meltblog

Today’s New York Times features an op-ed piece by Neil Gaiman. It’s a charming read about the relevance of ghost stories and things that go bump in the night. At the end of the article Gaiman is identified as the author of Anansi Boys and Fragile Things, no mention of his comics work. Nitpicking, I know, but what can I say? My heart is filled with sweet comics love.

Why do you write ghost stories? Is there any place for ghost stories in the 21st century?

As Alice said, there’s plenty of room. Technology does nothing to dispel the shadows at the edge of things. The ghost-story world still hovers at the limits of vision, making things stranger, darker, more magical, just as it always has ….

So, Los Angeles has a fancy new shop to check out. Cartoonist Sammy Harkham, along with two partners, one his wife, recently opened a store called FAMILY. They sell an eclectic selection of books, movies, comics, zines, prints, music, and clothes. It’s a small, sharp looking space with wallpaper screened by Sammy’s running buddy, master silkscreener Jordan Crane. FAMILY is located on a lovely strip of Fairfax, directly across the street from Supreme (the other side of the hipster coin) and a stones throw from Canters where you can get matzah balls the size of soft balls and a pastrami/corn beef sandwich as big as a cinder block.

Last night they had an event with a female Austrailian rapper. It’s really worth checking out.

Models, Drinks, Signings & Nerds!

Save the Date!

What: Nerdcore 2007 Calendar Release Party with Photographer Cherie Roberts, models Karlie Montana (cover girl), Sarah Blake and others signing the very first calendars hot off the presses. And booze.

When: Wednesday, November 1st
7 – 10 PM

Where: Meltdown Comics
7522 Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90046
323.851.7223

Who: Nerds, geeks and dorks of all shapes and sizes. (Hey, we’re nerds, too, so we have a license to take that kind of jab!)

Why: Because the Nerdcore 2007 Calendar is chock-full of tastefully shot nude ladies, retro gaming goodness and over 100 of the holiest of geeky happenings (major movie releases like Transformers and Grind House. Key anniversaries like Mega Man’s 20th, b-days of gaming’s greatest creators, and even the day HAL 9000 turns on).

Contact: headnerd@totallynerdcore.com
Media: Please RSVP for interview opportunities and hi-res artwork.

Our very own Matt brought back some great mini-comics and similar odds and ends from SPX earlier this month, and now I’m going to write a few posts reviewing my favorites. First up is Laundry Day by Justin Madson.

My review is going to be simple: you should read this. It’s a quiet little tale with beautiful art that does a wonderful job of balancing a sense of loss with one of wonder.

You can buy it from Justin’s website.

Hey guys, check out this here flyer for what my pals at Jim Hanley’s universe are doing. Basically, they’re getting fans of Jeff Lewis’s music to come by the store for a rock show. Will they get into comics at the gig? Myabe not, but they will be exposed. It’s ideas like this that can spread the word beyond to non-comic readers and bring up the numbers of enthusiasts. Outreach like this is outstanding and overdue. Tip o’ the hat to my old friend and mastermind Michael Binaco. It’s a great idea, Mike! I hope it inspires more folks to read comics, and more of us to think about how we can attract readership for our medium from “outside the club”.

If you’re in the greater LA area, there will be a book signing for The Art of Monster House this coming Monday, October 30th, at Gallery Nucleus from 6-10pm. Meet concept artists Chris Applehans and Khang Le and storyboard artist Simeon Wilkins.

On a side note, if you’ve never read Chris Applehans’ delightful webcomic “Frank and Frank!”, then you are sorely missing out. And his Superman video is one of my personal Gems of the Internet.

Thanks to Flight for the heads-up.

Apparently when you type “Heroes” and “Racist” into Google our good ‘ol Meltblog shows up. It is, or course, because of this post. So even though it’s buried in the archives folks are still posting in the comments section.

Super Wordy Man! had this to say…

Hmm..

I googled “heroes racist” to see if these keywords would bring up any similar views to what i have after watching this show and now i see i’m not alone. Whether intentional or subconscious, it APPEARS to be a racially skewed show. I love the show and looked forward to it coming on weeks before it aired. It’s the only show I watch and it has replaced my wife’s “reality TV” obsessions and even her Grey’s Anatomy thing…

Anyway, we’re what, five episodes into Heroes? I figured it’s a good time to bring the conversation back and hear what people think about the show. The response to Heroes has been insanely positive and the comic industry seems to have embraced it with open arms. It’s now a weekly topic among the Wednesday addicts comic crowd.

What say you?

Also, feel free to grill Pierluigi, Meltblog contributor and television man on the Heroe’s payroll. He can’t reveal anything about the show, but it’s still fun.

I would have loved to have seen Luis Guzman on Deadwood…

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Surf’s up for Milch as HBO takes skein

Duo shore up link with ‘John’ show

Milch

HBO and David Milch are back in business. The network has greenlit 12 episodes of “John From Cincinnati,” a surf noir family drama set in Southern California from the “Deadwood” creator-exec producer.

Production begins in November for a premiere next summer.

“John” revolves around the dysfunctional Yost clan of Imperial Beach: a former surf champ, his unhappy wife and their drug-addicted son Butchie. Their lives are turned upside down by both the titular John, a savant who mysteriously shows up in need of surfing lessons, and a man who returns to avenge a wrong done to him by the Yosts decades ago.

Bruce Greenwood, Rebecca De Mornay, Brian Van Holt, Austin Nichols and Matt Winston star along with Greyson Fletcher, Luis Guzman and Ed O’Neill.

Project began to take shape earlier this year, according to Milch. HBO was interested in a surf/beach setting as a backdrop for a series, while Milch had been toying with an idea for a new drama about a dysfunctional family.

Meanwhile, Kem Nunn, whose work has been focused on dark novels with a surfing motif, was working with Milch on “Deadwood.” Between HBO executives and the writers, the idea for “John” was born.

“Kem had already written about the exact area ‘John’ is set, near the border between Mexico and the United States, an integral element to the story,” Milch said. “I then met with the Fletchers and the idea kind of fleshed itself out afterward.” He said there are only loose similarities between the real-life Fletcher family and the Yosts.

HBO entertainment president Carolyn Strauss said “John” is equal parts “surf series, family drama and David Milch show.”

(more…)

The Short Project is just beginning…a unique attempt to create a complete animated short in a series of competitive stages where visual artists can focus on their strengths and win prizes. From their website:

The Short Project is an ambitious attempt to produce an animated short film by way of competition. The visual aspects of the production have been broken into eight competitions; Character Design, Set Design, Story Boards, Modeling, Texturing, Layout, Lighting and Animation. For more information on the Phases visit the Production page. The winning entry from each of these competitions, what we’re calling Phases, will go directly into the finished short film. All aspects of the film not created in one of the Phases, things like scoring, rigging, rendering, sound effects, mastering and duplication will be provided by the production itself.Winners of each phase will be awarded full credit in the production, cash prizes up to $500 depending on the phase, a page in the Crew section of this site to do just about what ever they want with and other prizes as provided by our sponsors. For more information on the prizes visit the Prizes page.

Getting involved in the Short Project is easy. If you’d like to participate as a sponsor, send an e-mail to sponsor@shortproject.com and we will get you set up. If you want to enter one of the Phases go to the Phases page (link above) and get all the information you need to dive in. If the Phase you want to participate it hasn’t begun, sign up for the newsletter and we’ll let you know when your Phases is gearing up.

Once production on the Short Project has wrapped we will enter the finished short into as many festivals as possible and hopefully win enough recognition and prestige for our participants and sponsors that we will be able to begin production on another cycle of the Short Project. It’s our goal to be able to continue turning out animated short films with this frame work as long as people want to participate.