Post-Traumatic Tech Disorder

Finally read a bit more on the Tarantino/Friday the 13th rumblings (via my sub to the Hollywood Reporter), and noticed a few interesting tidbits tossed into the mix.

New Line tried to make a sequel to “Freddy vs. Jason” involving the “Evil Dead” character Ash, but a deal with “Dead” rights holder Sam Raimi couldn’t be reached.

For my earlier thoughts on this topic, check out my post in the old Dark Ramblings blog. And it had so much potential.

Another tidbit from this that I totally missed earlier (probably because the news hit the week after I was sick and was trying to catch up with everything at work)…

The WMA-repped filmmaker recently signed on to direct the season finale of CBS’ “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.

Since that’s one of the few shows my wife and I watch regularly, I won’t have to go out of my way to see what Tarantino does with it.

Real quick here… looks like Venture Management has optioned two comic book properties to shop around Hollywood, Sean McKeever’s The Waiting Place, and Phil Hester & Andy Kuhn’s Firebreather. Haven’t read The Waiting Place yet, but Firebreather was a fun book.

This morning, while I was hanging out in traffic listening to a book on CD, I started thinking about something my wife mentioned to me a while back. She made a comment one time when we were stuck behind a slow moving automobile. “Just our luck. An old man driving. An old man with a hat!” Apparently, the hat had some significance. Not sure what. But it made me start thinking of a list of things I’ve noticed about slower drivers.

1. Old man with a hat. Yep, my wife’s observation takes the top of the list because I’ve seen it plenty of times. Doesn’t even matter what kind of hat. Baseball cap, cowboy hat, fedora, derby, or even a sombrero. If they’re old and got a cover, take flight as soon as possible.
2. Multiple yellow ribbon disorder. I’m all about supporting the troops… used to be one (I’m also a disabled vet with an arthritic knee). So, I don’t really mind those yellow ribbons on the vehicles to support the troops… unless they have more than one. Don’t know why those multiple stickers slow vehicles down, but I’ve been stuck behind a number of vehicles with lots of those ribbons. Maybe the ribbons are just so densely packed with well-wishing for the troops that they develop an intense gravitational force that slows the vehicle down. Or something.
3. Jesus fish and a church. Yeah, there are lots of people that sport their religious preferences right there on the backs of their cars, and one of the most predominant devices is the lovely Jesus fish. Most of the times, these people cruise right along like everyone else, but I noticed every once in a while, they’d slow to a snail’s pace. Never really understood why until I noticed that it mostly happened whenever they passed a church. Is it sinful to disobey the laws of man in the presence of the House of God? Or maybe they just get a little paranoid. “Oh no, I’m passing a church. I better slow down before God catches me speeding and decides to cast me down into the blazing inferno.”
4. The Ford-Chevy feud. I drive a Ford. Not because I’m some big Ford fanatic, but because it was the SUV with the highest safety rating that we could afford when we bought it (our priority since we have kids). And it’s pretty safe as my friend Marty has seen firsthand. Anyways, I don’t really care about all that Ford-Chevy rivalry (and I’d seen plenty of it back in my hick town days), but I have noticed that a lot of times when I get behind a Chevy truck… they slow down. Sure, they’ll speed back up when I try to pass them, but while I’m behind them, they have that tendency to drive under the speed limit. Not sure what the reasoning behind this is. “Yeah, you’ve just proved that your truck can move much slower than mine. Congrats! That’s gonna definitely win over all of your ‘my truck’s better than yours’ arguments.” I wonder if I’d run into this as much if I bought a Toyota?

There’s not really much scientific evidence to support any of these thoughts… just my own personal observations. Still, it’s neat when you can see odd little patterns in everyday life.

Step right up folks and be amazed! For beyond this portal, you will witness an act of such daring… such bravery that many will whisper rumors that it borders on insanity. But this is no mere trick or fanciful illusion… it’s real!

So, gather up your courage and step forth to be enthralled by the comic book industry veteran who would dare to review sequentials by mail (not email)… for free!

And for those artists out there that don’t know Beau Smith and might be a bit hesitant… he’s a a good guy, and he’s a straight shooter when it comes to telling it like it is.

Well, couldn’t really link to the Variety story, but the Sci Fi Wire has a little snippet on Paramount picking up the film rights to the Invincible comic. Congrats to Robert Kirkman! He and artist Ryan Ottley have been working hard on this book lately (and having a lot of fun with it). If you haven’t read it yet, give the Invincible trade (vol. 1 of 4 trades I believe) a quick peek sometime.

The SciFi Wire points out that the Babylon 5 movie fell apart. You can see JMS’s full post on the subject in this JMSNews post. I’m particularly fond of this little tidbit:

“This was not the first time someone’s taken a run at a B5 feature film,
and it will not be the last. Eventually it will happen, because such
things are simply inevitable. If they can do a Brady Bunch movie, you
can be sure that sooner or later, somebody’s going to do a B5 movie.”

It was the dawn of the third age of mankind – ten years after the Television-Theater War.

This is the story of the last of the Brady Bunch clan. The year is 2258. The name of the place is Brady Bunch 5.

Not this Saturday but the next Saturday, I’ll be an exhibitor at the one-day STAPLE Independent Media Expo. Also at STAPLE, you’ll find a number of fun comic creators…Terry Moore, Michael Lark, Scott Kurtz, Lea Hernandez, Shannon Wheeler, Antarctic Press, Viper Comics, and more. If you’re in the Austin area the first weekend in March, stop on by and say, “Hello.”

Suspension of Disbelief. Recommended by Gail Simone over at her messageboard, this blog takes a look at comics and points out when creators get real world facts wrong…and they’ll probably point out some times when they get them right too (at least they say they will). It’ll be interesting to keep an eye on. Maybe I’ll bring back my science-based Education Rebellions and give them a comic book theme for a bit.

Below is a press release from GeekPunk…Dan Taylor’s a great guy, and even though HHH is going on hiatus, I know he’ll still be out there writing, and hopefully, he’ll still make it to some conventions this year. Good luck Dan and Chris–you put out a fun book, and I hope things work out for the both of ya!

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Costa Mesa, CA – February 23, 2005 – GeekPunk, the independent comic book publishers of the critically acclaimed and fan favorite superhero comedy comic book Hero Happy Hour, regrets to announce that the title is now on a temporary hiatus for an undetermined amount of time.

Due to unforeseeable circumstances, GeekPunk and the creative team of Dan Taylor and Chris Fason will temporarily be unable to publish future issues of Hero Happy Hour. “Unfortunately,” Hero Happy Hour writer and co-creator Dan Taylor states,“ both Chris Fason, artist and co-creator, and I have experienced life changing events – both good and bad – that have forced us to forfeit our independent self-publishing efforts.”

Taylor adds, “I want to express the most sincere gratitude to every reader that took a chance on us by picking up a copy of our comic book, to the loyal readers that stood behind the title and helped spread the word, and to the helpful people within the comic book industry: writers, artists, publishers, and distributors that stood in our corner and backed us up. We will forever be in your debt.”

“I’d like to say thank you to everyone that has supported Hero Happy Hour and GeekPunk,” says Hero Happy Hour artist and co-creator Chris Fason. “Hero Happy Hour is not ending and GeekPunk will continue. Unfortunately, due to life circumstances involving family and a real money job, I am unable to continue as HHH’s regular artist. It’s not fair to you as fans or Dan as my collaborator to say that I am going to try and do a bi-monthly or even a quarterly book when I know that I am unable. Making comics is truly a great experience and joy that I share with Dan and on some level; I plan to keep making them. Comics take a lot of love and time when you’re just starting out, and though I have plenty of love I just don’t allow myself the time to produce the volume necessary to be a part of a regularly scheduled book. Again, thanks to everyone for all the support and kind words and thanks to Dan for helping make at least one goal a reality.”

While Hero Happy Hour may be on hiatus, the property is far from over according to Taylor. “While there is no current time schedule set, my plans are to re-launch Hero Happy Hour as a comic book once again as soon as I possibly can, in addition to other projects that I am currently working on. I’m in the process of looking for a new artist to take on Chris Fason’s art chores. Also, finding another publisher to help deliver the title on a more regular basis is also a definite possibility. Hero Happy Hour will find its way back onto comic book store shelves and into the hands of readers looking for a fun alternative to superhero comic books.” Plans also continue to move forward regarding the Hero Happy Hour property as a possible animated television series.

Hero Happy Hour #5 “Reality Shots” and the 2004 Hero Happy Hour Super Special, both published in the summer of 2004 are not the last that readers will see of the regular gang of superheroes that hang out at The Hideout Bar & Grill. Digital Webbing Presents #22, to be published by Digital Webbing in March 2005 (Diamond Code: NOV04 2610) will feature the first full color story written by Dan Taylor with art by Chris Fason and Ralph Hédon. Also, the Hero Happy Hour back-up story entitled “I Thought This Place Had a Cellar” by Josh Fialkov and Scott Keating that was originally scheduled to appear in the cancelled Hero Happy Hour #6 will now be appearing in the Free Comic Book Day issue of Mortal Coils Presents Free Bodies FCBD Edition by Caption Box.

“The last two and a half years have been amazing,” says Taylor. “Again, I want to thank everyone who helped play a part in making the dreams of two guys who had no idea what they were doing in achieving their dream of publishing a comic book. I owe each and every one of you a drink. Cheers. And, keep an eye out for the return of Hero Happy Hour.”

About GeekPunk

First and foremost, GeekPunk is a publisher of comic books. We could be called small press, self-published, or independent. But, we prefer the term guerrilla publishers. Formed in order to publish the comic book Hero Happy Hour, GeekPunk hopes to continue to publish additional issues of Hero Happy Hour in the future as well as producing and publishing other entertaining comic books for those looking for something different. For additional information visit the GeekPunk web site at www.geekpunk.com.

According to this Sci Fi Wire article, Tom Cruise mentioned he’s no longer involved with the Iron Man movie project.

“I need to be able to make decisions and make the film as great as it can be, and it just didn’t go down that road that way,” he said. He added: “I’ve never just made a movie to make a movie. I’ve always made them because I really was interested in the story. I wanted to make that kind of picture and see what it would take, and it was an adventure for me. For that, it just wasn’t panning out. So far. You know, as of yet.”