Brian Ewing Art Show in LA - check it out if yer local!

BRIAN EWING Art Show 4.7.

08 in Los Angeles, CA

April 7th 2008
Los Angeles, CA
at the ROXY on Sunset Blvd

A solo show of Brian Ewing's past and present rock posters.



Atticus and Jedidiah along with the awesome folks Punk Rock Social... are sponsoring an art show for me in LA. I'm usually way too busy trying to not miss a deadline and avoid the sun to have time to exhibit my work.



There are going to be some bands - like FINCH, THE SECRET HANDSHAKE, HALOS and some dude from HELMET will be playing the show.



The $10 goes to pay the bands. I'm offering $5 off, on any posters/ prints to help offset the admission fee.





©BRIANEWING. com

Livesay Promotes! And f*ck that Shite - Pabst Blue Ribbon! (PBR par-tay for Arrested Development fiends)

So when I decided to catch up with my pal and inker John Livesay - he laid some knowledge on me:
"I will be at the NEW YORK COMIC CON this year, went last year and plan to be back and signing copies of LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES"

And gave me some awesome scans from the upcoming issues to peruse:

To see the rest, CLICK RIGHT HERE!!!!
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So when my darling friend Loretta advised me that she would be moving to Florida I was both excited and sad. Excited b/c she is moving to finish her degree and live with her very awesome brother; sad b/c I’m losing my favorite person in the whole wide world besides from my dear Goddard Bunny.

Loretta and I were brainstorming for ways to raise some extra cash for her move and we decided to have a going-away / fundraiser party. The theme? Why our favorite American sit-com, ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT of course. As soon as the theme was decided, we started piecing together the details.

In Arrested Development, the Bluth family holds a “TBA CHARITY GALA” – because they couldn’t decide what they should raise money for. Our TBA would be the “TAMPA BAY ACTION,” a semi-formal dress up affair to help raise some extra cash for Loretta. We ordered a keg of PBR and are charging a measly $5 to drink and eat all you can. The food will be “upscale chic”: stuffed mushroom caps, crudités with assorted dips, bruschetta, CORN BALLS (from the infamous episode of AD where they reveal that George Sr. attempted to market a deep fryer for aforementioned corn muffins, THE CORN BALLER). Dressing as your favorite AD character or semi-formal is encouraged.
Prizes will be awarded in the following:
- Pin the mustache on Private Eye Gene Parmasean
- The Hot Cops dance competition
- Best Chicken Dance
- Best costume

We ordered special prizes off of http://www.cafepress.com/ including buttons, shirts and magnets that have sayings from Arrested Development. I think I’m going to make miniature hotdogs. =) Start your Arrested Development party planning today! And if you’re in the Philly area then come to my party!!!
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I saw some fun movies the past few weeks. NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN was by far the best. I cried at the end which is no major feat but is rare for a Coen Bros. film. I didn’t particularly like the foreign film SWEET MOVIE even if it did have full frontal nudity and scatological insanity. I think the message had something to do with Communism. But I could be wrong.
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Never underestimate your power to hurt yourself doing the most random things. I was playing RAMPAGE for PS2 – a remake of the arcade classic – and played so long and in a weird position as to spasm my back and the middle of my torso. It required a doctor’s visit and I felt rather old. To think: injuring myself on a video game that doesn’t even require physical exertion, just a lot of button mashing. But I learned something more as well – the drugs work. Flexaril is a buddhasend. Long live muscle relaxers.
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~Till Next Time Kittlings.

Takashi Miike / NIN's new album GHOSTS / DDR /Comics?

So it's been a crazy month of March for your fair Brickthrower. I have succeeded in obtaining a bit of a promotion within my "day job" office environ and starting March 24th I will be working full time in NYC.

And no, Goddard and I do not plan to move to NYC just yet.

We did however, set a date - SEPTEMBER 22nd, 2009 - VEGAS - more details to come. YOU ARE INVITED. =)

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So I think it was perhaps Goddard's friend/co-worker/awesome chick Danielle that put the boy on a Takeshi Miike kick. I couldn't mind; I've been a worshipper of the altar of ASIAN CULT FILM since my first jaunt with JU-ON THE GRUDGE that fateful night at pal Jaime Irate's humble abode.

While we have a few more films to go I would like to propose some quick little tidbits about the films we have seen so far: QUICK MIIKE REVIEWS:
AUDITION - awesome. Brutally graphic. The way she says "deeper deeper deeper" in Japanese is TEH sex. A man gets set up on a blind date that he will never be able to forget. The use of wire in this film is enough to make any man cringe. And proclaimed by comic book/

HAPPINESS OF THE KATAKURIS - a musical, and f'ing brilliant in that CANNIBAL THE MUSICAL sort of way. I lurved it. A family renovates a "guest house" (read: bed and breakfast) named "White Lovers Guest House" or something equally weird. They then find their pleasant inn attracts the most unpleasant kinds of circumstances. The songs break out at the most inappropriate times and that is the beauty of this film.

VISITOR Q - so fucking strange. But so very intriguing and interesting. Goddard relates to me that this film was made as a semi-promotional item for digital cameras. I can't imagine anyone in Japan showing this film at a Electronics Expo or something. Incest, umbrellas, and bullies are highlighted in this flick. I wasn't dull for one moment.

IZO - Eh - I didn't like this one very much. The plot was connected in a rather hapless sort of way.

ICHII THE KILLER - This is one of the first of the "Asian Cult" films I ever saw, courtesy of my horror mentor Thee Irate One, and I still hold it dear to this day. Ultraviolence, Yakuza, awesome. Masochists and suspension artists alike will surely dig on this movie.
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So Trent Reznor as NINE INCH NAILS went back into the studio and quietly released GHOSTS, a 2 CD set full of instrumentals. A rather telling title, this album is marked by its haunting feeling, as if you have heard these songs hacked up into bits and pieces and sampled on some other NIN project. My first impression was the similarity between this and APHEX TWIN’s 26 MIXES FOR CASH - an easy concept to put together and get out for the fans to purchase. NIN offered many options for buying this - from the free download of the first 9 songs, to the $5 download onto your computer, and upwards into limited edition sets and whatnot. I opted for the $5 download. I am happy to say that in some way, shape or form I have purchased the last 5 albums and multiple singles instead of resorting to my usual methods of music saturation.

I do not find this album very entertaining, just as I skip over the instrumentals on THE FRAGILE. I find the combination of Reznor’s industrial/piano/loud/soft electronic sound and his angst-ridden lyrics a perfect match. To lose the lyrics is to lose half of my attention. This is not a bad album. It is a great background CD as my ’married boyfriend’ Matt said; while you’re working or busy putting together IKEA furniture or something then this is a great album to pop in. Just don’t expect some deep revelation in this album, although maybe we can credit Reznor’s recent prolific output to his new-found sobriety. Props for that.
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DANCE DANCE REVOLUTION is helping me lose weight. It’s not just for little Asian kids and Salt n Pepa anymore!!!
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If we wish hard enough, Goddard may put together some "one sentence reviews" on his most recent comic book reads. You can wish...can’t you?

~Till Next Time Kittlings.

An Outlaw kind of Antho / Western Anthology talk with Michael Woods

Michael Woods is the editor of the new Western Anthology, OUTLAW TERRITORY. I recently chatted with Mike in regards to his anthology and the business of comic book editing. Check it out!

Mary E Brickthrower: So what made you decide to edit a Western Anthology? Are you like most boys I know, with that soft spot in your heart for the idea of the "old west?"

Michael Woods: heh...no. Outside the cool hats and being able to wear a six shooter on your hip, it didn't seem like a great time to live. It was hard and I'm a soft kid from the suburbs. I do love the genre though. Something I'm sure most of us grew up with.

As for the decision to do a western anthology, I was putting together the Low Orbit anthology and looking for something to do that would be a polar opposite. A single genre with a darker, grittier tone. I had no idea what that would be until I talked to an artist about illustrating a short western story I had cooked up. He asked if it was for a western anthology. "It is now."

MB : Was this something that you CHOSE who you wanted to have in the collection or did you solicit for submissions?

MW : When I first decided what this book would be, I opened it up for submissions and set a deadline for scripts. Deadline rolled around and I received all of zero submissions. So, I took the book off the table and started looking at writers working in the industry who's work I enjoyed. I started contacting them directly. Some said yes. Others said no. A lot said no, actually. But I kept going and enough people said yes. A few people were recommended to me (especially when I started looking for artists), which was great.

Whether I asked or was recommended someone, there isn't a creator on either volume that I did not approve. So, if either book fails, it's all my fault.

MB: Have you been surprised by any of the submissions you've gotten? Like how some people interpreted the genre?

MW: The stories and artwork in the book is all pretty amazing. I could really rant and rave about them all day. But, I knew the quality of the contributor's work ahead of time. It's why I invited them onto the book.

A few stories did surprise me though. Joshua Hale Fialkov wrote something that was reminiscent of the old EC comics. Christopher Mitten did something with the color scheme he chose that really brought his pages to life. Probably the biggest surprise was from Joshua Dysart. His story floored me. I don't know what I was expecting from him, but not that. I loved it.

Truth be told though, I'm more interested in seeing how people react to some of the newer guys on the book. I know their work and am a fan of all of them, but artists and writers like Michael Jason Paz, Dean Kots, George Gousis, Charles Shay, Christie Tseng, Jose Holder, Jan Napiorkowski, Stephen Reedy and many others are these amazing little known or completely unknown guys that are really bringing something to the table. I want to see the reaction of the fans discovering these guys work.

MB: What do you find the biggest challenge in editing an anthology? Is this something you're used to at this point?

MW: I think I always underestimate the amount of time it takes. It's a lot of communication with a lot of different people who are all busy on other projects at the same time. And that's only after searching comics and the internet to find the right people. I think I got lucky that their are a lot of western fans working in comics who wanted to be a part of this. I wish their was some secret to how all these amazingly talented people decided to do this (because I'd use it all the time), but honestly...I just asked.

MB: TOMBSTONE or WYATT EARP?

MW: "I'm your huckleberry."

MB: Are you contributing at all to OUTLAW TERRITORY?

MW: Absolutely. Aside from putting a book out there that I think is missing from the shelves, being able to write stories for the book is what makes it worth doing.

MB: Where do you do most of your writing? Do you have a 'zone'- a place that is your perfect mise-en-scene for getting some writing done and good writing at that?

MW: I tend to write when and where I can. Usually on a legal pad and later onto my Mac Mini.

Usually the best writing comes when I am at home and without distraction. Their may be music or just silence. But that is about as close to a zone as I get. I am otherwise at the mercy of inspiration, which comes and goes at it pleases.

MB: How did the title come about?

MW: Honestly, I don't remember. I know I thought of it on the way to work, but can't say what it was that sparked the idea or what the train of thought was. I just know that I liked it and figured it would work at least as a placeholder until I thought of something better.

I think sticking with it was a good decision.

MB: What does the future hold for Outlaw Territory? Another volume? What about for you personally?

MW: There will be a second volume of Outlaw Territory and it is already in the works.

For me, there are some stories in future volumes of PopGun as well as a graphic novel I'm doing with Michelle Silva called 'Bruised Peach' (also being published by Image). There are a couple other things, like 'DragonWinds' and 'The Rampart Legacy' which I can't talk too much about just yet. But, those books will start to see the light of day soon enough.

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~Till Next Time Kittlings.

Daniel Day Lewis talks about Heath Ledger on Oprah

I've thought DANIEL DAY LEWIS was the man since seeing GANGS OF NEW YORK. Yeah, I came into that awful late right? Lewis is a brilliant actor all around, and the work he does for his roles is phenomenal. When I heard about HEATH LEDGER locking himself in a hotel room for a month to get into the role of THE JOKER for the upcoming BATMAN film, I immediately thought of LEWIS' own methods for getting into character.

Anyway - LEWIS was on OPRAH via satellite to talk about his Oscar nom for THERE WILL BE BLOOD, and this is what he talked about instead. I cried watching this, and just wanted to share b/c it just makes me respect Lewis even more. (((and thanks to Joe aka Danny Tanner for hooking me up with this clip)))

Cloverfield Review and How the Web was Won // Goodbye to Heath Ledger

MAJOR SPOILERS AND SPECULATION AHEAD!!!!!!!

1st of all - let me address those nay-sayers that keep comparing CLOVERFIELD to THE HOST. Stop it darn it! It just doesn't make any sense except that they both have a monster in them. The monsters hardly compare in size, and the stories are only similar in one plot point (the rescue of someone close to the main character). Producer JJ Abrams, the director Matt Reeves and writer Drew Goddard were trying to conceive of a "Monster Movie" told from the perspective of people rather than a gods-eye view so to speak. The film succeeded in doing this, and with great intensity... almost to the point of being a disturbing film. The thing that really makes this film stellar is the fact that you can check it out as just a Monster Movie, or you can dig further into the internet hype and find out more than you could ever want in a background story.

The premise of the film is simple enough - a group of friends gather for a going-away party for their close friend Rob whom just accepted a job in Japan. Rob is also in love with another party-goer, Lily. During the party we see some small character development then BOOM! The party, and the audience is thrown into the action of a giant monster attacking the city. Told entirely from the shaky amateur perspective of Hudson aka "Hud's" handheld camera that was meant to be taking party testimonials, the story does not stop of one heart-racing moment. Only 1 hour and 24 minutes long, with the set-up taking roughly 20 minutes before the monster makes his first appearance, it is not drawn out nor does it slow down enough to let you catch your breath. I found myself tense for about an hour afterwards as the adrenaline still rushed through my veins.

Stories of motion sickness are grossly overrated (http://www.horror-movies.ca/horror_10437.html). NYPD BLUE, the BOURNE films, etc were also touted as "too shaky" but in reality this just makes the film more "real" as I see it. The monster is interesting as are the "flea"-like creatures that drop from the beast and create havoc of their own. Not enough Monster for you? Was there not enough World War II in CASABLANCA for you? The Monster is simply a back-drop for a killer premise; at the heart of this is a love story of survival, not the monster. Lily and Rob share an intimate time about a month before the party that is also documented (using the same tape to show the "date" between Rob and Lily is both a smart way of showing "flashbacks" as well as further solidifying the relationship between the 2 characters. Rob's heart-to-heart conversation on camera with his brother and Hud (the camerman) also give you more insight into just how much Rob cares for Lily.

I have not wanted to see another movie in the theater again more than I am anticipating seeing this one. The darkness and uber-sound systems of the theater perfectly lend themselves to an in-depth movie experience. The other idea of "how long could a handheld camera battery last?" - well the movie is set in real-time, there are many breaks in the recording, so the camera would be turned off at those moments. A camera battery can last 1 hour and 24 minutes if turned on and off.
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But while I want to continue to sing CLOVERFIELD's praises, the real star was the internet saturation that led up to the opening of this film. In a word - brilliant. Let me break it down for ya, BRICKTHROWER style!
7.12.07 - my first column about CLOVERFIELD is published, go here for the early news:
http://norestforthewretched.blogspot.com/2007/07/overkill-of-cloverfield.html

After this column was posted, news quieted down for awhile.
Then there came the talk of SLUSHO, after intense investigation of the trailer showed a person wearing a Slusho t-shirt. The SLUSHO web site is still active(http://www.slusho.jp/), as is the number to help promote SLUSHO products, which I called just a couple days ago. More on that later.

Slusho was first mentioned in another JJ ABRAMS project, TV's ALIAS, and was expanded to be a division of the TAGRUATO Corporation(www.tagruato.jp), a company dedicated to some unspecified ocean research.

About a month ago, TV trailers started popping up, including a new look at the monster. CTHULU-like creature myths were dispelled, in favor of a mutant blue whale instead.

Then enter "T.I.D.O. Wave," (http://www.tidowave.com) a eco-activist (terrorist?) group whose soul target was the evil Tagruato Corporation . Tagruato's web site indicated that TIDOWave not only hacked their web site, but had done even more elaborate damage about a week before the film CLOVERFIELD was set to release.

A fake newscast circulated the internet (http://www.break.com/index/leaked-scene-from-cloverfield.html), showing a Tagruato Ocean Rig (the Chuai Station) being utterly demolished and sinking into the sea. Tagruato publicly blamed TIDOWave , although an unknown dark spot can be seen underneath the rig as it is sinking, as well as cell phone footage from inside the rig broadcasting a rather monstrous-sounding roar.

This rig was located off the coast of Connecticut. And come Friday, the release of the movie, trying to access both Tagruato's and TIDOWave's web sites proved fruitless. Tagruato had one simple page with Japanese (which I can't read) and a Danger "!" sign while TIDOWave's site shows only a unreadable unclickable ghost of the former page, with a "INTERNAL AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT" stamp in-layed on top of it. What does all this mean? Well if we look at this in real time - that damn monster hit the US shores on 1-18-08 and the day after the "goverment" shut down the parties involved.

Checking SLUSHO's web site again, it is still up and running, and reading the "ABOUT" section gives you even further info into the secret ingredient of the drink and the mention of a deep sea product that gives Slusho its special energy (addiction?). Calling the number on the site only led me to a recording, 1st in Japanese, then in English, reporting on the situation of the Chuai Rig disaster. Listen for yourself @ TEL# +01181354036318

Want to see the effect of SLUSHO - check out this site:
www.jamieandteddy.com

PASSWORD: jllovesth

Another blog of interest: http://tagruato.blogspot.com/

Now how's that for using the Web right to promote your movie? I say - TEH AWESOME! While several sites are still up and running and offer plenty of valuable information in regards to CLOVERFIELD and its background story on where the monster came from. My final thought - SLUSHO / Tagruato was mining the ocean floors for their "energy" product which unleashed the monster that attacked NYC. Check out the sites for yourself and make your call...but remember the post-credit message that is barely audible but just as haunting:

"It's still alive."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1k7Tg0jgJg
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And finally, I just wanted to mention the tragic news that Australian Heath Ledger was found dead yesterday, at the (magic) age of 28. Whether it be an accidental overdose or god forbid, a suicide, my sadness remains the same. An actor who was definitely well-respected and on his way to the top, too soon to befell such a tragedy. He will be missed and it makes his turn as the Joker in the upcoming THE DARK KNIGHT even more poignant. RIP HEATH LEDGER.
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ANOTHER SPECIAL THANKS to M. Sean McManus, whose research and edits really helped this piece come together.
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~Till Next Time Kittlings.

Garney is Legend - An Interview with Comic Book Artist Ron Garney / ROCK OF LOVE S. 2 / Josh Blaylock Blog

Ron Garney has been a well-respected comic book artist for years, and I’ve had a bit of a crush on him for just about as long. If you’ve ever met him at a con, you know he’s personable and a bit crazy – especially when best friend Howard Porter is by his side. Garney has been working on Spider-man for some time, but coming soon he will be making the transition to Wolverine with new writer Jason Aaron. On top of that his illustrations earned him attention of Hollywood and the makers of I Am Legend as he was asked to design characters and costumes for the ghoulies that plague survivor (and super-star) Will Smith in the film. I decided to get some info on his movie work as well as his consistent and beautiful work in the comic book world.

Mary Brickthrower : I can’t deny it Ron, I’ve always thought of you as rugged and quite handsome. Is your facial hair still intact? Or are you trying to get rid of that “lumberjack of the comic book world” image?

Ron Garney : It is, it is....I didn't realize that was the image I had, but I wouldn't say I would get rid of it either, but I change up the shape once in a while...

MB : Oh if your image isn’t “lumberjack,” then allow me to be the first to push the trend!!! As for the facial hair, what’s your favorite “shape?”

RG : Lol --very slim goatee.

MB : You were at DC Comics for quite awhile. Was the split from them and the move to Marvel amicable? Would you ever consider working from them again?

RG : Sure it was amicable, those pricks. Just kidding. Yeah, I probably would [work with them again], if the right offer came along but right now, I'm happy where I am. Being back at Marvel has been a lot of fun, with guys like Axel [Alonso] and the creative teams I’ve been working with. Plus the characters are so damn cool....

MB : Every time I’ve been to Pitt-Con and hung out at the lobby bar, you and Howard Porter were always mixing it up, and seem to be the best of pals. Has his stay at DC and your move to Marvel made it hard for you guys to keep in touch?

RG : No Not at all—Howard’s the godfather of my son. We talk all the time, and still mix it up. We tend to feed off each others insanity...

MB : That’s good to hear. But back to comics…How has the transition from Spider-man to Wolverine? Are you happy with the change in characters?

RG : Yeah I am. Any chance I get to do Wolverine in his own book is fun. The transition has been great, as it’s a new writer with some new and different things to draw...Spider-man was so tied in to the whole Civil war thing.

MB : So your on I AM LEGEND work started as a couple costume designs and turned into some mad Garney-love from the movie’s producers. How did that come about?

RG : Well --just that they were looking for a guy with a certain look to the figures, and my name was mentioned. Then at some point and they contacted me. It started out as a small job but turned fairly large over the course of six months. Too late to make it into the credits though....

MB : No mention in the credits? Well, there is always the DVD release. What exactly did you end up doing for them? And is Will Smith just as nice as everyone says he is?

RG : Well I did about 45 illustrations of the creatures in their costumes. And yeah, Will seemed like a great guy. He came over on the set and shook my hand and welcomed me "to the team.” He was very friendly, and at the wrap party I got to talk with him and his wife (Jada Pinkett Smith) and introduced him to my wife, etc.

MB : Sweet! Rubbing elbows with the Hollywood elite must be pretty cool. And now you must forgive me, but I am not familiar with any creator-owned work you have done, past or present. Is this an endeavor you’ve ever pursued or just find yourself too busy with your exclusive Marvel gig to work on anything yourself?

RG : Exactly, I’ve always been so busy and life keeps happening, that I never get the chance, although I have a lot of ideas down on paper. Someday, although I’m no spring chicken in this biz so I better get cracking!!

MB : No “Spring Chicken” maybe, but I must say you’re still thriving as an amazing artist. One last question on par with a possible creator-owned work: Who is a writer/creator you would love to work with that you haven’t got a chance to work with yet?

RG : Clint Eastwood. Lol. It’s a dream I have.

MB : I would love to be a Positive Percy for ya Ron, but that is quite a dream you got there. Good luck though sir – and aim high! Thanks so much for taking some time to chat with me!

RG : You’re welcome, fair Mary.

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Be sure to keep on eye on the newest PREVIEWS, where Ron Garney’s art on Wolverine will be shown for the 1^st time.

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If you are on MYSPACE (who isn't anymore) and LURVE comic books - add creator and overall smart guy/Devil's Due head honcho Josh Blaylock as a friend and be sure to subscribe to his blog - he's posted his first "VIDEO BLAY-LOG" with the hopes of more to come. You can find his page by going here: http://www.myspace.com/joshblaylock

And for my fellow reality TV lovers, be sure to keep your Sunday night’s free so you don’t miss the skanky spectacle that is Rock of Love 2!!! More hoes, some old hoes, and I’m now totally convinced that Bret Michaels has either SEVERAL toupee’s that he wears with his signature bandanas, or he gets extensions put in. Just my personal opinion.

NEXT WEEK: The big pay-off – CLOVERFIELD review and more sites to seek out!

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~Till Next Time Kittlings!!!