The coup de grâce

February 12, 2009: What Ever Happened to the Caped Crusader?

2009-02-12T11:54:00.000-08:00

I thought I'd let anyone who reads or accidently stumbles upon my blog that I've started a new one on Tumblr.

gochuckster.com

The title of today's post is in honor of Neil Gaiman's new two parter Batman story Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader. It's awesome and you should all check it out. Don't worry if you didn't understand all the recent Grant Morrison stuff. This has nothing to do with that.

Be sure to check out my new site for all the same funny stories, videos, and general rambling that I've done here. I update it every day (just like here).

Thanks to blogger for getting me started. In the future I may post here on occasion, but in general everyday stuff will be on the new site.

Thanks for visiting!

January 13, 2009: Secret Identities and Fetish Art

2009-01-13T12:55:00.001-08:00

Apparently wayyyy back in the 1930s Superman co-creator Joel Shuster was down on his luck. He had just lost a lawsuit against his employer DC Comics in an attempt to regain control of material he had created while working on staff for the publisher. It's generally understood that early comic book publishers raped their staff writers economically, Shushter took on all the work he could find to pay the bills.

Enter the Nights of Horror magazine series. Shuster ends up creating all kinds of crazy fetish artwork for the magazine. The awesome part is that the characters generally resemble Superman and Lois Lane (as drawn by Shuster for DC Comics).

Here's the description from Amazon.com:

He (Shuster) illustrated these images for an obscure series of magazines called "Nights of Horror," published under the counter until they were banned by the U.S. Senate. Juvenile deliquency, Dr. Fredric Wertham, and the Brooklyn Thrill Killers gang all figure into this sensational story.
The discovery of this artwork reveals the "secret identity" of this revered comics creator, and is sure to generate controversy and change the perception of the way we look at Clark Kent, Lois Lane, Lex Luthor, and Jimmy Olsen forever. The book includes reproductions of these images, and an essay that provides a detailed account of the scandal and the murder trial that resulted from the publication of this racy material.

December 12, 2008: 40 Inspiration Speeches in Two Minutes

2008-12-12T11:54:00.001-08:00

Schools out, and in honor of the beginning of a long break from independent original thought I've found an awesome clip. It's 40 inspiration speeches from various movies mashed into a two minutes and 15 seconds. via Overthingkingit.com

Enjoy:

December 03, 2008: Early Post and Imagining the 10th Dimension

2008-12-02T11:31:00.000-08:00

Since Wednesday is probably going to have me pulling my hair out while trying to finish every possible assignment I'll post early. Here's a cool video I saw a long time ago on Digg, then preceded to forget about. Now It's on Youtube.

Here it is, give yourself a pat on the back if you can successfully follow the video and explain it in detail to someone else.

Imagining the 10th Dimension:

December 02, 2008: In Which Many Posts Are Skipped

2008-12-02T11:07:00.001-08:00

In lieu of back posting my way through the months of October and November I've elected to skip over them in video game fashion. Don't you remember when you learned about the Super Mario Brothers cheat that allowed you to skip to the final boss while only completing a fraction of the levels? I'm sure the programmers were happy that all those levels in between were deemed throwaways. What's a thousand man hours anyway?

Just to recap the last couple of months:

October highlights: The major highlight of October was the Threadbanger Handcrafted Halloween party downtown (NYC). We all had a blast and some lucky winners even won some prizes. Plus we had Indy Mogul Steve and a great metal band play.

Lowlights: The killing of the original Burlesque party the Threadbanger wanted to throw. KIA by the powers that be.

November Highlights: Cousin Wendy's Bat Mitzvah's and Turkey Day of course. I've got the whole thing chronicled on flickr.

December: At a glance, classes will end this week (for one) and next week for the other. I'm currently on track to finish all my work for the end of the first class, so I'm free of one class after Thursday (this is me cheering).

After next week it'll be smooth sailing and regular every-day work till Christmas. I'm not making an special gift plans as I've already gifted myself a ton of toys this year.

October 11, 2008: Election Party

2008-10-30T07:58:00.001-07:00

Looks like Ben and Rusty set up quite an election party with Amber. Obviously the big day is November 4th. While most are given to rampant speculation, I currently am of the opinion that this horse race won't even be close. Do I even need to say it?

So come party with us and ring in the new administration.

Tickets are $15.

October 10, 2008: Jeauxbama '08

2008-10-27T22:08:00.001-07:00

Our own Jeaux Janovsky has recently been asked to submit a custom Barack Obama doll for a Toy Tokyo art show called Art + Action=Obama. Here's the bulletin:

ART + ACTION = OBAMA 08, presented by Jailbreak Toys, is coming up on October 17th in New York City. ART + ACTION is an exhibition of custom Obama Action Figures by contemporary artists, graf writers, and toymakers. Visionary pieces by Mars-1 and Jason Alberto Garcia, edgy versions by Damion Silver and David Choong Lee, as well as completely reconstructed custom toys by Brin Berliner, kaNO, and so many more will line the walls of The Showroom NYC at Toy Tokyo. Ron English will be there signing his Abraham Obama posters. There will also be signed Obama posters for sale by legendary Obey-creator, Shepherd Fairey.

Brooklyn-based funk archivalists Truth And Soul will heat the place up with fat, juicy grooves. Singha Beer will cool the place down with Thai-style pilsner. This event will be fresh, funky, thought-provoking, inspirational and one-of-a-kind. Be there.

On a lighter note Erik recently finished his bigfoot feet for his most recent project. He clomped around the office to show them off.

Pics: Jeauxbama '08, Amber and Jeaux pose with his Obama doll submission, Amber blesses the doll with a kiss (thus imbuing it with special powers, and Erik's new stompers.

October 09, 2008: Super 8 and RePuglicans

2008-10-27T22:07:00.002-07:00

Lots of Barely Political videos going on now that the election is looming. I'll be sure to post pictures as the videos are released. Here's some of the latest.

Repuglican Convention

Pics: Steve plays with Ramon's Super 8 vintage camcorder.

October 08, 2008: Batmitzvahs and Turkey Day Minus The Fuzzy Garbage Disposals

2008-10-27T22:07:00.001-07:00

Congratulations to cousin Wendy on her upcoming batmitzvah! My young cousin has a big family month coming up, as do my aunt and uncle. Our Thanksgiving this year falls just a week after cousin W's big celebration. Considering that, everyone has generously decided to loiter in the greater New York area and stop by the happy family's house for Thanksgiving dinner.

Plans as of yet are known only to the party planning committee, which consists of my aunt, uncle, mom, and grandparents. As a young person my job is mainly to show up and relieve the happy hosts of their food and drink.

The last few years Mom has hosted the mid-western version of Turkey day. Unfortunately our Labs won't be coming, as they require double beds that my aunt and uncle have already promised to human relatives. I knew I should have RSVP'd sooner!

I'm sure Mom and Dad will take home plenty of left-overs to gloss over any bad feelings Arthur and Clark have from being left behind.

October 07, 2008: Super Obama and McEvil-Lyn

2008-10-27T22:06:00.001-07:00

Way back at San Diego Comic Con I saw some promo material for a couple of comic titles based on our current presidential nominees Barack Obama and John McCain. At the time I only considered the novelty of the comics, but Alex, Justin, and Pete have reviewed them on Comic Book Club. Unfortunately the impression they give is not good. In theory the idea of a biographical comic (with an albeit hightened take on reality) sounds interesting, but at second glance makes me reach for the snooze button.

Both the comics are told from realistic perspectives, that is they don't have fictional powers. I had suspected the rumors of John McCains sleep-beams had been exaggerated.

I will definitely be avoiding these down at Forbidden Planet. Save your money for something interesting.

October 06, 2008: Rage of The Red Lanterns

2008-10-27T22:04:00.001-07:00

I've been missing a few live tapings of Comic Book Club with my buddies Alex Zalben, Justin Tyler, and Pete LePage. You might remember them from a little show called The Stack on Pulp Secret. I thought a comic book post was in order to fill the void. Today it's Geoff Johns and Ethan Van Sciver's Rage of The Red Lanterns.

DC Comics has posted the first few pages of the title as shown above.

Artist Shane Davis via our old friends at Newsarama!

Writer Geoff Johns also via old friends at Newsarama!

Here's a little technical info on how the Red Lanterns' Power Rings work (versus the Green/Yellow Lanterns' Rings).

For those who haven't seen it, here's a notable episode of The Stack:

October 05, 2008: The Belgariad and David Eddings

2008-10-05T18:56:00.001-07:00

Here's some more on David Eddings' Belgariad.

The series tells the story of the recovery of the Orb of Aldur and coming of age of Garion, an orphaned farmboy. Garion is accompanied by his aunt Polgara and grandfather Belgarath as they try to fulfill an ancient prophecy that will decide the fate of the universe. Along the way, various "instruments", or helpers, of the prophecy join their quest.

The title of each book combines a chess term with a fantasy term. The concept of a Game of Destiny is a significant motif in the story.

Book 1 of 5: Pawn of Prophecy

Book 2 of 5: Queen of Sorcery

Book 3 of 5: Magician's Gambit

Book 4 of 5: Castle of Wizardry

Book 5 of 5: Enchanter's End Game

The Malloreon is a five-book sequel that continues the story started in the Belgariad. Belgarath the Sorcerer (1995) and Polgara the Sorceress (1997) are prequels that share the setting and most characters. The Rivan Codex (1998) features annotated background material.

October 04, 2008: Old Epic Fantasy Re-Reads

2008-10-05T18:55:00.001-07:00

Every once and a while I re-read old books that I've always liked. This time it's David Edding's epic fantasy storyline starting with the 5 book series The Belgariad, continuing in the 5 book series the Malloreon, and also continuing on in Belgarath The Sorcerer, and finally in Polgara The Sorceress. The original series was penned in the early 80s, and the second series was begun in the late 80s. The original books were some of the Del Rey publishing companies first titles to publish (courtesy of Lester Del Rey).

If I can remember I'll post reviews of each book (short ones) as I go along.

I think this is my 6th or 7th time to re-read all the books. I read through both series a couple of times before "Belgarath" and "Polgara" were published.

All told it's approximately over 10,000 pages inside the same universe.

October 03, 2008: The Graveyard Book

2008-10-03T07:54:00.001-07:00

I finally pulled the Graveyard Book out of the smoldering remains of my backpack. It'll have to wait on my "to read" list until I finish my newest book club selections. October's selections include:

In the Fantasy category:
Acacia by David Anthony Durham

In the Sci-Fi category:

The Traveler by John Twelve Hawks

Interesting facts about the author:

Both John Twelve Hawks and his American publisher state that he has never met his editor and that he communicates using the Internet and an untraceable satellite phone, usually employing a voice scrambler. No photograph of Twelve Hawks has ever appeared and all biographical information about his background is based on four sources:

-a 2005 article in USA Today
-a 2005 interview by Rob Bedford in SFF World
-a 2006 interview published in Germany in Der Spiegel
-a portion of a 2007 Daily Telegraph article about popular writers

Twelve Hawks' initial biography on the Random House website was only one line: "John Twelve Hawks lives off the grid." At some point in 2007, that line disappeared and was replaced with "John Twelve Hawks is the author of the New York Times bestseller, The Traveler.

October 02, 2008: A Brief History of Time part 3

2008-10-03T07:53:00.000-07:00

In honor of my catch-up game of speed posting I'll introduce (and complete) today's post with a brief look at important events from October 2nd across the ages. You can just insert this at the end of Stephen Hawking's book.

1187 Siege of Jerusalem: Saladin captures Jerusalem after 88 years of Crusader rule.
1187 Sultan Saladin captures Jerusalem from the Crusaders
1263 The battle of Largs fought between Norwegians and Scots.
1535 Jacques Cartier discovers Montreal, Quebec.
1552 Conquest of Kazan by Ivan the Terrible.
1608 Hans Lippershey offers Dutch gov't a new invention, the telescope
1608 Prototype of modern reflecting telescope completed by Jan Lippershey
1608 The first telescope is demonstrated by Hans Lippershey of Middelburg.
1780 John Andre, British Army officer of the American Revolutionary War, is hanged as a spy by American forces.
1788 HMAS Sirius sets out from Port Jackson, Australia, to Cape Town for provisions.
1789 George Washington transmits the proposed Constitutional amendments (The United States Bill of Rights) to the States for ratification.
1792 Baptist Missionary Society forms in London
1833 NY Anti-Slavery Society organized
1835 The Texas Revolution begins with the Battle of Gonzales: Mexican soldiers attempt to disarm the people of Gonzales, Texas, but encounter stiff resistance from a hastily assembled militia.
1836 Darwin returns to England aboard HMS Beagle
1839 New Zealand comes under jurisdiction of the Governor of New South Wales
1851 The pasilalinic-sympathetic compass is demonstrated but proves to be a fake.
1853 Austrian law forbids Jews from owning land
1869 Mahatma Gandhi was born Oct 2, 1869 in Porbander in western India. He died in 1948.
1870 Italy annexes Rome and Papal States; Rome made Italian capital
1879 Start of the Sherlock Holmes adventure "The Musgrave Ritual" (BG)
1889 First Pan American conference (Washington DC)
1889 In Colorado, Nicholas Creede strikes it rich in silver during the last great silver boom of the American Old West.
1901 First submarine commissioned by the British Navy is launched from Barrow, north-west England.

October 01, 2008: Epic Threadbanger Halloween Party

2008-10-03T07:52:00.000-07:00

Lindsey, Rob, and Corinne have been clawing their eyes out with Erin to get the biggest most epic Halloween party together for Threadbanger (Rob and Corinne's show). If you're in the greater NYC area the week of Halloween be sure to come by the party. It's open to the public. Make sure to say hi to me. I'll be the one with the camera.

Here's the news release courtesy of Erin:

Mark your calendars for the ThreadBanger event of the year - the
ThreadBanger Handcrafted Halloween Costume Party!!

When: Thursday, October 30 at 8pm
Where: Mercury Lounge, 217 E. Houston Street, NYC
RSVP: threadbangerparty@gmail.com

Pick up some flyers at the end of the week and tell your friends!
**Please let us know if you can volunteer - we're looking for help
with the zombie cloak room, fashion show and costume contest sign-ups,
t-shirt sales, and video/picture making, organic baking and of course,
promotion! Contact Lindsey Chen - party organizer extraordinaire :)

Event Sponsors include: Tumblr, Amercian Sewing Expo, Etsy and Disqus
Goodie Bag Sponsors include: American Sewing Expo, Nature's Shea
Butter, CraftStylish, Instructables, Dritz, PONO and Pink Quartz
Minerals.

September 30, 2008: Neil Gaiman and His Graveyard Book Stop By

2008-09-30T12:18:00.001-07:00

So recently Neil Gaiman stopped by Columbia (at Teacher's College) for a reading of his new novel The Graveyard Book. Needless to say I was excited. Not only is his other work collectively awesome, I also got to hear him read from an unfinished Graveyard book back at New York Comic Con (Early '08). At the first reading I had just purchased my DSLR camera, but was sadly without a good video camera. Returning to the present, I have since acquired a fairly respectable prosumer camcorder (more high end consumer than prosumer). And I have experience in the world of field reporting at press events.

Now this evening with Neil wasn't exactly a press event, but being press does allow you access to good vantage points. Anticipating a large crowd and crappy seating I arrived early. I was informed that press credentials would be required, so I presented an old copy of a business card Scott made for me before NYCC. I think the card lists me as a PA. Even though I'm a paid editor and have been an assistant producer and director for some of our shows it doesn't really matter what the card says. It's currently the only evidence short of a phone call, that I have any official press authority.

On to the event:

Being a good fiction writer naturally lends itself to creative speech writing. Since Neil is such a popular author he speaks around the world frequently. I think he actually just did a guest lecture series at a college in California. Listening to him speak is anything but boring. Little do you know he's actually pretty good with comedy too.

September 29, 2008: Old Houses and New Apartments

2008-09-29T11:04:00.005-07:00

Lindsey and Andrew made it back to Andrew's and my parent's house yesterday. If you live in the greater Springfield area feel free to demand a drive-by from them. They're back on the occasion of Nicole's wedding. Andrew is serving as the bride's boy and chief architect of the bachelor party. If you want to see what they're doing right now you can check on Lindsey's blog. She's regularly updated her posts via her phone. Thanks for the updates and the pictures of my old house (up top)!

On the note of batcaves and domeciles, I have recently found a new fortress of solitude. It's not too far from Andrew and Lindsey here in smelly Spanish Harlem. It was actually this neighborhood that I lived in when I first moved to NYC way back in January. You can see pictures of my first apartment here.

Obviously the lower pictures are from my new place. It's a single, as I've had enough of roomates for a while. So far I haven't seen any rats or large furry people with claws. Although I'm not too sure about the building's super...

September 28, 2008: International Tiger Day

2008-09-29T11:04:00.003-07:00

Today is officially International Tiger Day. Seriously. This is of course, not to be confused with International Talk Like A Pirate Day.

So drink some rum mateys and salute all majestic species of Tiger. Yarrr!

September 27, 2008: KOTOR Lives On

2008-09-29T11:04:00.001-07:00

Lucasarts and Bioware just annouced a new star wars online role playing game based on the Knights of The Old Republic universe (KOTOR). If you haven't played the original, it was voted one of the best games...ever...for any platform. You can feel free to disregard it's sequel. Which sucked.

September 26, 2008: Bio Beer makes Eco Frat Boys Cheer Across The Nation

2008-09-26T12:37:00.001-07:00

Apparently there's some sort of new Eco Beer that contains the cancer fighting agent "resveratrol". You'll remember that name because resveratrol is the reason why wine has anti-cancer properties. So that's why those annoying frat boys have such unfortunate longevity. Make sure to swap that annoying co-workers resveratrol-enhanced beer for a nice regular PBR. They'll die sooner and annoy you less.

September 25, 2008: Office Birthdays and Animal Actors

2008-09-26T12:36:00.006-07:00

Now that the fall has rolled around things are once again crazy in the office. Barely Political is churning out fast and funny videos like a machine, Erik and the Indy Mogul guys are hard at work for season 2 of Back Yard Effects (BFX), and we even have a new style and living show with outside talent that according to Lindsey "have a lot of internet society clout" Please note that that's not actually what she said, but it's how I remember it.

Here's some of the latest from Indy Mogul and Barely Political:

Indy Mogul: Gatling Gun Arm Test Film

Barely Political: Don't Cry For Me Alaska (Starring Me!)

Enjoy!

Pics: Another Birthday Round Up, Pooch Barks for A Better Contract, and Jared Does His Best Dragon Ball Z Impression.

September 24, 2008: Power-Saw To The People

2008-09-26T12:36:00.005-07:00

My recent summer trip to San Diego for all things comic book officially started when I ran into a bus driving by with a picture of C. Michael Hall that read "Power-Saw To The People" with Hall looking every bit the regal president of strange-town. Complete with shit eating grin.

I picked up the show in it's first season back in 2006. I think it was part of the summer showtime programming with Weeds. Quite the double whammy of quality adult programming. I'll save specific thoughts on the series for later.

September 23, 2008: Comic Book Club - The Daily Show Ed. Rev. 2

2008-09-26T12:36:00.003-07:00

This week's Comic Book Club featured The Daily Shows' Elliot Kalan. You'll remember that not so long ago new Daily Show correspondent Wyatt Cenac guest starred at the PIT (the footage is around here somewhere...)

Elliot was every bit as awesome as Wyatt was, and had some similar comic book tales from the Daily Show writer's room. If I can ever process the raw footage there'll be some video of it up soon.

September 22, 2008: Goodbye to an Old Genre Fiction Friend, Hello to a New One

2008-09-26T12:36:00.001-07:00

TV normally sucks balls. Fortunately every so often there's some programming that doesn't suck. In the case of the Stargate (television) franchise, the programming was just plain awesome. The first spin-off SG1 hooked me during my early days of TV on DVD. I had just finished watching my way through Star Trek DS9 and I was hungry for another long-running sci-fi series. Enter Stargate SG1. I had never really watched MacGuyver, but I knew all about Richard Dean Anderson (called RDA by Stargate fans). He was basically the lead of the show for the first 7-8 seasons. Season 8 was kind of phoned in as he was in the process of retiring from daily acting work. So I watched most of the seasons and got hooked, then I watched them again. I tend to repeat-enjoy literature and media that I really really like.

Then as all things do the show was cancelled after it's 10th season (longest running sci-fi show ever). But not before spinning off another hugely successful Stargate Atlantis TV show. Now Atlantis (which also hooked me) has done the same. It's going off the air after this season, currently in season 5. But like SG1 it's spun off another show called Stargate Universe. We'll see if the show takes hold with the fans. I'm sure we'll see at least two to three seasons of it.

Another great new show has just launched from Stargate beginnings. Former writer Damian Kindler started an online show called Sanctuary with Stargate director Martin Wood and Stargate lead Amanda Tapping. The show has featured many Stargate guest stars. The show was picked up by Sc-Fi and just started it's TV run. We'll see if fans like it. It's pretty good, so I'm sure it will do well.

September 21, 2008: Stop Motion Star Wars

2008-09-26T12:35:00.005-07:00

Here are some awesome stop motion Star Wars videos. I'll have to start experimenting with stop-motion photography now that I have a tripod. Check it out.

September 20, 2008: THE Age of THE Sentry

2008-09-26T12:35:00.003-07:00

Last week at Comic Book Club Live! at the PIT, guest and frequent do-gooder Jordan D. White brought a poster depicting his new comic book The Age of The Sentry signed by all the writers and artists that work on the title. As it just so happens I won that poster, and it's currently sitting secure in my new apartment awaiting a picture frame so that it can hang proudly on my wall.

As promised here is evidence of my winnings. Thanks Jordan!

Sorry for the title, just a little inside joke (you had to be there).

September 19, 2008: Steve-E6's Bender Impressions and Robot Burn Wards

2008-09-26T12:35:00.001-07:00

Let's set the scene. Erik's on-again/off-again robot collaborator Steve-E6 begins to enjoy a few brewskies on the set of our latest Barely Political shoot. Being a tried-and-true American redneck, Steve-E6 naturally only drinks Budweiser (none of that "light" shit). Now Steve-E wasn't acting in the video per-se, but he is subletting the studio from Jared and Alan, so we have to give him set access during daylight hours. I don't think Jared or Alan have let Rita and Donna know about their financing arrangement with Steve-E, so be sure not to re-blog this somewhere they frequent. Wink Wink.

The day rolls on and Steve-E6's afternoon quick drink during lunch turns into a bad impression of Bender B. Rodriguez of Futurama fame. Matt Groening is already on the phone with Liam about the blatant copyright infringement. Only his robots are allowed to drink alcohol in public.

So Steve's begins to run afoul of Rusty. Who after exchanging some harsh words with Steve-E, storms off set to have a cigarette and plot Steve-E's eventual demise. As I calmly point out to Steve-E that drinking on set is only permitted on Friday's, I catch a stray beer can in the eye (courtesy of Steve-E). If Tom hadn't of had his HVX set up, the whole six-pack would have surely dropped me like a sack of potatoes.

...now cut to the Robot Burn ward of the NYU hospital where Steve-E is receiving care for his unfortunate encounter with a lighted gas oven. In all fairness the oven came on to him, (according to Steve-E).

So the next time you have a beer, sing a salute to our beloved Steve-E6.

September 18, 2008: The Love Boat N3 Edition and Our Building Collapses Under It's Own Awesomeness

2008-09-21T07:02:00.001-07:00

Loud crashes shook everyone from their desks this morning. Well, louder than normal. There's always some construction going on down on the street, but today pieces of our building actually fell off and tumbled to the street below. Thankfully there was some scaffolding to catch most of the masonry that fell, but I think there was a cab that got totalled by a few bricks.

Then there was our company cruise around the island. I'm not sure what our actual route was, but we all had a good time. Some of course had a much much better time than others (it was open bar). A lot of people brought their family members or girl/boyfriends, so it got pretty crowded. The crowds thinned out once the girls started dancing to the DJ music, most of the guys restrained themselves from acting the fool, but a few were lost to the shame that is the electric slide. Just another reason why I don't dance.

Up next is a Halloween party for Robyn and Corinne of Threadbanger. This will be a land-based treat party, and should go a long way in getting their brand name out in the public eye.

September 17, 2008: Move-In Day

2008-09-21T07:00:00.001-07:00

As you can see I'm in the middle of moving into my new place in Spanish Harlem. I'm a couple of blocks away from Andrew and Lindsey, and much closer to work. The boxes are piling up rapidly. All my crap that's been living at my Uncle's store (thanks for that by the way). It's nice when your relatives are willing to store your junk.

With the new place comes the need for new furniture. No more squatting in the corner for rest! After a few phone calls I've found out I'll be without internet or furniture for at least two weeks. So till then I'll be blogging from the office, and still using the corner to crouch in for naps.

September 16, 2008: Jordan White Returns to Comic Book Club Bearing Gifts

2008-09-21T06:57:00.000-07:00

Jordan White came back to the couches of Comic Book Club this week to talk about life as a Marvel Assistant Editor. He's currently working on a ton of titles including my personal marvel favorite Skaar: Son of Hulk. He really had a lot to say about his new project The Age of The Sentry, and even brought poster art signed by the artists working on the title.

I actually ended up winning the poster, I'll be sure to post pics soon. It'll be the first decoration in my new apartment. Thanks Jordan!

September 15, 2008: Fun Times With Weapons

2008-09-21T06:55:00.001-07:00

So Jared's been called in on another consult regarding the use of weapons in videos. Since prop weapons are so realistic there are actually a lot of industry rules governing their usage in public. For instance, did you know that wherever the gun goes, a slip of paper identifying it as a non-working replica has to follow? Also, it always has to stay in it's case when in public (unless shooting on a closed set, and even then it's questionable to have out).

I'm not exactly sure which gun this fake is a replica of, but I do know it's fully automatic...

September 14, 2008: Last Night In Jersey and Cat Shenanigans

2008-09-15T14:19:00.001-07:00

Next week I'll hopefully be moving into my new place. That means my stay in Jersey is over. It will be nice to finally get settled, although living in luxury is pretty good too. Being that it's my last weekend as a guest out here Stewie got upset and messed up all my clean laundry and stuck his head in my glass of water. Or maybe he was just tired and thirsty, I'm not sure.

I've just rejoined my monthly genre fiction book club and my recent selections just arrived from Amazon.

In the Sci-Fi category it's Keeping It Real by Justina Robson (part of her Quantum Gravity series).

This is what Amazon has to say about it:

"The Quantum Bomb of 2015 changed everything. The fabric that kept the universe's different dimensions apart was torn and now, six years later, the people of earth exist in uneasy company with the inhabitants of, amongst others, the elven, elemental and demonic realms. Magic is real and can be even more dangerous than technology. Elves are exotic, erotic, dangerous and really bored with the constant Lord of the Rings references. Elementals are a law unto themselves and demons are best left well to themselves. Special agent Lila Black used to be pretty but now she's not so sure. Her body is now more than half restless carbon and metal alloy machinery. A machine she's barely in control of. It goes into combat mode, enough weapons for a small army springing from within itself, at the merest provocation. As for her heart . . . well ever since being drawn into a Game by the elven rockstar she's been assigned to protect, she's not even sure she can trust that anymore either."

In the fantasy category it's The Black Company by Glen Cook (Part of his Black Company Series)

Here's what Amazon has to say about it:

"Some feel the Lady, newly risen from centuries in thrall, stands between humankind and evil. Some feel she is evil itself. The hardbitten men of the Black Company take their pay and do what they must, burying their doubts with their dead.

Until the prophesy: The White Rose has been reborn, somewhere, to embody good once more.

There must be a way for the Black Company to find her..."

September 13, 2008: Robert Randolph, Family Bands, and Cheese Logs

2008-09-15T14:13:00.000-07:00

Andrew and Lindsey joined us out in New Jersey this weekend. They were headed to the Robert Randolph and the Family Band concert. Unbeknownst to all, the concert featured many other christian artists. Andrew was the first to suspect something was up when he saw the playbill. It included many of the bands we saw with our church youth group as kids.

Uncle Scott didn't seem to mind, but planned ahead none the less. Armed only with smoked meats and cheese logs, Andrew, Lindsey, Aunt Ali, Uncle Scott, and Cousin Max headed off. Upon their early return they mentioned they only saw Robert Randolph and then packed their cheese logs up to come back home. While that doesn't say much for the Jesus-Fest, they did say Robert Randolph was great.

September 12, 2008: House of Mouse

2008-09-12T08:48:00.003-07:00

I crashed at Andrew and Lindsey's last night after class. My classes run till about 10PM every Wednesday night. Since I'm still schlepping from Jersey every day it really helps to be able to crash in the city. Many thanks to both Andrew and Lindsey for their gracious invitations.

On another note this is a sad post. Scott is leaving our office for LA. Today is his last day in the office. Very bittersweet. I remember when I first came into the office Scott was the person I worked with. In my first month I had met the editor in chief of DC Comics, organized two major comic conventions on two different coasts, and learned way more about digital media than I ever could have in 6 months on my own.

Eventually Scott would go on to usher me into a paid position as an editor. He also taught me how to use the editing programs we use too! Insane, I know.

Now he'll be working on a news show for G4 the television network he worked for as an intern/PA. Now he returns to them as a producer (and the promise of a much fatter wallet). I hear Vanessa has started interviewing applicants for Scott's replacement as her best friend in the office.

September 11, 2008: Wide Angle

2008-09-12T08:48:00.001-07:00

Check out the fruits of my newest addition to the lens stable. When I say "stable" I mean the two lenses I now own.

I'll give my review of the lens later on, it's a Canon EF 24mm f/2.8 prime lens. Nothing crazy, but a welcome addition to my camera bag.

September 10, 2008: American Indies and Documentary Cinema

2008-09-12T08:47:00.008-07:00

So this fall my schedule puts me in Columbia Film School. Wednesday's you can find me parked in a screening room for about 8 hours straight between lectures and screenings. Mostly documentaries and American independent films.

It's really interesting, so I'll be sure to include some more stories as the weeks roll on.

September 09, 2008: Comic Book Club feat. Will Eisner Portrait of A Sequential Artist

2008-09-12T08:47:00.007-07:00

This week's Comic Book Club featured Jon B. Cooke and Andrew Cooke. Two brothers who made the documentary film Will Eisner: Portrait of A Sequential Artist. The film is basically about Will Eisner and his life as a comic book artist.

Since Alex was still twittering his way across France on his Honeymoon with Booth Babe (now known as Mrs. Booth Babe), hosting duties fell to Justin. The energy was a little different without Alex, but Pete was more than up to the task of providing a springboard for debate with the Cookes.

I also threw the pictures up on my Pulp Secret Flickr page. You can navigate there by clicking on the flickr widget on the side bar of the blog here (to the right).

Enjoy!

September 08, 2008: Apartment Hunting Continued

2008-09-12T08:47:00.005-07:00

I think I may have found a good alternative to living out a suitcase. I checked out a bunch of new apartments in Spanish Harlem. They got better as the day went on. Finally with applications in hand I left satisfied that I had found some good places. The better ones were found through a broker of course, but the total price was comparable to a no-fee apartment, so I was happy.

Apartment watch September is getting to be a headache for this reporter.

September 07, 2008: Roaming Around Jersey

2008-09-12T08:47:00.003-07:00

September 06, 2008: Furry Pets Re-Enact Enemy Mine

2008-09-12T08:47:00.001-07:00

Just some funny pet pics today, I'm way too tired from all this back and forth to Jersey every day.

Enjoy!

September 05, 2008: New Toys On the Brain

2008-09-12T08:40:00.001-07:00

Every once in a while there comes a toy in a man's life that can't be overlooked. Unfortunately for me it's the Nikon D90. Since I have a Canon XTi and some great Canon lenses, I'm kinda stuck with Canon. Looks like I'm weathering the storm (until I make too much money for it to matter). Currently the best competition for the new Nikon camera (in the same Pro-sumer category) is the brand new Canon 50D. It's an update of the 40D (which my Dad just bought, I should have told him to wait a month).

This camera is a whole order of magnitude better that my current XTi (and twice as expensive to boot). The difference is immediately clear. Better body build, better hardware, and the latest in Canon Image Processing firmware. There are a number of additional improvements, but here is a good article comparing the new 50D to it's predecessor the 40D. 40D Vs 50D.

September 04, 2008: Game Day Redux for Cousin Max

2008-09-12T08:23:00.001-07:00

My Uncle Scott and I quickly left the city in search of Football and barbecue. Cousin Max had another foosball game, and since it was a home game the parent's had organized a BBQ to celebrate (I'm not sure what the actual occasion was). You know what the promise of free BBQ means, so naturally it was a lot of fun. They even let the parents eat first. That just means that the kids had to wait till after their game was over before they dumped them in front of the feed wagons. High School kids eat enough already, football players not withstanding.

Pics: Devil's Food Foosball BBQ

September 03, 2008: BFX Smokies and Threadbanger Movie Day

2008-09-09T14:42:00.001-07:00

Lindsey had been sending out emails for a while beckoning people to the large conference room with the promise of free pizza and funny videos. Naturally this being my first day of fall classes I wasn't going to be there to enjoy the fun. When a schedule change put me in the office early though, I was greeted by an empty and very smoky room. Either there was a fire and everyone had evacuated to the large conference room, or it was Threadbanger pizza day and I forgot.

I managed to grab a slice and check out a few videos (as well as grab a picture or two and some video of the fun) before heading off to my first day of class. This semester puts me in Columbia Film School. I've got a pretty manageable schedule that puts me on campus a day and a half a week between two classes. Since work is taking off like a rocket ship I wanted to maximize my billable hours during the week without making school too difficult.

Up first it was American Independent Cinema. We'll be screening and discussing a lot of films. More on that later. Our professor is on loan from UCLA, which he claims is a very theoretically oriented film program. Semiotics and psychoanalytics...

Second was The Documentary Tradition. We're also borrowing a professor for this class (from NYU). She just happens to bear an uncanny resemblance to one of our co-workers at Next New Networks. Most of the work we'll be looking at is from all over the 20th century. American Indy class covers only the late 1970s to present day.

See you at the movies!

September 02, 2008: BFX Season Finale and Cousin Wendy Models Batmitzvah Dresses

2008-09-09T14:34:00.001-07:00

Erik and the Indy Mogul guys were prepping for the big BFX season finale this morning when I got in. Remember the robot? He was actually from an episode way back when, last year. I think the episode will be a two-parter, and will give the guys some much needed time off. I think Erik has plans to flee south of the border.

Congrats to the guys for a great season.

September 01, 2008: Game Day for Cousin Max

2008-09-09T14:28:00.001-07:00

We took a road trip to see Cousin Max play in a scrimmage game of foosball. As you can see he's always excited to take the field. There were several teams and they played what could be described as half-court basketball (only with footballs).

August 31, 2008: An Old Friend Says Woof

2008-08-31T12:17:00.009-07:00

If you remember our old dog Lydia, a big fat Labrador Retriever, you might remember Carly (shown above). Carly was from one of Lydia's AKC certified litters way way back when we were little kids. Andrew brought her on a plane to New Jersey to meet her new family the Epsteins (Uncle Scott's sister). She's getting up there in years, and can't move like she used too. But she's a tough old bird and still manages to smile for the camera between her busy schedule of ignoring the smaller dogs, sun-bathing, and playing bridge with the local gals.

August 30, 2008: I Found The Punisher...He's in New Jersey Selling Sandwiches

2008-08-31T12:17:00.007-07:00

I found the Punisher today. Apparently he's been enjoying a quiet life in Jersey just making sandwiches.

August 29, 2008: Another Falls Victim to the Awesomness of HD Capture

2008-08-31T12:17:00.005-07:00

Uncle Scott fell victim to my sirens song of HD video capture, broke down, and bought himself a slightly nicer version of my camcorder. VIXIA HF10 (mine's the HF100).

The first thing he did when it arrived was tell Max he couldn't fucking touch it. Well he didn't say fucking. I threw that in there to spice up the story.

August 28, 2008: N3 Times Square Rock Stars and Upright Citizens' Brigade

2008-08-31T12:17:00.003-07:00

So we got a coupon for a loop on the big screen jumbo-tron in Times Square. Here are a few pics of Justin shooting the promo. Be sure to check it out if you pass through Times Square in the next couple of weeks!

I also made it over to see Justin Tyler (Comic Book Club and The Stack buddy) perform with his comedy group Sidecar at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater. Finally. He's been sending me Facebook invites for months. Just kidding.

August 27, 2008: Lazin' around the house

2008-08-31T12:17:00.001-07:00

August 26, 2008: Comic Book Club w/ Josh Bernstein and Jeff "Jahfurry" Newelt Pics

2008-08-31T12:16:00.010-07:00

Pics have been posted from this week's Comic Book Club at the PIT (Peoples Improv Theater). This week we got together with our buddies Josh Bernstein and Jeff "Jahfurry" Newelt. We hadn't seen the guys since San Diego Comic Con, so we caught up and talked about their current Royal Flush Magazine project as well as Jeff's Heeb Magazine project. During the Stack the conversation about X-Men drifted to a talk about humping in comics (be sure to check it out on the podcast, yikes!). Something about Scott Summers and the White Queen I think.

Be sure to check out Royal Flush Magazine and Heeb Magazine! And enjoy the pictures.

August 25, 2008: Local Posse Steal Vette for Shady Ice Cream Dealer

2008-08-31T12:16:00.009-07:00

I was in charge of Max and his posse today. We actually just went to the sandwich place down the street called the Copper Kettle. Little did I know that's where all Max's friends were hanging out. I followed them all over creation and back. It took a while, but the sandwiches and ice cream were good.

August 24, 2008: To the Beach!

2008-08-31T12:16:00.007-07:00

Here are some pics from our recent trip to the beach. Good Times.

August 23, 2008: Barely Made It Out With My Life

2008-08-31T12:16:00.005-07:00

Since I doing retroactive posts for the last two weeks there's no conflict of interest with me talking about our last Barely Political shoot.

Enter: Rusty Calls. He's happy (that's a good thing). He says Mark wrote a part for me in his latest video. His words, "Mark thinks you'd be perfect for the position of "Guy". I was honored and excited to see what Mark had in store for me.

Enter Shoot: I'm covered in soot with a jacket that Mark personally beat the crap out of in the dirt at the construction site across the street. Ask him what the workers said when they saw him beating the jacket in the dust. Lol.

The video has just posted as of today's actual date, but you get to see it through the time capsule of my blog. Enjoy!

Inappropriate Reporter

August 22, 2008: Back To Jersey

2008-08-31T12:16:00.003-07:00

What do you do when you have to move out of your apartment without time to find a replacement? Move to Jersey. At least that was my solution. My cousins have been nice enough to offer a free room while I scour the city for a new location for the fortress of solitude. Maybe I'll move it to the jungle like Superman did...

August 21, 2008: Comic Book Club w/ Tom Breevort and Wyatt Cenac Pics

2008-08-31T12:16:00.001-07:00

It finally happened. Tom Breevort finally made it to Comic Book Club (after two reschedulings no less!) with him was Wyatt Cenac of The Daily Show. Tom talked about the editorial process, particularly Fantastic Four #559, which he currently works on (which we reviewed on the show last week). Wyatt talked about the unusual circumstances he finds himself in now that he's doing The Daily Show, and the twists and turns his life has taken the last year leading up to getting the job. An interesting discussion about Hellen Killer (see, you read the title and go "WTF") Wyatt let us know about his idea for Billy "Dee" Killiams. Better rush that to print or Wyatt will beat you.

Remember that, "Billy Dee Killiams" (hilarious)

While you're hard at work penning your version of Billy Dee be sure to check out our pictures of the evening on Flickr!

Enjoy!

August 20, 2008: Green Lantern Movie Concept Art

2008-08-31T12:15:00.007-07:00

Here's some cool concept art drawings from the on again off again Green Lantern movie. The artist is illustrator Brian Murray. Marc Guggenheim, Greg Berlanti and Michael Green are credited as writers.

Originally this movie was being developed as a live action movie, but now it's probably going to be animated. I'm assuming this is because of the fantastical nature of the Green Lantern story.

August 19, 2008: Eddie Murphy Ponders his Options

2008-08-31T12:15:00.005-07:00

After thinking long and hard about his film career, performer Eddie Murphy is ready to return to Comedy. That's implying that everything he's been doing since he stopped performing stand-up hasn't been comedy. And I certainly agree. Just look at the picture.

Buckwheat is rolling in his grave.

August 18, 2008: Bejing Organizers add a few new events

2008-08-31T12:15:00.003-07:00

In a bid to draw attention to these Bejing Olympics, organizers have widened the schedule of events to include these exciting new events:

1. Girl on Girl (anything goes!)

2. Howard Stern (something with the Sybian I think)

3. Jenna Jameson's Gauntlet of Terror (e.g. "Terror" in Chinese translates to Penis).

4. Bi-Curious mud wrestling (sorry guys, females only).

I really think the additions will do wonders for late night cable subscriptions.

August 17, 2008: TMNT and Heavy Metal

2008-08-31T12:15:00.001-07:00

Here's another cool episode I did (and shot/directed). Did you know that the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles started as a graphic novel. I didn't.

Synopsis:

Heavy Metal And Ninja Turtles with Kevin Eastman

In this special episode of The Stack Pete talks with his hero Kevin Eastman. Eastman talks about his experiences creating Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the recent movie, and how it's helped him at Heavy Metal Magazine. Be sure to check it out!

You can catch more of Pete at Comic Book Club, thanks for watching.

Let us know what you think. You can comment below or email us at tips@pulpsecret.com

August 16, 2008: Last Episode of The Stack on Pulp Secret

2008-08-31T12:14:00.000-07:00

Lot's of buzz around here about The Stack's impending hiatus. I actually found out from Justin one of our hosts. The guys will continue to do the show on their own, they just won't be doing it for Pulp Secret or Next New Networks for the forseeable future. There are good chances as with many good performers that the guys will return to NNN broadcasting in a different show format, but it will be months before anything gets done (if ever). It's been a lot of fun working with them on the show, but there's still Comic Book Club Live! at the PIT (People's Improv Theater) and their Youtube Channel.

In the meantime I'll still be spinning out our SDCC footage on a regular basis to fill the void.

August 15, 2008: New Camera Lens

2008-08-19T06:13:00.000-07:00

My new toy arrived. Revel in all it's glory.

Seriously. Check it out.

August 14, 2008: Lost and Found Lunch

2008-08-15T05:19:00.005-07:00

Today was the first day I went out to lunch at work in forever. Lindsey, Jared, and Ian wanted to check out this great chicken place. We couldn't find it but ended up walking all over the area looking for it. I think it was on the second floor of an office building. That's weird.

We ended up settling for Chef 28. Which was much closer to our office. Cue the violins.

August 13, 2008: Comic Book Club w/ Arvid Nelson, Jesse Falcon, & James Asmus Pics!

2008-08-15T05:19:00.003-07:00

In case you missed this week's awesome edition of Comic Book Club Live we've just posted pictures of the melee. This week's show featured Arvid Nelson (Rex Mundi), Jesse Falcon (Marvel Toys), and James Asmus (X-Men: Manifest Destiny). These three guests brought a lot of energy to the room. Jesse talked about Marvel's upcoming toy releases including some awesome Spider-Man and Iron Man 3 quarter figures. James Asmus openly admitted that Alex, Justin, and Pete were responsible for his job writing for Marvel. Arvid talked about his experiences trying to survive in the difficult world of indy comics. Be sure to check back for video of the evening soon. In the meantime, enjoy the pictures!

Just click through for linkage to our flickr site.

August 12, 2008: Comic Book Club stuff

2008-08-15T05:19:00.001-07:00

Here's a preview of Comic Book Club's latest melee. We had three guests this time, so you know it was awesome.

Check it out.

August 11, 2008: Scottie Tries to Make it To Space

2008-08-15T05:18:00.010-07:00

Did anyone else read about how the shuttle that was taking James Doohan's ashes into space failed to make it into space (again). Poor Scottie. That just sucks.

Apparently this is a blow to privately funded space travel. Elliot Musk (started then sold ebay) owned the rocket. The company (Musk's company) that organized the mission and the launch is called Space X.

I'm not so sure we're less than 15-20 years before space travel becomes the play thing of the rich (that's a joke).

August 10, 2008: Mickey Mouse Needs Some Help With His Dialogue

2008-08-15T05:18:00.009-07:00

I just read an article arguing that motion comics are not the future of comic books. I do agree that digital comics are a way to bring in new viewers, but I've seen animated cartoons done in flash (Some of the bread and butter of motion comics). One thing that's hard to do with animation (particularly flash animation) is convey emotion.

That's really where the actor steps in and fills in the blanks.

Does anybody read digital comics. I don't mean reading comic books online (not the same thing as digital motion comics).

At least it helps draw attention to a really underserved community of artists.

August 09, 2008: Master Chief Backyard FX

2008-08-15T05:18:00.007-07:00

I got to hang out with Drawn By Pain animator Erica Langworthy. I was actually there to tape her building the Master Chief armor from the Halo video game series. We're going to be doing a special segment for an upcoming episode of Indy Mogul's Back Yard Effects (BFX). That is a real life working replica (blaster cannons extra). She was also in the middle of the Hayabusa (Special) armor too. I had to do a little research on that one. I don't own an X-Box 360, and I haven't played Halo 3 yet.

Be sure to check out Erica's Website with info on all her projects as well as Drawn By Pain. It's awesome!

Pics: Master Chief in progress.

Drawn By Pain:

August 08, 2008: Sci-Fi Season Guide

2008-08-15T05:18:00.005-07:00

I just read an io9 Sci-Fi guide for the coming year. It covers literature, TV, etc.

The August listings include:

Books-

John Scalzi Zoe's Tale (he's been a long time recommended writer by Stargate Writer/Show-Runner Joseph Mallozzi). I've never gotten around to reading his stuff, mostly because I've missed the last couple months of JMBC. Maybe this month will be different?

Movies & TV-

The Clone Wars. I'm kind of looking forward to this, I only saw a few of the animated shorts by Genndy Tartakovsky. I'll reserve judgement till I actually see it.

Babylon AD. Another sci-fi movie about the virgin mary. Enough Said.

Conventions-

Gatecon (Vancouver, BC). This is the only convention I'll mention because it's a Stargate Convention. I of course won't be able to go this year (maybe next year). It should be really cool. Maybe everyone will get a peek at the upcoming Stargate Universe pilot, or the rumored SGA Movie or the next SG1 movie.

August 07, 2008: Jared Looks Weird With A Jedi Wig

2008-08-15T05:18:00.003-07:00

The Indy Mogul guys are doing an episode involving lightsabers and decapitation. I was working late this evening when I caught them in the act. One of our animators (Lee) is using Flash to do the lightsaber effects, and the finished product looks pretty cool. Here's the actual episode and some extra video:

August 06, 2008: Tropic Thunder with A Gay Spider-Man

2008-08-15T05:18:00.001-07:00

So no real reports on the great migration. I'm still looking for places.

In the meantime, here's a review of Tropic Thunder which will hit theaters pretty soon:

I got to see a screening of Tropic Thunder at San Diego Comic Con. I guess Alex has the hook up. It was Wednesday night, so Justin hadn't made it to San Diego yet. Pete, Alex, Alex's Brother John, and myself sat down in a crowded theater in the Green Lantern district.

Right off the bat there was a special SDCC trailer for the movie. It was Ben Stiller, Jack Black, and Robert Downey Jr. in front of a white screen. They vamped and improved for a few minutes with some great jokes. There were some great Comic Con jokes, and some great Iron Man jokes from Downey.

The movie itself began with a bunch of fake trailers for the "actors" in the movie. The movie is about a bunch of infamous actors coming together on a single movie. The trailers were hilarious. All I can say is "Tobey Maguire". If you don't laugh, you don't know what humor is.

Without spoiling the movie I'll say it was great. I didn't know it was a "Ben Stiller" movie before hand, but it in no way diminished the quality of the movie. I say quality with a "but". It's obviously intended to be a funny movie, not an award-winner.

That reminds me, I still need to see Step Brothers.

August 05, 2008: Comic Book Club w/ Mini Marvels Pics

2008-08-10T14:30:00.001-07:00

Pictures of the latest Comic Book Club are available on our Pulp Secret flickr account. This week featured guests Chris Giarrusso (Mini Marvels) and Nate Cosby (Marvel Comics Editor). You may remember Nate Cosby from one of our New York Comic Con episodes of The Stack (you may also recognize frequent Comic Book Club visitor Jordan D. White!).

Enjoy the pictures!

August 04, 2008: Happy Birthday Obama

2008-08-10T14:29:00.009-07:00

Turns out today is Barack Obama's Birthday. To honor Amber's namesake, we at Barely Political did a birthday Amber-chat. This is were fans of Amber or Obama-Girl can ask her or any of us questions.

Some of the good ones:

1. How does Obama keep his hair so silky smooth? - That must have been Adam Sandler in disguise.

2. Can I have some of that cake you made? - Politics always make people hungry

3. Who the hell is computer guy and why is he answering all Amber's questions? - We got a lot of Computer guy comments. Either Ben (Relles) or Mark (Douglas) sat in the middle and used the PC to get questions. They were both affectionately referred to as "Computer Guy" maybe when they're more popular fans will give them proper names.

Pics: Happy Birthday Obama, Studio Chat Setup (Live Feed), everybody preps, Devon and Kate R. monitor the live feed, and Obama Girl Chat in Progress (quiet on the set).

August 03, 2008: Funny Roomate Stories

2008-08-10T14:29:00.007-07:00

Funny Story:

So I'm hanging out on a lazy Sunday (nod to Chris Parnell and Andy Samberg). During the course of the day I notice my roomate is talking on his phone on his window sill. We're on the 9th floor of a building with no fire escapes out front, so sitting on the window sill is a little precarious. "But hey" I think he does this often. It's really weird, but he's a really weird kind of guy, so I go about my lazy Sunday. Paying bills, answering emails. Blogging about semi-interesting goings on.

Eventually it's close to 4 or 5PM and my front door opens of it's own accord (aided by the building Super and a group of police officers, and the nice security guard from the lobby downstairs). Normally had I recently done something of questionable legality I would not be surprised to see the Man knocking on my door. But as they walked past me I asked them, "How's it going?" in the most casual way you can ask a group of authority figures with guns walking past you. They pointed to my roomates room, and I began to wonder...

It could be any number of things:

1. He actually decided to jump out his window.

2. He was involved in an international sex-slave ring (he's from China).

3. He ran over that nice crippled man in the street with his car (we have a lot of bums during the summer months).

4. Or...(just insert any stupid thing you want here).

So the cops, the super, and the security guard ascertain that he wasn't trying to jump out his window, but just decided to sit on his window ledge like the idiot he is (turns out someone saw him from the street and thought he was a jumper).

Long story short, now he's getting kicked out of his apartment which means I have to move. I guess it's ok, I was thinking about moving closer to work anyway. It's events like this that convince you to get studio and forgo any further roomates of questionable sanity.

August 02, 2008: Sleepy Saturdays

2008-08-10T14:29:00.005-07:00

My actual recollection of Saturday is pretty fuzzy. I think I slept in till noon then sat around and watched TV on DVD for most of the day. Either way I stayed way too late at work doing actual work. I did have a beer whilst finishing my last editing project.

Actually that's not true, I totally gave up after the progress meter on Final Cut read 1 hour...2 hours...three hours...six hours. Crap balls! That's a clear sign to get the fuck out and go home.

August 01, 2008: You Call This Work and Lindsey Crawls Out of the TV

2008-08-10T14:29:00.003-07:00

So I'm casually (more like frantically) working my way through another run-of-the-mill editing project downstairs when a mess of upstairs denizens stop by. I figured since it was Friday and the bosses had taken off everyone was just hanging out. Then the Guitar Hero crowd showed up and started swapping TVs out so that Erik and crew could use the old CRT for their newest episode. Enter Lindsey dressing up in what looked like my little sister's night gown circa 1989 and getting made to look like that freaky chick from the "Ring" movie series.

On top of all the Friday afternoon fun was Marco and the Tumblr crew re-configuring the downstairs fridge into a beer repository. Good beer at that too. I actually suspect they had plans for later, but for most of the evening (while I worked) everyone was barbecuing in the office (without the barbecue or the grill).

Pics: Marco does a solid for the office and throws down for good beer, Guitar Hero setup, and Lindsey gets freakified.

July 31, 2008: Watch out for the Tentacles

2008-08-10T14:29:00.001-07:00

I found another great Schrute-Space. When is this show back on the air again?

The Curious Rise of Tentacle Sex in Manga

Salutations, weblog reader. I hope you are reading this at home and not during working hours because this weblog entry has nothing to do with your job, unless you are an anime scholar, sexual education expert, cultural examiner with a focus on bizarre sexual matters, or a marine biologist. If you do not hold one of these jobs, please stop reading and continue in the privacy of your home where your time belongs to you. You may also proceed to read this if you are self-employed, but that is a slippery slope.

As you are well aware, I am interested in the representational arts of Japan, most specifically manga or, as it’s more commonly known in America, anime. While purchasing some new reading material recently, my manga got mixed up with another customer’s items and I ended up with several titles that I did not originally select. At first I was incredibly upset at the idiot behind the counter who let that happen. It makes sense that he’s working retail. Real salesmen don’t mess up orders. After fuming for a while, however, I was reminded of something Grandpa Mannheim used to say: “When life gives you lemons, find a way to turn those lemons into a profit, even if it means donating the lemons to charity in order to get a tax write-off.” I decided to use the misplaced manga to enrich my knowledge in general and discover some new artists and writers. This turned out to be a mistake.

The comic books that the other gentleman was purchasing were of the “hentai” sub-genre. Hentai is disgusting. It is Japanese comic pornography and it is completely inappropriate. What disturbed me most about this man’s choices were that they were exclusively of the shokushu goukan variety. For those not familiar, shokushu goukan is the Japanese term for tentacle rape. These comics feature Japanese women getting taken advantage of by octopi. I truly do not understand their appeal. Octopi are, by their very nature, non-sexual creatures. After they reproduce, both the mother and father octopus die within a matter of months. What’s sexy about that? To chronicle the sexual nature of an octopus is as pointless as trying to find a beet weevil in December – it’s just a waste of time.

As I was perusing the contents of the various shokushu goukan comics, I kept happening on the same plot. Woman loves sailor. Sailor goes out to sea. Sailor is killed by giant octopus. Giant octopus rapes woman with its tentacles. This plot doesn’t make any sense. It paints giant octopi as if they’re these terribly vindictive creatures, not content to just kill sailors, but also to seek out and infiltrate their women. What do the Japanese have against octopi? What did octopi ever do to the Japanese besides providing a tremendous amount of nourishment in the form of tako sushi? It baffles me. It angers me. It saddens me.

The mighty octopus should be respected, not depicted as some horrible marine rapist. If you need to demonize a sea creature, make it the horrendous jellyfish, which provides not jelly but dangerous stings. I found out firsthand when I was taken to a beach on the shores of North Carolina in my youth. I have yet to return to an ocean beach.

Over the weekend, I will be returning to the shop where this terrible comic literature entered my possession. I will be exchanging it for my favorite manga: Ranma 1/2, the story of a teenaged boy trained from a young age to be a martial arts master, who is cursed to become a girl when splashed with cold water, but returns to male form when touched with cold water. Currently, the reason that it’s my favorite manga series is that there are no horny vindictive creatures with tentacles in Ranma 1/2 and that’s good enough for me.

This marks the end of today’s weblog. Fight Octopi Misrepresentation!

Arigato,
Dwight Kurt Schrute

July 30, 2008: Campaign Olympics Commentating and I make MSNBC!

2008-08-06T21:17:00.000-07:00

Recently Barely Political was on TV again due to our recent Campaign Girl Olympics videos. It was a lot of fun working on them. Personally I help shoot B-Roll and did a little background acting (a referee in all situations if I recall correctly). I didn't know any footage of me was in the MSNBC clip until I watched it all the way through. Pretty cool huh?

Now I just need to make network TV and my life will be complete.

Pics: Rusty and Mike Birch (Hillary Man) do some reporting on the games.

Here's the MSNBC video, look for me:

July 29, 2008: Comic Book Club feat. Bob Joy & Matt Donnelly

2008-08-06T21:13:00.000-07:00

Pics of this week's Comic Book Club have been posted. This week's show featured DC Trade Paperback and Collected Editions Editor Bob Joy and Comedian/Writer/Director Matt Donnelly of Threat (you may remember him from his previous appearance on CBC last month). Unfortunately scheduled guest Marvel Editor Tom Brevoort had to reschedule at the last minute, but he'll be back the week of August 19th appearing with Wyatt Cenac of The Daily Show!

This week's show was awesome. Bob talked about what it means to make "collected editions" and re-packaging old stories into new and interesting ways so that younger audiences can see them. He also teased his all-time favorite (but not yet released) trade DC Goes Ape, wherein the it's all ape stories (like Marvel Zombies). Were you there? Did you catch his Joker "boner" story from Batman #66? It was crazy. He explained that in the 60s (when the issue appeared) a "boner" was a mistake. And the phallic images throughout the issue. The 60s were ridiculous.

Matt Donnelly talked about his new pilot for the New York Television Festival (September 12-17th). Did you know it stars our own Pete LePage (credited as "Pete"). I'm sure Pete won't have any trouble playing himself. He does it all the time.

Be sure to check out all the pictures on our Pulp Secret Flickr page!

Here's a preview of Matt Donnelly's Threat:

July 28, 2008: Back to Reality

2008-07-20T11:05:00.003-07:00

I'm so burnt out right now I can't imagine anything but sleeping. My plane got into New York at 7AM. I've been flying all night. Definitely not working today. Somehow I ended up doing work any way. I have to compress all the HD video I shot so it will fit on our network, which is taking forever. It's several hours of HD video and about a third of it is compressed. As it stands I've used up all but a gig or two of space out of a total of 350 gigs total storage. I had to compress stuff each day because one memory stick of data uncompressed took up my whole hard drive.

Ridiculous. Technology is meant to serve me, not the other way around.

I be back when I get some sleep.

July 27, 2008: Leaving Las Vegas

2008-07-20T11:05:00.001-07:00

Yep the day finally came when we'd have to pack our shit up and go back to work (real work). Sunday was still really busy. Pete actually got his second wind in, and while Alex and Justin were off doing something else we got an extra 4 interviews in the space of and hour. To be fair we were all delirious.

Ask Alex his Colleen Coover "Small Favors" story. Hilarious. And caught on film by me. Which will also hit my Youtube page eventually.

We spoke to Sanford Greene the artist behind the Method Man comic book that did gangbusters traffic on our Pulp Secret Youtube page. I didn't know rapper-originated comic books were so sought after. I guess even the gangsters need sequential art.

I have to fly back, so look for our interviews in the coming weeks. I'll be the one editing the hours and hours of footage. So no complaints if it takes a while to air.

July 26, 2008: Comic Book Club Live from San Diego

2008-07-20T11:04:00.002-07:00

Today the guys did their Comic Book Club panel. It was great, and they even had a musical guest that was hilarious. There were 5 guests (instead of the usual two or even one). I of course was on hand to capture the whole event on film.

Today's Comic Book Club panel included from left to right (as pictured above) Alex at the podium, Justin, Pete, Eric Powell (Writer and Artist of The Goon), Gabriel Rodriguez (artist on Locke and Key), Adam Rifkin (Director: National Lampoon's Homo Erectus), Scott Adsit (actor 30 Rock), and the musical guest who's name will escape me until I watch the video I shot again (back at the office).

The panel was great, and a lot bigger than it normally is. Usually there's only one or two guests, and the PIT (People's Improv Theater) is a lot smaller than one of the ballrooms at the San Diego Convention Center. The musical guest was hilarious. I'll post the video of the song soon. Let's just say it's very phallic and meant to make you laugh (and think/be confused).

If that wasn't enough we had surprise tickets from Alex's manager for the Comedians of Comedy show downtown in the Green Lantern District. I didn't know a lot about the show before hand, but it included Sara Silverman, Maria Bamford, Brian Posehn, Zach Galifianakis, and Eugene Mirman.

Sara Silverman was the surprise guest, and the show was also Patton Oswalt's farewell performance. Check out my Comic Con Nightlife Flickr page for more from the show (I can't believe the crazy ticket lady wouldn't let me bring my soda in, but my SLR Camera was no problem. Ridiculous. But the box seats were more than enough to make me forget about it.

Then some random person (at least I had no idea who she was) told us to come to the after-party for the stars of the show (Patton Oswalt, Brian Posehn, et Al.) I didn't see the scribbles on my ticket that said I had already been invited, but at the time I felt pretty cool. I managed to grab a few pictures inside the bar where the party was at before realizing all the actors and celebrities that were there (and hastily retiring my camera for the evening).

Good Times. Ask Justin about how Patton Oswalt requested him on Facebook (funny story).

July 25, 2008: Stargate Day

2008-07-20T11:04:00.001-07:00

Today is officially Stargate day, well at least in my book. The booth is giving away free DVDs of the latest DVD release of Stargate Continuum. The booth babes look like some kind of Samantha Carter wet dream come true. Too bad I didn't have time to check out the three (count 'em) three stargate panels. Continuum, Worlds MMO, and Atlantis respectively. I did pick up some Stargate Worlds dog tags at the booth though. I hope the game is good. Looks like it won't be out for awhile though.

We interviewed a ton of people today (just like yesterday and probably tomorrow). I'll save interview notes for each person for later blog posts. Tonight Newsarama won another Eisner Award for news reporting, so they're buying drinks for everyone. Gotta run.

July 24, 2008: Hotel Team-Ups make for short walks

2008-07-20T11:03:00.004-07:00

Since there's so much happening so fast I tried to include some pics throughout the day. Here's the rundown (of the pics):

1. Greatest America Hero Panel - Moderated by us (not me, I filmed it), but moderated by The Stack guys Alex, Justin, and Pete
2. The Greatest American Interviews - after the panel. Turns out William Katt is a huge fan of our show!
3. Tony Lee (I messed his name up on our flickr account and he rebuked me (sorry, he's awesome and a guest of Comic Book Club).
4. The walk from the hotel to the convention center along the bay.
5. Walking through the Green Lantern district to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund charity and after party.
6-8. At the party (on the Plaza roof).

July 23, 2008: Cheesburger in Paradise

2008-07-20T11:03:00.003-07:00

I made it to San Diego early this afternoon on some obscure airline that didn't allow e-ticketing. As a result I almost never got my tickets in the mail due to some unfortunate circumstances in my buildings policies on package delivery and pick-up. None the worse for wear I made it to the Hyatt, or as it's known at SDCC, "the place where all the after-parties are". Note to self: remember human beings need sleep to live.

Since the rest of the guys aren't arriving till tomorrow I picked up my registration and checked out the show floor. Tonight was preview night for press and special guests, so most of the floor was crowded with reporters and camera crews interviewing celebrities before the rest of the masses flooded in tomorrow. I managed to grab plenty of great pictures and good video b-roll for later use in churning out episodes. I'm known as an episode machine around the offices these days.

No after parties tonight, I need to rest up for tomorrow and the first official day of the festivities.

Pics: Welcome to San Diego Comic Con 2008, a view from the hotel room, replicas and busts, creature creation, awesomely sinister Dexter promo banners, and more replicas.

July 22, 2008: Last Day before the Convention

2008-07-20T11:03:00.001-07:00

It's almost time to go and everything is set. I just need to find out where the hotel is, and how to get into the room early. I'm the first set to arrive. I'll have time to pick up my registration and get some pictures and footage of the show floor before the rest of the guys get here.

Sorry, no more tonight. I'm saving up for the blitz this week/weekend.

July 21, 2008: The Dark Knight busts the office

2008-07-20T11:00:00.001-07:00

We got to see The Dark Knight in IMAX (lincoln center) with the office today. That is it was a work sponsored trip. Although I had already bought a ticket when we had decided to go as a group, but before the office offered to pay. It was only 16 bucks a ticket, so I don't feel so bad. There was a little drama and some people ended up not coming, but I'm sure it's all water under the bridge.

The movie was spectacular. It definitely lived up to my expectations. Although I'm not sure I had any to begin with. It definitely warrants a second viewing (and a third). I think my brother hasn't seen it yet, so I'm sure he'll be game to go. He claims the IMAX theaters in manhattan are perpetually sold out on his days off, and I believe him. That's how good the movie was. In fact, why are you here reading this instead of out seeing it.

Seriously, go see it.

July 20, 2008: San Diego Here I Come

2008-07-20T10:59:00.005-07:00

Since work and my San DIego workcation are stealing my time check out some creed thoughts:

Creed Thoughts by Creed Bratton

Why is it so impressive to sleep on a bed of nails? There’s obviously a trick to it that makes it not hurt. I think the real challenge is sleeping in a bed filled with needles. You just know that’s not gonna end well.
I’ve gone for rolls in the hay and it is nothing like sex.
Sometimes I’ll do shots of mouthwash. It gets me a little tipsy and gives me great breath.
I think baseball should introduce a longstop position, just in case the shortstop misses the ball.
Who decided that we needed both North and South Dakota. It seems like a lot of wasted paperwork to me.
Catching flies with your hands is fun, but catching frogs with your feet is a lot more satisfying.
I like to wear two undershirts most days because you never know when you’ll walk into a strip poker game.
I want to open up a bar called “Creed’s Meads” and bring mead back to how popular it was during the American Revolution. It’ll be right between my book store and woodwind instrument shop – Creed’s Reads and Creed’s Reeds.
Why hasn’t anyone built a live-action version of Chutes and Ladders? I’d be first in line to play.
I’ve always thought that shopping carts are just mobile jails for food and all the prisoners are sentenced to death by ingestion. Kind of makes you shop differently, huh?

Yikes!

July 19, 2008: John Adams

2008-07-20T10:59:00.003-07:00

I just finished watching John Adams. I'd seen the last part twice (both while visiting relatives), but never the whole thing sequentially. It was really cool. I don't watch a lot of period movies, but Paul Giamatti was very compelling. Laura Linney was great too. I can't imagine what it was like to be a woman during the pre-constitutional united states. Probably just a lot of quiet reading and cooking. My Aunt actually told me she went to school with Laura Linney (same year) at Northfield Mount Herman private school (in MA). Also the same school that my Aunt's other sisters (including my mom) went to.

I didn't read the John Adams book that preceded the movie. My dad is big on those kinds of biographies. I know they're good, but genre fiction is usually what I prefer to read. This reminds me of the mom on my swim team back home who had a fondness for romance novels. I'm sure they were "pretty" tame, but it was a lot of fun to poke fun at her. Uh oh, caught in the act reading a harlequin romance novel!

I didn't know much about the early presidents, but there was an interesting article comparing the first four presidents to the Beatles (John, Paul, George, and Ringo). I think Thomas Jefferson was compared to John, George Washington to Paul, John Adams to George, and James Madison to Ringo (although Ringo and George might have been switched). Sorry couldn't find any linkage on that one.

No pics today. I need to catch up on my posts.

July 18, 2008: Marc's Last Day w/ a Rubber Band and International Fame

2008-07-20T10:59:00.001-07:00

It was Marc's last day in the office. His wife has secured a great promotion with another company out in California (she's also in IT), and Marc like the great guy he is has agreed to move his home base or "death star" (it's not fully functional yet) to SoCal.

In honor of his imminent departure he was the butt of cruel jokes and humiliating rubber band pelting. Carrie and I both caught some of it on film, so enjoy the footage!

July 17, 2008: Recovery

2008-07-20T10:58:00.008-07:00

Today's a recovery day so I think I'll turn the blog over to my old friend Dwight from Dunder Mifflin. Let's all give him our undivided attention.

Schrute Space by Dwight Schrute

Maintaining a Normal Body Temperature During the Summer Months

Attention readers: this web log will be doubling as a public service announcement because people are literally DYING out there.
We are in the thick of summer, people. The sun, while a huge ally of the Earth, also serves as one of our biggest enemies. It provides light that we use to see, but it can also scorch your skin into a red blistering mess. There are so many heat-related illnesses that it’s almost impossible to name them all: heatstroke, heat rash, heat cramps, heat exhaustion, heat edema, heat tetany, heat syncope, heat mumps. The list goes on and on. The sun lurks silently in the sky, waiting to claim its next human victim and it’s up to us to stop it.
In the wintertime, nobody bothers to care about the sun at all. That’s because it’s busy resting. Just like bears, the sun hibernates in the sky during the winter. Sure, it still provides sunshine – but just enough to get us through the day. When the sun wakes up, usually around mid-April, it begins a program of solar destruction that takes so many lives each year that it should be at the top of every Most Wanted list in the world.
I feel that it is my duty to combat the sun’s evil efforts by providing you with this list of helpful sun-fighting tips.
• The sun can only hurt you if you leave your skin exposed. Wearing a neoprene wetsuit will cover up most of your vulnerable skin. You’ll also look like a superhero, so that’s a double bonus.
• Sunscreen is sold by the pro-sun lobby. They want to create a market based on your fear of the sun. While your fear is very real and legitimate, their products are essentially a creamy snake oil. You’re much better off using a solvent made of beet juice reduction and white wine vinegar. It may smell delicious to you, and if you’re ever making salad dressing these are two ingredients you don’t want to leave out, but in reality the combination is like kryptonite to the stupid sun. It sends those dangerous rays right back where they came from and sends a message to that big yolk in the sky. It says “Hey Sun, not on MY watch!” So don’t waste your money on sunscreen, it just gets funneled back to pro-sun activities.
• Wear a floppy hat. They might look goofy, but so will you when your face is the color of my childhood wagon/portable beet showroom.
• Never leave your house without at least a gallon of potable drinking water. Drinking water makes you more resistant to the dangerous intrusion of the sun. The sun’s goal is to actually deprive you of water. If you drink water, you’re replacing the very substance that the sun is trying to steal from you. Plus, our bodies are comprised mainly of water. The sun is made up of zero percent water. So remind me, who invented all of the technology on Earth? Humans or the sun? It was humans. The sun never invented anything. That’s why I’ll not only trust humans over the sun, I’ll do everything I can to set myself apart from the sun. Number one on the list of ways to set yourself apart: drinking water.
• Stay indoors between the hours of 9am and 6pm. This will prevent contact with the sun when it is most vindictive.
I don’t know what the sun has against us. What I do know is that the sun is a killer. People die from sun-related problems every single day during the summer and even though I am only one man, I feel the need to do my part. Don’t let the sun catch you off-guard. Be prepared. One day, we will tame the sun and make it do our bidding. Until then, we must always be vigilant.

In Anti-Solar Solidarity,

Dwight Schrute

Thanks for stopping by again Dwight. Always a pleasure.

July 16, 2008: New Toy

2008-07-20T10:58:00.007-07:00

Yes, I finally got my new camera. And I tested it out on my cohorts at last night's Comic Book Club w/ Brendan McGinley. I still haven't processed the video enough yet, but I'll have it up soon on Youtube and elsewhere. Alex started a comic book club channel on youtube, so that's probably where it will go.

Be sure to check back regularly for all the great coverage!

July 15, 2008: Comic Book Club w/ Brendan McGinley Pics

2008-07-20T10:58:00.005-07:00

We had a great time at this week's Comic Book Club at The PIT (People's Improv Theater). Guest Brendan McGinley talked with us about his new comic Dose 2 (Indelible Comics) hot off the printers and the unfortunate tale of his trip to pick it up. Brendan also spoke about his work at Zuda Comics on Hannibal Goes to Rome. My personal favorite was his impression of an angsty teenage outcast X-Men character (complete with sound effects and simulated powers). In case you didn't get to enjoy CBC with us check out the Podcast and our Pulp Secret Flickr page for all the great coverage.

July 14, 2008: Taco Taxi

2008-07-20T10:58:00.003-07:00

I was over in Chelsea running an errand for work when I saw a classic taxi cab with the license plate "taco taxi". To be fair it was outside a Mexican restaurant, but all the same it was a spectacle for the eyes. I've been looking at a number of cameras (video), but I haven't really decided yet. I'm probably going to go for the best pro-sumer model I can get for a decent price. And one that shoots in true HD. You have to try and future proof your electronics at least a little bit.

For anyone looking at camcorders I'd avoid anything that shoots to DVD (you'll have to buy a ton of recording media just to keep up with the fun). The HD DVDs and Blu-Ray media only make it worse. Then there's HDV. As supported as HDV (tape) is, it's a little cumbersome in hand-held models. On the plus side, the format is readable by many other editing platforms. There are a few more proprietary formats but they are not as supported by mainstream editing software.

July 13, 2008: Neil Gaiman Does Batman The Right Way

2008-07-20T10:58:00.001-07:00

Neil Gaiman just released that he is currently writing a two-part Batman story called "What Ever Happened to the Caped Crusader?" which artist Andy Kubert (1602), will be drawing. Gaiman was very cryptic but did let out that the two issues would both be over-sized. Part one is set for a January 2009 release. What do you all think of this? Obviously Neil Gaiman swings for the fences every time and is something of a genre storytelling home-run king. I can't say enough good things about him, and I can't believe I didn't see him in San Diego this year. I guess we'll all just have to wait to hear more till he's finished writing the story.

As our buddies (Now Eisner-Winning Buddies!) at Newsarama pointed out, the title is a reference to Alan Moore's Superman issue titled "Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?" In which Moore closed the book on the Silver Age Superman and got the character ready for a re-boot by then-upcoming Superman writer John Byrne. Does this mean Superman is in a state of metamorphosis. Obviously the answer is yes, but

What kind of Batman do you think Neil Gaiman will create? Surreal like his Morpheus character (from the Sandman series), or maybe something grounded more in reality (not likely)? Write in and let us know by commenting below or emailing us at tips@pulpsecret.com.

July 12, 2008: New Funny Videos Provide 75% of your RDA of Funny

2008-07-20T10:57:00.001-07:00

Lots to do this week, there are several videos I'm working on, including some super duper secret stuff that will be released in the coming weeks. With the next two weeks comes my busiest time during the summer. Two back-to-back weeks of multi-day all-day shoots on location. I'm in Connecticut this week and all over Manhattan, and next week I go to San Diego, California for San Diego Comic Con (that one is not a secret).

I'll be attending with the guys from our show The Stack: Alex, Justin, and Pete. Be sure to check back in the next couple of weeks to see all the coverage of it we're doing.

Can't talk now, gotta finish up some work.

July 11, 2008: Friday Extra - Hellboy Universe

2008-07-11T10:25:00.001-07:00

Personally when a really good movie comes out that I'm anticipating I try to immerse myself in the subject matter of the movie. It really helps give me a renewed sense of creativity and helps to form a more meaningful connection with the (impending) movie. In the case with Hellboy 2, I've gotten to speak with director Guillermo del Toro, Hellboy himself Ron Perlman, and the villain of Hellboy 2 (Prince Nuada) Luke Goss. Oh, and a little guy named Abe Sapien (Doug Jones). After speaking with them and re-reading as much of Mike Mignola's original Hellboy material as possible I was fully prepared for the awesomeness that is The Golden Army.

Raise your hand if you were not aware that Jim Henson's Muppets were actually just puppets with hands up their asses (I'm raising my hand). The suspension of disbelief is incredible when creature work and acting come together so well. Peanut butter and chocolate anyone? For anyone looking to immerse themselves in the Hellboy Narrative before seeing the movie (or before seeing it again, like me) be sure to check out our Hellboy Spectacular Episode of The Stack from this week, as well as our interview with Guillermo del Toro and the cast of Hellboy 2. Also here's a couple of bonuses for those of you like me who love DVD extras:

Hellboy Spectacular edition of The Stack

Hellboy 2 Cast/Crew Interview edition of The Stack

Indy Mogul Forges "The Good Samaritan"

io9.com's Hellboy reading essentials

Other Films by Guillermo del Toro:

Pan's Labyrinth

The Devil's Backbone

Cronos

July 10, 2008: Leah Rocks on Pulp Secret

2008-07-11T10:20:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Leah, the winner of our Persepolis Contest. Pulp Secret's own Jeaux Janovsky has been hard at work assembling all the prize swag. Seriously, you wouldn't believe the favors he had to perform to get some of this stuff...Recognize the NBot? You should, it's an original piece of artwork by Jeaux. Thanks to everyone who participated. Remember you can't win if you don't play!

Pics: Leah's hard-won Pulp Secret swag.

July 09, 2008: Indy Secret Mashup

2008-07-09T20:28:00.000-07:00

It dawned on me. Indy Mogul built a Hellboy Prop., Pulp Secret did an exclusive Hellboy 2 movie review. Why not mash-them both up in a blog post or two? Why didn't I do this for the Hulk episodes (the Indy Mogul guys built a "pink" Hulk suit. At least now I'm fully aware and will mash just as well next week when the BFX crew do "something secret" associated with The Dark Knight movie.

Also, we purchased a block of tickets for the office to go see Batman in IMAX over at AMC in Lincoln Center. Monday the 21st at 2PM. Be there or be square. Of course there are a few nay sayers (Scott/Andres). But we've got a good crowd none-the-less. I'll try and get as many good pictures of the fun before my camera gear is confiscated or smashed by the fake Hulk statue in the movie theater. I did an IMAX test run today after work. I went to see Kung Fu Panda in IMAX (at Lincoln Center). I have to say it was cool, but the theater doesn't have too many seats, so I'm sure we'll have to go well in advance. Our office is downtown on Park Avenue, so it's clear across town. I smell a field trip! Unfortunately I was unable to attend the Indiana Jones special screening that the office did (for reasons beyond my control). That led to the "email list" crusade (also known as operation list join). You can guess the plot.

See you at The Dark Knight in a few weeks!