Ob-Zurd Thoughts

2011-01-27T21:41:00.001-05:00

UPDATE !!!
WE'VE MOVED!!! You can now find Ielle on TUMBLR @

http://iellepalmer.tumblr.com/

Enjoy and thanks for following!

back on our feet

2010-04-25T18:10:00.004-05:00

Tell me no lies

I know i've been bad about posting on here lately, but i'm going to see if i can get better about this. My hope is to post once a week as we prep for the premier of Wayward. Currently we have no new news about wayward, but I've got a secret project in the works and hope to be able to talk about that in the near future.

In the meantime I just wanted to let folks know that i AM on twitter now (as you can see above) and have updated my comicspace page. As usual you can see my most recent work on deviantart (which I've FINALLY got a premium membership for & all the goodies that come with that). So don't be a stranger, stop on by!

hitting the wall

2009-11-02T11:05:00.002-05:00

Sugar Rush

So Halloween was a blast, but oh my GOD, way to much candy and not enough real food. I felt like crap most of Sunday (although that had to do a lot with the after effects of some lovely drinks at my Halloween Party). Anyway needless to say i totally fell behind writing this weekend. I'm hoping to get back into the swing of things later tonight (but i have night class still), but honestly it will probably be not until tomorrow.

Oh a brighter note, i have a few more irons in the fire, so hopefully soon I will have more good news to report to you guys, so cross your fingers for me! (also add a quick prayer that I'm not getting in over my head lol).

This past week was such crap at my day job that more and more I'm focusing on my dream here and hoping that soon i might be able to escape the drudgery and get to a point where I'm (mostly) free to write fulltime. So the future is coming folks, lets just hope its a positive one!

weee doggies

2009-10-29T21:15:00.004-05:00

Sweet Christmas!
(er Halloween)

So i'm swamped with work from all over (i'm happy to report that a lot of it has to do with creative writing). BUT i'm also getting ready for a halloween party being held at my abode on Saturday, so sadly i don't have much for ya'll tonight. So as a "I'm sorry" gift i give you this picture of me screwing about as a vampire. I figure it's gotta be good for a laugh. Enjoy!

for some reason i look like a reject from lost boys 2. hmmm lol.

soooo, its tuesday

2009-10-27T21:55:00.002-05:00

I should be doing something....

And yet i can't stop cleaning house. On the upside, the bathrooms are sparkling and the office floor no longer looks like you could catch scurvy (yes i know that's a vitamin C deficiency. That's just HOW horrible it looked until i vacuumed it. It was so bad, it would suck the vitamin c from your body lol). Anyway, I think I'm going to do a little bit of monster research tonight, rather than actually write. Not much else to report.

GAH, students

2009-10-26T15:23:00.004-05:00

The Horse says "Weeeeeeeee",
the Cow says "MOOOO",
The comicbook writer says "GAHHHAHHHHHH"

Ok, so i feel like crap today after my marathon weekend of writing/drawing. So what have we learned? Do NOT burn the candle at both ends, you only end up with hot wax everywhere. Speaking of a sticky clogging substance, i awoke this morning to find that i have a new sinus infection. Oh well that's nice. Now i get exhaustion AND a searing pain from my nostril to the front of my ear, lol. Oh well. Thankfully, due to the wonder-drug that is SUDAFED (my god those meth-heads are on to something), I've been able to pick up the pieces and get through my work day. However, I'll be shocked if i get a chance to work on the script today. Honestly I'm not feeling it, LITERALLY. I can't feel anything but the right side of my head throbbing, so the plan is to be back in full force tomorrow gang. Hope to have more previews and news for you soon, until then if anyone needs me i shall be laying face down in my bed (after my 3 hour class tonight, that is).

woot for weekends!

2009-10-25T11:35:00.003-05:00

Just a Sunday Quickie

Lots of stuff to do today, but i just wanted to stop in and post this pic for you guys. I'm still working out whether or not this scene will be appearing in the webcomic, but it amused me so much that i just had to draw it. Anyway that's all for now (I'm so thankful i got you this much, the laptop died 3 times last night while i was trying to color this. I finally gave up and got up early today to finish it). Anyway i hope you all enjoy! I'm off to go work on the script some more (after i have lovely leftover mac and cheese. mmmm mac and cheese!).

Hi ohhhh!

2009-10-24T10:25:00.002-05:00

Damn you Chocolate!

So last night i got a chance to hang out with friends...and about 3 bags full of Halloween candy. I am now hiding upstairs in my office, fearful of descending into the living room to see just how many EMPTY wrappers are laying about after last night's feeding frenzy. *shudder* Chocolate, i wish i could quit you.

Anyway, not much has been happening on the Wayward front since Thursday's post. I hope you'll forgive me for not posting yesterday, but we had a former student/now just friend, in from L.A. and therefore I was a bit too busy to be online. My god, someone escaped from the keyboard, you say? Why yes i did (and then i gorged myself on candy, so honestly i was better of behind the keyboard). BUT we did talk shop a bit, and i came up with a few new ideas, including a name change for Thomas. Apparently his last name is a bit too close to a Dan Brown character (how the hell would i know, i don't read his stuff) and so he will now be known as Thomas Lamont. Still equally upper-crusty snobby, but without the Da Vinci Code refs. lol.

Tried to do some art last night but found myself a bit lacking (note to self, don't try to draw while having a screwdriver with friends and trying to carry on a conversation). At the time i thought i was doing amazing, after looking at it this morning, I'm still snickering at my stupidity. lol.

So the game plan for today is scriptwriting (and cleaning up that picture i tried to do last night). Hopefully I'll have more fun things to show you tomorrow! Until then you guys have a great weekend!

Well Crap

2009-10-22T22:38:00.004-05:00

Miss me?

So i missed an update, and I do feel bad about that. HOWEVER, to be fair i didn't have much to report yesterday. I spent the evening working on my version of Deirdre and thinking up ideas for issue 2. So yeah, very pulse pounding exciting stuff, lol. BUT i do have stuff for you tonight (2 days worth!) so let's get on with it, shall we?

I give you the 2 latest "Ads" for Wayward (one of which features MY version of Dee):

The second is still Will's version of Ollie, but I've turned it into more of a silhouette.

I have to say I'm pretty damn happy with how these BOTH came out. I'm annoyed that I'm still using a lot of photo refs for drawing people, but at least I'm starting to ween myself off them. I don't look up as much when I'm drawing, so that has to count for something I guess. Backgrounds are still a dilemma. I honestly don't have the time to draw them in addition to everything else, so those are probably going to end up being doctored in Photoshop, we'll see how that goes as time goes on.

Anyway, there's more news. We have a new character for the book, Thomas Langdon. he'll be arriving around issue 2 or 3 (still working out the details). Don't want to say too much other than he's a nasty little cuss when he wants to be, but has been entertaining me to no end. So again, without further adieu, I give you Tommy Boy. I think I did a pretty good job at capturing that vampire hunter Hollywood cliche. He should be a lot of fun! Oddly enough it was only after the fact that i realized he's wearing Aquaman's color scheme. Oh yeah, you better believe I'm keeping it, lol!.

BAh, i nearly missed my update!

2009-10-20T21:09:00.005-05:00

I'm not late, I'm just

working up to things

Hah, so i meant to post something today and TOTALLY got swamped with work. Anyway not much to report today other than Loston Wallace (an amazing artist friend of mine who has worked on various projects for DC and Marvel Entertainment) was kind enough to help me out and create a character sheet for Wayward's Ollie. I was having the worst time trying to envision how Ollie would look from the side and thankfully Loston stepped up and helped me out. I can't tell you how much he rocks, but i certainly can show you. For today's update i give you Loston's character sheet... you can all drool along with me. Wow... just...wow.
Also, i soooo need to learn to draw better if i'm going to live up to this art...yikes lol.

week dos

2009-10-19T14:45:00.003-05:00

Can she do it folks?

So its week two now of my full on, balls to the walls must get my webcomic going, new determination. Hopefully i can keep this up. Today i worked out some issues i was having with another webcomic script I'm doing for a friend. If those changes are accepted that will put another script to bed (sweet) and keep my productivity up (i hope). Thankfully i don't have to work tonight (night classes are on vacation this week) so WHOO hoo! I have some catching up to do correcting wise, but once that's put aside (and i take the stupid garbage out already) its me and the computer screen baby! I'm hoping to keep this past weekend's high going so that i can finalize wayward issue one by weekend's end. Ideally i'd like to start drawing some time next week.... here's hoping i can keep this up. *sigh*... why do i have a bad Hall and Oats song playing in my head now

(*fyi i mean "So close, Yet So far away". Ugh it's a terrible song from their horrible comback attempt in the early 90's).

UPdates, updates

2009-10-18T00:32:00.006-05:00

RE-SULT!

10 points to anyone who can name the character from a BBC comedy that use to say this post's title. Hint, he was from the British version of Friends (or rather their far funnier response to Friends)..... ANYWAY let's get on with it, shall we?

Well folks, we may finally have it. It looks like it's official, the female lead, Deirdre has been finalized.... now all i have to do is see if i can draw her as well as my character design artist, Fritosparrow. The original body comes from Will (Frito), but I tinkered with it in manga studio and created new clothes and hair for our girl. Anywhooo I'm much happier with her now, so here she is folks, in her world premiere, Dierdre Derringer:

Also ready to be revealed tonight is another character, Delondra. I had a photoshopped pic of her concept previous to tonight. But again using a template taken from some of Will's previous offerings, i was able to create a basic look for Del. I'm not as concerned about her clothing for the character sheet simply because Del is a fashionista and probably has more wardrobe changes than a Vegas showgirl. Her standout features are her eyes and hair, so I'm not too worried about the rest.

Well that's it for updates and sneak peeks for today. Hopefully i will have more sneak peeks for you soon, we shall have to see! ;)

As Promised...

2009-10-17T12:36:00.008-05:00

Uh, as SEMI-Promised --

So I've been hinting that I'd have a 1st rough to unveil on Wayward today for you all, and while I do have some fun Wayward things for you, it's sadly not that just yet.

We've been having some discussion about reworking one of the lead female's design a bit, so today i give you a character sheet (as seen below). I'm still not 100% happy with Deirdre here, i like the scarf but that's about it. Anyway, I also tried my hand at creating our boy Ollie here. I have to say he was surprising easy to draw, it was the coloring that nearly killed me.! Above you'll see a fullbody redesign of Dee, we're not sure which we're going with yet. There are things i like and things i absolutely HATE about it. The original image is from Fritosparrow's character design of Deirdre. Check him out on deviantart, he's sure to be an up and coming force of nature!

I have to say, even though we're still spinning our wheels about Dee, I'm super excited to have this for you today. We ARE getting closer people, I can feel it!

HUh, who knew

2009-10-16T10:17:00.008-05:00

This just in:
Ielle is an old Puritan woman.

So i just finished reading one of my guilty pleasures (well honestly there's no reason for it to be GUILTY, but that title just sounds better), Sarah Ellerton's webcomic, The Phoenix Requiem. Now i don't want to ruin the plot, but lets just say that there's been a proposal that's been shot down by one of the characters (which was like 6 months in the making, god this story has had a long run). I was bummed (and so was another fan, Lora I. apparently, who i talked to about this at comic con) but i said, ok well let's see where the story is going to take us.

Well apparently its taken us to the boudoir, ladies. Now mind you, I"m all for this happening. Heck like every good fangirl I've been chomping at the bit for this to have happened, but still... i think i might be a bit of a puritan after all. Here's the play by play of my initial reaction as i was reading the pages:

Uh, that character wouldn't do that. She's a good girl, she.... she'd marry him THEN... wait a second... I"M AN OLD LADY!! OMG I'm my mom, I'm my MOM!!! GAHHHHHH!!!

lol, not that my mom doesn't rock. She's just far more prudish than myself.

So why was it i found myself going, WAIT, what are you doing? -- while simultaneously being all fangirly and saying *squeeeeee* in my head. -- Honestly after some thinking, I've come to the conclusion that it was the writer in me going, this seems out of character for them both and a bit self serving to the fans to make up for the denial of the proposal.

That, or I've finally embraced my American puritanical roots.... crap. lol.

so close, yet so far away

2009-10-15T06:46:00.003-05:00

Thursday, you TEASE!

So i woke up this morning to the delightful sounds of my dog farting in strange new ways. I'm hoping she's just got some serious gas from jesse feeding her nachos last night (they were plain) or perhaps that one marshmallow he threw her earlier in the day. Only time will tell. She doesn't seem to be in any pain (other than her usual groaning when you try to move her in bed-- she's such an old man lol). So she and i will be going on an excursion soon to see if a potty break is in order. Hopefully that will solve that and i won't need to get the vet involved. I'm sure she's fine.

Anyway, other than my dog's bowel movements, what have we got to talk about today. Well first off, i feel like utter crap. I'm not sick (thank god) just run down. Which actually is worse IMO because i can't, in all good conscious, cancel class. Yet i REALLY REALLY want to. What makes it worse is that i offered to retrain one of the older DJs for the school radio station, and i have no way to get ahold of him, so he'd be sitting about wondering where I am as i lay in my nice warm bed. Sooooo up I go. *grumble, grumble*.

In Wayward news, Issue 1 has been completely re-designed and I'm hoping to put finishing touches on it later today (after one hell of a nap). Then it will be off to re-build issue 2 (cue horrific music). Hopefully serious production will begin on Wayward issue one in about a month. BUT as i said before, if you're all good kiddies perhaps i'll post some roughs this weekend. Maybe saturday sometime??? *hint, hint*.

Well that's all for now. I need to go dress for sub-zero weather (where did our sun go? Seriously, was that what that ring over Russia was, our sun exploding and no one in charge has dared to tell us yet?) . Anyway its time to go walk a farty dog... this should be fun. Pray for me. lol.

BAH, Wednsdays

2009-10-14T05:51:00.002-05:00

MITTWOCH!!

I shake an angry fist at it being the middle of the week today. Granted, at least it isn't Monday. But can it be Friday already? Sadly today's schedule is so crowded that there's zero chance of working on anything creative (which oddly enough super depresses me and makes me not want to do all the work stuff i have to do). I'm wishing more and more that i had time to do my creative stuff fulltime. Just yesterday i was reading Lora Innes (the Dreamer webcomic) blog and thinking, man that's the life, freelancing. Honestly it's not much different than what i'm doing now. I'm currently going semester to semester hoping to get picked up for a class and making meh amounts of money. Not to mention the fact that i'm uninsured. Yeah, you know I'm going to think more about this. If i can get some real paying writing gigs I might just tell my place of work to cut me back to only a few classes (i'd never dare to NOT work a steady job. I don't have that kind of sugar daddy lol. Lora's got a husband who does web design so she's lucky there). But honestly if i want to get anywhere in this business i really need to step it up. Hmm this topic shall be revisted at a later time, i think.

Oh what a day

2009-10-13T20:15:00.003-05:00

Early Week Blues

So not much to report on today. currently working on revising Wayward, but i'm annoyed that i'll have to put it aside in an hour to go do real work. I swear i need a sugar daddy, any takers? (I'm kidding mom, don't start lecturing me on the dangers of the internet if you read this lol).
ANYWAY, I'm hoping to have Wayward's new direction completely plotted out by week's end (i've changed A LOT) and I'm hoping to hear very shortly about another venture so i can get on that this weekend as well. Jesse is off gaming this weekend so it will be just me, the dog and the computer (and possibly a huge bowl of popcorn and some horror flicks as that is my usual no-boys-MO). God the weekend seems so far off still. *sigh*

Well that's it for today, I shall post again tomorrow! And if you're really good maybe i'll give you guys a sneak peek later this week of some roughs for Wayward.... but only if you're good children. ;)

Darkness of my SOUUUULLL

2009-10-12T05:42:00.002-05:00

Who the hell forgot
to pay Nyseg.... GOD?

Ok so i get up this morning, 6:20am. BLACK. I'm not talking, whooo look at the wee hours of the broken morning, black bird has spoken, first dawn bs; I'm talking pit of hell BLACK.

It's 6:42 right now and its still a very deep midnight blue. WHERE IS THE SUN??
so right now i'm thinking two things:

#1 i absolutely hate my 8am class (not the folks in it, just the class) as it makes me get up at an unholy hour. God i can't wait til Winter when i get new classes.

#2 we need to have daylight savings EARLY. This waiting til November may just kill me.

On a brighter note, student papers are done (other than some quick rewrites). SO I'm hoping to get some time later today to work on Wayward. Also looking forward to getting some mail either today or tomorrow that will tell me more about my other comic venture. Either way, i'm pumped to do that and really not in the mood to deal with students giving me excuses. Oh well, such is life. At least i have a job :)

Just a quicky

2009-10-11T12:30:00.001-05:00

FYI

Not much going on development wise with Wayward OR my other script today. Its Sunday here at the Palmer household and thus its, "oh crap, i forgot to correct that essay" day. Pray for me, i have at least 10 more papers too grade. *sigh*... can i have another vacation?

Ahhhh weekends

2009-10-10T09:18:00.002-05:00

And then there were two.

Two days left of my vacation, then its back to work :( Not that i mind work, i enjoy my job, but there's just something to be said for being home and getting stuff done that NEEDS to be done (and laying about the house reading lol). Oh well, i suppose if i did that everyday then it wouldn't be special anymore, right? However I WOULD like to get to a point in my life where i could freelance and feel as though I'm not going to starve. Not sure if i'm brave enough for that. I think I would still need a steady paycheck to keep me sane (and occasionally out of the house, which can drive me nuts).

Anyway, updates for today: Working on Wayward again today. Got a lot of headway yesterday, came up with a few solutions to some problems i was having (so we'll see if that doesn't fix stuff). Hoping to have the first issue rescripted by the end month. I know that seems like a long time, but please bear with me. I have two night classes a week, so that sucks about 6 hours of my life away, plus grading, so time is hard to come by. ANNNND as I've hinted at I have another script coming down the pipeline for a friend, so i need to get their script done first. Thankfully i have 6 of 14 pages already scripted out. I've put it on hold for the weekend as I'm expecting some notes from them that might force me to change some ideas, which is cool (and much welcomed).

SO i don't want to lie and say, oh I'll have the script changes on issue one done by Tuesday! I'm sure if i didn't have to work next week, then yes I probably could do that. But in all honesty, it ain't happening.

ON more annoying news, my computer has a virus (possibly STILL, not again). We're cleaning her up the second i post this. Talk about annoying, I'm truly getting sick of this, and it's totally Ebay's fault. Until i went on there to purchase stuff for Halloween my computer was ok. Then the day i was watching some item, BAM... pop up ads and all other kinds of funness. SOOO I've now backed up the important stuff and I'm off to work on my laptop today while the main computer gets a good scrub down. So, hopefully i shall be updating again soon and posting positive news there, If I'm still missing by Monday... cry for me. The computer has possibly died. :(

The Calm....

2009-10-09T08:38:00.002-05:00

Morning Sit Rep

Ugh, So other than waking up this morning to my cold now being in my throat (and me sneezing like a person with cat allergies) this morning looks promising (she said holding her breath).

On the docket for today: Retooling Wayward scripts, working on another script for a friend, running some laundry, walking a dog, going to see Zombieland (fin-a-frick-ally) and having dinner with friends.

God i love the last weekday of a vacation (and at the same time mourn the loss of the vacation week :( ). Here's to hoping your day will be as interesting as mine!

A Real WHO DONE IT

2009-10-08T22:00:00.005-05:00

The Case of the

Missing Diamond...
Phillips.

Back when i was in high school this amazing film came out. It starred a long time B-ish Film Action Hero which i loved (and freakishly looked like an ex of mine lol), and a notorious asshat from all the John Hughes films I had grown up with. So you can imagine I was a bit skeptic at first. Yet when i heard it was a sci-fi film destined to be ranked with the classics such as Star Trek and Star Wars I went, "All right, let's go" with my very smug fangirl attitude riding high. Well 2 hours (and 30 minutes later thanks to traffic) I was sold. I no longer hated the 80's baddie I had grown up with (in fact quite the opposite as i became entirely enamored with his character) and suddenly impressed to see that my 80s action star could do more than just shoot things (although there was a lot of shooting on his part, to be fair). So that night I became a Stargate girl.

And then the TV show appeared.

Now i must preface this by stating that I adore Richard Dean Anderson (and thus MUST say his name in full) and that as a kid i was sticking gum and pencils onto everything with my friends in a hopes that this would make us as cool as MacGyver. Heck i even once one a pub quiz with friends because i was the only one in the bar that knew his name was Angus. I believe that wins me DORK status right there. I would also like to quickly say that no one on the TV Show is HALF as entertaining as MacGyver (and i'm a Ben Browder fangirl from Farscape). So obviously after a number of episodes (and i must admit I've seen at good 4 seasons worth thanks to some time hanging out with friends who were addicted to the series and would watch it before our Dr. Who nights) I found myself distancing myself from the franchise and trying to focus soley on the movie (let's not get me started on my beef with Michael "I wish i could act" Shanks and his destruction of my Beloved asthmatic, allergic archaeologist).

But then dammit if SyFy didn't pull me in again (we'll leave my complaint over the channel's new spelling issues for another day). Today i watched Robert Carlyle (whom I've enjoyed since Trainspotting and The Full Monty) possibly save the stargate franchise. THANK GOD.

SyFy, still reeling over the end of their flagship show, Battlestar G, AND fresh from finally putting the stargate original series down; was quick to order another stargate related series which boasted a very BSG like atmosphere. Thankfully they've seemed to deliver. I'm not sure if they stole BSG's cinematographer or their editor, but either way the show looks nothing like the previous two incarnations of the franchise. Heck we even had a sex scene! You'll never catch Carter and Jack doing that (hinting yes, driving us nuts about how they can't be together, yes... but actually SEEING a gritty sex scene... not so much). Plot wise the show is a bit weak, but i think that might just be first episode jitters. We'll see soon enough. To catch you up, think of it like this. Its another team cut off from everyone else, like in Stargate Atlantis, only this time when they try to escape via the gate they end up on a ship which can only be described as Borgish. In fact the plot is a lot like Voyager as they're no longer anywhere near our solar system and have no idea how to get home. So basic, yes. Interesting, a bit. We'll see how it goes.

But here's my real question. They've advertised this show as co-starring Lou Diamond Phillips. He is in almost all of the promotional photos. Yet we see him for about 3 scenes in the 1st episode. He has a total of 3 or 4 lines and then poof. No more LDP. Sooooooo what's that about?? Anyone else know, cuz i was lost.

*btw, i DO know that the B-ish film actor i mentioned above was Kurt Russell and the 80s teen film asshat was James Spader. Both actors i continue to enjoy immensely in films. Its just more fun to call Spader an Asshat. lol.

Today's Offering...

2009-10-08T18:47:00.004-05:00

The Harsh Reality.

I've had a few folks comment about how nice of a picture I take. Now while i'm flattered, i have to say, you got NO idea how many pics it takes to get a really decent picture taken of a girl. I generalize it to women and not just me because this is true of ALL women (not most). Don't let models fool you. Don't believe me? Look at what the industry (modeling) does to us.

and you wonder why we girls are screwed up when it comes to body image. For the record, while i have my doubts now and again (like most gals). I'm happy with the way i look... until the camera gets ahold of me and flattens me out lol.

Step One

2009-10-07T08:39:00.005-05:00

Put One Foot in Front of The Other...

Annnnnd now i'm picturing a fat bear dancing with an emaciated child with a Beatles bob. ANNNYWAY, welcome to day one of my daily updates. Once again this is an effort to get myself back on track and keep you guys updated on the writing process (so you can all rise up and beat me if i DARE fall off the horse again).

So, what's new this morning? Well last night i sent out a treatment for another webcomic last night so we'll see how that's received. Hopefully it will go over well, we shall just see and NOPE, sorry I'm not at liberty to say more right now. Right now its sit on my hands and wait time... gah. I suck at being patient. And THIS is why i'm off today to take the dog on a playdate today while prepping for my night class. Gotta keep busy.

AS for Wayward news, worked on some ideas in my head right before sleep last night, we'll see how they pan out in the next few days. Hope to start tightening up the scripts by next weekend at the latest. And then its off to production!

Also one final announcement, i'm on Twitter now! While i'm not sure how often i'll update, please come join the fun! I promise you strange one line observations about the developmental process, so come on by! You see the link among the list of left hand quicklinks :)

Well that's it for today, gotta walk a dog.

P.S. here's your disturbing moment for the day... how is this doll NOT creepy.

Discuss.

The 411

2009-10-06T22:13:00.005-05:00

So What's The skinny?

Ok, so obviously I've been out of the loop for QUITE awhile here at Ob-zurd thoughts. I wish I could say it was because i was pumping out script after script, but I won't lie to you folks. Its been hell on wheels re-adjusting to a new job and leaving behind the exhaustion of the old one. HOWEVER after last week's trip to OHIO, (and a few events leading up to it) I feel like my old writing self and I declare this blog, back in business!

So expect updates, and such, starting........... now!! It's Q&A time!

Q: What's up with Wayward, it keeps getting shoved back.

A: Oh good lord, let's just rip the band-aid off, shall we? Ok, well Wayward has had a number of set backs, but i'm vowing to get this one up and running again. As stated before we DO have character designs and a basic script, so we should start production soon. However, I'm revamping the script (due to a unseen conflict). So if we're lucky (and god i hope we're lucky) I'll be able to begin pencils on this puppy during x-mas break (great news everyone my job moved break about and now we get 4 weeks, a WHOLE MONTH, off so i'd better be able to produce during that time. So hang in there with me folks, Wayward is coming, i swear!

Q: Are you only working on your webcomic now and does that mean the end of your involvement in some of the other webcomics you've done thus far?

A: Oh god no. I have like ZERO name recognition thus far and i need to change that so keep your eyes glued here. I'm hoping to announce some upcoming comic collabs in the next month or so. Also big news, the British comic, Reynard City (which i've written 1 issue for AND penned a prose companion piece) is being turned into a cartoon. Consequently it's beginning to get a bit of press overseas. It's creator, Will Turner, has sent my prose piece "Chubby Little Secret" off to the Daily Mirror (a national paper) along with other pieces, for his upcoming interview. Today I spoke with him so that he would have some sound bites from some of the writers for the press. Hopefully (cross your fingers folks) My name will be plastered overseas as well and then well, its up to fate i suppose :)

Q: Is Wayard your ONLY original webcomic?
A: Well i am working on another idea that's in early early development tentively titled "Atlas" but we'll see how far it goes. I have created some of my own character designs for it. We'll see if i have time for it, but one thing at a time, right? Mind you sometimes, you just can't help but get attacked with idea after idea....and other times nothing comes. *sigh* oh well.

Well that's it for now folks. Stay tuned, more good things are ahead!

got a question for ielle? Contact her at ielle77@gmail.com

Get back on that horse young lady!

2009-10-06T21:54:00.001-05:00

Back in the saddle again

Ok, so to a few of you, it comes as no surprise that i grew up on a pony farm (well mostly ponies, there were a few horses). So obviously by the age of 2 my grandfather had me riding around while he lead the ponies. By 5 i was beginning to learn to steer on my own a bit. Which was the first time I ever fell off. Grandpa, in his infinite Cook family wisdom (which sadly we've all inherited lol) decide it would be fun to measure the pony while i was still on her. He used a retractable tape measure... yeah I'm sure you can guess how well that went when he pressed the button.

So anyway, off i sailed, visiting the stratosphere for a number of seconds before a very rocky re-entry (on my ass thankfully and not my head). Like any 5 year old i tried to make a run for it, crying and screaming. But my grandfather, knowing much better than I, already had me by the belt loop of my jeans and was tossing me back up on the pony. He shook my little hand as he forced the reins back into my fingers and calmly looked me dead in the eye (the man had a Clint Eastwood stare when he wanted). He said, "Danielle, you NEVER not get back on." and with that he lead a slightly sniffling me around the pasture until I had calmed back down. To this day, i ride.

Anyway, how does this relate to my comic work.

Well folks, this girl just got back on the damn horse. Nuff said.

The Great Webcomic Round Up!

2009-08-03T20:31:00.005-05:00

Around the Web in 80 (ok, 3) comics!

Hey folks, I'm back! I know it's been FOOOOORREEVER. Would you believe me if i swore i was working on comic stuff and hoping to get things going in the right comic-related direction? no? Yeah, neither would I. lol. In reality I've been procrastinating like crazy while refocusing my webcomic. Due to this I've been researching a NUMBER of webcomics out there. Anyway, along my travels I've found a few treasure that I just had to share. Soooooo please, while you wait for my behind to get moving, take the time to check out these amazing comics!

Evil Diva
Their take: Diva Beelze is an average twelve-year old devil, but she has a small problem. She has these uncontrollable urges to just be nice. Clearly, the best solution is to become a superhero.

Ielle's take: Ok I admit i was skeptical when i started this comic, but something about it charmed me as i kept reading. There are familiar things going on within this storyline, but the solid dialogue and amazing art kept my attention. With fun little literary tips of the hat to Dante, various Greek Myths and Joss Whedon, I have to say Evil Diva is as intelligent as it is lively. If you're looking for something lighthearted and frankly, beautiful to look at, check out this webcomic during your next coffee break (or sneak it in when the boss isn't looking, go ahead. I'll cover you ;) )

Strays
Their take: Meela is a young, orphaned lupian (a race of people with wolf-like features) who is struggling to survive on her own. A chance encounter on less than pleasant terms teams her up with Feral, another lupian who happens to be a mute as well as one of the best mercenaries in the land, and who is not quite so welcoming of her forced company as she would like to believe. Fun, danger and plenty of humorous situations follow the two on their wayward adventures; however the seemingly peaceful world they reside in is not quite the paradise that its reputation makes it out to be. When a taboo topic and a dark secret collide, it may unravel their already tattered lives and force each of them to face the reality of the truth, requiring each to make decisions that could alter their lives forever.

Ielle's Take: So this is not my standard fan fair. Despite having written a few stories for folks where there are animal people, I'm not a huge fan of the genre. But I'm never one to knock another's fandom. So if you can overlook the fact that these folks have teeth an tales (and can turn INTO wolves) then this might be for you (heck, perhaps you'll enjoy it BECAUSE of that reason, that's up to you). With that said, there is enough charm and plot to carry along ANY comic reader. I have to give a huge thumbs up to the creators of this comic for pulling off a MUTE character. I considered writing a mute character once, but wasn't quite sure where to start. While the comic medium is visual, its not like film where we can see every movement of a character and thus follow along with their motions. However their use of facial expressions and hand gestures within the limited panel space they have, is simply astounding. The character, Feral is an very complicated and interesting one. Again this is a story which we've seen (a young child hanging around a wiser, but reluctant guardian) but there's a certain something (mostly Feral's behavior) which makes this enjoyable. Art wise the comic is very solid, but also very manga influenced. If you're not a fan of manga this may not be the comic for you. However if you find that giant eyes and tiny flailing arms to express exasperation are right up your alley, then this is the comic for you.

Finally the best for last:

Shrub Monkeys
This has been my happiest find in the past week. However before i start bubbling over with happiness lets here what they have to say about their webcomic:
their take: "Shrub Monkeys is a comic I started just for the fun of it, capturing random moments, in-jokes and observations made by my two younger siblings and myself. When I began posting them online I was gob-smacked at the positive response from readers and at how many people were able to identify with in-jokes and scenarios I thought were too personal for anyone to “get”. As simple as it is I think Shrub Monkeys is one of the most gratifying projects I’ve ever worked on. It’s one of those things that make me appreciate how much people can have in common regardless of where we come from, and how ridiculous and random we can be!" - KT Shy

Ielle's Take: Who the hell stole my life and moved it to Canada?!! As KT says, its a comic about the randomness of life (who knew that so many of us have very similar randomness going about). While she's dealing with life and an artist in Toronto, i feel her big(ger) city pain within my tiny sad excuse for a city. It was a pleasure getting to know the comic versions of her siblings and boyfriend. While i don't have any sibs, i have plenty of friends that i would consider such and they very much fit the bill. As for her boyfriend, my god... is Jesse dating two women?? He's keeping one in Toronto?? Is this why he keeps joking about how its not cheating if its not within us borders??? It is a joke right? Hmmmm.
Anyway, as KT is a professional animator (whose studio is apparently partially owned by William Shatner, so THAT wins her major points in my book lol) her art is spot on (although some webisodes are more sketchy than others). Her loose cartoony style is certainly appealing and the writing is spot on. While there is no set storyline to her webcomic (as she openly admits and jokes about) you can't help but find yourself drawn into reading her crazy ride of a life. This is certainly one that's fun to check up on weekly and get a nice quick chuckle. Think of it as 30 Rock only with a heroine who's more every day and less NBC successful (although i'd never categorize liz lemon and successful in a personal sense.... poor tina fey lol)

Webcomic Review

2009-04-27T18:33:00.006-05:00

Webcomic of the Week:

Ok, so as some of you may know I am currently instructing a scriptwriting course online for the college i work at. Consequently i'm required to sit at my computer from 6-9 Mondays and Wednesdays (which is both a blessing and a curse, but we won't get into why). Anyway, during this time I've been able to stumble across some new discoveries out there in the webcomic world.

Now i have to say, many folks still are not giving webcomics their due. A lot of hard work goes into making a webcomic (i'd argue almost as much if not MORE than what goes into making your standard Marvel or DC print comic). Between griping over malfunctioning equipment and exceeding bandwidth capabilities, webcomic creators have a lot on their plate in addition to the usual missing inker/colorist/artist problems that arise in the comic world.

Anyway, because of this I give a great bit salute to my fellow webcomic creators and here is one in particular that I want to suggest to you all today. Hopefully you will find it as delightful as I did.

Despite the fact that THE DREAMER is beginning to be printed, it's still appearing in webcomic format. The basic plot is that a teenaged girl from today keeps having very realistic reoccuring dreams about the american revolution. While this can easily be dismissed as a teen love story, it does have elements of sci-fi (its very similar in nature to Life on Mars).

Although it is mostly a romance story, it does have some action so boys give it a chance. Certainly its entertaining to see authentic American Revolution outfits replicated in comic form. If you enjoyed either Inveloch OR The Pheonix Requim, then you'll certainly enjoy The Dreamer.

Ode to Trek

2009-04-27T17:31:00.004-05:00

MAY THE BLOCK BUSTING BEGIN!!

So Memorial Day is nearly upon us and that, my little chickadees, means that summer blockbusters are about to start beating us about the head. There are so many movies coming out that I want to see, its sickening. But the first and most important on my list is not what many of my friends might suspect. Certainly i love Wolverine and am excited that we'll be getting another film full of Hugh Jackman goodness, but i'm not PUMPED for that film half as much as i am for the star trek reboot.

I'm a HUGE trekie. Mostly i'm an TOS girl (the original series for those NOT in the know), although i do enjoy TNG (the next generation) as well. I could give a rats behind about the others (particularly voyager and enterprise). HOWEVER, this reboot shows a lot of promise. I've watched a few of the sneak peek clips (which normally i do not do) and I have to say, thus far they've yet to disappoint. We'll see come May 8th and yeah I'm big enough to admit i'll be going to the midnight showing wearing my little vulcan ears. I'm that dorky. lol Live long and Prosper BEEAAACHES... and enjoy the attached star trek related vids that i've found about the net!

Some Amusing old G4 ads for when TOS was on their channel:

Some Sneak Peek Clip of the New Flick (watch Karl Urban Channel Deforest Kelly as "Bones")

And finally what's a clip laden blog without a visit from Robot Chicken?

PUNISHment? I think not!

2008-12-14T21:06:00.014-05:00

Who Punishes the Punisher?

So today I took a break from papers (oh there are soooo many papers!!!) to see Marvel's latest box office offering "The Punisher: War Zone". Now, i should make one thing clear, if you do not like the following, this will NOT be the film for you:

Blood, Guts and Gore
All out Action, Swearing and Violence
Frank Castle (the Punisher) from Marvel's MAX series.

Now with the OBVIOUS objectors out of the way, allow me to speak to those of you who may enjoy this film. Go in with an open mind. Again this is going to be a film that's not HUGE on plot (although the plot that was there was decent. Sure it's not CRASH or VANTAGE POINT, but its certainly better than transporter 1, 2 or the upcoming 3). As i sat there, I realized one very simple thing: Marvel has FINALLY got a film version of the Punisher that has gotten Frank right.

No more are we stuck with pretty boy, "waaaaa my family is dead so I must drink myself into a bottle and tease a guy with a popsicle stick" Thomas Jane (I've ALWAYS believed he looked too little to play giant-assed jacked up Frank). ANNNNDD we may have finally shaken off the horrible acting of Dolph Lundgren (hey i give props to him being a genius in real life and having a masters in chemical engineering, but the man's acting SUCKS).

Thankfully, Ray Stevenson (who you may know from HBO's hit ROME) ROCKS as The Punisher. He has the acting chops (what a man that can act?), but he also seems to understand the character. Frank is a man of few words, but the emotions which Stevenson conveys with just a few facial expressions, are priceless.

I don't want to give away much plot (I try to avoid that at all costs in my reviews) but I will say this, the director and writer's choice to stray from telling the Punisher's origin story is perfect. We do not need a replay of the overdramatic, overhyped crap that Thomas Jane's 2004 Punisher gave us. John Travolta's (yeah you read right) mobsters wiping out Castle's ENTIRE family (3rd cousins included!) at a reunion in the Bahamas, was PAINFUL. I wanted to get up and leave (sadly I had not drove that night). That film ruined the crux of the Punisher franchise.

But what IS the point of the Punisher? Well, Frank Castle was an average man. He was military (although I've heard other versions where he was just a cop) and he loved his wife and TWO kids (a boy and girl). Sadly, they went on a picnic and saw something they shouldn't have. He survived and vowed to remove the world of ALL criminals. In the end he'll have to rid the world of himself (and he knows this) as he views himself as a criminal as well. Frank's a complex guy. He won't touch cops, the innocent and has a HUGE respect for Captain America. Punisher: WARZONE certainly delivered this depiction of Frank. The criminals were formidable and amusing, in all this film delieverd. Honestly, after today Stevenson is MY Frank Castle.

Interested in this film? Watch the Trailer below!

why youtube works

2008-12-08T19:52:00.003-05:00

The Highlight of My Evening:

I found this gem while correcting papers. I had no idea so many famous people would be in it! And who doesn't love a little NPH, eh?

Enjoy:

See more Jack Black videos at Funny or Die

Picture this!

2008-12-08T00:00:00.009-05:00

HA HA HA... The Internet

So while correcting papers today, I found myself taking various breaks and surfing the net just to get myself into a good humor. After running into some of the most bizarre stuff out there, I decided that the following HAD to be shared, ENJOY!:

#1... I totally understand this moment. Poor Data:

#2... this is why i don't eat at MacDonalds anymore....

...I don't eat at BK either, but that for another reason.

#3... and Leia thought LUKE was a little too short to be a stormtrooper!

#4...somehow despite seeing his parents murdered, it seems over the top to beat your ward, even if he is a dumbass in green brief underwear.

#5...I so wish they'd make a real Superman/Batman movie. Until that day, I get to giggle at this... although the ending makes me sorry for Bruce (even if he does enjoy smacking his wards around).

The Bond Theory

2008-12-03T01:15:00.005-05:00

Bonded
Ielle has a theory...
and its probably absolutely nothing new.

Ok, so I was at lunch today with some girlfriends and we got talking about James Bond (don't ask). Anyway I decided to air a theory that's been brewing in my brain since seeing Quantum of Solace. What is that theory? Well simply put... that every James Bond we know (Connory, Moore, Lazenby, Dalton, Brosnan, Craig) is a different man.

Say waaah?

I got the idea when watching the old David Niven/Peter Sellers Casino Royale. In that film a number of men run about under the code name James Bond. Its an amusing idea, you gotta admit it. Its kinda like the idea behind THE PHANTOM (yikes, bad reference, terrible comic lol). Remember how that character was passed on from father to son so that it seemed as though it never died (did they ever think what would happen if they popped out a girl?? Ahem.. sidetrack).

Anyway switch back to Quantum, and how should i say this without giving away a plot point... well let's just say that someone close to Bond kicks it (that happens in EVERY film so i doubt i ruined much for you there). While holding this person to him (awww) Bond says, is _____(fill in blank)____ your real name or your code name. The person replies that it is their code name. I, a good little bond girl, sitting there suddenly goes, "wait what?" Since when have we had assumed names (and by the way this name is a very normal name. No reason to suspect it. It wasn't Octopussy or 0012). So this got me thinking... what if James Bond is HIS code name. After all in Casino Royale (the Craig version not the Sellers 1960s one) it is mentioned that Bond is still a very new double Oh. Hmmmm... me thinks me smell a plot device. Or at least one that could shut up a lot of Internet crybabies that say, "ooh Daniel Craig isn't Bond. He isn't suave, he isn't flashy, there are hadly any gadgets" blah blah... shut it.

So to clarify, My theory is this: Connery, Lazenby, Moore, all of em are individual men running under the name Bond. Like M (who became a woman) the name is carried on to screw with the international spy world. This also allows some strange anonymity to exist for the agent AND allows strange stories to circulate about him, giving him a mystique long before he goes out on his first mission. They're all bond, but they have their own personalities too. Thus how Moore is goofy and playful while Connery is debonair. Craig is just all out brutal and bitter.

Oh yeah and it fixes that nightmare that was On Her Majesty's Secret Service. I mean that ending is wretched. Bond gets married, quits the service, drives down a road his wife gets shot (played by the lovely Emma Peel...er Diana Rigg i mean lol) and he looks up at a concerned fellow driver and says "Shhh, she's just sleeping" cut to credits and my jaw hanging, dumbfounded. Now i can simply go, meh that man quit, his life went to hell and he was never seen again. So they passed the name on to Moore and everyone was happy. Tada!!

Review Rewind

2008-12-01T11:11:00.003-05:00

Elementary My Dear Ellis!

This week Ielle gets violent and ponders
the purpose of plagiarizing Sherlock Holmes

There are moments when reviewing comics is a pleasure... then there are moments when I say, what the hell did I just read? Sadly Mr. Warren Ellis (whom normally i adore) has made my naughty list this week. Meanwhile Mr. Grant Morrison has happily surprised me.... has the world tipped upside down? Possibly:

AETHERIC MECHANICS
writer: Warren Ellis
pencils: Glanluca Pagliarani
publisher: Apparat Comics

I had NO idea what I was getting into with this comic when it was handed to me the other day. The cover seemed to be a strange drawing of wires and letters, a blueprint of sorts. Upon opening the comic i found myself confronted with a delightful Steampunk-ish world. The story is set in a parallel universe to our 1907. Man has been able to make ships fly and Britain is about to go to war with another country called Ruritania. Ellis introduces us to Captain Watcham , a doctor who has served in the military for some time and is finally returning to the private sector. As the story goes on it becomes very clear that this is an Ellis version of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Dr. Watson. Soon after we meet Sax Raker (who is obviously Sherlock Holmes).

While Ellis attempts to create his own "League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" like world with faux Watson and Holmes, yet I can't help to feel that he failed. The story was so unengaging that honestly I could not regurgitate it back to you, even if i tried. The plot is rushed (this is a self contained graphic novella, not a long standing series) and characters seem to pop out of nowhere.

In the end I would suggest that if you ARE looking for a Sherlock Holmes style story, go read one of Doyle's original stories (or read Stephan King's Holmes short story). As for Ellis fans, this story lacks Ellis' usual blunt dark humor and sarcasm (even the dialogue isn't as in your face as usual. Perhaps Ellis wrote this while in a good mood? Happiness killed Metallica, beware Ellis, beware lol). If you're looking for work that's more worthy of the Ellis name, go re-read NEXTWAVE.

Plot/Story: C-
Art: B+

KILL YOUR BOYFRIEND
writer: Grant Morrison
Art: Philip Bond and D'Israeli
publisher: Vertigo

So as i said before, it's a strange day when I, ielle palmer, prefer a Grant Morrison title over Warren Ellis. This isn't to say that Grant Morrison is crap, no no no. I just mean, for the most part i have no idea what the hell is going on with Morrison. And while i enjoy that feeling (after all i list Ennis and Ellis in my top 5 for great comic writers), there is a point where i say "what the hell was that?"

THANKFULLY, Kill Your Boyfriend was just sane enough to keep me with it. The story begins with , a young disillusioned woman who is just starting out in life. She knows she's not happy, the mundaness of the world is getting unbearable, but she's preparing to put up with it. Until she meets a very mysterious young man. Suddenly she finds herself in a whirlwind Tarentino style Natural Born Killers like romp through England, breaking the rules of common decency as well as a bazillion laws. This comic is sex, guns, and awkwardness. If that sounds like something you'd be interested in then this comic is for you. Also i should add that the very last page amuses me greatly. So much so that i kinda want to see a sequel.

But beware, this comic holds back nothing. There is sex, a LOT of sex (and most of it very very tawdry.... heh... tawdry is such a MOM word). This is absolutely a comic that those parental watchdog groups that gripe about Grand Theft Auto, would ban in a heartbeat. So again, you've been warned. With that said, I enjoyed it. Dear lord... what does that say about me? lol.

Plot/Story: A-
Art: A (btw the interior IS color, the photo at the left is a sample page).

GREAT READS ALERT! (Newfound Comics on the web!)

2008-11-19T00:27:00.004-05:00

CHECK IT OUT!

Proof that webcomics CAN rule.

While you guys wait for this week's comic round-up, I offer you this quick suggested reading list of various online webcomics that I've been reading. The Art is very good, but most importantly i feel the plots hold up enough to keep me waiting for each installment. ENJOY!

Zombie Hunters (Exactly how it sounds)

The Phoenix Requiem (19th Century Steampunk meets the supernatural)

Bayou (Zuda comics - DC's webcomic site - Songs of the south meets Guillermo Del Toro offering)

MOVIE REVIEW ALERT!!

2008-11-16T23:39:00.004-05:00

Born to be a Bond Girl

Hello, my name is Ielle and i have been a bond-oholic for 28 (although possibly 31 if you count my early childhood and the womb) years.

My mother raised me on James Bond. For as long as I can remember, I have watched Sean Connery, Roger Moore, George Lazernby (told you i was hardcore), Timothy Dalton and Pierce Brosnan run across the silver screen sipping martinis, bedding the ladies and foiling villains with a propensity for dramatics.

With that said, it was only obvious that when the franchise picked up and reformulated once again, presenting me with Daniel Craig, I was there. Casino Royale completely and utterly took me in. Finally i was being offered a Bond that intrigued me as both a writer and an adult. Certainly I have a lot of sentimental love for the past Bond flicks (although the Roger Moore years i like to list along side Peter Sellers' Casino Royale, as practically comedy). I can even embrace George Lazernby's horrible "Her Majesty's Secret Service" (but that's because I'm a die hard Emma Peel fan... another story for another day). Yet here was a Blond bond who was asking me to watch the character drastically change. We were starting at the beginning with a newer double-oh. A man who is a bit unhinged and wild. A man who is finding his way.

Anyway cut ahead to today, when I went to see Quantum of Solace. In simple terms, the hits keep coming. Literally. I have NEVER seen Bond so beat up in any film. This man takes a licking and just keeps on getting angry. I don't want to do a full review (i hate spoilers) but i will say this: If you have not seen Casino Royale, rent that first. Quantum will make NO sense to anyone who doesn't know the deal between Bond and Vespa. Some would argue that this makes for a poor story (one which is not self contained). I, however, disagree. To me the experience was much more personal. i was able to watch a previously very flat character come to life.

So my grade? A (if you've see Casino Royale) B+ (if you have not as it will be harder to follow)

Good luck and enjoy (btw that IS a pic of me above in a lovely evening gown, being the best Bond gal i can be lol)

My god, where did the comic shop go??

2008-11-16T23:12:00.008-05:00

"HEROES..." IS MOVING!

Ok, those of you comic fans who live in the area, DO NOT PANIC. Heroes Your Mom Threw Out comic shop is not running off, they're just moving down the street. For a number of reasons, the owner Jared as decided to swap locations to literally up the street (OK, it's sorta up the street over the train tracks and a hair further up the street, but whatever). He WILL be open in his old location this Wednesday, but after that i think he's hoping to get things together and have the new place open ASAP!

I was lucky enough to get an early bird tour (and by lucky I mean Jared put Jesse and myself to work lol - ok we offered). The place really looks impressive. He has more space, a lovely back parking lot (although you will still need to go in through the front entrance)... all in all, its going to be fun to see how the new joint turns out!

As for today's move... my back is killing me (well nothing Advil can't handle) and yet surprisingly I'm not exhausted. The day was full of laughter and an all out fanboy star wars vs lord of the rings fight. I've never actually SEEN a real one of those... and yes they are very surreal. lol!). Some OTHER memorable moments were:

Everyone losing skin at some point to Jared's metal display racks
Bizarre Depressing music
Packing long box after long box of comics into a Saturn, a Buick and 2 blazers
Watching a local hick pull in his giant black "penis extension" of a diesel truck right directly in front of the store taking the best loading spot so he could go in and get his drink on at the bar next door, despite seeing us carrying boxes out (the cars were being unloaded at the new store when this happened)
Pizza
PBR
Giant sized Kermit Dolls (which was later choked by accident)
A walking paper mache Hulk
the threat of tetanus around every corner
Having the upstairs folks stare at us as we loaded cars, as if we were monkeys for their amusement

In the end we had a blast. Jared kept trying to make us eat donuts, I was given the very witty nickname of "the girl" and I got my HGTV geek on by running about an empty store trying to imagine what they were going to do with it lol!

Its shocking how sometimes moving day can actually be fun (a rare experience indeed).

USA KID/BLAZEGUY #4 AVAILABLE TODAY! HOORAY!

2008-11-10T19:43:00.015-05:00

WOW, It's the END?? ALREADY?

Well its official My final webisode of the USA KID/BLAZEGUY miniseries is out and ready to be viewed. Thanks to all of you who have taken the time out to read this mini and of course a big thanks to those who helped me breathe this baby to life. Thanks to Mat Major (our artist this go around) and Jared Lee for adding his awesome colors. A big thanks to Richard Nelson for doing the letters on not one but all FOUR of the webisodes and last but not least thanks to Ugga for allowing me this opportunity.

Now if you liked what you read and would like to read more of my stories, shout out! I should have more stuff coming out early next year (ok maybe middle of next year, we're still working out the kinks... like keeping a decent artist lol).

Anyway with out further delay here you guys go, our final chapter!!

USA KID/BLAZEGUY#4
Writer: Ielle Palmer (ielle77) http://www.iellepalmer.blogspot.com/
Penciller/INKER: Mat Major (mat major)
Colorist: Jared Lee (Jared Lee)
Letterer: Richard Nelson (r nelson)

Cover Art:
Ielle Palmer
Russell Platt (rplatt)
Mauro Barbosa (rancez)

Cover Letters: Letterer: Richard Nelson (r nelson)

Editors: AthenaRose, ielle77

AND IN CASE YOU MISSED THEM, HERE ARE THE PREVIOUS EPS:

USA KID/BLAZEGUY#3

Writer: Ielle Palmer
Penciller/INKER: Russell Platt (rplatt)
Colorist: Mauro Barbosa (rancez)
Letterer: Richard Nelson (r nelson)

Cover Art:
Ielle Palmer (ielle77)
Sina Kazemian (Underwearhero)
Jared Lee (Jared Lee)

Cover Letters: Letterer: Richard Nelson (r nelson)

USA KID/BLAZEGUY#2

Story: ielle palmer (ielle77)
pencils/Inks: Sina Kazemian (Underwearhero)
colors: Jared Lee
letters: Richard Nelson (r_nelson)

Cover:
Ielle Palmer and Eric Johns

USA KID/BLAZEGUY#1

Story: ielle palmer (ielle77)
pencils: Eric Johns
inks: Mattan
colors: Kelli Gilbert (Eva)
letters: Richard Nelson (r_nelson)

Cover: Morgan Wellborn (Morganza)

Editors: AthenaRose, ielle77

HA HA HA, NICE

2008-11-09T16:58:00.003-05:00

ELECTION MATH

I kinda felt bad for McCain Tuesday night. He didn't just lose, he had his behind handed to him and you know what, he did it with grace and style. I just hope now we can all move on and unite as Americans. Anyway enough politics, come back Thursday and we'll be back to comics! I've got tons of new stuff coming your way so hang in there, more reviews are flying your way!

"This is all going to end in Tears i just know it"

2008-11-03T21:31:00.003-05:00

This just in, NBC executives
ARE NOT Mensa Candidates.

Sooooo what do you do with a show that has a ridiculous fan following, but for some inexplicable reason is losing ratings? Why you fire the creators of course, DUUUH.

This is seriously what has just happened over at NBC with HEROES. Jeoff Loeb and Jesse Alexander were fired today in a "Shake-up" at NBC. The hope is to bring in a breath of fresh air to the stale show. My response... WTF are you talking about??

FINALLY we have a season that hasn't sucked my soul away. Season one i found a bit comical, but i thought well they're establishing characters. Season two i found myself oddly drawn to the series, despite the fact that it was barely one step above a soap opera (and horribly scarred by the writer's strike). But this season, FINALLY something was happening! Characters were created, things were changing and for ONCE they gave up on trying to pass off new powered folks as if THEY (the writers) had come up with their abilities and NO other writer had ever concieved of a guy who can absorb powers... whooooooooohh! ANYWAY, so far this season the focus has been less about powers, more about a storyline (i should give a brief a shout out to the writers for dumping the nikki skitzo She-hulk character in favor for a more interesting tortured Rogue/Iceman character, thank you, thank you, thank YOU).

So due to this new development I have to scratch my head and sigh. Why NBC? Why for the love of all that's holy would you fired the ONE guy on your staff who actually has comic/superhero writing credits (and strong ones at that, Jeoff Loeb can deliver!). How is this going to help? And why did you move Chuck to Wednesdays? Are you trying to kill Mondays on NBC?

*sigh* Whatever, I have to work Monday evenings anyway. Screw this, get heroes canceled. It will give me more time to work on my own stories and finish the Dog Whisperer book I've been reading in preparation for my future pup.

This is why i watch shows on DVD long after they've been canceled... less trauma on my little fangirl heart.

Comic Review part Deux!!

2008-10-23T11:11:00.008-05:00

Are you well RESTED??
Ielle discusses her dire need to read something NEW.

So its that time again, Thursday is here and it's Comic review day! I'm happy to see that we're now linked up to Heroes Your Mom Threw Out's website, so a big hello to new readers! Hello. I"m Ielle, I'll be your hostess on this wacko site.

ANYWAY, I'm happy to say that this week I actually have some comic news for you guys. #1, I've found a new comic to read (thank God, it is about time!).

"REST"
Devil's Due Publishing
Creator: Michael O'Sullivan
Writer: Mark Powers
Artist: Shawn McManus and Lizzy John
Cover Artists: Tim Sale, (cover A) Milo Ventimiglia (photo cover B), Roger Robinson (cover c)

Yesterday I happened to be scrounging through my boyfriend's comic pile (I often raid his stash like a rat) and found this little gem. What first pulled me in was a very obvious Tim Sale cover. Its no secret that I LOVE Tim's work (he and Darwyne Cooke are my own personal sirens). I began to inspect the work, suddenly realizing that the logo itself was mocking all of those "Viagra", "Zyrtec" pharmaceutical labels. This was what cinched it.

So i dove in, not realizing at first that this comic is financed by Milo Ventimiglia (Peter Petrelli from "Heroes"). I consider that a good thing, since he is probably the one actor on the show that i roll my eyes at the hardest (its a toss up between Milo and Ali Larter) . Perhaps it would have altered my willingness to give the story a try. I'm petty like that occasionally. Hey, at least I admit it.

Once I immersed myself in the story, I was surprised to find that it flowed quite well. The dialogue feels realistic (which as many of my long time readers can tell you, is VERY important to me) and the art didn't make me cringe (see my upcoming rant on x-factor). Color wise, I'm very impressed with the added ambiance the backgrounds give to the story. Night clubs look moody and cubical offices appeared stark and horrifying.

Now to the plot. I didn't dive into this at first, because i don't want to give too much away. At the same time i don't think i can give much away just yet. This first issue was very much a lead-in to what's about to occur. In this case perhaps its best to be brief. Our hero, John Barret is like many of us. He's over worked, under paid and feels as though he's doing nothing with his life. He lives to work and works to live and NOT because he wants to. During a "chance" (??) run-in with and old college friend he learns that there might be another way. A new drug promises him the life he's always wanted. A great way to finally get some much needed "Rest". End of my plot summary, i dare not say more than... i see this going downhill FAST (John's new "rest", not the story).

All in all I have to say they've peaked my interest enough to pick up the next issue, despite Milo the B-actor's involvement. BTW, if you ARE a Milo Ventimiglia fan, there is an variant cover running about with Milo as the character John. Personally i found it egotistical, narcissistic and annoying, but whatever. The guy is paying the production costs. If he wants to dress up as the character and pose, so be it.

here's the final tally:
Dialogue: A
Art: A- ( a few sloppy pages)
Cover: A+
Plot: A- (its a bit pokey at first but its a 1st issue)

Ok, upward and onward on our comic countdown....!!

"WHAT DO YOU DO WITH A PROBLEM LIKE X-FACTOR?" *to be sung to the sound of music tune "what do you do with a problem like maria?"

X Factor #36
Marvel Comics
Writer: Peter David
Pencils: Larry Stroman
Inks: Jonathan Sibal
Colored by: Jeromy Cox
Lettered by: VC - Cory Petit
Cover: Boo Cook

Ok, someone please, PLEASE SAVE PETER DAVID!!! This man can write, i enjoyed X-factor for quite a while (and am looking forward to the eventual return of Layla Miller... and her wedding nuptials to Maddox??). BUT the last few issues have nearly killed me. I just have two questions, one: Who is Larry Stroman and two: CAN HE BE STOPPED??

Seriously, is he related to someone at marvel? Is he dating someone there?? HOW, HOW does this man continue to have a job? I draw better than this guy, and trust me you don't want me penning your comics. Don't believe me look at the images attached to this blog... GAH. Horrible. Apparently, he's been around for a bit and I'm not 100% sure on my facts here, but was part of the X-factor creative team a long time ago?? This PROVES to me that its not TALENT that you need to get into comics, but rather the ability to SMOOZE and make connections. UGH, sickening.

So last night was the last straw for me. I skimmed X-factor in 5 minutes (FIVE MINUTES!), reading only the dialogue balloons (and glancing across the pages to follow along briefly). Even Peter David's writing seemed "Dialed in". Perhaps he too is wondering why for the love of all that is holy, would Marvel saddle him with this artist? Its a pity. I'm not reading the next issue. After 2 years of having a steady subscription (ok it's my boyfriend's subscription) I'm done.

Speaking of done, one last quick message... apparently Judd Winnick's run on Green Arrow/Black Canary is going to end (at least for a bit). You can't imagine the sadness that this brings on to me. Over the last few months I have been watching my beloved comics go by the way-side one by one. First Spiderman loves Mary Jane, then X-men First class (on Hiatus until x-mas) and now this. Let's not forget that Mousegard hasn't been out in FOREVER!!! Its sad. I honestly don't have much a pull list anymore. Thus why i need to get out there and read new stuff. So i toss this out to you, my faithful readers. Toss me some ideas of what comics you are reading, maybe I'll finally have something fun to read again!

The Clemen's Center, like the rest of the world, gets a face lift

2008-10-20T15:24:00.002-05:00

DANG!

Ok so today i stumbled onto a video dealing with the Clemens Center's recent remodeling of the Powers Theater. May i just say WOW. It's DROP DEAD GORGEOUS. Watching the clip below i felt like i was looking at something from at LEAST the Toronto Theater District (Broadway really is in a league of its own, so I won't be stupid and dare to compare). But WOW.

As it is I am REALLY excited to see Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (although it looks WAY different than the Tim Burton Version which i love so dearly, i'm starting to wonder if i DO want to go... eh i'll give it a try) -- BUT NOW... I donno if i'll be able to tear my eyes from the theater long enough to watch the stage lol. More fun shows are coming to Clemens, so please everyone, get a chance to give Elmira some sort of a boost and go check out the new Clemens center. God knows the area needs it.

WOW, more readers... sweet!

2008-10-16T10:27:00.013-05:00

REBOOT!

Well, it's that time again. Time to get back to the main point of this blog: comic reviewing! Of course that doesn't mean that I'll be no longer updating you on my webcomic, WAYWARD's progress (far from, after all that IS comic news). However I'm going to try my damnedest to put out a weekly review of comics (and other pop culture) that's out there. But first i must do a shoutout to Jared at Heroes Your Mom Threw Out Comic Shop, who has linked this site to his store's site. Thanks for hopefully upping the readership here! lol! Now lets see if I can keep their attention. Anyway, enough chatter. Let's see what's up for discussion today:

Its been a RIDICULOUSLY slow week for me in the comic world, so I hope you'll all forgive me for this week focusing on other forms of media. I swear that NEXT week I will have a number of comics (many indi) to pass judgment on. Until then, we'll have to make due with a mild rant on TV's new Fall shows.

First up, Christian Slater's TV debut (i believe it's a debut),

My Own Worst Enemy.
NBC, Wednesdays, 9pm
stars: Christian Slater, Yara Martinez, Alfre Woodard

Premise (from NBC.com): Henry (Slater) is living a humdrum life in the suburbs with his wife, Lily (Martinez), their two kids, a dog, and a minivan. Edward ( ALSO Slater) is an operative who speaks 13 languages, runs a four-minute mile, and is trained to kill. Henry and Edward are polar opposites who share only one thing in common - the same body. When the carefully constructed wall between the two personalities breaks down, Henry and Edward are thrust into unfamiliar territory where each man is dangerously out of his element.

Ielle's Take: Ok, so I originally had no plans to watch this show. I scoffed at the comercials (Slater, other than in the film Heathers, has always been a joke to me) but in the end decided that I shouldn't be so rash and give it a try. I have to say that for the most part my original opinion was correct, it is more MEDIOCRE TV. Its not a good show (far from, it's VERY cliche) but it kept my attention. Slater overacted (as usual) and made me wish I was watching Jack Nicholson instead of his sad understudy (ask me someday on my Jack Nicholson love child theory).

So what is it that makes this show MILDLY watchable? Well honestly, its the old "guilty-pleasure-action-stuff-blowing-up syndrom". There's nothing more to it than that. The occasional gag about the two personalities getting back at each other in a very FIGHT CLUB sort of way, is amusing, but I see it growing old fast. In fact this entire show already feels "TIRED".
On a scale of 1-10... I give it a 4.

Kath & Kim.
NBC, Thursdays, 8:30
stars: Molly Shannon, Selma Blair (yeah, you read right)

Premise (from NBC.com): The American adaptation of the Australian hit comedy series, "Kath & Kim" stars Molly Shannon (NBC's "SNL") and Selma Blair ("Hellboy") as the hilarious and iconoclastic mother-daughter duo.

"Kath & Kim" focuses on Kath (Shannon), a cheerful, foxy, forty-something and her self-absorbed daughter, Kim (Blair), who have the love/hate, push/pull dysfunctional relationship that only a mother and daughter could share.

Kath has finally found love in the form of a sandwich shop owner named Phil Knight, played by John Michael Higgins ("Best in Show"). Kim is a self-absorbed princess newly separated from her husband of six weeks, Craig (Mikey Day, MTV's "Short Circuitz"). Kim decides to move back home, putting a damper on Kath's new romance.

Ielle's Take: Sweet Christmas, someone keep all weapons away from me when this show is on. I may accidentally harm my television (and on my pay i can't afford that).

Why I took a chance and watched this show not just once, but TWICE is beyond me. The scripts are SOOO tired. Seriously. Kath, an in-home hairdresser wanted to participate in a mall prom expo, and OH SHOCK, was blocked by a snobby mall-hairdresser this week. Yup that was the premise of the ENTIRE SHOW. SNNNNNOOORE. And honest to God, if i find my students (I'm a professor by day) emulating Kath's ridiculously STUPID, Valley-girl-esque (she makes valley girls seem like mensa canidates) speech and opinions I may scream. WHY is it that hollywood insists on making my generation (i'm guessing Kim here is around 25-30ish) appear as bubble heads? GAH!

What's even more depressing is that this is a remake. Australia offered the world this little gem a few years ago. I've been told its very good and that NBC's version PALES in comparison. I can tell you one thing, by looking at the cast photo alone i can see the humor in the series. The daughter is MUCH MUCH older and SOOOO not a beauty Queen. With Selma (i'm not bad looking) Blair as the daughter, her griping about her looks and being a model only make her look unmotivated, not deliciously delusional (as i figure the original Kim was). All in all i give this a giant whopping ZERO out of 10. I will not be watching this show anymore, nor will i suggest it to my friends. I don't know why i'm surprised, Molly Shannon was always annoying to me when she was on SNL.

Well that's all for now gang. I should have some comic reviews starting next week, and other media fun. I leave you with an entertaining cgi animation short that i discovered on youtube this week. It's called Oktapodi, enjoy!

MY GOD WHAT IS IT!?!?!

2008-10-08T11:30:00.005-05:00

MY GOD WHAT IS IT!!!

Its MANOS! Hands of fate!

Yup if youre a Misty like me (MST3K fan) then you'll certainly recognize my boyfriend Jesse's halloween costume (left). All we have left is to sew in the collar, but as you can see... its already horrifying.

May i add that sewing those damn fingers... PAIN IN MY ASS! Ugh. Manos you really are a bastard lol.

Don't know what manos is... check this out and watch the video below... then forgive me for exposing you to the horror which IS Manos!!

Oh Halloween, How i Love thee

2008-10-08T10:58:00.006-05:00

HOW CHEAP I AM... lol!

So I'm poor, we all know this. Yes I'm a professor (I'm an ADJUNCT professor. This means I make half of what a real professor would make for teaching the same class... Oh and i don't get health insurance...nice).

BUT long ago I decided that I would NOT let this effect my enjoyment of my favorite holiday, Halloween. I truly ADORE this day (er night... whatever, you get it). But have you all seen the prices that come with factory costumes! Not to mention the annoying possibilities of running into another gal wearing the exact same outfit (and often SO MUCH BETTER lol). SO, you may ask, how the hell can I afford that. SIMPLE. I learned to sew.

My mother is a huge crafts-person. She sews quilts, pillows and so on. So very early on I was schooled in the sewing arts (and HATED it until i got over my pissy, i'm a teenager i know EVERYTHING and this is SO NOT COOL years. Then i realized "wait, i can save money!").

Ok I can hear you all going, yeah but a) that takes time and effort (well yes it does) and b) fabric in some cases can be MORE than those prepackaged outfits at Spencers or Hot Topic.

TRUE, BUT, have you ever heard of SALVO? How about the Salvation Army. In some cases they have bins of fabric that is unwanted and being sold for 1.99... period. No per yard crap. I got 5 yards of black and red the other day for 1.99, EACH. Awesome.

But ok, so lets say your Salvo doesn't have a fabric bin (some don't) have you thought of ripping up an ugly old dress and using it??

CASE IN POINT... MY DOCTOR GIRLFRIEND COSTUME!

or as i like to call it, how i made a moo moo sexy.

Simply put, i bought a huge ass nightgown (see pic). It was ugly. I think it had coffee stain (I'm praying it was coffee.. in my mind its coffee... stop trying to suggest it was something else... hey i cut it off). For the Sleeves i used another shirt which perfectly matched the nightgown (btw, i put that night gown on. I'm pretty sure you could fit 2 or 3 of me in it lol!)

From there i used a pattern from simplicity for a mini skirt (it did not have long sleeves so I had to make those up, but it worked out). With the scraps I have left I plan to create Dr. Girlfriend's pill box hat. All i had to spend money on was boots (which i can use for a bazillion other characters i'm sure) and 2 dollars for white gloves. Total cost... 14 dollars. How much would it be to buy this costume prepackaged... (if it came that way, which btw, it doesn't) probably 59 to 70 dollars.

I think I made out well!!

Oh and total time for this project about 8 hours.

PART 3 of The Adventures of USA KID and BLAZEGUY is OUT TODAY!

2008-10-08T10:33:00.005-05:00

PART 3 of
The Adventures of USA KID and BLAZEGUY,
NOW AVAILABLE!!

Ielle's Awesome Storm Justice mini series: The Adventures of USA KID and BLAZEGUY, Part III is now up for your viewing pleasure!!

And if you missed the first two webisodes, no fear! They are still available at Uggabugga.net!
Webisode#1

Webisode#2

Laugh Riot

2008-09-22T22:26:00.004-05:00

Spit-Take

Nearly lost my cheerios after finding this today. lol!!

Don't you hate it when you sleep with a cobra spy and wake up with not only your wallet and military codes missing, but suddenly realized that they've been replaced with a strange itching sensation in your nether region?

LOOK MA, IT'S OFFICIAL, I'M A WRITER!!

2008-09-12T21:12:00.007-05:00

ATTENTION,
ATTENTION!

My first webcomic that I SCRIPTED is up today!! I'm so retardedly excited! Please everyone take time to go read part 1 of 4 of the AWESOME STORM JUSTICE stand alone mini: The Adventures of BLAZEGUY and USA KID!

I had a blast writing this, so i hope you enjoy. But if you don't... such is life. Many thanks to those who co-created this.

To Ejohns who was kind enough to lend us his penciling skills. WOW, what talent!

To Mattan who found a way to make those pencils shine even more (amazing).

To Eva1 who offered her amazing coloring powers in a time of crisis (you try to get folks to help out of the goodness of their hearts, luckily she saw eric's amazing pencils and mattan's great inks and couldn't let it pass her)

to Richard Nelson for showing me that lettering is indeed and art and i suck while he rules lol. Richard you indeed rock.

to Steve "Uggabugga" who let this girl have her way with his website and didn't actually hang me for missed deadlines....

to all of you i say THANK YOU THANK YOU and you all are soooo in my amazingly good graces. Saints, that's what you all are.

anyway, thanks to everyone involved and for the love of pete please do all of these great people a great favor and read this :)

ENJOY!:

http://www.awesomestormjustice.com/webs/usakid1/

Wayward Sneak Peek #6

2008-09-05T23:38:00.003-05:00

Today's Peek:

More developments at WAYWARD. A new character is in the works!
But this is all you get of her.

Enjoy!

Wayward Sneak Preview #5

2008-09-01T00:18:00.002-05:00

Peek-a-boo!

Yup another peek at the WAYWARD character designs. We're coming along now! Deirdre's blog is up and running and I'm retooling the scripts now. Hopefully I'll get some time to work on them (the scripts) tomorrow on my semi-day off (i have to work in the evening, ohhh well). Until then i leave you with bit of our latest work. Enjoy!

The Ever Freeing Feeling of saying "F-U" LOL!!

2008-08-14T21:32:00.006-05:00

Sometimes growing a
Pair can be refreshing!

Ok, so as Many of you know, I have been a camp counselor for 3 years now for a day camp during the summer. I do this for 2 reasons. #1 I like kids. They're fun (when they're not cranky). #2 The institutions which i work at do not give me enough summer courses to instruct so i'm forced to live off my savings and pay bills (which works, but only barely). And so this year I found myself once more taking on my day camp (more like babysitting) duties.

I've put up with a number of things for this summer job, but most of the time I shrug them off and go, "meh, its a summer crap job". But this week it pushed me too far (and i'm happy to say i grew a pair... mostly lol). First off, organization this summer has been non-existent. My boss, while a lovely woman who can be very nice, is a bit of a control freak. Therefore nothing gets done. How is that? Simply put she can't do it all, but she tries to do it all, and thus zero productivity. Today was the culmination of the insanity.

The program requires that we have employee evaluations each friday. My last evaluation was ummmm... 3 weeks ago (this is a 6 week program mind you) and at THAT time I was given 2 evals to sign at once (yes we have to sign off on them). So today, our last day with the children, we suddenly had 3 weeks worth of evals to meet with her (individually mind you) and sign off on. No big deal. I'm fine with that. Kids are bad, you have to discipline them, you fall behind on your paperwork, whatever. BUT she doesn't bother to address this until AFTER the day is done DURING our schedule meeting time (we're out at a specific time, but on Thursdays we stay 15 minutes extra for a meeting). Again no big deal. Only she was taking about 5 minutes per person and I had a meeting for my ACTUAL JOB within the half hour. I told her this when she came out to address us. I said, "ok, but i need to be out of here on time (meaning after the usual meeting time of 2:30)" She goes, "well i'll work hard to get to you by then" (this was at 2:15). "But i'm going by age group (of the kids) so i need to get through the 4-5 year olds, 5-6, and 7-8 year olds before i get to you"... ok again there are 2 to 3 counselors for these groups. So thats 6-9 people at 5 minutes a piece, crunched into 15 minute block... uh you do the math.

So i waited (complaining quietly in the hallway, which i normally do not do, to my coworkers) and i said to my coworkers "if i'm not in at 2:30 i HAVE to leave. I'm sorry but this meeting is for my CAREER. This is my summer job. And frankly after this summer, I do NOT plan to return. I'll work Blockbuster again" (uhhh i'm hoping my new position at another college as adjunct will keep that from happening though lol).

2:30 arrives. We haven't even finished with the 5-6 year old class. In FACT the male counselor isn't even in the hallway ready to go. Rather than allow me to sneak in, she looks down the hall and goes "someone go get him please." I was flabbergasted. In fact i wasn't the only person who needed to leave AT 2:30. Another co-worker had a JOB INTERVIEW. I was willing to let her go first simply because she needed this job. But no, i believe she missed the interview, for a summer job... that pays minimum and unless you are desperate for the automatic rehire the following summer, really isn't worth putting up with this behavior.

So what did i do? I bailed.

Oh yeah, i stood up looked at my coworkers and said, "Well its been nice knowing you guys. I'll see you tomorrow for clean up, but i need to leave. I'm sorry but this is my CAREER". And i left. I walked out to the car and drove off.

And i've never felt better.

If she wants to yell at me tomorrow morning for the final clean up day, i'm just going to stare back and calmly say "I'm sorry but i told you I needed to leave BY 2:30, if not before. I was not joking, or making things up. I am not about to jeopardize my future for a summer job that at this moment i do not plan to do next year. Thank you for the opportunity but after i clean my room and get my check today, I will not be returning."

SWEET.

Wayward Sneak Peek #4

2008-08-11T21:41:00.004-05:00

SNEAK ATTACK!

Here we go, as promised... Another glimpse into the world of wayward. Who's this guy?

I'm not telling. No worries all will be revealed soon!

Wayward Sneak Peek #3!!

2008-07-20T22:18:00.004-05:00

Sneaky, VERY Sneaky.

As promised i have returned with another sneak peek from my upcoming comic: WAYWARD. And yes, once again you're just getting a snippet. No worries, once the character design stage is over we'll be releasing the comic's first group images on this site AND deviantart for all to see. But until then, you're just going to have to be patient.

If you're anything like me.... good luck with that. ;p

"WAYWARD" Sneak Peek #2

2008-07-04T16:36:00.002-05:00

Just a Taste!

Here's just a glimpse of what we're working on with WAYWARD. I told you, I am NOT giving up much (as the scripts are still being reworked). But this is what I can offer you this week.

Keep an eye out for our teasers and VIVA WAYWARD!!

Time for: A RANDOM OB-ZURD-vation

2008-07-04T15:54:00.002-05:00

RANDOM OB-ZURD-vation TIME!

Wow it's been a while since i've done one of these. Anyway, with out further delay, i present to you a poster which was hanging by the kindergarten room in a school that i'm working at this summer (i'm a day camp rec. leader). These women aren't working with the program, but the sign by their door SO made me want to meet them and see if anyone else gets it:

and yes i know i've completely geeked out with this one, BEEEDLY BEEEDLY BEEDLY! lol!

To YOU who have Netflix,

2008-07-04T15:13:00.006-05:00

AND NOW FOR A PSA :
To YOU who have Netflix,

I say, "LEARN HOW TO HANDLE A DVD!". I love my Netflix account. Its awesome. The library with which they have is mind boggling and the convenience is wonderful. HOWEVER, there is one ant at this cinema picnic and it's FELLOW SUBSCRIBERS.

Seriously I can't tell you how many times I've received a DVD that's covered in stick, disgusting fingerprints. They vary from 'whoops i bumped my fingers on the bottom of the DVD" to "Heh, i just wiped the DVD along my Butt, Her huh!". Grossness aside, my real complaint is how my 2001 SONY DVD player can't handle reading through a smeared fingerprint (or even a clean print for that matter). She plays fine and if you treat your DVD's as you're suppose to, she's wonderful. I'm not about to buy a new DVD player just to cowtow to the idiots out there that use this service. I realize i can easily grab some rubbing alcohol and (gently) whip it clean with a kleanex, but frankly I'd rather not have to run upstairs open the bathroom cupboard clean the dvd, run back downstairs and then test it to see if THAT works.

What does it do, you ask? Not only do films skip but often they'll freeze or even jump back to the opening credits. I can't tell you how many times I've been engrossed in a film when suddenly POP we're listening to the FOX drum roll.

So please, this is my plea to you who have Netflix. Have a heart and save us all the aggravation. Just follow these quick easy steps when you rent (this goes for Blockbuster or Hollywood video renters too, as i use to work there and have had the Next renter yell at me for something YOU did).

1. Don't touch the DVD until you've AT LEAST wiped your hands on your pants (if you can't be bothered to wash that is).

2. Stick your finger in the hole in the middle (its like a donut. Use that to your advantage)

3. Place the TIPS of you free fingers (remember one is in the donut hole) and lightly hold it by its edges.

4. place it in either your player or the case. DON'T put it on the table. DON"T put it on the floor (this is how they get cracks, scratches and snatched by the family pet).

follow these four steps and i think you'll find that a) good karma is a great thing and b) if more and more of us do this there will be less DVDs out there that are disgusting and skipping.

THANK YOU!

More Signs of Over Crowding on Planet Earth!

2008-06-30T19:17:00.007-05:00

More Signs of Over Crowding
on Planet Earth!

(i.e: this planet is too damn small!)

So once again I'm blogging about my friend Scott Larson's trip to last weekend's Chicago Con. Scott has been kind enough to send me yet another pic that has just knocked me off my feet and made me bust out laughing in my office.

there's a bit of a background to this one that i'm going to try to make MUCH shorter (and hopefully not fail miserably and lose you all). I should start with the fact that i regularly go to my local comic shop, Heroes your Mom Threw Out in Elmira Heights. There i've made friends with a number of my fellow customers (and the shop owner, Jared). One such friend is an Art teacher named Matt. I have one of his works hanging proudly on my fridge (no he's not doing kiddy art, its a magnet lol). Anyway Matt told Jesse and I a few weeks ago about his plans to go to Chicago Con as well. He then divulged that he would be dressing up (something that's called cosplay in some circles) as Marvel's x-man character, Cannonball. Apparently he is friends with a girl who is an amazing seamstress (and fellow cosplayer) and she would be hooking him up with an x-man movie-esk outfit. ** btw after the image i'll have another amusing story about this gal but i don't want to digress more here**

So what do i see tonight as i open the images of Chicago con that Scott sent me? MATT! And of course his merry band of fellow x-man cosplayers:

and might i say that girl's sewing skills are AMAZING. I bow to the master. lol. Brilliant!
very quickly (and in yearbook fashion, l-r, front to back): Charles Xavier, Logan (Wolverine), Rogue, Gambit, Colossus, Cannonball (that's Matt!), Scott (Cyclops), X-23 , Surge (she and X-23 are actually a NEW x-men, but whatever), Emma Frost, Jean Grey, Storm.

There are days that i just want to say screw you bills and run out and buy a bunch of fabric and go nutters so i can join the fun that these guys MUST have had. Hmm but who should i have dressed up as? LOL, i leave that to you guys, feel free to give me suggestions. I"m already considering Dr. Girlfriend for Halloween this year. I just need to start smoking to get her voice. Hmm then again, maybe not.

***and now for the story i promised about the girl that made these costumes. I don't know her name so forgive me for calling her Emma. But that's the character she dresses up as so i'm sure she'll consider it a compliment. Anyway, one Chicago Con my friend Matt's buddy (we'll call him Scott as i don't' know his name either) was dressed as Scott Summers (Cyclops) and walking along, when suddenly someone tapped him on the shoulder. Turning around he came face to face with EMMA. She said "SCOTT?" he laughed and replied "EMMA!" and then they hugged. Nearby fanboys squealled with delight (for those NOT in the know Scott Summers is dating Emma Frost and has been since Jean, died... whichever death that was lol). The rest of the weekend the two cosplayers hung out together. When it was over he asked her out. I believe they've been dating for 3 years now. Possibly more. Or maybe they're married now. My apologies for screwing up that part of the story, either way though, it amuses me greatly. ***

A McKeever Sighting!! And Skottie Young wants to be my friend? cue puzzled look

2008-06-28T22:32:00.004-05:00

A McKeever Sighting!!
And Skottie Young wants to be my friend? *cue puzzled look*

Ok so get this... as many of you know I have a number of sample scripts written and posted online for aspiring artists (its a common thing to) dealing with various established heroes and what not. I'm also a member of comicspace.com. So one day an artist on there by the name of Scott Larson asks if he can draw my Spider Man Love Mary Jane 4pg script.

I should have preface this story by saying I'm a huge fan of Spiderman Loves Mary Jane which was created by Sean McKeever. I'm being a terrible narrator... dammit!

ANYWAY back to the point, of course i told Scott to feel free and draw away (and he did a fabulous job, thanks Scott!). Skip ahead a month or so to this weekend, which was The Chicago Comic Convention and Scott attended (taking his portfolio along for the ride obviously).

Low and behold i get an email from him this morning with the following attachment:

That is SEAN FRICKEN MCKEEVER holding MY SCRIPT, draw by Scott himself. BLOODY BRILLIANT! lol. I squealed like a 15 year old girl (well like MJ after a Spidey sighting to be precise). Then I calmed down in an attempt to NOT appear like a crazy stalker fangirl. I mean no offense Sean, I like you but i'd also like to be your peer someday so probably freaking out in front of the whole world wouldn't be that prudent. Oh screw it, it's FRICKEN COOL! lol!!

And as if that were not enough for a Saturday, I settled down to write this post and lo and behold more strange surprises. I wanted to double check the spelling of McKeever's last name (and was too lazy to get up and look on my bookshelf, wow that's lazy), so I jumped over to Myspace where i have him friended. And what should i see but a friend request waiting, just for me! So i click on if figuring its another hey read my book or watch our band (or one my millions of cousins, as i have many)... but no... it's SKOTTIE YOUNG, a popular artist for Marvel (and others i believe). In particular i liked his New X-men stuff (god i miss that title). What made me laugh was Myspace's generic statement: (name) wants to be your friend! Soooo Skottie Young wants to be my friend??

Color me puzzled because usually you have to friend artists and writers (those who are currently well employed by marvel and dc) first then they add you. They don't hunt you down. And i know for a fact i didn't hunt Skottie down, not that i wouldn't have, had i thought about it. But frankly i roll my eyes at myspace and don't spend a lot of time on there. He'd certainly be on a short list of folks i looked for if i DID surf that site. Maybe he has a search bot that hunts down folks who have marvel listed as "friends", or maybe he actually did find my profile and for some reason decided to friend me. I don't know. Either way, its made the scooby doo mystery fan in me perk up lol.

BUMP!

2008-06-06T09:45:00.004-05:00

BUMP!

HA HA HA, i had to make a quick comment on this. The Obama FIST BUMP (which btw, is called a pound, but okkkk non-hip media) moment has been making news.. blah blah. Whatever. He's hip, move on. What made me laugh and had me going, why had no one said anything about this, is that right after he and his wife "bump fists" as they're putting it, he smacks her butt!

HA HA HA!! seriously, did you just slap your wife's ass on national tv? ROFL! I need to sit down.

wanna see it for yourself, the best video i've found is HERE. You have to skip forward to the 48 second mark (i think). Enjoy.

The Winds of Change are Changin'

2008-06-04T01:00:00.004-05:00

The Winds of Change are Changin'

- Unicorn vs Narwhal

Ok so today I guess i can finally say, hey look at that we might have our first black nominee! Which is cool, i'm all for it. I try not to talk politics on my blog (it upsets folks and such), but i have to say good god, what a campaign. BLEGH. I was so sick of it, i actually stopped watching the nightly news for the last month or so (i've been using yahoo to get my headlines). And as many of you know i adore Brian Williams so I've been having withdrawl lol.

BUT ANYWAY i'm seriously derailing here. Anyway i just thought i'd toss out a funny reason for why i didn't want Hilary to be the nominee. Simply put, it would validate Sylvia Brown.

What the heck am i talking about?? Who is Sylvia Brown. Ok quick catch up time:

Sylvia Brown, crazy lady psychic from Montel (if you don't know who Montel is, you're either a) foreign or b) been able to hide from society better than I, cuz i wish i didn't know. But think male Oprah). Anyway for years he's had Sylvia Brown Day. Basically he brings in this woman who thinks she's psychic (mind you there's a TONE of stuff out there on the net proving how wrong she is most of the time) and at the end of the show Montel likes to ask her predictions for the world (as opposed to his studio audience).

And now my point: One time long long ago when young ielle was in college (hey i'm not THAT old) Sylvia Brown claimed that Bill Clinton would get back into the white house. I, being a Clinton supporter (what english major doesn't love a guy that can argue over how the word IS is used in a sentence!) went, whhhhaaa? How, he's done two terms. Of course Montel asked this question. Sylvia's response was, Oh i donno. But he'll be back, maybe they'll fix it so you can do more terms or maybe, just maybe he'll be the first male first lady (or gentleman whatever).

So years go by and I'm like phew... so far that hasn't come true. Then Hilary declared her intentions to run for the presidency. I went BAH!!!!! NOOOOOO. As you'll remember, she was considered a shoo-in when this mess first began. I found myself going NOOOOO, NOOO don't validate the crazy lady!

Well thankfully it looks as though I'm safe. however i'm sure Sylvia will cling to the vice president loop hole... i didn't say HOW he'd be back in the house. the VP is still "IN" and blather blather blather. But for me, she's WRONG once again. And i can breathe easy knowing she's a nutter (mainly because you should hear the other crap she's predicted).

wanna know more crazy crap about this lady... go here. I'm done with her. HOORAY!

2008-06-03T02:09:00.005-05:00

Wait, i UPDATED something?
quick, slap me to make sure this is real.

It is truly amazing what can be done when one has the time to do STUFF. I finished another sample script for artists today (a DC script for those of you who were teasing me about only offering Marvel stuff. See, i do so read DC and know the characters, so there... uh this is where i stick my tongue out at you all lol).

Anyway, while posting the script i decided to give my database a face lift so please take a moment and check it out. Let me know whatcha think! Oh and be aware its still under construction. I'm currently trying to figure out why it won't redirect back to this page AND what's up with the stupid yellow and teal font. BLEH. I think i'll have to send my html woes to a higher force (Juuuullllieeee help!!! lol). But i'm going to give it one more valiant effort before whimpering off to tend to my cyber wounds.

So what's next on my list? Well i'm still working on my webcomic (i have pages due tomorrow actually), I plan to do some reviewing here on the site again and ummmm I guess that's it for now. I'm on a 4 week break between jobs and i'm hoping to enjoy it!

2008-06-02T15:13:00.004-05:00

Have you HUGGED
a writer today?

Hey gang, a few of us writers at uggabugga.net have started a scriptwriting contest. Kinda like the one they have on Penciljack. The difference is we're ENCOURAGING our writers to put out ESTABLISHED super hero shorts; whereas PJ encourages their writers to do original stories (which is fine of course). Our plan however, is to put them all into an uggabugga database of short sample scripts for artists. This way any of the uggabugga artists, or you artists who visit my blog can use our work for possible submissions.

Our artists do so much for us at uggabugga (and for free) the least we writers can do is help build up their portfolios with possible sample scripts for submissions (and in the process flex our writer muscles)

Obviously we'd love your support, you don't have to be an uggabugga member (although membership is FREE and the website is a fun place to frequent). Please stop by and vote on our latest submissions (we have 3 entries, 8pgs each) the winner gets boasting rights, that's about it. But its all in good fun. So please come on by and share the love

oh yeah did i mention that I am one of the folks who submitted? Lol. Oh and one last thing, poll closes a week from today, but we'll have a new contest starting soon.

thanks for any support you can offer!

2008-04-28T19:40:00.005-05:00

Ielle: Slayer of Wasps

I just want it know that I--- AM BADASS

I have just taken out a wasp nest with a broom by my one-ses (OK it was a wasp on a starter nest, but do not diminish my glory).

We also won't mention the crazy duck and scramble (hey at least i didn't scream like a girl) that i did away from my patio and out into the communal lawn of my apartment complex (I'm sure my neighbors... if they had managed to pull themselves away from their TVs... were highly amused).

Nonetheless.... I AM BADASS.

That is all.

2008-04-26T09:54:00.008-05:00

I have returned!

Like MacArthur... although slightly less armed.

Hey gang, I shall have a new review for you soon until then amuse yourself with this little waste of time:

I stole this from D.

1. Pick 10 of your favourite movies.
2. Go to IMDb and find a quote from each movie.
3. Post them here for everyone to guess.
4. Strike it out when someone guesses correctly, and put who guessed it and the movie.
5. NO GOOGLING/using IMDb search or other search functions.

So here's what I've picked. Let me know what you think they are and I'll give ya all credit! (whoo credit, exciting). No cheating, cheater mcCheet-Cheets.

1. Anyway, by now you may wonder how I wound up here. Or, maybe not. Maybe you wonder how silly putty picks shit up from comic books. The point is, I don't see another Goddamn narrator, so pipe down. - Robert Downey Jr in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, finally uncovered by Julie many hours later. lol!

2. Fuck me, Gene. I fuckin' hope not. Are you trying to scare the shit out of me? I mean, I fucking hate guns - Although that one is really pretty. What is that, Second World War?

3. God's a kid with an ant farm, lady. He's not planning anything. - Constantine, bravo Julie!

4. I would die for her. I would kill for her. Either way, what bliss.

5. Bunch of slack-jawed f**** around here. This stuff will make you a god damned sexual Tyrannosaurus, just like me. - Predator - Bryon, all the way from afghanistan (via Julie, via AIM).

6. New Mother: Is it a boy or a girl?
Obstetrician: I think it's a bit early to start imposing roles on it, don't you? - Monty Python The Meaning of Life -- congrats to Julie on that.

7. If there's anything around here more important than my ego, I want it caught and shot now! - Zaphod from Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Julie (after some hints)

8. Randy lay there like a slug! It was his only defense! - A Christmas Story - Bryon nails it again!

9. Hey, bub, I'm not finished with you yet. - X-men I, again guessed by Julie

10. Let's be honest, this isn't the worst thing you've caught me doing. - Iron Man, Julie Knocks another outta the park!

*OH and toss your guesses in the shoutout board, i'll transfer them to the post.

2008-03-30T16:06:00.001-05:00

Out of the office...

My apologies for not updating the blog for a bit. I've been busy at work but even more recently my family has experienced a horrible tragedy. My Aunt Margie (my father's brother's wife) died of a sudden aneurysm at the young age of 67. She was fine, enjoying a family card game, then suddenly grabbed her head and collapsed. They had her come to when she was hit by a second aneurysm. She passed away officially yesterday.

So, i will be with my family this week, but after that i should be back and raring to go on the pages. Apologies for letting my real world job pulling away my attention and letting my work here suffer. I guess if there's one thing this tragedy has taught me its do everything you can now cuz you seriously never know what will happen. She was healthy as a horse, a big walk for you healthy type of person who enjoyed golfing. Its certainly and understatement to say that i'm still shellshocked. Anyway, thanks for understanding and i'll be back to pester you all soon, promise! :)

2008-01-23T09:30:00.000-05:00

WOW!

So the webcomic i work for, Awesome Storm Justice 41 is being optioned into a portable game. I'm not sure what the heck that means (as i don't speak gamer) but wow! I'm all proud and stuff (not that i had much to do with it lol). Its still in early development stages, but it's looking good and I'm all excited. SWEET. You can check out the announcement here

2008-01-21T23:44:00.000-05:00

Oh Procrastination,

there you are!

this is what happens when you're just burnt out from a busy day at the office....

you make banners for the comicbook website you work for.

Mind you i did NOT draw these, i DID add effects, clothing (except Firestar, Loston Wallace created her monkey design) and such. I have to say, they amuse ME anyway. I guess that's enough lol.

2008-01-10T23:27:00.000-05:00

ATTENTION, ATTENTION!

production on WAYWARD is back up and running. Full production is slated for March '08 in hopes of publishing by my b-day (September 4th). We shall see if THIS deadline sticks.

that is all. *cue M*A*S*H PA box static*

2008-01-02T00:15:00.000-05:00

That's it!

Ok, so I'm stuck in the mud lately with my latest comic: WAYWARD. Other than wanting to rip my own hair out bit by bit, little work as been done on this project lately. I can point fingers at my job and my pets for distracting me, but that would be a cop out (and frankly my little girls are just too cute to blame) SO this is me, taking responsibility. I'm owning up to being an unmotivated brat lately and I'm not going to take it anymore.

So i state this now publicly... i am now shooting for the end of February for the completion of the first issue script. Check back with me then, if I'm not there (or well on my way, as life happens when one least expects it). I give you all full permission to beat me with a herring.

GARH!

2007-12-20T10:44:00.001-05:00

Thank God that's over,

And now for something
completely different...
More reviews.

Well that's one semester down 2 to go in the merry ol' college that i work for. I have to say it was a short term, but i think we did ok. Needless to say that last two weeks were a whirlwind hellish nightmare, but i got there. So now i can FINALLY get back to the task of doing some reviews around this joint (about time!)

So, enough of this gay banter (can you still say that in PC America?)... to the reviews i say!

We're going to change up things just a hair here at Ob-zurd thoughts. I figure this way we'll have a review suited to every type of media hound. First up a review of a new title which is currently only being sold in Single Issues:

SIMON DARK (DC. Written by Steve Niles; Art and Cover by Scott Hampton. Issues 1-3 are currently available)

Art: B
Script: B-
Overall: B-

What can one say about Simon Dark?
Well.... first they could say *cough*the Crow/edward Scissorhands*cough*.
Then they could say *cough*light box*cough*

All right, all right. I understand that this comic is intended to be edgy and dark (translate that to EMO *cough*... there's that cold of mine again). And i have given it a few chances now (I'm up to issue 3 and have yet to find myself going... whoo i must read more of this). Sadly this comic has a lot of problems that really are not its fault.

#1: Cliche, cliche Cliche. This story is SOOOO not new. Simon, is a "protector" for a notoriously bad neighborhood in Gotham City. A "bogeyman", if you will (wha... a bogeyman you say? I've never heard of those kinds of ghosts protecting towns.. NEVER). He's shy and easily hurt. He doesn't remember where he came from and he seems to be undead. As i read this i couldn't help but wonder if he gave good haircuts (Tim Burton, i know some lawyers. If you need any help let me know).

So ok, i get it. We're the umpteeth generation of humans and thus you're bound to run into repetition. That's fine. But at least have the decency to make your secondary plot a mite interesting. *sigh*... well I'm sure you can guess from the tone of most of my review here that, nope that doesn't happen hear either. Instead we get: Cop hits on pretty CSI girl, tells her dirty jokes, hits on her constantly, asks her out. She flirts politely back but proves that she has no interest in him... snnnnoooree. I've heard these words a million times before. It annoyed me back when Ricky Schroeder's character did it to his female coworker on NYPD Blue, it annoys me now.

But you know I can forgive a lot for art.

Problem #2... The art.

Ok it may not be from a light box. For those of you unfamiliar with a light box, picture a big desk. Now picture it having frosted glass for a table top and giant light underneath. TADA... light box. When you place a picture on a light box and put paper over it, more times than not you can trace the image. I would like to say comic artists don't do this. They're far too talented.

*sigh*

I'd like to say that. But many do. Do i believe Simon Dark is traced? Mmmmehhh, nah. I don't think so. However I think the style they're currently working with makes it look as though it was traced. The inks are strange and often the images seem flat, almost 2 dimensional (which is the only reason why i DO NOT think they were light-boxed). What they end up with is a comic that looks as though an angry teenager cut a bunch of magazines and glued them into a scrap book. The best example of this is in issue 3 when Simon is coming through a window to help a young woman... he body does not bend to allow him to clear the window. In fact unless the window is paper thin there is no way ANYONE could fit through a window in that manner, even if they're on the 1st floor.

So long story longer, I'm not impressed DC. You have me with Green Arrow and Black Canary. You had me with Speeding Bullets (a great what if like story). But this comic is just sub-par. I'll give you 2 more issues. After that... I'm done with ya.

Ok, Onward to happier topics, Our weekly INDY Pic (ok it's semi-indy this week. Stupid DC, thinks it has to own a bit of everything grrr! lol!):

Re-Gifters (Minx/DC Comics. Written by Mike Carey; Penciled by Sonny Liew and Inked by Marc Hempel)

Art: A
Script: A-
Overall: A-

I have to admit, a title of a book/comic book/film/show is almost always what draws me in first. This was certainly the case with Carey's Re-Gifters.

If you're looking for American Manga like charm, this is certainly a book for you. It's not so Manga that you want to scream at the dueling furry creatures with the giant "please luv me" eyeballs and run away in your school girl outfit to your giant flying robot so you can mope about how you can't get your chi to properly form a double dragon tail mumbojumbo punch. But it's not superheroes with big boobs in tights either.

It's high school drama. And if you like that (and martial arts, as this revolves around a Korean martial arts student) then re-gifters is for you.

The story is good (again a tad predictable so it very nearly became subject to the rant my Simon Dark review became lol!). BUT, I think it makes up for it with entertaining characters, interesting facts about 1st and 2nd generation Koreans living in Los Angeles and of course, martial arts. The dialogue is splendid. Carey does a wonderful job writing as a 16 year old girl full of teen angst and pride for her family's traditions. Even the LA gangster kids in this comic are fleshed out so that they become more than they seem. Thankfully there are few two dimensional characters here. That means a lot to me. I enjoy a character i can get behind and root for.

Think of it this way, if you enjoyed Spiderman loves Mary Jane by Sean McKeever. You'll love Re-Gifters.

Finally today, some quick Film Reviews:

On DVD:

SUNSHINE (2007, Dir. Danny Boyle. Starring Michelle Yeoh, Cillian Murphy, Chris Evans, Rose Byrne, and Hiroyuki Sanada. Releases Jan 8)

Cinematography: A
Script: A
Acting: A
Overall: Big fat A

I cannot say ENOUGH about Danny Boyle's underrated SUNSHINE. I had the pleasure of catching this recently and WOW.

Ok some quick warnings. if you are not a scifi junkie, then this is not for you. If you can't handle a little gore (not too much, but some), this is not for you. If you can't don't enjoy staring at girlly Cillian Murphy, *fill in the blank*.

I for one can (although i cannot help but wonder if Cillian would look better in a dress than myself. My lord that boy has such dainty lips!).

Plot Rundown Time: Our sun is dying and sadly Al Gore isn't here to jump start it with a hybrid Toyota. SO they send a team of scientists up with a type of nuclear bomb. The idea is shoot it into the heart of the sun and set it off. Think of it as a giant defibrillator (you know the paddle things they bust out in EVERY episode of ER and scream "CLEAR"). Well the first team fails and is never heard of again. So earth (still freaking out that it's all about to end) sends up another team (Murphy and company). All goes well until they hear a distress signal from the old group and decide to go off course and see what's up.

Plot rundown over, i refuse to give up what happens next. Lets just say... things go sideways (as i'm sure you already figured out on your own).

This was such a sleeper film. It never graced my local theater's doors (which isn't a shock, most of the good stuff gets cast aside for the likes of Shrek 3 and/or my super ex-girlfriend..GAG!). However, its certainly worth the DVD rental (or Netflicks... or however you want to obtain it. I know noth-think!).

Of course the acting was superb (who knew Chris Evans could play a character that isn't hitting on ladies and going "FLAME ON!"). The cast was very diverse. In fact i nearly fell out of my chair when i realized that my favorite character from Ringu (the Japanese Ring) was in the film (that would be the psychic father character who bites it in his house when Sadako comes charging through his TV. I really don't understand why people don't leave the house in those films). Michelle Yeoh is my hero, so that made me happy and i was pleasantly surprised with Rose Byrne, i hope to see more of her.

All in all, a grade A show. I don't want to talk it up too much more. Sometimes going into a film with medium to low expectations makes it better.

In Theaters now:

I am Legend (Will Smith... nuff said)

Cinematography: A
Script: A
Acting: A
Overall: Big fat A

I just saw this Tuesday afternoon with Jesse and I'm STILL thinking about this film. In my mind, that is a great indicator as to how good a film is AND what kind of lasting effect it will have.

I refuse to say much about this film because its best seen with a clear head. Better to go in knowing that he's the last man on earth. That's it. The CGI was great, the impact was strong. Honestly he he doesn't got some sort of crazy golden globes nod for this, I'll slap the nomination committee silly with the DVD case.

** Now as my parting gift to you I give you this thing to marvel at:

It has been announced that not only will a 3rd mummy movie be coming out but Rachel Weisz will NOT be in it. Ok.... that's disappointing but fine.

Did they kill her off? God i wish they had. No, Evey is now being portrayed by Maria Bello.

SAY WHHA!!! ugh.
Well, that's not even worth the Netflix cue.

2007-12-10T16:39:00.000-05:00

Heroes Your Mom Threw Out
Art Show '07

I keep meaning to put these up and since I'm apparently procrastinating the grading of today's portfolio pile, here's more stuff to entertain you all.

On Oct 20, 2007 the comic shop, Heroes Your Mom Threw Out held a local talent art show called "not for the art crowd". I have to say, i had a lot of fun at this event. First of all, it was the only art show (other than my senior art show in high school) that i have had the pleasure to be part of.

Of course I'm a writer, but i do enjoy doodling from time to time. When the owner, Jared asked if i would be interested in entering some pieces i have to say, i found myself really inspired. Within 72 hours i had pumped out 3 pieces and was ready to present.

That night i wasn't sure what to expect, obviously there were going to be many artists with much greater talents than my own. However, i was pleased to find that everyone was really friendly. Some co-workers came out to support me and i was able to meet some really cool people (One of which was the local children's author Ted Arnold!).

Anyway long story short, it was a blast and I'm looking forward to Jared throwing another art show in the future (which he plans to... last i heard).

2007-12-10T16:05:00.000-05:00

Oh, the Cuteness!

Everyone please give a warm welcome to the newest member of my family, Maylee.

She's adorable and soooo tiny (half the size of her older sisters, Maude and Mazzi). The girls are doing well. Mazzi has gone into mommy mode and grooms her new little cage mate all the time. Maud on the other hand is not so happy with mom (me) right now. She's started a number of fights with the noob, and well Maylee fights back, so Maud doesn't know what to make of her. I'm hoping this will blow over soon. I'm getting tired of having to feed Maylee on the sly due to Maud's greediness.

2007-12-04T13:10:00.000-05:00

Women In Fridges

Never Go Stale?

Ok, so today one of my co-workers (a fellow comicbook fan) showed me Gail Simone's 1999 blog about Women in Fridges. I know, she wrote the piece 8 or some odd years ago (nearly 9), but like Gail, I can't shake this topic.

I am sure that for those of you who have not seen Gail Simone's original story, it all sounds odd. Women in refrigerators?? Time for a Quick cliffnote: The term refers to the brutal treatment of female superheroes and/or the girlfriends of superheros (Be it death, torture, rape whatever) using an incident which happen to Green Lantern, Kyle Rayner's girlfriend. Apparently he returned home to find a his girl cut up and shoved into the fridge.

Lovely.

ANYWAY, Gail's complaint (well comment, not so much a HUGE gripe. Just a query really) was (and i paraphrase here): what is up with women in comics being treated like crap? The way they die, is rarely as honorable and noble as the way the male characters kick it. Often they are "inevitably being killed, maimed or depowered" (Simone).

Now I'm not going to argue with Gail Simone. She's a great writer and i enjoy her Gen 13 (and have just recently gone back to my roots, Wonder Woman... sweet lord it's been nearly 25 years!... thanks to her). She is right, women die HORRIBLY. BUT, it has been MY experience that in comics, EVERYONE dies horribly. After all, it's a comic book. They're practically soap operas.

Girls get stabbed, guys get stabbed. Girls get raped... well so far we've yet to see that in the male department... ok I'll agree there. Personally, I believe writers have grabbed onto the rape and or/abuse storyline simply because it is easy. I don't feel that it is meant to be a slap against women (no pun intended). Instead it's more of a cop-out. Such writers cannot think of a better (or a quicker) way to illicit sympathy from their readers and so they go...."uuuuhh and then he comes at her suggestively!"

Every year I tell my creative writing students, "If you want to make a character evil, have him kick a dog, child and/or a woman." But of course I warn that that this is NOT a good plot device. In fact it's a horrible cliche, BUT it works every time. So perhaps we should look at the raping/abusing of comic heroines as simply bad writers taking the easy way out and shake our heads at them in pity.

Obviously Gail was writing 8 years ago and since then much has changed. The treatment of women, IMO, has become less cliche. We have many prominent teams run by women such as: Heroes for Hire (Misty and Colleen), The New X-men (Surge), The Mighty Avengers (Ms. Marvel), and The Thunderbolts (Songbird or is the blond bitch... i get confused). Certainly we continue to have female heroes losing powers and being paralyzed, but honestly i think such instances are used now to enhance the characters' storylines. You can only watch Batgirl pounce on a prowler so many times. Now that she's in charge of her own little team, her character has been refreshed. I'm sure that in time the wheelchair idea will grow old and they'll find some miracle way to let her escape the chair. Until then we should remember that even BATMAN was tossed in a chair, crippled and escaped to fight again. How is her problem any different than his?

I guess I'm directing this towards many of the women who continue to be angry at comics and use this fridge idea as a their main complaint. All of these things (loss of powers, beatings) happens to both sexes people. Granted the men might go out in a more noble way (Bab's Gordon was shot point blank and never stood a chance, while batman had his back broken in a fight with Bane)... but that's comics for ya. I'm happy to say that in the 8 years SINCE Gail penned her complain, more girls have begun writing. This is the REAL way to let our voices be heard. While men like Bendis did a GREAT job creating females such as Jessica Jones; perhaps its time now for use to show the men what it really means to be a girl superhero. Gail Simone has now penned Birds of Prey (featuring a wheel chair bound Babs Gordon) AND Wonder Woman. She's decided to step forward and make our presence known and i for one am excited about that.

With that said, lets not get too angry at the our male writer counterparts for chopping up the ladies and putting em in the fridges. I've killed my own female characters just to get the plot going. This doesn't mean i lacked respect for them... far from actually. It simply meant that I felt it was time for a change.

2007-11-02T07:26:00.000-05:00

Wow now I HAVE to be good.

This week I was asked, how often to you do comic reviews on your blog. My answer: "uhhhhh donno, when i get around to it?"

BUT I've been given a great opportunity through my local comic book shop (Heroes your Mom Threw Out) to be placed as a link on their homepage for comic reviews and now I have a goal.

So here's my announcement: I, Ielle Palmer, will not be attempting to do a weekly comic review (and i might toss in a regular book, a TV show or a film for fun as well). Of course I'm going to admit it now, there will be weeks that this is just not possible and i'll announce them ahead of time (i can already tell you that around December 7-14 i'm going to be running about work like a mad little rabbit, so there's no way I'll have time then. Hell, I'll be happy if i see a comic during that week).

Anyway without further adieu, lets kick this new weekly comic/book/show/film review off right and start talking about what we all love (I'm assuming if you're here you love em too), comics!

Black Canary, Green Arrow Wedding Special (and Issue #1 of Black Canary Green Arrow):

Art: A
Script: A-
Overall Grade: A-

Alright, i realize these came out a few weeks ago, but i honestly believe they are worth the time to talk about (and since Issue #2 will be coming out soon, isn't NOW a good time to tell you that you need to hunt down #1 and start reading this title?).

I'm sure many of you are saying, UGH typical girl... weddings. For those of you rolling your eyes right now, please don't misunderstand me. I enjoy a good Lex Luther global domination, werewolf, zombie rampage as much as the next comic fan but sometimes a wedding can be a good time too. This is the case with the BC/GA wedding (In reality only 3 pages or so were dedicated to the actual wedding). But this is NOT why i think you should check it out. No, you need to read this for the ending.

Yes, the last few pages of this came so out of nowhere that i found myself flipping around to see if i was missing a page. After realizing that i wasn't completely going crazy, i had to chuckle, Judd Winick you magnificent bastard, i think i love you. Talk about balls. I'm sure there were many fans who were angry over the end and eager to see where the next comic would lead them.

But what really makes this issue worth the buy, is levity. For once we get to see our heroes celebrating and not being trapped in an constant over dramatic struggle to save the universe (although i enjoy that as well). Winick's use of dialogue was brilliant. He understands many of these characters and even likes to toss in random things that you'd never think you'd hear from your heroes and yet when you do... HA, hilarity (i.e. Zantana telling a male stripper to "take it off!" in magic. Finally one of her silly spells that i didn't feel bored after taking the time to read outloud).

Of course the art in this issue is jawdroppingly gorgeous. Amanda Conner does her usual drawing like-she-sold-her-soul-to-the-devil trick. I envy that woman. I loved her work in The Pro (see previous review). She can draw expressions like nobody's business and her talents do not fail her here. She is quickly becoming a favorite of mine, i might have to wander a bit longer in the store next Wednesday to see what old stuff of her's is laying about.

There are a few things to be wary about here though depending on what you look for in a comic:

#1. some fans are railing against how Green Arrow appears. They say he's out of character and so forth. I won't lie, I'm a Marvel Zombie for the most part, so i can't 100% agree or disagree with that claim. All i can say is whatever Green Arrow Winick has created is fine by me. He seems realistic, charming and entertaining. That's all I ask of my heroes.

#2. the wedding dress scares me, but I'm sure some out there are still panting over it. It's not G-rated. The honeymoon outfit is a bit... well it's a honeymoon outfit. There is a lot of sexual situations and innuendo. So if you dislike that sort of thing, you may want to give this a pass.

#3. there's a stabbing, so you have been forwarned.

With that said, the Wedding Special is an important issue if you want to jump onto the new Black Canary/Green Arrow title. Sadly i can't say much about the first issue, other than it's good and has me on the edge of my seat. By telling you more I'll be ruining the end of the wedding special. Here is what i can say about it:

- Batman
- Amazons
- Conspiracies
- Great Art
- Again AMAZING dialogue and plot.

What more can a DC fan (or non DC fan) ask for?
Overall Grade: A (even better than the wedding special)
DEFINITELY CHECK THIS OUT!

And Last but no least this week... Ielle's Fast-Views
(what i do when i'm in a hurry but really want to give a shout out to some great stuff out there).

FILMS:

There is almost NOTHING good out in the theaters. I do want to see 30 days of night and when i do, i promise to review that here. But until then, its DVDs this week. Here's this week's quick picks of what to check out if you get a chance:

- Deja Vu. As Luke Cage says..."Sweet Christmas!". What is it with Denzel Washington and random sci-fi esq films that don't make it in the theater but do amazing once they get to dvd? Well, just chuck this one up there with Man on fire and Fallen. It's a keeper.

-Dr. Strange. Marvel's animation studios does it again. Interesting storyline. Dr. Strange is cool (and doesn't completely fall into the cliche hoary hosts of alliteration THAT much). If you liked Vaughn's "THE OATH" series of Dr. Strange, I'm sure you'll find yourself pleased with this version.

TV:
- Heroes. If you're not watching it, i shall slap you. Then I shall slap you again. WATCH THIS SHOW. Thus far only the truly anal retentive of fanboys have hated this show. The writing is decent (although i continually laugh at how the writers think they've come up with a new power only to find out in interviews with places like say... wizard, that Marvel and DC have been there done that... the new black girl (who i adore and need to learn the name of) is SO Taskmaster. But i love that power so bravo!). Also the cheesy taglines (save the cheerleader) are thus far this season MIA.

- Reaper. I have watched a total of 2 episodes of this, so perhaps it has tanked or been taking off air, but I really hope not. Basically it's Ghostbusters meets Bedazzled meets something by Kevin Smith. It's lighthearted and doesn't take itself seriously at all. But hey if you don't mind two guys working at a home depot fighting the forces of evil FOR the devil (apparently souls have been escaping hell); AND you can laugh at the fact that the lead (a male BUFFY if you will) is given a dustbuster and other equally moronic devices to capture the souls with simply because that's all Satan thinks he can handle, you'll enjoy this show. So it sounds stupid, so does Buffy on paper.

- 30 Rock. When i grow up i want to be Tina Fey. Nuff said.

ok maybe not, add in Alec Baldwin (DYNNNOMITE!). Crazy things that could only happen to Tina (have you seen her American Express ad? Sheer brilliance). And seeing a comedy about the backstage life of a show like SNL, that's just great. Last week's "Page-OFF" was wonderful. And you got to love a girl that writes "BY THE HAMMER OF THOR!" into the script. God i love her.

Well that's it for now. I'm going to go collapse under a pile of papers that need correcting. Hope you all enjoy the picks. I'll be here all week. Feel free to drop me a line. :)

2007-10-11T14:20:00.000-05:00

Today's SPECIAL Message:

- that is all.

2007-09-30T09:00:00.000-05:00

What...you want a REVIEW?

Ok, ok!

So I have been off doing research lately and reading until my eyeballs decided to drip from their sockets (it's not a pleasant experience and it requires like 3 or 4 naps to put things right again).

But i have finally returned to do a REVIEW! So, lets cut the crap and get going here, right?

So many things fell into my lap this month, the amount of comics i bought and/or read astounds me and yet out of that giant pile only 3 really keep calling back to me. The first of which being a DC title (what you say, but, but you're a marvel zombie, Ielle!) Yes its true, i do prefer the world of marvel, BUT i enjoy certain members of the DC family (my first comic was a '78 trilogy of Wonder Woman losing her title). Plus as a writer you have to be open to everything and anything out there if you want to work. I am currently enjoying the green lantern corps stuff, the green arrow/black canary wedding special (which is a blast), teen titans (had to follow my man McKeever over) and i was reading the Brave and Bold, but now that the storyline i was following ended, I'll probably take that out of my pull list. So you know me reading DC isn't THAT shocking. What is shocking, is that i actually enjoyed a Superman title recently.

Ok so I'm not the man of steel's biggest fan. He's too boyscout for me (ielle likes her men flawed folks... bring on the wolverine! lol). BUT i do LOVE Josh Middleton. His art always makes me want to cry. I donno what it's about, but something about the eyes. His art just looks so... touching? I want to cry with the characters when they are sad, simply because of the expression on their faces and the watering in their eyes (oh man I'm a softy for people when their eyes tear up. Thank god i can put that aside for students when they crack over grades and remain firm).

So when i saw that Middleton had done Superman/Shazam First Thunder written by Judd Winick i went... "What! Oh this is sooo MINE!" I was digging through a quarter bin and found 2 issues of the 4 part mini (happily Jared, my comic dealer had the other 2). Talk about a story! So well written, so well drawn. I nearly wept... wait i might have actually cried on this one. Last night i finished up the final issue and put it down with a tear in my eye, that's for sure.

Superman actually seemed real and truly caring (as opposed to just being the nice guy because that's his job). Poor Billy Batson, Shazam's alter ego, was so sympathetic. The story made me want to look up more Shazam titles. Sadly i since have and i hate to say it, but I'm not as impressed. Other issues with other writers have made Shazam TOO hokey. I realize he's suppose to be a bit of a joke, but come on. Talking tigers, mystery twin sisters... SNNNNORE. The story of a homeless boy who has had these powers bestowed on him and quickly finds out that being a superhero isn't just about brawn or even brains. It's about choices and being an adult -- THAT story is great. Sadly it's lost elsewhere.

Art wise, this is a masterpiece (but in my opinion everything Middleton does is a masterpiece). The colors are just right, not too dull and dark. yet they're not the usual bright blow your eyes out primary color you associate with Superman or Shazam. Some how this subtle hue gives the entire mini a very subdued feeling.

Dialogue wise, you can't get much better. The comic medium as a whole often has very stilting dialogue. We only have so much room to fit so much information. Between witty banter, and exposition to keep the plot racing along, you find yourself at wit's end trying to make it all sound natural. In this case, they succeed. Each character has their own voice (yet another tricky thing to do). There are a few writers out there who have mastered it (Whedon, Vaughn, Bendis, Simone, Ellis). I will certainly have too hunt down more of Winick's work to see if his great dialogue continues. This was my first experience with him, but i have heard good things. If his dialogue and storylines are as great as this mini, I'll certainly be chasing his work too.

One last bit on this mini. I just wanted to share the pivotal "win me over" moment which came for me in the last issue (granted i had been mostly won over during issue 1, but this sealed the deal) when Supes finds Shazam alone and very much acting like young Billie. I won't ruin it for you, but I've scanned the exchange that affected me the most. I won't tell you how Shazam got this way or what Supes does to rectify the situation. What i will say is that it was touching and I wish more stuff got to me as this comic did.

Well played DC... You may be pulling me more your direction after all!!

Now onward to a current series: X-men First Class.

Ok so it's yet ANOTHER X-men title. And I as a marvel zombie openly admit that Marvel needs to STOP with the over-saturation of their titles. Do we really need 70 Spidermans (er perhaps in that case it would be considered SpiderMEN). The same goes for X-men. Uncanny X-men, Astonishing X-men, X-Men, New X-men, X-Factor (the last two i do enjoy though). With that said, they need to KEEP X-Men first class. They should dump uncanny, the stories are stiff and stupid. X-Men has been offering a decent storyline lately, but frankly even it's getting old. New X-men on the other hand has remained fresh. Frankly i think what many writers don't realize is that the X-men is about more than just Mutants vs Human (which is important don't misunderstand me) but it's about STUDENTS. Whedon understands this in Astonishing X-men. He at least remembers that the team has a school it's attached to and revisits from time to time (and occasionally will add a new student to the active team). New X-men is completely involved in the school and its students but of course isn't afraid to just start knocking off kids and dealing with tough racial issues (thus what makes it great... btw this past weeks issue of Wolverine saying "F-ing Unicorns" was priceless. You have to see it for yourself)... BUT I DIGRESS... X-men FIRST CLASS is wonderful.

It's a decent story for teens, but entertaining for adults too (i'd avoid letting anyone under 10 have it but hey that's up to your parenting style). My best comparison for this title is Marvel's Spiderman Love Mary Jane. It's serious at times, but lighthearted overall.

The story revolves around the original team (Jean... my god she's ALIVE!!, Scott, Bobby, Warren and Hank). There's no wolverine (for those of you you can't stand that he's on EVERY team, go read First Class and have a Wolvie Reprieve). No Storm, no nobody. This isn't to say we don't see folks. Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver, Sue Storm and others have already made appearances.

The best part about this comic is that it avoids the heavy handedness that much of the x-world has become. We get fun stories (while occasionally dark) and entertaining heroes. The interaction between the team is that of a true family. We haven't gotten into the whole who slept with whom crap, now i hate you, stabbity, stabbity that the other titles have become. Not to say that those can't be fun too, but sometimes you just need a breather. Give it a chance, you may find that you too are amused.

Finally, I've brought you all a trade (a CHEAP trade) which you may not want to miss... THE PRO.

Ok, so quick disclaimer... this is NOT for kids. This isn't for a few of my friends in fact. Julie don't read this. You'll love Shazam, you'll adore x-men first class, but this is "SO NOT A JULIE MOVIE"...er Comic.

The pro is hilarious, and dark. It's Garth Ennis at his best (er worst?). Ok if you don't know Garth Ennis i'll sum his work up = gore, guts, swearing, shocking, perverted UNCENSORED.

If you can handle that and you like a good poke at your childhood heroes (batman, supe, wonder woman. Well actually the whole damn justice league) then you'll love the pro.

Quick summary, A prostitute gets powers from space aliens (don't we all?) and gets asked to join Ennis's version of the justice league. Showing them what goodie two shoes they all are, she's basically our cynical adult self accosting our inner child with an object that one might find in those "stores" you see along the highways. Its not pretty but damn it was funny. I particularly enjoyed the superman clone, The Saint. I nearly fell off the couch laughing at his dialogue. It's SOOO how i perceive Superman these days. the rest of the team (and their names which are wonderful!) just follows suit. Ennis knew exactly how to mock each one and i tip my hat to him. He too is on my list for great realistic dialogue and if you think you can handle the gore and the sexual (screw innuendo he goes for the full monty) scenarios, then I'd say the Pro is for you.

One last story on the pro, I found a costume webpage on comicspace of Ruby Rocket, a model and seamstress. Apparently she goes to all the comic cons and dresses up (I guess she gets paid to do this, well she's drop dead gorgeous so i can see why they'd pay (i'm not insanely jealous or anything, lol) I mean you have to counteract all the old, overweight, balding men and women who have squeezed themselves in to spandex just for the show somehow). On it she had a pic of herself as the Pro. I thought she made it up, and was shocked when i found the trade at my comic shop. I have to say, she's got the costume dead on. Here's a link for those of you out there that i KNOW will be pestering me for it, if i don't post it now. Enjoy!

2007-09-30T08:00:00.001-05:00

You and Me Printer, One of These Days...!

I have to say it's been an eventful week around these parts. Busting out papers and getting them back to my students asap (so proud of myself there), trying to switch my rats onto a proper diet (only to find that now the OTHER rat, Maud may be having a sneezing reaction to the NEW food... good grief i can't win) and going to my comic book haunt only to find that the Ithaca mini-con was moved up from like February to THIS WEEKEND!!

Sooo Jesse and i hopped into the car as fast as we could after this Saturday's class. The campus Fair was the same day so of course i insisted on running about looking at stuff (honestly last year's event was better, but that's another story). But here is where the REAL chaos erupted from.

Jared told us Wednesday that the mini-con had managed to snag an editor from Vertigo who was going to be there to look at portfolios. I nearly fell over backwards. This was perfect! I've been to Ithaca's con before. It's not so much a con as it is a medium sized room full of comic shops that are trying to get rid of their dollar and quarter bins as well as the busts and toys they've accumulated over the years that just aren't selling. Usually Roger Stern (writer of the death of superman and a delight to speak with) and Joe Edkin (writer of sonic X and a friend of mine) go. So you get 2 writers, a couple of artists (usually 2 that i don't know, although this year one of Jesse's former students was trying to sell his comics. I was highly impressed. With some more experience under his belt, I think he'll have something!). The crowd is almost never more than 60 people at a time. So after hearing that an editor was going to be there and that chances of a crowd would be SLIM, i ran home (ok i drove) and broke out my portfolio.

LOL... oh my portfolio. What a disaster. Half of the stuff I'm working on is still in transition. My first real written webisode (I've only edited all the others I've worked on) will be out in December... i hope. Our deadline keeps getting moved. Such is the world of webcomics when no one can afford to pay the artist (according to the editor i spoke to, that happens in the paying comic world too. good grief, is no one accountable anymore?).

Anyway back to the portfolio, quick version: No ink, printer no work with no ink... Ielle unhappy, run to staples, buy ink, come back print 90% of portfolio stuff, printer run out of blue ink, printer no work without ALL ink, Ielle SMASH!

So after I de-hulked I sent the files to my email and went to work the next day to print it all out. Where the battle of the printer resumed on a new playing field. After a LOT of swearing (some of it not pretty) and my threatening the printer with tossing out the office window (which would have been something as we're in a basement and the window is about 2 x 3 and ground level) the damn thing FINALLY forced out my pages.

After a quick run though the fair, I zipped off to Staples with Jesse in tow and grabbed the nicest portfolio folder i could find (six bucks for a beautiful faux-leather/plastic black thing. I haven't decided if i was taken or not yet). As Jesse ran into TOPS to get some cash (he was going to the con to buy, buy, buy lol) i was in the driver's seat quickly tossing everything together and off we went (after more drama over a forgotten debit card, but that was Jesse's "whoopsie" moment). One last note on the portfolio building, Jesse ended up having to complete it for me as i drove us to ithaca. He's such a sweety, that sooooo won him boyfriend brownie points. Thanks hon!

When i got there another writer was talking to the editor so i patiently waited and talked to Joe (who had a table right next to the guy). They seemed to be having a great conversation so of course i didn't want to interrupt. When i did get to sit down, i was feeling kinda bad as i felt like i forced the other guy out, but that quickly went away as i got very excited that an actual editor was looking at my things.

How did it turn out? I have no idea. We had a good conversation, but i knew going in that editors can't do much with writers at the cons. How can you get a sense of someones writing in a 10-15 conversation where you're flipping though images and not fully getting the words down? I left him one of my pitches (sadly i don't have enough of them and the one i gave him I'm only half confident in, but we'll see how it goes. I just wanted him to see what i COULD do). The second thing i gave him was my Dr. Strange Civil War sample script. I really enjoyed writing that one, but he's an editor from Vertigo not Marvel and thus i donno what good it will do. I realize you should have samples for all the big companies, but i didn't get a lot of heads-up with the event. You can be assured that come November for Mid-Ohio, I'll have a marvel script (I'm keeping Dr. Strange as my sample, I've had a LOT of compliments from Marvel fans on that one) a DC script, Wildstorm, Vertigo and some pitches for Image.

I probably won't see much come of this meeting from that particular editor, but I am proud I did it. It was a complete learning experience. I'm proud i had the guts to go over, introduce myself, pass him my portfolio, discuss the industry and such. He did mention that the industry didn't have many girls (although I couldn't decide if that comment was positive or negative, I'm going to take the Pollyanna approach and assume he meant that as: gee we don't have many women, we could use more; instead of: good luck, it's a boys game sweetheart).

The number one thing it taught me? Don't put together a portfolio in the parking lot of TOPS unless you're double jointed or sitting in the backseat of the car.

2007-09-25T09:23:00.000-05:00

DOWN SHIFT,

DOWN SHIFT

DAMMIT!!

Ugh... i swear my life is running at super speed lately. And sadly I'm realizing that i am NOT Supergirl (too bad too, she can fly. That must be entertaining and a great gas saver). But PHEW am i under the gun lately.

I have a ton of papers to give back (thank god I'm seeing the end of that tunnel... er at least i hope that's the end of it). I have about 3 script ideas i want to work on (that i have had NO time to do) and i suppose to be studying for the GRE (which i have yet to sign up for... i need to do that this WEEK!).

Oh yeah and I'm suppose to be looking up PhD programs (and or MFA programs).

and all i want to do is nap.

oooooh the nap.

It is a wondrous thing. So comfy and cool. The pillow just rises up to meet your face and support your neck like a little cloud. And the soft whirl of a cool fan blowing on you as you snooze just makes the resting period sooooo complete.... god how i long for a NAP!!!

Hmmm... sorry. So i guess until i can get home today (which won't be immediately after work tonight as i need to go buy the poor rats new food, the newer food seems to be making the OTHER rat sick now) I'm going to be forced to sit here and dream of my nap.

*le sigh*.

2007-08-28T20:57:00.000-05:00

Sign here... and here...and...

Good lord! I decided today that to help alleviate my jealousy towards Gwen i shall become workout buddies with her. She wants to work out, I need to workout and I'm happy to say all that silly jealous hormone crap seems to be just that. So you'd think I'd be all Disney Princess with birds fluttering about me now.

Well no. Apparently in order to become all singing bird happy, I have to sign off my first child. And that's just to be allowed into the health center so that i can be tested, so that i can FINALLY walk on a treadmill.

The lawyers of this planet have so screwed us over.

I blame Paul Lynde (Uncle Arthur on bewitched).

I figure his ridiculous amount of time as center square on Hollywood Squares must have polluted the collective consciousness of America, thus driving everyone crazy and sue happy and ergo allowing the lawyers to sneak in while we were distracted and create all this red tape BS.

Or maybe not. ;)

2007-08-24T20:43:00.000-05:00

oh you silly ponys...

i'm still wiping the tears away after seeing this one.

So want to go hunt down my "my little pony seahorses" now. thank you myspace for this blast from my past.

2007-08-24T07:43:00.001-05:00

You Know You're Saturated

in Comics When...

you hold a conversation with a friend and they suddenly toss out a Spiderman reference that freakishly fits your situation!

Short version: I have been hit by the largest wave of jealousy I have had since the age of 17! Seriously i thought i was past being petty and jealous for absolutely no reason (so this kinda proves that we never do 100% change i suppose). Can't get too into details, but lets just say there's a gal i work with who from the minute i met, I've been prickly towards.

AND I HAVE NO IDEA WHY!

Seriously, she's not an evil person (er at least not so far, a bit of a crank at times but never towards me, mostly towards life). But for some reason I've gone all.."grrrr you must DIE!" catty towards her. Although i doubt she knows this. I've been smiling and FORCING myself play nice, as I hate my inner 17 year-old bitch. I banished her long ago and until this week i thought she was gone. *sigh* apparently not.

So feeling frustrated i contacted my bub Julie and said.... GAGHHH! (a universal yelp of woman world wide. Sadly it's been abused by the comic strip CATHY, another female who annoys me lol... wow, apparently i AM a bitch!)

And what Julie said in response almost immediately made me perk up and laugh at the whole thing (this has been edited for conciseness, btw as we prattle on. And one element of the conversation was removed for privacy sake, but the basic idea is still here). One last thing the recent dyeing of my hair, Mary Jane Red, only makes this exchange more amusing to me:

Me (4:05:27 PM): first i hated her because she was blond (which is HILARIOUS as i haven't hated someone for being blond since i was a little kid. When i was like 6 i use to hate blond girls. It was a jealousy thing but that went away with maturity, i THOUGHT).
Me (4:05:40 PM): then i got to like her a bit because she also like comics...
...Me (4:06:53 PM): then i was jealous of her shoes
Jules (4:06:48 PM): :)
Me (4:07:04 PM): and i was jealous of her funky glasses frames
Me (4:07:12 PM): i have no idea what the hell is wrong with me!!!
Jules (4:07:18 PM): i'm so glad i'm not the only person who has days like this! ...

...Jules (4:09:59 PM): but... back to this blond girl... who i will from now on refer to as Gwen Stacy.
Me (4:10:12 PM): oh TOTALLY!
Me (4:10:23 PM): except she's Stacy with a 'tude
Jules (4:10:23 PM): lol
Me (4:10:39 PM): I'm totally having a spiderman loves mj nightmare.
Jules (4:10:36 PM): oh, ok, so she's nice like Gwen, but with more of an attitude
Jules(4:10:40 PM): rofl!
...Me (4:16:39 PM): ...She does seem to like to talk to me.
Jules(4:16:53 PM): hahaha, but only makes her more annoying because she LIKES you.
...Jules (4:44:26 PM): like "can't even feel justified hating her becuse she likes me"
...Jules (4:44:26 PM): just know that if you need me to take down Gwen Stacy.... i'm here
...Me (4:44:54 PM): i figure i'll get over it in a couple of weeks
Jules (4:44:50 PM): *puts on football helmet and gets ready for running tackle*
...Me (4:58:40 PM): i better go find food
Jules (4:58:37 PM): go do something fun, or go be in your funk some more, your choice :)
Me (4:58:52 PM): i'm starving lol... i think i shall choose fun
Jules (4:58:57 PM): "i choose vodka... and chaka khan"

and THAT folks, is why i love my friends.

Comic geek edit * yes Julie and I both understand that Gwen Stacy was there first, and that she indeed was a sweetheart. Yes, I have read Blue by Jeff Loeb. Yes i did cry like a goddamn baby and depressed the hell out of myself for an entire day thank you Mr. Loeb!! $*&%!! ;)

Julie and i were referring to the depiction of Gwen Stacy from McKeever's Spiderman Loves Mary Jane (who is still a sweetheart, but so very in the way of Pete and MJ) and the 2007 film adaptation Gwen.

*regular edit: today went much better i think i might actually start getting along with Gwen, now that i've aired my frustrations (which come from godknowswhere). She said oh we should work out together on campus! SOooo we'll see if i don't have a dumbell over her head in a week. If not i might finally be getting past my stupid 17-year-old bitchy self.

2007-08-16T16:50:00.000-05:00

Don't mind me...

I'm sorta in a blogger-lockdown. Meaning, I have a script due this coming monday (as well as my main place of work starting up again that same day...ugh). So i won't be updating for a few days.

So to hold you off i give you a picture of me during my recent trip to springfield. Enjoy!

2007-07-30T19:40:00.000-05:00

Somebody sent this to me and I couldn't resist filling it out. No idea why, lol:

You have to use 3 words to answer each question. No more, no less.It's harder than you think.

1. Where is your cell phone?:
On My Desk.
2. Your boyfriend/girlfriend?:
Understands Me Well
3. Your hair?:
Very Fricken Red!
4. Where is your father?
With Luke Skywalker
5. Cheesecake?:
Ew that's Gross
6. Your favorite thing to do?:
Write, Write, Nap.
7. Your dream last night?:
Strange As Always
8. Your favorite drink?:
Vodka Orange Juice
9. Your dream car?:
Yellow Black Roadrunner
10. The room you're in?:
My Padded Cell
11. George Bush?:
Kiss My Arse
12. Your fears?:
See Above Question
13. Nipple rings?
Ouch, Yer Nuts
14. Who did you hang out with last night?:
Robert Downey Junior
15. What you're not good at?:
Finding My Keys
16. Go check GoofyAuctions.com and give your opinion?:
Go Away Spammer!
17. One of your wish list items?:
PAID ComicBook Deal
18. Where did you grow up?
Northern Exposure's Clone
19. The last thing you did?:
Taught Night Class
20. What are you wearing?:
More than Usual
21. Tattoo on the small of a back?:
I Love Wolverine
22. Ketchup?
Great for Meatloaf!
23. Your computer?:
Rocks My World
24. Your life?:
One big ComicCon
25. Your mood?
Mellow and Subdued
26. Missing?
Most of St.Patrick's Day (that should count as one as it's a DAY)
27. What are you thinking about right now?:
Spam and Mum-Ra
29. Your work?:
Need New Job
30. Your summer?:
TOO FRICKEN SHORT
31. Your relationship status?:
NO JINXING ME!
32. Your favorite color(s):
Blue and Green
33. When is the last time you laughed?
at class tonight
34. Last time you cried?
See Above Answer
35. High school?
Try to Forget

I know, i keep promising to do reviews and then i get busy and on and on an on...

2007-07-28T11:31:00.000-05:00

but today folks...

TODAY IS REVIEW DAY!!

So I've been gearing up to work on my own comic and thus I've been doing a lot of research (mind you've been doing research on the genre I'll be writing since i was born, as my father's a huge fan). Yup you guessed it, I'm gonna try my hand at a WESTERN.

A WESTERN, you say... BLEH. BOOOORRRRING.

Well shut yo mouth, as I ADORE Westerns (not the duke though, he's a pansy and yes i would say that to his face, he'd never hit a girl lol). Most of you who know me well, know my deep love of Eastwood (not so much dirty harry but his westerns certainly). So it's not much of a surprise that I'd go for a western comic.

But what you don't' realize is that the genre actually molds well to the comic medium. I'm sure right now you're thinking about the lone ranger and red rider (you'll shoot your eye out... sorry couldn't resist) and similar "campy" stuff.

Well toss that out of your mind. The comics that are out there right now are using the west to its gory and emotional limit (I, myself will not be doing a comic that's ONLY a western, I plan to cross genres...no not cowboys vs aliens... that's already in print and kinda stupid IMO).

Case in point take DC's Jonah Hex. Taking a cue from Eastwood's Man with No Name, DC presents a bounty hunter with an ever flip flopping sense of justice. He'll sell you out in a heartbeat but at the same time when he gets an idea stuck in his head, it stays there and he'll fight to the death for it.

As if his background wasn't enough like Eastwood's Josey Wales (civil war guy who never stopped fighting and lost his family and farm to violence), the art makes Hex REALLY look like ol' Clint. That is if Clint had ever been attacked by Apaches and had a hot tomahawk held to his face, melting one side (can we say whoops).

While the art of this comic certainly helps, the stories also keep readers interested. Of course Hex is a character that goes back to the 70s (hmm the same time Eastwood was the king of westerns.... coincidence. Yeah right). But this recent redu of his story is leaps and bounds above the original run. The dialogue is tidy. I don't feel as though I'm being bombarded with horrible southern dialect (lets not get me on my rant about writers who abuse mis-spelling in a stupid attempt to capture accents) but i get the idea that he's an ex confederate, that's all we need.

The stories themselves are set up like old serials (now if your my age you're too young to have gone to the theaters on Saturdays and watched half hour shorts of westerns and Flash Gordon for a quarter, but my father says it was really cool and I've seen them on the westerns channel). So in the course of one trade you'll have about 8 separate stories about bounties that Hex has gone after. Each one has an entire wide panel dedicated to the naming of the "episode". And of course he has your typical western problems (a posse showing up wanting to hang the guy he's bringing in, women slapping him because he's taking their loved ones, the usual). But happily we get new twists on old stories and somehow Hex's Eastwood demeanor comes off refreshing.

Apparently Hollywood thinks it's refreshing enough that they plan to make a film out of it (I'm jumping up and down in excitement that westerns seem to be returning to theaters!). The only thing is, Eastwood is a bit old now and i can't imagine anyone else being able to pull off Hex without it looking like a cheap Clint Imitation.

Of course Jonah Hex isn't the only Western Comic that I've been studying:

Vertigo's title Loveless (another western) has me just as captivated (however i have heard from my comic store guy that the title lost its way and has spiraled downward lately). The twist in this case is that the ex confederate soldier, Wes Cutter, has returned to find his lands and home taken by the union and his wife (who most thought was dead or just run off) Ruth, raped.

Of course you're thinking oh he's going to right the wrong blah blah blah. Honestly I'm not so sure. I'm getting a vibe that once he gets his land back he might shut up. It's RUTH we have to worry about. After cutting her hair and now dressing like a man, she's a changed woman. Her temper is short and she's deadly with a gun. AS of issue 2 she appears to still be on her husband's side, but I'm willing to wager that that may not last if he gives up on avenging her. Can't say I really blame her either. But I'll have to see. One thing is for certain, with her in the mix as one of the avenging gunmen (and not the woman who slaps the avenging gunman) I'm liking how this title is going.

And finally I just wanted to end on a strange and amusing note. While looking up pictures for this review this came up under the google image search:

Why the unknown comic is attached to the word loveless, I'll probably never know. Perhaps i don't want to know. Odd, lol.

2007-07-24T19:06:00.001-05:00

Thank you Paul Mitchell... Er was it Loreal?

Well folks, here's my new do. I have to say, I LOVE IT!!!

However, next time I'm getting some highlights though to make it look a hair more realistic.

2007-07-24T14:30:00.000-05:00

pssst......

My hush hush comic creator owned project is back on and i hope to have issue 1 up by the early next year (feb or march 08).

all you get for now is the title:

wayward

that's it. Wish me luck and keep an eye out for this upcoming webcomic!

2007-06-12T21:37:00.000-05:00

"Wow, I'm Rusty"

The exact words i uttered Saturday after getting mad at my adobe premiere skills. Apparently you DO lose it if you don't USE it. *sigh*

You know i use to edit all the time back in college. I worked on a show about assassins (i was the head writer and the script girl, and the co-DP and the PA lol... it was practically a one gal show, but i did have some help) anyway i would sit down with my co-producer and edit an entire Saturday away. God how i missed that. We'd go in when it was just starting to get bright out and come out long after it had grown dark again. Our friends would stop by with sandwiches and bagels (remember that kimmy? lol).

Anyway i missed editing and for some reason I've had it in my mind that you could make a fun teaser trailer for the upcoming wolverine film if you just used the prestige, the illusionist and memoirs of a geisha. So i did. lol!

Anyway enough babble here is what i came up with. Oh yeah, and the music is 10,000 days by Tool.

2007-06-12T20:43:00.000-05:00

mmmm... biscuit.

I swear there's nothing better than finding 3 biscuits frozen in your freezer that you had forgotten about (they're not THAT old, i do remember making them, so stop going... oh GOD, you ATE that??).

Anyway thanks to the Foreman grill i am now happily watching the end of house with a tummy full of chicken, gravy and biscuit. (i'm trying NOT to picture my arteries). And planning my next short sample script for arists.

As for reviews, i know i keep promising and i promise i'll have one up soon. I'm currently reading ex machina by Brian K. Vaughn and enjoying it greatly. I'm sure that will be on the list, asap. until then, i wish you all as good a meal and i just woofed down!

2007-06-11T12:45:00.000-05:00

Drama, Drama, Drama

So my landlord calls me today. "Can I take a person through the apartment tomorrow? " "Um. Sure what the heck." then she drops the bomb:

"BTW, i heard that there is significant activity in the apartment below you"

"um... well they have their bad days"

"Right, but apparently a LOT of teens go in and out of that place AND the cops have been there numerous times"

"Well yes, but i haven't seen the cops since i first moved in."

"We have friends in the neighborhood still and they said that it's completely out of control."

"Yeah it's bad. They'll scream a lot (the brother and sister hate each other i think) and things slam and bang a lot. They've slammed the doors so hard it makes the floor in my computer room shake"

"Why haven't you told us about this before?"

"Uh well i didn't think it's my place"

"oh i understand why you'd feel that way but you really shouldn't, because as a tenant you live there too, dear."

"True. But i just don't want to get dragged into it"

"I understand. How bad has it been?"

"Uh pretty bad."

"Yes my friends said that the eldest girl ran out in her underwear the other night screaming call the police!"

*me gobsmacked*

"Uh... i wasn't around for that one. I must have been out." (seriously i missed that show, thank god).

"Is this why you're moving out? I mean other than to live with your boyfriend?"

*wtf?? I'm not moving in with my boyfriend, lady! My mother would skin me alive... ROFL... where did you get that from? ROFL!*

"Uh well it's one reason..."

*me feeling guilty because i also think they're lousy landlords about getting anything done*

"...And I'm moving in with a friend"

* might as well grasp onto her crazy idea. Its an easy out of the conversation. Look at me big fat liar. I don't want to make the landlord feel bad... my lord, the guilt my mother's created for me making people feel bad has indeed warped in strange ways ROFL!*

"Well if that's true, as a landlord i certainly don't want that as something my next tenant should have to put up with"

"Uh, yeah i guess not."

*now I'm thinking oh crap she's going to evict them and they're going to hunt me down and shiv me... or "Knife a bitch" as D likes to say lol. trust me these kids are crazy enough to do it.*

"Well thank you for being so candid, i wish you had told me sooner..."

*right cuz you really got on that faucet problem*

"...I'm going to call them tonight and let them know that I'll be on the premises tomorrow and using my legal right as the landlord to do a walk through and inspect my property..."

*again this is the sound of my head popping as I'm thinking about how pissed the unstable people downstairs are going to be and how much shouting will be happening*

(she then proceeds to tell me the life story of the neighbor downstairs and how she was sad because she thought she could trust him and blah, blah and quizzes me about how often the kids are there, how noisy they are and so on... i don't remember most of it)

"...Hmm well I'll have to speak with him"

"Um, can you NOT mention me?"

"What's that dear?"

"Could you NOT mention that you spoke to me. I have to live here still and I'd rather not be involv-"

*her shocked, as if this is an odd request*

"Well of course, I'll just tell him folks in the neighborhood, because we do still have friends in the neighborhood and they are the ones that pointed this out"

*great lady, cuz they won't see through that crafty twist of words*

"Uh ok great, thanks."

"Ok well I'll call you tomorrow and take the lady through then"

"Sounds good"

*crap now i have to clean and see if i can move into my new apartment sooner because i SOOOO don't want to be around when this shit hits the fan*

THIS was my morning wake-up call... GAGHHH!!

2007-06-04T09:41:00.000-05:00

Can I have an RRRRRRRRRRRRRR, please?

Ahoy and avast and all that other piratey crap. Can you tell i went to see Georgia Rule last night? Ok, so i actually went to see Pirates At World's End w/ Johnny Depp (like I'd willingly watch a Lindsey Lohan film in the theater, even mean girls i watched on the movie channel for free and that was written by Tina Fey, who amuses me greatly (watch 30 rock... watch 30 rock... watch 30 rock. I'm trying subliminals this post)).

ANYWAY i went to see Pirates and came out kinda...

WARNING SPOILERS!!!

Meh. I didn't hate the film. I most certainly didn't love the film. I think it was in dire need of an editor. Hey I'm all for 3 hour films if it fits the purpose and you're really into the plot. Thus you don't even realize that you've lost 3 hours of your life to the silly thing. But when you're sitting there thinking... "wait, this isn't over yet?" or "shouldn't this be over?" then there's a problem.

My biggest complaint was that they had this great idea of using calypso and built it up so much then just freed her and she vanished. That's the last we saw of her. No pay off for her vanishing (and those of you who have seen it don't tell me that the silly whirlpool she created was a pay off, that was just lame). The also dropped the ball on the romance between Wil and Elizabeth (much to one of my friend's utter disappointment). I just kinda went, whatever. And jesse made a good point about that. Basically he said, they never got along that well when they were together, i think they'd actually be horrible together. This is probably for the best.

You know, I gotta agree. This way they can just do what they do best (make out) and then go be headstrong and stupid apart from each other for 10 years. Although Liz may want to go accompany Mr. Depp on his trip to the fountain of youth if she doesn't want to grow old and DIE on Mr. Turner there.

But see... it's just Meh. I wasn't that affected. Anyway i was impressed as hell at seeing the Transformers Trailer, but I'm certain it will suck as Michael Bay is involved and i have YET to figure out who keeps giving him films. Because obviously they're brains were injured in a horrible Los Angeles tanning salon accident. He makes big bang boom lousy crap. With flashy effects. He is the reason that i tend to HATE CGI (i know lets fix it in the computer editing room, no one will notice *cough*phantom menace *cough*). He's nearly as bad as Lucas. (we won't go on my feelings towards Georgy porgy since he ruined my freakin childhood cuz he couldn't let a good idea DIE!

ANYWAY on to other strange events. I FINALLY signed my lease on my new apartment (dance with me people) and i move in at the end of the month (cry with me people). So i have to put up with this place for another 3 weeks (oddly enough Paris Hilton will be getting out of prison before i get out of this apartment). The place is really creepy now that I've moved all my stuff out and put it into the new place (i had to, it was the only time I'd have helpers. I'm just happy the new landlords were kind enough to let me do that but NOT pay more than just my security deposit).

So now my old apartment is full of DVDs, CDs, VHS, 1 box of books, my clothes, my dishes, my TV and other electronics, my computer (with my computer desk which I'm leaving behind it's too friggen huge) and 2 areo beds. I'm using one as a couch (now that we know it Isn't Busted but rather I'm a moron who can't close the open valve properly) and the larger one is in my bedroom. Needless to say I'm not looking forward to 20 some odd days of sleeping on it. But such is life.

Happily after about 1pm today I'll be done with school for a few weeks (I'm teaching a night class this summer so I'll be starting up again soon but at least I'll get a vay-kay). Summer cohesion should be starting again soon. Not that I've heard from them since my re-hire paperwork.

I have a TON of lettering and Editing to do for Awesome storm Justice. not to mention that I've vowed to put out a TON of short sample scripts for artists on various staple comic book characters this summer. i need to get off my ass and get a portfolio built. I'm hoping to get to Chicago's comic book convention in august and if so, i need to be ready when talking to editors, artists and what not.

Wow... looks like I'm gonna be busy now that I'm reading what i wrote. Perhaps i should go start now lol....

I'll have some reviewed comics up soon, keep an eye out for them.

2007-05-31T22:58:00.001-05:00

YAY, STYLING!

So I set up an appointment to FINALLY do something with this mop on my head. As of July 14th, i plan to be a redhead (much like my comic heroes, MJ Watson and Angelica Jones). Well that is as long as my hairdresser says it's ok. I trust Fawn, she'd tell me in a heart beat if brilliant red would be a bad idea. But honestly if they do my eyebrows too, i can't see how. I'm pasty as hell. I make real redheads look like models for Coppertone. lol!

Anyway so today I managed to convince Jesse to let Fawn (My hairstylist. Well to be fair she's JULIE's Hairstylist and the rest of us girls have just joined the bandwagon... well now we have a boy in the wagon too, heh heh). He showed up going... i want to get my hair cut, it's too hot. My instant reply was WHOO HOO REGIS! Fawn did her usual brilliant work. My man is STYLIN! He looks like he has Dave Grohl hair. Okay, after he got some rock star flare, not while he was hiding behind the drums in the mother of all bands, Nirvana (that was some bad 90s hair the Grohl was rockin back there behind the high-hat lol). Anyway she did fab and I got a appointment so all in all it turned out well.

Now I figure the males have probably fallen asleep by this point in my post, and are wondering what happened to my comic reviews. No fear, they'll return after my move. Until then, WAKE UP for i have one quickie movie review for ya before i go.:

I am CURRENTLY watching "the Descent". I say currently as I'm scared shitless (I've been left home alone to my own devices tonight.) and had to come into the computer room to distract myself for a bit. It's horribly boring in the beginning then BAM!! Suddenly it's blood, it's gore... it's right up my alley. But i couldn't stand another JUMP OUT AT YOU gag. Those are what kill me. Not the gore or the screaming. It's the tension and then BAM!! I'm upside down on the ceiling with my fingernails embeded into the cheap plaster. Anyway,Ii highly suggest this if you're easy to spook or are like me, and are easy to startle. lol.

I guess I should go back and watch the last part of the film. I sat through all the opening snooze-fest. But ya know... I think I'm going to go hunt down my stuff animal first.

2007-05-30T09:38:00.000-05:00

Break Out the U-Haul

So apparently I'm moving. YAY!!!

I really really hate the area I'm living in. The street i mean... well kinda the city too, but the street mostly. So I'm moving on up... *cue Jefferson's music* to a lovely townhouse apartment with central air and a dishwasher and best part:

NO CRAZY FRIGGEN NUTCASE PSYCHOHOSE BEAST DOWNSTAIR NEIGHBORS!!!

Although i can't say how my next door neighbors shall be, but whatever, at least:

a) they won't be below me slamming doors so hard my floor shakes or screaming obscenities at their mother (I'm pretty sure the new neighbor will be around my age and lives with a boyfriend or spouse, which ok they could still be yellers but the apts walls sound pretty thick thus far, or at least when I'm there visiting they do)

b) drugs won't be sold out of my apartment. I share the same entrance as the idiot downstairs so i love greeting potential druggies at the door as I'm trying to go to work OR letting one of their millions of cats into the stairwell so i can wet itself since no one noticed it was trapped inside away from a litter box. *sigh* Oh it's also nice to know if they're having a knock down drag out fight in the hallway (as they often do) I can't get out unless i want to pass that mess and accidentally get involved just because i was trying to avert my eyes. SOOOO can't wait to get my own door lol.

c) My new apt is owned by a business which employs a caretaker who is on call 24/7 as opposed to my slum lord who lets his daughters do his paperwork/maintenance of the building (or lack there of)

d) I'll be in a neighborhood where drive bys should be less of a possibility (although i never rule out the craziness of suburban bored children, dynamite and innocent mailboxes lol).

So I'm excited! And yet there looms a shadow in my plans... and it smells of cardboard and gas.

IT IS THE MOVING TRUCK!!

ugh, god. I hate moving. I so can't wait to just be IN the place. I keep saying to Jesse, you need to invent the transporter. That way we'll be RICH AND my stuff will have moved effortlessly. Although i told him we need to make it fly-proof. If there's one thing the Jeff Goldbloom has taught me, its that you can never be too tidy. Attracting flies is a BAD thing.

Oh yeah and objects in the mirror are closer than they appear.

That's all for now people. I might be on "radio silence" for a bit. But I'll be back in FULL FORCE by June 30 or July 1st. I hope to have some new comics reviewed for you all and updates on my own work. If you need to get in touch with me try to catch me on aol OR my email (for the lucky few that have it). Oh drop a comment here or in the shout out box. Anyway, I shall talk to you all soon!!

-- "We MUST go faster" - JG in Jurassic Park --

2007-05-20T00:18:00.000-05:00

Another Quickie from the Desk of Ielle

Just a quick mention that Awesome Storm Justice 41 is having problems (or rather our website www.uggabugga.net/forum is) with its server. You can see view our great comic, but our production boards and chat boards are busted. SOOOO we're hoping to have this fixed by Monday. If you're drawing, coloring, inking, editing, lettering, whatever-ing for us PLEASE PLEASE keep working. We should have this fixed ASAP and it would be great to come back with a bunch of posts of new work (since we can waste our time in the uggabugga arcade instead lol).

Anyway keep checking back with us and if you have any questions stop bout our interim forum at www.uggabugga.net/forums . It's not home, but it's a decent waiting room. ;)

2007-05-07T11:17:00.000-05:00

Ob-Zurd Thoughts Presents

..............the drive by update!!

on my way to class, must hurry. But wanted to say that yes I am working on my own title for the webcomic site which I work for. So please keep your eyes peeled for that. However we're very much in the post-production stage.

my first mini for awesome storm justice is being currently worked on. It should be out in November, god willing.

my first lettering for and ENTIRE mini at ASJ will be up in June.

That's it for now... as you were. ;)

2007-04-17T11:44:00.000-05:00

My first original

script complete!

So one of my Spiderman short sample scripts was drawn by a very talented artist at penciljack by the name of TGK! Here's a link to the completed short comic. Enjoy! And a special thanks to TGK! He's done a brilliant job here (i only wish my coloring and lettering could have been a bit better to help make his pencils shine!). I'm currently working on another short script for him (about 6 pages) so hopefully I'll have that show you all soon. Click on the pic to read my short!

2007-04-16T22:12:00.000-05:00

A moment of

silence please...

For the professors and students who lost their lives today at Virginia Tech. And over what, apparently they now believe it was a domestic dispute between a student and his girlfriend. My Uncle (who is a retired cop) has said that the worst thing to walk into is a domestic disturbance. Apparently you never know which way it's gonna blow, and explode it did today. For that I am truly sorry. So please lets take a few moments.

And now for my slightly angry rant ob-zrudvation about this tragedy today. It has to do with NBC nightly news. I adore NBC. I especially like Brian Williams, I have since he started filling in for Tom Brokaw, he just has something. Anyway, although I was trained to be a journalist (associates degree in communications) and thus understand you should never trust any ONE news agency, but rather get your sources from many places, I do trust NBC and have them on my short list of news agencies to turn to. But my God DATELINE is a horrible and exploited this tragedy and THEN some. They just had to dissect it into a million little pieces (this is the reason why i only have a TWO YEAR degree in journalism) they had to make an hour show about what happened today. ya know, some days I just can't stomach what the media does.

And once again they went too far tonight (in my opinion). NBC hunted down some c-list news woman on their team that went to V-tech in the 70s (I'm just guessing from the looks of her, maybe it was the early 80s) and asked her to sit in a dark, one light-lit room and describe her feelings today as she watched the news roll in. Ok, um lady you're alumni. From nearly 30 years ago. You weren't there, thus your opinion isn't really NEWS worthy. What they should have done was send you to cover the ACTUAL story then quickly asked your feelings before they return to the studio, they should have never given you nearly 10 minutes of your own airtime. You came off as patronizing and ridiculous (of course this is just MY opinion)

She sounded as though she was whining that this had happened. One of her comments was about her school sweaters (and other school related keep-sakes) and how she'll never be able to look at them the same again. I wanted to shout back "Lady, this incident is yes indeed horrible. But if it were to have happened at my Alma mater i would not suddenly be disgusted at the sight my school sweater because it's tainted. I would not look at my pictures of the good times, pout and say 'jeez then some guy came and shot everyone that i didn't know and now my school is ruined!'" Seriously this was how she came off on screen... again this is all in my opinion. This wannabe newscaster then tried to say how the school would rise again and the students would overcome. Yes. In this case I do agree and pray that this is so.

But getting back to my complaint...I'm sorry, but moments like this (this nutty decision of NBC to fill up the last 10 minutes of Dateline because they ran out of stuff to disect) they are what disgusts me and drove me away from becoming a reporter all those years ago.

This isn't your moment lady, stop trying make it so. Instead have some dignity, tell your bosses, no we won't exploit this incident and simply say, I went to school there. I enjoyed my time. I have friends there still and I'm praying for their safety and the memories of those we have lost. The end. Short, sweet... RESPECTFUL.

2007-04-13T15:01:00.000-05:00

FINALLY

The End of the Semester!

Phew, didn't think I was going to make it out sane. Then again, I may not have, as I am now the proud owner of not ONE but TWO baby rats. I say baby, but really they're 5 weeks old.

So everyone please welcome Masbeth (after "Young Masbeth" in Tim Burton's Sleepy Hallow) and Maud'dib (as in Paul Atredies from the novel DUNE who named himself after a desert mouse). The girls (yeah i went for females, trust me the boys are um... rather well endowed and a bit much to handle) are sleeping right now beside me (their cage is next to the computer). And yes Uncle Tracy, mom is THRILLED (she's being revived as we speak. heh heh, I'm a horrible daughter lol).

Here my latest pic and as promised I won't become the crazy lady who starts posting a bazillion pictures of their critters all over their blog. Egad, no!

So here they are (Maudy's on top, poor Mazzer is being pinned) enjoy and I'll be back to talk comics later:

Oh one last thing, I came up with another script idea the other day, we'll see how this turns out. Also someone has drawn one of my Spiderman short sample scripts for artists. It looks great! I'll post it when it's done.

Have a great weekend... whoo hoo grades are in I'm gonna go party and by party i mean find the computer room under the clutter. ;)

2007-03-22T08:51:00.000-05:00

So The Heights DOES

have something to offer??

Ok so we've got a new comic book store in the Heights. I'm so excited.

Heroes Your Mom Threw Out has moved to a larger store and It's FABULOUS. Check out their myspace page... or you can go to their homepage, but i warn you it's VERY undercontruction.
Jesse and i went to it yesterday. After an hour of nosing about I found myself laden in comics. The owner...(Ted? wait... no that's not it lol) was kind enough to take my selections and put them on hold for me until I could get back with a paycheck (not til next friday... *sniff, sniff*). Sad to say he doesn't have a credit card machine yet... but he showed me the paperwork that one was coming. He's a very friendly guy lol. He's so excited to have this business. It's really nice to see that in a person. Especially one that seems to be about the same age as myself. I can see he, Jesse and I becoming friends... well not hanging out friends but that kinda friendship folks use to have with their local butcher. That Norm/Sam Cheers sorta thing LOL. I love those kinds of relationships.

And now i miss the little grocery store that use to be in my hometown. That butcher was so nice... ahem... I've digressed. Terribly ROFL.

To pull myself back on track i will say that said general store was the place i got my first ever comic. The 1978 triology of Wonder Woman when she lost her crown to some red-headed meany named Orana. Boo YA... and I'm back!

So i got a hold of McKeever's Spiderman Loves MJ #16. It's the one where Firestar returns (does little dance) AND they got the new artist. While I'm sad to see Mia... Miazaw... oh screw it i'm too tired to look up how to spell his name, the great manga-esk artist McKeever once had, go, I have to say the new guy is decent. I can at least accept him. The previous artist that filled in, bleh. Julie and i agreed, he was wretched. And a bit scary lol.

I also got a hold of other things by McKeever, including Gravity. I'm curious to see what this character was like, although I'm going to be might pissed if i like him, since they killed him off. Grrr. Marvel!!!

I'll tell you the other stuff i picked up AFTER I get my paycheck and pick them up (mainly because i can't remember all that was in my pile).

Anyway, those of you who are reading this from the area, please PLEASE support these guys. I hate to see the locals be run out of business. As it is, Jesse has vowed to buy from him after his 2 months of subscriptions through the Internet run out. However he will be buying small stuff off him while he waits, just to help keep the place in business lol.

I'm very happy to say that while we were there (on a Wednesday which ok IS a big comic day) he had about 8 or 9 folks wander in and out. So that was nice to see. I can't wait to see what Free Comic Book Day (may 5th) is going to be like. It'll be a Madhouse i bet lol. Can't wait. It's gonna be like Christmas! lol.

One last funny item. I've noticed that all of the comic book stores I've gone to have an interesting pattern. IN the first place, Fat Cat Comics (i originally called it big kitties and whoops that was wrong), they obviously had 2 very fat cats. Then in the Comics for Collectors place in Ithaca, they had a big white doggie. Finally at Heroes Your Mom Threw out we had.... Children. ROFL.

A little 3 of 4 year old boy was running about entertaining folks. His father (the owner... or maybe it was a brother but i think it was a dad) kept taking him to the back and making him play star wars video games (which was hilarious to hear the kid getting excited over R2 lol) but every now and then (as children are want to do) he'd dash out and drive his dad bonky lol. But for the most part he was very well behaved and adorable. I'm just amused that every place i go to is moving up the evolutionary ladder in "pets" (i kid of course). I'm expecting Aliens at the next new shop i go to LOL.

Ob-Zurd Thoughts

back on our feet

hitting the wall

weee doggies

soooo, its tuesday

GAH, students

woot for weekends!

Hi ohhhh!

Well Crap

BAh, i nearly missed my update!

week dos

UPdates, updates

As Promised...

HUh, who knew

so close, yet so far away

BAH, Wednsdays

Oh what a day

Darkness of my SOUUUULLL

Just a quicky

Ahhhh weekends

The Calm....

A Real WHO DONE IT

Today's Offering...

Step One

The 411

Get back on that horse young lady!

The Great Webcomic Round Up!

Webcomic Review

Ode to Trek

PUNISHment? I think not!

why youtube works

Picture this!

The Bond Theory

Review Rewind

GREAT READS ALERT! (Newfound Comics on the web!)

MOVIE REVIEW ALERT!!

My god, where did the comic shop go??

USA KID/BLAZEGUY #4 AVAILABLE TODAY! HOORAY!

HA HA HA, NICE

"This is all going to end in Tears i just know it"

Comic Review part Deux!!

The Clemen's Center, like the rest of the world, gets a face lift

WOW, more readers... sweet!

MY GOD WHAT IS IT!?!?!

Oh Halloween, How i Love thee

PART 3 of The Adventures of USA KID and BLAZEGUY is OUT TODAY!

Laugh Riot

LOOK MA, IT'S OFFICIAL, I'M A WRITER!!

Wayward Sneak Peek #6

Wayward Sneak Preview #5

The Ever Freeing Feeling of saying "F-U" LOL!!

Wayward Sneak Peek #4

Wayward Sneak Peek #3!!

"WAYWARD" Sneak Peek #2

Time for: A RANDOM OB-ZURD-vation

To YOU who have Netflix,

More Signs of Over Crowding on Planet Earth!

A McKeever Sighting!! And Skottie Young wants to be my friend? *cue puzzled look*

BUMP!

The Winds of Change are Changin'

I know, i keep promising to do reviews and then i get busy and on and on an on...

A McKeever Sighting!! And Skottie Young wants to be my friend? cue puzzled look