Let's Get Comical

So that was 2011

2011-12-31T18:30:00.000Z

Upon reflection 2011 (Twenty-Eleven) feels rather busy, which is comforting as it explains why both my stress levels and the mess in my flat have so rapidly built up. When first looking back on the past year, my mind leaps to the theatre work I’ve done through the Sigil Club but I also somehow managed to balance all that with my full time job, enjoying great company and finding ways to enjoy myself from those small commitments like scheduling time to play Arkham City or meeting Grant Morrison to the bigger weekend events. Kapow was a fun experience probably made richer by having good company like Colin, Robin and Elisabeth to cling on to amongst the madness. The Empire Big Screen was an interesting mess that Jackie and I look upon fondly; we packed a few films in, got some cool stuff and had a pretty unique experience - where else can you see Jason Momoa be mobbed in front of a Nandos and then go outside to see a terrible band dressed like characters from Pulp Fiction (including someone in black face)?

I think the only way I’ve been able to have this full life is due to the patience and understanding of my brilliant friends who haven’t taken offence when I’ve told them I’m busy or have scheduled stuff around my one free evening a week, often coming to me rather than me going to them. Tim (Nolan), Gavia, Yashoda, Alex (Millington) and Grace have been friendly faces popping up throughout the year and I’m really glad they’ve been there. Robin is consistently awesome, evidenced by how much I’ll mention him. Israel gave Jackie and me really useful advice for when we were in Barcelona and all my Castaway/Caballero buddies are permanently there for a good joke, interesting discussion or unexpected support. I’ve probably seen less of The LSS, Dos, Splinter and Paddington than I would like to but they too have had really busy years so it’s just nice that we have made time for each other where possible.
Whilst all that fun has been on the fringe of my life the rest of the year has been concerned with the Fringe (Har-dee-har). At the start of 2011 we were in the middle of rehearsing Stripped, we had just had to replace one actor and it was a rather dramatic time as we upped the rehearsal schedule. Everything clicked though once we started seeing each other more and brought all the production bits together. I was worrying about designing and launching the Sigil Club website and selling the show and freaking out about very small things (and writing two other projects) but I think the actors started enjoying each others company and we really pulled together to make a good show. My nerves and anxiety showed even more once we were in the theatre but that unpleasant experience has meant I was much stronger by the time we performed Stand-Up Comics and I feel like I continue to grow as a director.
Focus quickly shifted to Stand-Up Comics which really did encapsulate a lot of my time. I was writing the script as well as my initial Camden Fringe Festival application in the beginning of the year whilst giving and getting advice from Grace about the festival process. We cast the show over a few weeks at the end of April/beginning of May before rehearsing in June and July, performing in August. Not to mention writing the press release, working on the posters, promoting the show, recording the shorts, organising props, naming a pigeon, the major analysis of trends I did when looking at all the festival shows and of course meeting everyone involved and making new friends. The Camden Fringe was a great experience with a rough patch at the end before giving us some wonderful fallout which meant we did pretty much the entire process again during October and November. I wouldn’t go back and change a single thing (maybe the performance dates in August) because whilst as trying as those experiences were, I got to work with some wonderful people (whom I thanked here for Stripped and here for SUC), a lot of whom I consider friends and really push myself to do better and I’m proud of what I achieved this year.

Oh and I had the monologue I wrote for the Orpheos Productions Machine of Death project come out this year, which I wrote about here.

However I think I let writing slip a little this year due to how much time I spent producing. I wrote a sitcom episode for a BBC Writersroom thing in January/February called Horsemen which wasn’t as strongly thought out or as tight as it could have been but it got my mind ready for sitcoms again, which came in handy for the Stand-Up Comics rewrite. But I do like the concept for Horsemen and have thought about it since so I might be able to get something out of it in the future. Stand-Up Comics was written between February and April but apart from fleshing out a handful of ideas and some extensive plotting and dialogue exchanges for Highwaymen that was the last time I’ve really written a play. I’m slightly worried that I’ve forgotten how to do it but comforted by how quickly I managed to get a decent script done this year by just ploughing forward.
Part of the reason I haven’t written any theatre was because I tried my hand at writing webcomics. I was asked to pitch a few scripts for a project and wrote about 25 between the end of May and the end of August but they decided to go in a different direction. Writing three-panel gag strips really is a different beast to what I’m used to and I’m not sure how well I adapted but it was nice to get the opportunity.
So really I tried to write in small doses; inspired by the varied content Yashoda produces, Alex’s wonderful film and comics analysis, Gavia’s perfect blog, Emily launching Bearded Eloise and the fun stuff on friends’ tumblrs I’ve tried to do a bit more with the blog. I redesigned, started the Comic and Sandwich of the month write-ups plus the infrequent Friendly Friday and “Which of these isn’t in my backpack?” games. I also did that post of super awesome movie pitch ideas (He Fights Robots became one of our fake comic covers in Stand-Up Comics). A lot of my silliness and weird humour has been expressed here and it’s nice to have an outlet for it. And I think that my rushed monthly comic reviews were part of the reason Alex let me sub in for him for Project 52 and rush those reviews.

I might have had more time to write or eat or see the sunlight if I wasn’t obsessed with the goal of watching 50 new releases a year. Annoyingly I only managed to watch 49 films from 2011. It's still a decent number and better than 2010; plus it gives me something to work towards in 2012. But at what cost? At what cost? (Roughly £250 I’d say). I’ve done a separate post for that though as it’s a pretty big list and, as usual, I’ve done that thing where I roughly rank them based on how I’m feeling right now; it can and will change any other time you ask me because some films fight for power depending on the mood I’m in or if I’ve recently re-watched them. Other rankings might change because films are sneaky like that and sometimes they crawl into your brain when your not expecting it and hold your thoughts hostage. And Jackie has done a list too. As you can see, my list is better than hers [written before actually reading her list]. She thinks The King's Speech is better than True Grit and doesn't even have Kung Fu Panda 2 in her top 20.

Because we’ve been staying in a lot this year because the ghosts are out by the time we’re home or we’re too tired to do anything else we have been watching a lot of TV. In fact we spent all of New Years Eve and New Years Day watching Misfits for the first time. I like Misfits, I think it has a really strong cast and benefits from being the vision of one person. It’s funny and has adult storytelling in equal measure and paces its storylines really well rather than dragging things out, often doing something unexpected. It’s always visually interesting, from great depictions of superpowers to filling the shot with hilarious reactions from actors in the background. I thought the Nazi episode was a slight misstep this year, it not feeling like the Nazis had been around for 70 years, but otherwise it was strong.
We got two small doses of Doctor Who this year, which made it feel like it never really left rather than like we didn’t get enough of it. A series in which I enjoyed a lot of individual episodes (“The Doctor’s Wife” especially) but wasn’t overly fond of the series arc. Mrs Pond started to grate on me towards the end but Matt Smith is a joy to watch.
I continued my obsession with Community, understandable considering that in just this year it gave us the Dungeons and Dragons episode, “Intermediate Documentary Filmmaking”, “Critical Film Studies” A clip show with all new clips, A Spaghetti Western which transformed into Star Wars, “Remedial Chaos Theory”, horror stories, an anime sequence and a musical. And Magnitude. Can you believe that before 2011 we didn't have Magnitude? That’s an incredible amount of variety for a show that is consistently hilarious and tightly scripted.
Jackie and I watched all of Parks and Rec in a very short amount of time because it’s remarkable. It’s just so positive rather than being cruel or cynical, without ever feeling saccharine; instead it gives us characters to root for, with friendships and relationships we care about, and lets them be funny in the situations presented, often strengthening them rather than taking anything away.
Cartoons that you probably aren’t watching but that I was watching because I am cool are Scooby Doo: Mystery Incorporated and My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. I think the success of both cartoons stems from the fact that they’re both made with utmost sincerity without any irony. Scooby Doo can be a surreally funny show with interesting character work and cool action set pieces and MLP can be genuinely about the sacrifices involved in friendship and the benefits that come from them (whilst referencing comics or The Big Lebowski) and both work because they play it straight whilst having fun with their characters and concepts. (From MLP “I’m going to do what I do best. Lecture her!” or from Scooby Doo “I took months of Pilates to reach the point where I could control the mouth with my abs”). In fact I’m constantly impressed by MLP subverting cliché “friend arguments” and remaining optimistic.
Like a lot of people this year I became obsessed with Game of Thrones. It’s really great to see serious fantasy on television with a decent budget and fantastic cast. But beyond being immersive and gripping GoT is a televisual miracle because it inspired my brother to actually buy and read books.

I’ve immersed myself in comics more than ever this year; I’ve dwelled on things from a reader’s, creator’s publisher’s and retailer’s perspective to have my mind right for SUC. So it’s really lucky that, beyond the comics that I’ve highlighted (Venom, Criminal, Osborn, The Sixth Gun, the X-Men relaunch, Ultimate Spider-Man) there have been so many good comics this out this year. Kieron Gillen has had a consistently good output; Uncanny X-men embraces bold superheroics combining good humour with tight plotting. If mutants are the next stage of evolution, then the X-men are about our future, our next generation and Generation Hope put unique, perfectly formed teenage characters forward, addressing current social problems alongside zombies, genocidal robots and Akira homages. Journey into Mystery is one of my favourite kinds of stories, one about the importance and power of myths and stories and by extension it often plays with and twists words.
Daredevil written by Mark Waid is a fun and lively pop book and Marcos Martin and Paolo Rivera support with a great visual style that finds new ways to represent Daredevil’s powers. And I love the irony of people having to see Martin’s and Rivera’s art to fully grasp it.
I’m along for the ride and eager to find out all the secrets in Morning Glories, the book that’s like Runaways meets Lost mixed with The Prisoner has answered some questions whilst ramping up the tension and making things even more mystifying. Writer Nick Spencer had a few other books out this year that I have enjoyed especially his Jimmy Olsen story which was an exciting humour book that worked well as both a serialised story and when it was collected.
Pre-New 52 I was really enjoying Batman Inc with its fun, world travelling action, visual gags and attempts to fit as much information into a page as possible. Post New-52 I’ve mainly clung on to Batman and The Flash (and need to catch up on Animal Man). Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo’s Batman (which I reviewed the first issue of here) launches with a story that simultaneously shows Batman’s strengths and weaknesses and easily shifts between something dark to bombastic comic book action. And whilst Bruce is at the forefront there have still been wonderful moments for Alfred, Dick and Commissioner Gordon and Gotham itself. The Flash is vibrant and kinetic with a story that I’m really interested in. Francis Manapul’s pages are some of the most exciting visual storytelling at the moment.
Matt Fraction continues the layered, dense storytelling in The Invincible Iron Man, exemplified by the giant size issue 500 with a fantastic art team covering multiple deftly structured stories. And 2011 finally saw the return of Casanova, my favourite comic, with its third arc “Avaritia”. Now packed with more pages, a letter column, dazzling colours, spacemen, pandas and spatiotemporal holocausts, Casanova only seems to be getting better.

I’ve also used a lot of that spare time I’ve spent in the flat (afraid of the world outside) to play rather a lot of video games (for me anyway) made easier because I invested in my first portable console for about five years.
Marvel Vs Capcom 3 gives the initial frenzied buzz as one is given the opportunity to use Iron Man’s repulsors to blast Ryu from Street Fighter in the face and eventually the initial confusion of the frantic combos gives way to sense of achievement when you finally manage one of the more complex manoeuvres. Of course now I haven’t played it in a while the best I can manage is probably crouching in a corner flailing limbs and wondering why the catgirl can constantly defend against my bullets.
My 3DS was purchased pretty much so that I had something to play Pokemon White on (and to show off) and whilst I eagerly anticipated it I wasn’t as obsessed post game as I was all those years ago playing Blue and Gold. Perhaps one needs to live Pokemon, watch the cartoon to find creatures you want to catch, breed new armies to fully appreciate everything. But I fought tiny monsters with a sentient ice-cream and a firey pig wrestler so it made me happy.And it meant I now have a 3DS, which aside from giving me a weird sense of joy at seeing it’s green light flash whenever I pass someone else with a 3DS and have the closest thing possible to social interaction, has given me the opportunity to play some cool games. I didn’t own Ocarina of Time before (I know) but can see why people love it so much and the updated graphics make it look better than ever. Having played the games since it doesn’t feel as revolutionary but still a very very fun game. Super Scribblenauts was a cute way to spend evenings after rehearsals when all I wanted to do was create a metallic dinosaur in a top hat. It’s a game only limited by your imagination and some of the things I made come to life from my magic notebook to complete the puzzles had me laughing out loud. Mario Kart 7 is Mario Kart at its best, the controls are fantastic, the action unrelenting and after mastering all the cool new tracks, it’s really simple to play online for some real competition. And my brother bought me Super Mario 3D Land which is really simple to pick up and play but there’s so much to do and find that I think it will keep me challenged for a while.
Arkham City may not have had the best story and it was slightly frustrating to have a whole chunk of Gotham to play in but still feel restricted but it’s definitely a game that makes you feel like Batman and I’m the kind of guy who likes to hang from gargoyles and punch sharks in the face.
Dynasty Warriors 7 felt more on form than DW6 but the return of Lu Xun’s belly shirts and the addition of fighting pandas wasn’t enough to stop it from feeling a bit too repetitive. I’m not even sure I unlocked every character...maybe I’ll start playing again. It’s possible I only stopped because I got busy, I can’t remember. Though, that’s not a good sign is it?
I’ve also been given Skyward Sword and Lego Harry Potter: Years 5-7 for Christmas and are eager to start playing through them. Expect many declarations of love for Voldemort on twitter in the near future.

Musically Childish Gambino was a great discovery; there are a few tracks on his first album, Camp, that I really enjoy but perhaps not as much as the stuff on EP. Both Patrick Stump and Patrick Wolf had some pretty cool pop stuff on their albums this year and The Lonely Island gave us Michael Bolton cross-dressing.
But the highlight of the year musically for me was going to see Jimmy Eat World play all of Clarity and Bleed American with Jackie, Robin and Elisabeth.

Moving into 2011 was interesting because I had a vague idea of what it was going to be like. Stripped and Stand-Up Comics gave it a structure to build my life around from months in advance. But now I don’t know what lies ahead. I do know some of the things I’d like to try but no big plans. I’d like to find a way to repay everyone that made this year great and not lose the momentum I’ve built up this year. And with a lot more friends moving in to London now I hope they can tolerate me enough to hang out more.

Jackie's 47 films of 2011

2011-12-31T18:15:00.000Z

[The following is by guest poster and personal plaster provider, Jackie O'Sullivan]

So I saw 47 films released this year, be it at the cinema or on DVD. My apologies to Tyrannosaur, Warrior, Arrietty and all the other films that I’m sure would have fared well but I didn’t get to see. Here’s my ranking of the ones I did get to see.

Drive
Hypnotic from the near-silent opening sequence to finish, Nicolas Winding Refn and Ryan Gosling took a script that was originally imagined as a Hugh Jackman studio flick, stripped it to the bone and created a masterpiece. This is my film of the year because it’s one of the only times I’ve felt I’m not watching a movie, but CINEMA, iconic, destined-to-be-cult cinema. Drenched in 80s style but feeling completely original, with Gosling on sensational form, this is also the best directed film of the year and has an absolute killer soundtrack, bristling with tension. Just so damn cool.
Tangled
The film that restored my faith in Disney! Quite simply gorgeous animation, an excellent script, a fantastic passive aggressive villain, Menken songs..what more does a girl want? Jeffrey Tambor singing and a funny, engaging male lead who isn’t the titular character, you say? Jackpot! I will never get tired of watching Tangled. It was robbed at the Oscars.
Hanna
Joe Wright needs to direct more action. Saoirse Ronan was mesmerising as always, but the direction really made this film, juggling themes of self-discovery, family, kick-ass action and government villainy without ever feeling muddled or in any way predictable. Also had a fantastic soundtrack.
Crazy, Stupid, Love
Entry number 2 for Ryan Gosling! I only saw 2 of his movies this year and they both made my top 5. CSL’s script was sharp, savvy, sexy and only elevated further by a wonderful ensemble cast. Creating more believable relationships onscreen than you seen in several movies over a whole year, this was truly romantic and truly funny. I’m not just being girly and putting a romcom in my top 5. I’m putting the best romcom since Intolerable Cruelty in my top 5.
Black Swan
As dark in topic as it was elegant on the surface, Black Swan was the film I felt most deserving in the awards season early this year. The cinematography here was extraordinary, and Portman’s performance was fantastic. It also drew unexpected parallels with Tangled, so bonus points.
Thor
Branagh brings us.. a superhero movie that does a surprising amount for feminism! Shakespearean family dynamics! A hero with really pretty hair! A complex villain who we feel for! An opulent and believable Asgard! A camera that has never met a spirit level! Kat Dennings!
Source Code
Proving that Moon wasn’t a one off, Duncan Jones blended thriller and twists to great effect, with one of my favourite endings to a film this year.
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Best of the summer blockbusters, with an unexpected intelligence (much like that of the apes) and anchored by Andy Serkis in yet another mo-cap performance that leaves critics chasing worthy adjectives.
Attack the Block
Just so fun, with a great young cast, genuinely scary monsters and real slang that I hope will confuse Americans as much as the fact it’s about 15 minutes until someone drinks a cup of tea in an English film. “This is too much madness for one text!”
50/50
Perhaps it’s the medic in me that made me put this is my top 10, but I have so much respect for how well cancer comedy was pulled off. I was really looking forward to it and it just left you feeling all the lows and highs (some literal) and uncertainty that the writer Will Reiser must have felt. Excellently handled, it made me laugh a lot without ever feeling mawkish or shying away from tough moments.
127 Hours
The Fighter
Submarine
The King’s Speech
Hugo
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
Never Let Me Go
True Grit
Tucker & Dale vs Evil
Bridesmaids
X-Men: First Class
Love & Other Drugs
Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol
Fright Night
Real Steel
The Adventures of Adele Blanc-Sec
Captain America
Kung Fu Panda 2
Super 8
Rango
30 Minutes Or Less
Winnie the Pooh
Rubber
Scre4m
Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
Paul
The Adjustment Bureau
Green Hornet
Morning Glory
Limitless
Super
Green Lantern
Cars 2
Cowboys & Aliens
No Strings Attached
Your Highness

Michael's 49 Films of 2011

2011-12-31T18:00:00.000Z

I wanted to see fifty films released this year, to come so close is a bit of a disappointment. Luckily the majority of those forty-nine films I did see were enjoyable and a select few will be ones I'll watch over and over for the rest of my life. So it's not all bad.

I've attempted the impossible task of ranking them, which is of course ludicrous because how do you compare the quality of films so remarkably different? They each have things they excel in, points to celebrate and others to criticise. But I've just attempted to put them in order of my favourites based on how I'm feeling now (or earlier when I wrote the list.)

There are a few interesting trends in the films I've enjoyed this year; some have fairy tale like qualities (or are fairy tales), some have had epic fight scenes and some have been female driven (Four of my top five have female protagonists). The best ones tend to blend two of these elements and, where I was really lucky, some had all three.

Drive
Most films are immersive because they drip feed you information; Drive is immersive because it encourages you to fill in gaps yourself so that you are invested in it. It’s a risky approach which works because of Refn and Gosling. In this way it’s the closest thing I’ve seen to a film version of a comic. And apart from that it’s a stylistically interesting movie, wonderfully shot and lit that I’ve been thinking about ever since.
Hanna
Is it a kick ass action movie about a highly trained young assassin confused when entering the outside world or a fairy tale about a young princess torn away from her father by her evil stepmother/ wicked witch? Filled with atmospheric silences and people shot in profile it is quite obviously a Joe Wright film but Wright also shows a wonderful eye for directing action. Each fight scene within the film (there’s a few!) is shot differently depending on the emotion of character/ scene so that they are storytelling and not just action scenes. What results is a multi-layered fantastic film with an amazing score from the Chemical Brothers and the use of some amazing locations.
Tangled
Is it a fairy tale about a young princess torn away from her parents by her evil stepmother/ wicked witch or a kick ass comedy about a confused young girl entering the outside world to give her life meaning? Tangled knows that poking at clichés or wryly mocking oneself is never as funny as a good joke or well timed comic moment. And it looks beautiful; traditional soft pastel colours beautifully rendered by vibrant CGI under Glen Keane’s watchful eye. I’ve watched Tangled three times this year and I know I could watch it more.
True Grit
Firstly that Roger Deakins found another way to gloriously capture the Old West is marvellous; that he is yet to win an Academy Award for his cinematography is ludicrous. The film also features really strong performances from its entire cast, with Hailee Steinfeld standing up against a showy Jeff Bridges. But the film is the Coens through and through; the editing and direction fantastic but the dialogue manages to not only denote time, setting and character but still keep its idiosyncratic humour.
Black Swan
There are mirrors everywhere, a swan’s skeleton in Vincent Cassel’s office and some really intense dancing. The visual stimulation and style make it a really gruelling thriller where the shocks are strong and the central performances good (Cassel doing his best with some moments of terrible dialogue). Aronofsky puts some his trademarks to good use, his over the shoulder moments feel like we’re being pulled by Portman not following along with her. All the suspense and tension builds to that final crescendo when we’re finally allowed to briefly relax. Bonus points to Aronofsky for making two movies in a row with the same ending.
Kung-Fu Panda 2
Has a by the numbers “Hero’s Journey” plot and from the moment Master Shifu balances/ diverts that water droplet in a film with cannons you know what the conclusion will be. But it has script consulting by Charlie Kaufman, is not afraid to deal with darker issues and themes, has a fun performance from Gary Oldman as a villainous peacock, has a gorgeous style, laugh out loud moments and some of the best Martial Arts fight scenes in recent memory.
The Fighter
Amongst all the yelling and big performances my favourite moment in The Fighter is when Mark Wahlberg is sitting in the car, on the way home after losing his fight, in silence whilst everyone else bickers about what he should do next. It’s small and silent but perfectly captured.
Tinker Tailor Soldier SpyIs an espionage movie so slow burning, you can’t really call it a thriller. But the structure of the script and the voyeuristic shots from long lenses make one feel like a spy unravelling the movie as it goes along. A plethora of British talent is on display here with Gary Oldman taking the lead and is (again) brilliant; physically controlled but with emotions bubbling in his eyes.
Rise of the Planet of the Apes Much better than I had hoped for and I had high hopes. Andy Serkis and Weta digital not only brought Caesar to life but crafted a character to believe in and follow, much more interesting than any human on screen. Exciting action, some decent science (with a couple of exceptions) and some slight tweaks to the Apes history whilst referencing the old movies made it a wonderful addition to the series. The moment when Caesar stands up to Draco Malfoy’s abuse with those lines next to one another was brilliant.
Hugo
Is a love letter to filmmaking and storytelling, and their ability to inspire us, complete us and help us identify something we felt was missing. But whilst Scorsese celebrates film history he is eager to try new things, the film is full of ambitious shots and edits and a moment of 3D where Sacha Baron Cohen’s face slowly looms towards you in a very unsettling manner.
Submarine
Never Let Me Go
127 Hours
Super 8
Source Code
Attack the Block
Thor
Tucker & Dale vs Evil
50/50
Crazy, Stupid, Love
Real Steel
Captain America
Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol
The King's Speech
X-men: First Class
Rango
Bridesmaids
Super
Love and Other Drugs*
Tintin
The Extraordinary Adventures of Adele Blanc-Sec
Holy Rollers
Limitless
30 Minutes or Less
Fright Night
Rubber
The Inbetweeners
The Green Hornet
Winnie the Pooh
Paul
Cowboys and Aliens
Adjustment Bureau
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
Scre4m
Cars 2
Green Lantern
Morning Glory
No Strings Attached
Your Highness

*A release date of 29 December 2010 but I'm counting it as a 2011 movie because it was only 3 days of 2010 and because it's my list and I can.

Sandwich of the Month - Leftovers sandwich

2011-12-28T09:30:00.000Z

As it's the Holidays, I thought I would give a gift to the world by permanently featuring my past "Sandwich of the Month" posts. I'll put one up every day, as we count down to the end of 2011.

The sandwich for the month of December is the Turkey and stuffing (and whatever leftovers you have) sandwich. That’s right; LGC is getting more festive than a resentment filled, embarrassing Christmas party adorned with pound-shop tinsel.

To some there is nothing more Christmassy than the hollow, discarded remains of rapidly drying meat that reminds you of the meat you really wanted, slathered in a juxtaposed coarse and sodden mixture of indistinguishable mush placed between slices of the last remaining slices of bread before the shops open up again. Sometimes there’s cranberry sauce involved but that’s for fancy families who can tell the difference between berries and who insist on eating a meal that doesn’t solely consist of different kinds of meat.

It’s not my job to debate the olfactory delights and dissidents of a Turkey, bacon, stuffing and cranberry sandwich; it’s my job to keep trolls out of Cornwall. And even if I was to be paid an excess of £4000000 that sandwich judges get paid I would refuse. Refuse on moral grounds. Grounds that are cracked because the metaphorical council ignore it and let weeds of deceit fester. Because the “Christmas” sandwich is a sham.

Whilst my knowledge of the bible is limited to the bits with Donny Osmond’s patchwork coat and Jesus conducting laser eye surgery I’m pretty certain there are no passages mentioning stuffing or Yorkshire puddings. I have also never seen a photograph of jolly old St Nick wrestling turkeys or throwing roast potatoes at his elves. So how do these items fit within Christmas tradition? I can’t tell you and I doubt you can tell me. In fact I have done countless minutes of research and it seems there are no sources of information. It is as though the knowledge has simultaneously been wiped from our collective memories.

I cannot begin to comprehend what they hope to achieve through this subtle indoctrination and forced feeding but I do know that I refuse to partake in the eating of this sandwich. Until I have to figure out what to do with my leftovers that is.

Sandwich of the Month - New York Deli Sandwich

2011-12-27T12:00:00.000Z

As it's the Holidays, I thought I would give a gift to the world by permanently featuring my past "Sandwich of the Month" posts. I'll put one up every day, as we count down to the end of 2011.

The sandwich for the month of November is the New York Deli Sandwich.

The “sandwich” that one currently finds in “delis” in “New” ~~“Amsterdam”~~ “York” is merely a shadow of the true Deli sandwich, a ghostly apparition haunting us by giving a glimpse of greatness, an idol to a better time. The mustard and pickles/gherkins/ whatever you want to call those soft green things that are the result of an extensive souring process on cucumbers that would make Oscar Wilde weep (continuity), are authentic, modern analogues of the ancient, accompanying sandwich filler; complimenting the spiced meat by adding a variety of flavours. But what we call pastrami, the sublime, tender slices of brined, smoked, spiced beef, is a far cry from the ancient Pastrami.

Before sandwiches, before light from amber bulbs, before Henry VIII took his gigantic mallet and edged out the British Isles so that its jagged edge warred off the French lived a great lumbering creature called the Pastrami. When stood on its hind legs, the Pastrami loomed over the foliage it dwelt behind and when it moved its legs did crack the Earth as they fell upon it. Its eyes shone red and its belly blistered by the heat contained within. It sung the moon towards us and frightened the sun away, its teeth cut through mountains and its saliva washed down thunder. And it tasted wonderful.

Different philosophers have dwelt on the notion and existence of the Pastrami and the inevitability of its extinction but I think Noam Chomsky put it best when he said “It was just too tasty to live, son.”

Generations were spent trying to recreate the taste of the Pastrami and whilst what we are left with is a glorious concoction, there will never again be a taste like the Pastramis of yore. So when you lick your lips and savour the taste as the deli sandwich melts away remember that you’re not just easting something delectable. You’re eating a glimpse into a bygone era.

Sandwich of the Month - Jam Sandwich

2011-12-26T12:00:00.000Z

As it's the Holidays, I thought I would give a gift to the world by permanently featuring my past "Sandwich of the Month" posts. I'll put one up every day, as we count down to the end of 2011.

The sandwich for the month of October is the Jam sandwich.

The invention of the Jam Sandwich is actually not a culmination of culinary advancement but rather a marvel of scientific experimentation. A scientist unfamiliar with the concept of “jam on toast” attempted to reverse engineer the product he was served for breakfast only to create a jam sandwich in a serendipitous accident of science akin to the discoveries of penicillin and Viagra.

Whilst the jam sandwich is traditionally the sandwich of choice in youths its unique consistency and tangy flavour can be enjoyed by all. Perhaps the most joy in eating a jam sandwich comes from the experimentation involved; there are many kinds of jams one can sample and use in the sandwich and though many have tried to rank them and lost their lives in high stakes debates it is hard to say if any choice is superior. Our American brothers in arms have even taken to making sandwiches using concoctions of jam mixed with their peanuted butter. And whilst I personally do not understand the appeal, I appreciate its ability to unlock another factor of experimentation that drives the jam sandwich industry.

However, the jam sandwich rises above perhaps every sandwich we have featured thus far because of its numerous uses outside of cuisine consummation. These lie across the entire range of Ernest Thompkins pleasure scale, with jam sandwiches being sources of entertainment and terror. In underground clubs, ne’er-do-wells bet on whose sandwich will stick to the ceiling the longest; whilst our various espionage units issue rations of sandwiches to all field agents to be used to torture enemies and silence allies. Adventurers in to the wild have raved about the benefits of marmalade sandwiches when faced with ursidae however they are less effective against humans and drops us into the conversational black hole that is the “is marmalade jam?” debate.

Due to all of this, we can rest easy knowing that as long as someone seeks a cheap meal that combines a sweet tang with some sticky starch, the jam sandwich will always be preserved.

Sandwich of the Month - the secret best sandwich you can get from a Leading Multinational Fast-Food Sandwich Retailer.

2011-12-25T12:00:00.000Z

As it's the Holidays, I thought I would give a gift to the world by permanently featuring my past "Sandwich of the Month" posts. I'll put one up every day, as we count down to the end of 2011. (Oh and Merry Christmas)

The sandwich of the month for August is the secret best sandwich you can get from a Leading Multinational Fast-Food Sandwich Retailer.

Now I shall be referring to Leading Multinational Fast-Food Sandwich Retailer as Leading Multinational Fast-Food Sandwich Retailer because I don't anyone to presume I have been bribed by Leading Multinational Fast-Food Sandwich Retailer. Unless you count having a job at Leading Multinational Fast-Food Sandwich Retailer 5 years ago as a bribe, and even then they didn't want to pay me everything I'd earned until my mum yelled at them. We all know the Leading Multinational Fast-Food Sandwich Retailer I mean; it's the one that has a chicken tikka sandwich but only in select outlets so that whenever I find a Leading Multinational Fast-Food Sandwich Retailer that has the chicken tikka sandwich I get excited because it reminds me of home. Other things that remind me of home are broken telephone boxes and tortoise parks.

The thing with Leading Multinational Fast-Food Sandwich Retailer is that it can be quite overwhelming when one enters, there is so much choice on offer; it's like going into the pet store and being faced with dozens of fish tanks and all you want is the best one to store your shoes in. Leading Multinational Fast-Food Sandwich Retailer plies one with so many options and varieties it can be hard to make a decision; but luckily for you oh readers I have had the time to do the research and have created the secret best sandwich you can order from a Leading Multinational Fast-Food Sandwich Retailer.

This research was conducted as part of my free lunch whilst working at Leading Multinational Fast-Food Sandwich Retailer, testing options and studying the choices of customers to inform me of possible combinations.

Firstly start with whichever bread you desire, though my personal preference is the "myocardial tissue"-y Italian bread. The sandwich filling we are going with is steak (sorry vegetarians but it's a dog eat dog world out there, except some of those dogs are people and the other dogs are cows) and this is the important bit, we do not toast the sandwich, we microwave it. And not just the filling, oh no, we put the steak onto the bread, top it with cheese and microwave the entire sandwich. Most Leading Multinational Fast-Food Sandwich Retailers will not allow this, because they fear the strange and otherworldly, they seek to hold humanity back from evolving and also because the microwave settings aren't really set up for it.

Now with your sandwich out of the microwave feel free to add whatever salad you like, but if we're following my guidelines we will add lettuce, cucumber, red onion and jalapeños. Trust me the jalapeños will become very important during the sauce stage.

Look down at the sauce options, you will probably be tempted to use the Southwest Steak sauce because it includes the word steak, but this is just Leading Multinational Fast-Food Sandwich Retailer trying to mislead you like "Britain's Got Talent" or "Ladyboys". What we add is both Honey Mustard and Sweet Onion sauces. The combination of the two sweet sauces along with the rich, hearty steak and spicy jalapeños creates a remarkable taste sensation so deadly that Leading Multinational Fast-Food Sandwich Retailer have tried to keep it from you.

But now, you know the truth

Sandwich of the Month - Chip Sandwich

2011-12-24T12:00:00.000Z

As it's the Holidays, I thought I would give a gift to the world by permanently featuring my past "Sandwich of the Month" posts. I'll put one up every day, as we count down to the end of 2011.

The sandwich of the month for July is a Chip Sandwich.

The sandwich is so revered and celebrated due to its simplicity; they consist solely of slices of a staple food trapping a tasty more. The sandwich is a meal that does not require much preparation or cooking; they are as cold as ice, they're willing to sacrifice animals for a tasty filling.

So following that logic, this month's pick could be thought of as the anti-sandwich; it's a warm selection and contains no meat. This anti-sandwich has the traditional moniker of "butty". As with sandwiches being named after the Earl of Sandwich, so to was the butty named after the Earl of Butty; Butty was an odd individual, owner of many fine ropes and amateur magician. Butty's interest in the arcane is why his name has been lent to this glorious sandwich. The chip butty is a prime example of the transformative power of the sandwich--you start with something already delicious, traditional English chips, dripping with fat, covered in the scientifically calculated perfect amount of salt and vinegar and then manage to improve on the meal with the addition of bread and more ketchup than is humanly recommended. What you are left with is the linchpin of British society, the glory of the empire and something remarkably tasty and gut warming.

I'm hungry now....

Sandwich of the Month - Sausage Sandwich

2011-12-23T12:00:00.000Z

As it's the Holidays, I thought I would give a gift to the world by permanently featuring my past "Sandwich of the Month" posts. I'll put one up every day, as we count down to the end of 2011.

The sandwich of the month for June is a Sausage Sandwich.

There is an interesting phenomena is cuisine where some foods taste better cold than at the temperature at which they are usually served. Foods like Pizza, Ice and the stripped flesh of a wounded enemy. When combined with bread, a previously cooked and then chilled sausage is transformed into something miraculous.

The brilliance of the sausage sandwich does not come from its taste (hearty, strong, yet sweet like a real man) but rather its versatility. The sausage sandwich adapts to its surroundings like a cheetah, except not like a cheetah and more like something that adapts to its surroundings. The sausage sandwich can be created using a variety of breads, be it white, brown, crusty, french, pita, roll, bap, square, triangle; or in combination with any sauce yet created by man or budgie. Seriously any sauce added to sausage and bread will be a delight.

Is the sausage sandwich the greatest achievement of the 1980s leftover movement or were sausage based meals created as an excuse to have a sausage sandwich the next day?

Hot crispy bread with butter melting combined with the soft, cooling filling. Snacks like these take years of training to perfect and anyone who's inexperienced could be risking their lives if they're not careful. But the danger is worth it for the taste. So go grab your ingredients and find an oven or chemicals to set a flame and get toasting.

Sandwich of the Month - Cucumber

2011-12-22T12:00:00.000Z

As it's the Holidays, I thought I would give a gift to the world by permanently featuring my past "Sandwich of the Month" posts. I'll put one up every day, as we count down to the end of 2011.

The sandwich of the month for May is a Cucumber Sandwich.

Right now the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland exists in a very proud state. April ended with a Royal Wedding, May is coincidentally the month containing May Day and we even vote on May 5th! Thus it only seems fitting that we celebrate our luminosity with the most British of dishes, the cucumber sandwich.

The cucumber sandwich has been synonymous with traditional higher class Britain since roguish Irishman and playwright Oscar Wilde was searching for a dish to include in The Importance of Being Earnest and decided "Those English feckers eat cucumber". Though they were removed from the sequel Ernest goes to Camp Britain has never escaped the clutches of Wilde's Cucumber bane.

It is worth noting that the quintessential cucumber sandwich is thinly sliced like the hair of our future monarch.

Sandwich of the Month - Ham

2011-12-21T11:14:00.001Z

As it's the Holidays I thought I would give a gift to the world by permanently featuring my past "Sandwich of the Month" posts. I'll put one up every day, as we count down to the end of 2011. We'll start with April because March's was delivered with ironic earnest that doesn't sit well alongside the others.

The sandwich of the month for April is a Ham Sandwich.

This was a suggestion from reader Kris Wood, who likes Ham sandwiches because they remind him of his youth. Kris would spend his childhood days climbing through quarries, tickling vagrants and throwing stones at dubious looking sunflowers, but would often break to tuck into his ham sandwich whilst sitting under a bonsai tree. I too like Ham sandwiches because of the sense of nostalgia they fill me with. The Ham sandwich reminds me that pigs are great to eat.

Ham has previously been ridiculed for not being bacon, but they said the same thing about Natalie Portman and she proved she looks just as good in a tutu as Bacon does. The variability of ham is what makes it a perfect sandwich filler; it can be a range of thicknesses, cured, smoked, poisoned, honey glazed or salted and topped of with a variety of garnishes.

Enjoy a ham sandwich this month and the taste will linger, allowing everyone you meet to smell it on your breath and become jealous enough to try and make some ham out of you.

Crossed Streams

2011-12-16T17:58:00.001Z

Go ahead and read this blog on the Guardian website by Chris Mellor. In case anyone needs persuading it's about live streaming of theatre, which one could consider a hot topic what with Louis CK's recent, brilliant push to get his show in the hands of as many people as possible as fairly as possible (seriously check that link out too. $5 for a very funny stand-up show that YOU OWN). One would imagine that it could delve into the murky waters of pricing, cultivating a wider audience or DRM; or perhaps the notion of whether theatre is, at its heart, a live, interactive medium that is potentially weakened by viewing through a distancing mechanism or whether there is scope in the future to competently integrate an online and live audience. Perhaps the fear that it dilutes your audience further by giving them an excuse not to attend. Or it could be a piece of advertising.

First, to be entirely fair and not leap into arguments based on a difference of opinion and politics, let's break down those numbers: 500 people per show with somewhere between 5% and 7% (let's say 6%) willing to pay is 30 people. Now I would never scoff at thirty people, that's 14% of my audience right now, or another night of a show. However Chris has also stated elsewhere that a general fair pricing point for online streaming should be around £3 which brings us to a wonderful taking of £90. It costs £300 to live stream one's show. You also aren't seen by 94% of an online audience that expressed interest in your show. I think this shows that, as things stand, the streaming of shows is not a viable additional revenue source as Chris claims. This is potentially because it really is in its infancy, because we're not engaging an online audience in the right way or because it will never be a cost-effective means of putting a show out there for a small theatre company without an established audience. But this doesn't mean I think it's an avenue that should be given up on as a whole but something we need to re-evaluate and re-contextualise.

(And I think that when examining these figures one should consider that they are based during the Camden Fringe, which means that the shows will automatically gain a wider recognition and have their information hosted in various places because Michelle and Zena who run the Fringe do a fantastic job of promoting the event as a whole. Not so say that producers don't have to work at promoting things themselves but the conditions are different from a more general setting which could potential affect totals and final percentages.)

I think this is where my personal philosophies and experiences conflict with Chris' and why we wind-up with differing opinions on this matter and I think those are exemplified by his prime examples of a strong internet presence. The article mentions things that whilst impressive, aren't exactly cutting edge (websites, production diaries). There have been people producing digital content alongside physical content for a while now. And really the new wave of producers haven't existed in a world that doesn't interact online. When I met Chris Mellor at the beginning of the year he suggested that I could write a blog. Because I haven't been doing that since 2006. And I say this not because the idea of me vlogging and video-reviewing comics is special but because it is utterly unspecial. By existing in a world where there are 300 million people on twitter, 800 million people on facebook and 2.1 billion people using the internet, you aren't standing out by being on it, you are the oddity by not being on it.

Just look at the online initiatives The Sigil Club have taken this year:

Recorded, edited and put Stripped up to watch ourselves (with Robin Harman) -- It's free, watch it.
We promoted Stripped with cast interviews
Ran a production diary for Stand-Up Comics,
Consistently updated the website, facebook page and twitter account with information.
Produced an original content trailer and three short films of original content to help promote Stand-Up Comics. As well as links to text-based Stand-Up Comics shorts.
Launched a formspring account to interact with potential and past audience members.
Used IndieGoGo for fund raising
Conducted an interview with a webzine (webzines are fancy and internetty).

There's the standard stuff in there but we've also tried to engage people in different ways, tried making them feel involved with our interviews and formspring page. I'm not sure all have been successful but I think that we do need to start thinking beyond what is considered standard and not to merely have an online presence but to provide digital content. We need to think beyond the simple "I know! We should put it online!" and towards entertaining people.

Companies need to find new and innovative ways to cultivate an online audience and whilst being available to interact online is a strong foundation for that, I don't think it's enough to promote yourself ahead of everyone else just by existing. I do these things because they come naturally to me and will be seen as natural extensions of a company by an increasing percentage of a target audience, a target audience who have been consuming all other media digitally for almost ten years now. I personally think of streaming a show/ a digital version of the show, not as a novelty but a standard that a lot of people will expect which is why I don't put too much emphasis on it and use it as a means to supplement what I see as our "core product".

I think I feel compelled to write so strongly about this because it's something that's been at the forefront of my mind recently. We recorded Stand-Up Comics over three nights and are editing together something strong to be put up online. Now, I personally feel that an audience should experience theatre live, that streaming cannot replicate the atmosphere or ability to engage and considering the show will be up over a month after the performance I would feel uncomfortable charging to watch it. Because we're a small company we can let personal philosophy dictate the decisions we make, however we also need to not lose money and I really want to be able to pay our actors well and so I have had to focus on just what is sensible for streaming.

We will not be charging people to watch Stand-Up Comics primarily because I do not see streaming of an old show as a viable means of making a worthwhile amount of money. I do however see it as a perfect way to grab an audience, which is why I want as many people to be able to see the show as possible. I don't put it on a website that requires you to sign-up and include personal information. I record and put my shows online so that, in a way, they live on and can reach different people. A feature that allows people to share or re-experience the things they like. When my interview goes online, interested parties can check out our online content and hopefully it will impress them enough to encourage them to come to a future show. That's how I see the Sigil Club online content, as a means of looking to the future, to pull in a fanbase so that we increase people coming to theatre. I don't want them watching through a screen, I want them there in the audience, laughing with me, connecting alongside me and hopefully streaming will get those people into theatres. I think I'll throw up a donate button though so that people can give us money should they feel we have earned it. And should we decide to move forward with the Stand-Up Comics brand and experience, I will continue to put shorts up for free and will no doubt be happy to have an invested audience before we figure out a way to bleed them dry.

Closure

2011-12-12T10:50:00.001Z

The better part of this year has been dominated by my play Stand-Up Comics; it was written in the first quarter and then I was preparing the show as Producer/Director/Actor for the two separate runs. And now it is mostly over I'd like to give myself the sense of closure I usually get upon "get out" - but didn't this time as we only had fifteen minutes - and to thank the rather large amount of people that made things possible.

Firstly thank you everyone who came to watch our show, it really means a lot. Having your support drives me to make better products and having you at shows laughing along makes the feeling much richer and brings out the best in my actors. Combining the Fringe performance with our performance at the Etcetera we had over two hundred people come watch a sitcom about comic books, a lot of whom hadn't seen a Sigil Club show before. It is encouraging to see people embrace something, which on paper reads like something they would have no interest in, because they have faith in us or because they have heard good things. I do honestly wonder what goes through people's heads when some of the opening jokes are about "New Avengers", "Young Avengers" and "Dark Avengers". But people once again took a chance on us and I hope it paid off; the accolades from people I personally know suggest that the majority of audience members liked the show and the handful of reviews we've received seem to back that up.

I have linked to them over at the usual place so most will have read them but they're good enough to point at again. Yes it's rather self congratulating to constantly point out praise but I mainly do it so that everyone involved gets a chance to see the nice things said about them and because the depths at which some people wrote about us makes me want to share their work with you; the writers clearly worked hard on their reviews and deserve to be read.

One of the most amazing things to come out of the project is that we have achieved one of my dream scenarios. Whilst I do believe that Stand-Up Comics can be enjoyed by any person, there are a handful of people who can truly embrace it and feel like they're being represented for the first time. And it is my hope that were Stand-Up Comics to exist in a more popular platform that it would reach those people and inspire those people to write about us and form a personal connection, as I have done with so much niche material in the past. After our show, people did reach out to us, to ask about writing reviews or prod us for answers. There's a very brief but kind mention of us here and a pretty in-depth review of the material at Amanda Leek's blog which deftly picks up on a lot of the piece's themes as well as celebrating our silliness. There's another review due to come out in a webzine in which I'm also interviewed about Stand-Up Comics and comics in general so I'll link to that when it comes out.

But now I think it's time for me to personally move on because I need to start focussing on other things and in that vein I'd like to take the time to thank some truly special people.

Michelle and everyone at the Etcetera for the support in the entire process of staging the show from being patient when we didn't know dates, to climbing up a ladder for me when I started getting nervous about heights (and had neither of my tall men around).

Zena along with Michelle runs the Camden Fringe and they both do such an excellent job. If it wasn't for their hard work I really do doubt I would have been able to do this show. So really, thank you.

Sylvia and everyone at the Roundhouse took a chance on us and let us perform in their wonderful space. It gave us the opportunity to perform to our biggest audience yet and get the wave of emotion that comes from having almost one hundred people laughing together.

Grace Knight looked over our submission to the Camden Fringe and came to watch our first full run in August, we were without lights and set but she said she enjoyed it and managed to offer feedback that motivated my cast and helped us improve the pacing of the fight scene. Upon hearing that Grace might not make our resurgence at the Etcetera I complained. I told her she "hadn't seen it properly". I think she gets what I meant now. The first thing Grace said to me after the performance was "Michael, your play passes the Bechdel test." I love her for that and for taking the time to sit me down after the show and offer feedback and script chat; Grace is someone I respect, admire and greatly enjoy talking to about writing minutiae and I am so very grateful for the support she offered this year.

Robin gave up a lot of his time to record the show when he probably shouldn't have and was already clearly very tired and in one hell of a week. I'm not sure if Robin did this because he's a wonderful friend, a brilliant human being or because he enjoys the show and believes in the cause but I know that putting his name in the play doesn't make up for it. Robin as the editor of the Orbiting Pod podcast was instrumental in linking us with Orbital Comics so that we could record the shorts and put up flyers which made up most of our production.

Larissa Kunstel-Tabet went to Australia this Summer, not long after finishing the first year of a pretty intense course at the RCA. And yet when I accosted her outside of the Globe theatre with a wild and barely thought-out request for sound effects comic book shelves she didn't hit me...hard. Even though it was unlikely she'd see the result of her work Larissa took my vague descriptions and plethora of terrible comic titles and came up with a look that was exactly what I needed. Whilst not visible by everyone in the audience the actors and I got a great deal of enjoyment out of the designs for the fake comic books; they're all really strong, I think all of us have a different favourite. She even went so far as to work on the designs in Australia, emailing modifications. With us performing the show a second time it meant Larissa got to see her work up on stage and got the mention in the review that she deserved.

Mike lit the show at the Roundhouse. With barely any notice, any time to practise or rehearse, he did a wonderful job and I'm sure no one at that show would have realised how much of a rush things were that day.

Julian Adams Made the get-in experience at the Etcetera easy and fun and helped me to relax. Friendly and professional at all times, Julian is someone that made me wish I had more for him to do as everything he did do turned out great. He made such a great impression on the entire cast almost immediately I hope he did enjoy himself as much as I enjoyed having him around.

Ellie Ross was our first Liz. That bright spark amongst all the crazy planning and long rehearsals that made me think that we could pull it off. She was our first Liz, the one on tape, the one who first showed an audience my sweet but slightly odd character, who found the balance between strange and endearing and made her come to life. It was a brilliant experience getting to work with Ellie; I was constantly amazed by and jealous of her ability to be innately funny with as little effort as possible. I hope to see Ellie soon, either in person or as a big success.

Nina Bright played The Customer for two nights. We had actually auditioned Nina for some other roles previously but she didn't slot in as well. Still we couldn't get her out of our heads and when there was a spot for her she accepted. No complaints about the size of the role, she came in, adapted and gave an amazing performance. In fairness Kris and I probably made the process longer than we should; we liked Nina and enjoyed talking with her which meant Kris and I just spent a long time telling her about Demolition Man, Ryan Gosling and explaining time travel. Honestly if Nina wasn't an amazing and insane person she would have left us high and dry. Thank you for being a part of the show and staying with us so that you didn't at all feel out of place from everyone else.

Natalie Martins was my second Ashlynn. She was lovely to work with and really settled down nicely amongst a group who had been closely working together previously. I had a really interesting rehearsal with Natalie early on, just the two of us, which primarily involved us sitting down and talking through the character of Ashlynn and her relationship with Liam. We went through the subtext of every line in detail and it made me assess what the character meant to Liam, the play and meta-textually. Natalie knows her own strengths and owns up to her weaknesses; Stand-Up Comics was her first piece of theatre for a while and she was too used to film acting. Natalie is such a nice person that she let me kick her and tell her when she wasn't doing well and took it constructively, always trying to improve.

Amy Quick Was the first to be cast. She came into her audition for the customer with so much energy and ferocity that it bowled us over and made casting that role such an easy process. No one came close. Even though she probably thought it, she never once made me feel like I was mad. Amy came in, worked hard and moulded her character around what we needed it to be whilst Kris and I found her feet. There was always the fear that Amy could look at what we were doing and think we were crazy or silly and when given the chance over summer to back out. But she stuck around and worked her Thanksgiving around us because we didn't want to let her go.

Dan Farley is Adrian. Whilst the original conception of the character, five years ago now, is an extrapolation from an actor who played the stock Shakespeare characters of Gravedigger and Messenger, the character I wrote for the play is a Dan Farley character. I think it's about three pages in to writing Adrian when I realise I'm basing it around a mixture of the characters Dan has played for me, his Eddie Izzard impression and Dan himself (plus Brave and the Bold Aquaman) and then I start incorporating things I know Dan will excel at. And excel he did; Dan was working during the get in at the Etcetera and so I didn't see him that day until just before the show, with me not able to see his full energy performance since summer and it was remarkable and bombastic and everything it needed to be. Thank you Dan for being someone I can rely on just by being yourself.

Sandy Jarvis was both our original Ashlynn and then our Liz. She's been Liz for so long now that it is hard to imagine her as Ashlynn; not that she did a bad job first time round but that having her intensely around us recently and really nailing the character makes her shine through as Liz in my head. When you think about it Sandy was with us a lot this year; she pushed for more time rehearsing as Ashlynn and her work ethic and dedication really showed as she constantly wanted to re-run the scene. It was this hard work that really helped me know exactly what to say to Natalie to first help her understand the character. And then she's been with us every step of the way these past few months, helping dictate the flow of scenes as Kris and I tidy around her and making sure all the beats work. It really has been a long time. Look at what we've been through Sandy; before you turning 25, then you turning 25 and everything post 25. I can't believe I don't get to see you every week; Dan and Kris are kind of stuck with me and I bother all the time, but losing you is going to take some getting used to. On a final, less creepy, note: When people who have seen all my shows, or the talented people I've worked with in the past, single out someone's performance in particular, and remark on how good they are and how lucky I am to work with them, they mean it.

Kris Wood worked really hard on this show. He and Dan came to a script read in April that allowed us to point out which jokes didn't work and where the tempo dropped, he took photos, shot and edited the fundraiser video, edited the shorts, designed the posters and flyers (with me) and did a hell of a lot of acting. And never complained. Not even a little. It would be easy to dismiss Kris' performance as someone playing themselves but that would be ignoring the craft and hard work that goes into finding the humour in every line and drawing it out with the right vocal intonation and hand movement. Kris takes direction brilliantly, I only need to tell him once what I want and he knows what to go for.

Jackie O'Sullivan organised getting two large bits of wood and how to transport them, bought fabric, Emailed the cast over Summer before letting me take over, emailed theatres, found rehearsal space, looked over costumes, auditioned people, attended rehearsals. These are all things Jackie should be doing because it's her job as Producer. But the emotion and effort she puts into shows is unparalleled. Whilst Jackie and I tend to joke that if we can produce plays, anyone can, I don't think anyone could produce a play quite like Jackie.

Comic of the Month - Criminal: The Last of the Innocent

2011-12-01T12:30:00.127Z

Every month LGC will be highlighting a comic you should buy or be buying.

The book of the month for December is Criminal: The Last of the Innocent; by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips with Val Staples and Dave Stewart.

The collected edition of Criminal: The Last of the Innocent comes out this month (December 7th), it's one of the best comics of this year and would make a fine Christmas present for anyone who's a fan of good, hard crime stories.

The Last of the Innocent is part of Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips' crime series Criminal but is a stand alone mini series with no ties to other stories. It concerns Riley Richards, an unhappy man who owes money to a loan shark and whose wealthy wife is cheating on him. Upon returning home after his father's death Riley is caught in a wave of nostalgia and resentment and decides to solve his problems by murdering his wife. The motivations and actions in the story are brutal as we follow Riley's plot as he uses old friends and loved ones to cover his tracks. The story seems less concerned with the murder itself but the tension surrounding it and the fallout from it. Characters trying not to get caught or to set someone up; you feel the threat of everything tumbling down and anyone being at risk because everyone is a liar, a cheat , and addict or just plain selfish or jealous.

The writing is atmospheric and concise, every word and phrase of Brubaker's dialogue and monologue is considered. It's brutal, getting as much character and plot out of as little words as possible and allowing Sean Phillips' expressive art to reveal character and tell the story. Phillips' art is put to wonderful use as he nails the tone and look of a noir story; it's full of shadows with the blood and sex not showy but gritty. The panels have "The camera" over shoulders, around corners; it's like we're not meant to be seeing what we're seeing adding to the claustrophobia and paranoid atmosphere of the story. There are also flashbacks peppered throughout and Phillips alters his art style to make it look reminiscent of an Archie comic, which at first is fun to see but as Brubaker and Phillips use it to juxtapose the language and imagery they become some of the more potent and interesting parts of the storytelling as a reflection on nostalgia.

I really enjoyed reading Criminal as it came out; it's a very well made comic with a plot that constantly keeps you on the edge and art that makes you stop to take it all in. You really get wrapped up in the well defined characters wondering what fate will await them at the end of the story often believing that it can't end well for any of them. The good people in Criminal aren't entirely good and the best of them are mainly there to be points of affection or used and abused by the rest, no doubt being tainted and potentially transformed into individuals as bad as the rest.

Comic of the Month - Wolverine and the X-men & Uncanny X-men

2011-11-01T10:41:00.003Z

Every month LGC will be highlighting a comic you should buy or be buying.

The books of the month for November are Wolverine and the X-men written by Jason Aaron, art by Chris Bachalo inks by Tim Townsend, Jaime Mendoza & Al Vey and Uncanny X-men written by Kieron Gillen, art by Carlos Pacheo, inks by Cam Smith and colours by Frank D'armata.

October saw the release of issue #544 of Uncanny X-men, what was the last issue of Volume One of Uncanny, written by Kieron Gillen to symbolically be the last issue of that era of X-men. It is the perfect time for anyone only vaguely aware of X-men, through cartoons or films, or with no previous X-knowledge to jump on board and become a comics reader. Things are new now, it is a different world; the old one falling apart with Wolverine and Cyclops philosophically opposed with regards to how to move out of being an endangered species and how to treat the teenagers. Cyclops believes that with only roughly 200 mutants on earth, under constant attack, everyone needs to be prepared to fight for the species. And recent events in Wolverine's life have lead him to believe that the kids should get to be kids, to be educated to not be forced into someone else's war. And thus we get a fun little prep school books.

Sidebar: The first issue of Wolverine and the X-men made me realise just how much I missed the school aspect of the X-men and to a wider extent my love for everything in that setting, whether it be the weird Prisoner-like aesthetic in Morning Glories or the magic filled halls of Hogwarts.

It's always pleasant to see some new blood pumped into the X-men franchise, to see creative teams put their boldest foot forward and both books, whilst working as opposites, manage to be equally bold and engrossing.

Wolverine and the X-men #1 is a mad dash through the new Jean Grey Institute for Higher Learning as Wolverine and Kitty Pryde take members of the board of education on a tour so that the school gets approval. We are humorously introduced to the students and teachers as well as the class structure. Each meeting is quite brief but Aaron and Bachalo pull humour from each scene as we get how Wolverine deals with troublesome, horny teenage boys, Husk with some odd teaching methods and, my personal favourite, Kid Omega put in detention and in his words, scrawled on the floor in red marker, "a political prisoner". Bachalo's cartooning, his exaggerated style and his versatility sell the humour so well and when the actions hits at the end you get something that feels epic in scale. The levity and brevity of the book keep it fun and engaging and whilst my girlfriend didn't know who everyone was, she was certainly entertained.

Uncanny X-men #1 is a statement. It puts forth Kieron Gillen's intentions and themes for the title and introduces us to Cyclops' new structure for his X-men. Whilst it is far from humourless (I laughed countless times at the opening gambit and how Gillen can turn a phrase) it is the book about a team at war, the standard superhero book for those who are feared and hated. Now though, Cyclops is using the fact that mutants are "feared and hated" by forming an 'Extinction Team' comprised of powerful reformed villains so that those who hate them are frightened to the point where they realise attacking the X-men is a ridiculous idea. It is the concept of the X-men as a nuclear deterrent, Cyclops is willing to sacrifice his image to protect the kids at Wolverine's school. Pachelo's art is clean and fluid and really suits the tone of a superhero book. It's bright and shiny and he has a great handle of action. Plus Gillen writes Mr. Sinister as a verbose, Victorian dandy which I can get behind.

Both comics include a few bonus materials in the back: Double page spreads with teasers for what's to come, faculty and students and a class list for Wolverine & the X-men and Team rosters for Uncanny.

I would firmly suggest getting on board with X-men comics because between these two (and the other four or so X-men books on the stands) there is something anyone can enjoy, heroism, soap opera, gags, romance and a carousel which has cloned superpowered geneticists riding on it...

Once again you won't be able to stand me

2011-10-26T10:54:00.000+01:00

Earlier in the year my production company The Sigil Club performed Stand-Up Comics as part of the Camden Fringe Festival. (The original blog announcement is here)

I've never spoken about how the show went on the blog before partly because I wanted to separate LGC from it and migrate people over to the Sigil Club website and partly because I didn't know how to properly express my feelings with regards to our run. For anyone who doesn't know, just prior to us performing I was feeling very confident with the performances, the numbers and how I thought we would be perceived; so much so that I started initial plans to restage the show. Our first night sold out (or close enough, it's actually hard to tell with the ticket system the theatre employed) and we received some cool feedback and very kind reviews. Unfortunately later that night the rioters came to Camden, which after much deliberation upon the theatre's part, resulted in our show being cancelled at the last minute. Obviously far more terrible things occurred over those few days than some plays being cancelled and that's why I've never really felt right to vent, but as down as I got I also took a few positives from the experience that I'm hoping help me to grow and enjoy things more.

That one night did truly mean a lot to me, even if it was amongst such a blur of events that I didn't enjoy it at the time, and because of people's support we are able to restage the show. We're going to be performing at the Etcetera Theatre in Camden between the 22nd and 27th of November. The information and a link for tickets is at our fancy listing here. It's a slightly smaller venue, but I like those kind of venues, I want to see how the show differs and most importantly, it is a very well run theatre.

I do still want to encourage people to keep up to date with my theatre work at the Sigil Club website but thought I'd mention it here at LGC as well because:

I'm a publicity whore --- I like to talk about myself as much as possible.
I felt the need to explain why content is low or late or somehow even less funny than normal.
I'm going to be talking about the play a lot again in various social media forms and this is a warning.
I came across some answers to an interview I did for Stand-Up Comics over the summer that didn't end up get published and I wanted to share them with people but the Sigil Club didn't seem like the place to do it.
These questions and answers seem kind of personal now. Well, one is and that's the one that prompted me to write the blog. The other is just a new way of me describing the show and writing and, as I said, I love talking about myself.

How do you write your show?
As for writing a sitcom, it’s a lot like comic book continuity or thermodynamics, everyone wants to attain a status quo and comedy comes from disrupting that. Liam always wants to help people and get ideas, Kris always wants to feel superior in his little space and on a good day they’ll want to redecorate the store only using post-it notes. But in the play we have about five things happen to get in their way and we watch them react and try to regain control.

What would you want your audience to take from the show?
We shouldn't worry about the restrictions anyone else puts on us. A show doesn't need to stay within a traditional format. A person can do whatever they imagine, one day we can all wear capes and fly.

Comic of the Month - Atomic Robo

2011-10-01T18:21:00.007+01:00

Every month LGC will be highlighting a comic you should buy or be buying.

The book of the month for October is Atomic Robo; created by writer Brian Clevinger, and artist Scott Wegener

The books I like to highlight on LGC are those that have an appeal outside of people who usually buy comics but take full advantage of the medium. Atomic Robo is one of those books; with its robot possessing "automatic intelligence", lightning guns, vampire dimensions and walking pyramids, Atomic Robo could only exist in comics. But the lively, humorous tone of the comic and its willingness to quickly push forward and throw exciting ideas at the wall will be a treat for anyone who likes a good adventure story or laughing. You know, that small amount of people in the world who enjoy fun?

Atomic Robo is a treat in the world of independent comics.
On their website, Team Robo guarantees:

No Angst
No "cheesecake"
No reboots
No filler
No delays (that we have any control over, i.e. Diamond will be Diamond)

Instead they deliver the 80+ years of history of a robot invented by Tesla who leads a team of Action Scientists responding to paranormal, supernatural and scientific emergencies around the world. This means there's a lot of variation in the stories we get from Atomic Robo including Covert World War II missions, 30s pulp crime and Atomic Robo saving a team of astronauts. There's a particularly inventive storyline in which Robo, at four points in his life, fights a Lovecraftian monster (who used to be Lovecraft himself) that exists simultaneously across time.

If that doesn't sell you, other villains Robo goes up against include the ghost of Edison, a Nazi scientist and Dr. Dinosaur who, according to Dr. Dinosaur can apparently "travel in both time and relative dimensions in space!" Wait isn't that a Doctor Who Reference?

Oh. Okay. (This issue can be read for free here)

But there's also a real heart to Atomic Robo, the characters' relationships feel genuine and fleshed out and the pathos of Atomic Robo living beyond all his friends is touched on succinctly and never in a hokey way. And whilst all the craziness is going on Atomic Robo never fails to make science, real science seem exciting.

Atomic Robo can be found in all good comic stores and there are currently five collected volumes of stories. If you enjoy reading comics on a computer or digital device go HERE. Single issues are only 99cents or 69p and the collections work out CHEAPER than that. Hell, some issues are free; you can read those here. This is how I got into Atomic Robo, tempted by the cheap price and then hooked for life.

Project 52: Captain Atom #1

2011-09-22T22:27:00.000+01:00

Captain Atom received nuclear based powers in an accident of some description which isn't elaborated on because it's not necessary, he's also probably a Captain. He can shoot energy beams, absorb energy, is super strong and can fly and he uses these abilities for old fashioned super heroics, fighting dangerous people piloting robotic atrocities and saving people from natural disasters all because he's a good man. Dedicated to helping Captain Atom in a different way are the scientists at Continuum exploring his powers, including the workaholic, jovial Ranita Carter and the to-the-point, unsocial Dr. Megala.

In the opening action scene Captain Atom realises he can manipulate molecules other than his own, transforming metal into dust; but at the same time his hand begins to disintegrate as he loses control of his body. It's a fun little metaphor for him losing his humanity as his powers become more god-like. Of course Captain Atom doesn't see it as fun, as using his powers could kill him, so when he flies off to absorb the energy of a nuclear reactor meltdown and stop a volcanic eruption in New York you feel a genuine threat to his existence.

It's the small touches in this comic that I particularly enjoy; we never learn Captain Atom's real name thus distancing and dehumanising him, and he is never inked, but coloured straight onto pencils which gives a nice effect and makes the bright blue Captain Atom stand out from the rest of the art.

Conversely the things that detract from the comic are also small things. Most new scenes also have a clock counting up from a point in time (possibly the accident that gave Atom his powers) but towards the end of the book the clock goes back in time rather than forward. And whilst the dialogue and narration flits between peppy and introspective sometimes J.T. Krull comes out with a rather odd phrase. Freddie Williams II inks over his pencils but they are sometimes a bit heavy for my liking and more often than not ordinary people can end up looking quite creepy.

Whilst issue one balances out to be quite average there are a lot of nice things to be found in Captain Atom and if a few of the kinks are worked out it could be a very decent book in the future.

FINAL GRADE: C+

Project 52: Wonder Woman #1

2011-09-22T18:57:00.000+01:00

Before yesterday I don't think I've read a Wonder Woman comic. I've obviously been exposed to Diana through various crossovers, the Justice League cartoon and my girlfriends pyjamas. I think I have a pretty decent idea of the concepts, the origin and some of the stuff fans are sensitive about but Wonder Woman, like a lot of the DC titles with long histories, always felt like it might be hard to get into. I know Wonder Woman exists in the same way that I know the pope exists but have never felt the need to read a comic book about him.

Armed with only a vague idea of the character and some background reading on the relaunch, which consisted of people arguing about what will cover Wonder Woman's lower half and writer Brian Azzarello saying this will be more of a horror book, I really wasn't sure what to expect. What Azzarello and artist Cliff Chiang present to us is a book with the Greek Gods at the centre. It is a world where the debauchery and murderous nature of the Gods is still around in the modern day and Wonder Woman is placed in the middle of it all, defending humanity from the horrors they face from the Gods' meddlings. It's an interesting take on the character and bringing the mythological side of the character to the forefront is something I personally enjoyed.

The book opens with one such God (I think it's Apollo as there's a 'sun' pun and he changes appearance upon sun rise but it's a different depiction of Apollo than I've seen before and it is never made explicit) who leads three mortal women to a penthouse before turning them into his fates and sacrificing them by the end of the book. From there we segue to another God in a hooded peacock cloak (thus suggesting it's Hera) who promptly hacks off two horses heads in order to birth centaurs. It's an entirely silent scene carried by Chiang's artwork who balances the feminine grace of Hera with the grotesque creature creation. These centaurs are sent to kill a young lady named Zola all because she's been impregnated by Zeus. With Hermes (actually named) failing to protect her, he sends her via magic key to a slumbering Wonder Woman. Because Zola is both frightened and headstrong she uses the key to transport both her and Wonder Woman to Hermes and the heavily armed centaurs. Wonder Woman is a little more suited to fighting and she takes down the centaurs whilst the captions relay Apollo's conversation with his Fates and this leads to the final revelations of the issue in both strands of the plot.

Coupled with earthy, vibrant colours from Mathew Wilson, Cliff Chiang's art is a wonderful thing to behold; his storytelling is fluid and exciting and his facial expressions tell us everything we need to know. Even though there's no dialogue in the fight scene, we see all the emotions and reactions Diana and Zola go through whilst throwing in some cool fight moves. Coupled with Azzarello's dialogue the comic is able to simultaneously show and tell and better connect us to the characters.

It's hard to say what a new reader might want or expect from the comic but I feel like we didn't learn too much about Diana, about her motivations or origins; all I really felt I learned was that she likes to sleep naked and head-butt horse-people. And perhaps the parts with the Gods could have used a bit more clarity, some names might help the uninitiated. However I think the things left unsaid make the comic more intriguing rather than vague or confusing.

FINAL GRADE: B

Project 52: DC Universe Presents: Deadman #1

2011-09-22T12:33:00.000+01:00

There's a man named Boston Brand who was a trapeze artist. A trapeze artist called Boston Brand who went by the name Deadman. Boston Brand who went by the name Deadman was not a very nice Deadman when he was alive and then Deadman died. If you want to read a comic about a dead man called Boston Brand but who was known as Deadman, there is a comic book called Deadman about Boston Brand. When Deadman dies he is not dead. "Not dead?" you ask, no not dead. But if he is not dead what is he? He is in-between. "In-between? In-between what?" might be the question you reciprocate with in relation to my revelation about Boston Brand. "In between a life poorly lived and the agony of death is where Deadman currently lies", is how I would answer you. If the current stilted and annoying exposition is bothering you, I would suggest not picking up Deadman #1 the comic about Bost---you get the idea.

The most frustrating thing is that there are quite a few positives that are completely overshadowed by the negatives. After having the same things repeated to us over a montage of static images lacking any flow or storytelling, we then get a bit more into the new Deadman status quo. Deadman's reasoning and drive for possessing individuals and solving their problems is no longer to figure out who murdered him but to atone for his life as a bit of a dick. It adds elements of reincarnation and karma to the mix, definitely allowing for more emotive storytelling but it's all squandered because we don't see Deadman living any of these lives; we're just told that he has. The comic actually lets us know that we could be reading a story about a Chinese-American Spy, a covert operative or a genius scientist but instead get to listen to how each of their lives are rubbish and that Deadman feels he's failed them. It's not at all engaging and so dour that the big emotional cliffhanger doesn't land.

The art from Bernard Chang is a bit of a mixed bag too; his gaunt figures and clean pencils lend themselves well to the tone of the book with Deadman himself looking particularly good. However his figures are sometimes too oddly contorted with weird facial expressions and in moments where a visually interesting image could lift an information dump, there are instead just a lot of people standing around with a glowing red outline.

I've been keeping up with Tim's reviews for the other weeks of the new 52 and he's had a couple of complaints of books "telling" and not "showing" and this seems to be another disappointing example of that trend. Deadman introduces some interesting concepts but doesn't feel the need to explore them beyond concepts or indeed make any other part of the book interesting. It feels like a waste of potential of something that could have been one of the more fun titles of the DC relaunch.

FINAL GRADE, THE SCORE I'M SUGGESTING THIS BOOK DESERVES, A RATING FOR THE BOOK DEADMAN #1: D+

Project 52: Batman #1

2011-09-22T00:49:00.000+01:00

I love a good writing device. Particularly in a single issue comic it allows an easy structure to present itself, juxtapose images and explore different world views without it feeling forced. Scott Snyder's decision to base the narrative of Batman around completing the sentence of "Gotham is..." using three words or less introduces us to the world inhabited by Batman and also brings Gotham to the forefront as a character in its own right.

Gotham is a city so tainted that it corrupts and destroys everything and everyone within it; even one of Gotham's better police officers can be worn down by the vices the city perpetuates. So in a city this bad, the good men, like Bruce Wayne and Jim Gordon are extraordinary.

Batman #1 plays with all the toys that make Batman great; detective work, big ideas in the form of Wayne tech and badass fighting. It opens with Batman against a breakout at Arkham; villains old and new are deftly handled by the caped crusader in a frenetic yet clear fight scene. If you recognise all the villains, you understand the stakes whilst new readers get a fun introduction.

Capullo's Batman in the opening is all gritted teeth and cloaked in shadow framed by a jagged Gotham, covered in grafitti and detailed decay before we see his Batcave, something expansive and reassuring. The iconic trophies are all there alongside Batmobiles of the ages alongside a brooding Bruce Wayne. Out of the mask Bruce heads to a party with Dick, Damien and Drake; and we see the other side of Capullo's Gotham, a bright warm area for the rich, lacking in detail, ignoring the harshness outside. Instead we focus on the facial expressions and postures of Gotham's elite, Damien's sneers, easy going Dick Grayson's slouches and playboy Bruce Wayne charming a room. Capullo's cartoony style makes these moments even more charming.

I really like Snyder pushing Bruce Wayne as a force of positivity as a philanthropist and not only a crimefighter; Bruce has realised he needs to fix Gotham itself and that he can't rely on Batman, Gordon and his Robins who have thus far survived being tarnished by Gotham. But the cliffhanger suggests at least one of them might not have escaped the city's clutches.

Batman #1 is a really fun, well crafted comic and as an introduction it's fantastic. If the run lives up to the promise shown here we could be in for a real treat because it really is everything I want out of a Batman comic.

FINAL GRADE: A

Which of These isn't in My Backpack #3

2011-09-20T12:30:00.027+01:00

My backpack is a remarkable object; not only does it exist in a fluctuating state that allows it to mould itself around objects, absorbing and trapping them within; it also burrows into a metabolising creature, forming a symbiotic relationship providing whatever is necessary for the survival of both creature (in this case we shall name the creature Michael, though that might make him start to believe he's human and deserves rights) and backpack.

Thus when I emptied my backpack to create space for my travellings to Spain and Portugal, it replenished itself with new holiday themed items. Though these items have since disappeared from the backpack to have the squishy ether filled by items both old and new, I have fond memories of my vacation substances resting upon my shoulders. And that is the theme of this instalment of my fancy new GAME SHOW. I say GAME SHOW because it involves playing a game wherein I list four objects, three of which were in my backpack and one which wasn't and my lovely audience have the pleasure of guessing which item is the odd one out. And I use the word "show" because "Series of GAME-like blog posts" makes me sound like a crazy person, which I am certainly not, the electric shock therapy sorted that out and attracts all the balloons I could want.

The connection between host and container spore is so strong that the backpack lead me to the most marvellous of places in an attempt to strengthen my love for it. It did it in the guise of a shop. A shop with a handy name.

Which of These was not in my Backpack?

Or "What's in my bag?" to make the photo work better

Three partially filled notebooks with two pens to share between them.
Eight comic books.
Lord of the Rings Top Trumps inc. one pack of Fellowship, one pack of Two Towers, one pack of ROTK and 10 Super Top Trumps (a Balrog and nine from the trilogy box set)
Two mugs - in the guise of the faces of Elmo and the Cookie Monster from Sesame Street

As with last time I will release the answer to this thrilling question depending on responses. If you want to play then leave a guess in the comments, hopefully everyone who played before plays again and that we rope more people into this ridiculous process. No one wins a holiday apart from the backpack. I may send a signed photo.

EDITED TO ADD RESULT

The items which weren't in my backpack during my holiday were the Top Trumps. I do own those Top Trumps but for some reason didn't take them with me, when I was trying to figure out what my faked answer would be I got really upset that I didn't take my Top Trumps on holiday with me so that I could embarrass Jackie.
I took the notepads to write on, I'm working on about five different things at once hence the need for three different books (I write from both front and back). The comics were ones I hadn't read just before going on holiday and to take up travel time and the mugs were a souvenir from Portaventura and are badass. I'll hopefully put a picture up soon.
Nobody got this one right, which means either you're all getting worse at this, I'm getting better or everyone thinks I'd rather be playing a child's card game than looking at famous landmarks.

Comic of the Month - September

2011-09-01T10:58:00.000+01:00

Every month LGC will be highlighting a comic you should buy or be buying.

It's usually a way of me pointing out unique or interesting comics to those with a passing interest in the medium. There can be wonderful things in comics that people never see and there are very few opportunities to indoctrinate new readers. This is why my recommendation for September is a bit different.

This month amongst a lot of other terrific comics (some débuts, some continuing series, some CASANOVA) DC comics are relaunching their main line with 52 new comics, perfect for new readers to embrace. Here's their list of books. That is the opportunity for fifty-two wonderful new comics, fifty-two chances to find something you'll really enjoy, to find a concept or character that you'll latch on to. The books, whilst primarily superhero based, cover a variety of genres; there are Horror books, Action books, Sci-Fi books, Westerns and, yeah, Superman.

I implore you to go into a comic store or order from online from stores like Forbidden Planet here and find something you think you might like because it may allow you to find things that you'll love.

Which of These isn't in My Backpack? #2

2011-08-22T13:12:00.001+01:00

My backpack is a remarkable object; contained within is a perilous space that many adventure into but few return from. Remnants of the past sometimes crawl from its depths, escaping the torrid mess they were once lost to. Long forgotten treasures appear to the worthy when needed most, often they are objects I do not remember transferring from the withered remains of The Olde Backpack into the new shell controlling the vortex. It's sort of like the Sorting Hat from Harry Potter except everyone ends up in Hufflepuff.

Instead of going through my backpack and clearing out all of the useless (nothing is really useless though, they are all ever so essential, you never know when I might need a fire safety instructions sign) objects I decided to start a fancy new GAME SHOW. I say GAME SHOW because it involves playing a game wherein I list four objects, three of which are in my backpack and one which isn't and my lovely audience have the pleasure of guessing which item is the odd one out. And I use the word "show" because "Series of GAME-like blog posts" makes me sound like a crazy person, which I am certainly not, my mum says so.

Which of These is not in my Backpack?

Large front pocket edition

Leaflet for 2009 Summer Season at Shakespeare's Globe.
An Allen Key.
World United Martial Arts Federation Licence and Grading Record expiring in 2006.
10g Pritt Stick

As with last time I will release the answer to this thrilling question depending on responses. If you want to play then leave a guess in the comments, hopefully everyone who played before plays again and that we rope more people into this ridiculous process.

EDITED TO ADD RESULT

Unsurprisingly the answer is the leaflet for the 2009 Summer Season at Shakespeare's Globe; the first time I went to the globe was actually this year although the idea of my wistfully looking at a season of Shakespeare I missed out on isn't too much of a stretch. I have no idea where I got the Allen key from. The pritt stick I keep at hand in case I need to glue things to other things. Possibly why most of my play props are crafts. And the Martial Arts licence is from when I briefly joined a Kick boxing club to get back in shape before Uni. Previously I was a black belt in Soto Budo Shin Gi Tai Karate but my club closed up and now I am a travelling warrior (who can barely raise his leg).
Kris got this one right. He is wise like a monkey. But will he peel all the bananas next time?

Behind the Mask

2011-08-03T16:16:00.001+01:00

Growing up wasn't easy for me, but then in hindsight I've learnt that it's not exactly easy for anyone, we all struggle at some point. The way I coped though, was that, at a young age, I had people to look up to. Mine were non-corporeal stalwarts of truth and honest that helped me to believe that everything would be okay. I loved Spider-man and owe a lot to Spider-man, he inspired me to be better and to be good. I could believe that if someone like Spidey could grow out of his shadow and survive the struggle I could too. Because under those full body tights, behind that mask, I could be Spider-man; we could all be Spider-man. The weak, the picked on, the science nerds, the comic geeks, we could all imagine we were under that mask living our dreams and soaring above all the people trying to wrong us. Anyone---wait---WAIT---Marvel are making Spider-man what? Are you F***ing kidding me? Spider-man is white, he's always been white, he has to be white. Screw you Marvel with this nonsense.

This is basically how the self-entitled idiots have been responding the past couple of days. Forgetting why a lot of us read this stuff in the first place, forgetting what we've stood for and what a lot of us should have learnt.
I will never understand what it's like to be prejudged and discriminated against based on the colour of my skin, to come from a culture where atrocities had been committed to my ancestors or to look at the media surrounding me and wonder why none of those heroes look like I do. But I know it's wrong. I don't want anyone to feel like they don't matter, that they're not important and this helps us build towards that. We still have Peter Parker to look up to and identify with and now others will have Miles Morales and every single one of us can have Spider-Man.

Comic of the Month - Batwoman

2011-08-01T20:41:00.002+01:00

Every month LGC will be highlighting a comic you should buy or be buying.

The book of the month for August is Batwoman: Elegy the collection of a story serialised in Detective Comics #854-860 by Greg Rucka and J. H. Williams III with colours by the brilliant Dave Stewart.

I am very aware of the fact that I'm writing this month's entry in a rush because of Sigil Club play stuff which means I run the risk of misrepresenting how great Batwoman is, not clarifying how great Batwoman is or not critiquing and breaking the book down as best as possible. However I have such a great opinion of this collection I don't think I could possibly write a small review which does it it justice, under any circumstances.

In which case I will touch on some points others will have written about in much better clarity and detail.

J.H. Williams' artwork in Batwoman is probably the most glorious use of the comics medium I've ever seen. His layouts are unlike anything else, taking full advantage of the medium without losing any impact in story telling or action and remaining gorgeous and detailed. Just take a look at his flickr page for Batwoman which includes some examples or image search for others. Most impressively is how the art completely changes style and aesthetic depending on whether it's a Batwoman scene or a Kate Kane scene with the styles being equally amazing, only different.

Rucka's talent and experience with writing military and espionage settings means his dialogue and characters are so authentic and immersive you are willing to believe in the world where people dress as bats and fight monsters.

Having characters, whose gimmicks are literary based, speak in out-of-context quotes from the books is always a fun thing to see.

The work on done Batwoman, especially in this collection, since her debut five years ago, is some of the best work introducing a new character and propelling said character to the forefront within the major comics publisher. Kate Kane is fleshed out, she is interesting and although she has a legacy name is a completely individual character not reliant on the Batman mythos but inspired by it.

Batwoman is one of the most positively portrayed female characters in mainstream comics. Batwoman is one of the most positively portrayed homosexual characters in mainstream comics. Batwoman's diversity (female, Jewish, homosexual, and GASP redhead) makes her stand out and is never tacky or seemingly contrived. One issue which shows us Kate's history and the reason she left the army is rather poignant and very well handled.

Were some or even all of these points not prevalent in Batwoman: Elegy the comic would still be exciting, gripping and fun which is why I feel confident enough that a series of brief points is enough to convince people that it is a book worth reading.

Astonishingly Late

2011-07-11T12:37:00.002+01:00

I've always loved the cover to Astonishing X-men #6.

Stolen from Grand Comics Database

Astonishing X-men was the book that got me into comic stores and so issue #6 was the first comic book cover I ever fell in love with. The resurrection of Colossus was a big deal to me and I was emotionally invested in Whedon reuniting him with Kitty. It's a great cover image, in concisely displays the two powers and and relationship of the couple. Colossus is metallic and being strong for Kitty, they want to be so close to one another that she is phasing into him so that at parts they are one. It's nice.

I've been going through old comics to pick things out for props for Stand-Up Comics (Buy tickets now) and ended up bagging and boarding my run of Astonishing. Seeing the run together for the first time in ages I noted at how much I like the logo (collection here) in both look and how they were willing to constantly change the colour scheme. And that's when I notice the logo on issue #6 and fall in love again.

The logo has a silver metallic border with a transparent middle; it is a visual depiction of the combination of Collosus' and Shadowcat's powers.

Maybe I've noticed this before and forgot, maybe I was too new to the game and didn't realise and maybe it's not the most amazing thing in the world but last night I found another way to love a comic I thought I loved enough. And that excites me.

Comic of the Month - The Sixth Gun

2011-07-01T18:46:00.001+01:00

Every month LGC will be highlighting a comic you should buy or be buying.

The book of the month for July is The Sixth Gun; written by Cullen Bunn, drawn by Brian Hurtt and coloured by Tyler Crook.
During the darkest days of the Civil War, wicked cutthroats came into possession of six pistols of otherworldly power. In time, the Sixth Gun, the most dangerous of the weapons, vanished. When the gun surfaces in the hands of an innocent girl, dark forces reawaken. Vile men thought long dead set their sights on retrieving the gun and killing the girl. Only Drake Sinclair, a gunfighter with a shadowy past, stands in their way.

Supernatural Western
If you like Westerns- tough men and women, crooks and con men out to lie and steal, a country struggling to redefine itself, sprawling landscapes and the crafting of modern mythology-then you'll enjoy The Sixth Gun.
If you like the supernatural- monsters, curses, watching people make deals you know will haunt them and traditional mythology- then you will enjoy The Sixth Gun.

The Sixth Gun is the most excited I've been about a comic for a very long time. I say that without any hesitance; only a few pages in and the mix of intriguing characters searching for guns with mystical properties, cutting dialogue and art that's a wonderful mix of cartoony and detailed, sucked me in and made me cherish the book.

The ability of writer and artist to draw from a large pool of elements and tradition and create something that feels fresh, fun and exciting should be applauded. They seamlessly weave bits of other mythology (Zombies, Thunderbirds, Mummies) into their own, making the book a very rich experience. It's such a rewarding read, there's a real sense of adventure and mystery to the book. I tore through it and then read it again.

The Sixth Gun is one of the best written comics currently being published, not just because of its intriguing and fun premise but because of interesting and multi dimensional characters. The story has a male and female protagonist, both capable and interesting on their own but brought together by the events of the book. There's much depth and a rich history to the world they inhabit, with supernatural spins on history and teases about previous incarnations of the guns as weapons. The world seems lived in, the supporting characters who appear, no matter how briefly, feel like they have lived in that world and aren't just there for story purposes.

Brian Hurtt's artwork is astounding. I spend so long staring at the individual panels like they're a luxurious landscape shot in a western. Every look, every movement of the characters can be someone hiding something, lying, foreshadowing and the art pulls one in to try and suss them out. The creepy bits are definitely creepy, the action is well choreographed and dynamic and the lettering really comes into it's own in the action scenes making full use of why comic sound effects can be great.

The character design is wonderful, whether it be the unique and yet recognisable Old West looks of the main characters or the brilliantly styled 4 Horsemen. My favourite being the sideburns which frame the face of the analogue of Death horseman making his face look like a skull (I attempted a similar thing in The Quest for Beauty but it looks much better here).

There can be both levity in the fun parts of the book, but the art can also have much weight to it. You really feel the burden when characters take the cursed guns, it's not taken lightly and I think we'll see more of the ramifications of those actions.

From issue six Tyler Crook came on to colour the book after Hurtt realised he only had to be an art battalion rather than an entire army. The addition of Crook has brought even more depth to the art especially evident in the second arc, in the dark atmosphere of the Louisiana swamps.

So far two paperbacks of collected comics have been printed, the first dealing mainly with the guns themselves and an immortal Civil War General trying to get his gun back from our heroes. The second book is also very good but tonally different, less epic than the first but creepier and moves the characters in an interesting way. The third story arc is currently coming out as single comics with issue #12 being released in the last week of June. I can't recommend reading it enough, I highly, highly suggest buying the first collected story.

Which of These isn't in My Backpack? #1

2011-06-27T13:27:00.001+01:00

My backpack is a remarkable object; it contains within it many hidden treasures and more often than not my lunch. Even though the physical exterior of my backpack changes over time when its old shell becomes decrepit and requires replacing, its inner contents remains the same. In that way my backpack is a lot like a Time Lord.

So instead of going through my backpack and clearing out all of the useless (nothing is really useless though, they are all ever so essential, you never know when I might need a fire safety instructions sign) objects I've decided to start a fancy new GAME SHOW. I say GAME SHOW because it involves playing a game wherein I list four objects, three of which are in my backpack and one which isn't and my lovely audience have the pleasure of guessing which item is the odd one out. And I use the word "show" because "Series of GAME-like blog posts" makes me sound like a crazy person, which I am certainly not, I have a certificate and everything to prove it now.

Which of These is not in my Backpack?

University of Reading, Chemistry Department promotional Periodic Table circa 2004
University of Reading, Chemistry Department promotional Periodic Table circa 2003
A scientific calculator with protective case and a sticker on it saying "Mick Daddy"
A plastic magnifying glass handle and frame but containing no glass.

I have no idea when I will release the answer to this thrilling question. I guess it all depends on your responses, so get commenting!

EDITED TO ADD RESULT

The answer is of course the calculator. I let Jackie borrow my calculator a couple of years ago and she still hasn't given it back to me. Katie and Rob got this one correct, but what will happen in ROUND 2?

Labels

2011-06-22T12:16:00.005+01:00

I'm taking a brief break from silly Friday humour posts and promoting a play to...promote a short film I wrote. Alright so it's not exactly a drastic change in material but it will be accompanied by the kind of commentary that I feel justifies it.

The video has been produced by Orpheos Productions as part of their Machine of Death monologues project. It was directed by John Babb, edited by Henry Hamilton and stars Louise Lingwood (other important credits at the video link). I mentioned that the project was rearing it's head back in March in this blog post. As the other monologues started to be released my pride in Grace Knight, series producer and awesome friend, has only grown but with it swelled my apprehension regarding how my monologue would turn out.

Anyway, here it is.

Episode 6 - Labels from Orpheos on Vimeo.

It's pretty hard Sci-Fi, it's the story of someone told they're going to die of a disease which hasn't been discovered yet and her treatment afterwards by those trying to find out more about the disease and those who have labelled her as different.
It grew from the little, cynical thought that in a world where we all know how we're going to die, the machine just gives us another way to group one another, to label ourselves (those are the heart attacks, the victims of war) but then there's this group who have a disease that doesn't even exist which makes them outsiders.
In trying to figure out how to write a ten minute monologue (as was the brief...I think I went over) I looked to other places for inspiration and found that Valerie Page's letter in V for Vendetta does a fantastic job of telling story and revealing character. Hence why the disease is "Moore's Disease". That's possibly where the treatment centres, experiments et all comes from, I can't remember what came first.
It's not the most subtle of scripts, it essentially has mass murder and its message of not labelling people or treating anyone differently is quite heavy handed. But I think I manage to ground it with a pretty human character and have the past situation escalate naturally out of human issues and naivety rather than blank hatred.
As for the filmed version of my script, John was really awesome at keeping me in the loop before they recorded it, showing me the edited version of the script and listening to my feedback. They barely cut anything out of my script, even though it was running a bit long, the only thing I miss is a Mario and Sonic joke but that's not really important in the grand scheme of things.
Building up to the video airing I was very nervous about how it would turn out, I'm so used to directing and producing my material that to jump from script to finished product was quite jarring. After viewing it I was relieved, I think John, Louise and everyone else made a nice little movie. I think Louise hit some of the beats (especially the most important ones) well and I love John's idea to end on her writing "normal" down in her little medical book. That was a stroke of genius.

I don't think I have it in me to be overly critical of something made by friends (and partly mine) but I'll point out a couple of little niggles. It is delivered too slowly. There is a natural tempo to the way I write things, certain characters in particular, which is pretty evident if you've ever seen anything I've done before. One may disagree with what I do, suggest that things need to be slowed down to be dramatic but in certain cases doing so has a weird effect, as the tempo juxtaposes the intended rhythm of the sentence. It means there are moments in the film where jokes fall flat and the list of medical tests carried out goes on for far longer than intended-- it's heavily emphasised rather than a list easily reeled off by someone who had been through things so often.
Kris suggested to me that there was an emotional disconnect caused by the way it's shot. Upon a subsequent viewing I can see that; there's often negative space and sometimes then camera is pointing up at the actress. I once read (with regards to theatre) that comedy works best when people are above the performer looking down on them and drama/art/politics works best looking up at someone because they are above you and you are listening to them dictating something to you. I haven't investigated a similar affect in films (though I can think of examples where the traditional hero shot is shot from below looking up at our triumphant protagonist) and thus this shooting style potentially turns someone relaying a personal story into something didactic. It prevents a personal connection being made that could be achieved with a level shot or a more personal setting. I'm not saying this is wrong, this could have been an intended affect or just something I've forced onto the film by over-analysing something my friend said. We can all agree that is something I am prone to doing.
I would also suggest that there are other ways of making a monologue appear dynamic and adding momentum than flitting it with silent moments of activity. It's worth noting that I like the idea of the character habitually testing herself even after everything that happened, I think that was a neat addition by the team.
The music was nice too, it played up the drama when it needed to without being overbearing
Overall I think the decisions made play up the dystopian angle of the piece rather than the more intimate, relaxed area dealing with differences versus similarities and having the character be someone we relate to rather than hear from. It's a legitimate route to take and is probably the result of me not getting the script perfect. Not that the actress isn't engaging, the 'Sophie Phillips' story in particular felt very true and handled well by everyone.

I am exceedingly grateful for the opportunity Grace and Oprheos gave me and am really proud to be a part of this project (I sent Grace over 100 possible jovial Manner of Death readings to be given out to visitors of the site and seeing people tweet or comment about my silly jokes is the best feeling in the world) and I think those involved in Labels have made a cool little film. It's just impossible for me to not think about what I would have made with Kris Wood and one of the fine actresses I've worked with (in my head it's Meriel Rosenkranz).

Apart from the monologue I wrote, there are seven others collected here and they are worth watching. Some of the one's I particularly like are Episodes 3, 5 and 7 (funnily enough all directed by the same person).

Friendly Friday #3

2011-06-17T12:30:00.015+01:00

Making friends is great, right? Having friends is better than waking up and finding £20 in your pocket.

But sometimes making friends can be more difficult than dealing with the memories of what you did the night before to get that £20. None of us are so socially inept that we cannot craft a new companion, one merely shows said approached individual how painting letters on one's fingernails allows one to spell a variety of words depending on which fingers you display. But identifying the correct human stranger to metamorphose into a friendly cockroach can be an arduous task.

To aid the world in match making I will formulate questions which, when asked, will provide great insight into a person's character. I will also provide my response to the possible answers so that one may learn if we could become peeries.

Question The Three: Which of the September DC reboots are you most anticipating?

Answer: I have no idea what you are talking about.
Response: For clarity, have a look here, now let me tell you about DC comics, you're going to love it...

Answer: Justice League

Response: Your animosity towards a solo character instead choosing the mainstream team book suggests a lack of individuality preferring a mixture of diluted identities rather than a strong correlation with one viewpoint. I worry that an attempt to absorb my personality into your patchwork sense of being could leave us both feeling empty and alone.

Answer: Justice League International

Response: Your choice of what is most likely to be the solely humour driven book is endearing and we could probably write limericks together.

Answer: Aquaman

Response: I query your decision making abilities and may request that you be kept away from sharp objects or anything you could hurt yourself with. Or you really like fish, which is much worse.

Answer: Wonder Woman

Response: You appear to have the traits of a masochist, not because you enjoy watching a woman tie people up with a lasso but because you've lead yourself to believe someone might write a good Wonder Woman comic for once and that's only going to lead to you getting hurt.

Answer: Flash

Response: A reliance on fast moving action in your life, slitting from subject to subject rather than a need to develop an interesting personality or developing your own character will leave you feeling incomplete even if you do have a rad tattoo of Kermit the frog on your neck.

Answer: Captain Atom

Response: You seem to be projecting your feelings towards Dr Manhattan to Captain Atom and are trying to recapture how Watchmen made you feel. This inability to let go of the past that could result in me having to comfort you over break-ups, lost dogs or holes in your socks and I do not think I require such a one sided relationship.

Answer: The Fury of Firestorm

Response: Indulging in periodicals pertaining to split personalities is no doubt due to your own fractured psyche, however I am accepting of all people, especially those embracing their quirks. Plus, in a way, I get to make two friends out of you.

Answer: Green Arrow

Response: I feel like your liberal belief system and love of hoods could allow us to go on some pretty sweet (and stylish) protests together.

Answer: The Savage Hawkman

Response: Your dedication to a title that is constantly rebooted and messed with to point of utter nonsense makes me believe you could be someone I could rely on at all times. Would you like to see my shoelaces?

Answer: Mister Terrific

Response: This choice appears to be one made on gut instinct upon reading the solicit instead of leaning towards a better known character. There is a chance you may be a feral creature who may try and mate with my backpack but the adventures your open mind would lead us towards are worth that risk.

Answer: DC Universe Presents: Deadman

Response: I see a crafty fellow standing before me, one who can see beyond that which is directly in front of themselves and can play the long game. An understanding of economics, supply & demand and supernatural acrobats means you know that if enough people purchase this title a new solo Deadman book has a chance of rising up. Whilst this level of intelligence is impressive, it is also very intimidating and I will be cautious of you and your willingness to use me as a means to an end.

Answer: Action Comics

Response: This decision outs you as either a socialist or a practitioner of reality-warping magic. Perhaps you could tell me about how you would use your chaos powers to benefit mankind as whole over a nice cold drink of milk.

Answer: Superman

Response:Your reliance on convention when there is a much more ACTION packed comic staring Superman available will no doubt leave you lagging behind as the rest of humanity evolves into greater beings. Whilst we enter the next plane of reality, you may stay here because you're more used to it.

Answer: Superboy

Response: Well everyone has something they enjoy, I guess. But perhaps it would be a good idea for us to spend some quality time together so that I may share books, movies, ducks and all sorts of quality material with you so that you can begin to deduce the difference between something good and bad. Unless you decision is based solely on RB Silva art, in which case whilst we don't have similar decision making processes I can see that your fundamentals are sound and there is no need for an intervention.

Answer: Supergirl

Response: Either you've never met a teenage girl or your view of teenage girls is that they're moody and sassy...and from Krypton. I will leave you in your fantasy land to find someone who knows as much about teenage girls as I do.

Answer: Batman

Response: By identifying the comic with a mystery, action, adventure and sexy hairy Batman element you have identified the key to eternal happiness. Now let's talk into the wee hours of the morning, sharing our dreams of how Batman can rescue us.

Answer: Detective Comics

Response: Whilst I appreciate that The Bat causes emotions to stir deep within you I find your need to cling to the traditional and known disappointing. The Batman has come to rid us of crime, we need not be afraid any more. We can move past our old ways to new, nuanced writing. I urge you to step out into the light, embrace the future or be lost amongst the weak and those who watch X-Factor.

Answer: Batwing

Response: The suspension of disbelief you display by supporting the notion that one Batman can defend the entire continent of Africa could be indicative of deeper psychological issues and a waning grip on reality. I shudder to think what could happen to me if you came to one of my fondue parties.

Answer: Batman: The Dark Knight

Response: I do not think I could fully befriend someone who starts things but never finishes them. What if we were to enter a pie making contest, I'd end up with flour covered fruit and that's not a sexy euphemism.

Answer: Batman and Robin

Response: I have daddy issues too! Would you like to talk about them before or after you read the comic about the homicidal ninja teenager previously trained to murder his father who dresses up as Dracula.

Answer: Batgirl

Response: In your unrelenting thirst for plucky adventures you show a willingness to ignore the ostracised members of society. Karmic retribution will no doubt be coiling around you as I edge away and soon one of your ill thought-out schemes will result in you becoming wheelchair bound. But I'm certain some magic reboot will eventually cure you. Your spine anyway, your personality can never be saved.

Answer: Batwoman

Response: I wouldn't mind briefly hanging out and taking whatever you are so that I could see the world in the unique and abstract way that it's laid out to you, but it could never last in case our use spiralled out of control and we lost all order and structure in our lives.

Answer: Nightwing

Response: Newsflash hombre, Highschool is over and no matter how much you want to regress and cling onto the past that time in your life is never coming back. You need to sort out your present life or you'll soon find yourself at fifty years old working in Topman retelling the story of how you scored for the school hockey team and kissed Becky Clarridge to celebrate before promptly keeling over and dying with no one in your life to notice.

Answer: Catwoman

Response: I'm guessing that someone drawn towards Catwoman won't be drawn towards me. No matter how dangerous I act or how much leather I wear around my elbows I'll still never fill out a half-zipped down top. And I brushed my hair for you!

Answer: Birds of Prey

Response: The pick for those who think Noir can easily mesh with bright female comics. Or the naive as I call them. If you want I can sell you some magic beans, I'll tell you how they work over dinner, you pay tonight and I'll get it when we meet up next time.

Answer: Red Hood and the Outlaws

Response: I refuse to acknowledge that you exist. There is no individual on this planet who would willingly decide this was the DC comic they are most looking forward to. If someone has chosen this option we may as well all start looking for the Loch Nest Monster, Yetis and a good performance by Hayden Christensen

Answer: Green Lantern

Response: Not content with the world around you, you seek interesting facts, extraordinary conversation and search the world beautiful sights most will never get to experience. However your quest is blighted by your narrow viewpoint of what counts as interesting, extraordinary or beautiful and thus you remain in a world as limited as those who stay behind.

Answer: Green Lantern Corps

Response: Unlike a reader of Green Lantern you seek unmatched experiences without relating to a sociopathic, fascist racist. You actually crave these experiences, not just to say you've done them to show off to pretty members of the opposite sex or your well-off friends. We could explore deep facets of human learning together and make discoveries deep within or above the natural world.

Answer: Green Lantern: New Guardians

Response: I would recommend being tested for Asperger's due to your need to relate to and understand emotions in a simplistic and restrictive form.

Answer: Red Lanterns

Response: Come with me as we skip along this very pleasant road into this non-threatening looking building, wave to the nice receptionist and---NOW! Sorry but we've had to have you committed and put under observation in case the joy you receive from concentrated rage and puking blood begins to harm others.

Answer: Justice League: Dark

Response: I would love to be one of the odd and eclectic friends you seem to want to surround yourself with. Whilst we may not always agree on superficial things, the lovable band of misfits we bring together to laugh and joke with, will become a tight, loving family that we can probably not bare to ever be without.

Answer: Swamp Thing

Response: Others may shy away from you sat in the dark corner as you ponder intricate details of the space around us but I would be honoured to share time with you. Perhaps our discussions of the intellectual, the occult and finer points of craft could be held in a coven or castle? Failing that I could build us a pretty good fort out of shoe boxes.

Answer: Animal Man

Response: It's very nice that you have chosen a book that you can relate to as a family man however I have neither a wife, children or smart pair of shoes and so I do not think our interests would overlap. Unless raising kids is like raising pokemon and then I can totally tell you what herbs to feed them to increase their strength.

Answer: Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E.

Response: I like your T-shirt. What? You don't know where it's from--but-- You're wearing it ironically? I wish that your collection of uncommon, indie materials were born from love and pure enjoyment rather than a need to be hip and to lord it over everyone else. I implore you to search within yourself and find a deeper meaning and pleasure from things around you or your life with eventually give way to something as hollow as a creme-egg with all the goo sucked out (HOW DO YOU EAT YOURS)

Answer: I, Vampire

Response: If you're willing to admit that this is the comic you're most looking forward to then I worry about sharing any secrets with you through fear of them being broadcast with little thought of embarrassment or harassment.

Answer: Resurrection Man

Response: It warms my heart to see someone looking forward to something from their past that was abruptly taken from them. Were we to go skipping or take our turtles swimming I know that you would not forget me and though we may not see each other often there will always be times when we rejoin to paint wagons whilst catching up with the stories of our tangential lives.

Answer: Demon Knights

Response: Really? Really? Tell me everything about you, I'm already imagining the odd trinkets you collect and the wonderful jokes you've formed but I'm sure the true tales of your existence far exceed anything I could possibly imagine about you. Would you like to see me mime pulling myself along a rope or my robot dance, I could do so many things to entertain you if we become friends, bonding over a poetry reciting demon.

Answer: Stormwatch

Response: As someone open to change you could be a useful compatriot in a developing world moving at the pace it does. If we move and adapt together ignoring all the things others get hung up on we could surpass all that lies before us. But this would no doubt lead to our fall, as our unquestionable belief that all will work itself out will lead us to disappointment and leave us at the mercy of the devious. Whilst our pairing with similars is tempting we would not have someone more cynical to ground us.

Answer: Voodoo

Response: Somebody is a gambler. I would be careful with all those risks you carelessly take, this dangerous addiction could cause you to lose your house, your vintage army jacket and your foot all for the thrill of risk taking. Cautious debate won't seem so boring when you're being traded to a hairy Persian man for two cough drops and a park bench.

Answer: Grifter

Response: You certainly seem to like things EXTREME and whilst I do like to bop around and boogie myself from time to time, I'm not sure that we could keep our friendship ticking along smoothly. You would probably end up accidentally smashing my cup of tea.

Answer: Deathstroke

Response: I think it's rather rude of you to tease DC comics by suggesting that this would be anyone's preferential comic book title. They will get their hopes and think they've hit the jackity jackpot only for you to stop buying and mock them, taking pleasure in their misfortune. By only finding joy in Schadenfreude you will eventually ostracise everyone else until one day you wake up and wonder why no one wants to play Frisbee with you.

Answer: Suicide Squad

Response: Such revelry in crime without any layer of grace or depth will likely result in a catastrophic breakdown and spree of violence. So while you may not think organising paperclips by colour is exciting, at least I can do that from anywhere, not stuck behind bars.

Answer: O.M.A.C.

Response: You do not let prejudices stand in the way of something you think you will enjoy. You can look beyond past pains and embrace the now. Or you enjoy Mohawks. Either of these means we will get along swimmingly as long as I promise never to mention ex-girlfriends and you promise not to touch my hair.

Answer: Blackhawks

Response: Stop right there. Watch my psychic powers, I know exactly what you're about to talk about: Guns. Astounding, right? Probably not as much as you imagine because although I have never met you I have met your various doppelgangers, those who know the intricacies of warfare and insist on relaying that information to others at all times. One day you'll be talking over a film to criticise the gun usage displayed and someone will cause you to be closer to a weapon than you ever imagined.

Answer: Men of War

Response: We should play X-box games together, however you're probably so well versed in the shoot em ups that I'll get mad at you always beating me and I'll throw my control across the room, breaking it and leaving everyone feeling uncomfortable and everyone will blame me even though it's totally your fault because you're cheating and it's just not fair.

Answer: All-Star Western

Response: You would be the perfect companion to drink whiskey, spit and ride horses with. Except I'm not very good at those things so I don't mind if you do whilst I wear your hat and compliment your fancy boots.

Answer: Teen Titans

Response: If I'm ever going to a 90s retro rock night I know exactly who to invite along with me. Of course in any other environment, your deep routed fixation on said decade would probably be misplaced and counterproductive to any discussion or activity we were to partake in.

Answer: Static Shock

Response: I really enjoyed the Static cartoon but haven't gone back and read old comics, even though a lot of people tell me they're good. Your choice then makes me feel like I really am missing out on something wondrous and you are the person to show me these great and powerful things that will enrich my life.

Answer: Hawk and Dove

Response: Our conversations will no doubt primarily be political in nature, comparing the positive and negative aspects of all sides of an argument before deducing a preferable course of action or potential outcomes to scenarios mentioned. I feel I could help you with your conflicted soul, torn between war and peace. Or you like bad anatomy and pointy feet and I don't think I have the money to invest in that kind of surgery.

Answer: Blue Beetle

Response: I find your optimism in the face of past experience refreshing. Though Jaime has been mistreated in the past and this was packaged as an 'edgy' book you have kept faith in it. Were I to lose my lucky button or have a dog run away with my bride I am certain you would be able to get me back on my feet. Now tell me what you like about staplers.

Answer: Legion of Superheroes

Response:You always seem to be looking ahead, thinking of where your future lies. This drive to craft something vibrant for yourself would push me alongside you to find my dream and achieve my goals. I might need to buy new shoes first though.

Answer: Legion Lost

Response: By picking the last book you have displayed the ability to sum up all options and not leap into wild decisions. These are traits I would find useful were we to go into business together, perhaps in a ruler manufacturing company.

Friendly Friday #2

2011-06-10T12:00:00.004+01:00

Making friends is great, right? Sometimes I orchestrate ridiculous plans with outrageous consequences so that my friends have to come rescue me. But I can't be the only one who's been stuck up a mountain with a dolphin and pack of sporks with no friends free to help me out. This all could have been solved without the involvement of animal services or ASDA if I had more friends in my friend contacting device (I call mine an 'address book').

Only sometimes making friends can be harder than finding a reasonable action perpetrated by Harry James Potter. Converting an ordinary human heart into a more robust friend heart is quite easy; yo merely complement their walking style or show them how cool your blood is. But how does one know if the person they approach is going to be a dude or rude?

To aid the world in match making I will formulate questions which, when asked, will provide great insight into a persons character. I will also provide my response to the possible answers so that one may learn if we could become palindromes.

Question The Two: Where do you sit on the bus?

Answer: The place where I'm most visible, dude. I need everyone to check out the cool shades I'm wearing.
Response: I hope that after plunging yourself into a world of shadow exclusion you are unable to see your bus stop and you wind up at the end of the line where the bus cannibals claim you.

Answer: I don't; I stand in a little nook out of everyone's way.
Response: You must have powerful leg muscles, this could prove useful in a tandem bike partner but problematic in a Kung-Fu opponent, I vow not to disrespect your honour.

Answer: I don't; I stand my the doors so I can wave at the smiley sunshine. Hey! Why are there loads of people tapping me on the shoulder? and why are you standing outside the bus?
Response: Hello there, please shake my hand, even though the bus is cramped and you are making things more awkward. Unfortunately our handshake was timed so that your arm has been jammed in the door mechanism as it opened; sorry about that, maybe you shouldn't have been standing there.

Answer: The front of the top floor, pretending I'm driving the bus.
Response: Your willingness to sacrifice leg-room to increase your youthful enjoyment is endearing to me I wish to ruffle your hair and get in a tickle fight with you that decides the fate of the universe.

Answer: I sit at the farthest possible point from the entrance/exit dependent on the model of the bus.
Response: Maybe we shall sit next to each other some time. You procedure for bus entry seems indicative of utilitarian philosophies allowing those behind you to benefit by not delaying the bus queue. This practical methodology applied to the rest of life could allow us to save the world. Or we could go see a movie?

Answer: Next to you, even though the rest of the bus is empty.
Response: HELP!

Fringe Benefits

2011-06-09T22:42:00.003+01:00

I've been looking through the Camden Fringe listings recently to check out the "competition" and see if there was anything that I'd like to see in my free time in August. There's actually a lot of really interesting stuff on, not just this. So much so that I'm going to run through a list of the things that caught my eye. Now just because I haven't mentioned something on this list, doesn't mean I don't like it or that it won't be good this is just a list of things I was drawn to at the time of going through twenty-eight days of listings (And maybe I've left out things that might conflict with this).

I mentioned it already on Twitter but I love that through sheer coincidence Out, Damned Spot and Macbeth AND Killing Swine are all on at the same time. Three plays based on or derived from Macbeth at once. Amazing. However there's some overlap with dates so you can see all three and compare!
Little Bear sounds like something I'd enjoy. A Fairy Tale/ fantasy. In fact it was reading this listing and sending it to Grace that made me think I might need to make a list of shows we could see. And according to their website they have the show on in July in Kingston so it should be a finely honed performance.
The Echo Speaking of Grace, this is her play produced by Orpheos. I haven't read it but the premise sounds like something you can get a lot out of. And if the quality is anything like her recent monologue then it promises so be very good indeed.
Stand-Up Comics sounds like the greatest idea for a play I've ever heard. Apparently it's for fans of Spaced, Black Books, Scrubs and puppies. Who doesn't love puppies? It has jokes, romance, bromance, and maybe even a fight scene! I've seen some of the actors they have, they're quite good.
Square Eyed Sounds like it's in a similar vein to Stand-Up Comics but told in a more interesting way. But do they have jokes about Nic Cage? This could be interesting.
Oblivion Is a comedy play set at the top of a roller coaster. Yes, really. They're the only company who could have said they're show was a roller coaster ride and gotten away with it. I'm slightly annoyed that they haven't...yet
Helen and the space rocket Is fun AND scientifically accurate. Anything with input from the fourth best University in the world, which produces such illustrious alumni, must be good.
Country Life Whilst sounding interesting, struck me as a little bit odd. It seems weird to say so much about what they did last year in the space given. I am in no way saying they're wrong to do this, it just seems...odd.
Didn't Want to Play Your Stupid Game Anyway - Bec Hill I don't mention the comedians a lot because with most of them the listing seems to be "I am funny. Really. These people think I'm funny:" And I guess you can only tell by going to see. I like the sound of this though. It has a funny title, a nice image and I laughed at the blurb. It could be a good show amongst the much bigger names appearing this year.
A Hero's Journey Grace! Tim! Yashoda! This one for you particularly. Doctor Who Metafiction. The protagonist even has a twitter profile.
The Intimate Strangers' Concept Album No one else has gone the BIG BOAST route. The intimate Strangers have done though. they really have done. And you have to admire that.
The Untimely Death Of Mr. String UGH. Great title, great premise, nice photo. I hate you. Honestly this is the show that sounds most interesting out of everything I've read (Except Stand-Up Comics) I hope I can see it and that they deliver.
Limbo I think I know what this play will be like.
How to Climb Mount Everest A One man show with a big topic that uses puppetry, mime etc. sounds like the kind of fun, wacky adventure we should get behind.
Save our Bones: Excess Deductible / That's the Spirit "‘That’s the Spirit’ is an alternate view of the afterlife told with an absurdist twist" BEEN THERE DONE THAT. I'm kidding, these sound interesting, and I like their promo images.
The Lord Sedgewick Mysteries I am hooked - but it's listed as comedy not theatre. OK
The Great Puppet Horn Satirical puppet show. I'm a sucker for puppets and this listing came out a couple of weeks after I wrote a brief puppet...thing. This should hopefully fill the puppet void in my life.
Screen 3: The Movie Podcast - Live! Live recording of a podcast, I haven't listened to the podcast before but it sounds like a good idea that I expect we'll be seeing more of in the future.
I have thought about doing a double bill/ two shows at a Fringe, but haven't come up with the right material. Well Atelier are doing just that with The Chairs by Eugene Ionesco and The Lesson by Eugene Ionesco It's a ballsy move and I hope it pays off. Oh and I do like the two images that slot together. They are fundraising through Camden Theatres and giving chocolate to everyone who donates! (I must shamelessly add that we are fundraising here and whilst we're not giving away chocolate, we're giving out posters, props and the opportunity to have your name in the play)
Moon Horse vs. The Mars Men Of Jupiter is a new two-man science fiction rock opera from the people who brought you last year's marvellous 'Dinosaur Planet'. That's all they need to say, isn't it?
The Accomplice I finally mention a drama! I guess I naturally veer towards comedies, maybe it's because I'm judging myself against everyone else, or maybe I find it weird to say "This is about plight, you'll love it!" Again, I find it hard to tell how good something is going to be without seeing it but this sounds like an interesting concept. The blurb is much more 'plotty' rather than telling us what the play is trying to say or comment on. I like things with a plot, even if they're only pretending to have a plot.

Comic of the Month - Osborn: Evil Incarcerated

2011-06-01T10:48:00.000+01:00

Every month LGC will be highlighting a comic you should buy or be buying.

The book of the month for June is Osborn: Evil Incarcerated the bulk of the book by writer Kelly Sue DeConnick and artist Emma Rios. Becky Cloonan does some of the art in what was the last issue when this story was serialized and there's also a fun short story by Warren Ellis and Jamie McKelvie.

Just prior to this mini series, Norman Osborn (renowned crazy goblin man and business science guy) was put in charge of the world's security because he shot an alien in the face. This was perhaps not the most thought out plan and, unsurprisingly, he did something quite stupid and ends up in prison. This is the story of Osborn's time in prison, the investigation into his illegal incarceration and an attempted breakout.
Normal Osborn is a lot of things; intelligent, sadistic, creative, controlling, creepy and insane. With all those traits it might be easy for one to get lost deciding on which direction to go in but Kelly Sue DeConnick manages to take everything and pull it together into a concentrated, cohesive whole. Because of his previous high profile position in the Marvel Universe he was being written across a lot of books but by giving Osborn a miniseries with one writer he once again has a consistent voice. And a very strong one at that.
The book is quite plot heavy, A cult has risen up believing Osborn to be some sort of Anti-Christ and so they attempt to spring him from prison whilst Spider-man supporting character Norah Winters is investigating why there is no record of where Osborn has been moved to. And thus she is lead to the prison mid-riot but is this all actually someone's scheme to ruin a politician? It's a strong, adult plot; but still allows for great character moments from Osborn, Norah and the other creepy inmates that DeConnick introduces. It's a fantastic vehicle for Norah Winters, a character I was sort of familiar with before, but really enjoyed when reading this.

There are wonderful pieces of prose scattered throughout the book, Kelly Sue DeConnick can clearly turn a phrase, but that isn't to say the dialogue back and forth isn't good. It's usually smart, witty and a treat to read, often making me smirk. Kelly Sue DeConnick apparently has a theatre/acting background and from interviews has said she writes dialogue first before breaking panels up (an approach I've taken when attempting comics) and I think this helps make her dialogue so strong.

The art really suits the tone of the book. It's creepy, it's intense; the prisons scenes feel claustrophobic and the violence is harsh but not bloody. Osborn shifts so dramatically between charismatic and monstrous and it's completely believable. There are some great panel layouts, the book always looks interesting. One thing that really stands out are the moments are the longer conversations or monologues which Emma Rios keeps visually interesting not by constantly shifting angles and "over directing" but by having her characters "act", the gesturing is brilliant and engaging and suits the style of DeConnick's writing.

The short story that goes into the background of one of the other inmates by Ellis and McKelvie is very fun. Ellis gets to write about science and McKelvie gets to draw pretty people and smirking so they're both in their element really.

The collected version of Osborn: Evil Incarcerated is out today, June 1st 2011 and I would highly recommend looking for it in your local comicbook store, better bookshop or online if you must.

Dream Country

2011-05-31T09:32:00.000+01:00

According to my dream, in 1962, the waning Coca Cola company launched a new facebook page and logo designed by fledgling Rock 'N' Roll poster artist Chris Bachalo. The page featured Santa Claus sticking his hand through a letter box at various times throughout the day and if you saw him do it three times a day on the fourth you would either win a prize or be met with "Manic Depressive Claus".

I am not sure if that is historically accurate. Or if I should seek help.

Friendly Friday #1

2011-05-20T15:08:00.000+01:00

Making friends is great, right? We probably all have fantastic friends who comb our hair and take us to see weird Portuguese movies. But I bet no one reading this thinks they're filled to the brim with friends that their friend quota is complete and they can friend no more. If I had more friends I would have a disco and we would perform a choreographed dance routine and eat sausage rolls.

The only problem with friend making is instigating the chemical reaction required to turn a slab of person jelly into a new friend. It's not that making friends is hard; you just go up to someone and ruffle their hair or tell them who your favourite Doctor is. But it is hard to find the right people to transform into a fully fledged member of your posse.

To aid the world in match making I will formulate questions which, when asked, will provide great insight into a persons character. I will also provide my response to the possible answers so that one may learn if we could become chumlies.

Question The One: Would you wear sunglasses on an overcast day?

Answer: No, that's ridiculous.

Response: Hello new friend, would you like to share this plate of nachos?

Answer: I wear glasses with reaction lenses so I can't help it if the mighty mother sun transforms my glasses into wicked cool shades.

Response: I pity your ocular disability; we can not all be masters of the human race. And I appreciate your willingness to improve your position and embrace modern technology. Have a sweetie.

Answer: I will wear them upon my person i.e. hooked onto my T-shirt collar or as a make-shit hair band, just in case the weather changes and I require my sunglasses.

Response: Your preparedness and resourcefulness impresses me. It is likely that you would be handy to have around during a Zombie apocalypse scenario.

Answer: Of course. Sunglasses make me look cool and stop the rest of the human race from looking into my eyes and seeing just how lonely and empty I am inside.
Response: I will replace your TV with an old black and white one as you do not seem to appreciate the concept of colour. It might be best if you let me implant an umbrella into your skull as you also do not seem to understand how to react to the weather appropriately.

Answer: Bro, I'm wearing them inside, whilst I am talking to you.
Response: Please hold still whilst I burn your skin, waft ammonia up your nose, plant ants' nests in your ears and cover your tongue in wax so that your other senses match your vision.
I do like those sunglasses though, where did you get them from?

Not a dream! Not a hoax! Not an imaginary story!

2011-05-17T09:59:00.001+01:00

So we've made the official announcement over at the website and facebook page ("Like" us, or whatever) regarding what the Camden Fringe Sigil Club production will be. It's a little project called Stand-Up Comics. If that sounds kind of familiar it's because it's a pun based around comedians and comic books. Oh and because I've previously mentioned the concept on here. A lot. As the Stand-Up Comics label will attest to. But even avid readers of the blog (also known as the mentally unstable) probably won't understand the personal value attached to this project or the sheer pleasure and excitement I get out of presenting it to you.
I'm so energised for this project for a whole barrage of reasons. It's at The Roundhouse Studio Theatre, the biggest space we've performed in, a lovely space that we can really work with. And though we're in the Studio Theatre it's a part of The Roundhouse, the venue for The RSC when they're in London, the place where Berkoff premièred Metamorphosis.

We're doing it as part of the Camden Fringe, which makes it feel more real somehow, like this isn't just me and a bunch of pals putting on a show for my friends to see, it's a legitimate theatrical event as part of a larger community that I'm proud to be a part of. And I would be spinning a rather large ball of untruths were I to say that the idea of the Fringe exposing a new audience to my work wasn't the least bit satisfying.

The concept is solid and whilst some tweaking does need to be done and the visuals are only half-formed, I think I've managed to strike a balance between it being a love letter to sequential art and comics fandom, and a zingy sitcom. The audience in no way need to be familiar with comics or comic stores because at it's heart it's a story about testing friendships and having the gall to find something you love and do it. I think the play successfully manages to feel episodic in that the characters have a life outside of the one hour we spend with them in the show, they have had stories before and they will continue to have stories after; but at the same time the play is a complete tale with a full narrative arc. Hopefully. We're hoping to mix TV, theatre and comics really interestingly so that anyone coming who's only really been exposed to the sitcom part of the equation can experience the other parts and hopefully be inspired to watch more plays or pick up a comic. Please pick up a comic.

However the main reason I'm so ecstatic about this project in particular, is its personal poignancy. In 2006 my girlfriend of the time and I had just broken up, I had a cavalcade of issues at home and I was in my first year of Uni in a halls of residence that wasn't always the most appropriate place for socialising (long twisted corridors, friends spread across the building, no great large area for socialising...free food though). As a result I was spending a lot of my free time instant messaging friends from home and writing in the hope of distracting my mind. Kris (It was spelt Chris back then) and I were coming up with skits and comedy character ideas partly for radio show reasons or to fill up a comedy slot I had conned my way into at the Halls of Residence bar. Kris didn't turn up to that empty comedy performance and I improvised my way through a set. Git. Being back at home over summer only pushed the urge to write more and it coincided with me finding out about Channel Four's Comedy Lab project.
The over-arching story of mine and Kris' not at all properly written comedy bits was upon reflection too heavily influenced by The Boosh and had me being annoyed by Kris' idiocy and thus when it came to writing my big summer sitcom project I decided to flip that. What that resulted in was the Kris character being big and angry (not a stretch) and annoyed by the wide-eyed enthusiasm of the 'me' character and subscribing to the foolish notion of 'write what you know', it was set in a comic shop. I took influence from Black Books, Scrubs and Two Guys and a Girl but I'd yet to see Spaced so it was interesting to discover the overlap. That first episode of Stand-Up Comics had Liam begin working in a quiet comic store, frequented by its odd regular customers and run by Kris, bitter due to spending too much time amongst the negative side of comics fandom. Liam takes Kris' torturing because he truly enjoys comics and thinks anything is better than being alone after his recent break-up (see what I was channeling there?). Liz turns up, new in town, on Liam's first day and whilst the three of them are very different they become friends by circumstance. It's not the greatest premise and it's definitely not well written, but there are some jokes I look back on fondly and I like the idea I had of Liam having little imaginary bits in a cartoon style.
By the end of September 2006 I had written three 30 min episodes of Stand-Up Comics and then I was back to working at Uni, supposedly studying hard. Except the first term of second year also afforded me much free time and now I was sat in my rather large, white room in West Hampstead. The second term had much work by the way. Kris showed my SUC episodes to friends in his drama soc and on the back of that they asked me to write a play for them. This might explain why in The Quest for Beauty after introducing Fate, Vengeance, Beauty and Death I start stalling and have Death and Vengeance go to 'a comic shop, in Staines' as part of Death's job. I knew I could write Liam and Kris, it was comfortable and allowed me to progress with the rest of the piece.
I wrote another full episode over 2006/2007 and whilst I had other plot ideas and the characters stayed at the back of my head, I didn't write another full episode until September 2009 whilst I was in between jobs. I've also used the characters for dialogue practice and little scenes every so often because I can't shake them or the dream of having people see this idea. They were still very much voices in my head though and I expected them to stay that way until we performed Q4B in 2009 and again in 2010. I had a surprising amount of people respond to that scene; Alex who played Inspiration said it was her favourite scene (though I suspect it's due to less of me in it) and that plays set in one location were her favourite kind of plays. Wheels turning. Could I do it?
So March last year, to avoid finishing Stripped I started writing a stage version of Stand-Up Comics, I wasn't entirely sure where it was heading but had an idea of it being about the pros and cons of escapism. After finishing Stripped it became a project I would work on in between other things and I finished a draft of it in November hoping to perform at the Camden Fringe (ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED). This draft wasn't working. I scrapped it and started over in January in the midst of Stripped stuff in an attempt to meet a self imposed deadline for the Fringe. I'd put an application in. I needed to actually write it. Luckily for me there had been a BBC sitcom writing competition of December and January and before deciding to write something that wasn't SUC I jotted down a couple of fun episode plots. A sub plot mentioned in the middle of the first draft of the play script became a bigger plot and I used two plot ideas from December to come up with something workable. And after Stripped I've been writing and rewriting where I can to get it into shape for actors to see. I do like it, it's more fun and bouncy in tone than the first draft and will allow me to incorporate interesting visuals. It's 2-3 years on from that 'first episode', Liam still working at SUC after graduating and whether or not this is because he's avoiding the real world. Are He Kris and Liz real friends or still friends by circumstance and does 'growing up' mean them splitting too? Also there are jokes about Batman.
The auditionees who read it seemed to like it. But then they would say that, wouldn't they? We're fully cast now and I must say we've come away with a wonderful group of people. I don't know why I never though about it until the last day of writing the play but Sigil Club regular Dan Farley makes a fantastic Adrian (Deliveryman/ Gravedigger) and the girl who plays Liz is funny and just off centre without making her vapid or losing any depth. There is but one customer (the first draft had many, and probably suffered for it) and our actress in that scene will probably out act the boys. And finally a new character called Ashlynn who allows us to work with a great comedy actress we've wanted to since Stripped. Liam and Kris however....

It's me and Kris.

It's been a very stressful casting process for me. We spent three weeks seeing people including callbacks. It was very hard to pick some of the girls because we saw so many wonderful actresses. We only brought three guys back for callbacks though. I don't know why. We always struggle to find guys and we could afford to be picky this year. On top of all this I asked Jackie and Dan (who was helping with casting) if I could formally audition and Kris did the same. I wrote these role five years ago with us in mind, it is very hard for Kris and myself to not see us in the roles. But it wouldn't be fair to just cast ourselves, I want the best people possible and if that didn't mean us then so be it. In the end Jackie, Dan and Kris had to chose between me and another great actor. I'll never know if they could truly pick me without any bias but I'm going to do my darnedest to not let anyone down. I wasn't handed this, I know that, Dan gave me some really constructive criticism and for callbacks I worked my butt off doing scenes with all the auditioning actors. And in the end Kris has been cast based on the fact that he, surprisingly, balanced the harshness of the character with the softness towards Liz.

So here we are. 5 years later. Kris and I will be playing Kris and Liam on stage in front of (potentially) over 200 people. It's been a long time coming and it's crazy that things have moved in place for us to be able to do it. But it feels right.

A Life in Movies

2011-05-11T11:18:00.002+01:00

I'm not in the cool kids circles, so I didn't know this was going to be a thing. A blog idea to pick a favourite movie for ever year you’ve been alive.

I became aware of it after reading Friend-Katie's entry. And being the competitive person I am I can't help but make my own list. A better list. A list for you to dictate your lives by. Now let's go back in time to the wonderful year of my birth.

1987

And what is a more fitting film for me than an endlessly quotable comedy/fantasy romp? The Princess Bride "As you wish"

1988

I'm going with an action film starring a comedy actor going up against a Shakespearean trained actor in his first film role. To this day Die Hard is still probably my favourite action movie.

1989

Back to the Future 2 is a sequel that doesn't let the original film down. Whilst the premise isn't as ground-breaking this time round, the juggling time-lines, especially Marty back in the fifties avoiding himself, add a brilliant layer.

1990

Goodfellas

1991

I take back what I said about Die Hard. T2: Judgement Day might be my favourite action movie. More explosions, just as much iconography, just as funny, two heroes to root for and the T-1000 is a slightly less human, scarier villain than Hans Gruber.

1992

I should probably move away from the large amount of action and comedy films in this list. But 1992 had Reservoir Dogs and Wayne's World so that's not going to happen. This is a tough one for me but as much as I appreciate Wayne's World it is the inferior film.

1993

If I didn't want to embarrass myself I'd say either Groundhog Day or The Nightmare Before Christmas. But then I wouldn't be me. Favourite film from 1993? Why Demolition Man of course. A film where the final fight ends with Stallone freezing Wesley Snipes (when he could be bothered to act) and then kicking his frozen head off. No one can say that isn't amazing.

1994

Auteur director? Check.
My favourite film from said director? Check.
References to period material? Check.
Best Supporting Actor Nomination? Check.
Uncomfortable portrayal of drug use? Check.

But do I mean Pulp Fiction or Ed Wood. I'm tempted to say Ed Wood because of just how charming and different it is to the rest of Burton's films. But Pulp Fiction dialogue is so influential to me and those I steal from. But then I've stolen Ed Wood's ethos from the film when I'm creating things. "I'll just have to do better next time". Not this time Ed, you finally won.

1995

The Usual Suspects really is a gripping film and whilst the twist is what get talks about most it's entertaining without it. I can't see Benicio Del Toro without thinking of the line-up scene.

1996

For this year I'm torn between two spins on the horror genre. Pulpy Vampire flick From Dusk till Dawn and Scream, the slasher reinvention. They're both very funny and neither shy away from the gore but whilst Scream is perhaps more tightly plotted and iconic I get a silly amount of joy from From Dusk till Dawn.

1997

Ugh Titanic. And I can't believe I forgot about The Fifth Element. I've narrowed it down to two, Starship Troopers is a wonderful satire, which is eerily relevant to society today and having seen the deleted scenes I applaud the decision to cut out the scenes focusing on plot and motivation to get more bug killing. However my favourite film from 1997 when I was 10 and still my favourite movie now is Con Air. Shut Up. It's great. And I won't even argue about why because I would ruin every other film for you.

Oh man, Face/Off was from 1997 as well. How lucky were we to get two great Nic Cage movies at once? Not until 2010 would we be this blessed again. Face/Off loses out because Nic Cage's hair isn't as good.

1998

I really like There's Something about Mary. I think it's a great cast, the Farrellys at their best and the singing narration is genius.

1999

Everyone seems to be saying it's a tough choice between The Matrix and Fight Club. But then what of South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut? One of the best musicals of all time, certainly one of the catchiest and most unrelenting. Parody, Satire, Gross Out, musical, social commentary and existential comedy combine to make something brilliant but controversial. Much like this decision.

2000

As much as I like X-men, I think Unbreakable is the better superhero film and better film overall. And whilst people will complain about 'The Twist', those people are wrong and deserve to have their head pounded by Mjolnir until they understand comic book conventions. It's all there in the film and works to create a terrific protagonist and antagonist origin story.

2001

The Fellowship of the Ring converted me to a whole new mythology, a new world to read about an obsess over. It brought me closer to people who were only slightly friends at school because we had a weird niche interest and this has followed me through my life and by embracing a love of fantasy I now have awesome friends. It's also a bloody good movie but you don't need me to tell you that.

2002

The Two Towers is definitely great, but in the interest variety and awesome sword fights I'm siding with Hero. We're now almost 10 years on and I think I'm yet to see fights as visually stunning and interesting as those in Hero (Maybe Chi Bi or Hanna). And the use of colour in the film was something that really struck me at the time.

2003

I do love Return of the King, but ghosts can't defeat teleporting, demonic looking Germans. And whilst Aragorn washes and becomes Elessar, Wolverine remains rugged and edgy. X2 was the movie to geek out to. Both a personal movie and one which services fans.

2004

This is a surprisingly tough year, looking over it there are a lot of films I really liked Eternal Sunshine, Spider-man 2 (Nobel Prize, Otto!) Kill Bill Vol 2, The Bourne Supremacy, Sideways, The Incredibles, National Treasure, Kung Fu Hustle, The Life Aquatic.
Some may have realised I've missed out the plethora of amazing comedies from this year: Shaun of the Dead, Dodgeball, Anchorman, Team America and Napoleon Dynamite. Picking one doesn't seem fair but I'll dig my feet into the ground and go with Shaun of the Dead. I love it, it opened my mind hole to the further works of Pegg, Wright & Frost and I'll never get over that.

2005

I'm ignoring Brokeback Mountain as it's one of those OSCAR films that came out in the US in 2005 but didn't reach the UK until January 2006. Which narrows my selection down to Serenity and Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang. I was all ready to side with Shane Black's comedy noir until I turned on the TV on Monday night to see Serenity halfway through and started to emphatically tell Jackie about the use of wide angle lens on Haven. What can I say, I'm a Browncoat.

2006

I'll pick Pan's Labyrinth. It's a beautiful fairy tale and shows us just what Del Toro is capable of when he doesn't have to compromise. The fact that I was sat behind Russell Brand in the cinema when watching it does not affect my decision. Either way.

2007

With my predilection towards comic books and Nic Cage you might expect me to say Ghost Rider but then this list would lose all credibility. It's also a weird year because there's a few films I really like that were released in 2007 in the US that didn't get to the UK until 2008, for example Juno and No Country for Old Men. So I'll go with something that might surprise you. I haven't rewatched it since seeing it at the cinema but my favourite film of 2007 is Atonement. It has that tracking shot. Seeing Hanna brought it all flooding back, I love Joe Wright's films, I love the use of (or lack of) sound, the long shots, his colour palettes, when he shoots in profile and their ability to shock. And again that tracking shot.

2008

I can't pretend that a superhero equivalent of Heat, about order and chaos with an astoundingly good portrayal of the joker isn't my favourite film of 2008. And The Dark Knight has Batman giving it that unfair advantage.

2009

I'm going back on what I said on this blog at the end of 2009 in which I said Slumdog Millionaire was my favourite film from that year. Further time and reflection means I'm now going with Inglourious Basterds because at its heart it's a film about the power of storytelling. From Tarantino. It's weird.

2010

A couple of months ago I said Toy Story 3 was my favourite film from last year. And whilst I don't want to go back on that, I haven't rewatched it (despite owning the DVD) whereas I have rewatched The Social Network. So as of this moment, and probably subject to change, I'm saying my favourite film from 2010 was The Social Network.

2011

It's a good year isn't it? I've seen 14 films so far with the weakest being Scre4m, Paul, or The Adjustment Bureau and even then, they're quite good! It's only May and I'm struggling to pick a favourite between Thor, Hanna, True Grit and Black Swan (And Source Code) (And Tangled) and there's films yet to come out that I'm really excited about seeing. My end of year list is going to hurt.

So that's my definitive, for at least three minutes, list of my favourite films. It's been interesting making the list, more than anything it's made me really happy to see just how many of my favourite films (and near misses) I've seen at the cinema. Maybe that's why they're favourites.

A collection of the blog entries of everyone who originally took part can be found HERE.

Oh and anyone who disagrees with the list is incorrect. Obviously.

Comic of the Month - Venom

2011-05-04T09:35:00.001+01:00

Every month LGC will be highlighting a comic you should buy or be buying.

The book of the month for May is Venom by writer Rick Remender and artist Tony Moore.

Exposition: Titular character Venom was the name given to a Spider-man villain from the late 80s. A black symbiotic substance that Spider-man used as a costume aimed to fully take over Spider-man and once Spidey removed it, the costume bonded to Peter Parker rival Eddie Brock. Now a large, scary black costume Spider-man looking creature Venom attempted to kill Spidey multiple times. The symbiote has also been bonded to other people including The Scorpion in which it became a more monstrous creature. Now the government is bonding the symbiote to army veteran (and previous Peter Parker school bully) Flash Thompson and using him as a super powered black ops soldier.

Is any of that important? No. The first issue tells you everything you need to know. This guy who used to be Spider-man's biggest fan and Peter Parker's biggest bully now has the chance to save people and fight for his country again by bonding with an evil alien that wants to take over his brain. All the exposition and character work is dropped in in the backdrop of a warzone, so whilst you getting these little facets of information the Venom suit is using its tendrils to pick up guns and shoot behind it. The second issue does a great job of upping the threat level and showing us how much Flash will put himself at risk to complete his mission and the responsibility he shoulders by trying to control the symbiote.
Tony Moore is probably most famous for being the co-creator of The Walking Dead, the visual look of his zombies attracting many readers and now viewers, as the TV show emulates his style. His other various monstrous creations can been seen in Fear Agent, XXXombies and The Punisher: Frankencastle (all with Remender). Venom is a book perfect for Moore's style as we get kinetic chases, a monstrous creature, dinosaurs and innovative, interesting uses of the symbiote and environment around it. Tony Moore brings so much energy and intensity to the book making everything feel like more of a threat or that the book, like Flash, is one step away from losing all control.

The comic manages to have a great sense of adventure and fun whilst also sensibly dealing with adult issues such as addiction, making it something I don't hesitate to recommend.
The book is only two issues in (the second coming out at the very end of April) so good stores will have both in stock for you to find or there will be a trade paperback out in the coming months for those of you allergic to comicbook stores.

Impossible Astronaut Thoughts

2011-04-26T12:42:00.001+01:00

I don't really have the time to do a big examination of "The Impossible Astronaut", and I've seen others discuss it at length more intelligently (some less intelligently) than I could muster, so there's not much point. Instead just a couple of bullet points about what has stuck with me most since watching the episode on Saturday night.

Where is the Older Doctor's TARDIS? It's a little odd that he drives a car and posts letters.
Why can the young girl remember The Silents? Is she special in some way? Or if she isn't remembering them and instead looking at them, why is she allowed to call the President whilst still looking at The Silents? Do they want her to? Can they not stop her? It will also be interesting next week to see how The Doctor reacts to them.
Whilst this isn't a question I just want to point out how much I love "Why did you kill her?" "Joy...Her name was Joy" That's such fun wordplay and also shows that the Silent is polite (and rarely late). How can Aliens so polite be mean? Answer: They can't.

Purposefully Vague and Vaguely Purposeful

2011-04-13T23:32:00.000+01:00

Preproduction stuff for the Camden Fringe play is starting to snowball. We’re signed up, getting contracts sent out, putting up a casting call and drafting all the blurbs and press release stuff that needs to be finished over the next month.

It puts me in a weird position though because whilst all this is moving forward and I’m eager to promote and keep everyone in the loop, I’m as hesitant as usual to give out production details until nearer the time when we have something more cohesive to show.

So as usual all I can do is give hints and say stuff like “Coming August 8^th and 9^th to The Roundhouse Studio Theatre. The Sigil Club Presents: SOMETHING”

The sentiment can probably be summed up better by the fictional staff at fictional comic store Stand-Up Comics.

Liam: Kris, Kris, Kris, I have something astounding---

Kris: Your legs have been replaced with a walrus?

Liam: No; it isn’t the third Sunday of the month yet. I have…News!

Kris: Well why not be modern and hip and twooterise it so that I can block you.

Liam: It’s secret news.

Kris: Like it’s news that’s also a spy?

Liam: It is news so stunning that I’m unable to tell you about it, through fear that those dropping eaves may find out the news and spoil it.

Kris: Like milk?

Liam: Like the drunk Power Ranger at my 10^th Birthday party.

Kris: See the problem here, kid, is that you don’t have news; it’s just a secret. Or a thought; most people keep those to themselves.

Liam: Except this is news I will eventually relay to you, but can’t as of yet.

Kris: So you’re bringing me news of future news?

Liam: Like a terminator.

Kris: More like one of those internet posts that makes you click something to get the full story and then it’s split onto more pages than necessary just to get more “hits”. Congratulations, kid, you’ve taken one of the internet’s most annoying traits and brought it into the real world.

Liam: Says the man who trolls in real life.

Kris: I do not wait under bridges for people to cross them so I can steal their children. I just take their sandwiches.

Liam: If this news were food it would be the tastiest of sandwiches, like a unicorn sandwich.

Kris: If you can’t tell me what this planet combusting news is why do you insist on opening your mouth anyway?

Liam: I’m teasing.

Kris: I told you before, kid. We can never be together.

Liam: Like a solicitation.

Kris: And I’m certainly not paying for it.

Liam: A comic book solicitation. So that you will eagerly await the moment I can reveal the news.

Kris: Could you just tell me or erase my memory of this traumatic conversation.

Liam: Wait, you’re actually interested?

Kris: I like to know the details of something I’m hating, rather than just getting blindly furious at the ether.

Liam: That’s oddly reasonable of you.

Kris: It allows me to tear it apart with the most precision.

Liam: Well I guess I could tell you, if you help it go viral…

Kris: Yes, viral; just like current plan to convince Vin Diesel not to make any more movies.

Liam: I was thinking more spread of information not pathogens.

Kris: And your inability to think outside of the box is why you’ll never amount to anything.

Liam: So the plan is you tease it as well, to as many people as possible to drive up excitement.

Kris: Okay so, what’s the news?

Liam: Oh. Dan never told me that; just that I had to spread it.

A quick thought about Kapow!

2011-04-12T09:56:00.000+01:00

Over the weekend I went to Kapow! and had a really great time. I met up with some friends, laughed, moaned and got excited in equal measure.
The show was run really well, not just for its first year but for any show. Some people had some minor niggles, but overall I was happy with being able to move around as the big queues were out of the way and the atmosphere felt friendly. I saw some cool cosplay and some fun panels. It was a con where I met Frank Quitely and Duncan Jones; got some Iron Fist sketches and won an Inception Blu Ray.

But the highlight for me, the most amazing thing I saw was on Sunday, when I waiting at the front of all the tables looking out for Pal-Robin: A family came up the stairs, (Mum, Dad and two daughters) and when this small girl looked out in front of her and saw all the comic stands and bright colours, her face lit up like she was in the most amazing place on Earth.I hope that girl and her family had a fantastic day and that we remember that exciting, fun comics can cause that reaction in kids (and big kids).

The names "Bif!" "Bam!" and "Wallop!" were all taken

2011-04-08T13:06:00.002+01:00

This weekend my presence shall be felt at Kapow! Comic Con; a rather large affair for a British comics convention and pretty much the first of its kind (definitely the first of its kind within walking distance of my flat). I’m half very excited by the talent that they’ve gathered and half dubiously expecting everything to fall apart due to lack of experience. Either way it’s certainly going to be an experience.

There’s going to be loads of cool guests (It would be petty of me to complain about the lack of female guests---potentially due to Mark Millar’s threats of booby trapping vaginas), signings and panels, so much so that it would be hard for me to tell you everything I’m looking forward to. But I thought it might be fun to post details about five panels I’m most excited about or find most interesting.

JONATHAN ROSS' FAN VS PRO GAMESHOW

TV chat-show King hosts Jonathan Ross a one-of-a-kind panel show where three big-name writers and artists face off against three super-fans in a comic-book trivia competition. The pros will be revealed as the show begins and the fanboys will be pulled from the audience. Would you like to humiliate a beloved comic-book creator with your superior knowledge of what they do for a living? Then come along and pummel them. The prize for the winners? Leaving the hall with your dignity intact.

There’s no better way to kick things off for what might be a lot of people’s first comic convention than pointless trivia and “humiliation”. People get to learn what being a British comics fan is all about as soon as possible. Winners get dignity, losers face Mark Millar’s Axe men.

MARVEL: BREAKING INTO COMICS THE MARVEL WAY
Are you an aspiring writer or artist? Have you always dreamed of working for Marvel? Well, here’s your chance to pick the brains of some current House of Ideas employees who were once in the same shoes! Join [Creators] as they answer any and all questions about how to get a foot in the door at every level in the creative process and how to make your job MARVEL.

The Marvel Method of doing well is as follows: Be number 576 in the line of people wanting to work for Marvel, then start claiming you are number one to gain attention. If you still struggle to break in, return to a large number when you hit a milestone like 500. Repeat until successful.

KAPOW! SURPRISE PANEL

A panel so secret the audience might not even be aware that they are in it. I hope whoever is on the panel, starts it off by jumping out of a cake. Stripping is not necessary. My guess is it’s Mark Millar challenging the audience to wrestle him.

(Apparently it’s Noel Clarke, who whilst being incredibly awesome, makes this surprise a bit of an anti-climax. And if a confirmed guest talking about themselves is something that constitutes being kept "secret" then I'm pretty sure the surprise movie will be Millar’s directorial debut)

THOR PANEL

This better not be footage or a Q&A session, but an hour of shirtless Chris Hemsworth smashing things with a hammer.

There’s also scope for Tom Hiddleston to be skipping around the stage taunting Hemsworth providing more things to be smashed.

E4 PANEL: MISFITS & SKINS

Since Kenneth Branagh isn’t going, bugging Iwan Rheon (Simon from Misfits) about Spring Awakening is the only way I’ll be able to release my theatre geekiness. I doubt he’ll be interested in hearing about how the lighting effects in his suicide scene were inspirational but people have to be polite at these things. Plus a series 3 announcement might be fun.

Winnie the Pooh

2011-04-07T14:07:00.000+01:00

Long ago, in the ancient time of March, Jackie and I went to see a preview screening of the new Winnie the Pooh movie, creatively entitled Winnie the Pooh. This is a long overdue write up (but at least it comes before the film is released next week---or July in the US).

Winnie the Pooh isn’t a film that will be enjoyed by everyone; the makers haven’t attempted to give it a wide appeal or attempted to target a teenage demographic, instead focusing on making a Winnie the Pooh movie very true to its roots that will be loved by children, their parents and those of us with a nostalgic affection for the characters.

It opens up with a live action tour through Christopher Robin’s bedroom as we see each of the stuffed animals, in the same way the old Disney movie did. The story is mainly adapted from a chapter in each of the books, “In Which Eeyore Loses a Tail” and “In Which Rabbit Has a Busy Day”. Lines of dialogue are taken directly from A.A.Milne but there are also flourishes of additions with a more modern humour and to make it more filmic. Everything weaves together smoothly and it’s paced well enough with varied humour to hold interest.

The animation is gorgeous, keeping with the Disney Winnie the Pooh style but with even more depth added to the Hundred Acre Wood. The images have been painted on directly without inking which makes everything look smooth and more in keeping with the story book tone.

The voice cast is wonderful with new actors complimenting the veterans. Jim Cummings is my Pooh and he is as wonderful as ever as both Pooh and Tigger. Tom Kenny (most notable for being Spongebob Squarepants) adds a bit more of a frantic energy to Rabbit, without departing from the character too much, which the animation team have picked up on and emphasized. My personal favourite was Craig Ferguson as Owl, who gives a fantastic vocal performance; also influencing the animation, creating what I think is the funniest Owl has ever been.

Whilst it is primarily a kids’ film, there is a lot in Winnie the Pooh for adults to enjoy from the gorgeous animation to some moments of wordplay, including an extended section of not/knot punning which had Jackie and me in stitches, and the brilliant Winnie the Pooh trope of having the characters interact with the letters in the storybook.

There are a few songs which are bouncy and interesting including a couple sung by Zooey Deschanel (she’s quirky) including the classic Winnie the Pooh theme.

It won’t be my favourite movie from this year, but then I’m not the target audience, I was however thoroughly impressed with what was achieved and did enjoy large portions of the film.

The film also includes a new Disney short before it called The Ballad of Nessie, a gorgeously designed small tale about the Loch Ness monster and the creation of the Loch. It’s a sweet tale with nice message for the children watching emphasized by the emotional narration from Billy Connolly. Going on this I can only hope Disney keep putting shorts in front of their animated features.

Bat-dump

2011-04-05T12:29:00.003+01:00

Over the past few days I have spent rather a large amount of time talking about Batman (that's a wiki link for anyone unfamiliar with a character who is now modern myth--apparently according to a friend of a friend this is possible and I don't even know where to start ranting about that). Now believe me, if it's got to the point where I point out that I'm talking about the topic a lot, I have been talking about it a lot. And to be completely fair to the tiny creatures that power my synapses and allow the world to be tied together this isn't all off my own back; the topic has just unexpectedly come up quite a bit. It's like my life is some crime that's been perpetrated, I'm unaware of anything outside my existence and suddenly Batman is there to make everything better.

This is going to cover all of that. Not that I ever really needed an excuse to dump a lot of information and links about Batman, but still...

Batdance After Showing Jackie the awesomness of Prince and not at all pulling a muscle dancing to Lets Go Crazy I had more videos of his insanity. Neither Jackie nor Gavia seemed to be aware of it even though it's easily the second best part of that first "Batman" movie (After Michael Gough - RIP)
Orson Welles - Batman Some friends mentioned the possibility of going to see this (which I totally forgot about) and so I brought up one of my favourite pranks. It's just like Millar to do something like that; the most annoying thing about that particular hoax is how much I wished it was real.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt was rumoured to be in the new Batman movie, then he was confirmed for being in the new Batman movie but in a secret role, then we found out his secret role was Alberto Falcone and then we found it it wasn't Alberto Falcone but a super secret role that is a secret, so secret the movie may not know who he is. OR WHAT HE IS. It was all very exciting
Bruce Waynes loves puppies This is a clip from Equilibrium which I saw before Batman Begins was cast and so was happy when Bale got the Bat-role. The Batman movies do need more moments of Bruce Wayne loving puppies.
Gavia learnt about Batman Odyssey and so I was desperately trying to defend Neal Adams as an artist even though the book is completely insane. I also had to answer/over react to questions like "Why is Bruce so hairy?" Because he's a hairy chested love god. Obviously.
Proof of hairy chested-ness
Proof of Love God-liness
And finally this is a pretty fun mini-comic about how Bruce Wayne could have wound up as something wildly different.
I've caught up on and starting watching the new series of Batman: The Brave and the Bold. And in doing saw witnessed an awesome adaptation of the Bat Manga, Adam West voicing a childish Robot Batman who looks up to Batman and a very dickish Superman with comics refrences galore. Plus Jimmy Olsen. I think anyone can watch this cartoon and enjoy it, even people who don't have much of an affinity for The Detective.

And that's why Batman is great

Comic of the Month- Ultimate Comics: Spider-man

2011-04-01T18:36:00.000+01:00

Every month LGC will be highlighting a comic you should buy or be buying.

The book of the month for April is Ultimate Comics: Spider-man written by Brian Michael Bendis with art mainly contributed by David Lafuente and Sara Pichelli but also Takeshi Miyazawa, Chris Samnee, Skottie Young, Joelle Jone, Jamie McKelvie and now Mark Bagley.

Ultimate Comics: Spider-man is the relaunch of the successful Ultimate Spider-man title in the wake of a big Ultimate Comics crossover to help make the title accessible again. Ultimate Spider-man is just as entertaining as the new stuff but if I was to attempt to tell you about a comic that has been consistently great for ten years, I would run into May before I finished typing it.
In the Summer of 2009 Marvel Comics set about streamlining their Ultimate line because the once the new reader friendly imprint had become almost as convoluted as the core Marvel Universe. They did this by having Magneto change the polarity of Earth, causing a massive tidal wave to hit New York and killing pretty much all of their characters. This was Ultimatum.
Before this Ultimate Spider-man was the story of a teenage Peter Parker coping with school, relationships and being a low level superhero in a city of people who hate him. After Ultimatum it is the story of a teenage Peter Parker coping with school, relationships and being a low level superhero in a city that admires him. Not much has changed, because not much needed to change. The main difference is that Iceman, The Human Torch, Gwen Stacy, and Kitty Pryde all live with Peter and his Aunt May allowing for more team dynamics, banter and most enjoyably a soap opera element. The title is still very much Spider-man's, most issues feature spot on internal monologue as he swings through the city allowing for easy, unforced exposition as well as often moving the plot forward and being funny. The other characters are by no means underwritten, but used to heighten the stresses in Peter's life and create a denser environment.
Ultimate Comics: Spider-man has this sense of urgency to it, with many subplots happening at once, single issues containing a large amount of story and ramped up drama. New villains, bigger stakes, people discovering Peter's secret identity, an undercurrent of mutant hatred making Kitty's life more difficult and every single member of the cast feels the effects of everyone else's actions. Bendis throws in plenty of surprises and has kept the story racing along for over 18 months now.
The art is fantastic, everyone looks distinctive, and the teenage characters actually look like teenagers. This might seem obvious but often in comics body shapes are perverted to make individuals look older; in Ultimate Comics: Spider-man they look and dress how you would expect teenagers to look and dress. The artists handle the mix of expressive faces necessary for a book that relies on the emotions of and interactions between characters and frantic action in Spider-man's fights, often finding interesting new ways to draw a fight scene.

If you're worried about starting something that's been going on for so long, or that you stopped reading the comic a few years ago and might find it hard to catch up, you shouldn't be. Every issue tells you everything you need to know. You can start by picking up Ultimate Comics: Spider-man volume one from a comic shop, bookstore or online retailer; volume three comes out on the first week of April. It's even accessible enough to start reading the single issue comics starting with last week's issue #156.
Ultimate Comics: Spider-man is a real joy to read, it's fun, it's emotionally driven and it looks great; I promise that if you get it you'll never be lost, you'll always enjoy it and most importantly you will always care.

Further evidence that I can only write about death

2011-03-30T12:54:00.000+01:00

This blog now features more plugs than a lighting rig.*

Still I see no reason why I shouldn't celebrate the excellent work of those I know. This morning the Orpheos Productions page for their Machine of Death Monologues project went live here. The page has a really fun design; clicking around allows one to find out about the inception of the project, more information and synopsises of all eight monologues. The coolest feature is if you click "Place finger in hole" you get your very own Manner of Death slip. Mine was Losing the key to the handcuffs, I've seen that other people have received A pickled thumb, Rapping about nuclear physics, Ignorance of Beale Ciphers, and Trying to prove Jurassic Park could happen. There are lots of really weird and fun ones to receive and I highly recommend clicking it and getting yours, plus checking out everything else on the page.

I link to this mainly because of how proud I am of Grace Knight, the series producer, who has worked hard on this for about six months now, producing something that looks fantastic. I can't wait to see the trailer that they're teasing; I have seen the opening credits and they look AMAZING, so hopefully the work of the eight writers and 55 people involved lives up to the potential.

And then there are the selfish reasons. If you do look at the credits bit you'll see my name amongst the 55 listed. I wrote Episode 5: Labels which as the site says has a young woman talking about "her treatment after her manner of death is revealed to be a yet undiscovered illness that looks to plague mankind in the future." It's hopefully not as bleak as the description makes it sound; I can't help but write jokes you know. It's a little sci-fi but hopefully human enough; as always when I write about death, I'm writing about life. I haven't seen the video but I've heard that it's good (and that upon last edit it was about 18 minutes long because I write too much). I've helped out in a few other ways on the project (I named the pharmaceutical company!!) so I'm really excited to see it so close to starting and I hope you watch, share and enjoy what we've put together.

*Theatre Joke. The blog definitely has more plugs than my school lighting board after our rubbish replacement teacher didn't have his contract renewed and he responded by stealing our plugs. That is a thing that happened.

What are you doing with it next?

2011-03-09T21:31:00.000Z

After finishing up my third play I realise that this is possibly the question I hate the most. I don't hate the people who ask it; it's much more expressive than simply saying you liked a piece and suggests that one enjoyed the show so much they feel it's meant for a grander setting, a wider audience, a CGI dragon. After the first time we did The Quest for Beauty it was the most gratifying thing I heard; it was confirmation that the show was worth more than a three day stint at a student theatre, that it could be performed in a more professional capacity. And because people thought we could, we tried, we looked into theatres, applied for The Edinburgh Fringe and eventually found our home at The Hen & Chickens. But there was a different reaction when I heard it after performances of Stripped. Initially I'm taken aback because I was so focussed on the production I didn't think very far beyond it, and then it made me question why what we'd just done wasn't enough. Was that still too amateur? I get that going to Edinburgh might allow more reviews, or more people to see the show but I don't think the benefits would outweigh the costs. And don't people do a couple of days in Edinburgh in the hope of moving their show to London? Pretty sure we've done that part already.

I think it's particularly terrifying because it's synonymous with the now dreaded "What are you doing next?" that I hate answering because a situation might change, or because I find it hard to describe something very vague in my mind and now after Stripped because I'm worried people won't like what I have to say. The problem with teasing future projects in the middle of a "successful" show is that I get worried what I do next won't be as good or certainly won't please the same people because it's wildly different. How do I tell someone that? How do I tell someone who's said they've enjoyed absurdist physical theatre they'll like my next geek-humour sitcom? The terror is also there when it comes to writing; I'm starting to second guess myself, starting to wonder if I'll be pleasing people.

And that's just not me. It shouldn't be me. It's not why I write.

I'm not doing anything with Stripped for now for multiple reasons. It was special, it was Stripped; to try and replicate that so soon afterwards would feel odd. It's very unlikely everyone involved would be free to do the show on a whim. And the idea of auditioning and rehearsing all over again for the same show seems pointless when I can do a new project in that same time.

So if you have to know, a performance of Stripped will be put online. I have a monologue with Orpheos coming up. The Sigil Club will hopefully have a new show at The Camden Fringe (if we're accepted). It should be funny. I know what I want to do at The Camden Fringe 2012. Depending on how my BBC writersroom entry goes there will be something else interesting for you. I can't tell you everything that's coming but I can tell you to be excited about it.

What am I going to do with it next? I'm going to murder it. To obliterate it from your memory by creating project after project of things you can barely imagine or believe that I'm capable of. I won't even give you the chance to be sick of me. Like an ADD riddled Shark, I'll be everywhere and it's not safe to be in the water with me.

Comic of the Month - Daytripper

2011-03-09T10:47:00.001Z

Every month LGC will be highlighting a comic you should buy or be buying. I've got a separate page here and everything. Most people who are interested will have read this, but I want to have a copy here so that there's a permenant link for the future.

The book of the month for March is Daytripper created by Twin Writer/Artists Fábio Moon and Gabriel Bá.

Daytripper was a ten part mini series published by Image about the life of Bràs de Oliva Domingos which has since been collected as a trade paperback. I've stated that the book was my favourite of 2010 and upon reflection it's possibly because whilst I was working on my tale of a man finding the meaning of his existence Bá and Moon were creating a similar tale in a wonderfully unique way. The story structure is essentially the same for each issue as it focuses on a key moment in Bràs' life, highlighting just how important each of those moments (both big and small) are. This meant the book worked well as a serial and the quality of the emotion behind the writing keeps it an engaging and touching read as a whole. The technique they use to frame their story is wonderful and I'd rather not give it away. It not only allowed them to tell single issue stories but actually made me care about what was happening to Bràs more as I knew what would be coming at the end of each issue. The technique used allowed for thematic relevance but also makes one more emotionally invested in the character.
Upon opening it what you'll first notice is just how beautiful the book is. Seriously, check out the Daytripper set at the twins' Flickr. Not only is it pretty and engaging but the storytelling is impeccable. Setting the story in their native Brazil means the book has varied and luscious backdrops one isn't used to seeing in English language comics and makes everything seem more personal. The colours of Dave Stewart bring the book to life in your hands and work equally well in the routine moments of life as well as the magical ones.
Personal is definitely the right word to use for this comic. You can't help but feel connected to the rich cast of characters the twins create, as we're allowed to peer in on their lives and hopefully find meaning in our own. It's a brilliant comic with a poignant story and gorgeous artwork that you're unlikely to find anything similar to in any media. Fábio Moon and Gabriel Bá deserve all the accolades they're getting for the book as it truly is an amazing work of art.

So buy it already. You can probably find it in a local comic store or book store. Gosh Comics still have copies of their exclusive bookplate edition for those of us who love collectibles. And if you're unable to leav your house you can always get it from Amazon. But when you do buy it, perhaps pick up some tissues as well because there's a good chance you will cry.

Back-Patting

2011-03-04T14:34:00.002Z

Yes this is going to be about Stripped. So if you're tired of me talking about something I've given life to and would rather read more jokes about Iron Man creating a separate armour for his moustache then you might want to skip this post.

I just wanted to be open and honest and take some time to write the Thank Yous I think people deserve.

Firstly thanks to everyone who came to see the show. I haven't received our final numbers yet but we sold out for our final performance and our weekly numbers looked very strong too. It's highly likely we'll have broken even which basically means we're a success. That's nice to say. The support we received from friends and friends of friends was overwhelming at times and I'm still struggling to process just how many people came and how much they seemed to enjoy themselves.

Yes I have linked to here a lot but we were seriously reviewed and some nice things were said which make me so proud. My favourite one is this one from A Younger Theatre because it picks up on a lot of things I wasn't sure people were going to and puts the artistic quality of the script under scrutiny. It's also the only review of my writing which doesn't comment on how funny I am and I'm just as shocked as you are that it manages to be my favourite review in spite of that. It's also nice to know that the venue suited the show as I wrote the piece with the Hen & Chickens in Mind.

Mark and Felicity and everyone at The Hen and Chickens are a pleasure to work with. Mark especially makes everything run smoothly, is willing to put up with our wild requests and is an overall very entertaining fellow. I love the theatre, I love the people involved and we are very grateful that you make us feel like a part of your community.

Robin Harman recorded the production. Twice. And he was selfless enough to not tell me he had to rent a camera until he got to the theatre. Robin, I would have told you not to come, I would not have wanted to put you out but you did that for me and you are magnificent for doing so. And when we weren't happy with our performance on Saturday afternoon he cancelled his evening plans, bought a new tape and recorded the evening performance. Our best performance. The actors deserved their best to be seen and you have allowed that. Thank you Robin.

Emma Phillips took these amazing photos for us. It was hard to describe just how Stripped was going to look and getting Emma to give up her free time allowed us to show people something to sell the show. Her photos have appeared in one of the reviews and will stay up on our website. Emma stuck around being generally pleasant and taking her slim opportunities to take photos during our "Get-in" day and never once complained or seemed to be aware of the massive favour she was doing for us. Thank you.

Larissa Kunstel-Tabet designed The Sigil Club logo. She took the rambly confusing brief from me about words, magic, community and random images and created something like a "Chaos Magic harlequin". Getting that logo, getting the right logo was an important part in being able to brand ourselves for this show. The facebook page, the website could all be made because we had a kickass logo that made us look professional no matter what crap I came out with. And I made an awesome favicon for the site out of her design which is secretly my favourite part of the entire production.

Lee Sharma. Lee Sharma. Over a year ago I wrote the script for Stripped with a mimed opening. A rhythmic daily routine over a minute long set to music. If my best friend wasn't an amazingly talented musician I would not have felt comfortable enough to do this. When it came to rehearsal I could tell people "We'll have a sound effect here", reliant on the quality of work Lee could produce. His music is great, I wish he could have seen people's faces when they heard his music for the first time, it exceeded everyone's expectations apart from my own because of the complete faith I have in Lee. Thank you for being someone I can rely on. Thank you for making the opening many people's favourite moment even though you have crazy Law exams and were bed ridden for almost a month.

Kirsty Neilson was originally cast as The Processor before being given a job offer she sensibly couldn't refuse. She worked very hard with us for a couple of months and her influence was felt in the final project. I hope she's doing very well because it really was a pleasure to spend time with her.

Catherine Ashton played Mother in Stripped. Casting her proved to me the theory of there being a perfect person for a role. When casting we didn't meet anyone else who could have performed the part and I was worried until we saw Catherine and that was that. The breasts were her idea, the performance is pretty much her own with me only really blocking or tweaking things. And what's best is how lovely and professional Catherine is. She fills a room with energy and kept everyone on their toes. Thank You Catherine and good luck with all the plans of yours I've heard about.

Dan Farley played The Bishop. And he did do a wonderful, bombastic job? What's more is Dan was my friend, my support through the process. We've worked together before and developed an understanding that produces great results. I could go to Dan with my worries no matter how trivial they were. He's friendliness and warmth can be felt from all and I think he was instrumental in pulling a good performance out of Kris. Dan rigged lights, told bad puns, spoke up when needed and helped direct the scene with me and Kris. Thank you for giving me the kick I sometimes needed.

Tim Nolan played Gog. He is still probably adamant that he is not an actor. 200 people would probably say otherwise Tim. It's an absolute pleasure and privilege to put one's faith in someone and have them reward you as Tim has done. It's so much fun to see him progress as an actor, to know that no matter how much he doubts himself he raises his game and learns from everyone around him to produce a really great performance. Lines like "Disciplining those naughty terrorists is the only way they'll learn" just wouldn't be the same without Tim.

Kate Quinn played Magog. She sometimes sings about penguins. In her audition Kate played Magog in a way I hadn't imagined the character but that had Jackie and me laughing the entire way through. She continued to bring that level of energy and entertainment to rehearsals no matter how she was feeling. It's impossible not to respect Kate's drive and work ethic or indeed to not have fun when working with her. I'm very glad to have worked with and gotten to know Kate; I can't wait to see what her talent and hard work brings her. And most of all, when I was panicking in December she told me exactly what I needed to hear. Thanks so much Kate

Meriel Rosenkranz played The Processor and was an absolute pleasure to work with. I think working with Meriel is the most fulfilling experience I've had as a director. Meriel came into the show later than everyone else but caught up pretty quickly. She asked really interesting questions and we got to work through the scene with each other as she discovered the character. We seemed to have the same creative approach and getting ready for a scene by bouncing up and down together is an experience I will always remember.

Amy Wiles played Scarlett. Amy is possibly the sweetest person to work with. She's fun and engaging and takes direction really well. So it really is quite surprising when underneath the sweet exterior you see the crazy person come to life. Hopefully that is just acting. Amy is the person I wish I had had a chance to work with and talk to more. She once got stuck in snow driving down to a rehearsal and I hope the cold weather did no lasting damage.

Kris Wood played He/Him. In a lot of ways this belongs to Kris. I was writing when younger but if it wasn't for us writing skits and sketches in 2006 I would never have seriously started writing. He is the person I wrote The Quest for Beauty for, the success of which allowed me to work on Stripped. And then he was the protagonist in it. Whilst some auditions were seen by four people I was the only person to see Kris' audition and so the decision to cast him was entirely based on my opinion and belief that he could do it. Kris did not let me down. He knows when to be funny and is a very giving actor often doing things to allow others to be funnier. Kris worked really hard on this and his performance shows that. Kris, for everything, thank you.

Jackie O'Sullivan is the producer of Stripped, my girlfriend and above all things, patient. Whether it's going shopping for ribbon or clothing, booking rooms, blocking scenes or listening to me vent, Jackie works harder than anyone else but she'd never admit it. Everyone else who works with me gets a break, they get to leave; Jackie gets the...pleasure of having me freak out about projects all the time. This becomes our life and I hope that she enjoys doing it as much as I enjoy having her involved.

Too much time on my hands

2011-03-03T18:33:00.001Z

Oh. Hi. I didn't see you there; yes this is Michael Eckett, writer of plays, jumper of fences, dancer of robots. And this is Lets Get Comical.

In case you hadn't figured it out, my play Stripped has finished and apart from doing some admin stuff it's all over. I'll write a separate post about all of that in due course, now though I get to triumphantly return to the space where my nonsense first spread and developed. If you're unaware of and curious about my theatre work head over to the company's website of The Sigil Club.

A break from designing and posting at The Sigil Club website means I can post here without any lurking feelings of guilt. Sorry for what is about to follow, I'll have a big project again soon and you can be rid of me.

RIGHT

Free time to write logically means I have free time in other areas. It's a simple extrapolation, I'm sure you can keep up. I exist outside of the magic box; sometimes I play video games, sometimes I wrestle chimpanzees and sometimes I spend weeks recovering in hospital from monkey claw wounds. I often eat. Eating is a process in which one ingests and then digests to congest one's innards. It allows us to absorb essential amino acids that our body needs but doesn't necessary generate as well as vitamins and metabolites for respiration. However we also eat for pleasure (some more than others) because food can make us feel good. It can also make us feel bad and then we feel bad about feeling bad so eat more food and well you can sort of see where I'm going with this and so am wondering why more words are following on from the logical stopping point. Kind of like people who eat too much.

Anyway last night Jackie and I went out to eat for pleasure. Also for the whole needing to live thing but mainly for pleasure. There was "all you can eat" Tapas at La Tasca and whilst I didn't eat all that I could I certainly ate more than they were expecting. In between courses, amongst the reverie and joyful surroundings my mind was free to wander and create ideas I had been holding back by focusing on recent projects. They were made partly to take up time, partly to entertain Jackie and partly to annoy the people next to me but last night I came up with SUPER AWESOME MOVIE PITCH IDEAS.(Please don't steal them)

Mark Wahlberg is a yoga teacher who can see people's futures as they yoga in front of him. The more relaxed and approaching peace and enlightenment a person is the clearer Marky Mark sees their future. Mark has squandered his baffling gift using it for betting and finding ladies like Biff from alternate timeline Back to the Future but with more stretching. Then a new lady of the lovely persuasion comes to Yoga herself in Mark Wahlberg's Yoga clinic and he sees a vision of her death. Mr Wahlberg must Yoga her harder to see a clearer vision of her future and hopefully save her life but of course as he does so he falls in love with her. The baffling moment comes when Mark sees his new love being killed by a dinosaur he tries explaining to his beau but for some reason she doesn't believe she will be killed by a dinosaur or Mark Wahlberg's scientifically possible enlightenment based foresight so she flees, her heart broken. Mark Wahlberg wallows and doesn't understand how his usually flawless superpower could be so wrong, he spends his time no longer stretching and watching his doomed ex girlfriend reporting on the news. Only when he sees her covering the opening of a new themepark does he realise that the dinosaur she's killed by is a Japanese Robot dinosaur, one of the smaller attractions at the new themepark. So Mark Wahlberg rushes to save his love, fights a Japanese Robot Dinosaur with the aid of everyone in the Park Yogaing so that he can predict the dinosaur's movements. They all live happily ever after. Apart from the dinosaur. And Orlando Bloom.
Mark Wahlberg is Aquaman. I know, I know. Everyone loves Mark Wahlberg. Everyone loves Aquaman, I don't really need to sell this one to you. If you've been avoiding all popular culture like it's an enraged bear with chainsaws for teeth you might not be aware of the brilliance of Aquaman. Aquaman, King of Atlantis. Aquaman, superhuman strength, speed and agility. Aquaman, electro-magnetic vision. Aquaman, can telepathically communicate with animals. Yes, basically it's a movie in which Mark Wahlberg saves peoples' lives (and the environment) by talking to sea creatures. "Hi Dolphin. How ya doin'? You wanna maybe save those drowning ladies whilst I throw water harpoons at these oil tycoons polluting the sea? Thanks Dolphin, I like your teeth, after this we can go swim around the reef." But he's also been brought up on land so is torn between two worlds; imagine the depressing scene of his big date with a new love being spoilt when she takes him to a seafood restaurant. And we all enjoyed The Other Guys so this film re-teams Wahlberg with Will Ferrell. Ferrell as Aquman's Arch Nemesis Black Manta. (Think his voice work as The Black Knight in Family Guy). There is no way this can't be a massive hit.
Mark Wahlberg is a Navy Seal. A human Navy Seal. Not an actual seal. His entire life revolves around being in the Navy, like The Village People.And he is the best, the hardest, the toughest man who ever chose to enter that field. But then Mark Wahlberg's dad invents robots and they replace all armed forces. Wahlberg has been torn away from the one thing he can do, that which he loves to do, what he feels he was made to do. Bitter, resenting the man who never understood him, Wahlberg lives alone his robot resentment festering until he can no longer take it. Wahlberg goes out and proves that man is and always will be superior to machine by eliminating every one of his metallic brothers. He fights robots. And what have I decided to call this groundbreaking, gut wrenching masterpiece, He Fights Robots.
Mark Wahlberg is a museum curator. Bear with me. He's opening up a new exhibit with recently uncovered artifacts. But as he looks over one of the tablets he is sent back in time to Ancient Greece. Once in Ancient Greece he becomes an abacus salesman and...Honestly this one isn't as fleshed out as the others.
Jesse Eisenberg (who is not Mark Wahlberg) is a smart, young man working an uninvolving desk job for the American government. But when his mother is kidnapped by terrorists Eisenberg has to go undercover and infiltrate the terrorist cell by performing in a battle of the bands. Can this straitlaced guy learn how to ROCK hard enough to progress sin the battle of the bands and get close to the people who kidnapped his mother?
Quentin Tarantino. Heroes for Hire. Part Jackie Brown, part Kill Bill, all awesomeness. I have no plot for this, it's all Tarantinos. Just putting the idea out there. HINT, HINT
A reimagining of classic Grimm fairy tale The Elves and the Shoemaker starring Natalie Portman. Natalie Portman is the most talented cobbler in all the nearby towns however whilst her shoes are exquisite, her generosity prevents her from charging their true worth. And so she scrapes by, known throughout the land for her cobbling and her kindness even in the face of poverty. One day the Princess requests that Natalie Portman make her the finest shoes by the next day an almost impossible task. Portman toils away all night fearing she won't finish in time and eventually tiredness sweeps over her and she slumbers at her work bench. She is woken up by the sound of the Princess outside demanding her shoes and Natalie panics thinking they are not complete, but they soon discover that all the shoes have magically been finished. Portman discovers that when she leaves her leather out over night shoes will be made by the morning and then one night she waits up to catch who has been making the shoes. She discovers they are the work of a young elf man. They talk and she curiously follows him back to his elven kingdom. After at first being held captive by Pixies and then escaping with the help of the young elf we discover that Natalie Portman's amazing shoe making ability is actually because she is the lost Elf Princess. Natalie can now make shoes all she wants and never have to worry about poverty again as she brings peace, prosperity and loveliness to Elf, Human and Pixie kingdoms. If you don't think this is the best idea for a film ever then I'm not sure what has laid its eggs in your brain.
Nic Cage is a fortune teller from a long line of Romani but one who doesn't believe in the mysticism. He operates as a charlatan and con man until one day he is possessed by the spirit of a man he had previously fraudulently read the fortune of. The Man was part of the government's secret mysticism agency and so Cage is sucked into a battle against Incan mummies constantly flicking between his lazier side and his wild possessed side. The film is called Inca Tailor/Soldier Spy.
Twilight. But with Bears.

And that's the end of that mess. You may thank me in person with some sort of dessert or photograph of Ryan Gosling. Slightly more serious post about the play next time and then I'm sure insanity will prevail for future installments.

If aliens were to ever invade the first thing they'd target would be this P.S. Section

A few weeks ago I was talking about wanting to redesign the blog and make a new banner over on Twitter (and thus Facebook because I've synced them together so that the people who follow me on both feel like they're trapped in a cave with me so that every moronic thing I utter because I lack self control echoes around them). Friend-DOS picked up on this and made me an awesome banner. You may see this up at the top of the blog in the future.
My lovely friends at Orpheos Productions have just put up their newest project. Three dramatic readings of short stories. I strongly suggest you check out the material they're producing because it's always interesting. They ridiculously credit me as Associate Director because I helped out a little with a part of the project and as much as that means to me I wouldn't want anyone to think that the hard work and end result was all theirs.
On my way home a man walked past me wearing a hat shaped like a bears head. I was stunned and very close to stopping in my tracks and saying "You are not LaBoeuf". But reconsidered after realising he may not have seen True Grit yet.

Links (Nicht Recht)

2011-02-03T16:45:00.000Z

I've just started up the website for my production company www.sigilclub.co.uk so most of the promotion for Stripped will be over there. Including the cast interviews I'm going to be putting up for the next few weeks. If you haven't already looked at my site, please do and read my interview with Tim Nolan which includes things like this:

What other effects does being in the chorus have? Do you create intricate back stories for each individual, create a caricature for each line or focus on making each one as different as possible?

It’s interesting to see what you can infer about a character from one line of dialogue. Then it’s a matter of putting that into the performance. With the right inflection, the delivery of a simple “No!” can convey to the audience my years of military service, my collection of curious beans and my passion for the novels of August Derleth. It’s all in the eyebrows.

Is the book of fate a draft?

2011-01-26T10:23:00.001Z

I'm not a very good writer, but I'm an excellent rewriter. ~James Michener

I’ve always found rewriting an odd process. Not just in the sense that writing, (sitting alone or pacing round a room talking to oneself and making up stories to explore oneself and humanity as a whole) isn’t odd. But that I’m not entirely sure how I rewrite. Or that my method and amount of rewriting changes depending on the project.

There are however a couple of things that remain consistent in the rewriting process. The first is based on the unconscious, natural gestation of a script. Sometimes after having an idea it will be months before I start writing it. In that time I think about the plot, the structure, sometimes interesting lines pop up and I’ll jot a few things down for reminders but won’t start scripting. By the time I sit down and write that project it will have gone around in my head so much that I will have weeded out a few bad ideas, plot problems and the like and be left with a good place to start. I’m not sure whether this counts as rewriting or prewriting. I’m rewriting the idea and the basis as it exists in a more flexible, ethereal form but prewriting the script.

The second consist rewrite is due to my writing method. I tend to write in a notepad (well, a few notepads, slips of paper, email drafts and my ipod. Basically whatever is at hand, but that’s usually a notepad) before typing it up. At this point I’ll rewrite dialogue that doesn’t sound right, fill in some gaps, cut things, and move lines around. It’s not so much an active rewrite but a more comprehensive…write.

This is where things get a little more complicated

When I read over The Quest for Beauty I can’t tell what’s from the initial write and what’s from any rewrite. I’m not entirely sure what my rewriting process was on Q4B. I was really young and inexperienced and may not have sat down to rewrite, but maybe tighten and clean up what was there. It could have been as simple as “Add a joke to this bit”

The Soul Pilgrimage on the other hand has had massive rewrites between notepad and typed script. Then I changed a lot. And when it came to a new draft I obliterated total scenes and rewrote entirely new ones, as well as rewriting large chunks of dialogue in others. For Stand-Up Comics I’ve written a full script which had massive problems and so have started again and my second draft will have nothing in common with the first. I’m now even thinking about creating an entirely different third draft. What comes out at the end might be some experimental chimera of all three scripts.

This brings me to Stripped, which is the product of both rewriting styles. Looking Through my notepad I can see my initial plan, the initial dialogue which is almost word for word the finished product and then later, the rough drafts of the bits I needed to add in for extra depth, to tie things together or to replace what wasn’t working. However once the script was typed up I never sat down and actively wrote another draft. I’m sure I’ve changed lines and was drafting in my notepad/ipod for such a long time that it has changed a fair amount. I just can’t see where. Please don’t get me wrong, I’m not boasting about this. I would have like to have done a rewrite; I probably would have ended up with a better product. But I got caught up in the momentum; of contacting the theatre, running auditions and other things in my life. And so in just under a month the script performed will be almost exactly the script I finished many months ago and people read to audition.

Apart from one scene.

There’s a scene at the end of the play I was rewriting last night. It was the second time I’ve felt that I’ve had to actively sit down and rewrite the scene. I think because of its proximity to the end I initially rushed it, to get my point out and finish the script, resulting in a weaker scene. After the read-through it became apparent that the scene needed rewriting, the protagonist needed to be a bit more proactive and to come to a conclusion himself, it was a bit too Deux Ex Machina. So I rewrote it with that in mind and also because I’m playing the character opposite Kris for this scene I rewrote my character slightly to fit my portrayal. The result of this rewrite made the scene snappier and I thought it was working until yesterday when I decided that though HE reaches a conclusion himself, he gets there too quickly. I’d made the change I wanted but it hadn’t occurred naturally; hence a further rewrite with a few more emotional beats. Last night’s rewrite was also prompted by what Kris has been doing in rehearsals; he’s been crafting such a good, subtle performance that he deserved a better ending than I had given him. It also allowed me to tailor the script to me and Kris, to play off how we perform and interact which if I’ve done it right should strengthen the performance and idea behind the scene.

I question my willingness to change this scene above the others. I do think it’s a pivotal, important scene that needed to be handled right. I also believe that every scene should face as much scrutiny; so was this scene particularly weak or have I just been more comfortable in making the changes because I’m the one who’s put out with the line changes rather than my actors?

I think the performing script is good and hopefully the changes we solidify tonight will just accentuate that quality. But I guess you can only tell if it works if you come and see for yourself. Until that initial moment of audience reaction Stripped remains in my mind as a testament to my odd style of rewriting which according to this blog post is “when it is most convenient”.

Stripped (Or telling you what you already know)

2011-01-18T12:21:00.011Z

My first post of Twenty-eleven (I've been busy with meetings, writings, workings, rehearsings and eatings) and it's a post of shameless self promotion.

I've mentioned it before but this is the big blogpost announcement of Stripped at The Hen and Chickens Theatre, 109 St Pauls Road, Islington N1 2NA.

(Click for embiggening)

Tickets can be purchased from http://Tinyurl.com/Strippedtkt and going there will also give a bit more information about the show. We also have a facebook event for the show and a page for our production company so feel free to check those out.

The blurb over on those pages describes the show as "an absurdist comedy from an ensemble cast, combining witty dialogue, mime and physical theatre to create a unique view of life, death, sex and cheese." which I guess is about right. Berkoff is a big influence this time around so expect moments of exaggerated movement and people pulling weird faces. For those of you who saw The Quest for Beauty I can say that the dialogue in this is similar to Q4B at its snappiest; there's less moments of long text and just as much word play.Though there's no central clown this time out (yes I've negated the concept of Death to a clown) so the humour is driven by the frustrations of a normal guy forced to interact with bizarre exaggerated caricatures.

It's the kind of project that relies heavily on the range of the actors. And I'm lucky enough to have some amazing actors in this production who are comfortably trying out new things, surprising me with interpretations and showing how funny they can be as a range of characters. When I plug this show it isn't out of some desire for people to revel in my words, but because there are currently seven actors working very hard and creating something really entertaining that I feel deserves to be seen.

That's my piece for now. There's still quite a bit of time left and I hope to do some interesting things on here as we run up to the show. But if I don't get to and you miss hearing from me, you'll know where I'll be every night for one week in February, so come down, enjoy yourself and maybe we can have a drink afterwards.

Now if you'll excuse me I have to cut some foam boards into frames.

So that was 2010

2010-12-30T20:12:00.005Z

2010 is over? How did that happen? It feels like hardly any time has passed since I was writing up my “That was 2009” post. That’s probably because I never bother to blog any more. Ah, 2010, the year self deprecating humour became fashionable, it did, believe me, you have to. Because I’m cool.

I know I started the year with the photo-a-day thing going on, which has obviously petered off halfway through the year. Some of you may see this as a failure, that I did not achieve my goal. Let me remind you that my intention was to do whatever Friend-Robin was doing but better and with hats. Robin fell off the photo wagon just before me so if we look at all the facts sensibly and scientifically I win because I am the best person in the world. WITH HATS.

I went into 2010 (pronounced Twenty-Ten) full of gusto and after seeing the 60s Batman movie on TV January 1^st claimed 2010 would be 2010BestYearEver. In many ways I think 2010 has lived up to that bombastic, optimistic title; it’s the first time I’ve been employed for the entire year, and whilst it isn’t the most thrilling of occupations a steady job is nothing to sneer at. Jackie got into Med School this year and some things have really turned around for friends of ours. Plus I’ve pretty much settled into living in London, finding time to go back home and visit old friends whilst really being comfortable with new friends here. It hasn’t all been amazing; this was the year my Grandfather passed away, an event both tragic and comforting, that allowed all of my family to convene for the first time in almost thirty years. I know others have lost people close to them this year as well and I hope they’re okay. Mostly though, it’s been a good year and I can’t believe how much I’ve managed to fit in.

It started with a bang as in those first weeks we were staging our performance of The Quest for Beauty at the Hen and Chickens. It was terrifying getting in there at first, cleaning the curtain, finding space for everything and rigging the lights ourselves in that intense amount of time before the first show. The lights in particular being a bit of a challenge with the only two experienced people being myself and Dan-the two leads- often having me on the ladder to light him then switching places. Opening night was also the first night of London’s heavy snow driving away potential audience for the first week. But by the time we were into our second week, past the night where the fire alarm went off we had hit our stride, making audiences laugh and care and surprisingly breaking even. I think it’s taken me almost a year to truly appreciate just how special that show was, how things just seemed to click and work when they really shouldn’t; a ragtag performance from the inexperienced in a very niche show creating something that surprised a lot of people. I’m proud of everyone involved for achieving something they didn’t think they could do, for putting a lot of effort and talent into the show and for putting up with me. And more than anything else I’m thankful for the people and experiences it brought into my life.

We’re hoping to do something similar again this year with the previously teased Stripped. That’s still a little bit away but I’ve put together a few of the special Q4B cast with some amazing new people to create something absurd and very different to before but again something that will hopefully surprise a lot of people.

I wrote a lot this year. Stripped was pretty much entirely this year, I did a moderately extensive rewrite of The Soul Pilgrimage (Quest for Beauty companion piece) as well as a few SUC shorts, one and a half drafts of potential Camden Fringe thing, a short Sci-Fi-Spy film script that will never get filmed and a ten-minute monologue for an upcoming Orpheos project. I’m even thinking ahead of 2011 and am plotting my first 2012 project (basically finally doing something with Highwaymen).

And lo we come to the real reason I do this summary: Films. I’m not sure why I include everything else in my life; it just seems mean to only state that films have influence over me. Though I’m probably only fooling myself. I didn’t manage to see 52 films from this year, but an annual membership to the Prince Charles Cinema means I’ve seen a lot more “classics” with the Con/Air/Face/Off double bill probably being my favourite experience at the cinema this year.

Okay so I’ve compiled a list of every film I’ve seen this year into some sort of order. As with every other year this is the list as of the moment I publish the post, it can and will change any other time you ask me because some films fight for power depending on the mood I’m in or if I’ve recently re-watched them. Other films may change place in the list because I care so little about them to rank them properly. But here it is:

Toy Story 3
The Social Network
Inception
Scott Pilgrim
Up in the Air
Four Lions
Kick Ass
Bad Lieutenant
Cemetery Junction
A Single Man
Buried
Shutter Island
Black Dynamite
The Brothers Bloom
MicMacs
Iron Man 2
Whip It
Chico and Rita
I Love you Phillip Morris
Tron: Legacy
Ponyo
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
The Princess and the Frog
Crazy Heart
Monsters
Red
Youth in Revolt
Burke and Hare
Hot Tub Time Machine
The Road
Extract
Due Date
The Book of Eli
Death at A Funeral
The Lovely Bones
Alice in Wonderland
The Losers
The Expendables
Robin Hood
The Wolfman

Toy Story 3 takes the top spot because more than a lot of the other films high up on the list it made me care and it had some real emotional catharsis. I’ve clearly gone soft this year and value the ability of computer generated toys to make me cry, over huge spectacle and zippy dialogue. Because whilst I was impressed by both Inception and The Social Network, when I was sitting in the cinema watching Toy Story 3 I was moved, I was excited and I really enjoyed that experience. Scott Pilgrim was intense and satisfying to witness and Up in the Air sucked me in (possibly due to broken heating in January adding to the snowy scenes in the film---heat adjusted films are much more impressive than 3D) and it’s their hold over me as a powerful cinematic experience that puts them high up that list.

Jackie and I got to see Joshua Radin live this year. It was a last minute decision; I keep putting off seeing him with a larger audience, worried that the lack of closeness and familiarity will somehow make the music lose its appeal. I had been feeling ill that day so we stayed at the edge of the venue but still had a great time. Third show I’ve seen of his, third completely different experience, the cosy atmosphere replaced with something vibrant and exciting as everyone sings along to the new rockier songs and knows when to shut up and let him belt out a chorus away from the microphone. Clearly moved past the depression of the last time Jackie and I saw him, having learnt and realised what he loves doing crafting an enjoyable and moving show in the process.

Comic books are always awesome and the comic books of 2010 were no exception to that. Books I’ve enjoyed or mentioned in the past like The Unwritten, The Boys, New Avengers and Phonogram continued to be good, had a resurgence of brilliance or ended brilliantly. S.W.O.R.D. however never got the chance to shine and just like Phonogram was too good for this world. Daytripper from Bá and Moon was gorgeous and poignant; being able to meet them and tell them as such being one of the highlights of my year. We had the final instalment of Scott Pilgrim, a book that remained funny but managed to tie everything up in a way that made the book mean something more; that shattered some of your previous beliefs about characters and the story in such a way that it forces one to examine those characters and what they found relatable in the first place. It’s a book about people in their twenties growing up that makes you grow up. Grant Morrison’s output, specifically Joe the Barbarian and his work on Batman has lead to me raving about single issues, story lines, concepts and ideas to Jackie for far longer than she should have to tolerate. They’ve generated excitement and wonder and Batman dressing up as a cowboy. The only thing I’ve probably spoken about or read more than Batman would be Fraction’s work on Iron Man. Whilst Invincible Iron Man has been consistently good; a testament to comics’ ability to condense story, to show and tell, to do great character moments and blow stuff up, the real pinnacle of the work was the annual. I’ve read it five times now and at almost seventy pages it isn’t a short comic.

Powering blindly towards the end of my yearly review of the year that has passed, (I should always refer to these things as that) and for some reason I feel compelled to talk about even more things. I’ve had a lot more time this year to play video games like the crushing disappointment and oddly addictive grind that was Final Fantasy XXIII which I managed to finish just before the gleeful, bright, jubilance of Super Mario Galaxy 2. I still find myself coming back to Beatles: Rockband because it’s something both Jackie and I can enjoy together and because by focusing on it intensely enough, playing it for an entire day I managed to summon Paul McCartney to the cinema. (If that isn’t evidence of chaos magic, I’m not sure what is). Wii Party has also been a bit of fun when we’ve played in big groups. Plus it has a game where you take photos of a dog, and I am completely serious when I tell you that if there was an entire game based around taking photos of a cute dog I would spend possibly my entire life on it.

Last year I said I enjoyed writing 2010 because it felt like I was living in the future. Now I can’t help shake the feeling that I’ve lived through the future. I have no idea what that means 2011 will be. The futurer? Something after that? Something timeless and new and malleable? Or something just as good as 2010 but with more robots? I’m just hoping to ride the wave of 2010 and maybe focus things a bit more. And with more robots.

I honestly hope I'm wrong about this

2010-12-22T11:28:00.005Z

Earlier this year just as the Camden fringe was ending and Stripped was starting its long preproduction process I’ve become trapped inside, I thought up what I wanted to do at the Camden fringe 2011. It was a bit different, not traditionally bankable but something I knew I would love. Whilst doing Stripped I've been writing the script, meeting a self imposed deadline and am surprisingly in a redraft. It's been a nice process, a little on the backburner whilst I worried about Stripped because the fringe was something I didn't have to worry about. I had my idea; all I needed to do was apply in the new year. It was something I could rely on.

Now we all know that in theatre the second you begin to plan around and rely on something is when worlds begin to rearrange themselves creating the chain of events eventually unfurling in the chaos of ruined plans.

When I read that the applications for 2011 were “changing” I had a gut feeling that it would not be for the better. Granted I'm talking from my point of view and there will be people who disagree with me. Though I suspect most of those people will be wanting to make money.

To summarise the changes as I see them: where you used to apply to the Fringe Organisers you now apply to individual theatres. Tickets can now be between £5 and £15 not £7.50 across the board.

Where once I could apply, (not even requiring a script) and sit back to concentrate on Stripped I now will now need a proper pitch to give to separate theatres (because no doubt I'll get snubbed by some) which I will need to research to ensure the space is suitable. I'll need to have it sorted out before everyone else to make sure I don't lose out to the early bird.

I'm not just annoyed at the extra work I had allowed myself to believe I could avoid but I disagree with the changes on a philosophical level.

The Camden fringe was an event taking place at the same as Edinburgh but highlighting the unique things the London fringe theatre scene had to offer. An event where everyone was equal and the usual politics of theatre didn't apply.

Now I have to question the theatre bookers. If they have applications come in from a company they know, who have successfully put on a show before in that space, or a new company with something less bankable or a person doing a quiz (love that someone did this) who are they going to choose? Furthermore will they book a person charging the usual £7.50 or someone charging £15 who they think they'll make more money from? Will some companies begin charging £5 to undercut everyone else? We’re about to see this transformation from unity and creativity to ruthless competition.

The ticket price issue also adds another layer of detail that production companies have to address. We now have to dwell over what we’re going to charge; do I run the risk of pricing myself too high and have people prefer to see a cheaper show, if I price too low do I look cheap or making huge losses? It’s not the worst thing in the world, we do it every other time we put on a show, but I was looking forward to not having that decision to make.

What’s more is, in a way it defeats the object and the drive of the event to get new things shown. If I’m going to apply this year I’ll have to do everything I’d normally do when trying to get theatre space for a show, only I’ll be paying extra just to be a part of “The Fringe”. Essentially paying for “Brand Recognition” or an advertising opportunity, rather than to be part of a collective theatre movement.

The worry is that these changes have been made based on how to make the most money and not what is best artistically. Yes, I am speaking out of personal trepidation for how my potential show could be affected by these changes. But if the changes cause a lack of confidence in the organisers then I think the concern is justified.

It's easy to summarise the effects of the rule changes. They'll make it more like the Edinburgh Fringe. Not that there's anything wrong with Edinburgh or that it's lacking any individuality or integrity. But Edinburgh already exists we don’t need a smaller one.

All Star Superman Changed my Life.

2010-12-21T20:17:00.015Z

Last night I came out of the bathroom (not an important detail but an accurate one) exclaiming to Jackie “But the thing is All Star Superman changed my life”. If you’re bemused by this as an opening statement rest assured that she was as well.It was in part a reference to conversation from earlier in the night which I felt had been lacking. Please note that I do not tend to return home after spending time with compatriots critiquing the quality of our cherished time together. I am however rather compulsive and paranoid and will on occasion question over and over and over and over again why certain things may have been said, if there was a deeper meaning to a person’s comment, or if the lull/ moment of silence was caused by an hidden hatred or annoyance at one of my unusual quirks that someone is too polite to point out and that I am too rude to not notice how aggravating it is. Last night was one of these nights in which as much as Jackie tried steering the conversation in different directions I kept yanking it back to my wonderment of why my conversation with one person in particular was limited. “But we clearly have a lot in common, are both nice, open people and yet I don’t have the excessive verbose conversations I do with others. We merely note the similar interests or touch upon a subject never dealing deeper, never connecting. Why? Maybe they don’t actually like me. “

“Of course they like you Michael, They talk to you”

“But they have to. Perhaps they feel forced or tapped by my continuous attempts to engage with them”

“There were a lot of people, talking to just you would be unsocial.”

“But people can have smaller, intimate conversations before involving everyone else. So: Why? Maybe I’m annoying”

“You’re definitely annoying”

Okay. That’s not verbatim. And Jackie wouldn’t end with such cutting dialogue in my fragile state.

Still I thought it over. Still I dwelled on reasons why I was so insistent on forging a more meaningful relationship with this person compared to their slightly more cavalier attitude and I stumbled upon something I hadn’t quite thought of before.

I have changed.

Okay. I have had that thought before. Usually when putting on clothes. Haha. SIGH. We’re always growing and changing as people. I’m sure I’ve written previous navel gazing blogs about it before, and yet here we are again with me writing whatever is in my head and thus the most important thing in the world.

But the thing is All Star Superman changed my life. Or I got over the depression and anger and things that plagued me a few years ago at a similar time to Grant Morrison’s magical comic about hope and positivity. Believe what you will. I have changed though that’s for sure. Maybe it’s because of a Superman comic or maybe it’s because since pushing through the depression three years ago I have made some very good new friends, friends who I not only enjoy the company of but who share interests and can spend hours talking to and most of all who care. I have chased my dream of writing and am doing it whilst holding down a solid job. And I have someone I see every day, who I love and who does everything in her power to make sure I am okay. Being in this position has completely changed my outlook on the world and my initial interactions with people. It’s no secret that I used to hate people en masse, before getting to know people I would presume the worst. That they wouldn’t understand me and that being in the torture of my life coupled with my intelligence, I was somehow better than them. (I call these the Luthor Years) And now, I realised last night I legitimately love them. Every single person out there has the scope to do something amazing, every single person I meet has something unique about them for me to learn and enjoy and until I learn otherwise every single one of them deserves my time.

The people I was with last night were my friends, my actors, the people who have given up their time and effort and energy for my work. I love these people for everything they’re doing for me and in return I want to make sure they get everything out of it that they want, that they really enjoy themselves, I want to help them with any problem they have (play related or not). I want to save them all.

Some people probably think the idea of placing Superman as ones dreamself, the pinnacle of the good human, the idyllic figure to live up to is ridiculous. Of course I can’t save the world, of course I can’t save everyone; but what’s the harm in trying? I know not everyone can see things my way, or even wants to and I don’t think I’m any better than people who don’t. But coming from hell and darkness I can say that things can be better and there are people who love you. Things have been far from perfect these past three years for me but I’m in a better place now, with great people. I owe some of these people so much and if I have the power to do anything for them I will. The only problem appears to be when my new found philosophy is not shared by all and thus my very caring and positive thoughts are not always initially reciprocated, leading to self doubt and worry over minutia and the fact that THIS PERSON DOESN’T LOVE ME LIKE I LOVE THEM BECAUSE I AM SUPERMAN.

Given my obvious admiration for metatextual stories with multiple levels and deeper meanings one would think this blog would have a point. Right, so...the point is, All Star Superman is good and it’s nice to be nice? But maybe it’d be better to come up with a philosophy that isn’t insane.
(I came so close to titling this "ASS Changed My Life. Or: Anal Worries")

(I find it ‘interesting’ that I was actually wearing a Superman T-Shirt yesterday. The S super-sigil clearly affecting the way I viewed things in my tired state. And my rambling today has prompted me to find and send This Grant Morrison interview to friend Tim.)

In a world, I’m reliably told, that’s going to the dogs, the real mischief, the real punk rock rebellion, is a snarling, ‘fuck you’ positivity and optimism. Violent optimism in the face of all evidence to the contrary is the Alpha form of outrage these days. It really freaks people out.

-Grant Morrison

Unfair to call what I do Pro-motion. Maybe amateur-motion

2010-12-03T11:33:00.001Z

Depending on how well you know me, you may well be aware that I’m a “writer” (If you don’t know me very well, you should try to get to know me intimately with chocolate and robots). A “writer” In that, like many people throughout this wide world, I think the things I think are so good that other people should think about them too. In my case they usually take the form of plays and I’m producing a new play to be performed in February 2011.

As I say, if you know me quite well, follow me on twitter or follow me around my house, you may have noticed me being very vague about the play; that I am rehearsing and directing but not really getting too many details. I haven’t been entirely forthright with information as I think it’s a good idea to have all sides of promotion ready to go at once; to have a plan rather than slowly doing little things over a longer period of time for people to forget. We go live with my poster, facebook page, website/flyer blurb and all the rather boring but time consuming stuff very soon. It’s been a bit of a slog this year though. I’ve struggled with the right image, tagline, even title to use that I think will appeal to people and get across what we want it to.

I guess I find promoting oneself is hard; I don’t like telling people how great I am, I know better than anyone how untrue that is. But it has to be done and if I’m going to do it I’m going to try and do it to the best of my ability. My ability not really being too great when it comes to art (The poster will have stick men. Seriously.) Plus I tend to find that what I think sounds great doesn’t necessarily appeal to the masses.

A New play by Michael Eckett. It’s like a soothing siren luring you into the jagged rocks of absurd hilarity.

A New Play by Michael Eckett. Like a Majestic Dragon God is making love to your eyeballs.

I was discussing this with good friend and cast member Tim yesterday, who is already very aware of the almost crippling trouble I’ve had with coming up with a tagline for the damn thing. He told me “Michael.” Which I thought was very apt as it’s my name. “Michael. If you’re not promoting yourself, you’re demoting yourself”. I said “That’s so smart. It’s like something Kanye West would say”. And how we laughed. But Tim is right. He’s always right. Except for Planetary, he should read more Planetary it is very good.

So yes, I should be ready to promote the play and make it sound as great as I can without losing any of my integrity. But even with the intention of ridiculous crowd-pleasing bombast it’s hard to motivate oneself and find something that isn’t easily ignored. Advertising seems so hollow right now. Every commercial claims the product is life changing, ennui-shattering and giddy-inducing. Every new video game is the most eagerly awaited of the year, or the game of the generation. Everything is apparently a game changer now; which is certainly true if they’re all playing a childish game of one-upmanship. I’M THE BEST NOW!!!!

The other day I saw the Black Eyed Peas advertised on prime time television as “The greatest band in the Universe”. Now. That’s terrifying for a multitude of reasons.

I never got to vote in something as significant as the poll for greatest band in the universe and with a result like this I feel my civil liberties are in great jeopardy.
Or perhaps there was no democratic process, perhaps it is pure filthy lies from the bands promoters and they are not in fact legally the greatest band in the Universe. It’s crazy how people are allowed to make something as important as that up. I don’t go around telling everyone I’m the supreme origami party organiser of all the worlds imaginary and maginary. People will just let a claim like that slide, because they’re used to hearing the exaggeration from everyone else. Ofcom get masses of complaints about two men kissing in a Heinz advert but no one will refute the wild claims of Will.I.Am
And most dangerous is the message it sends out. Not to children, children are smarter than adults; they spend most of their time pretending to be Sea-Lion tamers, explorers of ancient fairy ruins or vets that they understand make believe better than us. It’s dangerous because of the message we’re sending out into space. Black Eyed Peas Greatest Band in the Universe. Just imagine how alien life is going to react to this. First contact will happen as they touch down, Earths leading representatives like Obama and David Beckham waiting to greet them with a huge military force backing them up. The doors open. Back lit Spilberg glow reducing the aliens into nothing more than silhouettes and we hear “Take us to your Black Eyes Peas. We wish to challenge them. TO ROCK”. Our entry in the intergalactic battle of the bands for the dignity (and perhaps survival) of planet Earth is the Black Eyed Peas. And after the embarrassing affair occurs when the aliens think Fergie is the best singer we have to offer or that we approve of them above all other acts on this wonderful world of ours they’ll know what idiots we truly are, leave and never come back. They’ll probably tell all other life to avoid us, to never trade or commune with us. Thus in selling themselves, The Black Eyed Peas have probably inadvertently crippled the scientific progression of mankind.

This is what I think about instead of coming up with proper taglines.

February 22nd-26th Stripped by Michael Eckett is being performed at The Hen and Chickens in London. You’ll hear more about it very soon once I get the go ahead from the theatre to submit my blurb (must write a blurb) and the poster will be up. Hopefully by that point I’ll have a proper tagline because at the moment I’m running with the over the top, non committal “Sexy as Fuck” or the very honest “You’ll probably quite like it”

Stand-Up Comics: Power Girl

2010-11-26T22:34:00.003Z

SUC is my mini sitcom about 2 guys who work in a comic shop and their friend Liz, who is just...there. It's an excuse to practice dialogue and have fun.

No Liz this time around. I was making jokes about "Guy talk" on Twitter earlier today and thought the only thing more embarrassing than me attempting it would be Kris and Liam. It's a bit long, but I like to think of it as complete.

Stand-Up Comics: Power Girl

KRIS: LIAM!

LIAM runs in from the back room swinging something large.

LIAM: Rargh! Stop...Right...What? No one’s taking anything.

KRIS: You took your time.

LIAM: I wanted to grab something to stop our apparently intangible robbers with.

KRIS: It’s the statue of Wolverine.

LIAM: I thought they might see it and be scared it was the real thing.

KRIS: It’s about a foot tall.

LIAM: I’d swing it close to them and in the heat of the moment their depth perception would be messed up. Plus it’s pretty heavy if I actually needed to hit anyone.

KRIS: It’s in bubble wrap.

LIAM: I didn’t want it to get damaged.

KRIS: It’s impossible to argue with you.

LIAM: Because you agree with me?

KRIS: Because you are so very mentally damaged you can’t understand normal human thought processes.

LIAM: So why the yelling? Is someone hurt? No, you’re not manically smiling and covered in blood. Are you mad with me? Did you find my hoard of Miracle Man comics? I’m not hiding them I just don’t want anyone to buy them before I can afford them all.

KRIS: No; it’s a code pink.

LIAM: Oh. Girl in the store. Does that really require the drama though? They’re just humans with slightly less damaged DNA.

KRIS: Now you see that, and I see them as the same targets of hatred as men but with nails I have to keep an eye on. But to these deviants of repressed sexuality and ancient rejection, she is something mythical. Girl in the comic store; like a flower blooming on a frozen mountain or a mint condition golden age comic. Just another object to collect.

LIAM: I dunno, geeks tend to be good to their collectibles. They’re provided good support, attempts to reduce damage...wrapped tightly in plastic.

KRIS: But they’ll bug them and drool and smell them. We need to keep them back. Maybe the Wolverine statue was a good idea, it will confuse them sexually.

LIAM: Yeah, the weak, little girls need us to protect them from the misogynists.

KRIS: Quiet you. Don’t confuse me with viewpoints. I just don’t want the store subjected to hormones, fights or stains.

LIAM: Well I’ll keep a look out but I think we’ll be fine. She’s just a girl.

KRIS: Earlier she made a joke about Spider-man’s marriage ending because of all the swinging.

LIAM: Huh. That’s quite good. She’s still only a girl with a sense of humour.

KRIS: Yeah. Just a pretty girl with a sense of humour.

LIAM: Was it an in your face joke? Was she after attention?

KRIS: No. Just to please herself I guess.

LIAM: That’s nice, I like that.

KRIS: She’s picking up The Invisibles. That’s cool, you definitely don’t see many people round here after that now.

LIAM: And she’s put that out of place book back on the rack. Her adventurous nature lies between the hold of strong rules and organisation.

KRIS: Well she just saved me work and has good taste. I think I don’t hate her.

LIAM: She has a nice smile.

KRIS: I guess. They’re not fashioned into fangs so there’s that.

LIAM: Yeah. Makes me forget about everything else; like only the fact that she’s smiling matters.

KRIS: I hope she doesn’t steal anything.

LIAM: I would chase after her. I’m sure my feet will be able to move eventually.

KRIS: She does seem nice.

LIAM: Oh yes, very nice. Friendly

KRIS: Definitely friendly. Friends are nice.

LIAM: We should; we should try to keep her around.

KRIS: Yes. Don’t mess that up. If I never see her again I know it will be your fault and you’ll never see anything again.

LIAM: I won’t. She’s nice.

KRIS: Very nice.

LIAM: Wait. That’s the boyfriend?

KRIS: That can’t be the boyfriend. He’s bald and has the eyes of a lethargic shrew.

LIAM: I’m better than that guy, right?

KRIS: You’re lovely. Like a shrew who’s just been given a cake.

LIAM: Thanks. You’re better too. Were I a woman I’d find you burly and reassuring.

KRIS: Thank you.

LIAM: But h---Well he has bandages on his fingers.

KRIS: Maybe he tames wild animals.

LIAM: And glow in the dark bracelets. He’s clearly no good for her. He’s looking at Mark Millar comics!

KRIS: New or old?

LIAM: New!

KRIS: It is a dark path she follows him down.

LIAM: I hate him.

KRIS: I hate him too. He must be eliminated.

LIAM: Oh yeah. I would be so much better for her. I would craft tales of endless joy and deep exploration from our time together.

KRIS: I would kill you for her. Not just fight. But kill you.

LIAM: I believe it.

KRIS: She’s just my type.

LIAM: You have a type?

KRIS: Exactly.

LIAM: No. Dude. We have to remain professional.

KRIS: Professional.

LIAM: People carrying out a profession.

KRIS: Providing her a service.

LIAM: Stop it. We’re at work. She’s a customer. And we can’t scare her away. I know it’s hard.

KRIS: Very hard.

LIAM: She seems lovely, with all her good jokes, her black hole smile, the way light seems to bend around her creating some form of multicoloured haze.

KRIS: We could laugh together at the people less happy than we.

LIAM: And get lost in the deep conversation of our shared interests.

KRIS: She’s nice.

LIAM: Young though. Must be twenty-one.

KRIS: Holy crazy assumption Batman. There’s no way you can tell that.

LIAM: That’s the University hoodie they give away at graduation in this year’s colours. SO unless she is a mature student or skipped a year she’s 21.

KRIS: That’s seriously creepy.

LIAM: Yeah. That’s exactly the kind of scary thing we should avoid.

KRIS: Her hair is lovely. His hat is stupid. I hate him.

LIAM: She’s young. All girls are like this; they go out with the wild guys with bad taste in comics and grow out of it.

KRIS: So what? We keep her around, act professional and be there for when she grows out of it? Again creepy.

LIAM: When you say it that way.

KRIS: Twenty-One though. Maybe I’m too old.

LIAM: Oh Kris. You are too old. But I am not.

The GIRL comes over with comics

Welcome to Stand-Up Comics. I’m standing and you appear to have comics.

KRIS: Kid that’s terrible.

LIAM: I know. I’m hoping it’s like a bear and if we ignore it it’ll go away.

GIRL: Okay. Could you put those in a bag for me?

LIAM: Sure.

KRIS: I will put them in a bag for you. I’m the more senior member of staff, I’m strong and droll whilst my embarrassing counterpart is slow witted and cries at Disney movies. Not that I’m insensitive; sometimes I look at photos of cats and not just cats stuck in things.

GIRL: That’s a lot of information.

LIAM: We’re full of information.

KRIS: We know many things. Things that may be of use to you.

GIRL: What?

LIAM: Like if you couldn’t find a book you were after we might have a copy in the back.

KRIS: Or can order it in for you.

LIAM: Our comics knowledge in unsurpassable. You could say we’re like Fourth World Mother boxes. Except you wouldn’t say that. Because it’s stupid.

GIRL: Well this has been fun guys.

LIAM: Come again.

KRIS: Soon.

LIAM: Or maybe don’t leave.

GIRL: Bye.

KRIS: She said it was fun.

LIAM: It was fun wasn’t it? We have fun together.

KRIS: Oh yes. She clearly likes us, did you see how she smiled.

LIAM: Smiling. Fluttering eyelashes.

KRIS: Or possibly odd blinking.

LIAM: It was definitely a comfortable and friendly, yet professional, time for all involved.

KRIS: I bet she wishes we could do it again.

LIAM: Oh how I could talk with her about comics and the world, and wildlife and cosmos and the metaphysical nature of Superman as a life enduring story form for the rest of our lives together.

KRIS: She did buy a couple of X-men comics though.

LIAM: Could you not look past it?

KRIS: I would try. But eventually it may come out that I hated X-men.

LIAM: And you’d been bottling it all up.

KRIS: Our first argument.

LIAM: What else would you keep from her?

KRIS: I couldn’t take that lack of trust.

LIAM: She’d probably grow tired of me.

KRIS: Maybe I’d start to lash out.

LIAM: Get fed up of my daydreaming.

KRIS: Hurt her before she could hurt me.

LIAM: I wouldn’t be able to live up to her expectations. And she’d leave without any warning.

KRIS: She’s just like all them all. Fiery temptress.

LIAM: Sweet on the outside but twisted and cold on the inside.

KRIS: And I thought she was nice.

LIAM: Should I unwrap Wolverine?

KRIS: I think that would be best.