Networking the Write Club Way

Being the comics groupie that I am, I couldn't resist attending the book launch for Oni Press' two newest OGN's: Labor Days Vol. 2: "Just Another Damned Day," and Salt Water Taffy Vol. 3: "The Truth about Doctor True" at XR bar on Houston Street in NYC. Okay, it wasn't just comics groupism that brought me out to the wilds of downtown Manhattan Island, (super talented artist) girlfriend in tow; I'm also good friends with the Two Dudes of Labor Days Tower, Phil Gelatt and Rick Lacy, and I'm a big fan of alcohol. Also I've been getting to know the astoundingly talented creator of Salt Water Taffy, Matt Loux. So, all in all a great opportunity to hang out with some talented folks, get my drink on and to represent the Write Club!

All in all it was a pretty quiet event; scheduling being what it is a few people weren't able to meet up, including the Labor Days word-wizard himself: Phil Gelatt. This isn't to say that the room wasn't packed with cool people, nonsense. We met up with Mike Zagari, Art Director for DC Comics Online and co-organizer of Brooklyn's King Con Convention; and Artist and illustrator, Lisa Lavoie. There was also a smattering of actresses, computer programmers, web designers, psychics, artists, filmmakers, several Odins (with a good number of working eyes, no less than a murder of crows, a multitude of sons and a horse with a shit-load of legs-- don't ask), Dr. Mario, and dedicated fans-- all of which had the opportunity to buy a book (which sold well), get a sketch from Matt or Rick and most likely have a Write Club business card shoved in their hand or pocket.

And here's the greater point; these types of events are always a good place to hang out, chat, have a drink and get to know other people in the industry. They are invaluable networking tools for people who are most likely working freelance, or a day job outside of their desired field. Just the simple act of being seen, showing your face, saying hello is incredibly important and effective.

At the end of the night Write Club has hopefully gained a few new readers/listeners, has booked Matt Loux for an interview during Brooklyn's King Con on November 8th, and proved the old addage to be true: You DON'T have to take your clothes off to have a good time.

Write Club.

Write Club Funnies!

Write Club! Volume 2, Episode 5: "We Are Write Club (And So Are You)"

Tim & Kurt talk about what's happening in the comics world, the recent Bergen Street Comics Parties for the "Act-i-Vate Primer" Print Anthology, Comixology's "Box 13" & Zuda Comics' "High Moon." Kurt catches us up on Secret Invasion, and on mobile comics-- specifically Comixology, while Tim muses on about his favorite horn-headed superhero. Oh, and clones...yes, clones.

Also, those of you in the NY area, come on down to XR Bar at 128 West Houston Street for the Labor Days Vol. 2 & Salt Water Taffy Vol. 3 book launch party THIS Friday the 30th!

Details Here: DETAILS!

HUGE thanks to Ten Ton member Scott St. Pierre for composing and recording our NEW original theme song. Scott, you may now proceed directly to heaven.

Intro & Outro: "Write Club Theme" Scott St. Pierre

MAXIMUM Clonage!

Write Club Funnies!

Mobile Comics: COMIXOLOGY

So, as it goes with technology, the comics scene in regards to digital technology, keeps on growing and expanding and reinventing itself. So here's a quick breakdown to keep up with what's going on out there as comics transform from "floppies" (monthlies) to trade paperbacks/graphic novels to whatever this new medium of sequential art will be called. For now, it's Mobile Comics.

Comixology. The easiest to explore and the most out there in the digi-cosmos. An App download-able from iTunes lets you download comics all within the context of one App on your iPhone/iPod Touch. The App originally cost a few bucks, but since Apple has changed their tune, the App is now free. Originally Apple didn't want any App where you could purchase other things through it, as if that was somehow tricking the customer. Thankfully instead of the limited free App, you can now get the full version for free.

Within it you can view lots of first issues for free, and the subsequent issues range from $.99 to $1.99. I haven't purchased one myself, as I'm still working through all the free comics, but with the likes of Matt Wagner and Mike Allred available up there, well, I might just need to catch up on my Madman Comics and this seems like a cheap option right now (seeing as there's no torrent giving me the whole discography).

There's also a new weekly installment of their first official FREE comic by David Gallagher and Steve Ellis, called Box 13. I've read the first two issues and it's very intriguing storywise, utilizes the technology very well, and has great art. This is the thing that should be keeping Mobile Comics customers coming back to the App Store every week.

They plan to offer the comics on their site (as well as other formats/phones/technologies) but for now their site is more a promotion for their comic pull list App, where you can go through the week's comics, sync up to your local (Comixology-friendly) comic store and have them pull your comics for you. That's actually pretty awesome. Along with reviews/previews, they offer spotlighted items with an occasional podcast, and some columns. It's a nice looking site and will blossom quite nicely I believe. Oh, and the App (man I'm tired of writing that word) has been in the Top 10 Apps for books since it came out, and I believe was the top download for comic Apps overall.

Oh, and PS...Jenette Kahn (of DC Comics) and Milton Griepp (of ICv2.com) are now on their board of advisors.

And for those of you sans iTunes check out Comixology on the web.

Mac Tonnies: Oct. 22, 2009

In his own words "I spend an inordinately large portion of my time pursuing unpopular ideas and esoteric theories with what I sincerely hope is balanced skepticism."

"I'm a skeptic, agnostic and existentialist; I perceive reality as a kind of consensual hallucination that forces us to define our sense of identity without recourse to faith or superstition."

A true bright star in a field of darkness has gone out. Tonnies death saddens me greatly; I'd been following his up-and-coming career through his articles and interviews, always meaning to pick up one of his books, but always thinking that there'd be time for that. He'd have a long career. He was a new breed of net-savvy futurism, forteana and forward thinking.

I hope he finds the answers to that greatest mystery of all.

To find out more about him: Mactonnies.com, Posthuman Blues, After the Martian Apocalypse

Write Club Funnies!

Write Club's Fat New Ride

New whip for Write Club. No biggie.

Write Club! We Are An Asian Sandwich Links

Rick Lacy's Blog





DC's Blog THE SOURCE

Diane Nelson's Introduction

Paul Levitz's Stepping Down

Industry Reacts To Paul Levitz's Return to Writing





Read up on Disney's Lawsuit vs Air Pirates

Cup O' Joe Q&A with Joe Quesada regarding the Disney Acquisition



Bergen Street Comics

MoCCA - Museum of Comic Book & Cartoon Art

Midtown Comics

Models Inc.

Becky Cloonan & Hwan Cho's KGB Comic

MTV Shows

Dennis Calero

Nikki Cook

Buy Asterios Polyp!

GRAPHIC NYC!

Seth Kushner's Photography

Comicbook Resources

The Beat

MTV Splash Page

Write Club! Volume 2, Episode 4: "Bitches!"

Episode 4! Fantastic 4! Kurt and Tim weigh in on the recent developments with DC Entertainment, the Marvel/Disney acquisition, and whatever random stuff they think of. Also, tune in to NOT hear the new segment...but you will hear the set-up!



Intro: "Jesus Walks" Kanye West
Outro: "Fett's Vette" MC Chris

New Webcomic! from Kurt's STOP COMICS!

Photos of WAY OF THE DRAGON taken off a 19" Sanyo TV with my G1 Android Phone, Lettered by PicSay, made funny by me.

Love,

K

Write Club! Volume 2, Episode 3: "Labor Days"

Finally! The epic podcast you've all been waiting for without knowing that you've been waiting for it!! (Well, some of you actually have been waiting!)

For episode 3 we're joined by Phil Gelatt and Rick Lacy, creators of the Oni Press original graphic novel "Labor Days." These quick witted fellows had us gabbing worse than a sewing circle and here it is for your listening enjoyment. Enjoy the comics talk, the movie talk, the literature talk, the comics talk, the movie talk, Rick whistling, Phil slowly warping the show to serve his own twisted agenda...you get the idea.

Warning this podcast contains SPOILERS galore for "Labor Days" Book 1! And special sneak previews of Book 2! If you've already read Book 1, then consider this your director's commentary.



Intro 1: "Twilite Speedball" -Mos Def
Intro 2: "Armageddon It" -Def Leppard
Outro: "Stop Talking About Comic Books or I'll Kill You" Ookla The Mok

Edit Sober, Record Drunk

New Web Comic Up!

Go on over and check out my new one-page strip:

"His Heart is Broken, But Still He Knows."

Write Club Funnies!

Write Club! Vol.2 Ep. 2 Happy Funtime Links!

Because we know you're all lazy out there in the internet world, here are some links to find out more about things mentioned on our show. Please enjoy!

Add us on your Gchat: Write.Club1@gmail.com

TenTonStudios Forum: Write Club! thread

Timothy Mucci
Sterling Publishing All-Action Classics & Wookieepedia Entry
Twitter

Kurt Christenson
The Tower of Brahma
Twitter

Sub*Text: alt.lit blog

Steve McNair's Mistress Mystery!

Video Games Live

2003 Grant Morrison Interview on Battlestar Galactica Videogame

InFamous Trailer

Helvetica Trailer

Kurt's CafePress Store

OniPress

Labor Days

DC's Wednesday Comics

Zuda Comics

Sierra Nevada Torpedo

The League: short film

MysteryTeam trailer

Icanhazcheezburgerthemusiclol

F-in Delicious

Steve Brule: Brule's Rules

Bergen Street Comics

McSweeneys

Slice Magazine

Ruben Fleischer's Work
DJ Format
AIM
Girls Guitar Club

Chris Burnham

Ben Caldwell

Flight Maps

Ookla the Mok

And for those of you who absolutely need to watch me getting interviewed about getting hit in the nuts... sigh.

Write Club: Volume 2, Episode 2: "Are Comics Important?"

Join Tim Mucci and Kurt Christenson as they discuss the oft debated question, "Are Comics Important?"
Come for the philosophy, stay for the drinking and rambling...oh...the rambling...



Intro: William S. Burroughs & Jimmy Hendrix/"The End of the World" The Avengers
Outro: "Sailing" Flight Maps


sorry we made you up Jay Baroody

WRITE CLUB WEBCOMICS PRESENTS!

Strip 2 of my exclusive webcomics for Write Club!

This one is titled:
"These Things Should End Like This More Often."

Comic Book Review: Shangri-La (Image Comics)

"The road to Heaven is paved with dead rock stars."

Shangri-La, published by Image Comics in 2004, written by marc Bryant and drawn by Shephard Hendrix, is a 72 page graphic novella about dead rockstars, record business conspiracies, and contract killers. With cameo appearances by Elvis, John Lennon, Jim Morrison, and other rock legends, this book is a bit more than it seems.

Correy Stinson is at the height of his career, but due to his diva demands he's replaced by a new singer, who rockets the band to new success. Now that Stinson is obsolete, the mysterious Ms. Cope plans to fake his death to promote record sales. When he backs out at the last moment they send Jetta Helm, a hired killer, to take him out.

Too bad she's his biggest fan. When the time comes to kill her idol and frame him for a murder/suicide, she just can't pull the trigger. So they go on the run, which forces the label to up the ante, sending a psychotic killer/failed country singer to clean up the mess.

Throw in a background of rockstars watching the events from Heaven (Shangri-La!) and an Illuminati influenced shadow cabinet and you've got a weird rock'n'roll take on the "assassin on the run with their intended victim" storyline.

The art borders on realistic with splashes of cartoony reactions, and is delivered in well balanced black and white. The story moves along at a good pace, and jumps the less important moments without feeling like you're transitioning too quickly. With a price tag of $7.95 this is a book that feels worth a purchase and solid enough for a few re-readings. Fun, inventive, and a complete story.

Buy this book here!

WANT!

WRITE CLUB! WEB COMICS PRESENTS:

I've started writing and drawing a series of one page comic strips. The basic idea is to take a theme/genre and exploit the broad strokes of it.

Here's the first strip:

"'Till Death Do Us Part"