Author: Jenifer Rosenberg

National Graphic Novel Writing Month, Day 16: You Can Do It!

National Graphic Novel Writing Month, Day 16: You Can Do It!

  • News
  • October 17, 2010

At this point, those of you participating in NaGraNoWriMo are halfway there. Congratulations! You have made it past the initial excitement and momentum into the phase where you really have to put the pedal to the metal to keep going. Can you do it? Absolutely!

As a NaNoWriMo veteran and someone who keeps daily and monthly writing goals, I am familiar with the doldrums that come with the halfway point. You might start second-guessing your character ideas or worrying that you have fallen too far behind to catch up. You might feel you are a little bit ahead of the game and that you can afford some wiggle room. Some of you might even be throwing your hands in the air in dismay and wondering when you became so masochistic. No matter what you’re feeling right now, though, you have made it to the halfway point. If you’ve made it this far, you can make it all the way to the finish!

The thing about being in the middle of a project like this is that it can feel overwhelming. Your ideas don’t seem as shiny as they did when they began, and the road before you seems to be stretching into the distance. Two weeks seems like an eternity, and finishing your graphic novel seems like a fever dream. You may be feeling irritable and short-tempered. That’s perfectly understandable, because this is the hardest part of putting the story together. It’s the glue that connects the introduction to the conclusion, and sometimes it feels like that glue just isn’t going to stick. Every creative genius has been in this place, so don’t worry: you’re in good company.

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Zombies Avoid Federal Trial, Get Paid $165,000

Zombies Avoid Federal Trial, Get Paid $165,000

  • News
  • August 27, 2010

As we reported back in March, a group of Minneapolis zombies sued after having been arrested during a peaceful protest in 2006.  Though they had never been charged with a crime, they were detained for two days, and police claimed that their sound equipment was thought to be “weapons of mass destruction.” The Zombies’ (actually a group of seven people protesting mindless consumerism) original lawsuit was dismissed, but their request to appeal was granted in February.

On Friday, August 20th, the Minneapolis City Council agreed to settle out of court by paying $165,000 to the zombies. If the case had gone to trial, the group could have stood to receive $350,000 plus legal fees.

Apparently, Minneapolis City Attorney Susan Segal feels that juries would be sympathetic to the walking dead (or might use gavels to defeat them…). She did not apologize for the actions of the Minneapolis police who arrested the group of zombies at the 2006 Aquatennial, but stated “We believe the police acted reasonably, but you never know what a jury is going to do with a case.”

Zombies continue to be a pop-culture phenomenon, and their popularity continues to grow. In addition to the upcoming AMC show Walking Dead (based on the comic of the same name) and the next installment in the Resident Evil movie series, Resident Evil: Afterlife set to hit theaters in 3-D September 10th, there are countless podcasts, blogs, and fan sites devoted to our culture’s obsession with the shambling hordes of undead.

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Review: ‘Despicable Me’

Review: ‘Despicable Me’

As any parent of school-aged children will tell you, there aren’t as many kid-friendly releases as there used to be. When I first saw a trailer for Despicable Me (releasing July 9th from Universal), I wasn’t sure if it was actually aimed toward the grade school set. When my favorite go-to site for kid-friendly events in New York City announced that they had arranged a free advance screening for the film, I did a little research, determined my kids would like the story, and signed up. I’m very glad that I did.

[[[Despicable Me]]] is about a supervillain named Gru (voiced by Steve Carell) who is distraught to discover that a young up-and-coming villain named Vector (Jason Segel) is stealing his place in the spotlight. When Gru is unsuccessful in infiltrating Vector’s lair, he goes to a local orphanage and adopts three little girls who have been going around the neighborhood selling cookies for a fundraiser. This is where he film’s tagline “Super bad. Super Dad.” comes from. Now, those of you who have seen a few touching movies about old curmudgeons whose hearts are warmed by having children in their life can probably guess the basic plot, but keep in mind that the target audience will not. Additionally, there is much more going on than just the basic plotline.

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Can iPhone Comic Viewing Apps Bring In New Readers?

Can iPhone Comic Viewing Apps Bring In New Readers?

  • News
  • June 21, 2010

As anyone who knows me will tell you, I am not a huge collector of comics. Sure, I have a small stash of ElfQuest comics somewhere in storage, and a handful of graphic novels, but I have never been a comic shop regular. It’s not that I don’t like comics when I read them, it’s just that I never got into the habit of going to a comic shop every week. In fact, until the past eight to ten years or so, the majority of my comic shop experiences involved getting sneered at by total strangers who thought I didn’t belong there. Things have gotten much better since comics have gone mainstream with major motion pictures and the like, but I still feel a little apprehensive about entering a shop. Sort of the way someone inexperienced with fine wine feels the first time they go to an upscale wine shop. I know I am not the only person who experiences this comic shop anxiety.

This, along with my iPhone obsession (sadly, I am not yet an iPad owner), makes me the perfect candidate for comic reading apps. I can browse titles, check out reviews online, make a purchase, and read the material without ever having to set foot in a shop. However, when I first began looking for a comic reading app, I was a little overwhelmed by all of the choices available. I decided I should take it upon myself to do a little research, but to pare down the possibilities, I first set some parameters for selecting reading apps. Since I didn’t know whether I would like the format, I decided that I would only download and try free applications. I generally follow this rule when downloading any applications I haven’t already tried, as there isn’t a refund if you don’t like what you get. Secondly, I decided that any reader which required me to download comics to my computer and transfer them to my phone in a different file format (ie. apps that convert different files into a readable comic) would be way too much work for the casual comics reader.  Therefore, only applications where I could download and read the comic right there made any sense.

I decided on four different apps to try: iVerse, IDW, XComics by ComiXology, and Marvel. (Disclaimer: IDW distributes ComicMix titles through their apps.)

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Review: ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender: The Complete Book 1 Collector’s Edition’

Review: ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender: The Complete Book 1 Collector’s Edition’

If you’ve been to a movie theater in the past five months, chances are you have seen a trailer for M. Night Shyamalan’s live action version of [[[Avatar: The Last Airbender]]]. If you’ve been in the audience for a family friendly film, you’ve probably also heard many parents and kids excitedly buzzing about the trailers. But if the trailers for the major motion picture are all you know of The Last Airbender, you’re really missing out.

My kids and I were first introduced to the series, which originally ran on Nickelodeon from 2005-2008, when a friend sang it’s praises as a wonderfully engaging show that was appealing to both kids and adults. The series, created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, follows a boy named Aang, the last-known airbender (person with the ability to manipulate the element of air) who is also the Avatar – someone who has the power to master all four elements – who is discovered by a brother and sister from the Water Tribe and sets out with his new friends (along with a flying bison inspired by Miyazaki’s catbus) to defeat the war-hungry Fire Nation from destroying the world. My kids loved it, and it quickly became a household favorite. We also soon discovered that many of our friends were fans of the show, as well.

Now, in anticipation of Shyamalan’s film, Nickelodeon is releasing a shiny new collector’s edition of the first season, which goes on sale June 22nd. In addition to having the entire, completely awesome first season, there are special features and bonuses-a-plenty. The set comes with two exclusive bonus discs, along with a preview edition of the upcoming book Avatar: The Last Airbender – The Art of the Animated Series (which was released on June 15th). The book has a wonderful collection of concept sketches and descriptions of character development for the series. My kids squealed with delight when they saw the book and actually sat together nicely for over an hour to look at all of the pictures and discuss their favorite things about each character.

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Are You Ready for Sookeh? ‘True Blood’ Will Tell

Are You Ready for Sookeh? ‘True Blood’ Will Tell

  • News
  • June 10, 2010

It’s hard to deny that vampires remain one of the most popular supernatural creatures in entertainment. Through the ages many vampires have been portrayed as seductive and alluring, with an ability to charm humans into doing almost anything. And while werewolves are volatile and messy, ghosts are hard to hold, and zombies are, frankly, stinky and gross, vampires are most often presented as sexy. Any fan of HBO’s hit vampire drama True Blood will tell you that vampires transcend sexy and are intoxicatingly hot, so it is no surprise that fans are excitedly gearing up for the third season of the show, which begins Sunday at 9pm EST.

If you’ve read the Southern Vampire Mysteries by Charlaine Harris, you are probably wondering which aspects of the third novel, “Club Dead”, will make it into the new season, and what new twists will be added just for the show. The extended season 3 trailer at HBO.com gives some hints about what’s to come, but doesn’t reveal exactly which direction certain elements, such as the werewolves, will take. Werewolves? That’s right! This season will have warm-blooded supes as well. There has been a lot of buzz about the casting of these characters, and although I haven’t seen the episodes yet (and thus don’t know if the actors have gotten the mannerisms and personalities down), I must say that the physical match to the book descriptions of a few key characters is amazing!

If you’ve read all the books and seen every episode and still can’t get enough True Blood, you might also be pleased to know that a True Blood comic book is going to be released in July (available for pre-order now, though I plan to wait until I can read it on my iPhone) from IDW (Disclaimer: ComicMix’s publishing partner). HBO also has a series of six mini-episodes, which they are calling “A Drop of True Blood” on their True Blood page. The shorts are little character pieces that give us some insight into things that happened around the time of the end of last season while also getting fans revved up for the new one. Be forewarned that two of the videos are not safe for work and require registration before viewing because of mature content.

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‘Zombies are Americans, Too!’ Minneapolis Zombies Sue Police Over Arrest

‘Zombies are Americans, Too!’ Minneapolis Zombies Sue Police Over Arrest

  • News
  • March 2, 2010

The 2006 Minneapolis Aquatennial – an annual festival held
every July – had some unexpected visitors. A group of seven zombies (in this
case, people dressed as zombies with makeup to help them appear to be the
walking dead) went through the shopping zone and shambled around in protest of
blatant consumerism – and what’s a zombie to do? It must be tough to try and
subside on canned pork brains when there are so many healthy, living humans
buying hoodies at the local Urban Outfitters.

Regardless, many shoppers were nonplussed by the shenanigans
of these civilly disobedient zombies, and though there were no injuries,
someone called 911. Apparently (according to the article at startribune.com)
the responding officers approached the small group of zombies – which were not
numerous enough to really be called a horde – and asked them to stay clear of
bystanders and refrain from broadcasting music or offers of brains. It seems
that these peaceful zombies agreed, and decided to go watch a high school drum
show. According to reports, the Minneapolis police later became concerned about
the possibility that the zombies were actually members of a dangerous gang from
Washington State (no word on whether they are from a town called Forks or if
they sparkle) and went to relocate the zombies and ID them.

Unfortunately, as is often the case with zombies, some of
them were not carrying identification, and they were arrested and detained for
two days. Feeling that their first amendment rights had been violated. A judge
ruled in favor of the police, and the group of zombies appealed. The appellate
court has now ruled that the group had a right to express themselves, and that
the police did not clearly define the charge of disorderly conduct to suit the
situation. The plaintiffs are seeking $50,000 each for their ordeal, and the
City Attorney has stated that she is preparing for the battle, though she made
no mention of a cricket stick or a flamethrower.

The Star Tribune article states that the Minneapolis police
are not returning requests for comment on this story. I think it is safe to
speculate that this case may have been the reason I was unable to get a reply about
the city’s zombie preparedness when I was researching urban zombie response plans
last summer. However, it seems that much of the city is just fine with the idea
of zombies in their neighborhood.

Minneapolis has a thriving zombie scene, full of exciting
nightlife for the undead. In fact, the Zombie Pub Crawl originated there in
October of 2005, and last year’s event boasted upward of 6,000 “undead”
participants stumbling from bar to bar and imbibing spirits. Minneapolis is
also home to it’s own zombie theme bar, Donnie Dirk’s Zombie Den, where the
staff all dress as Shaun of the Dead and there is a chainsaw behind glass in
case of zombie emergencies. I tried to reach the proprietors, but apparently
the establishment is closed on Mondays. No doubt there will be plenty of
zombies enjoying the “happy horror” in weeks to come as this zombie victory is
celebrated.

(Art by Doug Savage.)

Review: ‘Misfits’

Review: ‘Misfits’

Imagine if you will, being a teenage juvenile delinquent who suddenly acquires super powers. What would you do? The writers of [[[Misfits]]] (originally aired on E4 in late 2009, and now available on DVD via Amazon UK) obviously spent a lot of time considering this. The show follows five young people who have been sentenced to community service. A freak storm imbues them all with different powers. Each of the characters is trying to come to grips with his or her own new abilities while still dealing with the regular life issues that they experience every day. As this is a British program, the language and visuals are far more racy than American broadcast TV, and seems to fit genuine teenage behavior more accurately as a result.

Viewers might initially have to adjust to the shocking and rather obnoxious behavior of Nathan (played by Robert Sheehan), a young man who seems to act out to get attention after feeling neglected and ignored by his parents, but he grows on you as his character develops. Kelly (Lauren Socha) has some anger management issues triggered by the fact that people tend to make snap judgments and classist remarks aimed at her. Beautiful, spoiled daddy’s girl Alisha (Antonia Thomas) goes out of her way to ensure that every male present is fantasizing about her, and is especially interested in capturing the attention of Curtis (Nathan Stewart-Jarrett), a track star whose mistakes destroyed his chance for the Olympics and who is being punished heavily as an example. The fifth member of the group is Simon (Iwan Rheon), a socially awkward techno-geek who enjoys filming everything going on in the world around him.

While the standard setup for supers is to have a battle between Good and Evil, Misfits explores the way most people would realistically respond to such a situation. Everyone’s actions and motivations (and powers, which I will not spoil here) match his or her own personality and situation. Each episode presents a new challenge with the powers while regular situations are also being hashed out. For those viewers who like to see romantic situations explored, you will not be disappointed, either. Misfits is fun, fast-paced and well thought through – and more than a few scenes will leave most audiences rolling with laughter while still providing plenty of food for thought.

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Helping Haiti

Helping Haiti

  • News
  • January 15, 2010

The plight of Haiti in the wake of the recent earthquake has
captured the attention of the world. Whether you are following the latest news
online, through your TV or newspaper, or via your smartphone, it is
heartwarming to see the way so many people are reaching out and trying to do
whatever they can to help.

While a great many people immediately began researching ways
to help on their own right away, some people weren’t sure what to do, and it is
wonderful to see influential people stepping up to inspire and inform. Some of
the shining examples of how people have been making a difference are Scott
Hertzog (@hertzog on Twitter) of the SciFiDiner Podcast, who, in addition to
keeping the best Twitter tabs on the crisis, also had a live broadcast on
January 13th to discuss what is happening; Alyssa Milano
(@Alyssa_Milano), who has donated $50,000 to UNICEF and is challenging
corporations to match her donation; Blink 182 has put out a special shirt for
which they will donate 100% of the proceeds to the Red Cross; celebrity
humanitarian couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, who donated an impressive one
million dollars to Doctors Without Borders while George Clooney organized a telethon on MTV; and President Barack Obama, who
continues to be far more tech-savvy than his predecessors in reaching the
public about important issues.

You can also donate art or collectibles to Heroes 4 Haiti,
a collective effort of comics creators who are pooling their resources
and talent to auction off items to benefit the people of Haiti.

While many other celebrities were donating funds
and lending their tweets to help in Haiti, one TV actor was experiencing the
tragedy on a very personal level. Heroes star Jimmy Jean-Louis, who was born in
Haiti, lost several family members when his childhood home collapsed during the
quake. He was able to confirm on Thursday, however, that his parents had
survived, and has stated that he is planning to return to Haiti to assist in
humanitarian aid.

In addition to individuals who are making a difference, many
corporations have stepped forward to assist. Google has taken over the person
location database, and many cell phone and credit card companies have decided
to waive fees on donations made to the efforts.

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ComicMix Six: Halloween iPhone Apps

  • News
  • October 22, 2009

Zombie CatAnyone who has been grocery shopping in the past few weeks has probably noticed that Halloween decorations and goodies have already started disappearing from the shelves to be replaced by Christmas merchandise. Most of you have probably already put together your costumes (All of my House Hufflepuff gear is ready for the big day!). Halloween is a hugely popular holiday, and that means there is a large variety of iPhone applications to go along with it. Apps are like the latest accessory to the perfect outfit – you can find something to fit with just about any ensemble – and the great thing about apps is that they don’t disappear when the retail world decides to focus on the next holiday. I have selected my six favorite festive Halloween Apps to review for those who might be in the market for some extra Halloween spirit.

Zombie Me!
by Portegno Apps: You can’t go five feet in this day and age without
there being zombies! This application allows you to take a picture or
use a picture from your library and zombify it. There is a selection of
facial features and body parts which can be re-sized, angled and tinted
to match your picture, and with a little creative editing, you can make
a very “realistic” looking zombie. This application is a ton of fun at
parties, because you can snap a picture of your friends and then show
them their zombie-self a few minutes later. You can even upload your
zombie mug to Facebook for a laugh. Witness what I did to my cat.

Whack-O-Lantern by Decode Entertainment: In this Whack-a-mole style game, Halloween-themed characters peek up from behind curtains, gravestones and other hiding places in a spooky scene. The goal is to tap your main target, Percival Pumpkinhead, as many times as possible when he appears. You can also achieve a bonus from tapping a mustachioed skeleton named Boneski, but tapping a little grinning green guy called Zombish McBrain will cause you to lose points. The game features cute, clean cartoonish graphics and an excellent Elfman-esque backtrack that will put you in the mood to watch some Tim Burton films.

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