Just got back from the Patton Oswalt show at the Vogue! Fantastic sets from Patton, and openers Dana Gould and hometown hero Graham Clarke.
The only way it could have been better was if the 6 people at the end of our two rows weren't such total douchebags. This skinny pseudo-emo dressing couple were right next to us, their bridge-and-tunnel-rat friends (judging by the excessive mall make-up) in front of them and Christ they would not shut up. Everyone in our group, including many of Ian, Riel and Vicky's stand-up buds who all happened to get seats together were shushing and yelling at these assholes to keep it down but clan Yak Yak McCud-chewers kept at it. Then towards the end of the night when Patton brought out a couple of his more well known bits (the ones about the 67 year old new mom and the KFC bowl) the emo's actually called out the punchlines before he even said them, waving their arms to punctuate each word like they were conductors at some fucking Dane Cook concert. When the material turned to newer stuff they couldn't repeat by rote they would then rattle their chip bags or loudly ask each other shit like "Is that funny? I don't get it, is that supposed to be racist?"
When the lights came up it turned into a bit of screaming match as all the comics in our row took turns hacking into the un-original frat-fucks while they whined about how we weren't really fans "because that's what Patton would want to hear!" I guess we just missed that fridge post-it. Riel and I sang them out with "You lucky guys! Look what you get to take home! Wooo!"
And still despite those hick, no taste, no talent, fashion victim losers from thicksville, the show was stellar. Loved it. To top it off with a sweet lil' maraschino cherry we got to say hello afterwards to Mr Oswalt who laid down some lovely praise on Brian which I'll be passing on shortly.
Itching to get some work done. Ian is cooking up the most amazing smelling steak. Vic is playing Bejeweled.
Yep, life is nice.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Monday, February 25, 2008
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Okay, time for some updates.
Y the Last Party was unforgettable and amazing and raised eleven grand for CBLDF. Here's some video recapping the night (WARNING! If you haven't read the last issue you may want to avoid the massive spoilers contained herein!):
Y: THE LAST PARTY
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I'm still stunned whenever I think back on that night, all the amazing things said about the book, meeting fans who actually camped out to get tickets, and of course that monkey (couldn't get enough of her!).
It took a few days to really recover from all that, both physically and emotionally. Physically because I was still pretty ill despite the soothing effects of antibiotics, the dusty LA air really didn't help, and sleep was crazy wonky. Emotionally because, well, that's a lot of excitement to deal with out of the blue after spending two weeks in bed. Saturday I was spent (watched Juno in the Hotel room) and Sunday, after an incredibly grueling day dealing with some bad directions, blazing sun and unco-operative cabbies I flipped out. It took a trip to Griffith Observatory and a lovely encounter with some honest-to-goodness infinity to set me right again.
And then on Monday we got stuck at LAX for ten hours.
We've been back in Vancouver for a couple of weeks now and I'm still dealing with this fucking flu. The worst of it is gone but the fatigue and ear thing is a lingering pain in the ass.
Still working on the Leah Moore short story. This should have been done weeks ago, Christ! I'm just getting back into the groove here aaaand...
Once that story is clear I get to start on that formerly-super-secret project. If you haven't heard yet, on the night of Y - The Last Party in LA I got the go ahead from the editors to announce the next book I'll be working on:
IDW's Doctor Who.
Wooo! So happy about it.
And how did all this come about?
Last year I was on the Bendis Board chatting with fellow Who maniac Alysha McK about whether a Doctor Who comic would be a good idea. Alysha of course wanted to write it and I jumped in saying that I'd have to draw it. As we giggled on about that, writer Tony Lee joined the thread asking if we were serious about this and to write him.
He e-mailed me about how IDW was working on acquiring the rights and asked if I'd be interested in drawing an arc. At the time I was already stressed from the Y schedule and wasn't sure about committing to another book so soon. It was also at this time that I got some contact info for Doctor Who Magazine. They run a 9 page strip every month and that, to me, seemed much more manageable. I talked with Alysha about pitching a story for the strip instead and we put together an outline.
The story, which we kept short thinking it would have a better chance as a little fill-in, was not well received. They wanted a bigger, juicier storyline and that would require a lot more work to flesh out. After squeezing out what little free time I could getting the pitch together there just wasn't any left to work this out into something more expansive and still get Y out so I let Alysha know that I had to hold off for a while.
And that was that, or so I thought.
A few months later we're at SDCC and hanging out with our Bestest-Friend-in-the-Whole-Universe, Aussie writer Shane McCarthy who's all excited about landing a gig on IDW's Transformers. At some point during the weekend Shane introduces me to Chris Ryall and we all get to talking about Doctor Who which is looking like it's going ahead. I still wasn't sure if I would be able to do a whole arc for them but then the conversation turned to doing a Who story with Shane. Well, that I couldn't resist. I let Ryall know that I was interested all right but it would have to be some time after Y ended. He said there was already a team put together and (BBC approval willing) Shane and I could do a fill-in arc later and that would be great.
So a few more months go by. I hear from Shane how the Transformers arc is booming into a beautiful, sweeping epic and he probably will have to focus on that for the rest of the year. No Who until some time later. No problem, I need to focus on Y anyway and time off afterwards would be sweet.
After the Dublin con (where I met Leah) we're in London and I'm signing books at Forbidden Planet when I meet a gentleman with a message from Chris Ryall to contact him. That night I hear back from him via e-mail that there's an arc by Tony Lee being put together and was I still interested? Sure, but after Y.
Another month goes by and Tony Lee is letting me know that a script is nearing completion. It would be ready by New Year's, only a week after Y ends. Well that's a little freaky. By now I'm exhausted and really wanting some time off. A few more e-mails and there's word that this could start in March. That could work. And Leah's story should fit into that time frame nicely.
Our flu/pneumonia month has made all that a bit more challenging of course but that's how it goes sometimes.
And here we are.
And I still want to work out the bugs on the DWM story damnit!
;)
Y the Last Party was unforgettable and amazing and raised eleven grand for CBLDF. Here's some video recapping the night (WARNING! If you haven't read the last issue you may want to avoid the massive spoilers contained herein!):
Y: THE LAST PARTY
Add to My Profile | More Videos
I'm still stunned whenever I think back on that night, all the amazing things said about the book, meeting fans who actually camped out to get tickets, and of course that monkey (couldn't get enough of her!).
It took a few days to really recover from all that, both physically and emotionally. Physically because I was still pretty ill despite the soothing effects of antibiotics, the dusty LA air really didn't help, and sleep was crazy wonky. Emotionally because, well, that's a lot of excitement to deal with out of the blue after spending two weeks in bed. Saturday I was spent (watched Juno in the Hotel room) and Sunday, after an incredibly grueling day dealing with some bad directions, blazing sun and unco-operative cabbies I flipped out. It took a trip to Griffith Observatory and a lovely encounter with some honest-to-goodness infinity to set me right again.
And then on Monday we got stuck at LAX for ten hours.
We've been back in Vancouver for a couple of weeks now and I'm still dealing with this fucking flu. The worst of it is gone but the fatigue and ear thing is a lingering pain in the ass.
Still working on the Leah Moore short story. This should have been done weeks ago, Christ! I'm just getting back into the groove here aaaand...
Once that story is clear I get to start on that formerly-super-secret project. If you haven't heard yet, on the night of Y - The Last Party in LA I got the go ahead from the editors to announce the next book I'll be working on:
IDW's Doctor Who.
Wooo! So happy about it.
And how did all this come about?
Last year I was on the Bendis Board chatting with fellow Who maniac Alysha McK about whether a Doctor Who comic would be a good idea. Alysha of course wanted to write it and I jumped in saying that I'd have to draw it. As we giggled on about that, writer Tony Lee joined the thread asking if we were serious about this and to write him.
He e-mailed me about how IDW was working on acquiring the rights and asked if I'd be interested in drawing an arc. At the time I was already stressed from the Y schedule and wasn't sure about committing to another book so soon. It was also at this time that I got some contact info for Doctor Who Magazine. They run a 9 page strip every month and that, to me, seemed much more manageable. I talked with Alysha about pitching a story for the strip instead and we put together an outline.
The story, which we kept short thinking it would have a better chance as a little fill-in, was not well received. They wanted a bigger, juicier storyline and that would require a lot more work to flesh out. After squeezing out what little free time I could getting the pitch together there just wasn't any left to work this out into something more expansive and still get Y out so I let Alysha know that I had to hold off for a while.
And that was that, or so I thought.
A few months later we're at SDCC and hanging out with our Bestest-Friend-in-the-Whole-Universe, Aussie writer Shane McCarthy who's all excited about landing a gig on IDW's Transformers. At some point during the weekend Shane introduces me to Chris Ryall and we all get to talking about Doctor Who which is looking like it's going ahead. I still wasn't sure if I would be able to do a whole arc for them but then the conversation turned to doing a Who story with Shane. Well, that I couldn't resist. I let Ryall know that I was interested all right but it would have to be some time after Y ended. He said there was already a team put together and (BBC approval willing) Shane and I could do a fill-in arc later and that would be great.
So a few more months go by. I hear from Shane how the Transformers arc is booming into a beautiful, sweeping epic and he probably will have to focus on that for the rest of the year. No Who until some time later. No problem, I need to focus on Y anyway and time off afterwards would be sweet.
After the Dublin con (where I met Leah) we're in London and I'm signing books at Forbidden Planet when I meet a gentleman with a message from Chris Ryall to contact him. That night I hear back from him via e-mail that there's an arc by Tony Lee being put together and was I still interested? Sure, but after Y.
Another month goes by and Tony Lee is letting me know that a script is nearing completion. It would be ready by New Year's, only a week after Y ends. Well that's a little freaky. By now I'm exhausted and really wanting some time off. A few more e-mails and there's word that this could start in March. That could work. And Leah's story should fit into that time frame nicely.
Our flu/pneumonia month has made all that a bit more challenging of course but that's how it goes sometimes.
And here we are.
And I still want to work out the bugs on the DWM story damnit!
;)
Friday, February 15, 2008
A few night ago, Ian, Vicky and myself were hanging out playing Bejeweled when we heard a powerful explosion outside. It sounded like it came from Cambie Street and our first thought was maybe a propane tank blew at the RAV line construction site. Soon the neighbourhood was filled with the sounds of sirens and we figured we'd find out what happened on the news the next day.
Sure enough, all over the headlines is the story of the Taco Del Mar on Broadway getting firebombed.
The blast took out the Starbucks next door, sent debris across the street into the London Drugs' windows and even blew in a window at the Holiday Inn down the street, inside was a sleeping soldier on leave! She was okay, just shaken up (poor thing).
It was interesting to note the reactions to the bombing, most people saying "Yeah, it looks like arson" "Some guy did a pretty lousy job of it" "Witnesses saw the jerk running from the scene" "Probably an insurance job or disgruntled employee" and so on. Not once did anyone bring up the word 'terrorism', even with the Olympics only two years away.
And that's why I like living here.
Oh yeah, a very burned suspect was picked up earlier today. There's some talk about the guy being connected to other acts of vandalism on the west side.
Sure enough, all over the headlines is the story of the Taco Del Mar on Broadway getting firebombed.
The blast took out the Starbucks next door, sent debris across the street into the London Drugs' windows and even blew in a window at the Holiday Inn down the street, inside was a sleeping soldier on leave! She was okay, just shaken up (poor thing).
It was interesting to note the reactions to the bombing, most people saying "Yeah, it looks like arson" "Some guy did a pretty lousy job of it" "Witnesses saw the jerk running from the scene" "Probably an insurance job or disgruntled employee" and so on. Not once did anyone bring up the word 'terrorism', even with the Olympics only two years away.
And that's why I like living here.
Oh yeah, a very burned suspect was picked up earlier today. There's some talk about the guy being connected to other acts of vandalism on the west side.
Still fighting this bug! It seemed on it's way in LA but as soon as we got back it decided to pull a last gasp (not unlike Gudonov's character in Die Hard bursting out from under that blanket with an uzi or whatever it was). Not as bad as the week before, mostly a stubborn cough and lack of energy. I did manage to get out to the office today for some work, most of the pencils on page one of the CBT story are done with starts on page two and three. We'll see how tomorrow goes.
Of course there's a lot to talk about from Y the Last Party and a certain announcement but damn if I'm about to pass out here.
More soon.
Of course there's a lot to talk about from Y the Last Party and a certain announcement but damn if I'm about to pass out here.
More soon.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Despite some really, reeeeeally bad moments this weekend (ticket problems on the way down, wandering lost in Hollywood, choking on smog, dehydration, sunburnt eyeballs, and getting stuck at LAX 12 hours of our last day in LA) it was all worth it for this:
Meeting 'Zoonie' was one of the highlights of my life.
Getting a dumptruck of praise from fans, a speech from Joss Whedon, and having a page of Y go for two grand at the CBLDF auction was pretty sweet too.
More pics soon. I need sleep so bad right now.
Meeting 'Zoonie' was one of the highlights of my life.
Getting a dumptruck of praise from fans, a speech from Joss Whedon, and having a page of Y go for two grand at the CBLDF auction was pretty sweet too.
More pics soon. I need sleep so bad right now.
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
I really feel like punching something.
I was feeling better this morning. The sinus stuff was gone, I was coughing less and overall it seemed what was left of this flu was just a weakened immune system sparking up my asthma/allergies a bit. No need to see the doctor, this train is leaving the station! Yay! We went out for some lunch to get some fresh air, clear the lungs of triggers and fuel up for the final farewell to the last 2 weeks of fucking misery.
And then on the walk home I was hit by a huge wave of tired so I figured "okay, time for bed anyway, I'm hitting the sack."
I wake up 4 hours later (y'know 'cause I love not getting a solid 7-8), I'm coughing up crap, my throat is on fire, my eyes are burning and squinty and I'm EXHAUSTED!
I'm so done with this! I need to be on a plane on Thursday and I'm fucking done already! So on top of all the other last errands I have to get caught up on tomorrow now I have to cram in a trip to the clinic.
Fuck.
I was feeling better this morning. The sinus stuff was gone, I was coughing less and overall it seemed what was left of this flu was just a weakened immune system sparking up my asthma/allergies a bit. No need to see the doctor, this train is leaving the station! Yay! We went out for some lunch to get some fresh air, clear the lungs of triggers and fuel up for the final farewell to the last 2 weeks of fucking misery.
And then on the walk home I was hit by a huge wave of tired so I figured "okay, time for bed anyway, I'm hitting the sack."
I wake up 4 hours later (y'know 'cause I love not getting a solid 7-8), I'm coughing up crap, my throat is on fire, my eyes are burning and squinty and I'm EXHAUSTED!
I'm so done with this! I need to be on a plane on Thursday and I'm fucking done already! So on top of all the other last errands I have to get caught up on tomorrow now I have to cram in a trip to the clinic.
Fuck.
Sunday, February 3, 2008
I am officially sick of being sick. Last night I missed the Jim Gaffigan show because of a wracking cough that scared Ian silly. My throat feels all scratched up, my chest is raw and I'd really like to sleep more than a few hours at a time.
sucks.
Watched a bit of Spartan this morning on cable. How much do I love that movie?
Back to bed...
sucks.
Watched a bit of Spartan this morning on cable. How much do I love that movie?
Back to bed...
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Urban Rush was a hoot. Some of you Vancouverites may have caught it Friday evening but if you missed it, the episode will rerun on Monay morning. Mike and Fiona are always a blast and it was so cool to talk to them about the book at the very beginning of its run years back, then again in the middle and now at the end.
And another link.
An interview on Newsarama with two creators who made huge impacts on this book: A Good-Bye to Y: Massimo Carnevale, Jose Marzan Jr. Lovely!
Got this note from David Hyde, DC's PR guy extraordinaire:
Thanks again to everyone writing in about the book. It's really great to read all the wonderful feedback!
And just a note about Facebook...
I am on this network but I've limited it to people I deal with on a regular basis, family, friends, colleagues and such. It's my address book where I can quickly access these people and also have a quick glance at how they're doing (via the mini-feed). I don't do applications like Gifts or Growing Things or Compare Your Friends or whatever. If you've been sending and re-sending friend requests (or Gifts, Growing Things etc.) and not getting a confirm please don't feel snubbed, I just want my Facebook page to be small and relatively uncluttered.
Please check out MySpace if you'd like to join my open network there.
Trying to sleep. Not really succeeding.
And another link.
An interview on Newsarama with two creators who made huge impacts on this book: A Good-Bye to Y: Massimo Carnevale, Jose Marzan Jr. Lovely!
Got this note from David Hyde, DC's PR guy extraordinaire:
MTV is prepping a segment looking at women in power via the prism of pop culture, specifically what's the fantasy (like in Y the Last Man, "Commander in Chief," etc) and what can Hillary Clinton learn from that?(too bad I'm an Obama fan)
Thanks again to everyone writing in about the book. It's really great to read all the wonderful feedback!
And just a note about Facebook...
I am on this network but I've limited it to people I deal with on a regular basis, family, friends, colleagues and such. It's my address book where I can quickly access these people and also have a quick glance at how they're doing (via the mini-feed). I don't do applications like Gifts or Growing Things or Compare Your Friends or whatever. If you've been sending and re-sending friend requests (or Gifts, Growing Things etc.) and not getting a confirm please don't feel snubbed, I just want my Facebook page to be small and relatively uncluttered.
Please check out MySpace if you'd like to join my open network there.
Trying to sleep. Not really succeeding.
Friday, February 1, 2008
Radio interview went well, I haven't listened to it yet but I'm guessing I sound weird. I went through several Ricolas to get through it in case there's a lot wrapper crinkling going on. Afterwards we went home and I crashed for a bunch of hours. Around midnight I was up again, checking e-mails, having some dinner but now I have to get back in bed so I can be up for an inteview on Urban Rush at noon. I can't remember if the show is live or recorded a day ahead. It'll be fun to chat with Mike and Fiona again.
I still have a mess of work to do too. Ugh. Want this cold done now.
I still have a mess of work to do too. Ugh. Want this cold done now.
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