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It turns out I was right.

As I've mentioned here many a time, I was a HUGE fan of James Cameron's Aliens growing up. The way some kids were about Star Wars, that's how I was about Aliens. I had no idea how insanely researched The Alien Quadrilogy was until I rented it from the library. There's like ten minutes about how the film crew in the UK had to have tea time and how that wreaked havoc with the filming schedule. TEN MINUTES.

Anyway, I used to doodle Alien crap all over my notebooks in high school, so I thought I'd have a go at it again. Plus, I finally bought a new sketchbook.

Hello Kitty 8" Hamburger Vinyl Coin Bank and Hello Kitty 8" Ninja Vinyl Coin Bank

Has anyone had any luck removing the chain? I've tried just uncrewing where it attaches, but no luck. I'm reluctant to take a dremel tool to it, but will if there's no other option.

I haven't been to a comic book convention since I was thirteen years old. The big New York Comic Convention at the Javits Center used to take place right around my birthday in February. For two years my father would take me and my friends to drink in the nerds, freaks, and costumed weirdies. Thirteen is probably exactly the right age to go to a traditional comic convention you're not quite old enough to be embarrassed about being a social retard but you're not young enough to be completely oblivious to all the Playboy models walking around in Vampira costumes.

I'm going to break that fifteen year streak when I go to the Mid-Ohio Con in Columbus this October.



I don't know much about the Mid Ohio Con. I was thinking about going last year but the convention fell on the same weekend as Melissa and Brad got married and that wasn't much of a choice. Brad & Miss had a photo booth at their reception!

The guest list from last year's con looked pretty good and while my regular comic buying isn't teeming with superhero stuff lately, there are a couple of creators on the list for this year's convention that I'd definitely stand in line to meet. In particular, I'm a huge fan of Chris Sprouse's artwork- a few years ago, I made a list of cartoonists/comic book artists for whom I'd like to own some original art and were reasonably within my price range, and Sprouse was one of those guys. His handful of issues on Alan Moore's Supreme came along at just the right time in my teenage-dom. Really good imagination fodder. I also enjoyed his work on Tom Strong a whole lot. Many of the America's Best Comics titles have tried to soldier on in the absence of Moore and I've had very little interest in those books... but a new Tom Strong book seems to be in the offing and I'm definitely down with that.

I don't know what the line is likely to be like, but Bernie Wrightson is going to be at this con and I would love to get him to sign my beat-up as hell paperback copy of The Stand. Wrightson's done more intricately illustrated pages for Stephen King (Wolves of the Calla, Cycle of the Werewolf but those drawings in The Stand really affected me as a kid. The one with the guy all superflu-ed up in the subway bathroom with all the graffiti around him... total yuck!

Old school Marvel artist Herb Trimpe is going to be there. Trimpe is a real journeyman artist and I'm not sure I've seen his best work, but I do know that he pencilled EVERY issue of the amazing Godzilla: King of the Monsters series that I bought the Essential trade for last month, so he's a must visit.

There are a couple of other people I'd love to see/meet (Art Baltazar, the guy who does DC's Tiny Titans... Joe Jusko, the painter who did those ridiculous Marvel Masterpiece trading cards that were HUGE when I was a kid... they just announced Fred Hembeck) and I'm sure others will be added in the next few months. Mark Evanier always seems to go to the Mid Ohio Con according to his blog. I'm a fan of his and Sergio Aragones' Groo comics AND of his great weblog.

I'm also thinking about going to the next SPACE convention in Ohio. Viva comic book conventions!

One of the many photos we're talking about (made awesome by Brad):


Speaking of Melissa,some of you might remember the guest strips she did awhile back. Well I was looking through some old sketchbooks and I came across this gem that I thought I'd share with you. There's also a general question for the masses behind the cut.

( East Compton's plunging neck line )

check out

mori chack tsurushiguma hang bear x Lawson figure doll charms! thanks









www.icecreamdrops.com

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Going through some old books and stuff yesterday, I came across this gem: ( Real Ghostbusters fan-art from a young Chris Pearce )

Thing I had been told by my comics guy were coming out this week, but apparently came out last week: Everybody is Stupid Except Me & Other Astute Observations, a collection of comic strip reports from cartoonist Peter Bagge. I'm a huge fan of Hate- I just re-read all the "New Jersey" comics a few days ago for fun. I've read a number of these strips and while they're hit or miss sometimes, there are some great ones in here, especially Bagge's takedown of Amtrak.

( Also, we found out the sex of Baby Number Two today! )

I have officially posted this news everywhere on the Internet that news about me is post-able.

Been re-playing some old games as of late, and for whatever reason, been on a Resident Evil kick. Pop-quiz: what's the best RE out there? Resident Evil 4, of course. Second best? Resident Evil 2, most will say. And third? Resident Evil: Code Veronica! Dreamcast version all the way baby.

And speaking of, we have today's featured comic from pockiomi...



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I guess the big thing coming out tomorrow for most folks around my age is The State: The Complete Series. I'm wary of seeing the show again, which is more than likely far better in my hazy middle school memories than it ever could be in reality, but I had a lot of love for The State when it was first on. Heck, I was one of the eight people who watched The State's 43rd Annual All-Star Halloween Special when it originally aired. I will probably check this out eventually.

With any luck, this will pave the way for Viva Variety!: The Complete Series

FINALLY! a new email! new computer! ..and ..new...'the folder'?  ...  haha.  


http://www.homestarrunner.com/sbemail202.html

Simple and fun multiplayer online flash game.

1. You can create your character and then just observe how he fights with others, loses or wins. All fights are random, but depend on your character's characteristics and available weapons.

2. You get new abilities, weapons and pets (!), as well as improve your characteristics, as you get points. You get more points as you win, and less points, as you lose. You can get more points by getting new "pupils" and "training" them.

3. You can fight only 3 times per day. You can choose your opponents. You can also participate in the "Tournament" improving your "ranking". You can join or start a "Clan"...

4. All fights are recorded, so you can review other peoples fights, as well as your past fights.



How you start the game?
Just followi the link, then "Chose the name" of your charecter and hit "Validate".

You will fight the test fight. Then you will be able to fight 6 initial fights, improving your skills and getting bonuses. And you're in! :)

Have fun!

There are struggles inherent in the coming together of two sentient species. Why do we always seem to flub the hard choices? Choose your adventure through Tina Connolly's "Hard Choices".

http://www.gudmagazine.com/games/hard-choices-by-tina-connolly/

It's a very short story; you can't "win", but there's four badges and a scoring system. :)

I read the story at Brain Harvest and had to turn it into a proper "page-turner". I hope you enjoy it. :) Feedback welcome, of course, if not for this one then perhaps "the next" (when I've got a longer story?)

Elliot and I are reading Batman: The Story of the Dark Knight. We took it out of the library and I'd really recommend it. The book is not just a cheap tie-in to a cartoon or movie, but features some really fun design work from Ralph Cosentino.

http://www.newsok.com/multimedia/video/28651996001?custom_click=wi

Long story short, I happen to be at this website today on an unrelated matter when I saw this link to this Lego video. I don't know why it was there today because I am pretty sure its from last year. But its still cool to see!

And just to toot my own horn. I got mentioned on Brothers Brick today!

http://www.brothers-brick.com/2009/07/10/my-favorite-365-day-projects/

This past school year, I showed my classes selected bits and pieces of the 1998 NBC TV miniseries The Odyssey.


As a tool for illustrating difficult sections of the epic poem, the movie has its' strong points (the Calypso scenes are pretty good, and also was hilariously clear that most of my male students want to bone Vanessa Williams) and it's unbelievably weak points (wooden acting all around, awkward CGI that hasn't aged well) but I remember enjoying the spectacle of the thing when it first aired.

It got me thinking... what happened to the high concept TV miniseries? When I was growing up, there were plenty of 'em... both new and in reruns. These days, not so much.

I remember loving it when our cable provider finally hooked us up with the SciFi Channel and I was able to watch the Nazis-as-aliens run amok series V on four consecutive nights. Ditto The Day After, a blearily depressing take on nuclear holocaust in America. There were other series that ran on a similar theme- I've heard mixed things about Amerika, a "What if the Russians won the Cold War" series whose concept really sparked my imagination.

For a number of years in my teens, ABC was committed to making quality high concept mini-series, usually opting to adapt Stephen King novels for the small screen with mixed results. When those King minis were good, the were stupendous. I'm an unerring fan of their adaptation of King's gigantic good-vs.-evil opus The Stand. Even if it was less satisfying for those who loved the novel, ABC's version if IT has fans even today- my students referenced Pennywise as one of the scariest modern day monsters during an earlier lesson on the monsters of Greek myth.


For a TV movie that was made almost twenty years ago, and when you consider the budgetary restraints a production like that was under... for jaded teenagers who have "seen it all" when it comes to horror movies to even remember Pennywise is a big thing.

It must be said however, that for every good King mini-series, there was something like The Langoliers, a strange melange of time travel and bad CGI monsters that looked a lot like Pac-Man. Also, the mystifyingly boring remake of The Shining was pretty self-indulgent and languid. Still, more of the King minis were good than bad, and that's something.

NBC too was in the game, albeit with taking a "classier" route with adaptations of classic literature with the best special effects of the time. NBC's version of Gulliver's Travels with Ted Danson was decently accurate, if I remember correctly. At the very least, they addressed more of the various destinations that Lemuiel Gulliver encountered than most adaptations usually do. I also enjoyed their version of Merlin (starring Sam Neill) so much that I bought a DVD of it in college... although, admittedly, I found it in one of those giant bargain bins full of DVDs at my college's local Wal-Mart.

I suppose the day of the network television miniseries has seen its end, at least in a way that even attempts to cater to my interests as a viewer. ABC and NBC have had "world in peril" meteor mini-series on this summer, but they weren't appointment television, by any means. The major networks have seemingly ceded the genre to cable and pay television, and I've enjoyed a bunch of those (HBO's John Adams absolutely floored Ellen and I last summer) they don't have the same feel as some of the series I listed above. It's a pity in that when network TV got it right with a TV miniseries, they became a phenomenon.
.........

The internet was invented by military bigwigs so that we could share pictures and videos of cats.

1. What is your favorite vegetable?
2. What is your favorite salad dressing, sauce, gravy, or condiment?
3. What is your favorite culture's food (American, Chinese, Creole, Indian, Italian, Mexican, Soul Food, Southern U.S., etc.)?
4. What is your favorite beverage?
5. What is your favorite food?

1. I like broccoli a lot. Green beans when they're in season, but we eat more broccoli.

2. Caesar dressing is usually what I use on salads. I don't eat a lot of gravy outside of Thanksgiving.

3. I like Mexican food best these days, or more specifically, Tex-Mex.

4. Water. Boring, but that's pretty much all I drink. Occasionally I treat myself to a gallon of Newman's Own Lemon-Aided Ice Tea, but those are fewer and further between these days.

5. Ellen makes a chicken pot pie that I love, but if pressed, her pork chops are my favorites.

A baby gift for friends :)

http://www.brickbox.com/sculptures/babysnoopy/index.html

Yesterday's strip is the comic in question.

This is Uncle Chris' Bargain Week here at the comic! Today's tip: If you live near one (sorry East Coasters) head over to Half Price Books' website and sign up for their e-mail list. They're having a big sale next week and they'll send you awesome coupons for it. 50% off one item next Sunday! I find awesome stuff at HPB all the time. Last week I got the first Starman Omnibus for $16 bucks and today I bought Lucy Knisley's Radiator Days for $6!

I totally totally totally hate this comic, but I ended up drawing a follow up tomorrow which I like a little better. That means I have to use this piece of crap today.

I don't know if this helps anyone out, but Southwest Air is having a big sale today. If you book a trip now for sometime in the fall, you only pay like $30 to $90 bucks one way, depending on how far you're going. It seems like a hell of a deal; if I were a swingin' single, I might book something now and figure the rest of it out later. I know it's short notice but check it out.

   Right there is the enhanced, remixed, remastered, hi-def cover for our first Lifemeter comic! Repainted by the super-talented Bannister (who does all of our covers), this new printing can now be yours! This is the same book as before, but we've got a great new printer and this new cover to celebrate! As before, the book is still just $6 in the US and Canada, or $7 worldwide! Order in our store!

   For those who have been asking, YES we plan on reprinting the Lifemeter 2 book, but it is a question of when as we are looking into new printing options. Since LM2 is a bigger book than LM1, it takes some extra care to bring into the world. And YES Lifemeter 3 is on the way! We'll post our cover and some previews in the not-too-distant future! Stay tuned...

I've always been far more a fan of newspaper comic strips than comic books so DC's Wednesday Comics #1 has my interest. In short, it's a standard sized comic book that folds out into the size of the Sunday funnies. It seems like its attracted a lot of talent in the superhero biz and I'd like to sample it at some point. Aside from that book, there's a whole lotta nothin' coming out this week.