Friday, September 11, 2009

Our Sentence is Up: Seeing Grant Morrison's The Invisibles, a non-fiction look at the landmark series, is in this month's Previews catalog (order code SEP091084). The book, authored by Patrick Meaney, is published by Sequart Research & Literacy Organization.



Our Sentence is Up offers an accessible look at Grant Morrison's complicated and ambitious comics masterpiece, paying attention to its themes, philosophy, and how it changes with each reading.



The Invisibles has been hailed as a seminal comic, called the key to Morrison's overall body of work, and seen as the inspiration for The Matrix and its successors. But it's also frequently written off as incomprehensible or just too out there.



Written in a conversational, personal style, Our Sentence is Up opens up The Invisibles through an in-depth, issue-by-issue analysis of the series, making sense of its complex ideas, fractured chronology, and delirious blend of fiction and reality. The book also explores the real-world relevance of the comic, particularly how its fictional conspiracy theories became reality in the 2000s.



The book also features a wide-ranging interview with Grant Morrison, covering how his formative childhood experiences found their way into The Invisibles and how his life and the comic became intertwined in the '90s. Morrison also explores the series in retrospect, how it holds up to the War on Terror and the Obama presidency, and what he currently thinks will happen in 2012.



The book sports an afterword by Morrison expert Timothy Callahan (CBR), author of Sequart's Grant Morrison: The Early Years. The book also sports an original cover by award-winning artist Kevin Colden (Fishtown, I Rule the Night).



Our Sentence is Up (softcover, 6"x9", 372 pages, B&W, $26.95 MSRP) is available exclusively through comic book stores. See the books section of the September 2009 Previews catalog (bottom of page 315), where the book is a spotlighted item. Please be sure to ask your store to order a copy (order code SEP091084), as you cannot be assured your store will order any copies.



About the Publisher: Sequart Research & Literacy Organization is a non-profit devoted to the study and promotion of comic books as a legitimate art. It publishes a line of books aimed at making comics scholarship accessible. For more information and to check out the revamped website, click here.



Legal Disclaimer: the Invisibles and related characters are © and TM Grant Morrison. This book is not endorsed by DC Comics or Vertigo.
Hey gang,
We're still waiting on Amazon to post up the third chapter of Tumor, but, in the meantime, I wanted to direct you to a brand new short story by yours truly for Kindle and the iPhone/iPod Touch Kindle App. It's called Belly Button Reset, and I'm very proud of it. It's sort of a Vonnegut-y sci-fi romance drama thing, and it's only a buck, so, why not? You can purchase it here: http://tinyurl.com/ltxpmm

But, what's that? You don't have a Kindle or iPhone? Well, you're in luck. You can check out a non-Kindle version over here at http://feedbooks.com/userbook/7446

But, I do ask that if you download it over on Feedbooks, PLEASE, post a brief review over on the site or over on Amazon. Reviews get people to try books out, especially with low price points, so it'd be a huge help.

Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy the story!

j.
www.thefialkov.com
FILMS BY TEN FINALISTS POSTED FOR ONLINE VOTING IN

‘HALLOWEEN HORROR NIGHTS-CHILLER SCARY GOOD FILM COMPETITION’

AS CHILLER AND UNIVERSAL STUDIOS HOLLYWOOD

SEARCH FOR THE BEST NEW ‘SHORT SCARE’





Universal City, CA-—Ten films, selected by industry judges from well over a hundred eligible entries, have been posted for online public voting in the “Halloween Horror Nights-Chiller Scary Good Film Competition,” offering filmmakers an opportunity to have their scariest short film rewarded with a broadcast on Chiller of their work, a $1,000 cash prize and a trip for two to the October 2 opening night of Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood.

Voting is open to all members of the public at www.HalloweenHorrorNights.com/Chiller. Only one vote per person may be cast.

Prospective filmmakers were invited to submit short films of 90 seconds to three minutes in length. Selected films were first judged by a panel of horror industry professionals with storytelling skill, originality and the degree of the “good scare” used as criteria. Finalists were selected by three industry judges: "Saw VI" Director Kevin Greutert, Syfy’s Executive Vice President of Programming and Original Movies, Thomas P. Vitale and Universal Studios Hollywood Halloween Horror Nights Creative Director John Murdy. Entries were received from every part of the United States and the ten finalists represent five states, contrasting styles and varying degrees of experience and technical skill.



The winning “Scary Good” film will be announced on September 25. In addition to the prize and the Chiller broadcast of the film, the winning filmmaker will be honored in front of celebrities, studio executives and media at the October 2 Chiller-Eyegore Awards ceremony, which will kick off this year’s all-new Halloween Horror Nights event at Universal Studios Hollywood.

Finalists in the “Halloween Horror Nights-Chiller Scary Good Film Competition” are: “Appetence” (Director, Brian H. Robbins), “Bedfellows” (Director, Drew Daywalt), “Chinese Chiller” (Director, Christopher Baker), “Do No Harm” (Director, John Gehrke), “Lamaze of the Dead” (Whitney Baltz), “Mockingbird” (Director, Marichelle Daywalt), “The Nightmare” (Director, Jeff M. Breyer), “Samaritan” (Director, Charles C. Wills), “Shadow Puppets” (Director, David Schneider), and “Stranger Danger” (Director, Luke Nelson).

This year’s all-new Halloween Horror Nights” at Universal Studios Hollywood will feature new maze experiences including “Saw: Game Over,” “Halloween: The Life and Crimes of Michael Myers,” “My Bloody Valentine: Be Mine 4 Ever,” and “Chucky’s Funhouse.” Six new “scare zones,” and “The Rocky Horror Picture Show: A Tribute.” The re-imagined “Halloween Horror Nights” for 2009 will be the most intense and terrifying “live” horror event ever to be presented in a theme park environment. “Halloween Horror Nights” will continue on consecutive weekends and selected weekday nights beginning on Friday, October 2 through Halloween, Saturday, October 31. Event dates are: October 2-3, 9-11, 15-18, 23-25, 28-31. The event will begin nightly at 7:00 p.m.; closing hours vary by night throughout the event. Tickets are now on sale at http://www.universalstudioshollywood.com/hhn including limited-time advance purchase discounts.



Chiller, the recently-launched channel from NBC Universal, is the only network devoted to delivering viewers round-the-clock scares. Chiller’s eclectic slate of adrenaline-fueled, soul-stirring entertainment includes classic drama and anthology series (Tales from the Darkside, Twin Peaks, Nightmare Cafe), international programming (Spine Chillers, Strange) and a broad offering of films, including feature-length premieres on the first Friday of each month. Chiller is currently available in nearly 34 million homes. To learn more, visit: www.chillertv.com. To learn more, visit: www.chillertv.com.

Universal Studios Hollywood is a unit of Universal Parks & Resorts, a division of NBC Universal.

NBC Universal is one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. Formed in May of 2004 through the combining of NBC and Vivendi Universal Entertainment, NBC Universal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, and world-renowned theme parks. NBC Universal is 80% owned by General Electric, with 20% controlled by Vivendi.

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Wednesday, September 09, 2009

ROCK ‘N’ ROLL COMICS GETS AN ENCORE AS GRAPHIC NOVELS THROUGH BLUEWATER PRODUCTIONS

Throughout the 90’s, “Rock ‘N’ Roll Comics”, was a popular staple on the newsstands. Now the title will be receiving an encore as newly-packaged graphic novels through Bluewater Productions in partnership with the original creators Revolutionary Comics.

More than seventy biographies of notable bands and rock legends will be published in ten bi-monthly volumes starting in December 2009. They include The Beatles, Elvis Presley, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, The Who and dozens of others.

"Great ideas, like the marriage of rock 'n' roll and comics, have the half-life of uranium and will always be popular," says Jay Allen Sanford of Revolutionary Comics. "The folks at Bluewater clearly have their fingers on the same pop culture pulse that enabled the original Rock 'N' Roll Comics to become one of the top-selling indie comics of the '90s. Truth is often stranger than fiction...and certainly much more interesting!"

According to Bluewater the issues will be packaged into ten graphic novels ranging from 150 to 300 pages. Each graphic novel, which covers a particular band, era, or style, will sport new covers. Bluewater who is known best for their biographical comics, such as Female Force and Political Power, will create forewords and epilogues written by music journalists, and industry insiders.

“In some cases we will add an epilogue for groups that experienced notable milestones after the issues original publishing,” Bluewater president Darren Davis said. “Like Pink Floyd’s reunion concert at Live8, or the passing of the Who’s John Entwistle or even the release of the long delayed Guns N’ Roses album ‘Chinese Democracy.’”

Volume 1: Hard Rock Heroes
Guns N’ Roses; Metallica; AC/DC; Black Sabbath/Ozzy Osbourne; Motley Crue; Poison; Van Halen; Black Crowes; Motorhead; Pantera; Megadeth; Sammy Hagar; Anthrax; Joan Jett/Lita Ford; Skid Row (unpublished RnR Comics #8)

Volume 2: The Beatles (8 issues)

Volume 3: The Spirit of the '60s
Doors; Grateful Dead; Bob Dylan; Jimi Hendrix; Spirit; Janis Joplin; 60s San Francisco Scene (Bill Graham, Jefferson Airplane, etc); British Invasion (Herman’s Hermits, the Animals, Yardbirds, Zombies, Small Faces, etc.)

Volume 4: Led Zeppelin Experience (5 issues)

Volume 5: A Rock Pantheon
Eric Clapton; Rolling Stones; Elton John; Bruce Springsteen; Aerosmith, Alice Cooper; ZZ Top; The Jackson 5; Rod Stewart; Def Leppard

Volume 6: Pink Floyd Experience (5 issues)

Volume 7: The Art of Rock
The Who; Queen; Rush; Genesis; David Bowie, Frank Zappa; Kate Bush; ELO; The Cure

Volume 8: The King: Elvis Presley (7 issues)

Volume 9: SMASH! A Punk/Alternative Retrospective
Sex Pistols; REM; Jane’s Addiction; Nirvana; Red Hot Chili Peppers; Soundgarden; Alice in Chains; Pearl Jam; Dead Kennedys; Ramones; The Runaways; Iggy Pop/Stooges; MC5; New York Dolls; U2

Volume 10: Hip-Hop and Funk Heroes
Public Enemy, 2 Live Crew, NWA. Ice Cube, Ice-T, George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic, MC Hammer, Janet Jackson

The original series published by Revolutionary Comics ran from 1989 to 1994. At it’s height in the early 1990’s sources report that Revolutionary Comics was the largest independent comic publisher in the industry. Circulation for each issue regularly surpassed 50,000. During its run, the company won several high profile First Amendment cases securing the right to publish the unauthorized biographies as “illustrated articles.”

The suggested retail price (SRP) for each upcoming graphic novel release is $17.99.
Terry O’Quinn Is

THE STEPFATHER







AVAILABLE FOR FIRST TIME ON DVD

FEATURING NEW HIGH-DEFINITION MASTER AND

ALL-NEW BONUS FEATURES



REMAKE STARRING DYLAN WALSH (NIP/TUCK) IN THEATERS OCT. 16



DVD Available On Shout! Factory October 13



He wanted a perfect family in a perfect town. But they couldn’t measure up —

Neither could the others . . .



Los Angeles, CA - 80’s cult classic horror flick The Stepfather is set for DVD release for the first time ever, remastered and featuring all-new bonus features. Available on Shout! Factory on October 13, the film stars Terry O’Quinn (Lost),in a role that won him a nomination for Best Actor at the 1988 Independent Spirit Awards and the Saturn Awards. The Stepfather was selected as one of the year’s Top 10 movies by Vanity Fair, Village Voice and LA Weekly and featured on Bravo’s 100 Scariest Movie Moments special. A remake of the film starring Dylan Walsh (Nip/Tuck) will be in theaters October 16.



Jerry Blake (Terry O’Quinn) is a man obsessed with having the perfect “American Dream” life — including the house with the white picket fence in the suburbs, an adoring wife and loving children. He believes he’s found it when he marries Susan Maine (Shelley Hack) and becomes the stepfather to Susan’s 16-year-old daughter, Stephanie (Jill Schoelen). But Stephanie gets an uneasy feeling when she is around Jerry with his “Father Knows Best” attitude — she can see that there is a darker side behind his cheerful exterior. Could he be the same man who brutally murdered his family just one year earlier?



Inspired in part by a gruesome true story and written by Donald E. Westlake (The Grifters, The Hunter, later made as Point Blank), and Brian Garfield (Death Wish, Hopscotch, Death Sentence) the script was picked up by ITC Entertainment, and Joseph Ruben (Sleeping With The Enemy, The Good Son, The Forgotten) was chosen to direct the film.



Special features include an audio commentary with director Joseph Ruben, and The Stepfather Chronicles – an all-new retrospective featuring interviews with director Joseph Ruben, producer Jay Benson, actress Jill Schoelen, author Brian Garfield and others on the making of the film and its enduring legacy.



“ . . . The Stepfather is one of the great horror movies of the ’80s.” —Michael J. Weldon,

The Psychotronic Video Guide



“For a horror fan who’s missed this brilliant independent production, it’s required viewing.”

—Mike Mayo, Videohound’s Horror Show



“Engrossing thriller . . . Thoughtful screenplay by Donald E. Westlake and taut direction by Joseph Ruben highlight this sleeper.” —Leonard Maltin’s 2007 Movie Guide





Special Features:

- Audio commentary with director Joseph Ruben

- The Stepfather Chronicles – An all-new retrospective featuring interviews with director Joseph Ruben, producer Jay Benson, actress Jill Schoelen, author Brian Garfield and others on the making of the film and its enduring legacy.
ABC's HIT TV SHOW "LOST"-THE AUCTION
AT DISNEY'S D23 IN ANAHEIM SEPTEMBER 10-13, 2009

Come See Original Props And Costumes From The Show And Meet Cast Members
Who Will Be Signing Autographs


Calabasas, CA, September 8, 2009- If you are a fan of all things LOST, then Disney's D23, taking place September 10-13, 2009 at the Anaheim Convention Center, is definitely the place to be. Profiles in History, the world's largest Hollywood memorabilia auctioneer, will offer fans of the hit ABC television series, LOST a special preview of their Summer, 2010 auction, with a display of authentic props, costumes and set pieces including Kate's toy plane, Hurley's winning lottery ticket, Locke's hunting knife, Sawyer's letter and many other surprises! This four-day sneak preview will be at booth 1930 and runs from 9:00am-5:00pm each day.

ABC is pleased to announce the "LOST" Auction will take place after the series finale in May 2010. "In celebration of our fans around the world, Profiles in History has been selected to auction a selection of original props, set pieces, costumes and collectors' artifacts from the entire series in order to give our fans a chance to own a piece of one of the greatest, most iconic shows in history.

Profiles in History President, Joseph Maddalena: "Profiles in History is thrilled to be holding the LOST Auction. LOST is one of the most iconic TV shows ever created, and we are working in conjunction with ABC to offer fans from around the world an opportunity to own a memento of this amazing show. This is a once in a lifetime auction event that will celebrate one of the most beloved shows in television history."

For more information about Profiles in History and to download complete catalogs from previous auctions, please visit HYPERLINK "http://www.profilesinhistory.com/" \o "http://www.profilesinhistory.com/\"www.profilesinhistory.com.

About Profiles in History:
Founded in 1985 by Joseph Maddalena, Profiles in History is the world's leading auctioneer of Hollywood memorabilia. Profiles in History has held some of the most prestigious and successful auctions of Hollywood memorabilia. Their auctions include costumes, props and set pieces from both vintage and contemporary film, television, and rock 'n roll. Profiles in History's location in Calabasas Hills, CA- virtually a stone's throw away from every major Hollywood studio - ensures a constant flow of fantastic and rare artifacts. With an extensive network of dealers, collectors, and public & private institutions, they are proud to play an important role in the preservation of motion picture history.

Prior Profiles in History Hollywood auctions highlights include the "Cowardly Lion" costume from The Wizard of Oz ($805,000); a full-scale model T-800 Endoskeleton from Terminator 2: Judgment Day ($488,750); a T.I.E. Fighter filming miniature from Star Wars ($402,500); a King Kong six-sheet movie poster ($345,000); the Command Chair from the "U.S.S. Enterprise" ($304,750); Harrison Ford's hero blaster from Blade Runner ($258,750); the original "Robot" from Lost in Space ($264,500); Luke Skywalker's lightsaber ($240,000); a Frankenstein one-sheet movie poster ($212,400); the Black Beauty car from The Green Hornet ($192,000); George Reeves' Superman costume from The Adventures of Superman ($126,500); the H.R. Giger designed Alien creature suit from Alien ($126,500); a full-scale T-Rex head from Jurassic Park ($126,500), the Leaping Alien Warrior figure from Aliens ($126,500), Christopher Reeve's 'Superman' costume from Superman: The Movie ($115,000), C-3PO's helmet ($120,000), The Wizard of Oz 'Winkie' Guard Costume ($115,000); a "Ming the Merciless" cape from Flash Gordon ($115,000) and the Hydraulic screen-used Velociraptor from The Lost World: Jurassic Park II. ($115,000).
HARPE:
AMERICA'S FIRST SERIAL KILLERS
SHOOTS UP STORE SHELVES THIS NOVEMBER!



Advanced Reviews are in: HARPE is the book to get in November

Gritty Western Realism for fans of JONAH HEX and DEAD IRONS


Nashville, TN – Sept 8th, 2009 - A gutted corpse! That was the calling card of Wiley and Micajah Harpe, America's First Serial Killers! Shipping this November to a local comic shop near you, HARPE: AMERICA'S FIRST SERIAL KILLERS reveals the little known true story as seen through the eyes of Wiley himself and will leave you scarred for life!

At the true beginning of the Old West, the brothers Harpe began a murderous spree that could only end badly. A blood-curdling true-crime tale for fans of DEAD IRONS and JONAH HEX!

An original graphic novel written by award-winning writer Chad Kinkle and illustrated by Adam Shaw (Image's BLOOD STREAM), HARPE is sure to grab readers by the throat and not let go!

Advance praise is in, making HARPE: AMERICA'S FIRST SERIAL KILLERS the book to read this November:


"...for those that like gritty Western movies..." - Fangoria

"...entertaining... well worth the read." - Comics Bulletin




Published by Cave in Rock, HARPE: AMERICA'S FIRST SERIAL KILLERS is an original graphic novel written by Chad Kinkle, illustrated in black and white by Adam Shaw and is 96 pages in length. HARPE: AMERICA'S FIRST SERIAL KILLERS carries a Diamond Code of SEP090728 and ships this November.

More information can be found at the website : www.harpegraphicnovel.com
Reserve Your Hotel Room Now!
Contract Deadline is TODAY, September 9th.

My name is Brad Tree and I am one of the people that help to organize and run the Baltimore Comic-Con. Thank you for your past and future support of the Baltimore Comic-Con.

Today is Wednesday, September 9th, and it is deadline day for reserving a room within a Baltimore Comic-Con block, and your likely deadline for getting those great rates. We have contracted special convention rates at key city hotels, all located near and around the Baltimore Convention Center, and all at rates below those listed on common Internet sites. The hotels may be willing to extend the deadline, but there is no guarantee, and they have no obligation. Help us show the power of the Baltimore Comic-Con by making a reservation TODAY!

We are celebrating 10 years, and this will be our best show ever. We will have more guests, more publishers, more retailers, more artist alley tables, and more exhibitors than ever. You can help us to grow the show and increase our standing with the city of Baltimore by reserving your hotel room for the show through our website and the City of Baltimore. You can reach this directly from http://www.baltimorecomiccon.com/hotels.htm.

If you would prefer to register for your room over the phone, please contact our reservations center at 410-837-466 or 1-800-282-6632.

By reserving these hotel rooms, using the links provided here and on the show site, you will help to reinforce the reputation of the Baltimore Comic-Con as a thriving contributor to the community, which will enhance our position and reputation with the city of Baltimore. This will allow us to grow the show in future years!

If you have reserved a room through this link already, THANK YOU!

If you have a room reserved already, please check our rates (and hotel quality) against what you have.

If you have not reserved a room already, please do so NOW!

We are in October this year, so we do not have to compete with the Orioles, but the Ravens will be in town. Reserve now, and beat the opposing NFL fans to those key downtown hotel rooms.

If you have questions, please let me know. If you have worked with me in the past to gain a hotel room, please feel free to contact me again. I look forward to seeing all of you in Baltimore October 10-11, 2009.

About The Baltimore Comic-Con
The Baltimore Comic-Con is celebrating its 10th year of bringing the comic book industry to the Baltimore and Washington D.C. area. With a guest list unequaled in the industry, the Baltimore Comic-Con will be held October 10-11, 2009. For more information, please visit www.baltimorecomiccon.com.
PRESS RELEASE - ELEPHANTMEN OVERSHIPS ITS ULTIMATE JUMPING ON POINT THIS THURSDAY!
ELEPHANTMEN #21 comes to participating retailers this week with a very special overship!


8 September 2009 (Berkeley, CA) - This Thursday, the acclaimed sci-fi series, ELEPHANTMEN, will give readers a chance to jump on board as participating stores receive a special 25% overship.


"I'm so glad we're overshipping this particular issue, because I want it to get into as many people's hands as possible," Starkings said. "We've sold out of EVERY issue since #16 – the Marian Churchland issues were a huge hit – and our numbers have been holding very steady since we returned to our regular monthly schedule with our series of standalone stories, DANGEROUS LIAISONS. I envision ten hefty ELEPHANTMEN collections by the time we're done, so readers have a lot to look forward to."


ELEPHANTMEN #21 is an action-packed, pulls-no-punches story with Totally Kick Ass artwork by regular cover artist Boo Cook, and acts as a direct sequel to the series' first issue as it picks up on the stories of Elephantman Ebony Hide and his human friend, Savannah. This issue also sows the seeds for the next big storyline, QUESTIONABLE THINGS. Image's overship will ensure participating stores have the chance to bring new readers onboard along with the fans of the collections looking for an entry point to the ongoing series!


Starkings added, "In addition, original series artist Moritat returns with issue #23 as Hip Flask and Ebony are forced to deal with a MAPPO sleeper cell which seeks to reactivate the Elephantmen as the weapons of mass destruction they intended them to be! We also have knockout covers by J Scott Campbell and Steve Skroce, and a couple other big surprises in the months to come. Watch this space!"


ELEPHANTMEN #21 (JUL090393), a 32-page full color comic book for $3.50, will be in-stores September 10th, 2009. For more information, please see http://www.hipflask.com/issues/elephantmen21/.


Image Comics is a comics and graphic novels publisher formed in 1992 by a collective of best-selling artists. Since that time, Image has gone on to become one of the largest comics publishers in the United States. There are currently five partners in Image Comics (Robert Kirkman, Erik Larsen, Todd McFarlane, Marc Silvestri, and Jim Valentino), and Image is currently divided into four major houses (Todd McFarlane Productions, Top Cow Productions, Shadowline, and Image Central). Image comics and graphic novels cover nearly every genre, sub-genre, and style imaginable, offering science fiction, romance, horror, crime fiction, historical fiction, humor, and more by the finest artists and writers working in the medium today. Visit www.imagecomics.com.