Sabriel Rose Jimison

Born 12/02/2007

Amazing

Picked up the new CD by Seal titled System. It's very cool. I think it is one of his best albums, very dance groovy and almost Bowieish (Is that even a word? It is now!). When I listen to the song Loaded, I can easily hear David Bowie sing the same lines with almost the same phrasing. No wonder one of the songs has a Thin White Duke Remix version. Loaded, Amazing and Wedding Day are the stand-out tracks but every song is great.
Thank you Mr. Seal.

In writing news...everything has kind of been put on hold until the baby arrives. Sometime within the next two weeks baby Sabriel will be born.
Simply amazing!

What's with all the bees?

I just don't get them. Are they supposed to be funny with those stripes? They remind me of school buses. Not funny.

I kid, of course. I saw Bee Movie over the weekend and loved it. The audience I was with seemed to agree. They clapped at the climax of the movie. It seems that Jerry Seinfeld can do no wrong. I heard that he is now going back on the road to work the stand-up circuit. I would love to see him. The only thing holding me back is that most comics' acts are filled with cursing live. I don't see how foul language makes a joke funnier, but I guess I'm old fashioned. Don't get me wrong, I loved the Seinfeld show even though it was crass at times, for the most part it was bringing the funny in a way that even my mom would laugh at. There were no f-bombs on TV. Maybe with the movie being out Seinfeld will keep his act clean. Maybe his act is pretty clean anyway. If any of you out there have seen his act, drop me a line about it in the Comments.

Movies that bring the funny (clean funny): Anything with Abbott and Costello, A Night at the Opera, The Ghost and Mr. Chicken, The Princess and the Pirate, The Court Jester, and To Be or Not To Be...to name a few.

They did the monster mash.

Halloween has come and gone. For those of you keeping score...I was Edward Scissorhands this year, carved a pumpkin at home to look like The Ghoul, designed and helped create a haunted house with creaky stairs graveyard and giant spider that small Lego trick-or-treaters occupied pumpkin for a contest at work, didn't win (we were robbed I tell you), and watched Sleepy Hollow in the dark.

My wife and I gathered all the Halloween decorations and stuffed them back in their box until next year. Oh, well. In a few weeks the Christmas stuff will come out and that will be fun, right?I really do enjoy Christmas...but do you have to start playing Christmas music nonstop on the radio all ready? What is this world coming to when I can hear The Christmas Song on the day after Halloween?! AAAGGHHH!

Um...I'm OK, really. Still no word from One Nexus Studios on a Pass or a Fail for The Ghoul. I am going to continue where I left off on my all ages novel The Fabric of Night, and put The Ghoul on the back burner. Don't worry. If I know the Ghoul, and I should considering I created him, he'll be back before you know it.

I'm going to shoot for 100 finished pages for the novel before the new year. It's a small goal but considering any week now my wife will have the baby, I think it's a realistic goal.

I leave you with this echo: I was working in the lab late last night...

A New America

Don't get your dander in a fluff. I mean a new Captain America.

Marvel introduced the new Alex Ross design for Captain America. We're told that it will not be Steve Rodgers since he was assassinated a few months ago. There is some speculation that it will be Bucky (AKA The Winter Soldier) that takes up the mantle.

I have mixed feelings about the design. I like that he still has the same cowl with the wing-tips an all, but I think the stars on his shoulders are not needed and the shiny costume takes getting used to. There is some backlash already about the gun he carries but he is and has always been a soldier first and foremost. Just because he has a gun doesn't mean he's going to wield it like the Punisher or something. I hope.

Also not too sure about all the black. I would prefer the rest of his costume to be navy, with red boots. The old Cap wouldn't need a gun, his shield would take care of offense and defense. Maybe this guy is not as good with a shield.

Click the link below to see for yourself.
http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=12094

The skinny on that crazy scene

The Mo-Kan convention was not impressive. It was small. I did end up talking with the creators of the Revere comic. They seem to be amiable enough chaps and I ended up purchasing the new Revere hardback collection. It's an interesting story idea that seems to move just a little too fast. A follow-up is coming out soon though so maybe we'll see some more character moments. The book is produced by the same company that produced the Mouse Guard book (highly recommended). You can check out Mouse Guard at http://www.mouseguard.net/. More information about Revere can be found at http://www.grantbond.com/.

Purchased the Jungle Book DVD on Tuesday and gave it a spin. The restoration job is fabulous. It is a still as good as I remembered and the music is the bomb. A must buy.

Another "must buy" is the new Bruce Springsteen album. The Boss delivers again.

Birth of The Ghoul

I finished writing the entire first issue of The Ghoul. It feels good. I never wrote a comic book before and I now know it's something I can do. I feel that my drawing background helps immensely but guess that can't be confirmed until I find an artist to fulfill my vision.

I still haven't heard from One Nexus Studios yet, but maybe soon. If they do accept my proposal it will be interesting to see what kind of artist they pair me with.

The Mo-Kan Comics Conspiracy is happening this weekend and I plan to attend on Saturday. I'm bringing some copies of my writing just in case I get lucky and find an editor or artist that's interested but really only expect to find some good deals on graphic novels and such. If anyone out there plans to attend, look for me, I'm the one in the New York hat and Incredible Hulk T-shirt.

This is Halloween

I know Halloween is in October but why not start early. Its Halloween in my head most of the year round anyway.

My wife and I dragged out all the Halloween decorations and placed them in the proper places. We watched the original Frankenstein to start the season with a jolt. Some other favorites Halloween movies I try to watch this time of year are The Wolf-Man, Dracula, Young Frankenstein, Sleepy Hollow, The Fearless Vampire Hunters, and Wolf.

I also brought out the coffee table edition of Edgar Allen Poe stories and poems. There's nothing like reading Poe aloud to set the proper atmosphere inviting ghosts and ghouls to drop by for a spell. Ha. A spell. I kill me sometimes.

So what are some of your favorite movies to watch or stories to read during the Halloween season?

I am Iron Man

I'm sure most of you know by now about the teaser trailer for Iron Man the movie. I won't provide a link to it here. Google it if you haven't seen it. The footage in the teaser looks good, really good. I just hope they don't demonize Tony Stark all together, yeah, we know he's kind of a jerk sometimes, but that's not his core. At his core he's a hero.

I dislike the direction the comics have taken with the character recently, and only hope that a change is coming. I enjoyed immensely the way Iron Man is treated in the new Enter: The Mandarin comic series written by Joe Casey and beautifully drawn by Eric Canete. It's almost a throwback tale in more ways than one; we do get to see the origin and first meeting of the Mandarin and Iron Man, but also the return of a Tony Stark that isn't a creep.

While we're on the subject of comics. I picked up the new Amazing Spider-man with the One More Day storyline. Don't waste your money on it. I thought it would be a return to form but it was just another JMS debacle. Will someone please get him away from Spider-man. His Thor work is great so far, Spider-man, not so much.

The waiting is the hardest part

I sent my submission for The Ghoul (a comic book for those not paying attention) to One Nexus Studios the other day. Now all I have to do is wait. I loathe waiting.

In the meantime I have decided to work full time to finish writing the first issue of The Ghoul, then I will return to also writing my novel as well. Sometimes it seems like there is not enough hours in a day. Sometime I envy those of you out there that have no projects waiting to be made or no stories trying to burst forth from your head like from a broken levee. Sometimes I want pie.

Observant readers of this blog may note the new picture. Consider this a logo of sorts. I thought about having it colored but I think black and white fits with the look of the blog, so it remains so. I drew up this logo for a business/writers card and thought I would add it here as well. I am rather fond of it right now. If my mood changes, I may remove it...or not.

Star light, star bright

Over the weekend I saw Stardust. I'm a big fan of Mr. Gaiman so I was very interested in seeing how the movie would do. I'm pleased to say that it is a wonderful type of magic. The story and some of the characters differ from the book but the heart of the tale is still there. The ending was changed but I couldn't say for certain it was for the worst or better, just equally satisfying as the book.

I hope more people find this little movie and give it a chance. So far, it looks as if the audience is having a terrible time finding Stardust. Ah well, there's always DVD.

If you haven't noticed already, I have a link on the right to Neil Gaiman's website and journal. You are always going to find something interesting or insightful or panda-ish there. I would recommend his books to any lover of fantastic fiction.

Perhaps if you blow out your candle and wish real hard, clap twice and spit into the wind, the Good Omens movie will happen.

Maybe if you catch a falling star.

Bronson

My wife and I spent the weekend in Branson, MO. My wife had never been there before. Much walking and shopping was done.

One of my favorite gags from The Simpsons is when someone is trying to go to Branson, MO. They accidentally get off the bus at Bronson, MO. Everyone in the town looks like Charles Bronson. I've called the place Bronson ever since.

Speaking of Mr. Bronson, when are they going to release Red Sun on DVD? I caught it on television once but haven't seen it since. It's a western where Bronson plays a cowboy and Toshiro Mifune plays a samurai. Great stuff. Oh well, guess I'll have to make do with Once Upon a Time in The West for my Bronson fix.

Casting call

I just found out the Thor movie is going full steam ahead with a director: Matthew Vaughn. I have yet to see Stardust (much to my chagrin) but this seems like a step in the right direction. Now if they can just find the perfect casting. I am not enthused about the two names I have heard so far to play Thor: Triple H and Tyler Mane.

Without further suspense, I give you my pick for The Mighty Thor. Vladimir Kulich.
http://www.imdb.com/gallery/hh/0474520/HH/0474520/iid_960717.jpg.html?hint=group

Stranger Savior

The following is a portion of my proposal for a comic book series starring The Ghoul. The name of the first story arc is Stranger Savior:

He thought he was dead. Thought he was a ghost. Turns out he was just invisible. That was his first power.

VINCENT PRATT was a B-movie actor. He suffered a terrible accident. He got zapped by a prop during one of his scenes. The prop was actually an alien artifact. The zap knocked Vincent out cold and turned him invisible. When he awoke, he though he was a ghost. No one could see or hear him. After time he learned he was still alive. He also learned he had other powers but he never knew for certain when they would appear.

Sometimes he has the strength of a giant. Sometimes it seems he is a walking encyclopedia of knowledge. He never knows when these two powers will be active. He understands that these extra abilities are random to allow him to demonstrate faith. He has decided that God allowed him to live through the accident and that his powers are gifts from God that should be used for good. Besides, next time he dies, he wants to be certain he will go to a better place than Kansas.

He calls himself THE GHOUL He hires himself out, for free, to those in need all across the globe. He also keeps watch over his own city, Shadows Bay, KS.

The West

Just finished reading To Tame A Land by Louis L'Amour the other day. If you have any love for the Old West then you have to read L'amour. He has a way of bringing the time alive in his stories in an unforgiving landscape, the dreams of a good man just trying to get by or the reluctance of a gunfighter to leave one more man dead by his gun. He writes like he's an invisible chronicler of the events or has lived them himself. Something tells me it's closer to the truth to say the later.

On an unrelated note. I'm still trying to figure out a way to post some of the proposal for The Ghoul or pages of my novel in progress. I probably won't post any of the novel until the first draft is finished, but The Ghoul is a different matter. Stay tuned.

The second way to kill a werewolf

Monster Squad. I really shouldn't have to say anything else. For those poor unfortunate souls that are not familiar with the movie, I shed a tear. I never thought I would see the day where I could own The Monster Squad on DVD. That day has come, on my birthday even.

It was with some trepidation that I slipped the DVD in the player, pushed play and sat back to view the movie once more. It had been a very long time since I had watched the movie, and I was afraid it would not live up to my wonderful remembrance. I'm glad to report that I needn't have worried. The film is still a great time for the monster lover and kid in me. With hindsight I can now see the great impact this one movie has had on me, my writing in particular and my preference for all things monster related. I have an unfinished movie script (problems with the third act) that I worked on just a couple of years ago and I can see how much of an homage it is to The Monster Squad.

Some people may tell you the effects are somewhat dated, the dialog in parts is silly and the story doesn't make much sense. I say that Dracula drives a black hearse with a silver skull hood ornament, Mummy's in my closet and Wolfman can survive being blown to bits by dynamite.

So, am I in the club or what?

Sometimes the bear eats you

I need to write. I haven't been able to write for almost two weeks now due to various reasons. The end of this week doesn't provide much hope. I think I am going through withdrawal.

I have made slight updates to my journal regarding the Fabric of Night, but that is not enough to whet my appetite. I know one thing for certain.

When Monday rolls around I WILL write.

Shoot me if I don't.

To live...and breathe...and fight...again

The Mighty Thor returns! Thor is back in his own comic book starting over with #1. Thor has been MIA for a while because of the whole dying and Ragnarok (End of All Things) happenings. Now Thor is back, but he's not alone. Dr. Blake is back as well. You see, Dr. Blake was banished to the void by an Odinspell. When Thor finds himself in the void he meets Dr. Blake and they have an understanding. And since it is for mortals to say whether the gods exist or not, Thor has returned.

Overall it was a good first issue. Thor's new duds are not far removed from his original ones and it's nice to see the whole Dr. Blake thing returning for a spell. The art by Olivier Coipel is perfect and his Thor looks very Norse. J. Michael Straczynski is writing and he did a bang up job as well. I feel that Mr. S. has a hit or miss quality about him and wasn't fond of his treatment of Spider-man, big fan of Babylon 5 though.

Action Comics #851 came out as well which continues the Richard Donner plotted Superman story. I am really digging it but it seems like the last part of this story came out at least a month ago. What's the deal? I may just have to wait for the inevitable hardback collection.
Oh yeah, for those wondering, it's a girl.

More than meets the eye

Not a very original title, I know. Hope everyone had a happy fourth of July. Mine was good. I spent time with in laws, had good barbecue hamburgers and hot dogs, and watched fireworks from just a few blocks away from where I live. America the beautiful, est. 1776, and liberty and justice for all!

On Tuesday I caught the new Transformers movie at the cinemaplex. I know a lot of critics have been down on the movie but I truly don't understand the geek backlash. A similar thing happened to the TMNT movie earlier this year (which I also enjoyed immensely). Sure, the autobots and decepticons have been tweaked a little and a few of the jokes were downright stupid, but I thought it's heart was in the right place. Most of the movie was genuinely funny. The robots were all awesome. The action was bayrific (terrific) and what you would expect from the master of mayhem known as Michael Bay. Would I appreciate a more solemn approach to the Transformers mythos? Probably, but the movie is fun, exciting, and funny. I can't wait to own the DVD. Oh, and Optimus Prime rules!

A rat by any other name

Saw Ratatouille yesterday. One of the best movies so far this year. Of course, Pixar can do no wrong so that was expected. This is certainly more adult then the other Pixar flicks but there are cornucopias of things that the kids will find amusing as well. Most of the characters this time are human and there really isn't a kid type personality but for Remy, the rat, but he's more of a teenager. Most kids won't understand the fascination with food but the parallels are there for other things. The need to create; paint, sing, write. Perseverance is key. Just ask the little chef.
The music is great as well. Not sure who does the score but it's Mancini like.
Ah, Paris.

Best laid plans

The good news is that I seem to have hit my stride writing The Fabric of Night. I love it when this happens. It seems your just slapping paint on a canvas until you reach that magical point where the story sprawls itself out before you and says "Here I am. Let's go for a ride."

The bad news is that while I'm riding this wave, The Ghoul lays by the wayside. Never fear, The Ghoul can never be counted out. He's been dead once. I think he can handle a brief sabbatical. I just fear for those foolish enough to run into him unfettered as it were. Ah well, better them than me.

In unrelated news, I have not yet summoned the will power to see the new Fantastic Four movie. In time the siren call of the Silver Surfer will lure me in, but probably not before the movie is available to rent. I know that you usually can't trust the critics, but...

Soup of the day

So, the new Fantastic Four movie will be here soon. I have mixed feelings about it. The trailers look really good but the misshapen shadow of the first movie looms over everything. The Fantastic Four have always been a favorite for me. I can only hope that the new movie will get everything right; the family dynamic, the sense of wonder, the magnificent evil of Dr. Doom (he's the ruler of his own country for crying out loud, [and could we have a couple of Doom Bots please?]) Here's hoping.

Danny Elfman will be scoring the Hellboy 2 soundtrack. I liked the first one by Beltrami. I usually love a new Danny Elfman score but it seems he hasn't really knocked one out of the park since Sleepy Hollow. If anything can coax a wonderful score from him I would think it would be Hellboy, with his cast of characters and mix of the urban and the fantastic.
http://www.aintitcool.com/node/32938

Fans of Dennis Miller rejoice. He has his own radio show. It's a mix of politics and comedy that often has me fighting not to laugh out loud while I'm at work, supposedly working. If nothing else, listening to him will expand your vocabulary exponentially (look it up).
http://www.dennismillerradio.com/

The Stegosaurus dinosaur; not as extinct as we thought.
http://www.forteantimes.com/strangedays/cryptozoology/357/a_stegosaur_in_cambodia.html

50

I have reached the 50 page mark of The Fabric of Night.

Dax and the scarecrow are stowaways on the sky train. Don't tell them, but the vultures are about to hit and the cowboy called Lightn'n may end up being Dax's only help in this strange world.

That's all you'll get out of me for now.

At world's end

Saw the new Pirates of the Carribean movie. Wow. What a fantastic end to a wonderful series of films. Or is it the end? Hope not. Probably not. Not with Captain Jack Sparrow still sailing the Calypso sea with a bottle of rum and a compass to point him to his greatest desire. I will say no more lest I spoil it for the lone reader of this blog. There is one reader isn't there? Anyone?
I leave you with my favorite exchange of dialog from the movie, after gazing up at the gigantic carcass of the Kraken:

"The world's gotten smaller Jack." Barbosa said.
"The world hasn't gotten smaller. It's just there's less in it." Replied Captain Jack Sparrow.

Hard Boiled Yid

I recently started reading the new Michael Chabon book "The Yiddish Policemen's Union". I like it so far. It's set in an alternate history where the Jews were relocated to Alaska after the war. The tone and style of the writting is very Chandleresque. Speaking of hard boiled crime, I would also recommend Mickey Spillaine and John D. MacDonald.
Still working on the comic and novel. Maybe I will post a sample soon.

It's a comic book world after all

On Saturday I attended the Planet Comicon in Kansas City. It's a decent sized comic book convention but when you've been to Wizard World in Chicago it's kind of a let down. I am glad that Kansas City puts on a con anyway, just wish some muscle like Wizard would get behind it. We're in the middle of the country for crying out loud. Wizard World should move to Kansas City, 'nuf said.

Jim Lee was the biggest name at the con. His line never seemed to dwindle. The guy that created Mouseguard was there (His name escapes me right now, Google it) but he didn't have any comics to sell. I was waiting until the convention to buy his comics and have him sign them. I guess there may have been a good reason for him to be without, but if it was me, I would have a stack of my own comic book in front of me, not to mention a bunch of freebies and a prop or something, but that's just me. I ended up finding a good deal on a Superman hardcover GN called Infinite City with art by Carlos Meglia. If I see anything drawn by Mr. Meglia I grab it. I'm still waiting for the collected Monster World.

After the con I was kind of depressed. I should be on the other side of the tables and not just attending. Ah, well. Maybe all will change with The Ghoul.

I also managed to see Spider-Man 3. It was good but not great. The first two were much better. Here's hoping that Raimi takes a break, as much as I love what he has done with the series, and some new blood enters. I probably won't buy it on DVD.

Finished the proposal for The Ghoul and started writing the first issue.

Searchin'

OK. So, I told you that I'm writing a comic-book. Eventually I'm going to need an artist to draw my words. People who know me, know that I can draw and was once a pretty dedicated artist. I have since been reduced to drawing quick sketches only. I haven't seriously drawn anything of merit in about three years. Why? It's a long story but the short of it is...I started to develop stories for myself to draw and ended up enjoying the writing more than the drawing, plus I couldn't draw very exciting or convincing backgrounds (buildings and such). Perspective killed me. I came really close though. I did the tryout circuit at a major convention year after year and heard from nearly everyone that they liked my stuff, but it wasn't right for them. In the end I also decided that I was too old to teach myself perspective and background drawing and still have a successful life as an artist. How many newbie comic-book artists are over 30 years old?

I say all of that to say that I wish now that I could draw my own comic book. I have come up with a few character sketches and such but I know I can't jump right back into being the comic book artist again. Besides, I know there are people out there better than me. I want the best.

After cruising the web for prospects, I found few that seem a good fit for me. I wonder if some of the better ones will even think about drawing for no fee up front. Hopefully the script will slay them, and give them no choice but to beg to draw for me. Here's hoping.

If you know any comic book artists that will work for free and can draw monsters, aliens, people, buildings, cars, furniture, trees, and giant ravenous space creatures. Please let me know.

Of Beginnings

So, I just started working on two new projects; one is an all ages novel and the other is a comic book. Actually, I think they will both be for all ages. That's my intention anyway. I say "all ages" because YA is too limiting. I wish I didn't have to label them at all. Treasure Island, Tarzan, and Tom Sawyer are not labeled YA, their "classics". Oh well, gives me something to shoot for I guess.
The novel is called The Fabric of Night and the comic is called The Ghoul.
By the way, I'm a new father as well. The baby is due in December.
The Ghoul says "Hi."

Hello

The Ghoul.