IRON SIRENS SNEAK PEEK

Almost forgot...........

Here's a sneak peak at the finished pencils from the first page of Iron Sirens #4, currently in production.

Art is by the stellar Pow Rodrix. I had the pleasure of working with Pow once before, long ago, on a book that never did see the light of day. He's come leaps and bounds and I'm glad to have him a part of the crew on this issue.

Enjoy...

A Crisis of What to Write

Found this picture on the Internet last week while searching for something else and it gave me a laugh so I thought I would post it up.

Those of you that read comics will get it and may laugh along with me. Others will look at it, make that face they usually make when an old person blocks an entire aisle in Wal-Mart while they try to decide which brand of dried prunes to buy to put in their compot. Most of you will be the latter.

This is the fourth or fifth time I've tried to turn this whole thing into an interesting blog post but I'm just not feeling it this week.

There are some things Id love to share but don't think it's prudent at this time so I'll wait until the projects I speak of are more solid in nature. I will how ever share this....

CRISIS on INFINITE EARTHS #12 from DC Comics. The final issue in the series. This was the first comic I ever bought with my own hard earned money and it blew my little mind to bits. All the superheroes of various earths and universes fought a giant evil and some of the heroes... DIED. Here I am, eleven years old and for the first time I have seen that superheroes can die. I read and re-read this book over and over till I'm pretty sure the cover fell off. and that cover. I would stare at that cover and I couldn't rest until I knew who each and every one of those heroes on the front were.

So... with that out of my system... I think I'm going to make an attempt to actually work on something worthwhile this afternoon and see where it takes me. If not, I can always pull this issue from my collection (I think I own it in four different formats now) and read.

Reading, and not writing.

For some reason I just haven't been able to focus on writing the past several weeks. I need to bust my ass and finish my movie script but the Muse just hasn't been there for me.

So, in lieu of writing, I've been reading a little more than normal (Because my girlfriend insists on watching Big Brother for some unknown reason).

Here's some of what I've been digging into...


The Question: The Five Books of Blood by Greg Rucka, various artists, and DC Comics. This is a very cool book and I'd love to recomend it to everyone who likes Crime and Dark Horror comics but sadly, it's very steeped in DC mythology so if you don't know the character or situation going in, you'll get lost easily.

For those of you that want to know how much history, you would have to read the complete run of Gotham Central followed by the Montoya chapters of 52. That's a lot of comic book reading.

For those that want to jump in anyways, it deals with the new Question being sucked into the dangerous world of the Crime Bible and the various cult's that use it as the cornerstone of their faith.


Jack Kirby's OMAC from DC Comics.

I'm in the middle of this one right now and it's a pretty cool book for something that was done over 30 years ago. Originaly the concept for a Captain America of the future, Jack Kirby busted it out, amde a few changes, and made it part of his "World That's Coming" saga.

If you remember comics as being crazy, four color, fun, full of action, then this is a book you'll enjoy. Plus you get all the amazing Kirby art (which I'm just now begining to truly appreciate in my old age)

Finaly, there's The Host by Stephanie Meyer.

I have a very good friend who likes her other work of Vampire novels that I just can't get into. This book is more of a sci-fi twist with an alien invasion and the take over of the human race. One site I saw claims it's sci-fi for people who don't like sci-fi.

That can be good or bad. We'll see... I haven't started it yet but it is next on my pile of stuff to read (unless something so truly compelling bumps it out of the top spot before I pick this up to start it). Once I'm done I'll let everyone know what I think of it...

And that's it for this week... Tommorw I try to work on the movie script... seriously.. I will.. I mean it... really...















Write write write

Button Man

For the past several years I've become more and more interested in crime fiction. My father always read these kinds of novels and stories while I was always reading superheroes but slowly, I found myself moving towards this genre as well.

So when I got my monthly review pack from 2000AD (the same folks that brought you Judge Dredd) I was thrilled to find a copy of Button Man: The Confession of Harry Exton, among the stack.

Written by John Wagner (creator of Judge Dredd and A History of Violence), it tells the story of Harry Exton who becomes a Button Man for the"Voices", powerful men who use hit men as sport, betting on the outcome and keeping score. When Harry almost dies, he's taken to America by a US Senator and placed into service for one year, after which time, he can walk away a rich man. Problem his, Harry likes his job too much and is playing for keeps.

A cool story and yet another concept or idea that could easily be translated into a quality movie or even a series on HBO or Showtime that would draw numbers if the right writers were involved.

Art is by Arthur Ranson. The back says he's drawn issues of some of the X books for Marvel Comics but this is my first exposure to him. He seems to use a mix of traditional pencils and ink work along with photos to create a very realistic feel to the book. The characters take on some wonky poses here and there but over all it's some solid work.

With books like Ed Brubaker's Criminal and Warren Ellis' Fell on the shelves, a book like Button Man should do well if you're a fan of either. Let's hope we keep seeing more of this around.

Till next time...

Remember your childhood. And pass it on.

I was out and about today and stopped off at one of my favorite places to browse, Half Price Books. There are several of them here in Columbus. All of them carry comic books. Most locations have them for a buck or less. A lot of times they get treated like red-headed step children, tossed around until the covers are loose and pages are bent. Still, I look because you just never know what you'll find in those bins.

Today I found Herobear and the Kid by Mike Kunkle. They only had issues #2-5 and they were a little beat up, but for a buck an issue, I quickly snapped up the first printings and took them home.

For those that are new to Herobear the story is simple... When a young boy's grandfather dies, he inherits his old pocket watch and an old stuffed bear. But all is not as it seems as the bear comes to life and transforms into a ten foot tall hero known as, Herobear.

Within the books and on the back of the covers is the phrase: Remember your childhood. And pass it on.

This winter my own Grandfather passed away. He lived a very full and wonderful life and did many amazing things. To this day I still have trouble coping with him not being here. To my own regret, I didn't spend as much time with him at the end as I should have and when I came home to find out he was gone, it hit me like a sledgehammer to the chest. Six months later, I still hurt.

It might sound a bit silly to say but these books have helped me, just a little, and make me realize he's never truly gone so long as I can remember him and the things we did and the bond we shared, when I was a child. He has given me some of the happiest memories of my life and I still love him.

For those of you who stumble upon this Blog, this posting, I urge you to check out Mike Kunkel's creation at http://www.theAstonishFactory.com and discover Herobear and the Kid, for your children, for your grandchildren, and for yourself.

Remember your Childhood. And pass it on.

Till next time...

Good Grief

Almost two whole months since the last post!?! Just what the hell do I do with all my time?

Actually, I've been working with Screenwriter Chris Freeman on an adaptation of one of his scripts into graphic novel form. Anyone who thinks this is easy, ripping someone else's work apart and transforming it into a medium that deals in motion to one that rests on the illusion of motion, is in for a big shock.

I seriously underestimated this project and it kicked my ass. Right now I'm waiting for notes from Chris so we can knock out any edits and get it on to our artist. (More on our artist later)

I'm also waiting on the completion of our first project with art by Mike Lilly and photos from JM Manion to get Iron Sirens #3 put to bed.

So, lots going on but nothing moving forward.

Gotta try to remember I have this site to so I can keep updating it.

Till next time....

Pittsburgh Comic Con 2008

Hard to believe that the Pittsburgh show was a week ago. This past week has just kicked me in the ass hard with everything going on. I'm just now getting the chance to sit down and write about it a bit. No rest for the wicked...
JM Manion, Adela Garcia, Uko Smith, Sonia Adcock, and Me (No... they aren't midgets... I'm just a giant)

The show was great. Lots of people all three days. We had a great location near a dealer who was selling $1 comics and half off GN's so every time the aisle got jammed people would stop and stand in front of the booth while deciding where to go next. Lots of lookers (thanks to the girls) and a good number of sales for a small show like this.

Uko was the only one of my three artists that was there. Lots of sketch requests. Sadly I'm just the poor old writer. No one cares about the writer. I used to illustrate but in my old age my art skills have dwindled away. I'll need to do something about that.

Sonia looking hot in a corset. Leave it to the women to find the one person in the entire con selling clothes.

Adela Garcia in front of the banner. It was a rush job and next show will have a bigger and better one. Who am I kidding...? No one was looking at the banner.

Aside from sitting and signing with the girls all weekend, I got to accomplish a few other things like: Talk with good friend Rich Lane, a fellow writer I've been in contact with for years. I met some of the guys at Blue Line/Sketch magazine and got to dine with them on Sat night, and met Paul Monsky and Ed Clouts of AC Comics... both great guys.

I also spent way too much money on Hardcovers and Trade Paperbacks (the perils of being next to a dealer that's selling them at half off)

As I said above, it was a great show. I've done Pittsburgh now for six years and this was easily the best time I've had. Looking forward to doing it again next year.

Till next time...

Going Hollywood

Kinda... sorta... here's the deal...

Back in October of last year I took a screen writing class here in Westerville (just outside of Columbus, Ohio for those not in the know) . The teacher, Chris Freeman, had worked as a production assistant for Michael Mann on such films as Collateral and Miami Vice before moving back here. In that time he had been writing scripts. At one point, his job was to read the hundreds of scripts that would flood a production office in the hopes one of them might be worthy of being made into a movie.

To make a long story short, we hit it off, both being fans of comics. I had shown him some of my work and towards the end of the class he began talking to me about a project of his own he had been trying to get off the ground.

Entitled CIRCLE OF STONES, the project is a horror movie about savage Mayan children protecting an ancient treasure in the heart of the jungle. Optioned and green lit, the movie is ready to be made. However, both Chirs and his partner on this script would like a little more funding and a better shoot schedule.

This is where I came in...

Having some knowledge of the comics industry after kicking around with Ed Dukeshire of Digital Webbing for the past ten years (damn... has it been that long???), I helped Chris adapt several scenes from his movie script to be illustrated as a comic. I've also helped him put together a team which includes artist Mike Lilly (Batman, Nightwing, Quasar) to illustrate.

Chris' goal, and mine, is to obtain additional funding from another studio or outside investor so Circle of Stones looks its absolute best up on the silver screen.

So that's what I've been doing the past month, all the while neglecting my little Blog Space here. ( I know... so many of you were worried, weren't you...)

When not working on this project, I've been tinkering with my own movie script, an adaptation of my comic 'Slight' of Hand, and slowly getting ready for the Pittsburgh Comic Con April 25th-27th where I'll be signing copies of Iron Sirens with the lovely and amazing Adela Garcia and Sonia Adcock. (I'll let them fight it out to see which one is lovely and which one is amazing.)

Till next time...

Weekend Update 3-9-2008

What a weekend. The Blizzard of '08 they say. Pffffft. A little snow and people freak out. Talk about funny. We only got about 15" total. As I write this the city is still under a Level 2 Snow Emergency. The roads are bad but not awful. I know cause I had to go to Kroger's for toilet paper.

Anyhow...

Project wise I'm in an odd place. Here's a run down of where I'm at:

Work as started on Issue #3 of Iron Sirens. Expect that out in June at this time.

CRASH Kennedy: Weapon of Choice should be out from TwoFold comics soon. More on that as soon as I get word.

I've been talking to artist Jerry Beck off and on for several years and it looks like he might get to the project we wanted to do. Talks are underway. More info very soon.

I've set aside my first movie script for a bit and started a second. We'll see how that goes.

Waiting for an update on the Circle of Stones movie project I may be involved with. I've kept this one under my hat for a while because I really don't want to jinx it for anything.

And finally, I've gotten the itch to revive The Last Paladin. Several attempts were made to keep it going but to no avail. I've put him aside for a while but he keeps bubbling back to the surface. I have an idea in place and if I can find the right artist I want to re-launch him and see if he can still hold an audience.

That's about it for now. Till next time...

Crooked Little Vein

Mix a conspiracy surrounding the United States Presidents with a down on his luck shit-magnet of a private eye who always stumbles into the absurd and you have Warren Ellis' first true novel, Crooked Little Vein.

I've been a fan of Mr. Ellis for years, reading his comic books like Global Frequency, Fell, Storm Watch, The Authority, and a host of others. In fact, Warren Ellis has the distinction of having more comics collected into mass market trade paperbacks than any other writer in modern history.

More often than not, the concepts and characters he brings forth spring from real life science fact, twisted to make amazing leaps into storytelling. But back to the novel at hand...

Crooked Little Vein reads like National Treasure on Crack. A private eye, down on his luck, is given an ungodly sum of money to track down a book that contains the secret amendments to the constitution written on the skin of a dead alien. It only gets more bizarre from there as he travels across country dealing with twisted and freakish people living in America's underbelly.

The whole thing is a fast and fun read. My only complaint about it seems to be that this could just as easily be a six issue mini-series in comic book form as it could a novel. That's not a bad thing, I was just expecting something a little more. I supposed the graphic nature of some of the things our hero runs into during his adventure are better left unseen, and for that, I'm eternally grateful to Mr. Ellis.

Crooked Little Vein. Go read it if you like really weird stuff disguised as a private eye novel.

Till next time...

Iron Sirens at the Arnold Classic

For those who don't already know, The Arnold Classic is a huge event here in Columbus Ohio, run by the Gov. of California himself, Arnold Schwarzenegger. Columbus Ohio has always been a huge city for bodybuilding and Arnold holds his International competition here for the past 20 years.

This year we'll JM Productions will be releasing Iron Sirens #2 at The Arnold Classic, the same show Iron Sirens made it's debut at three years ago.

The Special Edition will feature a 9 page comic starring Adela Garcia and Sonia Adcock, a photo layout of the girls and an original Adela Garcia cover by local artist, amazing talent, and good friend, Uko Smith.

The issue will be available through out the Pro Fitness and Figure season at shows and events across the country. You can also go to Digital Webbing and pick up a copy as well.

Look for issue #3 with IFBB Star Jenny Lynn to hit sometime before June of this year.

Till next time...

Holy Crap!

Two months since I've last posted? What the hell is wrong with me? It's not like I've been locked away. Being lazy is the only excuse here. That and my computer crapped out a few weeks back but I'm on a new system so...

There's a good chunk of stuff going on in my creative life. Even the possibility of some more Last Paladin sooner than later. Till then, I'll be keeping you all up to date on some more of what I'm doing and what I'm reading to pass the time.

Look for a handful of posts over the next week and then, with little discipline, regular posts for the foreseeable future.

Till then...

I've gone to the movies, damn it!

Or at least I've been writing a movie script.

It's a poor but accurate excuse for why this baby hasn't been updated in a while.

For the past 12 weeks I've been taking a class here in Columbus Ohio for screenwriting. The teacher, Scott Freeman, had worked with Writer/Director/Producer Michael Mann for several years and is currently co-producing a film he wrote.

I knew this class was going to be a lot of work but with my regular have to pay the bills job, bad weather, car issues, mile illnesses, and everything else life likes to throw at you, it's been a hell of a ride.

I've got about 15 to 20 pages to go and the last class is Tuesday. My goal is to finish this script and update this blog at least once more before the end of the year.

Anyone want to place odds?

RevolTech Dangaioh

My new toy!

I can blame Dan Campos for this one. He's the one that showed me these super-articulated toys from Japan. The RevolTech Joint System allows for any number of life-like poses on these action figures. They have less points of articulation than any american action figure and damn it... they look sweet.

This guy is Dangaioh. I've never seen the Anime or the manga. I just bought him cause he looked damn cool. he comes with four sets of hands and his "Haja no Ken" which translates into Sword of Crushing Evil!

The figures retail here in America for around $20 each. A lot of people might balk at that price but consider this:




The Marvel Legends figures sell for $10 to $12 each. Sure they have 23 points of articulation but some of them just look down right ugly and still dont pose as well as this guy. DC Direct figures look great but hardly pose at all and they sell for upwards of $15 in comic shops.

The average RevolTech figure is smaller. This guy is about 6" high. They come with a two part stand so you can pose most of them as if they were flying or leaping through the air. They come with multiple hands, sometimes extra heads, and at least one weapon... sometimes as many as six or seven depending on the character.

A bulk of the figures produced so far are from the Neon Genesis and PatLabor series of Anime/Manga. They also have a wicked G1 Optimus Prime and Megatron and they've started to introduce a few "human" figures into their line. The one I've seen so far is more articulated than any action figure I've ever seen and looks 100% better at the joints.

I'd have to say over all, my only dislike is that I'm worried I'll snap the figure in two putting him into a pose since I'm not used to the joint system. After several days he's still in one piece though.

Greetings from Brookville

Wow... its been a while since I've updated this hasn't it. ? Damn. Well for the two or three of you that do stop by on a regular basis let's see what we got...

I recently moved to the Brookville Apartments in Columbus Ohio. Not too far from where I was previously which is good. It's a nice place, quiet, no troubles at all. The office help is hit and miss but what are ya gonna do right?

I recently started attending a screenwriting workshop on Tuesday nights. It's been fun so far and by the end of the class I should have a fairly passable screenplay. The teacher worked for Writer/Director/Producer Michael Mann of Miami Vice and Collateral fame. He seems to know what he's talking about (Actually Chris is a really great guy and the class has been fun every week)

I've also begun work on a book to be published by TwoFold Comics in 2008. Crash Kennedy: Weapon of Choice is an action story at heart but it's got all kinds of fun and weird things thrown in for good measure. If all goes well the first arc will be six issues. Each issue will have Crash as the lead story and there will be a six to eight page back ups in every issue. I'm still working things out but so far everything has been smooth.. almost too smooth for one of my projects.

Im also working on a number of other pitches to various companies. Mainly for comics and comic related projects but there's also a few that could be pushed towards the traditional book or movie side of things as well.

Hmmmmm... anything else... I got a new kitty. His name is Ajax. I have the scars to proove it.

Aside from that... there's not much else cooking right now. Actually, that's not true. There's a lot more going on than what I've divulged here but to go into every little project and idea I'm trying to germinate would bore the hell out of all of you.. all two or three of you.

Tyr to stop by and I'll try to keep things updated more frequently now.

Batman: A Trio of Tales

For as long as I can remember I've loved Batman. He was a regular guy with exceptional training and some really kick ass weapons and gadgets. He couldn't fly and he couldn't lift cards above his head but he held his own. His villains were the same way. None of them had crazy super powers. Instead they were just crazy.

My one problem with Batman and his villains is it can be difficult to tell an interesting tale. Just the shear amount of stories that have already been told alone can limit the originality and creativeness one can do with them before you either take the character too far out of their established roles or give the reader a "been there, done that" story that doesn't hold their interest.

Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale do anything but that in their trio of Batman Books. Batman Haunted Knight (a trio of tales from the Legands of the Dark Knight series), The Long Halloween and Dark Victory. These three books encompass around 30 issues total.

I picked these up over the last six weeks because I was moving and bored out of my skull with no cable tv or internet connection (which is why there's a huge gap in posts here for anyone wondering) based on a friends recommendation. I've never been a huge fan of either Loeb or Sale but knew they did a lot of work together for both DC and Marvel so I gave them a shot.

I was glad I did as well.

Loeb crafts some great tales that focus on Batman's early years as a crime fighter in Gotham City. From his dealing with the death of his parents to his relationship with a young Jim Gordon and an ambitious Harvey Dent. What really made these some cool books for me though was how Loeb handled the villains. Everyone from the big guns like the Joker and Two Face are done well but it's the really odd ones like the Calender Man and The Mad hatter, guys you don't often see, that Loeb really finds niches for. When he writes these guys he writes them odd and scary, just how they should be.

The art by Tim Sale (the guy who did all the artwork for the NBC show HEROES for the two of you out there that don't know) is great but what's really fun is to see his progression on the books. From the first Halloween tale to the last page of Dark Victory you can tell he's refining his style and growing as an artist.

From here, Loeb and Sale would go on to do other projects but to date they haven't returned to Batman. As a writer myself I understand there's only so much you can creatively do with a character before you feel you've said your peace and have to move on. Personally, I'm hoping they find some more to say in the future.