2011: A Geek Odyssey

First of all, I'm happy to announce that 2011 will see not only our pitch-ready materials for the Ordinary Angels television series, but I'll be joining artist Brian Beardsley to promote Airship Daedalus at Emerald City Comicon in March.  Coinciding with ECC with be the a four-page teaser of Airship Daedalus in Brian Meredith's new pulp anthology comic magazine, Mash Tun.

And then there's stuff like this that makes me all kinds of happy:



As one of my Facebook buddies observed, "Indiana Jones and James Bond in one movie..."  With Ron Howard, Brian Grazer and Steven Spielberg producing.  And Jon Favreau at the helm.

Yes, it will be an effects-laden sausage fest.  But it will be an AWESOME effects-laden sausage fest.

That, plus the Thor and Captain America films (still not sure about Green Lantern) will make 2011 a good time to be a geek!

Loving the Challenge

It's a great feeling to have two very different development projects on the grill and be kicking ass at both of them.  Ordinary Angels is contemporary, collaborative, and incredibly deep, as witnessed by last night's production meeting, wherein Trish, Dan and I fleshed out the climactic two-part episode, weaving together subplots and characters from throughout the five-season arc.  There is no doubt in my mind that the viewer will be satisfied.

Airship Daedalus, by contrast, is just deep enough to inspire me as the writer, while challenging me with the constraints not only of the pulp genre, but also with the sequential format of the comic book.  I started producing my own comics in grade school, moving up to making indie 'zines and comix in the 1980s, and web comics in the late '90s and early '00s.  So I'm no stranger to the format.  It's just very different to be writing for comics again after writing in screenplay and stage play format (not to mention long form narrative fiction) for so long.  Different and very satisfying.

Happy New Year

Happy Celtic New Year/Samhain. 
Also, Feliz Dia de los Muertos.
Also, this happened.  Fun times. 
Also, this happened.  Nice to see, San Francisco.  Well done.

More Pulp

Last month when I went to check out my buddy Brian Meredith's new comic show, the aptly-named Jet City Comic Show, I chatted with another indie comics buddy, Brian Beardsley of Night Rail Press and Studio B Media.  We've known each other for about ten years, and have often chatted about collaborating.  This time, something clicked, eyes widened, plans were made.

The project is based on an old pulp property of mine from the late '80s.  Of course it had its origins as an RPG, but being pulp, it's perfectly suited for the comic book, podcast (radio serial) and web series (film serial) media.  Brian's character studies are already coming in, and I've written the opening 24-page salvo.  Our goal is to deliver a classic two-fisted pulp adventure serial, complete with evil occultist proto-Nazis, zeppelins, ape men and rocket zombies.

Meanwhile, Ordinary Angels series development continues apace.

Stay tuned...

So, Kickboxing is Out...

We attended our first kickboxing class tonight, and within the first 15 minutes of aerobic warm-up (during side-kicks, which makes me chuckle, because I think of Bruce Campbell as Coach Boomer in Sky High), my left knee popped out of joint.  Suddenly I remembered why I don't do impact aerobics, mostly because my knees have looked like this since the 8th grade.

As I wrapped my right foot around my left calf and extended both legs, popping the left knee back in place (a handy little maneuver that always produced a very audible pop and makes Raechelle shudder in horror), I was taken back to a scary time just before Sam died, when I was confronted with the fact that I was way over my ideal weight, and not doing anything to remedy it.  Fortunately I'm already in the active mindset - I just need to be... differently active.  Low impact aerobics: walking swimming, recumbent bike.  The stuff I was doing back in '05 and '06 and '07 that allowed me to slim down and not pop my friggin' knee out at the slightest provocation.

So, kickboxing is out.  Wii boxing is in.

Sigh.

Back to it, young man.

Angels and Geekery

I'm working on the Ordinary Angels series production bible, and I'm learning more about angelic lore than I ever thought I would.  More than I knew existed.  There's some cool stuff in the various apocryphal books of contemporary biblical-era lore.  For instance, bet a lot of my readers didn't know that King Solomon was given a mystical ring that gave him the power to bind and control fallen angels, and he used them as slave labor to build his great temple.  That's some straight-up D&D action right there.

That's right.  The Temple of Solomon, built by demon slave labor.

Who knew??

Speaking of D&D, this ran across my Facebook filter today.  I find it funny because I'm a gamer who loves football, but finds fantasy football somehow geekier than RPGs.

© 2010 Jason "Danger" Block | All Rights Reserved

Talk About a Throne Room

Mrs. Downing sent me this from work today.  It's an actual modern toilet, just made to look like a Renaissance era privy.  Talk about some serious period decor for your castle...

I joked that at the price tag of twelve grand, it should not only wipe and polish in back, it should be sure to give you a happy ending in front.  Too much to ask?  I think not.

And just why is my wife sending me photographs of vintage-looking expensive crappers?  It may have to do with the plan to build up next year, adding on a master suite.  And the girl needs to plan way in advance.  Reason #467.2 why I love her.

UPDATE:  This premise was apparently potent enough with the missus for her to do her own blog post on it.  Well, not "on" it...