...I had an epiphany in my coffee

I’m at work, taking a break from what it is I do (web design wage slave), and getting my daily dose of “what’s going on in comics, film, and video games”. I do this everyday, to renew my inspiration and enthusiasm, which normally happens while I’m at work...

important aside: I’ll tell you about the significance of that statement later, for now, let’s get back to the epiphany.

...So, as I was saying, I’m at work, projecting my mind to the day when the work I do on a daily basis, will be the work I love to do now, in my spare-time - Comics, Films, and Videogames.

That’s when it hits me...

There are literally MILLIONS of people, energetically, and oft times frantically, working towards the same goals as I. They engage in the same rituals, recite the same mantras, seek out the same inspirational tidbits, and dream of the same same, ambrosia filled grail.

Then I wonder. What makes me different? How is my dream any more or less golden, what is it about me, that makes me shine brighter than the rest? What gives me a luster, that few others have, or will ever hope to have?

Now in the private moments of our own minds, we do one of two things, and I firmly believe this. One, we’re brutally honest, and have thoughts unmarred with past regret or issue. And two, we have thoughts based on learned behavior, past triumphs, and failures, consciously ignoring past regret and issue.

And that was the birth of my epiphany for today, and it is as follows....

It doesn’t matter what makes me different, I bought the ticket, I’m taking the ride, I’m having fun, and I’m not getting off until I’m good and ready.

End Epiphany.

Aaron Huey: America's native prisoners of war | Video on TED.com

Aaron Huey: America's native prisoners of war | Video on TED.com

It's just so damned exciting!

On October 10, 2010, I attended my second day of the New York Comic-Con. It was the last day of the con, and I was determined to not have that day end, without accomplishing a few goals.

Goal #1 - Meet Mark Waid, and Sean Gordon Murphy

Goal #2 - Meet a comic artist legend (or two).

Goal #3 - Talk with C.B. Cebulski.

Goal #1: Meet Mark Waid, and Sean Gordon Murphy

the connecting theme in meetiung with both Mark Waid, and man who's writing I've followed, but never thought I'd get a chance to meet, and Sean Gordon Murphy, an artist who I had no knowledge of until very recent. His work makes me redefine what I want to accomplish as an artist. I dig people who challenge me, and his work is the first time in a long time where I feel challenged. And meeting Mark Waid, an icon, and a real down to earth guy. Apart from sputtering like a leaky radiator, I gave him my card, and I will stalk him forever, because he challenges me as well.

Goal #2: Meet a comic artist legend (or two)

I met Joe Kubert. Those are simple words to type, and in that simplicity, lies greatness. Let me type it again...I MET JOE KUBERT!! Icon of icons, a living, breathing working, legend in the comic industry. This man has done it (literally) all! From superheroes, to true life tales, he draws, inks, writes, instructs, inspires, and puts to shame many in the industry today. I can't say enough about him. I spoke with him briefly, and his answers were short, concise, and perfect. He's the man. And I also met Bob "Freakin" Layton, the man who truly defined the look of "The Invincible IRON-MAN". You cannot look back over the course of IRON-MAN, and not see the genius of this man's work, in the evolution of the character, in bot look, and the stylized nature of his signature armor. He's down to earth, really funny, and still a very vital force in the industry, who is now venturing into feature films.

Goal #3: Talk with C.B. Cebulski

This was the one that I was the most anxious about. i wouldn't say nervous, because there wasn't any fear involved, but anxious because of who the man is, and who/what he represents. Now, i do not want to give the impression, that he's anything more than a man. From meeting him, and following his Eataku and Chesterfest blogs, he's the kind of guy you could hang out, grab beer, a spicy Szechuan fish taco, and talk endlessly about comics with...he also just happens to be Marvel Comics premier talent scout. That, and the fact that drawing for Marvel has been a long postponed dream of mine, for as long as I could remember. It was the very reason (that and starting a blues/rock group) was the reason I moved to NYC.

So, I met the guy, talked to him, shared a laugh, and he gave me his card, told me when I've got something to show him, he'd be happy to see it. Now when I say, that when I left that venue, you could not touch me... I mean you could not TOUCH me! I was ordained, I was made of celestial stuff, I was like a herald of Galactus, and no one could tell me different. Now, its not so much because of the man, who was gracious, jovial, friendly and patient. But because it touched the heart of a 10 yr old kid, who made paper cutouts of Iron-Man, Captain America, The Black Panther, and concocted fantastic adventures in the quiet of his room.

The kid who used to do that, who is still alive and kick-flipping inside of me, striving to not only be a good writer, but a better artist. That kid, will one day say "I draw comic books for Marvel"!

Nuff said.

I am a Telepath!

This is a glorious day! Today is the day, that two momentous events occurred and I am the giddy recipient.

But first, let me set the stage. It's 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday afternoon, and I've trundled off to the Coffee Cubby. Now the 'coffee cubby" is no more than a closet with big ideas, and far too little room to use them. It's large enough for three people of moderate size and girth to loiter, and not inhale the scent of waning perfume. However, were a person, of diminutive stature, and frail frame to try and angle their way into the room, the walls, I'm sure, would burst, and the ceiling would collapse...it's a small place.

And in the puny room, my eyes were transfixed, glossy and wanting, as I looked at a thing of such mouth watering pulchritude, as  to blind me from the fact that, I was indeed drooling on myself. I wasn't hungry, merely peckish, and yet, I had to have it. Like Tom Hanks in "Castaway" was desperate for a shave, a meal, and toilet paper, I was desperate for....

A large Rice Krispy treat.

...to be continued.

COFFEE IS THE ONLY THING HOLDING THIS COUNTRY TOGETHER!

I have been, and will continue to be, beholden to Starbucks, for they have been iinstrumental, in the the consistant solidity of reality, in this country since it's inception....

Note: Information about Starbucks can be obtained at their website.. what do I look like.. an Encyclopedia?
...anyway, as i was saying...

Reality, being the fragile thing that it is, has been shored up, for decades. At least in the the last decade, and at least in NYC. Which only goes to prove my point, that coffee is the only thing holding this country together. It's not religion, clear examples of how many will go to great lengths to go against their religion, to prove how superior it is.

It's not politics, as well evidenced in the repeated reminders of one administration, endlessly cleaning up after another's "Mission Accomplished". It boggles the mind to a near lobotomy, how our country can make history in one scene, and become the angry hordes of mindless, frightened throng in the next. For a visual depiction of this, refer to The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951), or a gathering of the Tea Party Movement.

It should be family, yet everyone knows that if you wake some parents, before their initial cup of coffee, you'll have your own re-enactment of Joan Crawford and the crucible of the wire hanger. But we love our parents, and if we don't, we should.

Let's take a moment, and think about coffee's role in the evolution and civilization of mankind. It was there on the table of the Inca's. And despite their rather abrupt dismissal, they were a marvelously advanced group of bipeds. It was considered more valuable than gold, in certain trading circles, in the golden triangle. It was present when the the west was won, along side Lewis & Clarke. Who not only owe their lives to Sacajawea but to that deep rich brew.

How many beverages other  than Tang, were the first to go into orbit, with those courageous astronauts?

No, it wasn't tea, or any other such dainty refreshment. It was coffee, coffee, coffee. Coffee has marched along with us from the dawn of mankind (I'm sure there was coffee in the days of the early hominids, maybe no roasters however), to the golden age of technology and wonder. Wonders that give us coffee in so many varieties, one's head would swim, if it weren't so firmly affixed, by coffee.

So the next time you hear someone say... "This country's going to hell in a handbasket!" Slap a hot piping cup of dark-roasted "shut-up" (aka hot coffee), and see if it doesn't adjust their attitude.

The bean is good...all hail the bean!

THIS COULD BE THE START OF SOMETHING...

It's Saturday afternoon, and I'm watching a movie instead of writing or drawing. It could be said what I'm doing is research and education. I'm watching the 1958 version of THE FLY (with Vincent Price, and numerous others), it's the best version in my opinion, for a a few reasons.

The first being, it's beautiful. In the heady days of Technicolor, there were few movies that lived up to the promise of vibrant, realistic depictions of real life. This version of the sci-fi classic did just that. It's as close to realistic color as the technology at the time could achieve.

The second reason, for a comic book artist, it's a tutorial. In it's way it the perfect example of visual storytelling, a comic book artist could find. Scene composition and pacing (especially in old sci-fi films), can almost be directly transferred from screen to page.

The third, is that not only is it intelligent science fiction, it's got the best mix of pulp and real (believe it or not) science. The original short story, written by George Langelaan, a man who's biography is nearly as fantastic as his work, was smart, and accurate. And the film itself was just as brilliant. Which given the time it was made, was no small feat.

Now, as I sit here in my chair at my desk, watching this movie, it dawns on me. In the best films there was and is always a storyboard artist. Considering the rare number of film directors, who aren't traditional illustrators, a storyboard artist was damn near crucial.

As well as the production designer. These two disciplines were required to master traditional illustration. In fact it was a pre-requisite. Now, not every production designer or storyboard artist was truly great at what they did, some where passable, other were just adequate. But look at the movies that are truly incredible, ad I'd bet dollars to donuts ( and I love me some donuts) that a truly stellar production designer and storyboard artist was behind the look and feel of the film. A few that come to mind are "Star Wars", "Chinatown" "Bladerunner", etc etc.

So, I've concluded that my first official blog post will be about my love of old sci-fi, comic books, and the artists behind both. Now, I'm going to get back to my education and research.