Today I decided to treat myself. My friends and I usually try and hit the big "box store" style electronic stores on Tuesdays to see what's new in the DVD, CD, and gaming departments. I tend to look for movies and cartoons while the others look for DVD box sets and T.V. shows new to DVD. Today we were searching for a couple of things: Dwight was looking for Justice League Unlimited season 1, Batman Beyond season 2, and a gem of a movie called Slither. Kevin was looking for much of the same as well as Scrubs season 4 and any other T.V. shows with seasons that peaked his interest. I was really only looking for NACHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Libre! But I won't turn down a deal if I find one. And today I did.
Around this time every year I keep my eyes peeled for any specials that come up in the "Horror" sections of the many stores we travel to. I'm a bit of a horror film fan and like to add to my small collection of horror goodies when I can. As luck would have it I was able to find 2 movies in particular that were priced well ($9.99!) and that I've wanted to either see or own for awhile. The first movie, Clive Barker's HELLRAISER, is a classic that I haven't seen in many years and is a movie I can remember at the time of it's release was considered incredibly gory as well as "dark and twisted". And although I didn't watch it tonight, I'm looking quite forward seeing it before the end of the week.
The other movie I purchased was SAW II. I was fortunate enough to get an advance screening to the first SAW movie, and although I missed portions of the movie due to the non-stop screaming for the annoying prissy little girls sitting at the front of the theater, I did enjoy what I watched. And although the critics were mixed on the sequel, I was willing to pick up. The way I look at it the third movie is out this weekend and I'd really like to see it. I'd have to pay between 3-5 bucks to rent #2, or for $9.99 I can own it. If I don't like it I'm only out a couple of bucks and it can sit in my collection, and if I do then it's worth the price I payed. So really it's not much of a gamble. And because I tend to teeter on the crazy side of things I did in fact decide to watch SAW II tonight right after I watched NACHOOOOOOOOOOOO Libre! Did I mention I have to work in 6 hours? Ah, what's sleep anyways.
So after reading this drabble up to now (provided you made it this far) you're probably wondering what I thought of SAW II. Well? I liked it. I liked it very, VERY much. In fact, I think it's one of the most intelligent and enjoyable horror shows I've watched in a long time. The makers of this franchise have certainly stumbled onto a winning formula with Jigsaw and company and their puzzles. Ask anyone who knows me, I love a movie that offers me a puzzle to solve while I watch. And girls crying on film.........but that's another topic for a different day :P
Anyways, I also liked the characters used in this film, and enjoyed the acting alot more than I did in the first movie. Donny Walhberg plays a cop well and he does a great job here as Detective Eric Mathews. He's the main character by all rights, but is also closely tied into everything that Jigsaw has put into motion. Makes him a love em' or hate em' sort of guy. And of cousre there's Jigsaw. It was cool to get a glimpse into Jigsaw/John Kramer's psyche. He truly believes he's doing the right thing, and as any true puppet master he throws out clues left and right, you just have to be listening. The casting for the puzzle players was good, and offered a decent range of characters, from people you wanted to see make it out to those you were actually looking forward to seeing meet a gruesome end. All in all I thought it was a great movie, nuff said. And since SAW III is out in 3 days I figure the timing for seeing SAW II is pretty good. I'm recomending it so check it out if you get a chance.
Now what was that you were asking about NACHOOOOOOOOOOOOO Libre? Well, that's a post for a different time. As in not now. I'm still processing the sheer majesty of this soon-to-be classic, so check back in a few days.
It's all part of the game >:D And with that, I'm going to bed.
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
A very busy weekend.
This weekend was busy. Very, very busy. But in a very good way and for 2 very good causes.
On Saturday I had the honour of attending a wedding in Banff that united my good friends Kandrix Foong and Laurie Breitkreuz in holy matrimony. Held at the beautiful Juniper lodge over looking Lake Minnewanka, were blessed enough to have decent weather for the outside ceremony. It was a good service, filled with the typical humour and goofy moments that I've come to expect from a clown like Kandix, followed by an amazing dinner and a touching slide show to honour their history together. There was a large group of us in attendance that all work in and around the comic book industry, and having several familiar faces around to relax and hang out with is always fun. I really enjoyed the many conversations and laughs I shared with Kelly Dowd and his wife Chris, Charles Silbernagel, Rove, Jim Demonakos, and Cody Baker (and his lovely girlfriend). It was really nice to have the time to mingle and celebrate this occation with the many friends Kandrix and Laurie share in the comic book community, as I've had the privaledge to get to know many of them over the years as well. Unfortunately I couldn't stay for the evening festivities (party, party, PARTY!!!!) as I was scheduled for a Webcomics panel in Edmonton the following day and had to leave Calgary early Sunday morning for the 3 hour drive. But I had a great time for the day I was able to spend in Banff and would like to thank the Foongs (that will take some time getting used to :D) for allowing me to be a part of their big day.
After getting a generous 4 hours of sleep (the same as the previous night) I was up, packing, and off to Edmonton with Kevin. We were invited by our good friend Jay Bardyla to be a part of the Pure Speculations show held at the Edmonton Delta South hotel. Jay was once again holding a series of Comic Talks panels that cover a wide variety of topics all centered on the world of comics. Because of our involvement in both Twice Thursday and Out of Mind Studios we were invited to share the knowledge we have gained in the industry with people who are interested in that knowledge. Or something like that :P For us it's a great opportunity to hangout and talk comics with people, many of which are friends and fellow creators and some who are aspiring to be. Neither one of us knew what to expect, but both Kevin and I seen this as a chance to gain experience in a panel-like setting and also spread the word about our product.
The panel was awesome, as we had more people then I honestly thought would show. Our fellow panelist were Rudi Gunther of Deathworld, Marie-Claire Gould of Will Work for Games, and Tarol Hunt of Goblins. Each one of us had something unique and interesting to say about our comics and offered the audience a great deal of information into the why's, what's, and how's of Webcomic making. It was awesome to meet each creator and to be able to spend time with them. We also had a chance to chat up Sean O'Reilly, the owner of Arcana Studios and visit with him for awhile. Sean an old friend of ours and it's always great to talk shop with him. We were also fortunate enough to get to hang out with Bob Prowder, The Vicious Ambitious guys, the costume savvy Erin Scott, and Brian Hodgson and I thank them all for visiting with us. Unfortunately the turn out for the show that day was rather small and I know the organizers were hoping for much better then that. With more advertising and word of mouth the show will hopefully get stronger next year.
After the event we headed out for a bite to eat and more shop talk with Sean. He needed a lift to the airport and we just happened to be going that way so things worked out good for him. I was hoping to get the chance to vist with James Adamson, an old friend of mine, but our schedules just didn't coincide. I'm sure with better planning on my part we'll hook up soon. Sorry dude!
The ride there and back was great for Kevin and I as it allowed us plenty of time to discuss our plans for the immediate future of our business. We have an amazing story that we've been talking about for the last couple of weeks and the trip allowed us the opportunity to throw out more ideas and get a good sense of what it is we need to do with these ideas. It was a great time for the creative process to flow, and I'm more pumped then ever to get things rolling! 2007 will be a big year for us, just wait and see!!
We finally arrived back home around 10 pm and I did my best to put things away, grab something to snack on and relax. It's nice to be able to have had a day to absorb the weekend and look back on things. Even though it was busy I had a blast! This was pretty much the last full weekend of events for me this year and I'm already looking forward to next year and the next big busy weekend. Maybe Seattle in April? Who know right now, but whatever and whenever it is I'm sure it will rock. Thanks again to everyone I had the chance to see and visit with this weekend, it was awesome to see you all. And with that, goodnight.
On Saturday I had the honour of attending a wedding in Banff that united my good friends Kandrix Foong and Laurie Breitkreuz in holy matrimony. Held at the beautiful Juniper lodge over looking Lake Minnewanka, were blessed enough to have decent weather for the outside ceremony. It was a good service, filled with the typical humour and goofy moments that I've come to expect from a clown like Kandix, followed by an amazing dinner and a touching slide show to honour their history together. There was a large group of us in attendance that all work in and around the comic book industry, and having several familiar faces around to relax and hang out with is always fun. I really enjoyed the many conversations and laughs I shared with Kelly Dowd and his wife Chris, Charles Silbernagel, Rove, Jim Demonakos, and Cody Baker (and his lovely girlfriend). It was really nice to have the time to mingle and celebrate this occation with the many friends Kandrix and Laurie share in the comic book community, as I've had the privaledge to get to know many of them over the years as well. Unfortunately I couldn't stay for the evening festivities (party, party, PARTY!!!!) as I was scheduled for a Webcomics panel in Edmonton the following day and had to leave Calgary early Sunday morning for the 3 hour drive. But I had a great time for the day I was able to spend in Banff and would like to thank the Foongs (that will take some time getting used to :D) for allowing me to be a part of their big day.
After getting a generous 4 hours of sleep (the same as the previous night) I was up, packing, and off to Edmonton with Kevin. We were invited by our good friend Jay Bardyla to be a part of the Pure Speculations show held at the Edmonton Delta South hotel. Jay was once again holding a series of Comic Talks panels that cover a wide variety of topics all centered on the world of comics. Because of our involvement in both Twice Thursday and Out of Mind Studios we were invited to share the knowledge we have gained in the industry with people who are interested in that knowledge. Or something like that :P For us it's a great opportunity to hangout and talk comics with people, many of which are friends and fellow creators and some who are aspiring to be. Neither one of us knew what to expect, but both Kevin and I seen this as a chance to gain experience in a panel-like setting and also spread the word about our product.
The panel was awesome, as we had more people then I honestly thought would show. Our fellow panelist were Rudi Gunther of Deathworld, Marie-Claire Gould of Will Work for Games, and Tarol Hunt of Goblins. Each one of us had something unique and interesting to say about our comics and offered the audience a great deal of information into the why's, what's, and how's of Webcomic making. It was awesome to meet each creator and to be able to spend time with them. We also had a chance to chat up Sean O'Reilly, the owner of Arcana Studios and visit with him for awhile. Sean an old friend of ours and it's always great to talk shop with him. We were also fortunate enough to get to hang out with Bob Prowder, The Vicious Ambitious guys, the costume savvy Erin Scott, and Brian Hodgson and I thank them all for visiting with us. Unfortunately the turn out for the show that day was rather small and I know the organizers were hoping for much better then that. With more advertising and word of mouth the show will hopefully get stronger next year.
After the event we headed out for a bite to eat and more shop talk with Sean. He needed a lift to the airport and we just happened to be going that way so things worked out good for him. I was hoping to get the chance to vist with James Adamson, an old friend of mine, but our schedules just didn't coincide. I'm sure with better planning on my part we'll hook up soon. Sorry dude!
The ride there and back was great for Kevin and I as it allowed us plenty of time to discuss our plans for the immediate future of our business. We have an amazing story that we've been talking about for the last couple of weeks and the trip allowed us the opportunity to throw out more ideas and get a good sense of what it is we need to do with these ideas. It was a great time for the creative process to flow, and I'm more pumped then ever to get things rolling! 2007 will be a big year for us, just wait and see!!
We finally arrived back home around 10 pm and I did my best to put things away, grab something to snack on and relax. It's nice to be able to have had a day to absorb the weekend and look back on things. Even though it was busy I had a blast! This was pretty much the last full weekend of events for me this year and I'm already looking forward to next year and the next big busy weekend. Maybe Seattle in April? Who know right now, but whatever and whenever it is I'm sure it will rock. Thanks again to everyone I had the chance to see and visit with this weekend, it was awesome to see you all. And with that, goodnight.
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Thank you Kingdom Come.
I sat down tonight and read Mark Waid and Alex Ross' Kingdom Come. I needed inspiration. From what I've been told Kingdom Come is an epic story that's a must-read for any and every comic fan. Until now I never bothered to take the time. I blamed not reading on "not liking Alex Ross" or "not having great character knowledge of the DC universe". Really quite lame excuses. But for some reason tonight, after having an interesting conversation with Kevin about "epic comics" and wanting to create something truly epic ourselves, I decide to read a piece of comic history that's described as being just that. So I read it. I absorbed it. And I feel I truly experienced something.....for lack of a better term: profound. Kindom Come truly is epic. It's an amazing accomplishment and a perfect example of what it is that truly makes comics worth doing. It's amazing.
I needed inspiration and I found it. Because of what I read I've been able to get more accomplished in a couple of hours then I've been able to do in a couple of weeks. I feel good about drawing and writing. I'm convinced now that I'll be able to finish what needs to get done. Because a story about never giving up has made me feel this way. A comic book story made me feel this way. Wow.
I know if read Kingdom Come a few years ago it wouldn't have meant as much. Maybe there was I reason I waited so long. But I'm glad I did. This is the most excited about comics I've been, well, quite possibly ever. The lenghts and strides that Waid and Ross were willing to go to bring this story to life is present in each and every panel and in each and every conversation. They created a story of epic proportions that I truly believe was meant to be inspiring for people like me who need that lift every now and then. I needed a boost. I really wanted to like what I've convinced myself is what I was meant to do. I'm here to create. My purpose is to develope and produce fantastic stories for others to enjoy as much as I do. I know this. But I needed to be reminded of it. I can do this. All I needed was to be inspired again.
So now I'm off to do a little more creating before I sleep. Tommorow I'll do more. And the next day and the day after that. I have fantastic ideas blazing through my head that I want to share with the world. Whenever I bounce the ideas off of Kevin I think we both get that giddy feeling inside that tells us that we're close. We're really close to breaking through. And when we do, look out folks! It can be done!
Thank you Mark Waid and thank you Alex Ross. Your story may well have saved this comic lover. I hope one day to create in a way that you've both done. And someday it will be an epic story that I helped create that will inspire someone. Somebody who just like me, needed to be reminded. Someone who needed that feeling once again.
I needed inspiration and I found it. Because of what I read I've been able to get more accomplished in a couple of hours then I've been able to do in a couple of weeks. I feel good about drawing and writing. I'm convinced now that I'll be able to finish what needs to get done. Because a story about never giving up has made me feel this way. A comic book story made me feel this way. Wow.
I know if read Kingdom Come a few years ago it wouldn't have meant as much. Maybe there was I reason I waited so long. But I'm glad I did. This is the most excited about comics I've been, well, quite possibly ever. The lenghts and strides that Waid and Ross were willing to go to bring this story to life is present in each and every panel and in each and every conversation. They created a story of epic proportions that I truly believe was meant to be inspiring for people like me who need that lift every now and then. I needed a boost. I really wanted to like what I've convinced myself is what I was meant to do. I'm here to create. My purpose is to develope and produce fantastic stories for others to enjoy as much as I do. I know this. But I needed to be reminded of it. I can do this. All I needed was to be inspired again.
So now I'm off to do a little more creating before I sleep. Tommorow I'll do more. And the next day and the day after that. I have fantastic ideas blazing through my head that I want to share with the world. Whenever I bounce the ideas off of Kevin I think we both get that giddy feeling inside that tells us that we're close. We're really close to breaking through. And when we do, look out folks! It can be done!
Thank you Mark Waid and thank you Alex Ross. Your story may well have saved this comic lover. I hope one day to create in a way that you've both done. And someday it will be an epic story that I helped create that will inspire someone. Somebody who just like me, needed to be reminded. Someone who needed that feeling once again.
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