Machine Girl Trailer

NSFW

Hell Comes to Fangoria

Hell came to FANGORIA last Wednesday when a massive fire that swept through a warehouse in Oregon, IL destroyed our supply of back issues used to fulfill mail and on-line orders. Also consumed by the flames were copies of STARLOG, STAR TREK and our dozens of past movie tie-in magazines. As a result, we are unfortunately no longer able to process back-issue orders for any of our past titles—so collectors, hold onto the ones you’ve got!

The NeoPulp Manifesto

I found this through a link at Warren Ellis' new web community, and thought that it might be of potential interest to readers (I'm looking at you Jonny...yeah, right through the internet):

NeoPulp is not a new style of writing. It is a fusion of several well-tenured styles of writing.

NeoPulp draws liberally from the fantastic stories of this and previous centuries, a melange of mythology and popular culture (take a bit of Godzilla, a bit of Paradise Lost, some giant robots, the sexual tension of a romance novel and the Bhagavad-Gita and mix them all together), and adds to this a “literary” understanding of characters’ motivations and emotional needs.

NeoPulp embraces the clichés of pulp writing: the naïve superscience of B-movies, the nefarious underworld criminal mastermind, the lone sheriff against a town of outlaws, the young woman torn between love for a mysterious stranger and respect for her fiancée, and the mad god bent on destruction, and examines them closely in an attempt to find - or try - something novel: a subversion, an inversion, a juxtaposition, a statement about the human condition.

NeoPulp is born of a love and admiration for the flawed nature of pulp culture; it is not an exercise in poking fun at the plot and character shortcomings that are endemic to pulp. Such things are obvious and have been done to death. Rather, NeoPulp attempts to create a real and sympathetic portrait of these bizarre and self-contradictory characters and situations.

NeoPulp fuses the legacy of romantic, realist, post-modern and modernist writing with popular culture entities such as B-movies, comics, television, pop music and airport novels.

NeoPulp places realistically-defined characters into fantastic situations. It avoids the two-dimensional characterisation of pulp fiction while embracing every aspect of its subject material.

I think there's some merit to what he's saying, and some application to his thoughts but I do think that he's taking things a little bit too seriously in the way that post-modernists/pop culturalists tend to do. I think that a big part of what makes "Pulp" pulp is its inability to take things at a surface value, to not accept the seriousness of a situation. Perhaps a fusion of these ideas with Borges ideas on fantasy (if you haven't read his Book of Fantasy I just don't know you).

I guess, at the root, I worry about the whimsy being drained out of things; that sense of wonder that makes pulp what it is. But still, there are some good ideas that can be extracted and put to use.

Gregorian - Heroes

Just wait, it's worth it.

No! by Thomas Hood

No sun--no moon!
No morn--no noon!
No dawn--no dusk--no proper time of day--
No sky--no earthly view--
No distance looking blue--
No road--no street--no 't'other side this way'--
No end to any Row--
No indications where the Crescents go--
No top to any steeple--
No recognitions of familiar people--
No courtesies for showing 'em--
No knowing 'em!
No traveling at all--no locomotion--
No inkling of the way--no notion--
'No go' by land or ocean--
No mail--no post--
No news from any foreign coast--
No Park, no Ring, no afternoon gentility--
No company--no nobility--
No warmth, no cheerfulness, no healthful ease,
No comfortable feel in any member--
No shade, no shine, no butterflies, no bees,
No fruits, no flowers, no leaves, no birds--
November!

Here He Comes

Ultimates 3 #1

Well, this will be short, sweet and to the point.

Color me extremely disappointed in this book. For all the flaws that Ultimates 1 and 2 had (and most of those being issues of scheduling), they had an energy and an excitement to them that drew the readers in. Well, they drew me in at least.

This first issue was disjointed, jarring and poorly explained and executed. The story begins in media res which can be hackneyed in the wrong hands, and in this case Jeph Loeb's hands are the wrong ones. Most of the characters are cyphers, with seemingly little progression from the two previous series.

There just isn't a lot there to sell the book past this first issue. The only real comparison that I can make is to the Heroes Reborn run on Avengers (which Loeb was involved with as well). The comparision, however, doesn't help Ultimates 3.

Unless this book picks up, and quickly, I don't see my following it.

First look: 'Speed Racer' wheels into live action

Woot!

When it hit the airwaves in the late 1960s, Speed Racer was pretty innovative television — for a cartoon.

Four decades later, the story of a family that works out its issues on a racetrack seems a little hokey.

So how do you please a YouTube generation that likes its humor ironic and its special effects cutting-edge while pleasing baby boom moviegoers who still remember Trixie's haircut and Chim Chim's jumpsuit?

40 Worse Pieces of Liefeld Art

Like there can only be forty...

A fun Liefeld drinking game: take a shot for every pouch he draws on a character. Oh great, now you have alcohol poisoning.

Mafia's 'Ten Commandments' found

An interesting set of commandments, and this should be of interest to anyone who enjoys crime fiction (either in gaming or literature).

Mafia's 'Ten Commandments' found Salvatore Lo Piccolo at Palermo's central police station, 5 Nov 2007 The commandments were found during the arrest of Mr Lo Piccolo Italian police have found what they say is a 'Ten Commandments'-style code of behaviour for Mafia members, at the hideout of a captured Mafia boss.

Watchman Movie Releases

After a couple months of shooting at various locations and on stages, last week we finally made the transition to our New York City backlot. Since the New York City that is rendered in the graphic novel is so particular, it was very important to me that our backlot speak the same language, the vernacular of WATCHMEN. In addition, the backlot needs to function as many different parts of the city, countless store fronts, street corners, alleys, etc. So, with that in mind, we set out to build own own custom backlot here in Vancouver, BC. In my opinion, the results speak for themselves.

Some pictures:

(Gunga Diner)


(Is that Rorschach?)

Datamancer's Steampunk Victorian Laptop

Too cool.

This may look like a Victorian music box, but inside this intricately hand-crafted wooden case lives a Hewlett-Packard ZT1000 laptop that runs both Windows XP and Ubuntu Linux. It features an elaborate display of clockworks under glass, engraved brass accents, claw feet, an antiqued copper keyboard and mouse, leather wrist pads, and customized wireless network card. The machine turns on with an antique clock-winding key by way of a custom-built ratcheting switch made from old clock parts.

Siousxie - Into a Swan

I feel like I'm in high school again. :)

Mayor Resigns, Claims Abduction By Satan Worshippers

Once again real life creates something that we can't top. :)

The mayor of an Arkansas town resigned on Wednesday, claiming he was abducted and brainwashed by Satan worshippers nearly three decades ago.

Centerton Mayor Ken Williams said he has been living under an assumed name for nearly 30 years. He had been mayor since 2001.

Williams told authorities he was born Don LaRose and that in the mid-1970s, he was a preacher in Indiana. He said he was abducted and brainwashed into forgetting all about his life as Don LaRose.

The stunning temples secretly carved out below ground by 'paranormal' eccentric

And once again truth proves to be stranger than fiction.

Nestling in the foothills of the Alps in northern Italy, 30 miles from the ancient city of Turin, lies the valley of Valchiusella. Peppered with medieval villages, the hillside scenery is certainly picturesque.

But it is deep underground, buried into the ancient rock, that the region's greatest wonders are concealed.

The Easter Bunny Hates You

Game Geeks #35 Delta Green: Eyes Only by Pagan Publishing

The third Delta Green book, coming soon. I am so glad that I pre-ordered mine when I still had money.

Can't wait for it to hit the mail.

Rogue cell phone has 911 on redial

A rogue cell phone is not accepting calls, but it sure likes to dial 911 operators in eastern Iowa.

Operators at the Black Hawk County Consolidated Communications Center said that they received about 400 calls from the same cell phone last week and that no one seems to be on the other line.

Sienna Miller signs up for 'G.I. Joe'

Sienna Miller is the first thesp to enlist in Paramount Pictures' big-budget tentpole 'G.I. Joe.'

British actress will play the film's female lead, described as a raven-haired baroness and sexy femme fatale skilled in espionage.

Fear of Girls©: Episode 2

"Tactical stupidity must be punished."

Doctor Who - Time Crash

Suburban Glamour

It might be a little behind to review this now but I have only just recently picked up the issue. Suburban Glamour is the first issues of the new comic by artist/writer Jamie McKelvie. Jamie McKelvie has come to prominence as the artist for the Long Hot Summer and Phonogram mini-series that have been previously available through Image Comics. Suburban Glamour is a creator owned book also made available through Image Comics.

Suburban Glamour is a 24 page full-color comic book.

Like Phonogram before it (created with co-writer Kieron Gillen) this comic could best be qualified as being a part of the modern fantasy genre, with much similar to novels such as Moon Called by Patricia Briggs, or a television series like Buffy the Vampire Slayer. McKelvie's work is probably similar in tone to Buffy, as it also features teenage/young adult characters and has a great deal of pop culture referencing inside of it (like Phonogram most of that referencing is of a musical variety).

Suburban Glamour is a strong work, and demonstrates that McKelvie is a capable writer, in addition to having a very clean illustrating style. I have to admit that I first picked up Phonogram on the strength of the McKelvie's artwork, although recommendations from other like fan-favorite author Warren Ellis didn't hurt either. However, for me, one of the main flaws with Suburban Glamour comes from having a familiarity with McKelvie's previous work on that. From a character design standpoint, the main characters of the book (particularly Astrid and Chris) are very similar to the characters of David Kohl and Emily from Phonogram. Too similar in my opinion, to a point of distraction at times. Although having the art in Suburban Glamour in color does have some differences from the black and white art of Phonogram.

The story so far, taking into consideration that this is the first of a four issue mini-series, seems to be a simple coming of age story about the main character of Astrid, a "typical" British teenager. The supernatural elements, much like a modern faery tale, are what make this story anything but typical. However, I do not want to give away too much of the story away, as that would take away the discovery of the story on it's own. Suffice it to say, this issue should appeal to fans of modern fantasy or modern faery tales.

From a gaming standpoint, I can see this comic having an appeal to game masters and players of White Wolf's recent Changeling the Lost game. It would also be of interest to those who play Eden Studio's Witchcraft or Buffy games. I can see easily adapting this story to Witchcraft, perhaps it being the story of newly awakening Gifted characters.

All in all, I was very impressed with this first issue of Suburban Glamour and highly recommend picking up a copy. And if you enjoy Suburban Glamour I wholeheartedly recommend picking up a copy of the Phonogram trade paperback as well.

Delta Green: Eyes Only Updates

We're all waiting impatiently for Delta Green: Eyes Only to reach the warehouse so we can start shipping it to customers.

The books were due at our warehouse near Buffalo, New York on Friday, November 16. Due to congestion in the east coast warehouses the shipment got stuck in Atlantic City for a few days.

As of Thursday, November 15 they hadn't yet reached the Buffalo terminal, where they'll be transferred to a local carrier for delivery to our warehouse. The freight rep said it ought to arrive any day now after the final leg from Atlantic City.

As soon as I hear that the books have arrived, I'll post word here.

Thanks for your patience! I think everybody's going to be very happy with Eyes Only.

Hasbro Recruits New GI Joe License Suitors

Hasbro has solicited proposals from potential publishers of the next G.I. Joe comic book license beginning this past summer, and will be making a decision on a licensee sometime after the end of this month, Newsarama confirmed Friday morning.

Buzz in industry circles began to grow in recent weeks suggesting the license, which has been with Devil’s Due Publishing since 2001, was in play. Asked the status of license Friday, Mike Surabian, a representative of Hasbro’s public relations agency Hunter PR, confirmed it was indeed up fro grabs, telling Newsarama, 'The G.I. Joe license is up for renewal. Hasbro’s partner, Devil's Due will be publishing the America's Elite storyline until July of 2008. Hasbro solicited proposals at Comic-Con [International], currently have a number of them in-house, and will be deciding on the Joe comic partner post-Thanksgiving. No decisions have been made yet.'

As noted, Devil’s Due, who hasn’t necessarily lost the license and could potentially win a renewal when Hasbro makes their decision, has held the comic book license since 2001, when as a then-Image Comics imprint it revived a dormant comic book property to the early skepticism of many industry observers.

NSFW: A Little Death

Interesting little short film with powerful visuals. How would you make it into a game? I'm thinking something with PDQ as it's base.