-25T22:10:00.000-04:00

Whoo! I finally finished one! The idea was to keep the basic Robin concept, but work in all the cool little touches that I've been loving in everyone else's drawings. The hip-hugger pants, and I love the short, folded over gloves I've seen recently in some superhero designs. Originally, I was going for something that would be more practical (what superhero would really have long hair?) but as I got more into the design, a lot of that thought process went out the window.

It's not the best in the group by any stretch of the imagination, but I'm pretty damned proud of it. Hell, I'm just proud that I finally saw something through to completion! Yay me!

Click the image to get a better view.

Draw Stephanie Brown! - Step 1

2007-09-21T00:57:00.001-04:00

Well, I've at least got something started! I did a few sketches and came up with this...

I like what's going on for the most part, though I obviously ran out of ideas right around the legs. =) I'll have to see what I can do about that later.

But first, I just had to point out some of my favorite other Stephanie Browns that have been posted so far...like THIS beauty!...

I LOVE this drawing, and the design is so much fun...those buttons on cape are the best! She was done by Daniel Krall, who was just added to my Google Reader (his blog is awesome)!

Next, how freaking cool is THIS Robin, done by...er...Jo.

Colors, expression on her face, super fun style. I just love it.

Or how about this sexy "Earth Mother" Spoiler from Katie Cook?!

I love the wide hips and the tiny hip-hugger pants! Such a great look, and it looks like it was effortless to achieve it. I'm always amazed by people who can get such a great looking piece out of so few lines.

Finally, I think my favorite has to be this one!

Jemma Salume did a fantastic Impulse for the Project Rooftop Impulse Thread, and this is the second time she's blown me away. I love the soft palette she uses here, which seems to be her raison d'etre. Damn you people with amazing taste in color.

Hopefully, by Monday, you'll be able to mock my comparative lack of taste. You'll see...

TTFN!

A Stephanie Brown / Female Robin / Spoiler Meme!

2007-09-20T11:55:00.000-04:00

I love, love, love these things...the amazing Dean Trippe has started another superhero meme over at his livejournal account. For those of you unfamiliar with a drawing meme, it's simply artists all throwing together versions of a particular subject, and the results being collected and shared for the whole world to see. This time it's for Stephanie Brown, aka the Spoiler, aka Robin, aka throwaway character who seems to have had a lot of potential that got wasted because DC Comics killed her off. I've never read any books with Spoiler in them, but I love the designs coming out of this meme, and think that the Robin costume design would be really fun to redesign, especially when worn by a girl!

These things always really get me excited, and I desperately try and get something together in time to participate. Of course, as is my way, I always put it off too long, and fail to get anything done in time. Maybe this time, since I'm actually posting about it and putting it out there for the world to see, I'll get something finished?

Maybe?

(er...PS, just so no one thinks I'm trying to rip the man off...the pic posted above is Dean Trippe's kick-ass version of Spoiler. You'll know mine by the comparatively sucky execution.)

Another Sketch

2007-09-12T00:53:00.000-04:00

I kind of like how this spidey is going...I plan on trying to ink it sometime when I have a spare moment...

Sketches!

2007-08-25T11:21:00.000-04:00

I've been a drawing fool lately. Can't help myself. It's been a long time since I had the desire to draw this much.

There should be a lot more to come in the weeks and months ahead...I'm drawing two comics at the moment! One is a short, contained story, the other a series of short contained stories, revolving around one character...more to come when there is more to say! In the meantime, however, here are a few quick sketches that I've done in my spare time. Hope you like them!

This Dracula was done based off the Drac seen in Buffy the Vampire Slayer...

I call this one, "Flyboy".

I have no idea where this came from. I drew the demon first, and then thought there should be someone kicking him in the head...so there you go. A look into my creative process. Woot.

You can click on the images above to get better look. Leave me a comment. That is all.

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Now playing: The Broken West / Slow
via FoxyTunes

Captain Kirk Goes to Camelot...

2007-08-22T22:58:00.000-04:00

I don't think this needs any explanation...

Pictures! Of Me!

2007-08-21T20:54:00.000-04:00

Well lookie here, I've finally put some new pictures of my life out there for everyone to see...

...here are some pictures of a wonderful day my wife and I spent in the Old Deaf School Topiary garden downtown to celebrate our 1st wedding anniversary. (We had a picnic!)

...and these are pictures from my brother-in-law's wedding at Confluence Park two weeks ago. What a great time! I danced my poor wife into a migraine, but besides that, we had a blast!

King of Kong: a Fistful of Quarters

2007-08-17T07:20:00.001-04:00

With the summer winding down, Hollywood is in that mode that always seems to come after all the summer blockbusters are over, and before they float their Oscar contenders...hum-drum blah movies are filling up the theaters with nothing to really look forward to.

Until now...King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters is a documentary on one man's quest to beat the Donkey Kong world record. It looks like it has everything. The loser striving to make good (Steve Weibe, father and schoolteacher who is the current Donkey Kong record holder), a villain, determined to hold onto his waning power (Billy Mitchell, the prior Donkey Kong record holder, and "Video Game Player of the Century"...seriously) and a head-to-head match-up complete with referees, fans and a cast of characters that look like they could be pulled directly from Napoleon Dynamite.

The whole thing almost looks like it could almost be a hoax. These people couldn't really exist, could they? The movie looks too entertaining. Too perfect. I can't wait to see it!

Finished Harry Potter

2007-08-08T02:50:00.001-04:00

Don't worry. I'm not going to spoil a single thing. I would hate it if anyone dared to try that with me. I just want to say that, now that it is over, I am honestly going to miss each and every character from those books. The fact that I don't have another Harry Potter novel to look forward to is almost depressing. But I can't thank J.K. Rowling enough...It was everything I hoped it would be and nothing that I expected...as with each of the 7 novels.

What a great time. And now that the book no longer has a hold on me, maybe I can get to bed before 3am?

The Google Phone!

2007-08-03T12:41:00.000-04:00

Engaget has been spouting off rumors of a "gPhone" for quite some time now, but recently, it seems to be getting a bit more specific. Enough that I'm seriously intrigued now.

But, as usual, it comes with reservations. Mostly from the last couple of lines from this article...

HTC is being tapped to build a Linux-based Gphone to be launched on T-Mobile in the US in early 2008, with Orange getting the exclusive in France and other countries. Anian also says Google has been in talks with Verizon and AT&T, and that Verizon has already shot the big G down -- much like it did with Apple and the iPhone.

...already shot it down, did you Verizon? Seriously? That's the way you want to play?

With the exception of one or two LG phones, Verizon has the worst phone choices on the planet. I recently had to find myself a new one, after my current 2 year contract had run out, and there are slim pickin's, let me tell you. So, if Google comes up with a winner of a handset (which I'm confident they'll do, despite rumors of having to listen to ads before you make your call in exchange for free cell service...I find that hard to believe...) I'm thinkin' it may be time to give up on Verizon.

So, all that having been said, I guess what my rambling comes down to is that I'm intrigued. I'm a total Google whore, and I probably spend at least half of my web-surfing time in some Google-built application or site. So, when I hear that they may finally save me from my boring ol' cell phone, I can't help but perk up and listen. And get just a bit excited.

What does it MEAN!?!!?

2007-07-19T00:36:00.000-04:00

So, I just took an online test from the Prosopagnosia Research Center at Harvard University and University College London. In it, they check your ability to recognize faces, objects and how well you do with verbal recognition.

I won't give away the tests, in case you want to try them. I figure that would skew the results. However, I found my results extremely interesting.

For facial recognition, I got a near perfect...96%. That puts me in the top 88% of everyone who has taken the test so far. I didn't do quite as well for the object recognition. Apparently, I'm totally average at that...I'm in the 50 percentile.

But, for the verbal recognition portion of the test, I only scored a 33%...less than 1% of everyone who took that test did worse than I did!!! So...WTF? Do I have some kind of mental problem where words don't register with me? I've always noticed that names go in one ear and out the other, but I never figured I was in the bottom 1% of the world!

I'm kind of freaking out about this!

Someone else take the test! Tell me what you think!

Why haven't I heard of Danny Boyle's new Film? - Sunshine

2007-07-17T13:36:00.000-04:00

While at lunch today, a friend of mine asked me if I had seen the trailer for the new film by Danny Boyle. "Danny Boyle!?! THE Danny Boyle who made Trainspotting, Shallow Grave and 28 Days Later!?" (Three of my favorite movies ever, btw..)

Yes. THAT Danny Boyle. And the movie is being released Friday. July 20.

Go on. Check it out yourself. Here is the trailer. Here is an interview with Danny Boyle himself. Why have I not seen one single ad for this film? Is this movie supposed to be totally awful? Has anyone seen it? The trailers look intense as all hell.

I was about to say how I find it hard to believe that Danny Boyle could make a bad movie, but then I remembered that he also directed The Beach, so....

RadioLab

2007-07-16T20:45:00.000-04:00

Radiolab is an amazing podcast that I discovered through a segment on This American Life (another very good podcast). However, the Radiolab is currently blowing my freaking mind.

Forget podcasts that deal with movie reviews or the latest gossip from Capital Hill (or even reviews of Buffy the Vampire Slayer! *ahem*) Radiolab covers the BIG questions. "What is a soul?" "Where does morality come from?" "Why do we sleep?" But these aren't exercises in Philosophy. The hosts interview scientists and experts in each of the fields they cover to try and reasonably ANSWER these questions. Now, they do this with varying degrees of success, but the answers they FIND are ALWAYS intriguing, and presented in entertaining, thought provoking ways.

Some people may be turned off by the stylistic elements of the show. (Sounds and conversations are layered over one another at times to draw parallels and illustrate examples) but I find the entire thing fascinating and well worth the hour each episode lasts.

There are currently five seasons to download. I can only hope more are on the way soon!

WHAT THE F - - K IS THIS!?!!!?!!!

2007-07-12T22:44:00.001-04:00

OK, what the hell is 1-18-08? (yes, I realize it's a date)

Holy God...talk about a freakin' teaser!!!

JJ Abrams. The man is a force to be reckoned with. Seriously.

Edit - OK, so, there is a teaser WEB site that seems to be slowly adding pictures, one at a time, and a really vague article at ign that mentions a possible title of Slusho.

So, I'm sure we'll get fed things a little at a time. (it is the JJ Abrams way, after all!) I'm looking forward to regardless. Even if it really is titled, "Slusho".

Edit again...Just did a little more research on Slusho. It's written by Drew Goddard. Staff writer on Buffy, Angel, Alias and Lost! Damn, a resume doesn't get much better than that in the Carlson household!!!

Nosferatroll...

2007-07-12T00:28:00.000-04:00

Was just sketching with the idea that I wanted someone "with big ears", and came up with this guy...one part troll, one part vampire.

I think I want to color him, but haven't really decided how he should look yet, so I thought I would just throw him online so I can show him off (I dig him!)

DC Joins the Online Comics Community!

2007-07-09T13:56:00.000-04:00

Comic Book Resources just posted an article about a new online comics community being created by DC Comics called Zuda. It sounds like they are going to try for a very interactive community, where users will vote for their favorite strips (which are the ones that will actually appear on that Zuda "ongoing series" pages). The submission process is open to anyone and everyone, and it sounds like it would be a great place to break into the comics business for anyone with an inkling and the talent to do so!

I can't wait to see what they have planned!

Inventor of Car that runs on Water Killed

2007-07-09T08:56:00.000-04:00

Conspiracy theories are everywhere. But few of them seem to show up on the front page of your local paper.

The Sunday edition of the Columbus Dispatch ran this story: The car that ran on water which starts out like this:

After more than 20 years of research and tinkering, it was time to celebrate.

Stanley Allen Meyer, his brother and two Belgian investors raised glasses in the Grove City Cracker Barrel on March 20, 1998.

Meyer said his invention could do what physicists say is impossible -- turn water into hydrogen fuel efficiently enough to drive his dune buggy cross-country on 20 gallons straight from the tap.

He took a sip of cranberry juice. Then he grabbed his neck, bolted out the door, dropped to his knees and vomited violently.

"I ran outside and asked him, 'What's wrong?' " his brother, Stephen Meyer, recalled. "He said, 'They poisoned me.' That was his dying declaration."

Looking into it further, it seems to be a well documented event, at least on the web. What's worse, is that I believe it. I think we are clever enough, as a race, to be able to figure out how to run a car on water. I also think we are savage enough, as a race, to kill someone over it. What a sad state of affairs.

I think the day is coming when we will rid ourselves of our "addiction to oil", as our president stated in a rare moment of clarity. How many will have to die between then and now is the question...

Oh, the irony...

2007-07-08T15:03:00.000-04:00

OMGFreeMovies.com

2007-07-08T14:43:00.000-04:00

I'm hesitant to even mention this site. I fear that spreading the word that this site exists will just hasten it being taken down, but after having finally watched the movie 300...a movie that I just couldn't force myself to shell out the money to watch otherwise, I can see it's worth, and wanted to be sure and spread the word.

OMGFreeMovies.com is exactly that. Free movies, online. I'm surprised by how well it works. I'm not one to usually do the pirated content thing. I get all my music from eMusic.com (and the occasional iTunes purchase when there is just no other way to get it) and the majority of my movies are seen through my netflix account. However, yesterday, I had a craving to finally give 300 a chance. It's a beautiful comic, and I enjoyed the art immensely when it came out. However, I have remained unconvinced, despite all my friends telling me that I would enjoy it, that it could successfully be translated into a film. Thus, when Giantmonster linked to omgfreemovies.com, and I saw 300 listed there, I figured it would be a good chance to finally find out. (I was plesantly surprised, by the way...much better than I could have imagined it!)

So, there is my recommendation...get your movies legally, but for those films that you just don't think would be worth plunking down the $9 to catch in the theater...there is this site.

I can live with that.

A Bigfoot Meme!?

2007-07-06T18:24:00.000-04:00

Is it just me, or is Bigfoot hot right now. It seems that in the past week, I've run into three or four versions of Bigfoot in artist portfolios across the web.

So, I thought I would post something I did during a meeting at work last week. (After all, I always seem to come in on the tail end of these things! I want in towards the front for once!)

Not sure what the story is here yet...I kind of had a vague idea of the Geiko cavemen when I drew this, but it came out looking cuter than the cavemen. It looks like it would be at home in a kid's story book.

XKCD.com

2007-07-04T11:51:00.000-04:00

I've been really enjoying this web comic I found called "XKCD". It's just crudely drawn stick figures with some of the most clever gags I've ever read.

Today's was a great example.

Wikipedian Protester

The strip also does something you don't see a lot of in any form of comics...it gets very romantic. Not necessarily hearts and roses, but romantic in the sense of expressing huge emotions. Take this for example:

It's such a simple, sweet sentiment. Not something I'm used to finding in a web comic (let alone the Internet as a whole!)

Many of the jokes revolve around the web, or science of some kind. I think I would love to sit down and have a beer with the guy that does this site. I just love the way his mind works.

Enjoy!

The Joker!?!!

2007-07-03T18:16:00.001-04:00

Holy crap. This is so exciting!

Apparently, this is our first look at Heath Ledger as The Joker from his part in the upcoming Christopher Nolan, The Dark Knight.

The image was revealed on ibelieveinharveydenttoo.com, where a picture of Heath in the makeup was slowly revealed. The site now claims to be down, giving a "Page Not Found" error (however, try doing a "select all" while on that page...)

This looks bad ass. I can't wait to see the take Nolan has on the Joker. I've heard a lot of people complain that no one could follow Jack Nicholson's performance in the original Tim Burton "Batman" film, but it looks like they aren't trying to compete with that portrayal. This is looking to be an entirely new Joker. One who may actually be as scary as he has been portrayed in the comic.

I'm trying not to get my hopes too high for this film, but wow. So far, so good.

Troy Sleepy...

2007-07-02T01:58:00.000-04:00

My God. What a month.

Since I've started this blog, I've done a fair job of posting every once in a while. But recently, I just haven't found the time. It's not that there hasn't been anything to talk about or that I don't want to, but it's simply been a matter of not having 5 minutes to spare and sit down to write anything out. It's amazing.

And now that I finally have ten minutes to spare...I can't think of anything to say. I've been playing with Photoshop recently (one of the million things that has taken up so much time this month) and I put together a cartoon picture of me, specifically for this blog post. And now I've forgotten what I wanted to say.

...I need to get more sleep, apparently.

Grand Central - The birth of the HellaPhone

2007-06-01T09:20:00.000-04:00

It's an idea so simple, you can't believe that no one has already created it. One number to reach all your phones. That's the genius of GrandCentral.com.

Who among us doesn't have at least two telephone numbers? Home phones, cell phones, work phones...how many friends do you have that require not one phone call to try and reach them, but sometimes as many as 3? ("Hmm...he's not answering his cell...I'll try his home phone...") Grand Central is the cure for all of that. The idea is to pick a new telephone number through the site (a free service, as of this writing), and then tie your various phones to that number. Now, hand out this new number to all your friends. The next time they call your new number, not only will they reach your cell phone, but they'll reach every number you have tied to your Grand Central number.

But that's just the start. They have online voicemail. They have "Spam" filters, that protect you from phone solicitors. They have a tool that allows you to record your phone calls. You can switch phones in the middle of a call, whether they use the same phone number or not.

I've only started to look through everything this site claims they can do, but I'm more than curious enough to give it a shot. I can foresee issues (who wants to get a work call at 9:45 at night?) but it looks like the pros far outweigh the cons. I'll be sure to post again when I get used to the service!

Comics on a Cosmic Scale

2007-05-31T22:54:00.000-04:00

It's funny that writer Brian Michael Bendis first became known for his smaller, character driven crime pieces, because recently, he has been writing some of the most epic, cosmic storylines this side of Jim Starlin.

The Illuminati, a five issue limited series penned by Bendis, is the best example of this concept. As of this writing, 3 issues have come out, and each book has topped the previous one in it's ability to blow my tiny mind. The basic gist of The Illuminati is that a small team of the most powerful heroes in the Marvel canon, The Sub-Mariner, Iron Man, Professor Xavier, Black Bolt, Mr. Fantastic and Doctor Strange, gather at times of great crisis to handle threats too big to be taken care of by conventional means. So far, we've seen them act on past events, usually cleaning up the messes left after the threat has already passed. In the first issue, they ensured that Earth would be spared any more harm in the wake of the Kree/Skrull war. In issue two, they decided the fate of the Infinity Gauntlet. The most recent issue (and best issue so far) deals with The Beyonder. Now, part of the enjoyment from these stories comes from simply revisiting these classic Marvel moments, but the spin that Bendis puts on these stories make them feel new and fresh. (At this point, I should probably mention co-writer Brian Reed, with spectacular art by Jim Cheung...they have a lot to do with the success of this book, I imagine.)

While the collection of heroes at first seemed a little odd (these are the most powerful? What about Thor? Why isn't Captain America included?), the personalities clash and blend in such wonderful ways. Add to that the fact that each issue puts these characters in the most dangerous situations imaginable (both the Infinity Gauntlet and The Beyonder have the power to wipe people from existence by simply wanting it) and you get some tense, sometimes dark books. However, it is Bendis, so you can be assured of some genuinely funny moments in the course of the stories.

The only warning I can think of in terms of this book is that if you aren't steeped in Marvel culture and history, you may not fully appreciate them. While I enjoyed the issue dealing with the Kree-Skull war, I had never read those issues of the Avengers, and it has been my least favorite of the series. I can imagine similar reactions to non-comic readers towards the stories about the Beyonder and the Infinity Gauntlet. Without knowing the history of these storylines, the danger (and, admittedly, nostalgia) would be mostly lost.

That having been said, I simply can't say enough about this title so far, and I recommend it to anyone who loves Marvel comics. Do yourself a favor, and pick them up!

15 (Painfully) Unforgettable Cartoon Theme Songs

2007-05-27T01:34:00.000-04:00

I shouldn't be posting. I really shouldn't. It's late, and I've got TONS to do this weekend.

Instead, I made the mistake of checking Drawn!, and found this gem...15 (Painfully) Unforgettable Cartoon Theme Songs.

It was obviously created by someone a bit younger than me, who has fond memories of cartoons like "Mighty Max" and "Pro Stars" (what the heck?) But after having listened to every entry on the list, I'm now humming the "Animaniacs" theme to myself, and desperately wanting to watch an episode of "Batman the Animated Series". (And where is my "Pinky and the Brain" entry!?..."They're Pinky and the Brain! Pinky and the Brain! One is a genius, the other insane. They're labrotory mice. Their genes have been spliced! They're Pinky, Pinky and the Brain, Brain, Brain, Brain, Braaaaaaaaain!" - Pure Genius!)

Google Calendar on your Phone!

2007-05-25T15:06:00.000-04:00

So, my two years is up on my piece of crap flip phone at last. May 31, I can throw this thing with all my might across some vacant parking lot and watch it explode into teeny-tiny little pieces, as I've dreamed of doing for, oh, 1 year, 11 months and 364 days now...

(Flip phones. Why the fascination, Verizon? Why?)

So, for months, I've been dreaming of the normal, candy-bar, no frills, no web access, no mp3 player, no nothin' fancy phone I was going to buy. A phone that takes phone calls. That's all.

And then my work blocked Google Calendar.

I had no idea how much I relied on Google Calendar until the day I pulled up the site and was met with the message "Computing/Internet;Interactive Web Applications" content is forbidden.... At first, I cursed my employer (again), shrugged, and went about my business. But it slowly dawned on me that this was not a shrugging situation. This was a sit on the floor and weep situation. People kept asking me if I could join them for things that weekend (I don't KNOW!) if I had remembered the concert that took place last night (no! I wasn't on the computer at home, and I can't check my calendar from work to remind myself of ANYTHING!)

So now, I need web access. Access that can get around work firewalls, while I'm at work. And Google just made their calendar accessible to cell phones.

Helllloooo smartphone!

Animation Mother-Lode!

2007-05-10T14:30:00.000-04:00

It seems like more and more great animation is hitting the net. What would these guys have done if the net wasn't here? Has there always been this much great stuff out there, just waiting for some film festival to pick it up!?

Let's Start the Show with Don Hertzfeldt! - Dan Hertzfeldt creates some of the funniest cartoons on the planet.

Off The Wall Episode 1: "Lady Troubles" - Wallby tries to pick up chicks. How creative and fun! I totally want an entire series featuring Wallby!

Christy Karacas - Space War and Bar Fight - Animated surreal violence. Christy Karacas is the MAN!

My Supergirl...

2007-05-05T10:52:00.000-04:00

So, there have been all these drawing memes recently, that I really wanted to get in on, but when I saw the talent posting there, I could never squeeze one out in time.

So, this week, I finally got around to just playing with a Supergirl re-design, and came up with something kind of fun. (Click the image for a little bit larger view)

The idea stemmed from this: "Who the hell is going to go out and buy / make a costume?! Even for aliens from another world, one would think that crimefighting gear should be comfortable. Like clothes you wear to work out in." So, I thought about what people wear to the gym, threw on some Chuck Taylor's for good measure, because they are always cool, and there you go. Supergirl.

Ich betäube mich!

2007-05-04T15:57:00.000-04:00

Found on the too-cool-for-words Giantmonster! blog, this German techno video, one part infomercial, one part "What the hell?" immediately captured my attention and made me add Giantmonster to my Google Reader list so I would make sure not to miss any more such madness! Fun!

You're doing great!

A Quick Spider-Man 3 Review!

2007-05-04T00:09:00.000-04:00

So, I'm just back from the film. I'm still trying to digest it all...it seems like there was a LOT of movie.

I liked it. I enjoyed the entire thing, and I'm sure I'll watch it again, but I don't think I liked it as much as Spider-Man 2. I can't tell you why, though. It just didn't leave me quite as satisfied as that film did. Here is a quick synopsis (I'll keep the spoilers to a minimum!)

The Good
The Villains! - Christ, you can really see where the money went in this movie. Venom and Sandman look amazing. I couldn't believe some of the Sandman scenes. To be honest, if there is one reason to see this film, it is Sandman. Not only because he looks fantastic, but because Thomas Haden Church did an amazing job of fleshing out his character in the few moments of character development he was given in this film. There is a pretty quick scene in the very beginning of this film that tells us pretty much all we really need to know to enjoy Flint Marco.

Black Spider-Man! - Spider-Man in the black costume looks really, really good. I've always thought they did a pretty good job of making me buy the classic red and blue costume, but the black costume? Freakin' awesome!

Mary Jane! - OK, I still have a hard time buying the Peter / MJ romance. They don't have a lot of chemistry together on screen. But wow, do I enjoy looking at Kirsten Dunst. At least in the Spider-Man films.

The Bad-ish
There was very little that was really bad about the film, but there were a few things that made me cringe.

The Cheese - OK, I love the fact that Sam Raimi isn't afraid to get corny. Hell, he built and entire career off of it! And Spider-Man is by NO means some dark and gritty hero a-la Batman. But Peter dancing down the road, pointing to every hot chick that passes by? Even the great Bruce Campbell would have trouble pulling that off (by the way...the Bruce Campbell cameo in this ROCKED!)

Gwen Stacy - I don't think I can really blame Bryce Dallas Howard for this. She wasn't given a lot to do here, except show up and be pretty. I would have liked more of this story, and a little more character development. Maybe that would have saved her?

Three Villains - The villains may have been the best thing about this movie, but having three of them hurt it, as well. I bought the reasons they were all there, and the film did a good job of making the whole thing feel organic, but as I said earlier, there was a LOT of movie going on, and I think they could have narrowed the focus a bit more and had a tighter plot. The Hobgoblin material could easily have carried a shorter, tighter movie.

Overall, I'm hardly disappointed. This is a great summer popcorn movie. I just wish it could have been a great movie. Period.

Spider-Man 3 Sneak Peek Tonight!

2007-05-03T11:07:00.000-04:00

I'm absolutely thrilled that I have the opportunity to see a Sneak Preview of Spider-Man 3 tonight! And I've only seen about 1,525 spoilers in all the ads!

All kidding aside, I'm a bit disappointed that they have shown so much of what this movie is going to contain. I go to great lengths to NOT read spoilers for movies that really interest me. I avoid AICN and it's ilk like the plague, simply because I still enjoy being surprised when I go to a film. I mean, we all knew Harry Osborne was going to come back as the Hobgoblin at some point, but did they really have to show that in the commercials? Couldn't they give me that one moment of "Wha-? Who the heck is that?" At least I have yet to get a really good look at Venom. Really curious how they're going to treat him in this film.

So anyway, bleh. Enough bitching. I'll let you all know what the film is like tomorrow! (Yay Spider-man!)

We're up to Episode 6 - The Pack!

2007-05-02T13:59:00.000-04:00

We have just posted episode 6 for The Watchercast. For those who don't know yet, the Watchercast is an episode by episode analysis of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Joss Whedon's masterwork.

Check it out, if you get the chance. I think we're pretty good!

D-List, baby!

2007-05-02T11:10:00.001-04:00

Oh yeah! I'm somebody!

Wait, what?...that's the lowest rank?

...

Nuts.

OS-tan

2007-04-28T13:28:00.000-04:00

So, I consider myself quite versed in the culture of the web. I've immersed myself pretty deeply in the web culture, and really enjoy watching the web community figuring out what kind of power they now hold. Every once in a while, though, you stumble onto some little corner of the web that makes you just shake your head and laugh. OS-tan is one of those corners.

OS-Tan are manga personifications of the Windows Operating systems. No, seriously. They apparently got started on a Japanese message board called the Futaba Channel. From what I've seen so far, it started around the time Windows ME came out, which was a disaster. Some users started referring to it as a ditzy girl, and a drawing of a green haired cute girl who was generally unstable and prone to frequent crashes. From there, it was expanded so that each operating system had their own mascot. Almost all are cute anime girls, except, oddly enough, Windows 98, which seem to be paper bags come to life. (Though, cute chicks are often seen to hide in the paper bags with hair clips in the form of "98" or "SE")

I can't thank the Wired Magazine site enough for pointing out this odd, uh, counter culture (?) to me in their article on the 15 lamest Technology Mascots ever. I reminds me that for every brilliant web-app or fantastic business venture to pop up, there is some corner of the web where nerdy guys can get together and discuss breast size in relation to memory usage of an operating system.

God Bless the Internet.

Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. - November 11, 1922 – April 11, 2007

2007-04-21T22:40:00.000-04:00

As probably everyone knows by now, Kurt Vonnegut has died. It's horrible to think of our country continuing on without his moral voice constantly nagging in our ear. It was Kurt's book, "Slaughterhouse Five" that made me decide to become an English major when I attended Ball State. (Surely, anyone having read this blog before just gasped. "THIS guy was an ENGLISH major!?")

There is an interesting article on Vonnegut over on the Entertainment Weekly website of all places. John Irving, author of "The World According to Garp" and "Ciderhouse Rules" remembers his friend. I never realized how sad Vonnegut was, at least as remembered by Irving. It's heartbreaking but understandable that a man that could write a novel as funny and moving as Slaughterhouse also felt alone and troubled.

He will most definitely be missed.

Rap isn't Dead! - or - Why doesn't Busdriver Yet Rule the World...

2007-04-19T17:17:00.000-04:00

I haven't liked rap for a good long while. Like...the 80's. That's right. I'm old school. (Ok, probably more like just "old")

Anyway, as I mentioned before, there are tons of great music blogs out there, and I keep running across more and more of them. And on almost EVERY one, they have a Busdriver song.

The man is, simply, bad-ass. He delivers fun, quirky lyrics that flow like Dr. Seuss on speed. It's not so much that they're child-like, but rather they have that same kind of bounce and cadence. Be sure to check out any of the links above and download the sample songs found there (especially the song on SoMuchSilence.com...it's a remix of a rap song...that would normally be enough to make me run the other way, but in this instance...magic!)

A Gatchaman movie!?!!

2007-04-16T11:30:00.000-04:00

Over at startdrawing.org (an amazing drawing portal of Asian Illustrators) they put up an article today about a computer animated Gatchaman movie. If that doesn't ring any bells, Gatchaman was known by a few other names in the U.S..."Battle of the Planets"! "G-Force"! "The only reason that a ten-year-old Troy Carlson would get out of bed at 6:30am on a Saturday"!

Seriously hope this is good, and judging by the amazing concept art on the startdrawing.org site, they are off to a very intriguing start!

Butch Walker is a Rock Star...

2007-04-15T23:59:00.000-04:00

Having been a fan of the fantastic Marvelous 3, I was really looking forward to seeing Butch Walker's new band, Butch Walker and the Let's Go Out Tonight's. Dear God, I wasn't disappointed.

I'm awful about recounting concerts. It generally gets distilled into something along the lines of "He rocked!" or "Eh..." But in this case, I'll give it a try, because I feel the need to encourage everyone to just try and catch his show. Just try.

For one thing, you can see that he's having the time of his life. I, for some reason, always feel very protective of my adopted hometown of Columbus, OH, and I always wonder what these New York rock stars think of playing for a crowd in the Midwest. I never had to wonder that while Butch was on stage. The man owned us from the moment he took the stage, running, jumping, sweating, singing his heart out. It's really a joy to behold. I found myself grinning from ear to ear, and jumping around like a fool by the end of the concert. Highlights included my favorite Marvelous 3 song, "Cigarette Lighter Love Song" and their rousing version of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run". I left that concert feeling tired, drunk and satisfied. It's been a long time since I had as much fun at a rock and roll show.

(Wow, I really didn't do this justice! Just go see him.)

Quote of the Day...

2007-04-10T09:29:00.000-04:00

I think it reveals a lot about me that this quote tickled me as much as it did...

One of the advantages of being disorderly is that one is constantly making exciting discoveries.
- AA Milne

Monsters By Mail!!!

2007-04-04T10:05:00.000-04:00

So, Len is having a baby. Unfortunately, he's a poor artist. How to pay the bills?

Easy! Send people monsters in the mail!

For $20, send Len one word, and he will draw a monster based upon that word on a 4x6 card, record the entire thing on video, mail you the card with your monster on it, and post the video of the creation process on YouTube!!!

Freakin' genius.

New Life Goal: Visit The Sedlec Ossuary

2007-03-28T10:12:00.000-04:00

I stumbled upon this link off of the Meathaus Art Collective's website (A fantastic site in its own right!)

But this isn't about Meathaus. This is about the Sedlec Ossuary. A Christian chapel located in the Czech Republic where (according to the website) it became quite stylish to be buried towards the end of the 13th Century when an abbot journeyed to the Holy Land and returned with a jar of dirt that he spread over the chapel's graveyard, which gave the graveyard "sacred land" status. People from all over Europe would travel to the chapel to be buried. The ossuary was built to house the bones gathered from abolished graves to make room for new "customers".

The site linked to above has several galleries filled with pictures of the ossuary. It is truly a bizarre site to behold. The bones have been arranged in decorative fashion throughout the building in several ghoulish and intriguing forms. Some bones have been organized into the shape of a giant chalice. Others have been arranged into a coat of arms. It's truly a must-see. I would love to visit the site in person. I can't imagine what a freakish experience it must be.

Watchmen Movie a Go?

2007-03-22T13:55:00.000-04:00

Woah...I must be slipping. I hadn't heard anything about Watchmen being made into a movie and all of a sudden, I find a link off of the iFanboy.com website to director Zach Snyder talking about MAKING it...is this a go? IMDB has it listed as "pre-production". Wow. Watchmen as a movie. I don't know...

For those of you who don't know, Watchmen is considered one of the greatest (if not THE greatest) comic book of all time. It was a 12-issue miniseries released in 1986, written by Alan Moore and drawn by Dave Gibbons. It is a huge, sprawling, complex story. But one that can be effectively translated to the big screen? Personally, I don't think so. At least, it can't be made in any manner that would replicate the comic. The layers in that story, and the non-linear method of moving that story along, would be very, very hard to reproduce.

But who knows? I've been pleasantly surprised before. A man can dream.

Pulp Fiction in Typography

2007-03-21T15:09:00.000-04:00

I've got, like, a billion things I've wanted to put up here over the past week. But it seems that life has other plans for me. I haven't even had time to read my E-MAIL this week, let alone blog (so, if you have sent me an e-mail over the past week, and haven't heard from me, I'm so sorry! Only 40 e-mails left to go!)

You would think I had a ton going on, or something. But I don't. I just don't have enough time to do the few things that I AM supposed to be finishing up. Isn't that odd?

In the meantime, I thought I would at least throw up THIS bit of pop-culture nirvana.
Typography has never looked cooler...

Captain America is Dead...

2007-03-09T13:19:00.000-05:00

I was surprised at the amount of attention this kicked up. So what? Cap is dead. He'll be back, people! It's a comic book!?! Does the name Doomsday mean nothing to you!? (er...probably not, I guess.) He killed Superman. Yeah, Superman died. Don't worry. He's back. Which is my point.

Seriously, though, it seems like EVERYONE is talking about this. But leave it to Stephen Colbert to put it all in perspective.

When comics meet politics. That's good stuff, there.

The Local Record Shop and the Long Tail

2007-03-08T10:36:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago, one of our local weekly rags, The Other Paper, ran a story about how MP3's are killing the local record shop. I felt bad at first, I'm an adict when it comes to downloading music, and I haven't even browsed a record store in well over 5 years.

But no matter how badly I feel for Used Kids or Magnolia Thuderpussy, I'll never be able to look back from downloading. There is just so much OUT there...and online, you can actually FIND it. Record store gurus may know music, but they know THEIR music. I can count on one hand the number of times a record store employee actually pointed out a band I hadn't heard of before and that I enjoyed. (The most extreme example I can think of is the time I had a record store owner talk me into buying a John Tesh record. "I think you'll really like him. I mean, the guy is married to Connie Sellecca and had a walk on role on Star-Trek, The Last Generation!" Who can argue with logic like that?!)

So, screw you, record stores! I'm surfing the Long Tail! In the past 5 years, I've discovered and bought more music than I had in the rest of my music listening years combined. Here are three of my recent favorite spots to search...

- Last.fm asks you to install some of their software on your computer (I've had it on mine for almost a year now, with no ill effects) which will track all the music you listen to. While that may sound dull, I can't help but find it endlessly fascinating. The more data they collect on me, the more music I have had recommended, either through their on-line "radio stations" (individually built based upon the tracks I listen to most) or through my "neighbors" (other members with similar tastes to mine) It's become my site for music discovery and tracking. I'll either tag new artists I discover with something descriptive (usually "good recommendation", so I remember to check them out when I have the time) or I'll check out their sample tracks on their artist home page.

They even have fun widgets you can embed in your site. (The "Top Artists Last Week" chart on the right nav bar is supplied by Last.FM!)

- Next is the bizarrely titled but fantastic You Ain't No Picasso blog. Run by a music fan from Kentucky (Matt Jordan by name, apparently) it covers the gamut of fantastic bands and musicians. I've found hip hop, Girly Rock, Alternative weirdness and my current favorite group. Best of all, almost every post comes with a fantastic sample song! (Make sure and stay on top of the posts, though...some of the MP3's don't stay up for long!)

- And finally, there is eMusic. As soon as I ran across eMusic, I knew I must join. Pure MP3's. None of this M4P crap you get on iTunes. Absolutely no DRM...play your MP3's wherever, however you want. $9.99 for 30 songs a month (I actually upgraded to the 50 songs for $14.99) It has it's drawbacks...mainly that they only have rights to a limited amount of music...but I have yet to have any trouble downloading my 50 songs a month (usually, I'm chomping at the bit, waiting for next month to arrive so I can pick up more) I think it's the best deal on the net for music, and it's given me a legal outlet for my music fixation. (I'm finally clean! No more illegal downloads for me!)

As stated before, the amount of music online is enormous. The days of the local record store are over, and I can't imagine that the giant music labels can be too far behind. Local, passionate musicians have their outlet right here, online. These are the places I've been finding them.

And I'll never be fooled into buying a John Tesh album again.

Watchercast Episode 4 - Teacher's Pet

2007-02-27T22:39:00.000-05:00

Episode 4 of our podcast, "The Watchercast" is out! (We finally got over that third episode hump!)

Teacher's Pet is a favorite of many, I know, and it's especially good for the first season. It has some great Xander moments. Come on over and hear Jason pretend not to find Miss French attractive!

(yeah, SURE Jason. not hot at all!)

Minimal Color = More Pretty

2007-02-16T11:24:00.000-05:00

So, I'm playing around with computer coloring, trying to come up with a look for a story I want to tell. I'm crap with coloring...I've just never had a good eye for what colors work well together. I think I know it when I see it, but there is just WAY too much trial and error.

Anyway, I've been seeing a lot of really beautiful work recently with some really minimal color palettes (most recently, the art of Van Beater)so I thought I would try something along that line.

It's not as easy as it looks, but I think I may finally be on my way...what do you think?

Seriously, I've never been one to beg for comments, but any critiques that you have of the piece would be more than welcome! Just leave them in the comments section of this post!

Thanks!

Dan Beahm and the Invisible Three - Amplifier is OUT!

2007-02-13T15:07:00.000-05:00

The brilliant Dan Beahm and his amazing band, the Invisible Three, have not only got their new disc together, they're giving them away FREE!

...

OK, not really giving the DISCS away. But you can hear the whole damn thing on his site. That's almost as good, isn't it?

Click your way over there, give it a listen, and support your talented local musicians! I guarantee you'll love it. (especially "Separate But Equal"...that song is amazing.)

Picasa Web Albums

2007-02-11T18:28:00.000-05:00

So, I've grown very bored with gathering up photos and posting them to the web. Up until now, I've always created my own thumbnails of each picture, linked those to the web-optimized full sized picture, and FTP'd them to my site. I know that there are sites that are supposed to make this easy for you, but I haven't discovered the one to fit me yet...

My Web Albums!

... until now. Leave it to Google to finally release the tool that would give me everything that I wanted in a web album. Just out of the box, you get:

A photo gathering and organizing application, called Picasa, that isn't intrusive, annoying or difficult to use. It gathers and organizes your photos based upon the folders they are kept in and the timestamps when they were taken

250 MB of space to hold your photos online. So, far, I have over 70 photos online, and I'm only using 9% of my space. That's a lot of free photo storage.

One button clicking to upload my photos to my web albums...highlight the photos you want to upload, click the "Web Album" button, fill out a name for your album...and you are done.

Attractively organized web pages...the Picasa site is simple to navigate, and it automatically creates all the thumbnails and navigation I want

Friends can leave comments on my photos, I can easily caption the pictures, albums that I have made public can be downloaded in one click by friends and family.

Now if only they could help me take prettier pictures (thank god for Kathleen!)

Wow!

2007-01-31T08:14:00.000-05:00

When I first started this blog, I listed Sean Esty as a major inspiration. (see here) So you can imagine how honored I was when I found that he had LINKED TO ME! Somehow, he had found the original post I had made over at my livejournal blog, and he really liked my fan art! (GOD, I wish I would have finished that bird now!)

Anyway, let me just re-iterate....if you haven't checked out Marooned yet, you are missing out. It's a beautiful thing. Can't wait to see where it goes!

Thanks again, Sean!

My Dog, the Critic

2007-01-27T13:27:00.000-05:00

So, yesterday, I did a picture of the Hulk that turned out to be ok. I liked it. I thought to myself, "Huh. I should try and color that and see how it turns out."

So, this morning, I scanned the pencils into the computer and just was goofing around, trying to decide if I would want some light reflecting off him, or maybe make it a darker peice...just goofing off. My wife calls me from the room to ask me something from the shower, and while we're talking in the bathroom, I hear Ruby, our dog, going crazy in my office. So, when I peek around the corner to see what the hubbub is, I find her staring at my screen, barking at my picture of the Hulk as if it's the most horrible thing she's ever seen!

Everyone's a critic...I don't think the Hulk looks that bad, do you?

As a matter of fact, I plan on inking it and doing the colors right later on! Yeah! That'll show you, Ruby!!!

Ray Harryhausen's Creature List

2007-01-26T16:05:00.000-05:00

Wow. I never knew the name Ray Harryhausen, but I most certainly knew his films. I remember very distinctly renting 'Clash of the Titans', oh, 452,987 times between the ages of 7 and 13. Seriously. Ask my parents, they'll back me up there.

So when I ran across this amazing page of Ray Harryhausen monster creations, I was beside myself with glee! There's Bubo the owl! And that kickass cyclops from the 7th Voyage of Sinbad!

Visit this beautifully realized page of links and revel in the nostalgia. Be amazed by how many times you have been thrilled by this man and his creatures.

(then, when you are done with the walk down memory lane, check out these killer Animated 3D Multiple Lens Photographs...this chinesejetpilot site rocks!)

My first shirt and the World Series of Pop Culture!

2007-01-26T02:11:00.000-05:00

I just created a shirt for my wife's trivia team! That's right...Kathleen is heading off to Chicago to try out for VH1's World Series of Pop Culture!

They are the Ambassadors of Quan. They wanted a shirt to reflect all the different aspects of Quan...Respect, Love, Community and (of course) the MONEY! (Show me the money!)

It's late, and I'm tired, but it's been a long trip to get from the original idea ("Honey, could you design a tee-shirt for my team when we try out for the World Series of Pop Culture?") to the shirt you see today. I would kind of like to document that process, but I must sleep at some point this evening, and that should probably be sooner rather than later, so I will leave you with this slick-o post of my tee-shirt design.

In other words, "To be continued"...

Troglodyte!

2007-01-26T01:59:00.000-05:00

Rock. The fuck. On.

Jimmy Castor rocks the house with Bertha Butt and the Butt Sisters.

"Right on! Hot pants!"

My Pull List

2007-01-17T20:59:00.000-05:00

So, earlier this week, my wife asked me how much I spend a week on comics (I had been teasing her about how much money she spent on scrapbooking stuff...last time I pull THAT!)

But it brought up a good question...I have no idea how much I spend each month on comics, or even how MANY books I pick up!

So, I thought it would be fun to go through this month's pull and see what on the list.

Superman Confidential - Not a huge Superman fan, but if Darwyn Cooke is on the book, I'll be buying it.

Nextwave : Agents of Hate - Not the best Warren Ellis book on the stands, but one of the only ones to come out on a regular schedule. I've enjoyed it so far, but won't miss it too much when it's gone in a few issues.

The Walking Dead - Oh HELL yeah! One of the best books on the stands. Issue #33 nearly made me gag. That's some intense stuff.

Desolation Jones - Really enjoyed the first arc of this book, but now it's almost ruined by Zezelj's art. It's pretty, but you can't tell one character from another!

Daredevil - I honestly didn't think even Brubaker could follow Bendis' run. He's not only followed it, I think he's surpassing it. The man is amazing.

Ex Machina - I can't believe that Brian K. Vaughan can keep up so many fantastic, quality books each month. This one kind of smolders. It sneaks up on you when you aren't ready for it. Intriguing, fascinating look at politics and our culture.

Criminal - Another gem by Brubaker. I missed Sleeper desperately when it ended. So nice to have something of that caliber again.

Y the Last Man - Vaughan again. Every issue surprises me. This book is begging to be made into a mediocre movie that could never begin to stand up to it's source material. =)

The New Avengers - Bendis has been really on and off for me recently. But when he writes a good story, it's gold.

Ultimate Spider-Man - My favorite Bendis book. Even beats what he did on Daredevil. The man can write teen angst.

Conan - Every month, I think I should drop this book. Yet, I pick it up, read it, love it and wonder how I could ever think of dropping it. I thought that Busiek leaving would give me my out, but Truman is knocking out of the park now too. Damn it.

All-Star Superman - Not a book I thought I would enjoy. Grant Morrison is SO hit or miss, but I came for Quitely and I'm sticking around for the fun neo-Silver Age-y madness.

The Boys - Not as good as Preacher, but it's a fine substitute. As the story is starting to build some steam, I'm becoming more and more of a fan.

Astonishing X-Men - Dear God, it's been years and years and years since the X-Men have been good. And this is really, really good. I love you Joss Whedon!!!

The Spirit - There's that Darwyn Cooke again! It's somehow very appropriate that he's doing this book. He still seems kind of fresh on the scene to be "legendary", but his storytelling is some of the best I've seen in years. A worthy heir to Eisner.

True Story, Swear to God - I am so wrapped up with what is going to happen in this book. It's hypnotic. Wish it came out more.

Ultimates - Bryan Hitch can make me believe in anything. This is bigger and better than any blockbuster movie ever made.

Runaways - The best of the Brian K. Vaughan books. And that's saying a hell of a lot. I love these kids, and the fact that no one is safe while Vaughan is on the book makes this the most "must read" of all my books. I live for this book. Buy the damn book already! (Joss Whedon is taking over once Vaughan leaves for Hollywood to write "Lost"...is that reason enough!?)

100 Bullets - I'm just sticking around to see how it ends now. This book started SO strong, but it's just gotten muddy as hell. Maybe if I sit down and read it front to back? At least the art is still gorgeous.

Astro City - Wish it came out more. It's like comic books distilled to their essence.

Fell - The best Warren Ellis in ages. Please tell me this isn't canceled. Please! (I miss it! Where did it go!?)

The Goon - God, this book is cool.

Local - Brian Wood's slice of life books rock my socks off.

Planetary - I so don't want this to end. This one has it's hooks in me deep. OK, I lied earlier. THIS is the best Warren Ellis book.

Stray Bullets - And here she is. The big momma of them all. The most outrageous, insane, you-never-know-what-you're-gonna-get book on the market. It doesn't come out near enough, and I don't care. I'll wait years between issues if it keeps up the quality. My favorite book.

Now, these don't all come out every month, but it's a pretty good representation of what I'll pick up. Besides, I always have a mini-series or one shot that I'm picking up. So, that's 1, 2, 3, 4, 5...23, 24, TWENTY-FIVE!? And let's see, at around three bucks a book, that makes...um...seventy-five dollars?! (you won't tell my wife, right?)

Geek Cred Rising...

2007-01-17T14:32:00.000-05:00

So, let's run down the list...

Huge collection of comics...check

Have my own blog...check

Can recite every line from Monty Python's Quest for the Holy Grail...check

And now, you can add one more huge check to my list of geek cred...I've got a podcast.

Point your browser to dubbya-dubbya-dubbya dot watchercast dot com and revel in the Joss Whedon-y goodness as we run down every episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and pick it apart, episode by episode.

Oh, did I fail to mention my Buffy fanboy-ness? Check.

BOOM!!!!

2007-01-14T12:27:00.000-05:00

Oh my gosh, I love this.

Fireworks factory explodes. Found on Google Video

I so badly want to know what this reporter says at the end, so I know the cameraman is fine...because it looks like that could have ended badly. But WOW is that fun to watch!

Check that Crazy Cat!

2007-01-12T11:44:00.000-05:00

I always wondered who they got to do those hip little characters for cocktail napkins. Now I know!

Seriously, though, this is a truly inspiring video. Splatters of paint in the hands of the artist known only as Elio turn into the greatest little characters! I love what he does with the TV!

One critique, though...HOW THE HELL DOES HE HOLD HIS PEN LIKE THAT!?! It hurts my hand just to watch!!!!!

(found on Drawn!)

Flight Anthologies

2007-01-06T07:58:00.000-05:00

I'm going to do a huge favor. You are seriously going to thank me. Ready?

...

Go Buy the Flight Anthologies

I can honestly say that these things have brought me more comic reading pleasure than anything that I have bought in a long time, and those are some strong words considering how many books I'm currently reading!

I need to learn the story behind these books, and happily, while I was looking for some pictures of the book online that I could upload here, I found that they have a website! And it's a pretty, informative, full-of-links-y website that I am sure I will waste many, many hours on!

But what I really wanted to get across are the artists that contribute to these things. I know some of them...you have your superstars like Jeff Smith and Becky Cloonan, but you also have a TON of people who I have never heard of before, but who I cannot wait to explore! For example, who is this Doug Holgate guy, who turned in this charming story about a dog shot into space, but every website I find on him seems to be down!? And where can I buy more work from Kazu Kibuishi (who I just discovered is the guy behind Copper!?!)

The amount of inspiration and beauty in these books are mind-blowing. Seek them out and discover what comics are capable of.

'Zyzzyxx' earns lowest all-time box office

2007-01-03T23:33:00.000-05:00

Discovered while I was trolling around on the "Bendis Board"

In Hollywood's rebound year at the Box Office, some films certainly fell a little short. But even the year's biggest bombs surpassed the curiously titled "Zyzzyxx Road," whose domestic cume reached just $30. That's no typo. It's the lowest tally for any pic since modern record-keeping began in the 1980s.
The vigilante thriller starring Tom Sizemore, Katherine Heigl and Leo Grillo bore the ominous tagline "Dead Ahead." Like many on the dishonor roll of 60-plus titles cuming less than $1,000 over the past two decades, its stint in a single theater had more to do with contracts or four-wall rentals than mass audience desertion. Unheralded, it opened to $20 in February in Dallas, tacking on an additional 10-spot (repeat biz?) before slinking off to the video shelf.

Lest anyone assume the B.O. basement is reserved for unrated indie fare bound for pay-per-view, it's worth noting a PG-13 Warner Bros. release ranks as the fifth-lowest grosser. "Trojan War," a teen comedy starring Jennifer Love Hewitt and Will Friedel (with bonus turns by Lee Majors and Anthony Michael Hall), collected $309 in its entire 1997 run. The director? George Huang, best known for "Swimming With Sharks."

Linerider...or What I Spend My Day NOT Doing

2006-12-21T10:03:00.000-05:00

It's such a simple, simple thing. Draw some lines on the screen. Press Play. Watch your little dude on a sled (with a stylin' scarf) barrel down the lines you just drew.

All day, I sit. Forcing myself NOT to play with this site. Cigarettes are less addictive.

Go here. Click Play. Or watch the movies that other people have made of their tracks, to give you some ideas of the possibilities.

Just make sure you don't have anything to do for the next few hours...

Addiction by DB3

2006-12-07T00:32:00.000-05:00

Hey, all!

My stupidly talented friend, Dan Beahm, has recorded a video that he did with one of his groups, DB3. I really love this song (catchy as hell!) so I thought I would share. If you like, hit up his site http://www.db3music.com/ or maybe even snatch up one of his discs at CDBaby (That's right! I'm trying to get you to buy one of his discs...would I do that to you if I didn't think it was good?!)

And if I still haven't convinced you...you could also get in touch with me, and maybe I'll send you a few MP3's?

edit: Why don't I actually link to the aforementioned video? *sigh*

You even have a choice of YouTube or MySpace for your viewing pleasure. If you want a slightly cleaner version for download, here is a direct link to the 320x240 .wmv file (19MB).

Peanuts Meets Marvel!

2006-12-07T00:13:00.000-05:00

Good Grief! I LOVE these!

PEANUTS MEETS MARVEL!

A small sampling of what you will see:

(It's sad that I can tell you where almost all these images come from, isn't it? I mean, not just the characters...the issue numbers. Yeah, I thought it was. *sigh*)

A few more sketches...

2006-12-05T18:39:00.000-05:00

Why is it that I can only draw on lined paper recently!?

Anyway, I was hoping to draw a truly regal Superman. It came out a little more snobbish than I had intended, but I like it well enough to share it.

The Hulk, on the other hand, was simply a doodle that took on a life of its own. Hope you enjoy. Hope to have more soon.

Bart's Famous Quotes...

2006-12-02T13:33:00.000-05:00

So, I ran across this list about a week ago as I was clearing out the "spare bedroom". (Also known as the "Junk Room", to give you some idea of what it contains.)

Anyway, this list was compiled by my brother, Ryan, as he attended Ball State University. He had a roommate his freshman year, named Bart, that talked in his sleep. So, being the sensitive and kind-hearted person that Ryan is, he decided to start a list of the sayings so that he could pull it out at parties and laugh at him. Attached are the highlights of that list.

Bart's Famous Quotes:

The sunflower goes to the left!
Well I guess, DANG!
It's fun. I drove a couple of times.
Man, these guys can run...or this guy.
I'm legit
Come on man, I'm trying to hold my knee in as much as possible.
You could shut the door!
Why don't we just fucking leave!? It's just us, isn't it?
Take this. Take this. Mom. Take this, mom. Mom. MOM!
Oh shoot! I should have filled up these stupid star-jar thingy majigers.
Whoops!
What are we supposed to do? What questions are we to ask?
You scum!
Yeah, all right...all right...Wow!!! Uh-oh.
I don't know, the last time I played jazz with Rocky Julioo was when the kid was in the seventh grade.
It's too serious, too thick, too many.
Cause, it was open Saturday, ya' fool!
Are you having a hard time breathing?
Did you catch it, Ryan?
Easy dude, easy dude, easy dude, easy dude, there's no one coming.
The essays that we need are two big boards to put each word on.
Did my things come in dad? They did? Sweet!
I screwed this one in on the wrong side.
Wait a minute, wait a minute. We don't want to go this way. Why am I going this way? Ooops!
Ohh, the Rodney King one. This one.
Especially Allison.
This goes inward, that goes outward.
Knock a hundred dollars off there.
What time is it? Ya know man? Huh? Brent? Hey, Brent?
Is there glue that goes all the way around this building?
Jerry scared us.
Faith!
It's longer than shit. It's not for me. It's for Dave, I think.
Dude, he's got me right now, man. I'm serious.
Mom, I don't know what the song is called.
Fiberglass broke. Fiberglass broke...the hull. Weak-ass boat.
Well, I just want to know what the hell it is.

Ah...memories...

Happy Thanksgiving!

2006-11-23T17:02:00.000-05:00

My buddy Adam did a beautiful ode to the Thanksgiving Art Projects we all remember so fondly from our youth over at his site Funky Smell

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

One Week of Art

2006-11-19T22:47:00.000-05:00

A video of a wall painted over and over again for the span of a week.

The history of cinema is about to be changed forever...

2006-11-14T23:04:00.000-05:00

Give it up for K.G., give it up for....TENACIOUS D!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

www.tenaciousdmovie.com/

kiwi!

2006-11-14T18:17:00.000-05:00

Wow, this animation is sweet, funny, clever and heartbreaking all at once.

Amazing job for a student project...

found on drawn.ca

Introductions...

2006-11-10T18:20:00.000-05:00

So, I've finally started a blog. No reason, really, except I love finding fun sites and media on the 'Net and sharing them. That's what most of this will be. I'll also throw in some of my own stuff here and there.

I was going to do a quick "bio", if you will, but let's be honest....My life, as charmed and wonderful as it really is, doesn't make for good storytelling. Who wants to hear about a guy who grew up with two caring, devoted parents who loved him? Who got a good education, has a decent job, a wonderful wife and a crazy dog?

So, instead, I'll just say that it was Sean Esty, creator of the online comic "Skullcano Island", that really made me realize how fun a blog could be. I look at his stuff, and just gape in wonder. The man is some kind of wizard...somewhere between Mike Mignola and Humberto Ramos, he makes it look easy with those amazing lines and that fantastic character design. I hate him, I really do.

Listen to me, like I actually know him. Like I've MET him! Sean Esty doesn't know me! Yet, here we are. With me all envious of him, and trying to draw as well as him. Like that's gonna happen. But, in the spirit of "imitation being the sincerest form of flattery", I thought I would try and attempt to draw a piece of fan art. It's rough, but I think if I stick to it, it may turn out OK, which means it's doomed, since I don't seem capable of ever actually FINISHING a peice of art.

Anyway, I give you Miss Molly Holliday, star of Mr.Esty's on-line comic, Marooned! Hope you like her!

Run Wrake's Animated Short, "Rabbit"

2006-11-10T00:23:00.000-05:00

Wow. Yeah, you could call this strange...Run Wrake's animated short, "Rabbit". Found on Drawn.ca, my favorite site on the net.