The Dark Knight Takes A Bow

Director Christopher Nolan has stated that this will be his final venture into the world of Batman, in fact on the movie’s official website it says ” the legend ends July 20″. If that is the case, this could be the best third movie in a trilogy ever.

I’m not going to give anything away but I will say this and the hardcore Batman fans will know what I’m talking about. A few months ago I was sharing with my peeps in the Chicago Comic Creator group, that I wished the new movie would use the No Man’s Land storyline. Well, they sorta did.

Also, all the fanboys worried about how Catwoman was going to be portrayed can relax because Anne Hathaway nails it. She comes across way more like the current Selena Kyle than any other actress that has played her before.

So maybe in five or six years a new director will try their hand at the caped crusader. They’re gonna have a tough act to follow.

The Amazing Spider Re-Boot

Alright, alright I know The Dark Knight Rises comes out today but I still want to talk about the new Spider-man movie, The Amazing Spider-Man. They got it right this time. The previous Spidey franchise of movies was more visually appealing than it was true to the original material. This version is to those movies what The Dark Knight series is to Tim Burton’s Batman movies.

Andrew Garfield did a great job of bringing modern teen angst to Peter Parker. He’s a lot closer to the age Peter was when he became the webslinger. Not once during his performance did I think about Tobey Maguire’s stint in the red suit.

Garfield’s real life girlfriend Emma Stone gives an equally compelling portrayal of Pete’s REAL first girlfriend Gwen Stacy. Their onscreen chemistry is natural and unforced. This is the treatment Gwen deserves unlike the one she received in Spiderman 3 (yikes!).

I don’t want to give away too much to those who have not seen it yet or those that aren’t comic readers. Have to say this… you know you’re getting old when Sally Field is playing Aunt May and you can remember watching her play Gidget on TV as a kid! Anyway go see it if you haven’t already…it’s …Amazing!

Awesome 5! #1 Now on sale at Chicago Comics

Just in case you live in the Chicagoland area and are looking for something to quench your comic book thirst, stop by Chicago Comics. The guys and gals that work there are very friendly and helpful even if you don’t know which issue of The Incredible Hulk  Wolverine first appeared in. Not only that but they carry a huge selection of Indie, small press and self published comics. Among them Complicated Hair and Awesome 5!. If you’re looking for the indie stuff you’ll find it in the back of the store and there is some really cool stuff there. I may place copies in other stores, but I’ve had great success at this location. Chicago Comics is located at 3244 N Clark street.

Go Google Yourself

Everyone has done it. How can you resist the urge? The last time I did it the first name that came up was a different Lorenzo Ross’s Facebook profile. He has more friends than me. The next item was alternativecitycomics.com so that’s cool. Then a lot of old blog posts of ours, okay that’s cool too. Then when I look under images, two of the first three photos are mug shots of two different brothers with my name, one in Texas the other in Florida. I have got to stay the hell out’a those states! Fortunately the fourth photo was my old Myspace profile shot. There’s a lot of Myspace stuff of mine out there. Lucky me.

Happy Anniversary Odie!

Now that July 4th is over, I am reminded of a truly joyous occasion that happened one year ago. It was on the Tuesday following the holiday that Janet and I took a trip to Kenosha in search of a little white Shih Tzu she had seen on their website. When we got there the Shih Tzu was taken so we looked at a couple other dogs . One was getting over kennel cough and the other seemed a little aloof. Then the handler brought out this beagle basset mix that had been given up twice, had cherry eye, was overweight and had a fatty tumor on his chest. It was love at first sight.

We’ve told Odie’s story in previous entries so I won’t rehash the whole thing. I’ll just say that everyday I give him a hug & a kiss and let him know how thankful I am that he is our dog.

Hot off the presses… Awesome 5! #1

There’s nothing like seeing your work in print. For me it’s like giving birth. That’s how i felt as I opened the envelope containing my proof copy of Awesome 5! issue #1! My baby!

As I’ve mentioned before in this blog, Awesome 5! is a project that has been in the oven since last year. It will be included in Anthologies Of Interest along with works by several of my buds in the Chicago Comics Coalition. But I just couldn’t wait for that to happen so I made a small print run with Ka-blam Comics. This is just a test order to see how Ka-Blamm prints and how the book sells. The best selling item on the Etsy store is Complicated Hair #1 one of my other children. I’m working on re-printing a bunch of my older comic strips that have not seen the light of day in years and also Complicated Hair #2. Thanks to digital printing print minimums have gone down so you are not obligated to order hundreds or thousands of books and end up using them as furniture.

The cover price for this issue is $3.00 which is limited to this first batch. After these sell I’ll be forced to raise the next run to $3.99. I’m not trying to get rich but I also don’t want to go into debt. If you would like a copy visit the Psychic Unicorns Etsy shop. To preview Awesome 5! as well as my other comics visit alternativecitycomics.com.

“Bernie” is an overlooked gem of a movie

Everyday we are bombarded with trailers & commercials for the latest movies about to be released. The blockbusters get the most attention because they have the most money behind them. Some live up to the hype(The Avengers) some don’t(Battleship). What get’s lost most of the time are the indie flicks that deserve more attention. One of these is Bernie starring Jack Black, Shirley MacLaine and Matthew McConaughey.

Jan & I had the pleasure of seeing this slightly dark comedy yesterday. Apparently it was released in 2011 but it was playing at the cineplex in Evanston like it was a new release. Neither one of us are fans of Jack Black but I have to say this has got to be his finest performance to date. Based  on true events, Bernie tells the story of a mortician in a small east Texas town that befriends a wealthy widow and becomes her constant companion. I don’t want to give away too much but events occur that put the little town of Carthage on the map. Black and MacLaine give oscar worthy performances and I thought McConaughey was decent in his role as the headline grabbing local D.A. The director even uses local townspeople in documentary style cameos recounting their memories of the events.

So if you get a chance check this movie out and support an Indie film that truly deserves it!

Avengers Assemble!

I love when characters I’ve only read about get translated to the big screen, especially when it’s done right. That is definitely the case with the new Avengers movie. Even if you know nothing about The Avengers or have never read a comic book, there is a very good chance that you will like this movie.

One big reason the film works is not just a great cast but also the choice of director. Joss Whedon is well known for his work on Buffy & Angel, as well as other gems like Firefly and Dollhouse. Whedon followed up his success in television by writing many well received story arcs for comics like Fray, Astonishing X-men and Runaways just to name a few. The man “gets” comics. He’s a lifelong fan and respects the medium. Having the movie created through his vision prevents the suits from ruining a good thing.

I’m thrilled that The Avengers will now be on the radar as much as X-men have been in the past. Growing up I was a bigger fan of The Avengers than the X-men. Awesome 5! is inspired by The Avengers more than any other supergroup. Janet’s not a comic geek like I am but she loved the movie as much as I did. No one is a bigger proponent of indie films, comics and culture than myself but if you’re gonna make a blockbuster this is the way to do it. It’s a must see!

New Prints Available

Upon finishing Awesome 5! #1, I noticed that since it took several months to complete the story my renderings of the characters was changing. Given the fact that I’m remembering these guys from the time I was in grade school and I’m getting to know them all over again, it’s not surprising that their appearances might change.

That said, here are the new looks of Buzz Saw Boy and Laser Girl. These two are like competitive siblings at times. Buzzy’s the leader that fights with the intensity of a navy seal, while LG is his spunky wise cracking, death-ray shooting counterpart.

The new prints are available at our Psychic Unicorns store, and the book can be read at alternativecitycomics.com.

Art Finished for Awesome 5! #1

It’s a great feeling to finish a project. Well it’s not finished finished, but the last page of art is done for Awesome 5! #1. Now after I correct some mistakes the next phase begins which includes doing an Indiegogo campaign and choosing a printer.

These are pages 15 & 16 that wrap up the first issue. If you would like to read the entire story from the beginning click here and follow the links. I’ve decided to do new prints of Laser Girl and Buzz Saw Boy for the Etsy store which I’ll have done by Wednesday. 🙂