Monthly Archives: February 2012

February 29, 2012 · 7:03 am

LONELYGIRL15 COMES OUT OF HIDING

“LONELYGIRL15,” was to be the future of entertainment and, at the time, it did seem to signal the dawn of something new. WIRED did a cover story on the YouTube sensation, which you may recall: a vlog about a lonely teen named Bree, played by actress Jessica Rose. Her story gradually became stranger and stranger. And, at the height of the vlog’s popularity, it was revealed to be a hoax. “Lonelygirl15” never blasted into the mainstream and yet it did make a dent. It is what came AFTER the hoax that still remains under development, the idea of interactive entertainment. I got to interview Miles Beckett, one of the co-creators of what became the interactive show, “Lonelygirl15” and the jumping off point for other projects. You can read my interview with him here.

Anyhow, it’s a kick to see that the actress behind the infamous hoax has landed a nice gig in traditional media. She is now on NBC’s “GRIMM.” You can read more about it over at our friends at Cinema Blend.

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February 28, 2012 · 6:23 am

ANGEL AND FAITH #7 Review

“ANGEL AND FAITH” continues to delight us readers. Christos Gage says his writing seems to have kicked in with Issue 5 but I think he’s been on a roll all along. Rebekah Isaacs draws like a masterful demon! Gage and Isaacs are a dream team to say the least together making the lead characters, the story, everything so appealing. With Issue 7, we reach Part Two of “Daddy Issues” which lives up to the promise of its opener.

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February 27, 2012 · 2:29 am

THE GOON #38 Review

“THE GOON” is one of the strangest and best comics you can be reading. You may already be familiar with The Goon or curious about him. Well, Issue 38 helps to set the record straight with an amazing backstory. “The True Life Story of Kizzie, The Iron Maiden,” takes us back to the American heartland of the 1890s. It’s an isolated scene: amid a few farms, there’s a one-room schoolhouse and a new generation being pounded into submission. Kizzie’s pigtails are perpetually being pulled by the local bully. It’s up to Rooney, Kizzie’s brother, to defend her. The only problem is that Rooney is something of a mental case who doesn’t know his own strength. Ah yes, we’re in Goon country.

Some years pass, Kizzie is now an adult. Rooney has left home. Kizzie’s future is bleak. And then the circus comes to town. This is Goon family we’re dealing with. Things are always bleak and then something happens, like a circus coming to town. Kizzie, despite herself, stumbles right into her destiny.

Eric Powell lovingly brings this family history together beginning with a tribute to his own grandmother. Dave Stewart provides the right colors to evoke the Goon yesteryear. And Dark Horse Comics publishes it for your entertainment. Issue 38 comes out March 7.

Get your Goon on!

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February 26, 2012 · 11:21 pm

THE GOON: THE MOVIE

The Goon continues to make progress on its way to becoming a CG animated film. This trailer should give fans all the confidence in the world.

The animated film is written by Eric Powell, produced by David Fincher, and stars Paul Giamatti, as Franky, and Clancy Brown, as The Goon.

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February 26, 2012 · 8:02 am

ARTIST TRUST 25th ANNIVERSARY BENEFIT AUCTION

The Artist Trust 25th Anniversary Benefit Auction in Seattle, on February 25, 2012, will go down as a very inspiring event. Artist Trust has been supporting artists for 25 years! It is the only organization in Washington state of its kind. It provides support for artists and it TRUSTS that artists will do what’s right and put Artist Trust grant awards to good use.

Wow, I can’t tell you how much it is an honor to be part of this year’s event. I’m very grateful to have gotten one of my works  accepted to be part of the auction and I am overjoyed that my work was sold. My work for this year was an original page from some comics I created for a 24-Hour Comics Day event I curated in 2010, “The Dog Who Would Be King.” You can read it here.

In a nutshell, I will tell you here that I am someone with a burning passion to create both written and visual art. Just read my graphic novel, “Alice in New York” to see how both passions collide to turn out something worthwhile and exciting. I graduated with a BFA in Painting but, not too far behind, I also earned a minor in Creative Writing. Since college, I’ve been actively pursuing both art and writing. This site, Comics Grinder, is a testament to that. I simply gravitated to the comics medium–it was inevitable. I write and draw my own comics as well as write about the comics medium. I believe my fine arts background helps inform my writing and my comics and, in turn, my involvement in comics helps enrich my life in so many ways. I’m not alone in this. You could say I belong to a small club of kindred spirits. Fellow aritst/writer/cartoonists get it right away. And organizations like Artist Trust certainly get it. Being part of this year’s Artist Trust Auction has been quite a thrill from my head down to my toes. I hope to join Artist Trust again in the future. And, as is most fitting, Artist Trust leaves me feeling even more hopeful about being an artist.

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February 24, 2012 · 10:50 pm

DVD Review: Tiny Furniture

“Tiny Furniture” wins us over in the way that only the best movies manage to do. This is due to its writer/director/star, Lena Dunham, who seems to quite literally have been born to be in front of a camera. She is not a conventional Hollywood beauty but she is certainly an attractive young woman nonetheless. This is a dichotomy that Dunham embraces. She has no qualms about her curves. In fact, at every opportunity, she relishes displaying her body. This is about more than vanity or sexuality. This is about a passion to make oneself seen and to comment on what is seen. Manohla Dargis writes in The New York Times about Dunham’s goal to make the viewer see the real Dunham. Her character’s name, “Aura,” Dargis concludes, is a reference to a famous essay on art by Walter Benjamin discussing the disconnect between the original work of art’s aura and its reproduction. Only in cinema, by its very nature, he states, does the viewer have the opportunity to see a mass-produced work of art, the movie, on a deeper level. From viewing the bonus features on the DVD, however, Dunham makes it sound like she came up with her character’s name at random but that could be playing to the crowd.

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February 24, 2012 · 5:42 am

PROMETHEUS: Will Ridley Scott Deliver A Big Event Movie?

“PROMETHEUS,” will it live up to the dreams of Ridley Scott fans?

“ALIEN” is an all-out classic. “BLADE RUNNER” is another masterpiece. Will Ridley Scott deliver yet another amazing sci-fi event movie? Yes and No. From the hints that have been dropped, it sounds like there are enough intriguing connections made to “Alien” to keep things interesting for fans. But then, Scott has talked about how “AVATAR” has raised the bar. Really? “Avatar” is one colossal movie, a major piece of entertainment but the story is rather thin and predictable. In comparison, “Alien” and “Blade Runner” are strikingly original. “Prometheus” will be, should be, a big hit. And I hope a critical success as well. Who knows. They don’t make event movies like they used to. Mr. Scott should know.

Well, then consider the movie’s synopsis/logline:

Visionary filmmaker Ridley Scott returns to the genre he helped define, creating an original science fiction epic set in the most dangerous corners of the universe. The film takes a team of scientists and explorers on a thrilling journey that will test their physical and mental limits and strand them on a distant world, where they will discover the answers to our most profound questions and to life’s ultimate mystery.

The last word on this: Go see it! The fun begins June 8, 2012.

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February 23, 2012 · 6:13 am

AVENGERS Are On Their Way………MAY 4, 2012

“THE AVENGERS” will be in with us soon. So, when does it come out? Honestly, I think that is the one question most people come back to, “Now, when does it finally come out??” Well, it’s MAY 4, 2012!! Don’t forget that date! If you’re somehow still new to this, Marvel and Disney have gone all out with this epic event. I really don’t expect to be disappointed.

It will be something to see, no doubt, for any movie fan. Quite possibly, “CAPTAIN AMERICA” was, and may end up remaining, the best of the bunch with such a solid and compelling story and acting talent. Then there’s the whole Robert Downey Jr. factor. “IRON MAN” would simply not be totally cool without him. Still, it’s all been leading up to this one big movie. How can you go wrong with Samuel L. Jackson? He could even make “SNAKES ON A PLANE” into something special. No, this time around it is really all about the Joss Whedon factor. How will Mr. Whedon handle this project? That’s the big deal, of course. We’ll all find out starting May 4, 2012.

Press goodies follow:

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February 17, 2012 · 5:25 am

AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER Is A Big Hit With Dark Horse Comics

AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER has been a long time favorite on Nickelodeon and is doing great as a graphic novel series with Dark Horse Comics.

Press Release follows:

AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER—THE PROMISE PART 1 TOPS BOOKSCAN AT #1!

February 16, MILWAUKIE, OR—In an amazing show of demand for Dark Horse’s newest graphic novel, Avatar: The Last Airbender—The Promise Part 1 soared to the top of the Bookscan charts last week!

Written by Gene Luen Yang, author of the National Book Award-nominated American Born Chinese, Avatar: The Last Airbender: The Promise Part 1 marks the continuation of Airbender and the link to its upcoming sequel, Legend of Korra!

Ever since the conclusion of Avatar: The Last Airbender, its millions of fans have been hungry for more–and it’s finally here!  This series rejoins Aang and friends for exciting new adventures, beginning with a faceoff against the Fire Nation that threatens to throw the world into another war, testing all of Aang’s powers and ingenuity!

Avatar: The Last Airbender—The Promise Part 1 is a must-have for any Airbender fan! This is the latest release in an ongoing partnership between Nickelodeon and Dark Horse to bring you the very best in Airbender books.

Avatar: The Last Airbender—The Promise Part 1 is on sale now!

Avatar: The Last Airbender—The Promise Part 2 is on sale May 30th

About Dark Horse Comics

Since 1986, Dark Horse Comics has proven to be a solid example of how integrity and innovation can help broaden a unique storytelling medium and establish a small, homegrown company as an industry giant. The company is known for the progressive and creator-friendly atmosphere it provides for writers and artists. In addition to publishing comics from top talent like Frank Miller, Mike Mignola, Neil Gaiman, Gerard Way, and comics legend Will Eisner, Dark Horse has developed such successful characters as the Mask, Timecop, and SpyBoy. Additionally, its highly successful line of comics and products based on popular properties includes Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Aliens, Conan, Emily the Strange, Tim Burton, Trigun, Serenity, and Domo. Today Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent comic-book publisher in the US and is recognized as one of the world’s leading publishers of licensed comics material.

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February 15, 2012 · 11:45 pm

ANDY KUBERT AND “ACTION COMICS”

THE NEW 52 DC RELAUNCH continues to be quite a show. I think there are still many readers just now jumping on the bandwagon. For me, I’ve been most interested in the relaunch of “ACTION COMICS” along with “WONDER WOMAN.” Those two will do it for me for now. At the moment, “Action Comics” has enjoyed sort of an intermission, or fill-in issue break, from the team-up of Grant Morrison and Rags Morales. The spotlight has been placed on Andy Kubert. He definitely pulls out all the stops in keeping up with the often mercurial Mr. Morrison.

I think he had a smoother time of it with the origin story in Issue Five. For the recent Issue Six, well there’s quite a lot going on, maybe too much going on! But, as is so often the case with a Morrison trip, it all works out in the end.

Just a snatch of dialogue here shows you how densely packed and bewildering things can get, Cosmic Man to “modern day” Superman: “If we can’t restart our time bubble rotor, none of this will matter. We’re relying on the battery you brought from Earth, Superman.” Huh? Well, we may gain traction when we return to the main thread with Morrison and Morales in Issue Seven on sale March 7. Then it all wraps up for the opening story with Issue Eight on sale April 4.

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