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Tuesday, October 24, 2017
Friday, October 2, 2015
Flashback: Top 10 Zombie Comics To Rot Your Brain
(This is a flashback to my very first piece on Zombie Zone News (from April 27, 2010) and I will be sharing some of my other favorite posts from that site in the future. I would stand by this list today, with just a few additions...)
Anyone whose mother ever said “Those comic books will rot your brain!” knows a thing or two about decomposing gray matter. So, how wonderfully appropriate to talk about some of the best zombie comics out there! The great thing about zombies is that they could potentially pop up anywhere – all you need is a glowing comet passing through Earth’s atmosphere, an unexplainable gas cloud erupting from an underground fissure or some good old-fashioned biochemical engineering gone wrong. And there have been multitudes of books out over the years, fitting every possible locale and time period, so where to begin? Well, let me suggest my ten faves and we can go from there.
This book proves that storytelling can create just as visceral a reaction as any graphic gore. Done in a sleek black and white style, Dead has made readers plenty squeamish both with and without visual flourish - Tony Moore’s art set the standard with the original story arc, and Charlie Adlard has been doing a fantastic job since he took over (way back on issue 7). Often, we are more shocked at what the living are willing to do when societal conventions fall away than we are at the obvious behaviors of the undead. And Kirkman’s willingness to kill off any of the title characters if the tale veers that way has left many stunned jaws hanging open. This October, TV viewers will be invited into this world as well – AMC has picked up a six episode first season that will adapt Dead for the small screen.
2. Living Corpse (Zenescope Entertainment, 2007-present) – What happens when one of the ranks of the undead suddenly becomes self-aware and gets a rush of memories from his previous life? You get the hero of the book…duh! Searching for redemption while struggling with his need for human brains, The Corpse has become a gatekeeper for our world. He tries to keep out all the demons and beasties as they try to pass into our reality, and he may even hang out with Frankenstein’s monster now and again…not that he’s trying to name-drop or anything. Currently in talks to jump publishers, the title is still in full production on its big screen transformation – the Living Corpse movie is tentatively scheduled to release in October 2010 in 3D.
3. Zombie (Marvel MAX Comics, 2006-2007) – A revamp of the campy ‘70s B&W magazine Tales of the Zombie, the retelling presents title character Simon Garth as a bank robber with a conscience. Enter the military (complete with crazy scientist!) and some canisters of “experimental gas”, and I think we all know what happens next. This book sets up Garth’s transformation into a self-aware zombie with a penchant for saving people as he travels the world. Like the old Hulk TV show, but with more biting…
5. Jesus Hates Zombies (Alterna Comics, 2007-present) – The story starts out in the anthology volume Jesus Hates Zombies: Those Slack-Jawed Blues, giving a glimpse of why the Son of God would hate ANYTHING, let alone smash their skulls in with a blessed baseball bat. And with faith waning in this post-apocalyptic backdrop, Jesus was lucky to find a true believer…even if it comes in the unlikely guise of his zombie sidekick, Laz. The two continue to kick butt in the four- part sequel Jesus Hates Zombies, Lincoln Hates Werewolves: Yea, Though I Walk, in which they pick up more misfit sidekicks and gain an adversary of formerly angelic proportions…
7. Zombie Tales (Boom! Studios, 2005-2009) – Following in the footsteps of such infamous horror anthologies as Tales From the Crypt and Creepy magazine, this collection of shorts began with a series of prestige format one-shots, and eventually morphed into a 12 issue series. The various issues boasted such industry giants as Keith Giffen (Lobo) and Steve Niles (30 Days of Night). And with zombies as the stars of every tale, how can you go wrong?
8. Zombie Highway (Digital Webbing/Bughouse Comics, 2003-2007) – Mouse, Kuji, Tag and Yeti are four unlikely traveling companions transporting a mysterious stolen package to a shady buyer. But when the dead begin to rise, somehow these jokers become mankind’s best hope. And zombies aren’t the only ones after them - there’s a creepy hitman (who just happens to look like he stepped out of a ‘50s sitcom) with his pregnant zombie wife, the lawmen they’ve pissed off along the way and a fairly innocent looking fellow…who happens to be able to mystically transform zombies into demonic “hunters”. The boys better watch their backs – especially if Yeti never finds a pair of pants. It would suck to face down the zompocalypse in your tighty whities…
10. Living With Zombies (Goat Head Publishing and on the web at livingwithzombies.net, 2005-present) - Imagine a mashup of Clerks and Night of the Living Dead, and you’re pretty close to the plotline of this book. This supremely indie comic is the comedic story of two friends (and their faithful sidekick, Poop Dog) who had spent a lifetime watching zombie flicks and preparing for the inevitable undead uprising were proven right. Ahhh, the joys of finding your first abandoned chainsaw, and slicing through some revenant giblets… could there be anything more exhilarating? And, god help me, one of the book’s main duo is another character who enjoys battling undead hordes while not wearing pants. Is that two too many in one Top 10 list?
Monday, January 19, 2015
Red Stylo & Hellcat Press Are Having Open Comic Anthology Submissions!
Okay, all you aspiring comic book creators - now's your time to shine! There are two comic anthologies in the works right now, and they're looking for submissions from you. One is going to be filled with stories about a very specific rock club, while the other will be tales of horror crafted by all female creators - and both have the potential to be utterly fantastic books! So how do you get involved, you ask? Keep your pants on, kids...all will be revealed below:
27: A Comic Anthology by Red Stylo Media
This antho will contain stories based on rock'n'roll's famous "27 Club". What's that? Well, it's not half of Studio 54, if that's what you were thinking. The 27 Club isn't actually a place at all, but rather a group of rock legends. It's all spelled out pretty clearly on the submissions page, and here's a snippet to give you the background:
Stars burn hot, bright and then go out forever, but their light shines on for ages after. Members of the “27 Club” reached musical stardom early in life and died too young– specifically, the tender age of 27. Some of the club’s more famous members include Jim Morrison (The Doors), Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain (Nirvana), and Amy Winehouse.
This new book is following hot on the heels of Red Stylo's previous anthology, Killer Queen - which very lovingly collected tales based on Queen and Freddie Mercury. This proves that they know how to be reverent to the real-life musicians who provide the muse for the stories, yet create a brand new landscape for them to play in. Red Stylo have also allowed creators the opportunity to explore the worlds of Shakespeare (Shakespeare Shaken), Edgar Allan Poe (Poe Twisted) and Frankenstein (Unfashioned Creatures). I can't wait to see what they come up with for this book!
The deadline is Februray 15th. I'm providing the submissions link below and, as usual, you should read the guidelines fully. That said...go make some comics:
http://redstylo.com/2015/01/01/open-call-for-27-a-new-anthology-from-red-stylo/
And be sure to "like" Red Stylo's Facebook page to keep updated on all their news.
Dark Lady by Hellcat Press
Founded in 2014, Hellcat Press may be fairly new to the scene - but that doesn't mean they're unfamiliar with comic anthologies. Co-founder Lindsay Moore has had stories featured in the first three volumes of the horror antho Hellbound (published by River Bird Comics, a Boston Comics Roundtable production). Her passion for the project has me convinced this is going to be one to keep an eye on. And the cute pictures of kitties on the Hellcat web site certainly didn't hurt...
What's the skinny on the book itself? Lindsay sent me the following to give you the basics:
Hellcat Press is on a mission: to produce a horror comic anthology by October 2015. We are currently accepting submissions for our premier, all-female horror anthology, “Dark Lady.” If you are a woman with a horror story to tell, then Hellcat Press wants to hear it! For more details, please see:
http://hellcatpress.com/hellcat/submissions/
 | ||||
| Far left: art from "Dolly" by Lindsay Moore & Alex Cormack. Far right: art from "Garbage" by Lindsay Moore & Donna Peters-Martinez with Joey Peters |
That's all we've got for now, folks! When the books are finished, hopefully we'll have a more in-depth look on Strange Kids Club...
Thursday, June 5, 2014
Hartford Comic Con 2014: Weird Tales From Cons Gone By
For the inaugural year of Hartford Comic Con, it was certainly packed with geeky goodness - so much so that my Q & A over at Strange Kids Club was bursting at the seams and had to be split into two pieces! I'm proud to present the second part of that here on my dusty ol' blog, where guests from the Con recount...weird tales of Cons gone by:
Rich Woodall - Artist Alley Comics (Kyrra: Alien Jungle Girl, Johnny Raygun)
Surfin' Dead: What's your best/worst/weirdest Con story to date?
Rich: Best Con Experience: The first year I was doing Johnny
Raygun with my Partner in Comics, Matt Talbot, we set up at Wizard World
Chicago. We had a great time, but the highlight of the show was hanging out
with Erik Larsen until 3 or 4 in the morning talking about Jack Kirby and
comics in general… and then we drove him to the airport and he told us about
the next 2 years worth of Savage Dragon story lines.
Worst Con Experience: Man, it's hard to pick a worst… I
generally love going to cons, and don't see the negative in much, but if I had
to pick a worst, I think it would have to be sitting next to a guy selling a
book called Jacques Da-Cock and screaming the title every time someone walked
by… trying to sell an all ages book next to that was kinda rough.
Weirdest Con Experience: I once complimented a Buffy shirt
as someone walked by. The couple took that as a sign to stop and pitch Matt and
I their Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Scooby Doo Fan Fict. This might not have
been so bad if they took turns pitching, but both were very excited and pitched
at the exact same time. So, for 5 minutes all we heard was high pitched noise
with the random character name thrown in there. After the pitch Matt looked
over at me and said "don't EVER complement anyone again!"
Jack Purcell - Batman, Guardians of the Galaxy
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Surfin' Dead: What's your best/worst/weirdest Con story to date?
Jack: My best con story was in NYC where I sold a beautiful splash
page before the show started, got to be part of a project announcement with
Stan Lee and got offered a part time job teaching at RISD CE (*Rhode Island School of Design Continuing Education). An amazing
weekend!
Mark Frankel - Wayward Raven Media (Signed C: The
Missing, Horsemen)
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Mark: Let me preface my answer with the statement that
I truly enjoy talking to the all the folks who go to cons, no matter
who they are or what they are into. I'm a little unusual, as are the other guys
in Wayward Raven, so I love attending conventions and hanging out with
folks who are as passionate, nerdy and excited about comics and the
conventions as I am. I'm there to sell, but I'm also there to have fun.
Without the awesome people we meet at these things, I can't imagine I would
still be doing it. Every now and again, however, there is that one person
you just can't reach.
The first time I exhibited, we had a guy come up to us and
ask if we wanted to buy his novel. Not buy it to publish it, but just buy a
copy. I think he was asking $30 or $40 bucks for it. I don't think it was bound
normally either (although I'm sure any number of places would have done it for
him. Kinkos or Staples for example), just a general stapled together manifesto.
I only recall ever seeing the one copy too. I tried to politely decline,
explaining that we were there to sell books, not buy them. He visited us
off an on for the next couple days, still with the one copy. I guess no one
else was buying either. Maybe if he only wanted five or ten bucks someone would
have taken it off his hands. Or not, who knows. I have not seen him since, I
hope that with some guidance it has worked out for him.
Joey Esposito - Footprints
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Joey: The worst, and coincidentally weirdest, con story to date is
from Comikaze Expo a few years back in LA. It was the first day of the show,
still early in the morning, and a gentlemen came over to my table to browse my
wares; specifically Footprints, a black-and-white noir comic that was feature
prominently in my setup. He flipped through it a bit, thought for a moment, and
then looked me in the eye and said, "This is exactly the kind of book I
wouldn't order for my store." He walked away after that. So that was
pretty weird.
Ken Kristensen -
Todd The Ugliest Kid On Earth, Indestructible
Todd The Ugliest Kid Facebook Page
Surfin' Dead: What's your best/worst/weirdest Con story to date?
Todd The Ugliest Kid Facebook Page
Ken: The thing that always amazes me at cons is when hardcore Superman fans come up and ask me to sign Superman Returns movie posters. I was in graduate school when I served as location manager on that movie --and I worked my ass off. So it feels good to be recognized years later, but it still blows my mind because it's not like I'm the writer or director. That's one of the great things about fandom -- getting recognized even if you were only a small part of something.
.jpg)
Surfin' Dead: What's your best/worst/weirdest Con story to date?
Slade: Well at Free Comic Book Day, a Ghostbuster used my kali
sticks in a not so nice pose behind me.
Ryan Browne - ZombiePETZ
Surfin' Dead: What's your best/worst/weirdest Con story to date?
Ryan: Probably the best was last year at NYCC, getting the chance
to meet Stan Lee. He's the reason most of us do what we do. He is a great man,
humble beyond belief! One of the weirdest experiences so far isn't really weird
as much as it was surreal - getting to meet The Crow comic creator James
O'Barr, who is one of my biggest influences. I spent a solid 45 minutes talking
with him while discussing everything from his past writing stories to how he
doesn't tend to do sketches anymore at conventions. While chatting with him he
was doodling in his book and when he finished he had a huge 11x17 crow sketch
that he gave me as a gift. I am still to this day speechless. As far as bad
experiences I haven't really had any yet (fingers crossed). Hopefully I won't
ever have anything bad happen at a con.
Jason Deeble - Monster Haiku
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Surfin' Dead: What's your best/worst/weirdest Con story to date?
Jason: My first time selling my books was at a dog park. It was
some kind of dog parade or dog festival. I can't exactly remember. I know I had
a table out in a field and it started snowing like crazy. I think I may have
sold two books that day. I felt like a rock star.
Alex Cormack - Oxymoron
Surfin' Dead: What's your best/worst/weirdest Con story to date?
Alex: I’ve had a lot of good times at cons to really nail down
one. Meeting people, seeing friends, traveling, but one of my favorite things
is to meet people face to face for the first time who I have been working with
through emails.
The worst, well... hmmm... I’m not sure if I have a worst
story yet, there’s been a bunch of things that people would do to get on my
nerves but nothing too terrible and nothing too interesting.
But weirdest, well that’s another story! One time I was
drawing sketches for people in books we were selling of your basic characters -
Spider-Man, Batman, etc. - and this one guy asked me to draw a self portrait in
his book. And as I was drawing myself, he started to criticize the drawing
telling me that my eyebrows were thicker, or that my nose was bigger and so on.
Another time I was at a show with, at the time my girlfriend now my wife, and a
guy came up and asked us to sign pictures of ourselves that he found somewhere
on the internet. The last one I’ll mention is a guy I met on a Free Comic Book
Day and I asked if he would like to see a book I was selling, and he began to
yell at me that God is dead and that his no good ex-wife did not understand
that and that’s why they are separated, then stormed off swearing. But anyways
it’s all a part of the fun.
Adam Miller - ZombieBomb, Hartford Comic Con Coordinator
Surfin' Dead: What's your best/worst/weirdest Con story to date?
.jpg)
Adam: A couple years ago we were working on a book called
ZombieBomb. It was a horror anthology and ended up being a pretty good ride for a
bit. At the time we were selling books and having fun and had gained a little
real world notice for it. A filmmaker named Tom Bennett took interest in us and
started documenting our adventures for a web series. At a convention in
Philadelphia, Norman Reedus (of Walking Dead and Boondock Saints fame) showed
up at our table very excited about the artwork he saw. He payed us a nice
compliment and quickly returned to his booth. It happened so fast we were all
caught a little flat-footed and never got footage of him visiting us. We
regrouped and found Reedus again a short time after. We asked him if we
wouldn't mind appearing on our show in support of the book, and he said he'd
happy to do it. Once turning the camera on, Tom asked him to say a few words -
the catch being that Tom thought his name was Sean Patrick Flannery (his
Boondock Saints cast mate). Upon us confusing their names, Sean Patrick
Flannery, who was standing just feet away, caught wind of it all and ambushed
us. He jumped in and began making fun of the whole situation, and all on tape
no less. Both actors were amazingly good sports about it all and despite having
a little egg on our face, we landed on our feet and got a great segment out of
it. It eventually become our most watched video (YouTube link)
and is still one of my all-time favorite con stories.
Juano's Addiction: What's your best/worst/weirdest Con story to date?
Frank: My best con story is that I've pretty much perfected the art of getting into any panel I want to see at NYCC with out having to wait in line. It doesn't work for main hall though...
Frank: My best con story is that I've pretty much perfected the art of getting into any panel I want to see at NYCC with out having to wait in line. It doesn't work for main hall though...
Matthew Fletcher - Station Studios
Surfin' Dead: What's your best/worst/weirdest Con story to date?
Matthew: Weirdest Con story? Haha, that's an easy one!
Early in my career, when I first starting doing sketches at shows (but
still didn't know any better), a college-age kid comes up to our table and asks
if I do commissions. "Of course" I said "What are you
looking for?". Mind you, I wasn't getting nearly as many
opportunities to sketch at shows back then so I was eager to draw and make some
cash in the process. As he starts pulling out an incredibly thick manila
folder from his backpack, he excitedly answers "Well, I was hoping you
could do a drawing of John Mayer!"…...All I can remember is my brain
tripping and falling on its face.
Of the list of hundreds of possible superheroes, villains,
or pop culture icons that could have come out of his mouth, this was definitely
not one of them.
Am I a fan of John Mayer's music? Hell, no.
But, I'm relatively familiar with who he is and what he looks like.
Am I thinking it's a little weird that this kid wants a John Mayer
sketch? 100%! But who am I to judge?
I figured I'm decent with likenesses anyway, how bad could
it be? So, my brain picks itself up off the floor and I say "Sure,
why not."
What happens next is where the nightmare begins.
He of course is ecstatic (My guess later was that no one
else was stupid enough to take this on).
He asks if I know the song "Waiting on the World to
Change". I tell him that I had heard of it. He then goes on,
AT LENGTH, telling me how much this song means to him and how this song changed
his life. How the world is a terrible place with so many awful things
happening for no reason and that we can all change the world. Now, don't
get me wrong, this is a wonderful sentiment that I think many people share, and
I very much appreciate how special this song is to him. HOWEVER!
This conversation just went from weird to creepy in a matter of seconds
and I'm starting to feel a little uncomfortable with the personal information
being shared with me.
Next, as he hands over the incredibly large manila folder
filled with reference photos of John Mayer, he tells me exactly how the piece
should be laid out. "I want John to be sitting in a throne.
With rockets on it. In outer space. And for him to be
floating in front of the Earth. And I want the Earth to be cracking open
and exploding, with the words 'Waiting on the World to Change' written below
the exploding Earth."
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
We've just gone plaid people!
This is literally the worst commission idea I've ever heard!
Every ounce of my body is screaming for me to say "NO" to this,
but for some reason my head keeps nodding, and the word "yes" keeps
coming out of my mouth. The kid finally walks away and I'm left staring
blankly into the crowd with drool coming out of my mouth. My buddy is
looking at me dumbfounded and asks, "Did you agree to do that?".
With a look of horror, I turned to him and nodded.
I then spent the rest of that day at the show, that night in
our room, and most of the next day at the show, drawing and coloring that
piece.
In the end, I charged way less than I should have for a
piece that complicated, and passed up at least 5 other sketches that weekend
while working on it. On top of all of that, because he wanted to save
money, he opted for me to do the piece on 9x12 instead of 11x15 which is
incredibly small for a piece of that description. Especially considering
that I was expected to capture someone's likeness. In all honesty,
telling him "No thank you" really would have been better for both of
us; because what he asked for was a sketch of John Mayer floating on a rocket
throne, in space, in front of an exploding Earth with the phrase "Waiting
on the World to Change", but, what he got was a sketch of a man that kind
of looks like David Boreanaz floating on a rocket throne, in space, in front of
an exploding Earth with the phrase "Waiting for the World to Change".
The moral of this story: Thank god "Your Body is
a Wonderland" wasn't his favorite John Mayer song.
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A big thanks goes out to all who participated! Here's hoping next year is even bigger and weirder...
Saturday, January 18, 2014
Blood & Gourd: Bringing The Fun Back To Horror Comics
You know what has always been at the top of my comic pull
list to read every week? Not the big superhero spectacle, not an artsy black
& white crime noir book, not the smartly written sci-fi epic. No, it's
usually a ridiculous horror romp. You know the one - with monsters rampaging
and people running in terror. It reminds me of simpler times, of the
eighties... where the hair was big, the movies were craptastic and men in
rubber suits created our nightmares.
And now I've found a book that promises to return horror to
a time when it was still fun - Blood & Gourd. These guys have a tale of
terror that they've been dying to tell for years now, and it's very close to
becoming a reality. Their Indiegogo campaign to fund the book ends tomorrow
(Jan. 19th) at midnight PST , and they're OH so close to their goal. The
writers (Jenz Lund and DH Shultis) took time out of their schedule to bring
their inspiration - the monstrous Gourdfather himself - here for ol' Doc Curdle
to interview. This can only end horribly...so let's get this circus underway:
Doctor Curdle/Zombie Zone News: So, what're you - some kind
of Pumpkin King? I'm pretty sure I've made pies out of your minions before.
The Gourdfather/Blood & Gourd: When in sorrow you think
of dark autumn days, full of rain, you think of me. I walk the sodden pasture
lane and am the bareness of a withered blood-slicked tree. I, desolate and
linen grey, clinging with mist and rot, carry the light of hell in my face
while the hatred of damned souls writhes within my vines. The sturdy seedling with arched body comes,
shouldering its way past crumbling wet earth.
I move in savage shade and darkness with bitterness and dread.
DC/ZZN: Ooookay (Doc pulls the pumpkin guts and seeds that were
released from the Gourdfather during his rant off of his face)...seriously, though - why should
I care about a pumpkin deity who could probably be taken down by Linus and his
wooby? I mean, I bet they're in your patch waiting for you right now...
GF/BaG: The leaves are all dead, the scraping and creeping
of my vines is un-ending. The wall,
unmended, has broken down at last. I seek the aching drift of all things within
the tillings of your city’s razing. I whisper from the lowest chambers and open
your hearts to doubt. Those of you not asleep will mark the creeping cold and
shed the hope of day. You will dress your fear in blood and have your death by
gourd.
DC/ZZN: Okay, RELAX...let's talk about your book. Why are
Jenz, DH and Dave the ones to tell your tale?
GF/BaG: I told them so, at last, to beg and be beholden. I
spoke to them of horror and those asleep in pretty dreams of zombie money and
shimmering faces. I looked for them in scarce times and fixed thier gazes to my
creation. Things aren’t what they used to be, nothing else would do to quell
the entropic boredom death of all things horror. I needed vessels who could
shun the bland sameness behind the wallowing corporate art of sparkling
vampires and pornographic gore. I demanded servants who could brush aside the
dirt of dull zombies. Jenz K. Lund and DH Shultis heard my call and drew me
from my seed to hasten your fiery end.
DC/ZZN: .....
I can't work with this guy. Ask a simple
question, get a villainous monologue. Squee, get Surfin' Dead in here! Maybe he
can get something out of the writer nerds.
Surfin' Dead/Zombie Zone News: What the f... Doc! You said
you could handle this on your own!
DC/ZZN: To be fair, I wasn't expecting to be covered in
pumpkin sputum. Which I am. Would you like me to share some with you so you can
get a feel for what the interview has been like so far?
SD/ZZN: Ugh, get that slime away from me! Sorry guys, let's
hit the reset button here. Jenz, DH - where did the original concept come from,
and how did it evolve?
Jenz Lund/Blood & Gourd: The story seemed to come to life on its own. It
started as a short, low budget movie script about kids on skateboards fighting off
pumpkin headed people with baseball bats. It wasn’t long until we realized we
didn’t have the time or the budget to pull it off. I thought I came up with a
simple solution: let’s make it a comic book! Here we are three years later.
DH Shultis/Blood & Gourd: The concept started on two
fronts: the characters and the monsters. After Jenz told me his idea for the
pumpkin monsters, we had a ton of fun developing the concept into a rich lore
and a whole new world of horror. The characters came to life in a similar way.
We knew we wanted to make our characters real, three dimensional people who
were up against something horrible and shocking. The interplay of diverse real
people and otherworldly nightmarish creatures became, for me, the heart of the
script.
SD/ZZN: How did you come together, and where has your artist - Dave Acosta - been
hiding?
JL/BaG: DH and I met in graduate school. I remember being on a big
John Waters kick at the time and striking up a conversation about him. It
turned out that we shared an appreciation for good horror and smart, satirical,
junkfood cinema. We attended an annual hororr film festival in Olympia called All Freakin’ Night, and by sunrise, we
knew we wanted to work together. I have no idea where Dave Acosta’s been hiding,
we’re just lucky he let us find him.
DH/BaG: When Jenz and I started working
together it was a way to keep writing and to keep our artistic blood
flowing. The project helped us create
and sustain a meaningful friendship. It was the fun of it all that kept us
working together and kept the project going. Our writing sessions were part
work and part good fun. We take pleasure in making each other laugh and cringe
at the same time. Acosta was a real gem
of a find. We have only started working with him recently, and hope to continue
to do so. We’ve been impressed with his art- and with his ability to interpret
the script into some stunning art.
SD/ZZN: How grand of a scope is there for the story of B & G?
Is there one definitive beginning and end, or is there wiggle room for some
offshoots along the way?
JL/BaG: We’ve always loved the Marvel and DC universe concept. We
have the story written in three acts, but there’s a ton of room for growth. Not
for the sake of milking it like The
Hobbit movies, but to branch out the world. We don’t want to give too much
away, but perpetual Samhain stops time itself, leaving everybody trapped in
night that never seems to end. Time really isn’t an issue at that point.
DH/BaG: The story we want to tell with
Blood and Gourd has a definite three act structure. It’s fast, wild, and comes to an epic conclusion. That being
said, we’ve created a rich and full universe around the story- one that could
be harvested for all kinds of offshoots and spin-offs. We wanted to tell an
exciting story that leaves the reader wanting more. We’d love to be able to
tell more tales from this universe, and we think readers would like those
stories as well.
SD/ZZN: Do you see this becoming a print book, or could there at
least be a collection down the road if things take off?
JL/BaG: It’s been our dream since day one to hold a print copy of
Blood & Gourd in our hands. We want something a kid can read under the
covers with a flashlight. We’ll be doing a limited run of promotional, printed
comics sometime in May. A signed copy is one of the funding perks on our Indiegogo campaign. We hope to have a collection together by next Halloween.
DH/BaG: Yes. Oh, yes. Blood & Gourd
will be a printed comic book someday soon.
SD/ZZN: What are a few pieces of classic horror that really spoke to you and influenced the creation of B & G?
JL/BaG: EC Comics, Eerie and Creepy magazines, Mars Attacks trading
cards, movies like Creepshow, The Return of the Living Dead, Night of the Creeps, and (the original) Dawn of the Dead. Of course, Stephen
King and HP Lovecraft have their slime-dripping, bloody tendrils all over this
thing too. It also stems from a dissatisfaction with the state of modern
horror. Horror needs more than torture-porn, monster romance, and the grim,
grey world of survival zombie stories.
DH/BaG: Tales from the Crypt,
The Twilight Zone, MST3K, and some
creepy flicks like Psycho, not to
mention the real classics of horror with Bella Lugosi and Vincent Price. Along
with the movies and writers Jenz mentions, a lot of my writing queues come from
the sci-fi greats: Asimov, Phillip K. Dick, Heilein, and H.G Wells. Comic book wise, I’m a huge Batman fan and
love Frank Miller’s Dark Knight Returns.
SD/ZZN: Are there any current comics, or particular writers and
artists, that you follow and draw inspiration from?
JL/BaG: Eric Powell is a national treasure and I love Neil Gaiman to
death.
DH/BaG: Robert Kirkman is a must
mention. I have recently started following Dirk Manning, and really like his
approach to writing comic books.
SD/ZZN: As new comic creators, what have been some of your learning
curve moments so far?
JL/BaG: Somebody once told me that you may get those first, five
pages done, but good luck with the last five. A great, dependable artist is
hard to find and worth every penny. Also, I was more of a control freak intitally.
Now I let the artist draw from the script their own interpretation, we make
some tweaks collaboratively, and we’re good to go. It seems to work really
well. Promotion is a pain in the ass! There’s a sea of really loud people out
there and it takes all your energy to keep pounding away. You better really
love what you're doing or you’ll run away screaming. Hell, you might anyway.
DH/BaG: Dude. I feel like I’m working on
a graduate degree in comic book creation.
The last five months have been especially full of learning moments. Successfully taking a product from cradle to
market is not an easy task. My clearest learning moments have happened while
talking with comic book store owners. These guys had seen their share of
would-be creators fail and stall out mid-project. Jenz and I have managed to
make sure our project survived long enough to get past the stage where most
people seem to give up.
SD/ZZN: With some great penciled pages and new art coming at a
quick pace now, do you see yourselves hitting the convention circuit this year?
JL/BaG: That’s the plan. Our stretch goals on the Indiegogo campaign
will focus on coloring the first 30 pages and getting us on our way.
DH/BaG: One of my life goals is to sit
at a comic book convention with some posters and a few print copies of this
comic book. I feel like we’ll hit a few
conventions this year, and may be real tour rats in 2015.
SD/ZZN: What would be the band/song/album to provide the soundtrack
for your Gourdpocalypse?
JL/BaG: I write characters and scenes based on certain songs and/or
bands I love. If Blood & Gourd were a movie, the title sequences would kick
off with Cecilia Ann by The Pixies. I’d definitely throw some Zero Boys, Bad Brains, Stooges,
CSS, Cramps, Black Flag, Fugazi, Melvins, Minor Threat, The Replacements, Young
Evils, The Blow, Santigold, Sonics, and since it takes place in Olympia, WA –
some K and Kill Rockstars shit too. Blood & Gourd is very much an angsty,
fun, punk rock comic book.
SD/ZZN: Thanks so much for answering our questions!
Blood & Gourd Indiegogo page
Blood & Gourd on Facebook
Blood & Gourd on Twitter
My posts as "Surfin' Dead" on Zombie Zone News
Surfin' Dead on Facebook
Surfin' Dead on Twitter
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
R.I.P. Ronnie James Dio
Ronnie James Dio was NOT taken down by stomach cancer. Here's how I know:
Dio was the only one with the iron sac to take the vocal reins of Black Sabbath after Ozzy departed. The rumors that Mr. Osbourne only left Sabbath because of a "mystical bitchslap" laid down by RJD's personal wizard only makes it more impressive.
Not only did he popularize the infamous "devil horns" hand gesture that is a heavy metal staple, he also beat the devil's ass and told him that he was taking HIS horns away. That's how he rolled.
RJD consorted with witches, slew dragons and fought off hordes of demons with little more than his own voice...and possibly a giant sword. Don't believe me? Check out this video, and you may change your mind:
That's how I know it couldn't have been stomach cancer, an evil that couldn't be fought on the fields of battle. He deserved to go out in a glorious fight, making the landscape quake with his thundering voice before meeting his equals in Valhalla. And that's the end I choose to remember...
R.I.P. Ronnie James Dio (1942-2010). You will be remembered well.
Dio was the only one with the iron sac to take the vocal reins of Black Sabbath after Ozzy departed. The rumors that Mr. Osbourne only left Sabbath because of a "mystical bitchslap" laid down by RJD's personal wizard only makes it more impressive.
Not only did he popularize the infamous "devil horns" hand gesture that is a heavy metal staple, he also beat the devil's ass and told him that he was taking HIS horns away. That's how he rolled.
RJD consorted with witches, slew dragons and fought off hordes of demons with little more than his own voice...and possibly a giant sword. Don't believe me? Check out this video, and you may change your mind:
That's how I know it couldn't have been stomach cancer, an evil that couldn't be fought on the fields of battle. He deserved to go out in a glorious fight, making the landscape quake with his thundering voice before meeting his equals in Valhalla. And that's the end I choose to remember...
R.I.P. Ronnie James Dio (1942-2010). You will be remembered well.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
It's True Kids...Daddy's Been Moonlighting For Zombies
You may have heard rumors that I've been writing for some crazy zombie web site. I'm here to tell you...that it's true. I know, you're wondering why I would stop fighting the hordes of the undead and start creating fluff pieces to promote them.
Rest easy kids - it's called "deep cover".
I've set myself up as a zombiephile with the handle of "Surfin' Dead" on the Zombie Zone News web site. I've even written my first piece about the Top 10 Zombie Comics To Rot Your Brain. They've begun to trust me.
And that's how we'll win. Pretty soon, I'll have the locations for all their undead tea parties or curling matches or...y'know, whatever evil things these revenant bastards like to do. And then...kablooie! No more nasty yellow teeth trying to gnaw on your giblets!
Don't worry, I'll be back soon with more craziness on Juano's Addiction. I might even tell you about all the crazy dreams I've been having...
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