Happy New Year...

I've been futzing around the blog and the pad today, getting things done in dribs and drabs in between going to the fresh market for groceries and coffee, finishing Stephen King's CELL and getting the laundry together. It's the kind of day that makes you wish for a girlfriend to hang out in bed with and read the paper while having breakfast.

I was going to review 2006, but that would be looking backward, and at this point in my life I should be keeping my eyes toward the future. Suffice it to say, I learned long ago that if I was to break into this business and succeed - I would need to do the "breaking." 2006 was the year I went and got a bigger hammer....

2007, I start swinging.

You will notice the new look, and several new links grouped together: Industry, Writer resources, spec monkeys, digital cinema, comics, pulp , new media, etc....check them out and use them. There will be more changes to come as several links will be added to make the site become your "number one pulp filmmaking resource."

Have fun tonight, don't blow any vitals off or out with the fireworks, and don't do stupid drunken things that put a black mark on your 2007.

See you in the new year.

Now This...

Is just freakin' awesome. Someone did their research and recreated the aesthetic of Exploitation film.

But they forgot the "Four Sees"...

See - Bloody terror on the blacktop!

See - Wanton women unleashing their carnal desires!

See - The horror from beyond the skies!

See - this movie!

Ten Pivotal Events in 2006

I saw this here and can't disagree with any of it. Each one is significant in its own way...

But taken as a whole it points the way to the future and opportunity.

BSG & DVD

In the midst of working with Lee Thomson to get the comments working, our good friend Denis McGrath sent me an email about the rumours of a BATTLESTAR GALACTICA DVD Premiere movie to be shot on hiatus next year.

You can read about it here.

You can read some of the fannish comments here.

I think that this is a great move for BSG and makes a lot of sense, not only from a business sense but from a production sense as well. It follows a production philosophy that goes all the way back to Hitchcock and PSYCHO (which was produced by his TV series crew and not his more expensive film crew.)

DVD has been a MAJOR component to the success of BSG. It is no fluke that the DVD sets come out during the hiatus between the series. It essentially finances the whole show and brings it into the black very quickly.

A DVD Premiere movie reinforces the franchise itself and would be a great lead-in to the new series CAPRICA. It could be produced by the television crew with the standing sets and cast , supplemented by a few other (affordable) names.

And this isn't new territory either, BABYLON 5 has already produced quite a few made-for-cable movies. They're shooting a new one right now (in Vancouver no less) directed by B5 creator JM Strazcynski himself.

If this goes forward it will be a good thing for BSG and a great thing for the industry. If successful, it could blow the doors off a whole new arena of production. Instead of just the occasional DVDP of DUKES OF HAZZARD or SPECIES, they could be creating a whole new unit - the DVDP unit of TV series movies.

I'm wondering if the features will be written by the writer's room of the regular series?

And as I've said before, this will lead to a DVDP series.

Finally...

Lee Thomson helped me get rid of the comments on the blog itself...

But we do need to see "comments" tag so people can make them...

hmmmmmmmmmmm.

In the meantime, if you care to comment then send me an email:

cinexploits at gmail dot com

Care To Comment?

All righty then:

Putting a call out to the hive mind to help me get rid of these comments in the body of the blog. I want them on a separate page when you click "Post a comment."

Anyone care to elaborate so I can fix this problem?

Thanks in advance,

B

Under Reconstruction

More changes to come as we slowly take this blog into the new year...(hiding comments, new links, categories, tags)

We apologize for any inconvenience or blunt head trauma this may cause you...

Pay No Attention

As I screw around with the template and gussy things up for the new year.

Do I Really Need To Make Up a Witty Headline Here?

Because some things just don't require an explanation...

As If My Life Wasn't Weird Enough...

I'm in a book with Michael Moorcock.

(Yeah, that Michael Moorcock, and that Brian Stableford, and that John Peel)

Wow.

You can buy said book here.

Make it so.

I Guess I Was on the Nice List...

Because Santa was very good to me this year...

Last night, the neighborhood celebrated Christmas Eve by shooting off fireworks (???!) along with playing loud Eurotrash trance and eating eggrolls. This is what I get for living in the DMZ between Little Armenia, Thai Town and Tijuana North...it makes me laugh to see little kids and parents setting off the fireworks together. The fact it felt like a neighborhood and I was able to shake hands with some of my neighbors and their kids made me feel...whole.

I was able to close out some jobs I was doing for a client so the invoices are out to the electronic ether...Now I'll be able to pay for some of my plans in 2007.

I purchased a book on James Bama from Flesk Publications. It's a gorgeous book signed by the artist and it makes me think back to when the world of jetpacks and robot sidekicks made sense. Remember, the Golden Age of science fiction is eight yrs. old.

I also received from well-wishes from friends I haven't heard from in awhile. That's always nice to get those because the flood of memories makes you pick up the phone and call. I'm reworking my address book to better manage my friendships. This is a good gift, a reminder that without your friends you're nothing. That is how true wealth is measured.

Awhile back, I got the chance to meet this guy, who, if it weren't for him and his magazine, I wouldn't be here. I suspect many of you feel the same.

Along those lines, I received this, which is a must-have for any self-respecting genre fan. Already I've used his style for this:

We saw the zombie and thought the Gogos / Famous Monsters style was appropriate for a "Zomedy."

.

And to top it all off, I am alone in the house with a copy of this DVD set from my childhood. So after making a few phone calls , I'm headed off to Mongo for the afternoon.

See you when I get back!

Have a Pulpy, Pulpy Christmas!

So it's Friday before the long holiday weekend, and we're wrapping up a few things here and there for the clients before things shut down in LA.

I'm sitting here at the Firebrain conference table tapping away on some emails, when one of the associates here asked me...

"Why did you come up with this whole pulp screenwriting thing anyway? What's up with that?"

Oh. boy.

So I thought about it and wanted to pass this along to everyone. I started to formulate this whole "Pulp screenwriting" philosophy waay back in 1996 when I was working as an electrician (a lamp operator to some of you folk around the world) on a movie called An Occasional Hell and we were rushing like maniacs to get everything in the can before we wrapped for Christmas. It was cold, rainy and rural. The title of the show was very appropriate.

We were hustling around a local Charleston grocery store, rigging Kino-flo lamps here and there and hiding cables, so we could shoot a scene of Valeria Golino buying groceries. The Gaffer was a "screamer" and everything was late, or staged wrong or not up to snuff; and the Best Boy and I almost came to blows because I couldn't answer my radio fast enough for him while also trying to follow the Gaffers orders. It was a mess.

Later, after the scene was shooting I was flipping through my copy of the sides, reading the dialogue...

And I realized that the whole scene was really for nothing. It was "fat" in the script, and we were all freaking out over a scene that was most likely going to end up on the cutting room floor. (It didn't, but it should have). It was right then and there that I realized that I needed to get out of SC, and if I was going to have the career I wanted I needed to write...

And I needed to write scripts that were cool and didn't contain scenes that didn't need to be there. Nobody was going to give me millions (then) so I would have to have a crew that was as motivated to see this story through as I was.

In the low budget world, all you have to go on (besides craft service) is the idea that you're capturing something really cool and unique in that camera. Something that will make people notice your work. If you're a crew person and you're hustling your ass off for gas money wages, you pray that you're not shooting scenes that don't count. You pray that you're working on something that will develop your skills. You pray that the people in charge are putting everything they have into it all, because you are there putting in your all.

But if you're lighting a scene that you know sucks ass, your heart just drops. You move slower. You look at the clock more often. You know it's all a waste of time.

According to the Dictionary, Pulp is "the succulent heart of the fruit." That's what your scripts (and mine) should be - no seeds, no rhind - just the sweetest part of it all. The script you'll kill to put onto the screen, because it's soooo damn cool. The script that makes people say "Oh My Gawd!" or "I have to see this movie!"

And that, dear kids is the story of the first pulp Christmas....

Another Trend Worth Watching (and Capitalizing On)

We actually started this discussion over at Denis' joint regarding how the internet and video streaming was going to change the way we view movies and television and eventually bypass the "traditional over the air broadcasting."

I'll let you read about it all here.

And to put a cap on that discussion on whether or not the internet will supplant the regular role of television and other media. I give you evidence of this trend...a movie directly from the web to DVD.

Trends to Watch...

Magnolia puts Blu-ray title in Dell space
(From Video Business HD Update)

Magnolia’s title offers footage from the 2005 launch.Magnolia Home Entertainment is bundling a copy of its Blu-ray Disc title HDNet World Report Special: Shuttle Discovery’s Historic Mission inside the first boxes of Dell notebook computers to feature a Blu-ray drive. Featuring TV programming from network HDNet, Shuttle Discovery includes live coverage of the events surrounding the 2005 launch, including footage from mission control.

Dell began selling these bundled laptops Dec. 11 at its Web site, www.dell.com. Magnolia did not specify what quantities of Dell computers will come packed with Shuttle Discovery.

That Mark Cuban is one smart cookie...

Union or Non?

Denis McGrath added me to part of a post he recently wrote regarding the advantages and disadvantages of going union and when is the right time to join.

I have to say he has me pegged pretty good, that Denis. I do consider myself something of an entrepeneur in that I don't ever want to feel limited by what I can or cannot do. (actually it's probably because boredom comes easily to me, and I am a bit of a control freak when it comes to my own material. There - I said it.) I write short stories, marketing copy, screenplays, ad copy, live events, and soon novels and comics. I also produce and market and author and it's all part of what you get when you hire me or I sign on to produce.

There are many good reasons to join the WGAw or WGAe - excellent health benefits provided by your employer paying into the fund, collective bargaining, etc... If you're in a position where you are being hired to be on staff somewhere I would wholeheartedly recommend it (in fact in order to even be considered you would have to join the union).

I haven't joined or been asked to join yet, but quite frankly I'm not ready. I have more writing and networking and agenting to do before I hit that level where I would see the need to join (if I'm invited to do so). In the meantime, I am working on several projects of my own where I would "own the show" as a producer as well as the first writer. I am also being considered for jobs for a lot of companies in the indie world. I'm growing and learning as a writer-producer.

I'm glad that the writer's guild is trying to find ways for writers to work on low budget indie projects. That's cool because there are more of those jobs out there for people than there are movies, MOWs, TV series and specials.

But there's also stuff that the guild does which, in my mind as a non-member sounds crazy. Go over to The Artful Writer to read about that stuff. I also know that people like Steven Soderbergh have left the union over their procedures and policies. Robert Rodriguez resigned from the DGA because of their co-directing policy.

I'm really not sure where to go with this post as joining the union is a personal and professional decision. You have to weigh the plusses and minuses. I would consult with my agent and manager before I did or didn't join...because it would affect my (and thus their) income. There would be jobs I would be available for, but would be competing with half the town; and there would be jobs that, no matter how cool I couldn't take because the production wasn't signatory or they couldn't be convinced to go WGAw.

No matter what you choose to do, you have to remember that you have to be responsible for your career choices. You have to take control. You can't just sit back and think that joining the union means work will flood in - it won't. In fact, reporters are saying that it's only going to get worse across the board. There will be fewer high level jobs for writers...

But there will always be work for people who go out and put the package together and become an owner of their creation on their own.

(Note: I have linked quite a bit to the Artful Writer because Craig Mazin speaks of his experiences with the Guild of which he is a member and active participant. His honesty, humor and vision mark him as someone who sees the big picture for everyone. I would urge people to at least, check out the last two links in this post to further clarify what the future holds for all of us)

More Tales Told

I'm pleased to announce that the third volume in the TALES OF THE SHADOWMEN anthology series, DANSE MACABRE is out from Black Coat Press.

You can read more about it all here.

This volume features one of my short-short stories titled Next!

It's always a pleasure to write one of these tales for Randy and Jean-Marc Lofficier. I am hoping to carve out a block of time to write a longer pulp novel featuring a character I've come to consider my own, Fascinax.

Check Your Ego at the Blog

Okay, so in my previous post I told you I was hungover from drinking "Flaming Cockroaches" at the Firebrain Holiday Party.

Little did I know there was video evidence of your mad pulp bastard in action. (And for those of you who haven't figured it out, I'm your 'bald new voice in pulp screenwriting'). The commentary you hear yelling "no contest" is my co-conspirator Giulio Costanzo.

He will pay.



Kid Sis - I will see you tonight at your party...

(hehehehehehehehehehehehehe)

Who Knows?

I had a monster hangover from Firebrain's Tuesday night holiday soiree' or else this would have been up yesterday. Word of advice: Never drink four of anything called a Flaming Cockroach.

Several folks have emailed me about the news here that Sam Raimi is going to produce (and possibly direct) a Shadow movie.

Well duh!

If DARKMAN wasn't his love letter to Lamont Cranston then I don't know what is. I have my own love letter to the character (and The Spider and The Green Hornet) in the form of THE KNIGHTMARE. The character is everywhere in one form or another and people are buzzing about it - Who's going to play the Shadow?

Certainly there are a lot of good candidates, and I would hope that Raimi doesn't feel limited by feeling he has to find an actor who exactly matches the image of Lamont Cranston. My hope would be he would find someone who has the intensity required for The Shadow and the suave devil-may-care appearance of Cranston.

One thing I don't want is that gruesome makeup that Alec Baldwin wore. It was atrocious and did far more harm than good in trying to build interest in the character. For me, all that would be required is a good pair of contact lenses that add an "otherworldliness" to the actor. That, combined with the proper lighting, costuming and attitude will be more than sufficient for the job.

But, I'm getting far too ahead of myself.

What's required first is a great story that takes itself and the character seriously. People forget that 1930's America wasn't a very safe place to be. Sure, better than Europe at the time, but the Great Depression drove people to desperation. Crime surged across the country and people felt helpless. That's but one of the reasons that the pulp magazines were as popular as they were.

There was also the incredible sense of invention and innovation going in in industrial America. People were thinking of the future (because the present was too depressing) and designing it. Walter Gibson, the Shadow's biographer picked up on that and used the futuristic along with his background in illusion to create a character who became an icon in the cultural consciousness. People back then (and many today) know that, "The weed of crime bears bitter fruit. Crime does not pay. The Shadow knows..."

So there's a lot of material from the pulp series to work with, as well as the radio shows. Raimi has shown he is incredibly intuitive and adept at this sort of material. His work on both DARKMAN and SPIDERMAN show this - he does his homework. Hell, he's lived his homework. I'm sure he's got plenty of the paperbacks at home already along with these.

So in response to the burning question of "Who Knows?"

The answer is, "Sam Raimi knows."

Now let's all sit back and let him do his job.

Fango Freaks over Frankensteinish Film

You can see the freakout here.

It's Raining...

Here in Southern California. It's really not supposed to do that, but it is a good excuse to stay inside and get that work done I promised a few folks. Monday will start seeing some results of my efforts this weekend.


I really haven't done a lot this year and I only have myself to blame. I need to catch up on the writing and producing so it runs concurrently with the movie marketing. To that end I'm creating another web presence which will house my work and make it available to appropriate parties so they can read my screenplays, short stories, articles and other material. It will be easier than sending out resume's.

I will be updating the blog for the upcoming year. Some links will go away and new ones will appear as I focus the blog and its purpose. It is going to undergo a face lift and the focus will be on becoming a pulp writing and producing resource. The future is what you make of it and if we are to believe what everyone is saying, writers must become their own producers in order to survive. The jobs will be too few to let control be in the hands of others.

If you haven't guessed it yet, I am representing select films and their producers to the DVD market. I have placed my first movie, SEX MACHINE with Anthem Pictures and have signed the representation deal for the second. I will announce that second movie in the coming month. This is an outgrowth of my marketing and producing work as I not only meet and know marketing folks at DVD distributors, but the acquisition people as well.

If you would care to submit a film for consideration, I will be posting my criteria for submission in January 2007.

Aaargh!

Getting pulled in a dozen different directions as the end of the year approaches...I'm disappointing a couple of people as I put off things I committed to earlier (sorry, Ariana!) so I'm going to concentrate on work this weekend and clean the old plate.

Couple of things:

HUSTLE (featuring my future paramour Jaime Murray) is shooting in Hollywood this week two blocks from the pad. My roommate is working for them as an American thug. I told him to swipe...er liberate a script from production so we can see how they do it over there...er, here.

I said this to Phil Morton the other day in the course of a very cool chat where yours truly pontificated a bit about low budget filmmaking (not that my ranting made it a cool chat). Out of that, I observed the one thing that would elevate the quality of many of the pulp movies we're seeing on the shelves these days. That is:

The lower the budget, the more a film has to be designed.

That includes the script, the lighting, the production design, the camera work and especially the sound.

More on this later as I plug this into my mad pulp bastard manifesto.

How's About Some Sex (Machine), Baby?

SEX MACHINE "bootleg" trailer

Add to My Profile More Videos

The Horror Will Be Automated

From my friend James Felix McKenney. (This is how you do a press release for a screening. My notes will be in red)

Glass Eye Pix and MonsterPants Movies invite you to attend the two-week NYC theatrical run of the third film in Larry Fessenden's ScareFlix series: AUTOMATONS.

The film opens on December 13 at the Two Boots Pioneer Theater in New York's East Village.

Cast & crew members (both robot and human) will be present for several screenings, including PHANTASM's "Tall Man" himself, Angus Scrimm, who will be appearing on December 13th, 14th and 15th.

Star power...

Directed by James Felix McKenney, AUTOMATONS is the black & white, low-tech horror / sci-fi feature about the horrors of war and robots filmed entirely in super-8mm. The film stars newcomer Christine Spencer, Brenda Cooney (THE OFF SEASON) & Angus Scrimm (PHANTASM), with Don Wood (CANNIBALLISTIC!, COLONIAL HOUSE, IN A FIX), John Levene (DOCTOR WHO, PSYCHOMANIA) and Executive Producer Larry Fessenden (HABIT, SESSION 9).

"...this is one of the "must see" films you always hear about but never take the time to actually check out. Folks, check it out. AUTOMATONS is politically charged; a provocative and compelling Sci-Fi Thriller."-- Brian Harris, JOE HORROR.COM

All showings of AUTOMATONS from December 13 - 26 (no show Christmas Day) are at 9:00 pm. Audiences are encouraged to purchase their tickets in advance at:http://www.twoboots.com/pioneer/automatons.htm

Quotes that speak to the audience...as well as all the info you need to purchase tickets for this promotion.

Two Boots Pioneer Theater
155 East 3rd Street, NYC (between Avenue A & B, closer to A)
December 13 - 26, 9:00 pm(no show Christmas Day)

Angus Scrimm will be present at the screenings on the 13th, 14th & 15th.

Sell, sell sell...

ROBOTS! POSTERS! MAGNETS AND MORE!!!
Various theme nights and special hosts will be peppered throughout the run, including door prizes and promotional giveaways. A full schedule of these nights will be posted opening week at:http://www.monsterpantsupdates.com.

See what Jim is doing here? He's making sure that the theatrical run of his Super 8mm movie will be an event - no matter when you go... and it will be an event.

For more details about the AUTOMATONS, visit the official site:http://www.deathtotheautomatons.com

"The beautiful indie sci-fi film AUTOMATONS is a troubling vision of things to come. Enough to make you think, worry and pray."-- Louis Fowler, ROCKY MOUNTAIN CHRONICLE

"AUTOMATONS is a smart, thought-provoking tale equipped with the moody ambiance and intellectual integrity of a classic episode of THE OUTER LIMITS. That's high praise indeed."-- Steven Puchalski, SHOCK CINEMA

"AUTOMATONS does what all good sci fi stories should."-- Adam Barnick, ENTERTAINMENT INSIDERS

"The robot action is often much more riveting than similar scenes in movies with many times the budget and technical sophistication."-- Jay Seaver, UGO.COM

"AUTOMATONS is a wonderfully made, socially conscious low budget film and I cannot recommend it enough."-- Brian Harris, JOE HORROR.COM

All these quotes are saying, "Don't take my word for it that this movie is cool. The people you trust - the experts - are saying this is a cool movie." This type of promotion probably cost Jim around $200 bucks total for the screeners and postage, but it's already paying off. Lest you think Jim is a huge millionaire with a lot of people on staff - he isn't. He's one guy who's doing it himself, taking control and making sure his cool movie sells.

http://www.deathtotheautomatons.com

Going Out On A Limb

For Immediate Release

Sex Machine Leaves Mark on Anthem Pictures

Scary Actioner – part Frankenstein, part pulp – Acquired for Worldwide Distribution


Agoura Hills, CA – Anthem Pictures President & CEO Chuck Adelman announced today it had acquired all rights to Austin, TX filmmaker Christopher Sharpe’s debut feature film, Sex Machine for worldwide distribution. The scary action-thriller is scheduled for a DVD Premiere in the United States in March 2007.

Sex Machine, which takes its name from a mysterious tattoo on the hero’s arm is the gripping story of a man who wakes up in the middle of a gangland hit to discover that his limbs are not his own. Frank is a tough-talking patchwork assassin, stitched together from the body parts of other failed assassins. When Frank learns that his ex-girlfriend is the next test subject, he opens both barrels on his “creators” and unleashes a gory bloodbath of revenge.

“When we first screened the movie we knew we had a winner – not only with the audience who love movies like Reservoir Dogs or The Killer, but with the folks who like their gore, “said Adelman. “Sex Machine really delivers the goods. This is a pulpy hybrid of horror and hitmen that really goes for the throat.”

Sex Machine, winner of the 2006 MicroCinema and DeadCenter Film Festivals was shot in and around Austin, TX and Oklahoma City, OK and comes from the demented minds of Director Christopher Sharpe and screenwriter John Oak Dalton. Shot for over several months as cast and crew were available, Sharpe and Director of Photography Shogo have infused with the movie with what critics have called, “killer visual style” from the opening credits onward. Hundreds of sketches, conceptual photos and makeup tests were completed so that the filmmakers could keep a consistent and interesting look on their meager budget. The planning paid off.

The movie was brought to Anthem by writer-producer Bill Cunningham (Scarecrow, .Com For Murder and the upcoming Gore Gore Gore-met ) when the director sent him a copy for his advice. “I watched the movie from beginning to end without having to fast forward, which is a testament to the story’s punch. I called Christopher right away and asked if the film had distribution and if he was represented by anyone. I wanted to be that guy. From there I took it around to my colleagues in the industry and Chuck really responded to what I did – the film’s pulpiness.”

Plans for the March 2007 DVD include: the feature, trailers, a DVD commentary track with the filmmakers, a behind-the-scenes feature and a gallery of stills and artwork.

# # #

For more information and additional publicity material:

Bill Cunningham
cinexploits@gmail.com

A Grand Old Time

I've been trading a few comments with the guys over at 1000 dollar Spielberg about low budget filmmaking. If their other posts get as good as this one where they talk about making your low-no budget movie look like a million, I'll be linking it up permanently to the sidebar.

(That makes me wonder - do they serve drinks at the sidebar?)

A face only a mother could...

warn you about.

Monday Morning Grab Bag

- To those of you who participated in my impromptu focus group, thanks! You confirmed what I was telling my cohorts in crime. If a pic is worth a thousand words then it should say something.

- For those of you with a Hollywood Video near their house I would advise you to scoot over and participate in their " 3 For $25" - "4 for $20" or "10 for $10" DVD and VHS deals. I'm going to post this week or next about the flicks you need to stay away from and the ones you need to seek out and devour. Let me kick it off by saying that you need to see BRICK if you haven't already. End of discussion.

- In other news, Arctic Goddess (Patricia) sent this to me in the last post :

This may sound a tad strange, but, in all honesty, from someone who obviously knows their stuff, can you tell me what is the attraction of comics or cartoons to the adult mind? Is it something to do with the protagonist's maliability by the writer/artist? I have three boys who continue to be interested in the genre as adults when I gave that stuff up when I was 12. I simply don't get it. Please don't say, "Well then I'm not going to tell you". I am trying to understand what the attraction is to this style of entertainment. And, while we are at it, what about Japanese anime? To me, that's like watching a badly dubbed Asian movie. But that is just my opinion. Thanks

Roger RmJet has already replied to this but let me add my two cents. What I like about cartoons and comics is that you can tell any story with them. Any story. I think that you are confusing the two terms genre and medium (or format).

Comics and cartoons aren't just about humor or superheroes. They are about anything you want - horror, scifi, romance, adventure, drama, crime & mystery, etc... just because they are told using the medium of comics or animation is a side issue.

Comics and cartoons aren't just for kids.

Because your sons watch cartoons or read comics doesn't make them limited in terms of appreciating a story or its content or quality. There are now lots and lots of comics and cartoons for "kids" our age. Does that mean I don't get a kick every now and then when I see JUSTICE LEAGUE, VENTURE BROS., MUCHA LUCHA!, THE BATMAN, SHAOLIN SHOWDOWN?

No - but now I appreciate it in far different ways than from when I was a child. I admire the pop culture references, the design, the crisp storytelling, the animation, the humor, the drama (and just about any other emotional response you can dredge up in the canon).

So, it's cool that you want to find out what makes your sons tick. Admirable and responsible.

(Applause, applause!) I would advise you - if you want to take this further - to go down to your local comic book shop or news stand and ask for some help finding a comic or two that would picque your interest. They even have STARGATE comics...

I am sure my readers will be able to recommend something for you.

Japanese anime and manga - yes, they are linked, one being the outgrowth of the other - I shall save for another post.

Schooled in the Square Circle

Went to a book signing/ meet n' greet with publisher Keith Rainville, lucha artist extroidinaire Rafael Navarro and the 1st Lady of Hard Case Crime Christa Faust over at one of my favorite comic shoppes The Secret Headquarters over in Silverlake.

Of course it was all to celebrate the release of FPU's new book, LUCHA NOIR, a compilation of all the wonderful masked wrestling art Rafael has done for the short lived magazine FROM PARTS UNKNOWN.

I picked up a volume and had it "auto-sketched" by Rafael as well as picking up a copy of Christa's "masked wrestler pulp" HOODTOWN, which I had her autograph.

Of course, we discussed THE SKULL, and I received some cool tips of what to do and not do from the experts. These guys know their stuff back and forth, up and down and put my meager lucha knowledge to shame. I was positively geekified.

Update: Here's Rafael "auto-sketching" my book. From Christa's Flickr gallery. I'm off left behind Raf.