Webcomic Pet Peeve: Get a proper host!

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I currently have another webcomic recommendation planned really soon, but I have a bit of a writer’s block at the moment, so it’ll have to wait (sorry). After missing out on so long, in place of a review, I feel like I have to vent on a trend among webcomic authors who are likely uploading their work for the first time.

Get a host, dammit!

If you’re not sure what I mean, allow me to demonstrate. As far as I’m concerned, every webcomic should have a single important element in its webpage design.

The four magic buttons that make browsing simple. If you’re a new reader, rewind to the beginning. Missed a few days? Just move backward a page or two and get caught up. And of course, you can just zoom to the most recent update. Other added buttons are optional, although they can be extremely helpful–Archive can take you to any individual page or chapter, and some other comics (usually gag-a-day) have a Random button, although I’m not sure why anyone would use that. The point is, they’re the greatest tool for any webcomic reader.

And this is why it bothers me when some comics are hosted on deviantArt, of all places.


(Click image for full size.)

Well, isn’t this convenient! I have to go all the way to the final page and open up every single strip in a separate tab just to read it! Or if I don’t open a tab (either by accident or because I’m not tech-savvy enough to know how to do that), I’ll have to click my browser’s Back arrow and read every page individually, one at a time. Navigating this would be a pain, and it puts extra stress on the author, because they’ll have to manually place links in the comments to save us the extra trouble.

This doesn’t look so fun, does it? I can understand why dA is an important site on the Internet–there’s some truly amazing art on there and it can give people a place to upload their portfolio and build a sizable fanbase–but please, don’t upload your comic there! Just don’t.

There are plenty of hosts that can give your webcomic a professional look. It can save readers the stress of having to click everywhere and scavenge for every page in sequential order, and it can save authors the tedious task of linking each page in the archive (the hosting sites can do that automatically).

Keenspot/Comic Genesis

These two webcomic hosts have the same parent company. Comic Genesis is an “open gate” for anyone who’s new to the scene and wants to get their foot in the door, while KeenSpot is more of an elite club for more seasoned/experienced authors. (You don’t necessarily have to be previously hosted by CG in order to be invited into KS.)

The Duck/Smack Jeeves

Two webcomic hosts with no approval process! Just sign up and you’re ready to go! (Note: Smack Jeeves, while free, has limitations unless you upgrade to premium.)

Tumblr (with conditions)

I was originally going to discourage use of this site since it’s so popular for uploading blogs and art (and yes, a few webcomics are hosted here, too), but then I learned of the Simple Webcomic Theme, which gives any Tumblr blog the look and functionality of a proper webcomic site. Alice Grove is a fine example that utilizes this theme well. If you’re just going to showcase random art… Eh, whatever. If you’re going to post a webcomic here, though, please use that theme! You’ll do yourself and your readers a huge favor.

This felt good to get off my chest. See you next time with a proper review!

Michel Parry, editor of THE RIVALS OF KING KONG, has died

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THRVBSTS041978On Twitter, Kim Newman has reported that anthologist Michel Parry has died. Throughout the 1970s, Parry edited numerous collections including Archives of Evil (two volumes), The Mayflower Black Magic Stories (six volumes), Reign of Terror (four volumes), The Rivals of Dracula, The Rivals of Frankenstein, and most importantly from my perspective The Rivals of King Kong. As the first anthology devoted to ape fiction, Parry’s book at least partially influenced my own book The Apes of Wrath.  Five of the nineteen stories in Apes also appeared in Parry’s. This is what I wrote about Rivals in Apes:

Surprisingly, given the simian’s influential role in popular culture, only one previous anthology of ape fiction exists. Published in 1978 by Corgi, The Rivals of King Kong collected eight reprinted stories, two originals, and an excerpt from one of H. Rider Haggard’s Allan Quatermain books. Editor Michel Parry contributed the introduction and checklist of simian cinema. The difficult-to-locate collectible paperback original commands a ridiculous price ranging from $30-$200.

I didn’t know Parry personally, so I never got the chance to discuss apes with him or to learn what, if anything, he thought of my volume. Or if he even knew it existed or what he spawned.

So Michel, wherever you are, thanks for those early jungle trails.

Cover by Alex Solis

Cover by Alex Solis

The fascinating and surprising LFO comes to DVD

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unnamedAt the 2013 Fantastic Fest, I was lucky enough to catch the inventive low budget Swedish picture LFO and starting today, you’ll be able to also as it comes out on VOD/Digital Platforms and DVD.

Here’s what I had to say in my September 26, 2013 The Horn review:

Director Antonio Tublén’s (Original) second outing, the clever LFO, explores a simple concept to its logical conclusions. What if you could control people with sound?

Robert Nord’s (Patrik Karlson) sneering wife (Ahnna Rasch) and disdainful son (Björn Löfberg Egner) drive him into a solitary and lonely life. He lives within his own head and the secure comforts of his basement lair where he pursues experiments with audio frequencies. While working with low-frequency oscillation (LFO), Nord stumbles across a sound that makes the human mind very open to suggestion. He first tests his discovery on himself and then his new neighbors Linn (Izabella Johanna Tschig) and Simon (Per Löfberg). Nord begins to abuse his new found power with catastrophic results.

Tublén, who also penned the screenplay, creates an intelligent geek wish fulfillment film. The tortured Nord, excellently portrayed by Karlson, is your stereotypical geek, who engages in solitary pursuits while dreaming of acclaim and recognition for his activities. Once he masters his newly acquired ability, Nord will go to any mean necessary to get what he wants or perceives the world needs

The inventive low budget Swedish picture delivers a tale awash with guilt and megalomania, haunted by misdeeds of the past and the promises of the future. LFO, fascinating and surprisingly complex, supplies a thoughtful and terrifying analog to what happens when those in control believe they always know best.

Check out this truly unique film.

Stuff received 9/18/14 Austin Comic Con edition

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Since my most recent Nexus Graphica is about my adventures at the Austin Comic Con (aka Wizard World Texas), I figured it’d be a good time to catch up with what I picked up at the con.

As-You-Wish

As You Wish
Princess Bride tribute

Signed 11″ x 14″ print from an illustration by Chet Phillips.

Promo copy:

This tribute showcases famous quotes and icons from the Rob Reiner film “Princess Bride” based on the book by William Goldman. Signed on bright white archival 60 lb. paper.

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Rayguns Over Texas garners several honorable mentions

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Cover by Rocky Kelley

Cover by Rocky Kelley

Even though though Gardner Dozois’s The Year’s Best Science Fiction: Thirty-First Annual Collection came out back in late August, I’m finally getting around to reporting about the strong showing of Rayguns Over Texas. (Should give you an idea of how crazy things have been at the Geek Compound) While none of the stories were actually reprinted within the volume, seven of the tales garnered an honorable mention.

With Finn, Person, Allston, and Brown receiving additional notice within Dozois’s Summation of the year.

Congrats to all.

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Whining About Saturday Mornings Gone By

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I have seen a lot in the last 24 hours about the end of the Saturday Morning Cartoon Block. Many of my Gen X friends are wringing their hands at the loss of three to four hours of cartoon goodness.

And I find myself wondering what the fuss is all about.

I am the mother of a six year-old boy. I know exactly how many cartoons are available to my son. There are the 24 hour cartoon channels plus the specialty kids’ channels. There are the educational cartoons via PBS and TVO. On-demand services provide my son with even more choice and our DVD collection is full of current hits and retro goodies.

Add the Internet to that mix, and my child has more animation at his fingertips than I ever had when I sat down to watch cartoons on a Saturday morning as a child. He is living in the promised land.

So why is a certain group comparing the loss of the Saturday Morning blcok to the end of days?

Nostalgia. Plain and simple.

Gen X is its 40s now, and like the Baby Boomers before them, they yearn for the simplicity of their childhood. There is a longing for the days when they and all their friends watched the same things at the same time. They look at the multi-channel universe and bemoan what the “kids today” are missing.

But here’s the thing, they aren’t missing it. My son and his friends all watch the same shows. Oh sure, my son may be watching Word Girl at 5 while his bestest bud saw the same episode at 3, but they still gather to dicuss and roleplay. Want further proof? The Wild Kratts have three (3!) live shows in my town later in the fall. All three have been sold out for months. It’s the hottest ticket in town. Fisher Price has started making toys for Mike the Knight and the Octonaughts. My son has PJs made from Phineas and Ferb fabric.

Do you know what my friends and me would have done for G-Force PJs? Things not legal in Utah.

My fellow Gen-X nerds, stop your whining. Yes, the big four networks have stopped producing a Saturday morning cartoon block. But that’s because the kids can find better, cooler shows through other mediums. And believe me, they are watching them. The big three have failed to keep pace and have moved on to other things.

Now if you excuse me, the boy and I have some Penguins of Madigascar to watch.

My Fantastic Fest Curtain Call

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Poster by Geof Darrow

Poster by Geof Darrow

Here are my final reviews for Fantastic Fest 2014. Between illness and tech issues, I ended up seeing far less than I hoped. I still had, dare I say it, a fantastic time and look forward to reviewing even more films next year.

MV5BODgxMDk3ODI3MV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwNDUwNzU2MTE@._V1_SX214_AL_The most pleasant surprise of the festival, the documentary Kung Fu Elliot delivers a knock out blow with the story of Elliot “White Lightning” Scott. Known throughout Nova Scotia for his low budget chop sockey films such as Blood Fight and They Killed My Cat, Scott’s dreams of becoming Canada’s “first action star.” The unemployed, 30-something Scott, with the aid of his girlfriend Linda’s money and several unpaid actors, spends all of his time trying to reach his goals.

Very reminiscent of younger geeks, Scott’s reality never seems good enough for him. He always embellishes upon the truth about his accomplishments. Being a world class kick boxer is not enough, but he must be the best in all of Canada. Making two films is not enough, but must win several film festival awards. Scott’s story sounds almost too good to be true and as this fascinating film progresses, cracks appear in his tale. Though he imagines himself as the Canadian Van Damme or Chuck Norris, Elliot lacks the charisma, not to mention the martial art skills, of either. Linda at first supports the man she loves until his inconsistent behavior devolves into bullshit.

Embolden with the intriguing and insightful interviews of Scott’s friends, the fascinating tale ventures into unexpected and seemingly unreal territories. With Kung Fu Elliot, directors Matthew Bauckman and Jaret Belliveau expertly deliver one of the best features of Fantastic Fest.

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(Guest Post by Mark Finn) MondoCon 1: The Little Show-Within-A-Show That Could

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mcbanner-copy_full

I’ve been blessed over the years with many good and talented friends. One of which is aging hipster, writer, and personality Mark Finn. In my time of need, Finn graciously volunteered to fill some of my pixels about the eight days of Fantastic Fest with his account of MondCon 1, the poster/art event that occurred during the festival.

MondoCon 1

The Little Show-Within-A-Show That Could

By Mark Finn

 

I got the first alert that there would be something called MondoCon the usual way: via Twitter. Mondo (the company) does a lot of their business that way these days. They started out as a T-shirt screen printer, in cahoots with the Alamo Draft House, making ironic tees for nascent hipsters. It was perfect niche marketing. Over the years, Mondo has greatly expanded their operations into silkscreening prints and movie posters for special events (and also, just because) and most recently, new vinyl pressings (with a full art workup, of course) of movie soundtracks that never got a vinyl release in the first place.

Genius idea? Clever marketing? Right on both counts. Now, they have enough clout and draw for their own gathering, the aforementioned MondoCon, and it was strategically located in the middle of the forced march that is Fantastic Fest. The organizers promised a more personal and intimate experience than the usual big name conventions like San Diego Comic-Con; they limited attendance on both days, booked a smaller event space, and promised a number of exclusives for people showing up.

As a collector of posters and movie memorabilia as well as a lover of comics, it was too good to pass up. Two-day tickets were affordable and the sheer volume of exclusives for the show was so vast, there was something special to be had for any and all price ranges.

The guests, as expected, were a number of cream of the crop artists and illustrators who have worked with Mondo before on posters and projects. Big name comic book greats and illustrators like Basil Gogos, Berni Wrightson, Val Mayerick, Mike Mignola, William Stout, Tim Sale, and Geoff Darrow were situated alongside the young turks and new designers like Jason Edmiston, Becky Cloonan, Francesco Francavilla, Jock, Bryan Lee O’Malley, Kevin Tong, and “Ghoulish” Garry Pullin. With a couple of exceptions, there were short lines or no lines at all, giving attendees plenty of time to chat with their favorites, ask questions about their work, and feel like they got to make a connection with the creators. It was an art lover’s dream, to be sure.

TheBlackBeetle_NoWayOut_01_preview

Art by Francesco Francavilla

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Dude, Where Are All Your Fantastic Fest Reviews?

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Poster by Geof Darrow

Poster by Geof Darrow

You probably have noticed1 that I’ve only posted two days worth of reviews from Fantastic Fest, while the festival itself is on Day 6.

I’m on day two of some sort of stomach virus thingie. So sitting in front of the computer hasn’t been the most viable activity. Not too mention, I’ve missed the past two days of movies.2 Further complicating matters, as always, is the MS. Whenever something funky is going on in my body, my fatigue gets much worse.

I’m feeling far better than yesterday and I’m hoping to make it back to the theater tomorrow. And more importantly, energetic and well enough to pump out some reviews.

For the rest of the FF reviews, I’m going to drop the pretense of the days and just post them. I have notes for some 10 film reviews and plan to watch several more.

So here’s to hoping that tomorrow, all will be right and I’ll be furiously typing away.

But for now, I’m going to lay down and rest.

 

 

1Or not. I like to pretend that someone cares and actually reads what I post here.

2Thankfully, reviewers are given streaming access to many of the Fest’s films.

A trio of reviews from Fantastic Fest Day Two

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Poster by Geof Darrow

Poster by Geof Darrow

 

Fantastic Fest Day Two was full of potential and missed opportunities.

CreepingGarden07-thumb-630xauto-48710A very odd film, Creeping Garden chronicles the history of the science behind slime mold and the people who obsessive on the strange creatures. Beautifully shot and at times intriguing (especially the origins of devices first used to record stop motion), the film, much like the mold, will move much too slowly for some. But for fans of the bizarre entities, that are not technically plants, animals, or lichen, Creeping Garden serves as the definitive film on the subject.

man-from-reno-poster-thumb-630xauto-40341With Man From Reno, director Dave Boyle (White On Rice, Surrogate Valentine) delivers a flawed, yet beautiful modern crime noir. Escaping the rigors of her fame, bestselling Japanese crime novelist and celebrity Ashi (Ayako Fujitani) flees to San Francisco. While there, she stumbles upon a real life murder mystery. With the aide of an aging rural sheriff (veteran character actor Pepe Serna), Ashi attempts to unravel the plot.

The screenplay by Boyle, Joel Clarke, and Micheal Lerman mar the potentially clever film, full of the requisite secrets and curves. The ease in which the clues present themselves—for example, an obvious bundle of incriminating evidence just left on the floor of a missing man’s room; the sheriff uncovering an important, obvious clue, which beggars the question of why no one else discovered it—detract from the tale’s intriguing and impressive shocks and surprises.

Despite these failings, the riveting Man From Reno ultimately manages to entertain, largely due to the charismatic Fujitani and cinematographer Richard Wong’s magnificent use of the Northern California locales.

hive_pic_3__largeThe ambitious first film from David Yarovesky, The Hive stumbles. After being exposed to a mysterious virus, Adam (Gabriel Basso) wakes with no idea why he’s locked in a room with cryptic notes scrawled on the walls, doors bolted shut, and a dead friend. He attempts to piece together the events through the scattered memory fragments, some his and some not.

Despite some creative story telling structures and interesting plot devices, the intriguing old school science fiction concept fails to deliver on its promise. Sadly, Yarovesky currently lacks the ability to pull off the complex story. Basso’s deficit of talent further weakens the tale. The obviously talented, young Yarovesky is a director to keep an eye on.