Superman Returns

My brother and I finally got to catch this today after missing the first two showings we tried to make. But it was well worth the wait. I'm not going to go into a lot of detail because someone has already said almost everything I felt about the movie.

Cary Kelley reviewed the movie for SilverBulletComics.com, and you can read that review by clicking the post title. Be warned, there are spoilers throughout the review and this post.

As I said, I agree pretty much with his take on it, though I didn't think the changes were quite as drastic as he made them out to be. Regardless, it was a great movie.

The only thing I didn't like about the movie was that at points it dragged on a bit. And while Superman was a slightly darker, and definitely more relateable character, which I think is a positive change, I still thought the movie in and of itself kept the essence of the originals. Sure, it was updated with modern CGI and all that jazz, but the overall visual presentation echoed those first two wonderful Superman films. When the credits start rolling in the same way they did in the first two films and set to that same famous John Williams score, you can't help but to get giddy if you are the slightest bit of a fan.

Spacey as Luthor was perfect. He seemed to channel Gene Hackman and a little of Michael Rosenbaum and combined them together to make the maniacal Luthor we all know and love.

While I questioned the other actors at first, I have to admit they all completely sold me on them. Routh as Kent was like watching Reeve, it was so dead on. He even had that same tone of voice and same inflection. It was pure magic. As Superman, not quite the same heroic majesty that Reeve personified, but still very fitting. And you know what, the costume didn't even look bad on screen.

Kate Bosworth as Lois was the one that worried me the most, but aside from appearing much younger, she nailed the character and even took her to new levels. I actually preferred her over Margot Kidder.

Jimmy and Perry were great and really added to the film experience. And Marsden was an excellent addition to the cast and played his part very well.

While there were seeds throughout the movie, the whole idea of Supes having a son was not something I expected going in. I stayed away from spoilers prior to the movie, so it took me by surprise.

Seeing Superman in a new light as a somewhat tragic hero now grounded him while still maintaining his majestic aura. I personally think the movie humanized him while still making his character something to aspire to.

Great, great movie, and I'm kind of glad Singer left X-Men to do it. Yes, X-3 suffered because of it, but we got a really great and faithful Superman film that for me lived up to expectations.

And that would be my final word (and yes, it seems like I did go into a lot of detail after all), but one preview prior to the movie really relates to this subject. And no, not the Spider-Man 3 trailer, which was even better seeing it on the big screen.

But no, I'm talking about Hollywoodland (I think that's what it was called), which is the story about the supposed suicide of George Reeves, the guy who played Superman on the old TV show. While I question Ben Affleck playing and incarnation of Superman, the movie had that whole true crime, noir sense about it that really set it apart and made it very intriguing. Should be another good movie.

B-Out

Welcome to Fatherhood!

Chuck "Crazz" Kennedy, whom I've spoke of several times, and who is filling in on my column, is officially now a father! And not just any father, but a father of triplets!!!

I would like to publicly congratulate Chuck and Meva on their lovely newborn children and wish God's blessings to rain down upon them all!

While I'm not a parent yet I did help to raise my little brother and I can tell you from experience that for the next several years you will not sleep, nor do anything alone again! lol. But I know you will both love it, at least for now.

I kid. :)

Seriously, congratulations guys!

For anyone who wants to see pictures of the babies and read about their coming into this world, click the post title to check out Chuck and Meva's baby blog.

B-Out

Creating Time

That's the subtitle of a column I read yesterday that I'll explain in further detail in just a minute.

Looks like I missed posting all together yesterday. Sorry about that. I got busy with some corrections and reviews along with life stuff and time just slipped away from me. Even with the break from Indy-Pendant I find myself busy with so much other stuff and feeling a bit overwhelmed. Thankfully Round 3 of the Small Press Idol contest is over because it was draining me.

Which brings me back to the title of this post and the column it came from.

Mike Bullock, creator/writer of Image's Lions, Tigers and Bears, and current writer of The Phantom, writes a column over at SBC entitled Creation Fascination. As a result of several threads around the internet about creators not having enough time to give to their passion, Mike wrote an edition of his column on just that subject, aptly subtitled "Creating Time".

In the column, Mike is very blunt but very honest, and his words inspired me to take a look at how I do things and prioritize, and how I can cut back and change things. But I'll let you read it for yourself rather than explain his advice. Just click the post title.

As for me, I realized after reading that column that it had been several weeks since I had even written one page of script! I had only recently revised a couple of pages, but that's about it. I have three projects currently in the works that await writing from me. One is a full script for one issue, another is a revision of a detailed plot breakdown, and the other is basically anything at this point (sorry, Adrian). And because of all this other stuff, the columns, reviews, lettering, website, life, etc. I haven't had time to write! And this is what I'm trying to break in as - a writer! But yet I find the time nearly daily to post right here, and my columns are almost always on time, and I've been cranking out reviews and interviews left and right lately, and I've been lettering almost daily, and I've been moderating forums, designing websites, and whatever else I've been doing that I'm forgetting.

Bottom line is I need to write, and I'm talking scripts, novels, etc. - story writing. A big thanks to Mike for pointing that out to me.

Let's not even get started on my lack of drawing!

B-Out

Myth Conceptions

The new column just went up.

I thought I had one written in advance but I didn't, so I wrote this up in like 5-10 minutes. So I apologize if it's not up to snuff and for its length.

Regardless, I talk about what drives creators to create.

Go check it out by clicking the post title!

B-Out

Idol in Disarray

Well, looks like we had some drama occur Saturday. As I mentioned in a previous post the idol forums went down all day yesterday due to some server problem. As a result votes were apparently lost, thus corrupting the competition. So, Round 3 was ended a day early and the last official tally is where the votes ceased even though there were many more votes than recorded.

Anyway, because of this the officials decide to not just put the top five into the judges veto process, but the top ten! So currently the top ten projects are going through the judges veto process. The only difference between last round's and this round's veto votes is if a project gets knocked out no project moves up to replace it.

I'm telling you, they are making the rules as they go.

So far one judge, Hal, has nominated Wicket & Imp to be voted out, and another judge, Chris, has voted for Joe Zombie and Cross & Nails to be voted out. The way it works, though, is two of the three judges have to agree on an entry, then Ian, the overseer for lack of a better term, has the final say. Kathy, the third judge, has yet to state her votes, so it looks like right now those three projects are in danger of being voted out, which means at least seven projects will advance to Round 4 instead of five.

Man, this contest has been crazy, and I have a LOT of mixed feelings about it. But I can't complain because it looks like both The Kansas Hit and Warbreed will advance at this point. But it ain't over yet, so anything could happen.

B-Out

Indy-Pendant #53

Let the fill-ins begin!

Chuck did an excellent job with the column this week, and I can't wait to see what he has in store for next week.

This week he reviewed The Keep #1-5 and Living In Infamy #1-3.

Check out the column by clicking the post title.

Thanks, Chuck!

B-Out

The Three I's

Idol, Indy-Pendant, and Illness.

Idol
Well, after the SPA forums were down all day they finally came back up with an announcement concerning round 3. Evidently some data was lost or compromised, so instead of the top five advancing to the next round possibly the top 8 or 9 will advance and all get #0 issues! Of course the judges get to veto any of those 8 or 9 first, but Ian states he'll hold them to high standards.

This announcement is kind of bitter-sweet though. I have no doubt The Kansas Hit will last through the veto round as it was in first place and has had a strong showing since the very first round. But this increases the number of entries The Kansas Hit will have to compete with in sales.

On the other hand, this gives Warbreed another chance, should it pass the judges' vetoes.

Indy-Pendant
I haven't heard from Chuck today, so I don't know if the column will go up on time or not. Last I heard about it was Thursday when he told me he'd send it Friday or today. Well, Friday Chuck and his very pregnant wife, who is housing triplets, had a close call and made a long trip to the hospital in Chicago weekend traffic. So it's perfectly understandable if he doesn't get it done on time. No biggie, and I'll send out an email to the regulars as soon as I know for sure.

Illness
Not really illness per se, but I've been having some severe headaches as I mentioned a couple of posts ago, and they are getting worse. I've also been having some stomach problems the past couple of days, but that's because I think of a slight change in my diet, which added a lot more fruit, which has a tendency to mess with my stomach. Anything with tomatoes in it does the same thing, and just about everything I eat has tomatoes involved.

But it's nothing serious, I just couldn't think of another "I" to go with the title, which is a play on wrestler Kurt Angle's old phrase about the three I's, Intensity, Integrity and Intelligence. Plus The Two I's just doesn't have the same affect. So there ya go.

B-Out

Goodbye, Mr. Spelling

Aaron Spelling passed away today at age 83 and will be missed. He produced such shows as Beverly Hills 90210, Dynasy, The Mod Squad, The Love Boat and many more. He's survived by his wife and two kids. He lived a full life and was wildly successful in his chosen profession. God speed, Mr. Spelling.

B-Out

The Weekend Comes

And I couldn't be happier. This week has been...weird. Nothing really out of the ordinary, it just felt strange.

I've been getting bad headaches the past few days, and I think it's probably from the computer. Of course stepping away from it isn't really an option at this point.

Lettering work is steady. I wish I was getting paid for a lot of it, but right now I guess I'm still paying my dues and all so I can get enough attention to get the paying gigs. Hopefully they will come sooner than later.

I've got so much to catch up on this weekend it's not even funny. But I need to get it all out of the way so I'm free and clear to go catch Superman Returns next week!

The Small Press Idol contest is in full force as three entries so far have received over 100 votes. Granted on a large scale that's not much, but for this competition it's pretty decent. And thankfully The Kansas Hit is the one leading the charge by a narrow margin over the currently second place Wicket and Imp.

Warbreed is still way behind averaging a vote or two a day as opposed to the many votes per day the top five are getting.

My mom is doing much better now, driving quite a bit and getting around okay. She still can't bend and it hurts her to sit down and get up, but she's come a long way from when she first came home. Thanks to everyone who has asked.

I got a chance to play some video games with my brother this week. Let me say that Prince of Persia Warrior Within and Vexx are really good games. Yes, I know they have been out for a while, but it's not often at all that I get to play anymore. I used to be an avid gamer renting all the time, but it's been a while since that was the case. Now it's mainly wrestling games and the occasional adventure or RPG game. I love stuff like Metal Gear Solid and Syphon Filter, and stuff like Zelda and Final Fantasy also.

It feels weird not preparing for my column this weekend. Really strange, but relaxing knowing I don't have to worry about meeting that deadline.

But poor Chuck, who is filling in, he had to go to the hospital tonight in Chicago weekend traffic as his wife is pregnant with triplets! No babies yet, and they are all healthy, but it's still pretty stressful to say the least. Big thanks to Chuck though, can't wait to see what you have in store.

As for reviews, I read the latest issue of New Avengers today and was pretty disappointed. Spoilers ahead.


It was very anticlimactic. If you've been following the book, the New Avengers have been trying to take down this mutant who supposedly possessed all the lost mutant powers of all the mutants who are mutants no more. Last issue the guy, named Michael, landed on Genosha. This week the cover was excellent with a cryptic image of Magneto, who up until now has been depowered. Well, this Michael gave Magneto his powers back and maybe a little more, then revealed itself to be Xorn, the guy who had impersonated Magneto during Grant Morrison's run on New X-Men. But Agent Hill of Shield comes along and takes Magneto out just like that and Sentry drives the sentient force of Xorn into the sun while the absorbing mutant Michael who Xorn had inhabited stands naked realizing he killed Alpha Flight. So, Magneto is on a helicopter that blows up, but there's no sign of him.

Aside from the weak way they brought back Magneto, and the way they defeated him so fast, another problem I had with this issue is all the issues leading up to this issue featured Shield at odds with the Avengers, then all of a sudden their commander thinks she's joining the team until Cap turns her down.

Meanwhile, in Civil War, the same Commander Hill is sending Shield after a rogue Captain America. Talk about the left hand not knowing what the right is doing. I would expect of all books in the Marvel Universe for New Avengers to follow Civil War, but such is not the case and it really sucks.

Anyway, that's all for me for now.

B-Out

Dragonlance Interview

Yep, it's finally up! I got the chance to speak with editor Mark Powers, writer Andrew Dabb and artist Steve Kurth about the Dragonlance Chronicles adaptations for Devil's Due.

This is a very in depth interview with tons of exclusive pictures, so go check it out!

Just click the post title or head on over to www.silverbulletcomics.com and look for it in the features sidebar!

B-Out

Warbreed Needs Votes!

I have been lobbying hard for both The Kansas Hit and Warbreed throughout the entire contest, and for good reason...they're great projects! However, one is currently flourishing while the other is currently flailing.

I am appealing to anyone and everyone who reads this blog that has yet to do so to go vote for Warbreed and Kansas Hit. But Warbreed is in more dire need, so please vote for both!

Warbreed finished in first place last round, and now has only been able to break the five for a brief moment before dropping down to number seven. Only the top five will advance.

Of course there is the judges' vote, but I'd rather not leave Warbreed's fate in the hands of the judges if it can be helped.

Check out the Warbreed blog (linked in the sidebar) then click the title of this post to vote in the Warbreed round 3 thread.

Thank you!

B-Out

Pistolfist Review

I have a new review up at www.silverbulletcomics.com. This time it's the first issue of a new mini series from Alias entitled Pistolfist: Revolutionary Warrior.

This is a tale (obviously) taking place during the Revolutionary War featuring a man avenging his loss against his own countrymen by an unconventional means thanks to the hijacked journal of one Benjamin Franklin.

To read the review click the post title. Then head on over to the SBC forums in the reviews forum and let me know what you thought if you feel so inclined!

B-Out

Myth Conceptions

Inspiration.

It's where we get our ideas and how we get motivated to create.

This is what I talk about in this week's Myth Conceptions column.

Check it out by clicking the post title!

B-Out

Round 3 - Voting Ends in a Week!

We're one week away from the end of round 3 voting, and both The Kansas Hit and Warbreed are having a strong showing.

1. 66 votes (+7) - Wicket and Imp
2. 52 votes (+10) - The Kansas Hit
3. 50 votes (+4) - The Toledo Martins
4. 47 votes (+10) - Warbreed
5. 46 votes (+8) - Lost Target

---

6. 39 votes (+3) - Skitter
7. 33 votes (+5) - Arcana Obscura
8. 31 votes (+6) - The Young PUPs
9. 27 votes (+3) - Joe Zombie
10. 19 votes (NC) - Badlands Taxi
11. 18 votes (+1) - Weirdsdale
12. 13 votes (+3) - Cross and Nails

It's not over as you can see. Things are still close, and The Kansas Hit and Warbreed still need your votes! Show us your love!

B-Out

Indy-Pendant #52

It's finally here! My one-year anniversary column!

It's been a long road, but it seems like just yesterday I was talking about up and coming publisher Kandora (who has since fell of the map) in my very first column.

It's been a pleasure. Please check out this last column of the first year.

Also read the closing as I make an announcement about the column.

Click the post title to read the column.

Thanks!

B-Out

Mmm-Sighhh

Things are not going well.

That lettering deadline I had Thursday I just now finished it and still have to make corrections.

Helping my mom out has been far more taxing than I anticipated as I guess I didn't realize it would include taking my brother fifty different places a day. She can drive now, but not for very long as her knee stiffens up and causes her a lot of pain.

Anyway, because of that and the lettering gig, and now another one I have to finish this weekend I have not been able to do anything at all with the website or my art or writing since probably Tuesday, which sucks. I have my one year anniversary column this Sunday and I haven't even started writing it!

All that being said, in all likelihood, and I HATE to even put this out there, I may postpone the site launch once again. I just hate it because I've already given it two dates. And the whole reason I set the date was to push myself to get it done.

If I do push it back I will leave it open-ended and just say July, which technically gives me several weeks. But I'm still shooting for as soon as possible. I know if I had a solid 3-5 days to work on nothing but the site I could get it done.

Sigh. I am going to be scaling back really soon on some things. I've got too many coals in the fire and need to concentrate on the most important things. Seems like that trend is going around and I'm just the last idiot to wake up and smell the coffee. Though I have always spread myself too thin.

I will say this for sure. It is very likely that Indy-Pendant will take a short hiatus after this week's column. I need a breather and a refresher. I've still got a couple of Myth Conceptions columns finished I think, so that one's already taken care of. Unfortunately I never got around to writing up the IP ones.

So I'll probably put it on hiatus for at least two weeks. Again, I hate to do that, but it's nearly a necessity as I don't want to get so overwhelmed I just want to quit, and that's the road I'm on-I can feel it.

The Small Press Idol contest is going on and we still need your votes for both Kansas Hit and Warbreed. If you had trouble registering for the forums last round, all those issues have been fixed. Please give it one more shot.

There's a lot more I could just chit-chat about right now, but I just don't have it in me at the moment. I didn't sleep much last night and I took an allergy pill, so I'm doublely tired.

If anyone from Platinum is reading this, I haven't forgotten about Lab Rats, I just had some deadlines and personal stuff that I have written about here frequently holding me up.

Adrian, if you're reading this, I will get in touch with you Monday about what we talked about.

Ugh, I've got so much to do. At this point my to-do list is null and void I'm so behind...

And on that note, I bid you all goodnight.

B-Out

Mid-Week Melee

Well, it's after midnight here making it June 15th, and if things had gone according to plan the site would be up right now. As it stands it'll be rough getting it ready by June 19th. I wish I hadn't overestimated my time and pronounced a later date to begin with, but such is life.

This week has been crazy, and I am way behind on my goals. I have managed to promote the heck out of Kansas Hit and Warbreed thankfully, but still not as much as I would like. Next round we plan on getting creative though, so it should be a lot of fun.

I watched Final Fantasy VII Advent Children tonight with my brother and it was decent. I actually haven't played FFVII, though I love the franchise, and the movie was pretty cool. The best parts of course were the fighting sequences, but man those artists rock! Everything looked so real, even the texture and freckling of the skin when zoomed in. Much props to those very talented graphic artists!

I need a haircut desperately. My hair is down to my nose now, and somewhere between Monday and today it just got too out of hand and won't lay right anymore. I don't look particularly great with long hair, especially with the few extra pounds I've put on and can't seem to lose.

I only picked up three books this week and haven't read any of them yet. I got Civil War #2, 52 #6, and G.I. Joe America's Elite #12, and I picked up the latest issue of Wizard.

Of course yahoo sort of ruined Civil War for me as they posted a news item earlier today that said something to the affect of "Spider-Man reveals his identity in the comic". I mean I knew it was coming anyway, but still.

Round three of the Small Press Idol contest is in full swing as votes continue to pour in. At last tally Kansas Hit was in third and Warbreed was trailing in 6th place. I sincerely hope both make it to the next round not because I'm lettering them, but because I truly honestly believe they are two of the best entries in the contest.

I sent an email today that could (hopefully) change something for me, so we'll see what happens. It's highly doubtful, but I'm trying to stay positive. I really need this change, so hopefully things will come through.

I watched The Ringer last night and man was that a hilarious movie. The mentally challenged actors they got were incredibly funny and very good. There are so many quotes I keep saying over and over again, but I think my favorite is any time Thomas says "Possibly". I also liked Billy's "You scratched my CD, you know. You picked it up in clear daylight and scratched it". Very good movie.

I have to complete one lettering assignment by tomorrow and it's going to be close. But it's going to the printer Friday, so I have no choice.

Heard some good news about a project I lettered recently, so I'm stoked about that one. It'll be a while before it sees print (it's looking like Spring of next year) but the way it's being handled is good and it's a high quality book all around. I also designed the logo for it, so you may see that soon depending on if I get permission to show it or not.

And that's about it for tonight. I'm about half out of it on allergy medication at the moment and still have a lot to do.

B-Out

Website Launch Date Pushed Back

Sigh. I was hoping to pull it off, and I was going to give it one more day to see how far I got with it, but it's just not going to happen I'm afraid.

I have two lettering gigs on deadline this week and my sequentials aren't where I want them anyway. Also, with Round 3 of the SPA Idol contest in full swing this week there's promotion to do there. And on top of all that, aside from still caring for my mother who still can't drive, I also have to babysit my brother and two cousins the day the site was to launch, which is also one of my lettering deadline dates.

So I just don't think it's feasible even if I worked on everything from this point and all day tomorrow and all night tomorrow night, which just isn't possible anyway.

So what I'm going to do is push the launch back to June 19th, which is this coming Monday, the day after Father's Day, and the day after the one year anniversary of my column, Indy-Pendant. So it's still a cool date to happen on, and it's only four days difference.

I deeply apologize for this inconvenience, but I'd rather have it done right and complete than have something of lesser quality up to fill space.

B-Out

Round 3 is a Go!

All the entries are up for Round 3 of the Small Press Idol contest!

Both The Kansas Hit and Warbreed need your votes!

Voting closes on June 25th and only 5 entries will advance.

There are currently 14 in round 3. There were supposed to be 15, but one didn't make it.

You can check out our entries for all 3 rounds at the following links

The Kansas Hit Idol '06 Page

Warbreed Idol '06 Page

And then you can drop your votes in the threads located at these links:

KansasHit.brantfowler.com

Warbreed.brantfowler.com

So what are you waiting for? Go vote!

B-Out

Myth Conceptions

This week it's Crossgen!

They were the only shared universe company that dared go toe to toe with Marvel and DC since Valiant, and they were the only one to come close to succeeding.

I remember CG fondly and will never forget what they did for me as it was because of Crossgen I got back into comics and am pursuing working in comics now.

Click the title to read the column!

B-Out