The Penguin

I've been brooding over the Star Wars universe recently, for no particular reason. What I find really fascinating is the political potentials of the storiy, and the discrepancies between the concept and the execution in the various films. I'm not much for preamble, so I'll jump right in: The Jedi Council What I'm addressing here is the first three movies - burned-over territories, to be sure. Probably more intense discussion has been inspired by the disappointments of Episodes I-III than the triumphs of the original trilogy. And one of the most tepid, mishandled elements of these three episodes, in my mind, was the Jedi Council. Basically we have a bunch of old men/aliens sitting around, being robotic and uptight, so poorly directed and written that even Samuel L. Jackson looks like he's in a bad Christmas pageant. In Episode I especially, we have Qui-gon Jin being upbraided for doing...something he wasn't supposed to? Are we supposed to get the impression h...

Wow. Just released Louie, Kid Prodigy #1, and only a week late! It was good, though, that I took that extra week - there was no way I could've gotten all the little details figured out and fixed up. I've never done a full-color comic before, so it was sort of a crash course. I think it turned out very well, all things considered. And now I've got a bunch of new strategies under my belt (special thanks to Christie Hans of Orc Quest for showing me the "point" system in Photoshop! Saved hours of coloring), so LKP #2 should be a (relative) breeze... Right now I'm enjoying that muzzy-headed relieved feeling that comes after completing a big project on a deadline - it's sort of a pleasantly twitchy boredom, like waking up late for work only to realize it's your day off. You get to snuggle back under the warm covers with an unbearably smug little grin, and fade in and out of consciousness for a while. On a more personal note, I count this as sort of a mi...

A first peek at the interior of Louie, Kid Prodigy #1! Coming to Blind Alley Comics Facebook page Sunday, May 12th at 12 AM! Don't miss it!

Yep. Pushing the release date back to May 12, 12 am. Pretty bummed about it, but what can you do. Here's the promo with the new release date:

Blind Alley Comics is busily working on an all-new, fully-digital two-parter: Louie, Kid Prodigy! It's coming out May first, and it's going to be available only on the BAC Facebook store. Be sure to wait until May 1st and then order your digital copy today (by which I mean May 1st)!! Digitally run, don't walk, be the first of your friends, and don't get trampled by the digital mobs of megabytes or whatever. Just keep an eye out for it.

Blind Alley Comics has finally entered the Digital Age! I've just finished setting up my Blind Alley Comics online store - pdfs of fan favorites for only $1.99. I've yet to announce it on Facebook (some tweaking yet to do...have to figure out how to make it more appealing), but it'll be big. You can pay with credit card, and PayPal handles the transaction. Hopefully we can take the profits from online sales and plow them back into the dry, nutrient-deprived soil of printing hard copies, in order to produce a more fruitful crop of comics in our various retailers. Talk about yer extended metaphor, sheesh...anyway, I'll keep ya posted. Still working on Louie, Kid Prodigy and a brand-spanking-new comic, Die Katze . Rick Out.

Here's a flyer for my friend Rael Andrews and his one-man band, Giygas: Pictured: Metal. I'm nothing if not subtle - do you think I need to take it up a notch? Perhaps our protagonist should ride a big cat with wings. Maybe next time. Rick Out.

I'm a great believer in the idea that religion and politics have no place in polite discussion. I prefer to avoid the subjects if at all possible, because as a rule the person who brings them up has a very definite Opinion to relate, one which precludes any argument because it is the Alpha and Omega of Opinions, and therefore justifies being bellowed at a nausea-inducing volume. It's not just the polarizing effect of Culture-War duckspeak (thanks, Orwell, for such a wonderful term). It's also the internal conundrum: generally I agree with at least part of any argument, liberal or conservative; or I at least understand where the person is coming from and why they might think that way. Instead of offering a counter-argument, I find myself either nodding and smiling or staring at them blankly. Who am I to Lay Some Truth on this so-and-so? I can't even make up my own mind about things. These people have conviction, or at least confidence, whereas I only have a blizzard of...

Oy vey, what a week. Too much partying. Well, for Rick anyway. Went and saw Man Man play at the Loft on Wednesday night; they were awesome, of course, and Honus Honus is a lunatic genius onstage and a laid-back gentleman in person. What else? Oh, I went to Florida for Christmas break. Drove there. Of all the cockamamie ideas. It was one of those, "We'll figure out what to do when we get there" trips, so of course I damn near run out of money, but it was still awesome in its own way - spent New Year's Eve in Key West, and stayed with a friend of a friend on Islamorada Key. Swam in the ocean for the first time in what, thirteen years? Looked at all the cool sea critters, saw an octopus, had a blast. The trip back wasn't so much fun - me and my travel partner had a bit of a falling out. We'll patch things up, I'm sure of it. So! How bout dem comickal books, you ask? Well, me and the Joe were a-settin there figurin', and we reckoned it was 'bout hi...